As a nutritionist, I have seen or heard just about everything as far as diets are concerned. I am constantly amazed by the schemes and expenses people put themselves through. In the name of weight loss, we eat some pretty awful-tasting foods, forgo getting together with friends if food is involved, or take the joy out of eating through monotonous, limited or complicated food plans.
I admit, when you stick with it, many of these diets bring the desired weight loss. People have lost hundreds of pounds using some of these methods. Unfortunately, it's often the same 10 pounds over and over again!
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No matter what the theme, most diets have one thing in common: restrictions. There are rigid rules about foods to avoid. As I explain to my clients, if you could restrict the cookies, cake, ice cream, processed foods, hidden fats and such on your own, you wouldn't need to buy into these plans. For some reason, people are willing to avoid these foods when they're a part of some scientific-sounding plan. But as with most diets, willpower usually wanes. Soon enough, you're back on the roller coaster.
Make a commitment now to lose weight without the "magic bullet" that diet books promise. You need to do it in a manner that will have lasting effects and won't restrict your life.
Here's my proposal: It takes an excess of about 3,500 calories to gain a pound (or 35,000 calories to put on that familiar 10 pounds a year). Divide that into smaller bites, and 100 calories more or less a day can translate to about 10 pounds a year. This means losing 10 pounds can be as easy as eating 100 calories less each day for a year!
Just one dietary change may be all it takes. Each of the following changes will decrease your daily calorie intake by about 100. Please note that these figures are approximate. You can use the nutrition information on food tables and labels for more ideas.
Obviously, you can mix and match or try a couple (or more) if your goal exceeds 10 pounds. Be prepared for slow weight loss. Because losing weight at a gradual pace (1/2 to 2 pounds per week) is generally considered the best way to achieve long-term success, this is also the sensible way to achieve meaningful results.
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