Diets
That Work
source - forbes.com
There are two eternal truths about diets: One, if properly followed they
will result in weight loss; and two, most people will cheat.
Only an iron will, an in-house nutritionist or numbed taste buds can
guarantee a successful diet. But this isn't just a question of
discipline. It's also boredom, timing and preconditioning. For example,
an athlete accustomed to consuming large amounts of food will find it
hard to reduce his or her caloric intake when no longer in training.
Even if the foods are tasty--the Atkins diet actually encourages people
to eat bacon and butter--people will hunger for the forbidden.
The reason is that many diets are too restrictive and are not designed
to be sustained over time. For example, go to a spa, drink lots of
water, go for hikes, do yoga, eat 1,000 calories a day and lose weight.
Within a short time of coming home, though, the weight that had been
lost, like the prodigal son, has now returned.
Many diet books offer the same kind of planned
obsolescence. Spas want people to come back. So do most diet programs
and low-calorie foodmakers. The last thing these companies want is for
people to get so thin they won't need them anymore.
The key to losing weight is not through quick fixes and fancy spas, no
matter how much we may enjoy them, but rather it's taking a more
sensible and long-term approach that balances diet with lifestyle.
"Lifestyle is very important. You have to think about what it
encompasses, like exercising and taking the time to actually enjoy
meals," says Connie Guttersen, author of the latest in best-selling
weight-loss books, The Sonoma Diet.
Guttersen's diet focuses on ten of what she calls "power foods":
almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, olive oil,
spinach, strawberries, tomatoes and whole grains, while combining the
flavorful cuisine of the Sonoma wine country, which she says, is a
combination of Asian, Latin American and Mediterranean cuisine. " The
Sonoma Diet is about enjoying foods so it's easy to stay motivated and
stick with it."
"There are as many ways to cut down on calories as there are foods out
there," says Marlene Schwartz, the associate director of the Yale Rudd
Center for Food Policy and Obesity. "My advice is to use nutritional
common sense--maximize fruits and vegetables, limit the amount of
processed foods and keep portion sizes reasonable."
The South Beach Diet also continues to grow in popularity. Since being
released in April 2003, the book spent 37 weeks at No. 1 on The New York
Times best-seller list and currently holds the No. 3 spot. The author of
the book, Dr. Arthur Agatston, believes its success is due to the diet's
basic principles: Eat good fats, nutrients and protein, and exercise. A
theme that he says will continue to grow throughout the next few years
because it is simple and flexible. "What we're starting to see for the
future of diets is coming from more understanding of functional foods
and nutrient value. Americans in the last 30 years have been walking
around hungry all the time because they're eating white bread, potatoes
and sugar. If you're eating nutritiously, the calories pretty much take
care of themselves."
Glycemic Index
A diet that is often chosen by diabetics, the Glycemic Index, or GI
Diet, ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose
levels. It promotes consumption of low GI carbohydrates because they
keep blood glucose and insulin levels steady, rather than fluctuating
throughout the day.
Example Of Food To Consume: certain fruits and vegetables; whole grains
such as oats, barley, and bran; basmati rice; some pasta; quinoa; chick
peas; plain yogurt; and skim milk.
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