Winning the Weight Loss Race

"Watch What You Eat But Don't Diet" How many calories do you need? Secrets to eating for success What to do after a slip-up 21 Ways to Think Thin The Real Skinny On Fat The low-fat trap Cholesterol "101"

Exercise Great things about exercise Exercise guidelines Food Cravings Myths & facts How to curb cravings Blame it on your brain 3 reasons to bag sugar

"Watch What You Eat But Don't Diet"

"Diets" are something to go on today and off tomorrow. While people who go on "diets" can (and do) lose weight in the short run, the lost weight more often than not comes bounding back as soon as old eating habits are resumed.

What's needed is a new way of eating that provides the right nutrients, satisfies your appetite and "food passions," allows you to dine out and go to parties, and still enables you to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.

Granted, you won't lose weight as quickly as if you were on a 500-calorie-a-day-grapefruit-and-watermelon diet, but the weight you lose will be more likely to stay lost.

How many calories do you need?
As a general rule, if you're inactive, multiply your desired (not actual) weight by 11 to determine how many calories you need a day. Your desired weight and your ideal weight may not be the same. These lists are provided as a general reference point for your ideal weight:

MEN Height Ideal Weight 5' 4" 130 5' 5" 136 5' 6" 142 5' 7" 148 5' 8" 154 5' 9" 160 5' 10" 166 5' 11" 172 6' 0" 178 6' 1" 184 6' 2" 190

WOMEN Height Ideal Weight 5' 0" 100 5' 1" 105 5' 2" 110 5' 3" 115 5' 4" 120 5' 5" 125 5' 6" 130 5' 7" 135 5' 8" 140 5' 9" 145 5' 10" 150

Secrets, Strategies and Other Eat-For-Success Tips

FIVE EASY SECRETS...

1. Are you really hungry or are you eating because you're feeling stressed, bored, frustrated, etc.?
2. Don't put any of your favorite foods "off limits." Instead, limit them (i.e., enjoy one of your favorites once a week).
3. Cut back on the amount of food you eat, rather than on the kinds of food you eat - you won't have to count calories and you'll be able to enjoy your favorite foods.
4. Eat slowly and allow time for your brain to tell you when you've eaten enough.
5. Leave the table feeling not quite full - you'll feel more alert and vital.

WHAT ABOUT "DIET" PILLS?

Diet pills can be a valuable weight-loss aid for people who haven't been able to lose weight through diet and exercise alone and whose health is at risk because they are too heavy.

But medical experts advise never to use any diet pill - either over-the-counter or prescription - unless you're under a doctor's care.

HERE'S WHY:

• The chemicals used in diet pills are not necessarily safe for everyone, and they can cause unpleasant side effects. That goes for over-the-counter products as well.
• Once you stop taking diet pills, the weight can creep right back on - sometimes because the behavior that caused the weight gain in the first place has not been changed.
• Often, we let our emotions control our eating habits - instead of our stomachs so a pill designed solely to suppress appetite is not addressing the real problem.

WHAT TO DO AFTER A SLIP-UP: Remind yourself that a small lapse does not have to lead to a full-blown relapse. You can start over again at any moment you choose. Review all the great reasons why you want to eat healthfully and lose weight. ("I'll feel better, have more energy, and fit into those jeans I bought last year.") Think over the events that led to your "fall." Then plan a realistic strategy for avoiding similar situations in the future. Take it one moment at a time. You only have to stick with your resolve for this moment. Moments lead to hours, to days, to weeks... Talk to someone about your slip and ask for support and advice. Congratulate yourself for the progress you've made up to this point - and continue on. Conflict of interest "The two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food, and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it." -Andy Rooney

Fool your mouth...Some low calorie substitutions for the high-calorie stuff 100-CALORIE SNACKS: Crunchy 1 apple 5 bread sticks ½ cup cold cereal w/nonfat milk ½ English muffin w/butter or jam 2 cups fresh vegetables Smooth/Creamy 1 Tbsp. peanut butter 1 cup unsweetened applesauce ½ cup 1% cottage cheese with peach slices Nonfat frozen yogurt, 4 oz. Sweet 3 graham crackers 1 cup water-packed fruit cocktail About 30 grapes 20 whole strawberries two thirds of a box of Cracker Jacks Salty 10 Saltine crackers 5 Triscuits Popcorn, lightly buttered and salted, 2 cups Dill pickle (3¾" long) - only 5 calories