When moving from the winter to the spring many people consider dieting so they can look good for the summer. However, I am here to remind you that the best diet is the "catabolic diet" or no diet at all. The evidence reveals that, for a majority of people, dieting does not lead to permanent weight loss and often results in putting on more weight over the long run.

Crash diets that inhibit specific foods (like carbohydrates) often work in the short term but cannot be maintained for long without adverse side effects.

A better method is to develop good, healthy lifestyle habits ...

1) Eat foods that are high in fiber because they rush food through the digestive tract ... this lessens the amount of calories absorbed into the body by 5% or more. Select foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils. And, as a bonus, fiber will help you attain that "full feeling" after eating.

2) Limit the amount of dietary fat. Women should reduce consumption of fats to 60-65 grams daily and men should keep the amount at 75-90 grams. A plan of attack is to select meats that are leaner, dairy products that are low fat and foods prepared with limited amounts of fats.

3) Graze. Try not to skip meals because most people simply make up for it by eating more when they do sit down to eat. The more small meals you eat, the less likely you will feel hungry.

4) Do not over eat at any one meal.

5) Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. These are the natural foods that provide antioxidants to keep you healthy and give you a feeling of fullness without a large amount of calories.

6) Be careful when eating out at "fast food" restaurants because the sizes of typical foods are usually much larger than when prepared them at home.

7) When eating out . . . do not eat foods that are fried or covered in high fat content sauces.

8) Do little things that will ultimately add up. For example, by substituting diet sodas with water you can lose up to 15 pounds in a year. Lose five more pounds a year by substituting mustard for mayonnaise on sandwiches (assuming you eat a lot of sandwiches that have mayonnaise on them).If you use cream in your coffee then substitute it with 2% milk for an additional six pounds of weight loss per year.

9) Make sure you are getting your 20-40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise for five days out of the week (at a minimum).

In conclusion, it's all about lifestyle ... not dieting! By combining the above principles with regular physical activity you will have the healthy body that fights off disease and improves your sense of well being.

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