| Finding the Right
Weight Loss Diet
Picking a weight management
plan can be a confusing problem for an overweight person.
This month’s best selling diet book says, “Eat
high-protein and fat and low-carbohydrate”. But last
month’s said, “Eat high-carbohydrate, low-fat”. So what do
you do?? Throw some dice and hope for the best? Keep
looking for more diet and nutrition information?
You can find books telling
you to plan your diet based on your blood type, your body
type (whatever that is!), your astrological sign or,
probably, the color of your hair or eyes.
If any of them really
worked, there wouldn’t be so many on the scene. Think
about that old childhood riddle, “Why do you always find a
lost item in the last place you look for it”? Answer:
“Because you stop looking for it after you find it |
So, let me
see if I can simplify the “choose a diet” dilemma for you. Consider
the following points.
POINT ONE: Calories count! Research clearly shows that any diet that produces
weight loss does so by creating a reduction of caloric intake (I’m
only addressing diet here, not exercise).
An Atkins-type approach (low
carbohydrate) works largely because it produces a state called
ketosis, which, in turn, decreases appetite. A Pritikin-type
approach (high-carbohydrate/low-fat) works because you can fill-up
on foods that have no calories. So, here are two diets, opposite in
design, which both work to the extent that they lead to calorie
reduction.
But I’ve seen lots of patients that
have failed on one and succeeded on the other. You have to use an
approach that works by helping you eat fewer calories.
POINT TWO: You have to know what you’re eating now. This is your starting
point. Keep a diet diary. Analyze your dietary intake. How many
calories do you eat? How much fat? How much carbohydrate…especially
starches (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice etc.) and sugary foods?
Do you eat regular meals? Eat late?
Snack often? Are you an emotional eater…how much and what do you eat
when you are bored, angry, depressed, frustrated or anxious? Do you
eat more under stress?
Find out where your eating habits
are right now. Then understand the following simple message. In
fact, say it over and over until it is imbedded permanently in your
brain.
If you
keep doing what you’ve been doing,
you’ll keep getting the same
results you’ve been getting.
POINT
THREE: You live in the real world. I’m going to assume
that you don’t have a live-in chef, full time trainer, limo driver
and personal assistant to attend to all those pesky day-to-day
details!
So, any diet you use needs to fit
your personality and lifestyle. Otherwise, it's doomed to failure!
TAKE THIS
SIMPLE TEST
In order to find what type of diet
is best for you, get some paper, a pencil or pen and take this
simple test. Then we’ll talk about the results.
1. What diets have you gone on
before?
a. Low fat
b. Low carbohydrate (e.g. Protein
Power, Zone, Atkins)
c. High carbohydrate (e.g. Pritikin)
d. Calorie counting, Point-system
(Exchange diet e.g. Weight Watchers)
e.
Other_____________________________________________
2. Which one(s) worked best?
3. Which ones were the hardest to
stick on?
4. What usually goes wrong with your
diet plans?
a. I get tired of it
b. Some life event messes me up
(marriage, illness, divorce, etc.)
c. Couldn’t stick to it
d.
Other____________________________________________
5. What are the most important
criteria you have for a diet? (Circle two)
a. Includes foods I like (so much,
I can’t do without them)
b. Get to eat a lot
c. Tells me exactly what to do
d. Gives me a lot of choice
e. Causes rapid weight-loss
f. Causes permanent weight-loss
g. Prevents hunger
h. Includes snacks
Your answers to these questions should
help you choose the best type of weight-loss diet to follow. Your
answers should give you clues as to which type of diet is most
likely to work for you. Look particularly at your answers to
question #5 (but pay attention to your answers to question 1-4) and
use the following guide to select a type of diet that incorporates
your answers to question #5.
