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CCSU Counseling and Wellness Center |
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Ten Myths about Dieting: What can I eat? 
Your body doesn't process
calories differently after dark. However, the foods that people tend to go for
in front of the TV after dinner--chips, ice cream, chocolate treats, and the
like--are usually high in fat and calories. The kinds of foods you're
eating are the concern, not the clock.
Eat fewer than 800 to
1,000 calories a day, and your body will turn down its thermostat to conserve
every calorie it can get. It doesn't know whether you're a prisoner of war
suffering from starvation or a prisoner in your head. The only way to keep
your metabolism purring is to exercise. When weight loss slows, walk a little
longer or work out more frequently or intensely--and don't forget to eat.
Instead of using a plate
of food or a predetermined serving size as a yardstick for how much you should
eat, try taking hunger and fullness clues from your body. Eating according to
your appetite is much healthier. And when you eat slowly, recognizing when
you've had enough is much easier. Keep in mind that there's
a difference between appetite and hunger. Appetite has more to do with
flavor preferences and craving; hunger is a biological manifestation of
the body's real need for food. If it's been a while since you and your
appetite have seen eye to eye on how much to eat, try this: Serve yourself
only half of what you think you want to eat. If you're still hungry after
eating at a leisurely pace, go for it--in moderation, of course. Also recognize that
you're hungrier on some days than on others. So when you're really, truly
hungry, it's fine to eat more. Remember that one meal does not define healthy
eating. What you eat over the course of a day, or actually over several days,
does.
Sometimes, the faster you
give in and have a small portion of the food you're craving, the better off
you are. You can pack on lots of calories by trying to eat around the one
thing you truly want. Have a small serving of the food you crave and get over
it.
Most people need to eat
every 3 to 4 hours to avoid a feast-or-famine mentality and risk overeating
because you're overhungry. Dividing your calories into three meals and two or
three snacks, instead of only three meals, can keep you well fueled for the
day. Try planning two or three snack-sized portions (for example, a piece of
fruit or a couple of Fig Newtons plus low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt) into
your day's food choices. Doing so may help lessen your hunger pangs so that
you're less likely to overeat at the next meal.
Many typical breakfast
foods--Danish, toast with jelly, and bagels, for example--are mainly
carbohydrates in their simplest form. These foods, while initially satisfying,
are out of your system in about 30 minutes, and you need (and want) to eat
again. That's why many people say that breakfast kicks off nonstop eating
throughout the day.
Breakfast foods that have
some protein and a little fat, in addition to complex carbohydrates and
sugars, stay with you longer and give you the energy you need to make it
through the morning. Whole-grain cereal with low-fat or fat-free milk, an egg
on toast, and even a fruity breakfast shake made with low-fat or fat-free milk
are good choices.
Being vegetarian doesn't
ensure that you'll lose weight. Like any way of eating, a vegetarian diet can
be high in fat and cholesterol, low in fiber, or both. Many vegetarian foods,
including cheese and nuts, are high in fat and calories. So cutting out meat
and replacing it with other equally fatty (or even more fatty) vegetarian
foods is not only a bad diet move, but it may also increase your chances for
nutritional deficiencies--especially if you don't plan your diet well.
If you fast, you may drop
pounds, but some of that weight will be muscle, and most of it will be water.
You need to eat protein foods such as lean meat, eggs, low-fat or fat-free
milk, or legumes (beans and peas), or you'll be thin and flabby, not thin and
shapely. There's a misconception
that fasting cleans out your system. But actually, the opposite is true. When
the body doesn't get food, body chemicals called ketones build up
over time. That process puts a burden on the kidneys, which can be harmful to
your health. Not to mention that it gives you really bad breath, too!
Fat-free foods are not
calorie-free foods; check the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label. Many
have just as many calories as the original versions, and a few have even more,
because lots of sugar (among other ingredients) is needed to replace the way
fat tastes and feels in your mouth. In the end, the total number of calories
in a food is what's important. A little fat is a good
thing because it can help you eat less by giving a meal staying power, which
keeps you from feeling hungry too quickly. Instead of a sandwich made with
fat-free mayonnaise and fat-free cold cuts, make one with a teaspoon of real
mayonnaise and low-fat meat; it will stay with you longer than a fat-free
meal. "From Dieting For Dummies® by Jane Kirby
For The American Dietetic Association. Copyright © 1998 IDG Books Worldwide,
Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced here by permission of the publisher. ----
For Dummies is a registered trademark of IDG Books Worldwide, Inc." |
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