8 Things You Always Wanted to Know about Dieting

Common Diet Questions Answered

Your best friend has the "secret" to guaranteed weight loss. So does the star of your favorite TV show. Your doctor advised you to just "eat less and exercise more." Your neighbor thinks all you have to do is give up bread. No wonder you're feeling confused! Here we tackle eight common diet questions and sort out the truth once and for all. 1.  How many calories should I eat so I don't go into "starvation mode?" The amount of calories you need to eat to prevent your metabolism from slowing down (what people refer to as "starvation mode") will differ from person to person, depending on how much weight you need to lose and your genetics.  Most women shouldn't eat less than 1,200 calories a day (1,500 for men) simply because it's becomes really difficult to get adequate nutrition (fats, carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals) to maintain health at such lower calorie levels. In general, to lose weight at a healthy rate that won't harm your body (or sap your energy levels), you should aim for no more than 1-2 pounds of weight-loss per week. (A pound of fat is roughly equal to 3,500 calories, so you'll need to cut or burn 500-1000 calories per day.) SparkPeople.com makes all of this simple by giving you a personalized daily calorie range (plus food and fitness trackers, meal plans and more) to reach your goal weight. 2.  Is there one food that I should absolutely avoid to lose weight? The simple answer is no. "Remember that no single food causes weight gain," explains Registered Dietitian Becky Hand. "Weight management is based on total calorie intake—not the total restriction of certain foods, ingredients or food groups. All foods can fit into a healthy eating plan." Avoiding particular foods completely may cause you to crave them more, which could lead to binge eating for some people. For example, instead of banning chocolate from your life, you'll need to find a way to enjoy it in moderation, especially since you are likely to encounter the temptation of this food even if you don't keep it at home. The easiest way to do this is to find small portions that are individually packaged to prevent you from "reaching into the economy-sized bag" for more. Or, just get into the habit of putting anything you're going to eat on a plate and putting the rest of the package away to reduce the temptation to have "seconds." However, the biggest concern with cutting out whole food groups (think grains or dairy) is that you run the risk of eliminating essential nutrients from your diet that could actually make it more difficult for you to lose weight. While eliminating "non-essential" foods like soda, sugar, sweets and the like can help you lose weight and enhance your health, people lose and maintain weight loss and improve their health simply by cutting back on these foods rather than eliminating them entirely. 3. Should I do all my cardio in the "fat-burning zone" to lose more weight? While it's true that exercising at a low intensity (in the "fat-burning zone") will burn a higher percentage of calories from stored fat than  glucose in your blood, exercising at a moderate or high intensity level will burn more overall calories including more total stored fat. When it comes to weight loss, calories burned (not the actual source of those calories) matters most, so work harder for better results (if your fitness level allows it). Interval training is another great option for maximizing calorie burn. 4. Can I still lose weight if I allow myself a "cheat-day" once a week Maybe. There is no scientific evidence one way or the other that "cheat days" help or hurt weight-loss efforts. You have to decide for yourself the best way to incorporate your favorite foods into a healthy eating plan. If it motivates you to save a certain number of calories from your recommended range during the week to splurge on the weekend, you probably won't hurt your progress. The other option is to incorporate small portions of high-calorie foods into your eating plan on a regular basis. Learning to eat everything in moderation and not to "fear" or ban certain foods will help you maintain healthy habits over the long term. 5. Do I have to be hungry all the time to lose weight? Absolutely not! If you feel hungry all the time, you will be less likely to stick to a healthy eating plan for very long. When you start reducing your calories, you could feel hungrier for a little while (7-10 days) until you get used to your new diet plan. To combat this, the trick is to choose foods that will make you feel full longer, which also tend to be the healthiest foods to eat in general (double bonus!). Filling foods include fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, beans and lentils, and whole grains, as a few examples. Also make sure you stay well hydrated by drinking at least 8 cups of plain water a day. It's easy to mistake the symptoms of thirst for hunger. Finally, if hunger is derailing your eating plan, you might want to experiment with eating several small meals a day. 6. I haven't lost weight in a few weeks even though I'm following my plan. What am I doing wrong? Maybe nothing. Weight-loss stalls or plateaus are a totally normal part of any weight-reduction plan and should be expected from time to time. It's possible that you're building muscle, which makes it look like you're not losing weight even though you're losing inches. It might be time to change things up because your body has gotten used your current exercise plan. Or you may be off-track with your eating plan.   The first solution is to double check that you're actually sticking to your eating plan. Are you tracking everything you eat and drink (weighing or measuring food versus just eyeballing and estimating it)? Step two is to make sure you're giving your body enough time to recover from hard workouts. Rest is an important part of any fitness plan and working too hard can actually damage your muscles and cause you to get weaker instead of stronger. And the third step, is to add variety to your workouts. It's easy to do the same things over and over again, but your body will quickly adapt unless you present it with new challenges on a regular basis. 7. Are there supplements I can take to help me increase fat burning? Probably not. There are plenty of supplements that claim to boost fat-loss but most of them have not been thoroughly studied or proven effective (let alone safe). And the few that have been tested, like ephedra, have been shown to be dangerous (causing high blood pressure, stroke and heart problems). There is one FDA-approved fat blocker that's marketed in its over-the counter form as Alli. This drug (orlistat) is generally considered to be safe but also can come with some unwelcome side effects. 8. Can I lose weight without exercising? Technically, any weight loss plan that creates a calorie deficit (through diet alone, through exercise alone, or via a combination of the two) will lead to weight loss. But there are many reasons to add exercise to the mix as well. If your new eating plan is really about getting healthy, staying healthy and aging gracefully, then exercise will be an important component of your new lifestyle. Aerobic exercise, like running and walking, has been shown to decrease cholesterol and blood pressure, help prevent or manage the symptoms of depression and improve sleep to name a few. While strength training has been shown to strengthen bones, preserve metabolism-boosting muscle mass that can be lost when dieting and protect joints from injury. In addition, exercising allows you to eat a little more—and still lose weight—and may also speed up your rate of weight loss thanks to the added calorie burn. If you feel overwhelmed by trying to make too many lifestyle changes at once, it's fine to start by focusing on what you're eating. As you get used to your eating plan and it becomes second nature, you can start adding exercise into your daily routine, until that, too, is just a part of your new life. Source:

