The post-binge diet
By Jenna Schnuer
Recipes by Robin Vitetta-Miller, M.S.
Before you launch into a quick-fix diet to make up for all the eating sins you committed over the holidays, hold on a minute. There is a better (and tastier) way to lose weight. How does this sound: an easy-to-follow four-week program that includes delicious, filling food all month long with no crash at the beginning -- or at the end?
Most experts agree that the safest and most lasting weight loss is 1½-2 pounds per week. "Slow weight loss doesn't mean no weight loss," says Sue Cummings, M.S., R.D., clinical program coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center in Boston. That's why this plan focuses on a gradual downshift in calories (over the first three weeks) until you hit weight-loss mode (which will happen for most women in the fourth week of our diet plan). At the same time, you'll gradually build up a series of healthy habits that will serve you well while you're losing weight and beyond. By the end of Week 4 you'll have all the tools you'll need to reach your weight-loss goals.
So if you're ready to get started -- and you're prepared to give crash diets the boot -- read on for the simple strategies that will get you on the road to lasting weight loss now.
WEEK 1: reality check
This week take stock of where you are -- and where you want to be.
Recognize that the past is past. You've made a decision to take better care of yourself. Now stop beating yourself up. "Let bygones be bygones," advises Anthony Fabricatore, Ph.D., instructor of psychology with the University of Pennsylvania Health System Weight and Eating Disorders Program in Philadelphia. Instead, notice what you did right during the holidays, he says: "It could be something as liberal as having had [only] two pieces of pie when you would normally have had three."
Keep track of how many calories you eat on a normal (nonholiday) day. This week, don't diet. Just eat the way you did before the holidays rolled around. Your task, starting this week: Write everything down. Food diaries "give you the biggest bang for the buck. You learn a lot about your eating habits," Fabricatore says. Count calories as you go by using The Complete Book of Food Counts (Dell Publishing, 2003), or visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database online at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl. At the end of seven days, divide your total week's calories by seven to get a daily average. You'll continue tracking calories throughout the plan.
Figure your daily calorie intake goal for weight loss. See "How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?" for help.
Restock your kitchen. Clear your cupboards and refrigerator of any seasonal treats, leftovers or other high-calorie foods lying in wait to sabotage your weight-loss efforts. This kitchen cleaning will make room for a shopping trip featuring healthful foods that satisfy and fill you up. On your shopping list put fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish and chicken (plan ahead, too, by freezing some now for hectic days to come), and don't forget the lowfat dairy (milk, yogurt and cheese). To satisfy your used-to-variety holiday palate, branch out from your usual shopping list and buy a fruit and vegetable you haven't tried before. Or select a new type of grain; one bite of tasty quinoa and you won't miss the buttery mashed potatoes you've been cozying up to since November.
Measure up. You can't get a true calorie count if you don't know how much mayo is on that sandwich. Use measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale to find out how much you're really eating. You need to "educate your eye," says Judith S. Stern, Sc.D., R.D., vice president and co-founder of the American Obesity Association in Washington, D.C. After two weeks, test yourself by guessing the portion size before you put something on the scale or in a measuring cup.