GUIDE TO SELECTING DIET
1. “Foods I like”
a. Balanced, calorie-counting diet
b. Specific diet that allows those
foods (e.g. high protein and fat diet, if you can’t live without
cheese)
2. “You get to eat a lot”
a. The Free diet
b. High-carbohydrate/low-fat
3. “Tells me exactly what I can and
can’t eat”
a. Balanced calorie counter
b. Low carbohydrate (Zone, Protein
Power)
c. Rotation diet
4. “Gives me a lot of choice”
a. Calorie counter
b. Free diet
5. “Causes rapid weight-loss”
a. Low carbohydrate
b. Rotation diet
6. “Causes permanent weight-loss”
a. Calorie counter
b. Any of the others that you can
live with for your entire life.
7. “Prevents hunger”
a. Low carbohydrate
b. High-(complex)carbohydrate/low-fat
(low-glycemic index)
8. “Includes snacks”
a. Any of them can
Whatever diet you decide to follow,
it is important that you keep a diary. Here is another simple
rule:
Plan your
work; then, work your plan!
So, if you’re making progress,
feeling satisfied and happy with your program, great!
Congratulations!
But, if you are stalled or
frustrated, keep a diary for a few weeks. Then review it and decide:
Is the problem (a) that the plan isn’t
working, or (b) that you’re not sticking to your plan?
The problem will always be one of
these two. If it is a problem with your plan…choose a different type
of plan. If the problem is that you aren’t sticking with the plan,
rededicate yourself and stick with it for several weeks. Then, see
if it works!
So, with that in mind, here is our
final rule:
If what
you’re doing doesn’t work, do something else.
There are two worlds: The world that
should be and the world that really is. Frustration and
discouragement come from living in the world that “should be”, (e.g.
“I should be loosing weight since I’m following this diet plan and
doing this exercise”). As long as you stay in the “should”…nothing
new is going to happen. So, getting stuck is your signal to try
something new.
Your answers to the above test
should give you a clue as to just what that next step is. Sometimes
your progress will temporarily slow down or come to a halt for a few
weeks while your body adjusts and adapts to your new weight and
lifestyle. Often this temporary plateau appears and disappears
within a few weeks with no obvious explanation. If a plateau lasts
longer than 6-8 weeks, it is time to find a strategy to deal with
it. That information is available else where on our Activator CD.
But for now, choose a plan, get
started, and evaluate your progress.
Congratulations! You’re on your way to a new and healthier new
you!
FAQ’S
1. How many
calories should I eat?
Answer: There is no easy answer to
this question. The diet you follow must take into account your
temperament, your “willpower”, your individual metabolism and many
other factors.
That being said, there are several
general guidelines, which should help you determine an appropriate
calorie level to follow.
According to “the books” (and “the
books” aren’t always right), it takes about 10-12 calories per day
to maintain each pound of body weight. Therefore, multiply your body
weight by 12 to determine the number of calories it would take you
to maintain you present weight. We’ll call this number your “DCN”
(daily caloric need).
A pound of fat has 3500 calories of
stored energy. Therefore, to lose 1 pound of fat, you must create a
500-calorie deficit each day. In other words, if you subtract 500
from your DCN, you would get a number of calories, which should
result in a weight loss of 1 pound per week (500 cal/day x7
days=3500). Most people can tolerate this level of calorie reduction
without feeling overly deprived.
Authorities agree that it is best to
lose weight at a slow rate…1/2 to 2 pounds per week. Therefore,
subtracting 1000 from your DCN would provide the number of calories
you should follow to lose at the maximum safe rate. This might cause
you to feel a little more deprivation and call for a little more on
your willpower.
For those daring individuals who
want to lose as rapidly as possible, here is a sensible suggestion.
Women should aim for a calorie intake of about 1000-1200 calories a
day and men for a calorie intake of 1400-1500 calories per day.
Going below these levels will probably just slow your metabolic rate
down and end up being counterproductive. Anyone who goes on a diet
of less than 1000 calories per day, in my opinion, should do so only
under the close supervision of a physician knowledgeable in the use
of such “starvation” diets. Diets below 1000 calories create a risk
of severe metabolic damage and severe chemical abnormalities in the
body, including some that could be fatal.