The 10 Rules of Weight Loss That Lasts

Before You Even Begin

Before you even begin to attack a weight-loss plan, it pays to remember this: You are not fat. You have fat. Losing weight isn't about blame or shame; it's simply another achievement to accomplish, like training for a race or finally cranking out 10 push-ups. "Dieting is like any other skill—you have to buckle down and work at it," says therapist Deborah Beck Busis, Ph.D., the diet program coordinator at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and a coauthor of The Diet Trap Solution. "As long as you act in a smart, reasonable way, you'll ultimately get where you want to be."
To help you reach your goal weight and maintain it, we examined the latest research and talked to top experts to compile the 10 tenets for weight loss that have been proved to deliver results.

1. It's Not a Diet. It's a Lifestyle

"Thinking of a diet as something you're on and suffering through only for the short term doesn't work," Beck Busis says. To shed weight and keep it off, you need to make permanent changes to the way you eat. It's OK to indulge occasionally, of course, but if you cut calories temporarily and then revert to your old way of eating, you'll gain back the weight quicker than you can say yo-yo.


Use it to lose it. Research shows that one of the best predictors of long-term weight loss is how many pounds you drop in the first month, says John Apolzan, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Ingestive Behavior Lab at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center. It makes sense: Immediate results are motivating. For that reason, nutritionists often suggest being stricter for the first two weeks of your new eating strategy to build momentum. Cut out added sugar and alcohol and avoid unrefined carbs. "After that, ease small amounts of those foods back into your diet for a plan you can live with for the long term," says Wendy Bazilian, R.D.N., a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist in San Diego and a coauthor of The SuperFoodsRx Diet. "Figure out how you can reincorporate them in a way that's healthy and maintainable," adds Brooke Alpert, R.D.N., a nutritionist and a coauthor of The Sugar Detox. "Establish specific goals, such as setting a maximum number of drinks you'll have a week or limiting pizza to one slice." Schedule one weekly indulgence to look forward to, and give yourself one spontaneous splurge to use whenever you really want it, Bazilian suggests.

Photo: Shutterstock

2. There's a Right Way to Exercise

Working out burns calories and fat and boosts your metabolism by building muscle. But those trying to lose weight are notorious for overestimating the number of calories they burn and underestimating the amount they take in. Unfortunately, your system is biologically programmed to hold on to extra pounds, says Louis Aronne, M.D., a professor of metabolic research and the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. That means when you start exercising, your body senses the deficit and ramps up its hunger signals, according to a review of weight-loss studies. If you're not diligent, you'll eat everything you burn and then some.

