Okay, enough is enough with the hundreds of diets out there. After
reading a lot of them (and having a hard time keeping the weight off),
I hope I have distilled the essense of sensible weight loss. I would
appreciate any suggestions to improve this. I would like this to be a
no nonsense sheet to print out, put on the refridgerator, give to
friends and family, etc.
My goal in this HOWTO guide is to minimize calorie counting as much as
possible, although that will be necessary at times. Hopefully this
will be a useful guide for most people.
Looking forward for your suggestions.
Gaby
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FIVE SIMPLE RULES TO WEIGHT LOSS
1. KNOW YOUR TARGETS
2. WATCH YOUR SERVING SIZE
3. SPREAD YOUR MEALS OUT
4. THE GLYCEMIC INDEX IS YOUR FRIEND
5. EXERCISE
These rules are sort of a general summary of all the advice out there
in all the good diet books (sorry Atkins, bye bye Cabbage Soup Diet) as
well as focusing on exercise. If you follow these guidelines, you
don't have to worry if you slip up a bit, just get right back on. Your
body can manage if you have a piece of cheesecake, a hamburger, or a
thanksgiving meal. Just keep it within your meal/snack guidelines
listed below and try to keep away from the obvious bad things like
sugar/refined starches/bad fats.
1. KNOW YOUR TARGETS
It is important to set realistic goals, whether you are quite
overweight or only a few pounds over. There are many online resources
for ideal body weights. The BMI is a good approximation.
http://www.healthstatus.com is a good sight. If you get a range as a
result, use the higher value if you have a big frame, and the lower if
you have a small frame.
You should strive to lose between one and two pounds per week. If
you're quite a bit overweight, you probably will lose more than that in
the first few weeks. If it stays three pounds or more per week,
consider increasing your calories by up to 500 calories a day for each
pound over two you're losing, until it gets to about 2 pounds per week.
One more thing about your weight, weigh yourself only once a week.
Your weight has variations from day to day that may not seem obvious if
measured every day, but in the long run, you'll notice it with less
frequent measurements.
2. WATCH YOUR SERVING SIZE
While in the long term you don't need to be obsessed about the
calories, as the rules sort of take care of that for you, you do need
to be aware when you first start how much you take in. The easiest way
to do this, without having to measure cups and half cups, is to use
your plate as a guide.
Fill at least half your plate with vegetables, one quarter with lean
protein, and NO MORE than one quarter with a starch like brown/basmati
rice, whole wheat pasta, or new potatoes. Don't cheat though and pile
your starch and protein high and keep your oils/fats very limited and
to a couple teaspoons of olive/canola or other healthy oil. Now even
though you don't have to obsess about calories, it is important when
you start to figure out how much you should take in.
A general goal for calories to eat is between 13 and 15 calories per
pound of target body weight. This will be how much you need to
maintain your weight at that target.
So a 180 pound target is anywhere from about 2340 to 2700. Stay with
the lower value if you exercise very little and amp it up as you
exercise more strenously.
3. SPREAD YOUR MEAL OUT
Try to have around five to six meals in the day. Let your main meals
be about the same number of calories, and make sure their higher in
calories than your other snacks. Also, try to have your snacks about
two hours before your meals. This keeps you full, plus keeps your
metabolism up.
Try to have protein with each of your snacks. Also, try to reduce your
starches the later you get in the day (easier on your sleep and
stomach).
4. THE GLYCEMIC INDEX IS YOUR FRIEND
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a formal way to measure how much foods spike
your
insulin levels when measured against pure sugar. If at least half
of what you eat is veggies, legumes, and complex carbs (such as basmati
rice/brown rice, pasta cooked al dente, whole grain bread...but
remember, all grains in moderation), you don't have to worry about the
GI and it will take care of itself.
The key is to add lower GI foods if you have a high GI food, e.g. make
sure you have veggies with your pasta, or lots of spinach or lettuce on
your sandwich. Adding a little healthy fat will lower the GI, as well
as adding acids (a nice vinagrette would work). While the GI is good,
it shouldn't be used exclusively, because it doesn't take into account
serving size (carrots have a relatively high GI, but are still good for
you). If you want to count, focus on the Glycemic Load, the GI's more
practical cousin, and you can look up the values of many foods at
www.glycemicindex.com.
When looking for GI foods, go for GI values lower than about 55. If
you want to try the Glycemic Load, values under 10 are a good target.
5. EXERCISE
Okay, this is a necessary part of weight loss; no matter how much you
delay, you will have to do it, and the reason is math.
You lose a pound a week for every 500 calories less a day you take in.
In our example above, our target weight is 180 pounds and 2340
calories. If our current weight is 250, you need 3250 calories to
maintain your current weight. The deficit is 3250 - 2340 = 910. This
would result in almost two pounds lost per week through diet alone.
As you get close to your target weight, your body adjusts, and the
deficit is less. To make up the difference, you need to exercise more
to keep that number at 900. This can be gradual, so don't rush it.
Cheat sheet for dieting... 
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