A friend recently told me she had lost 10lb in a 2 days by trying a new diet that was essentially starvation: 1 cup of black coffee with 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast, a lettuce leaf for lunch and an apple, and a small salad with chicken for dinner.  "I'm eating absolutely no carbs!", she crowed.  She's 170, trying to lose 30 pounds.  She seemed excited and I didn't want to burst her bubble that this diet plan was a disaster in the making. 

If you want to lose weight you need to stop looking for quick gimmicks and employ some common sense.

1. You didn't gain the weight over night so don't expect to lose it over night.  The first thing a person loses when doing an extreme diet is water.  Don't be fooled by the scale showing you 5 lbs off in two days.  You haven't burned 5 lbs of fat yet.  Water loss is nothing to boast about.

2. Eliminating a food group such as breads, cereals and pasta is not the best way to lose weight.  Your body needs the nutrients found in grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables and dairy.  If you stop eating carbs, you are introducing an unbalance that needs to be filled with something else.  You will make yourself crave them to the point where you dream of them and when you break down and stuff your face it won't be pretty.  You are going to have to exercise some self control.  If you are eating pasta as a main, forgo the garlic bread.  If you want a piece of chocolate cake for desert, don't eat the dinner rolls with your meal.

3. Don't be lazy. How much time do you spend sitting around?  If you can't bear to hit the gym 2-3 times a week, go for a walk after dinner every night for 30 minutes.  It will help your digestion and you will start to shed a few pounds and notice a difference in muscle tone.  If you do this before bed, it might help you sleep better too!

4. Read the ingredients on EVERYTHING.  Does it have hydrogenated oils?  Can you pronounce all of the ingredients?  Are there artificial flavours, aspartame, Monosodium glutamate (MSG), preservatives and chemicals?  Don't eat it!  The order of the ingredients on the label goes from most to least.  If sugar is the first ingredient, then there is mostly sugar in that product.  Juice should be 100% pure juice blends, don't buy jam, buy fruit spreads. They taste the same but the main flavour is fruit not sugar.   Often things labeled "Low fat" are actually bad for you.  Better to eat a scoop of organic full fat ice cream than a nonfat chemical cocktail of who knows what?


My breakfast on vacation:  2 crepes, pure maple syrup, 1 blob pure whipping cream.  It's fatty, but I know what's in it.

5. Forget the Diet Coke.  One of the stupidest "diet" ideas of all time.  It's loaded with chemicals and is baaaad for you.  For that matter, eliminate anything deep fried, soft drinks, "candy bars" and convenience snacks.  There is not an ounce of goodness in there for you and all it does is make you crave more and gain weight.  And if that doesn't convince you, think of your breath.

6. Never eat in front of the TV.  You will amaze yourself how much less you will eat when you are not idly stuffing your face while watching the tube.

7. Do not go back for seconds.  Your brain and stomach are not totally in synch about when you should stop eating.  It takes a few minutes for the brain to trigger that you are full.  Have one plate, drink plenty of water and then move on with the rest of your day.

8.  Eat slowly.  It is a proven fact that slower eaters eat less.  Because of point #7.  Eating slowly allows your stomach and brain to be more on the same page.  That also means you chew your food more thoroughly and are less likely to choke. Even if everyone is waiting for you because they inhaled theirs, let them.  They can be fat and you can be healthy.

9. Savour your food.  Food was made to be enjoyed.  If you take the time to eat it slowly and savour the flavours you will see food in a whole new light.  You may find out that some things you are eating you no longer like. I used to have a problem with eating too much chocolate.  Then one day I ate a certain "candy bar" really slowly.  It disgusted me because I could taste the artificial ingredients and chemicals. Now I only eat pure dark chocolate, or baked goods with natural ingredients and savour it slowly.  Sooo much better. 

10. No bed time snacks.  Don't eat 1-2 hours before you hit the sack.  You don't need it and it will only make you gain weight. Eat a healthy breakfast as soon as you wake up instead.  Contrary to North American practices, your biggest meal should be breakfast or lunch, and the lightest should be dinner.

These are 10 things I do.  I am not a Doctor, but considering my weight has been the same for 10 years I think it's safe to say it works.

What are your tricks to keeping trim and healthy?