Use it to lose it. Cardio gets all the exercise glory, but strength and interval training are the real heroes. They help you build lean muscle, which in turn increases your metabolism and calorie-burning ability, says Lance Dalleck, Ph.D., an assistant professor of exercise and sport science at Western Colorado State University. His advice: Every week, strength-train two to three days. For the best results, also do three to five cardio sessions that burn 250 to 400 calories each.

3. Don't Overreact to Mild Hunger

Some women have a hard time losing weight because of hunger anxiety. To them, being hungry is bad—something to be avoided at all costs—so they carry snacks with them and eat when they don't need to, Alpert explains. Others eat because they're stressed out or bored. While you never want to get to the point of being ravenous (that's when bingeing is likely to happen), a hunger pang, a craving, or the fact that it's 3:00 p.m. should not send you racing for the vending machine or obsessing about the energy bar in your purse. Ideally, you should put off eating until your stomach is growling and it's difficult to concentrate, Alpert says.

Use it to lose it. When you feel the urge to eat, use the HALT method, Bazilian suggests. Ask yourself, Am I really hungry? Or am I angry or anxious, lonely or bored, or tired? If you're still not certain, try the apple test. "If you're truly hungry, an apple should seem delicious; if it doesn't, something else is going on," says Robin Frutchey, a behavioral therapist at Johns Hopkins University Weight Management Center. In that case, give yourself a pep talk instead of a snack. "If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution," Beck Busis says. "There are a lot of other ways to deal with boredom or anxiety—like going for a walk, hitting the gym, or texting a friend—and those things have zero negative consequences."

Photo: Shutterstock

4. Not All Calories Are Created Equal

The mechanics of weight loss are pretty simple: Take in fewer calories than you use for energy. But the kind of food you eat makes all the difference. "A calorie is not just a calorie," Dr. Aronne says. Processed food that's high in saturated fat and refined starch or sugar can cause inflammation that disrupts the hormone signals that tell your brain you're full, he explains. The result: You eat a lot more. Plus, studies show that junk food can be addictive; the more you eat it, the more you need to get the same feel-good effects. "One handful of potato chips won't cut it any longer, so you keep eating and eating," Frutchey says.

Use it to lose it. Clean up your diet. Swap in whole, unprocessed foods, including vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats that will fill you up and give you the biggest nutritional bang for your calorie buck. In a few weeks, as your brain starts receiving regular hunger and fullness signals once again, you'll notice that you feel less hungry overall and naturally start cutting back on the amount you eat, Dr. Aronne says.
While you're at it, log each meal. Keeping a daily food diary (there are tons of apps for this) leads to significant weight loss because it makes you accountable, research shows. One study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who kept daily food records lost about twice as much weight as those who didn't.

Photo: Shutterstock

5. Protein, Produce, and Plant-Based Fats Are Your Weight-Loss Trinity

Here's why eating the three Ps regularly will help you drop pounds.
Protein fills you up. You need it to build lean muscle, which keeps your metabolism humming so that you can torch more fat, Dr. Aronne says. People in a weight-loss program who ate double the recommended daily allowance for protein (about 110 grams for a 150-pound woman) lost 70 percent of their weight from fat, while people who ate the RDA lost only about 40 percent, one study found.
Produce is packed with filling fiber. "It's very difficult to consume too many calories if you're eating a lot of vegetables," says Caroline Apovian, M.D., the director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center and the author of The Age-Defying Diet. Case in point: Three cups of broccoli is a lot of food, yet only 93 calories. (Fruit is another story. It can be easy to overeat and can contain a lot of calories from sugar, so be sure
to monitor your intake.)

Plant-based fats like olive oil and those in avocados and nuts are healthy and extra satiating. "Low-fat diets make people irritable and feel deprived because fat tastes good and keeps you full," Dr. Apovian says.

Use it to lose it. Aim to incorporate each of the three Ps into every meal and snack. People who eat protein throughout the day are able to keep weight off, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In addition to meat, poultry and seafood, good sources are beans, lentils, eggs, tofu, and yogurt. As for fat, keep portion sizes in check by measuring out salad dressing, oil, and nut butters (shoot for one to two tablespoons). Finally, eat veggies or a little fruit at every meal. People who did that consumed 308 fewer calories but didn't feel any hungrier than when they didn't eat more produce, a study in the journal Appetite noted.

