| Alcohol on a diet?
Absolutely. Contrary to popular opinion, you can enjoy alcohol while dieting. In fact, a recent study revealed that women who give up alcohol while dieting will lose LESS weight than women who drink in moderation.
Being overweight is unhealthy
Being overweight is not necessarily unhealthy. Studies have shown that people who are 15 pounds overweight outlive their "normal weight" counterparts. However, being more than 30 pounds overweight causes health problems. The more the weight centers around your middle, the more likely you are to experience heart and related health problems.
If dieting is good, starving must work better
Starvation diets have a negative effect on weight loss. The human body is designed to fight starvation by slowing down everything and conserving all resources. A low-calorie diet will help you lose weight. A starvation diet (diets with less than 800 calories per day) will slow your weight loss and may cause serious health problems. If you reach a "plateau" when dieting, try adding a couple hundred calories per day for a week or so, then return to your low-calorie plan. The break will cause the body to stop conserving resources and allow you to begin losing weight again.
Dieting does not work
This myth was probably started by someone who didn't have the determination to find an appropriate diet and stick with it. The truth is that any diet that results in a reduction in calories below what is required for daily activity will help you lose weight. It is up to you to apply the determination and stay with it for the long haul.
You have to eat like a bird to be thin
Absolutely not. In fact, birds eat constantly to maintain their body temperature and to provide the calories necessary for flight. If you ate like a bird, you'd be the size of a house! Dieting doesn't mean eating very little. Dieting means reducing calories by exchanging lower calorie foods for higher calorie foods. Here are some examples:
|
Food Substitutions
|
| Instead of this... |
Enjoy this... |
Save this... |
2 tbsp french dressing
(170 cal) |
2 tbsp fat free ranch
(32 cal) |
138 calories |
1 piece pecan pie
(800 cal) |
1/2 cup fat free ice cream
(90 cal) |
710 calories |
1 almond croissant
(420 cal) |
1 small cantalope
(60 cal) |
360 calories |
1 corn muffin
(440 cal) |
I english muffin
(150 cal) |
290 calories |
1 cup french onion soup
(385 cal) |
1 cup chicken noodle soup
(70 cal) |
315 calories |
1 cup au gratin potatoes
(400 cal) |
1 cup mashed potatoes
(130 cal) |
270 calories |
1 philly cheesesteak
(820 cal) |
1 tuna sandwich with fat free
mayo, lettuce, and tomato
(275 cal) |
545 calories |
1 beef & cheese burrito
(635 cal) |
1 cup chili con carne
(255 cal) |
380 calories |
| Regular soda pop (160 calories per 12 oz average) suggested by CA of Atlanta, GA |
Distilled water with lemon juice spritz
(7 calories) |
153 calories |
1 double cheeseburger
(800 cal) |
1 regular hamburger
(230 cal) |
570 calories |
Kit Kat candy bar (regular size - 4 sections)
(493 calories) |
1 medium apple with skin (sliced, microwaved, and sprinkled with cinnamon) (suggested by PTL)
(80 calories) |
413 calories |
Eating less doesn't help
A recent look at the French reveals that eating less does promote a healthier lifestyle and a thinner frame. The fact is that, despite the richer food, the French eat considerably less. Only 7% of French men and women are obese compared to the staggering 30% of Americans who are obese. French restaurant portions are smaller. For example, their Chinese restaurants serve portions that are as much as 72% smaller than Chinese restaurants in the United States. The French also take longer to eat a meal which may cause their "full trigger" to kick in before they overeat. Americans eat more, eat larger portions, and eat faster. The simple fact is that eating smaller portions and spending time savouring the food will help you lose weight and develop healthier eating habits that will maintain weight loss for a lifetime.
Feeling full is impossible unless I eat really heavy food (and a lot of it!)
Well, Americans in particular have been trained by fast food places and sit-down restaurants, not to mention our dear, sweet, clean-your-plate mothers, to eat and eat until we are really full. The truth is that most of us overeat routinely. Portion size is definitely important, but so are the choices of what we use to fill up. K.W. of Hamilton, Ontario, brings up a good point: Including light choices with our meals can fill us up without bulging our waistlines. In other words, you can still eat until you're full (although learning to eat less is a good thing), but you just have to make better choices for "filler uppers" than gravy-laden potatoes, milkshakes, double super burgers, and the like. K.W.'s suggestions for lightening up a meal without leaving the table empty include: a fair bit of water, cucumber slices, a bowl of light soup or broth, a glass of skim milk, and celery sticks. Thanks, K.W. for reminding all of us that a full meal doesn't have to mean a heavy meal!
When I'm bored... I have to eat something
Well, we've all experienced boredom munchies. But, you don't have to eat when you're bored, depressed, angry, or anytime you aren't actually hungry. Next time boredom or emotion triggers cravings, try one of these alternatives (most cravings pass in just 15 minutes anyway):
- Go for a brisk walk around the block
- Make a phone call (who can eat while they're talking?)
- Chew sugarless gum (suggested by RR of Wixon, MI)
- Take a bath or shower (have you ever tried to eat in the tub?)
- Go online and visit our website
- Start a game with your kids
- Clean the garage (well... maybe not...)
Craving Alternatives to High-Calorie or High-Fat Snacks:
- From R.T.F. of Huntington, WV:
- Mt. Olive pickles (or any other zero-calorie pickle) are a great way to satiate my craving. Something like sauerkraut also works, though it does have a small calorie count (only 5 calories per serving--equal to most sugarfree gum) and can do a number on your digestive system. Hope this helps someone!
- From M.B. of Palmyra, NJ:
- Make a cup of ice shavings and eat them!
- From G.C. of San Francisco, CA:
- Drink a full glass of water; have water with lemon or lime; or add a little shredded ginger (delicious and spicy to chew on!). It's filling, refreshing, and quenches thirst (often mistaken for hunger).
- From R.B:
- Ice lollies in the summer! Make pure fruit juice--no added sugar--lollies in the freezer with those little molds (available at most Walmarts, K-Marts, etc). It means you don't have to do without!
- No-fat yogurt makes a nice ice pop, too, or you can go half-and-half and use one part yogurt to one part fresh fruit juice or fruit puree.
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