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You: On a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management

The Best Life Diet

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Understanding Your Eating

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Exercise

How to Eat More Healthfully

In order to function, your body needs nutrients, which play an important part in your energy level. To get all the nutrients you need, eat foods from all six food groups:

Food Group	Examples	Weight Loss and Health Tips
Grains	Flour, rice, bran, oats, cracked wheat, cornmeal, breads, cereals	At least half the grains you consume should be whole grains.
Vegetables	Broccoli, spinach, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, artichokes, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes	Eat vegetables in a wide variety of colors.
Fruits	Citrus, melons, berries, apples, other fruits	Eat lots of different kinds of fruits.
Milk	Milk, yogurt, and all dairy products that include calcium. (Cream, butter, and cream cheese contain little calcium and are not considered milk products.)	Select milk products that are low in fat.
Meat, beans, nuts	Beef, lamb, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, tofu, seeds	Select lean cuts of meat, red meat, and plenty of fish and poultry. Eat beans and nuts, the latter in moderation.
Oils	Canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil	Use vegetable oil instead of butter or margarine when cooking.

If you go on a diet that excludes even one of these food groups, you will actually be harming your body. If your body doesn’t get these nutrients, it will crave food, since food is the only way to get nutrients. By eliminating a food group from your diet, you will make it more difficult to control what and how much you eat.

The ideal weight loss diet should be no different from a regular healthy diet in terms of the food groups you eat. It differs only in how much you eat. For more on a healthy diet, see the Quamut guide to Healthy Eating.

Nutrient-Dense Foods vs. Empty-Calorie Foods

Nutrient-dense foods provide a lot of nutrients for the number of calories they contain. Empty-calorie foods contain few nutrients and a large number of calories in the form of carbohydrates or fat. Most empty-calorie foods have been processed in some way.

If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important that you focus on nutrient-dense foods rather than empty-calorie foods. That way, your body will get the nutrients it needs while you cut down on the number of calories you consume. The most commonly consumed empty-calorie foods are:

Refined grains: White flour, white pasta, and white rice
Condiments: Salad dressing, mayonnaise, and butter
Candy: Chocolate, gummy, and hard candy
Baked goods: Cakes, pies, pastries, and muffins
Drinks: Soda (non-diet) and many fruit juices
Sugar products: Maple syrup, honey, molasses, or any products with the words “high- fructose corn syrup,” “fructose,” “sucrose,” “dextrose,” or “corn sweetener” high up on the ingredient list
Alcohol: Beer, liquor, wine

If that list contains all your favorite foods, don’t panic. A healthy weight loss plan doesn’t mean you have to eliminate them from your diet entirely. It just means you have to return these foods to their rightful places as little treats rather than the centerpiece of your diet.

How to Handle Cravings

When you begin to change your eating habits, you might crave certain foods, especially junk food. Giving in to the occasional craving is okay. Your goal is to change your eating habits long-term, not lose weight for a few months only to gain it all back. If you forbid yourself from eating your favorite foods, you’re likely to get frustrated, give up, and return to your old ways.

One way to avoid cravings is to make sure you’re eating a varied and interesting group of foods every day. And when you can, try substituting foods that are similar to, but healthier than, the food you’re craving. For example, you could replace ice cream with frozen yogurt, or have chocolate-covered raisins instead of a chocolate bar. For a meal, have a turkey burger without cheese instead of a cheeseburger.

Healthy Weight Loss and Fast Food

Fast food is very high in fat and carbohydrates, and often low in nutrients. However, if you love fast food, trying to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to banish it from your life forever. The occasional stop at your favorite fast food place is okay, as long as you exercise a little restraint.