Photo: Shutterstock

6. Meal Skipping, Juice Fasts, and Crash Diets Will Backfire. Always

When you lose weight on a fast or a crash diet, you don't learn to eat healthier, adjust your portion sizes, or deal with whatever is triggering your overeating in the first place, so the pounds quickly return, Frutchey says. The physical damage goes deeper. "The worse the quality of a diet or the more restrictive it is, the more you end up burning precious muscle to supply energy," Dr. Aronne says. "You're losing muscle instead of fat, so the weight loss is just an illusion of success."

Use it to lose it. Depending on how much weight you need to drop and how much you currently eat, try to cut 500 to 1,000 calories a day through both diet and exercise, Frutchey advises. Limiting yourself to about 1,500 calories a day won't leave you starving, but it will help you see motivating changes on the scale.

7. How You Eat Is As Important As What You Eat

In order for your brain to register that you're full, you need to focus on what you're eating. "Physical satiety is closely tied to psychological satisfaction," Beck Busis says. "People tell me all the time how difficult it is for them to lose weight because they love to eat, yet they never concentrate on their food—they eat while watching TV, reading, driving, and working." No wonder that, according to research, eating when you're distracted results in consuming a significant number of extra calories a day.

Use it to lose it. Sit down whenever you eat, preferably at a table. "If you ask someone to recall what she ate in a day, she'll forget most of the food she consumed standing up," Beck Busis says. Turn off the TV or computer, put down your phone, and look at your food. Smell it. Chew slowly, and don't put another bite on your fork until you swallow. When women ate lunch this attentively, they consumed 30 percent less when snacking later than those who listened to an audiobook at lunchtime, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Photo: Shutterstock

8. Weighing Yourself Really Works

The scale provides the best evidence about whether your efforts are paying off, Beck Busis says. Seeing the numbers tick up or down or stagnate is motivation to keep going—or to rethink your approach. A 2015 study at Cornell University found that daily weigh-ins helped people lose more weight, keep it off, and maintain that loss, even after two years.

Use it to lose it. Step on the scale at the same time every day for the best results. If your weight shoots up several pounds from one weigh-in to the next, don't freak out. Eating a lot of salt the night before or having your period is the likely culprit. The number should return to normal in a day or two. It's a steady climb that you need to do something about.

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9. Too Much Stress and Too Little Sleep Are Your Enemies

When you're tired and frazzled, your body cranks up the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause carb cravings, Frutchey says. Not getting enough sleep also boosts your levels of ghrelin, a hormone associated with hunger, while suppressing leptin, a hormone that signals fullness and satiety. People on a diet who slept only five and a half hours a night for two weeks lost 55 percent less fat and were hungrier than those who slept eight and a half hours, according to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Use it to lose it. Prioritize sleep, aiming for seven hours or more a night, which research shows helps lower stress. And make sure you're getting quality zzz's. If a snoring spouse or a fidgety cat wakes you up frequently throughout the night, you may end up getting the equivalent of just four hours of sleep, according to a study from Tel Aviv University. Keep pets out of the bedroom, and use a white-noise app to drown out snoring.

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10. You Will Hit a Plateau—And You Can Bust Through It

As you slim down, your body releases much less leptin, the fullness hormone. "If you lose 10 percent of your body weight, leptin drops by about 50 percent," Dr. Aronne says. "Your brain is programmed to think you've shed more pounds than you actually have, and it tells your body it needs more food and should burn fewer calories." That's why plateaus happen and what makes maintaining weight loss so difficult. In addition, when you're lighter, you require fewer calories for energy. "You might have burned 100 calories taking a walk before, but now your body needs only 80 calories to go the same distance," Frutchey explains.

Use it to lose it. We'll reiterate: If you're not strength training, start right now. Building muscle can raise your metabolism to help you overcome a plateau, Dr. Aronne says. To keep your body challenged and burning calories, incorporate new moves and more intense intervals into your workouts or add another sweat session to your weekly routine. Alternatively, cut an extra 100 calories or so a day from your diet. Now that you've lost weight, your body simply doesn't need as much fuel. Still stuck? Try eating carbs last at every meal, after your protein and vegetables, Dr. Aronne suggests. His research shows that doing so will reduce your blood sugar by almost 40 percent. "Blood sugar influences weight," he explains, "so this strategy could help."

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