What to eat on your "diet"?

Several weeks ago, on Rush Limbaugh's radio show, he talked about a guy who had lost weight on a "McDonald's Diet". The guy had eaten fast food instead of "healthy food" and just by counting calories, had lost weight. (Whether he'll be able to keep it off is another story.)

In any event, Limbaugh seemed to think this was news. It's not news. Everyone knows - or should - that that's how you lose weight. Not by eating skinless chicken or giving up potatoes or chocolate, but by eating less calories per day - 2000 calories a day instead of 3600, for example. (3600 calories = 1 pound).

Now, whenever you go to these fast food restaurants, they have to, by law, tell you how many calories there food is. And a Big Mac is something like 1,000 calories. A chocolate shake is probably 1000 calories, and so on. So it does help you to know how many calories are in food, but for all that, you don't need to dwell on it too much.

Remember in my plan you are not trying to lost 30 pounds in 30 days. You are going to take a whole year to do it. You're going to do it gradually, because in that way you'll be able to maintain that weight loss for the rest of your life.

I've been urging you to keep a journal in which you record many things, including what you eat, and when. And really, bu looking at this journal you should know where you need to cut down in order to lower your calorie consumption.

Do you have a bowl of icecream after dinner? Cut it down to half a bowl.

Do you have a donut for a snack to tide you over between lunch and dinner? Cut it down to half a donut.

Do you have a candybar or something before you go to bed to ease those hunger pains? Replace those with carrots.

Do you have hunger pains at night? So what! Yes, at some time during the losing weight process, you're going to have to go to bed feeling hungry. Get used to it! You dont have to go to bed starving! Just jave a handful of carrots to take the edge off.

You are going to gradually be cutting back on what you eat, so it will take a while for your stomach to shrink, but eventually your appetite will lessen, which will enable you to keep a rein on what you eat, and maintain your new weight.

And of course, you need to exercise.

In future entries I'll give tips on weight training - all women should train with weights. Not to "bulk up" - unless you want to, of course, but to keep muscle tone and to aid in the weight maintainence process.

Then there's biking - my sport of choice. Jogging is good, but can behard on the knees. Walking is perhaps the easiest sport of all - I always find it boring but if you get some good music or an audiotape, that helps.

The new year, and the new you, is one day away.

We are prepared for it.