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all-time bestweight-loss tips

from women.who kept it off

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to makeyour diethealthier

YourDiet WishesG ranted!Do you pine for waistline-friendly takeout or ayummy slice of cheesecake? Our solutions foryour most frustrating weight-loss dilemmas.

by SandraPhotographs by Brian \ABncri

As any woman who's pared down herportions or stifled her sweet toothknows, finding ways to make dietingbearable is crucial to success. "If you'reconstantly fighting your cravings,they'll just come back even stronger,"explains Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., ofNorthwestern Memorial Hospital Well-ness Institute in Chicago.

We asked the experts for tips oneverything from incorporating "forbid-den" foods into your eating plan (hello,chocolate cheesecake!) to ordering take-out without derailing your diet. Followtheir suggestions and very soon yourbiggest diet wish will come true: a slim-mer, healthier you.

i wish...l could loseweight without givingup my favorite foods.You can. In fact, you're more likely toreach your weight-loss goal if you incor-porate the foods you love into your dietplan. When you prohibit something, thedesire for it can become overwhelmingand you may end up bingeing. In fact,you can even allocate up to 400 caloriesa day for treats (on an 1,800-calorie-per-day diet). The trick is to make sure therest of your meals are nutrient-denseand no more than 1,400 calories total-meaning there's no room for frills likesauce on your chicken or butter on yourbread, says Cathy Nonas, R.D., director ofobesity and diabetes programs at NorthGeneral Hospital in New York City. Ifyour favorite splurge foods are meals,(like macaroni and cheese and porter-house steak), eat them only occasionally.Instead of making them yourself, split

MARCH 2005 FITNESS 113

an order at a restaurant (no temptingleftovers) and forgo something elsethat's high in calories.

i wish...I could work outwithout feeling fam-ished and eating every-thing in sight afterward.To ward off post-workout hunger,you need to eat before you exer-cise. "This keeps your appetite in checkby stabilizing blood sugar, plus it helpsfuel your workout and builds en-durance," says Nancy Clark, R.D., authorof Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook(Human Kinetics, 2003). Clark suggestseating 100 to 300 calories of carbohy-drate-based foods up to two hours beforeyour workout. An energy bar, half a bagelwith peanut butter or a small bowl ofhigh-fiber cereal are good options. Ifyou're trying to lose weight, factor thosesnacks into your daily calorie tally.

i wish...for a way tomake vegetables tastywithout adding fat.Try roasting. "It brings out the veg-etable's deep, rich flavor," says WalterHusbands, a chef and restaurant con-sultant in Oklahoma City. Toss cut-upcarrots, peppers, eggplant—almost anyvegetable works well, though broccolitends to shrivel—with a drizzling ofolive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roastat 400 degrees for 20 minutes, untillightly browned and fork tender. Thehigh heat, which sets roasting apartfrom baking, converts vegetables'starches to sugar, imparting a nuttysweetness that makes them perfect asa side dish, tossed into pasta or mari-nara sauce or incorporated into meatloaf or rice.

i wish...for a surefire wayto tame temptation.Don't fight it. If chocolate is your poi-son, keep individually wrapped Godivasquares or a box of chocolate sorbetpops on hand. If your tastes veer towardsalt and crunch, stock up on single-

114 FITNESS MARCH 2005

serving-size bags of pretzels and pop-corn. "Make sure your 'craving cure' isno more than 150 calories," suggestsJackson Blatner. In case you're temptedto reach for another bag or square, chewsome sugar-free mint gum to signalyou're done, she advises.

i wish,.,I could eat ahealthy, tasty luncheven though I'mchained to my desk.Easy—bring your lunch to work,and keep it in the fridge or an insu-lated bag. When you make it yourself,you control fat and calories, and sinceit's right there, you won't succumb tohigh-fat takeout or skip lunch altogeth-er and then ransack the vending ma-chine. But what to make? According toJackson Blatner, a healthful and satisfy-ing lunch has five basic ingredients:whole-grain bread, crackers, rolls, bagelsor tortillas; lean protein, such as cheese,bean soup, turkey or tuna; vegetables

like carrot sticks or a green salad; a pieceor a cup of fruit; and a low-calorie drinksuch as skim milk, seltzer or water.

If you don't want to make your lunchevery day, wrap up leftovers from theprevious night's dinner, or pack a frozenentree. Check labels and choose mealsthat contain between 220 and 350 calo-ries, no more than 4 grams of saturatedfat, and 10 grams or more of protein.

i wish...for diet-friendlytakeout.Takeout can be healthy if you cus-tomize your order, says Jackie Newgent,R.D., a New York City-based nutritionand communications consultant. Forfast food, good to-go choices includemain-dish salads such as the CaesarSalad with Grilled Chicken at McDon-ald's, which has just 200 calories and6 grams of fat. Instead of using the en-tire packet of dressing (190 caloriesand 18 grams of fat), dip your fork intoit, then spear the lettuce. Skip the

Pizza topped withveggies is a diet-friendlytake-out option at abou1 SO calories a slice.

croutons (60 calories, 1 gram of fat).If you're craving Mexican, try Taco

Bell's "Fresco Style" tacos, Gorditas, bur-ritos or tostadas, which swap sauce andcheese for a mix of tomatoes, onions andcilantro. You'll save up to 120 caloriesand 12 grams of fat per item.

