The Diet Logs

Usually we turn to Consumer Reports for assistance in purchasing the necessities as well as the luxuries in life. Try their eating advice on for size:

Cut the easiest calories first (sugared soft drinks and juices and outsized baked goods alone can eliminate 500 to 1,000 calories a day from some people’s diets); increase fiber intake gradually; and consider taking a multivitamin pill. If, after three weeks, you find a diet is too difficult or unpleasant to follow — of if you are not losing weight — try another.

More suggestions from the editors include checking with your doctor before starting any diet and restricting the weight loss to two pounds or less a week. The secret, however, is to cut calories in ways you can live with because you will lose weight if the diet is low enough in calories. Eating portion-controlled amounts of food is an effective tactic promoted by popular plans like Jenny Craig and Slim-Fast. Another trick is to avoid foods made from extra sugar, refined flour, white rice, and potatoes. These carbohydrates are easily digested and tend to raise your blood sugar level which leads to an increase in hunger, some diets claim. That’s why the South Beach, Zone, and Atkins-type diet plans advocate eating loads of protein and fats.

So, what should we eat, now that we have the no-no’s out of the way? Low calorie, bulky goodies that literally fill up your stomach: soups, vegetables, and fruits are called “low energy density” foods. They have a low calorie-to-weight ratio, so they feel more satisfying after they’re eaten. Meat and dairy foods are moderate on this scale, but the worst categories of food you could choose include nuts, cheeses, oils and pastries that pack a wallop of calories compared to the amound of space they occupy.

Georganna Hancock wrote this on May 30th, 2005 and filed it under Dieting, Healthy Eating, Weight Loss |