Diet Right- Part 2

What about dramatically cutting calories and diet foods? 

Let's start with the low calorie diets.  I cringe when people declare they are going on a 1200 calorie diet.  Sure, you can get by on this amount of calories, but certainly not for long.  The amount of deprivation you put your body through is bound to catch up with you.  A study published in the American Psychologist Journal in April reported that within 4-5 years, the majority of these low-calorie dieters had regained all the weight they had lost.  Beware that there are some health risks associated with going below 1200 calories per day such as gallstones and digestive problems.  If you want to lose weight, you need to cut a moderate amount of calories that you can maintain for the rest of your life.  I have reported in the past that I think it is best to have your metabolic rate tested with a nutritionist to determine your appropriate daily caloric intake, but if you do not have that option, follow the directions below.

Thanks to the Harvard Heart Letter....
Find your activity level below and multiply your weight by the number listed:

Almost Never               12
Lightly, 1-3 days/wk     13.5
Moderately, 3-5 days/wk  15.5
Vigorously, 6-7 days/wk    17
Vigorously, daily & you have a physical job 19

If you fit somewhere between two categories above, take the average of the two numbers.  The number you get is the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight.  For example, if you weight 140 calories and exercise 3 days a week, you need 1,890 calories/day to maintain your weight.  By cutting out 200 calories a day, you would lose 20 pounds in one year! 

What about diet foods?  Usually these end up being a trap since people tend to eat more if the food is labeled low-fat or low-carb.  According to the Journal of Marketing Research, people seem to be able to justify increased serving sizes because the food is "healthier".  I have also reported that there is concern about the artificial sweeteners in sodas.  Some experts have found a correlation to drinking diet sodas and being overweight.  Next time you are at the store and tempted to buy a low-fat product, check the amount of calories per serving and compare it to the regular, full fat version of the same food.  Sometimes the caloric difference between the foods is negligible yet you will probably feel more satisfied and eat less of the full fat product.  Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.....