Another very simple concept that
works for many people is to simply add a zero to the end of their
desired weight, and consume that number of calories. For example if
you wanted to weigh 130 pounds, your caloric intake should be set at
about 1300 calories per day.
2. What if
I decide I want to follow a low-fat diet?
Answer: Fat contains over twice as
many calories as a similar amount of protein or carbohydrate.
Therefore, one of the simplest ways to decrease calories is to lower
the total amount of fat in your diet.
My recommendation is that you obtain
less than 1/3 of your total calories from fat. There are two ways to
approach such a diet.
First, you can divide your DCN by 3.
This gives you the maximum number of fat calories you should have
per day. Then using a fat calorie guide or nutrition label, limit
your total fat calories to this amount or less.
Since fat has 9 calories per gram,
if the fat content of a food is listed in grams, you multiply that
number of grams by 9 to get the number of calories from fat.
A second way is both simpler and ,
usually, more effective. Using this method, you eat food only if
less than 1/3 of its calories come from fat. Thus, you divide the
total calories of the food by 3. You then determine the number of
fat calories (fat grams x9). If the fat calories are less than 1/3
the total calories, it is a “safe” food to eat.
Pitfall: Foods that are high in
sugar or starch content may be low in fat but cause a metabolic
slow-down due to their effect on blood sugar and insulin. A diet
high in such foods may present weight loss, cause weight gain and/or
increase appetite. (See Question 3)
3. What if
I decide a low carbohydrate diet is best for me?
Answer: The simplest way to follow a
low-carbohydrate diet is to eat only foods that have a low “glycemic
index”.
Glycemic index is a number assigned
to a food based on the way it causes an increase in your blood sugar
and insulin levels. Insulin turns fat cells off…stops them from
burning fat…and signals them to increase the storage of fat.
Therefore, eating foods that have only a small effect on insulin and
glucose will put your body in a state where it can burn fat more
easily and help facilitate your weight loss. Many people also notice
this type diet greatly lessens their appetite.
A list of the glycemic index of
various foods is included at the end of this discussion. One of the
simplest ways to follow a low-carbohydrate diet would be to eat
foods that have a glycemic index of 50 or less and exclude the
others. If this is working well and you want to liberalize the diet,
you can add foods that have a glycemic index of up to 60 and monitor
your results.
If you must break this type diet,
and decide to have a high glycemic index food (for example a
dessert), try to eat it at the same time as other low glycemic index
foods. For example, a piece of pie would do less damage if eaten
after a meal containing lean protein and vegetables than it would if
eaten as a snack.
Pitfall: Fat has a low-glycemic
index but provides an extremely high amount of calories. Following a
diet that is high in fat can be effective…but this type diet should
be undertaken only under the supervision of a physician
knowledgeable in the use of such diets. Eat less than 1/3 of your
calories in the form of fat (See Question 2).
4. What if
I want to follow a diet that is well balanced and more generalized
in nature?
Answer: Simply calculate your DCN
(see question 1) and determine an appropriate calorie level to
follow as described above. The majority of foods in this diet should
be relativity low-fat and relativity low in refined-carbohydrates
(starch and sugars).
In my opinion, the typical USDA
food pyramid allows too many starches and whole-grains and 1/3 to
1/2 of the servings of these foods should be replaced with fruits
and vegetables.
Nonetheless, the simple rule to
follow for a balanced diet is to create a calorie deficit and then
eat a wide variety of foods centered primarily on proteins, fruits
and vegetables. Several “calorie counting diets” are included as
well as one we use in our clinic, which we refer to as “The
Metabolic Diet”.
Which
Diet Is Right For You?
The media and sometimes your friends
are just full of revolutionary new diets to help you lose weight
painlessly. (Yeah, right!) Everywhere you look - there are diets.