For Chinese, Newgent advises order-ing stir-fry, such as chicken with broc-coli or beef with broccoli, but gettingthe sauce on the side so you can addyour own amount, which saves as manyas 100 calories. For extra fiber, opt forbrown rice instead of white. Thin-crustpizza is another great option, especial-ly topped with vegetables like broccolior lean meat like grilled chicken, saysNewgent. Go light on the cheese andyou'll save an estimated 100 caloriesper large slice.

i wish...l could getthrough my pregnancywithout gaining a tonof weight.The biggest mistake pregnantwomen make is thinking that it's atime to eat for two. in fact, you'llneed only an extra 300 to 500 caloriesdaily, depending on your activity level,to accommodate the nutritional de-mands of pregnancy, and that's mostlyin the second and third trimesters,when the fetus is growing rapidly."That's equivalent to half a turkey sand-wich, a piece of fruit and a glass ofskim milk," says Becky Hand, R.D., thenutrition consultant for Babyfit.com.

To keep your weight in check, Handrecommends planning three smallnutrient-dense meals each day, plustwo or three nutritious snacks such asyogurt, fruit, peanut butter and, yes,even ice cream (go low-cal or low-fat, ifyou like) so you don't get too hungrybetween meals. Use a food diary, but in-stead of recording what you ate after-ward, write down each day's menu thenight before.

Since you'll be weighed at each pre-natal visit, it's easy to make sure you'reon target, but you can also weigh your-self at home once a week. On average,expect to gain five to six pounds in the

first trimester and three-fourths to onepound a week in the second and thirdtrimesters, says Susan Warhus, M.D.,an ob/gyn and author of Countdown toBaby: Answers to the 100 Most Asked Ques-tions About Pregnancy fj Childbirth (Addi-cus Books, 2003). Staying within thepregnancy weight-gain recommenda-tions—28 to 40 pounds if you're under-weight to begin with, 25 to 35 poundsif you're a healthy weight and 15 to 25pounds if you're overweight or obese—minimizes risks for both mother andbaby, such as high blood pressure andlow birth weight. It can also help youavoid long-term weight gain. Accord-ing to a study published in Obstetrics &Gynecology, women who gained moreweight than was recommended weremore likely to be overweight a decadelater. Still, no matter how much youweigh initially, never try to lose weightwhen you're pregnant. Severe calorierestriction during pregnancy has beenlinked to birth defects including men-tal retardation.

i wish...! could get downto my college weight.My scale is stuck fivepounds above it.If you're falling short of your goalby a mere five pounds, fine-tuneyour weight-loss efforts. Ask your-self: Am I nibbling? "A handful of pret-zels here and there, sucking on hardcandies throughout the day or even justsampling as you make dinner can addup to more calories than you mightthink," says Nonas. An extra 45 caloriesa day (the pretzel grab, for example) isall it takes to gain five pounds in a year.Also, scan your diet for anything that'smegasized, such as your morning bagel,and eat just half or order a small one in-stead. Try cutting out something extrafrom your diet for two weeks, such as al-cohol on the weekend or salad dressing,and see if you lose a pound or two.

To rule out underexercising, use a pe-dometer; you should be walking 10,000steps a day. Still at your wit's end? Try ameal-replacement bar or shake to con-trol portion sizes and calories. A recent

Australian study in the Journal of Nutri-tion showed that meal replacements canbe as effective a weight-loss tool as astructured weight-loss program. "Final-ly, if it's really only five pounds, it maybe due to physical changes such as peri-menopause, certain medications oreven from muscle if you're very active,"Nonas says. "It could also be a sign thatyour goal weight just isn't realistic."Can't get past the obsession? Keep inmind that five pounds isn't somethingother people can see, says Nonas. Andit's nothing a good pair of black pants ora pencil skirt and spiky heels can't hide.

i wish...l could have acocktail without scarf-ing everything in sight.Alcohol does lower your inhibi-tions. Studies show that when dietershave a little bit to drink, they are moreinclined to overeat. Regardless ofwhether you're dieting, alcohol canpack on pounds. According to a Frenchstudy of 73,000 women, the heaviestdrinkers (those who had three or moreglasses of wine daily) consumed 30 per-cent more calories per day than thenondrinkers.

Still, that doesn't mean you can'thave a post-work cocktail or glass ofwine—just be sure to eat somethingfirst. "The alcohol will be less likely togo to your head and weaken your re-solve," says Katherine Tallmadge, R.D.,author of Diet Simple (Lifeline Press,2004). Start the night with a nonalco-holic drink, such as seltzer, and havesomething light like a shrimp cock-tail, a vegetable plate or a handful ofcarrot sticks. Then have a drink. At arestaurant, ask the waiter to take thebread basket or chips away from thetable, and order your meal before yourcocktail. Planning to hit happy hour?While at work, eat a snack such asyogurt or low-fat cheese and crackersso that you don't arrive hungry. Also,have a glass of water with your drink.You'll be less apt to guzzle it, furtherletting down your guard. "The ideais to sip and savor a drink or two,"Tallmadge says. •

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