Everyone is talking about the “best diet” and how much weight they
have lost on their diet. You have undoubtedly heard about all ofl
these diets, but which one should you choose? Remember that you can
lose weight on just about any diet, but staying on one is the real
secret. So let’s go through a little checklist here and see what
factors you should consider when choosing a diet plan.
Here is a handy checklist to help guide
you in selecting a diet program. If the diet can’t stand up to
this test, forget it. The only results you are likely to see are a
waste of time and money and the possible harm to your health.
-
WILL YOU
BE EATING THE FOODS THAT YOU LIKE?
-
WILL YOU
BE EATING A WIDE VARIETY OF FOODS?
-
CAN YOU
AFFORD THE DIET?
-
DO YOU
HAVE TO BUY ANY EXOTIC FOODS, SPECIAL LIQUIDS, PILLS, POWDERS,
OR GADGETS?
-
WILL THE
DIET ENDANGER YOUR HEALTH?
-
IS THE
DIET NUTRITIONALLY BALANCED?
-
WILL YOU
BE SKIPPING MEALS?
-
WILL YOU
BE EATING FEWER CALORIES THAN YOU ARE BURNING?
-
WILL YOU
BE GETTING MORE EXERCISE OR INCREASING YOUR ACTIVITY?
-
WILL YOU
LEARN SOME LOW CALORIE WAYS TO SELECT AND PREPARE FOOD?
-
WILL YOU
LOSE ONE TO TWO POUNDS PER WEEK?
-
WILL YOU
BE ABLE TO ADAPT A VERSION OF THIS DIET FOR A LIFETIME?
Nothing will ever taste as good as being slim feels!
Some Very Important things to remember!
1. The best diet is seldom one that
makes you lose pounds quickly. The optimum or best weight loss for
females is 1-2 pounds a week and 2-3 pounds for men. Diets which
have you losing weight more quickly will not help you make a
permanent change in your eating patterns and, moreover, can (and
usually will) cause loss of muscle and vital organ tissue.
Definitely not a good thing.
2. Skipping meals is not the best
way to reduce your caloric intake! In reality, skipping meals
normally causes binge eating later. The best way is to graze. Have
several small portions of food throughout the day and keep yourself
from getting hungry. May we also suggest keeping busy with things
you like to do that don’t normally center around food.
3. Don’t eliminate food or food
groups. Diets that tell you to avoid certain foods are doomed to
failure. Especially if one of the foods you're supposed to avoid is
one of your favorites! You simply cannot substitute one food for
another, especially if you are experiencing a craving. So, don’t be
silly, indulge in a very small portion of the food you are craving
and keep in mind your total caloric intake for the day. Remember,
you can never eat enough of something you don’t want, in order to
feel satisfied.
4. High protein diets can work
wonderfully well. You can experience a fast weight loss and control
hunger while you are on it. But remember that most people
experience a fast weight gain after getting off a high protein
diet. So be careful of that. High protein diets (like all diets)
work, but you have to get off it sometime and get back to real
eating again.
5. Do the enzymes in grapefruit
juice really help burn fat? NO!
6. Remember it’s an old wive's tale
that moderate exercise or increased activity also increases
appetite. Actually, the opposite is true. What exercise does do
is:
1. Increase your calorie burn and
help you lose weight.
2. Relieve stress and let you sleep
better.
3. Increase muscle tone so that your
body is a more efficient fat burning machine.
7. Are all fruit or fruit juice
diets a great way to lose weight? Not really! Fruit juices are
high in sugar and contain calories. Think about that.
8. Is being overweight hereditary?
Not really. Yes, you can have some specific inherited traits such
as larger thighs or large breasts which are inherited. But how big
they are is up to you. Even huge parents have skinny children and
vice-versa. So don’t let that throw you a curve. You can almost
any weight you want to be, if you’ll just pay attention to what you
are eating.
9. Does eating slowly help lose
weight? Yes, because it takes several minutes for the body to feel
full and signal the brain to stop eating. The slower you eat, the
better in that regard.
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