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Maximize
Your Body Potential:
16
Weeks to a Lifetime of Effective Weight Management
Theory:
For most people the best weight
loss solution is a combination of moderate caloric reduction, learning to
make healthy food choices, undertaking regular exercise, and developing
thinking and behavior skills for managing eating and general living. Diet
alone is not enough. The Body
Potential Approach is divided into two eight-week sections, which allow
you to make a manageable, time-defined commitment in each section.
Carbohydrates – the often
unrecognized treasure for weight management is complex carbohydrates –
vegetables, dried beans, peas, whole grains, and foods made from these
sources. The fiber that is
naturally present in complex carbohydrates helps weight loss while at the
same time reduces the likelihood of hunger pangs. Overeating carbohydrates
will cause the extra calories to be stored as fat. Overeating
simple sugars and not eating enough complex carbohydrates is one of the
problems with the American way of eating
Fats – eating some fat is
essential to your health, because fat transports central fat-soluble
vitamins to cells in the body. The
biggest problem in the American diet is eating too much dietary fat.
While most health experts recommend that no more than 30% of total
calories (and preferably less) come from fat, in fact, the level in the
United States
is closer to 40 or 50%. A good deal of this fat comes from a very high
level of meat consumption and to the “hidden” fat found in processed
foods.
Protein – Animal protein
sources contain all of the eight essential amino acids needed by the body.
Plant sources are “incomplete” proteins and they usually have
one or more essential amino acids in short supply.
Alcohol – No more than one to
two drinks a day is considered moderate use of alcohol.
It adds significant calories, and it is a “disinhibitor” that
makes sticking to a diet more difficult.
The “Prudent” Diet
A “prudent” diet is for
health is one that is relatively low in fats, particularly saturated fats,
low in cholesterol, low in simple sugars, high in complex carbohydrates
and fiber, adequate in calcium and other important minerals and vitamins,
and moderate in sodium, alcohol and caffeine.
- No
more than 30% of the calories come from fat, of which only one-third
should be from saturated fat sources, one-third from monounsaturated
sources, and one-third from polyunsaturated fat sources.
- For
a prudent diet, 50 to 60% of all calories should come from
carbohydrate, of which most (at least 80%) should be in the form of
complex carbohydrate – vegetable, grains, and legumes – and
“naturally occurring” sugars, e.g., fruits.
- The
current U.S. Diet includes about 12% of calories from protein source,
and this is recognized as a very adequate level for health.
- The
best weight reduction diet is a prudent diet with moderate caloric
restriction. The level of
caloric restriction typically recommended to produce healthy weight
reduction is 1000 to 1200 calories per day for women and 1200 to 1500
calories per day for men.
"Fast Track" Diet
The “Fast Track” Option is
not a “quickie” weight loss diet, but rather a fast start on learning
to choose healthy food, use a Food Exchange System, and manage a broad
spectrum of food choices. Fast
Track I is called the “fish” menu because fish is the entrée at the
main meal. What kind of fish
you eat and how you prepare it (as long as it is not fried or sautéed is
up to you. You will use this
menu three days a week. Fast
Track II is the “chicken” menu, and it is to be used two days out of
seven. Fast Track III, which
you use only one day, is the “vegetarian” menu, because the dinner
entrée is meatless (and moving toward more meatless meals is a good
health idea). Fast Track IV is the “red meat” or “Saturday night”
menu. Filet mignon (or your choice of red meat) is the entrée.
Fast Track includes three
planned snacks a day which may be moved into the meals if preferred.
Sample
Fast Track I Menu
- Breakfast:
1 orange, 2/3 cup of Shredded Wheat, ½ cup skim milk
- Snack:
½ cup vegetable juice
- Lunch:
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 apple, ¾ cup of cottage cheese, 1
piece of whole grain bread
- Snack
– 1 oz. cheddar cheese, celery sticks, ½ cup skim milk
- Dinner
– 3 oz. white fish, baked, broiled, or poached, 1 cup vegetables,
2/3 cup brown rice, 1 tsp. margarine, tossed salad (lettuce,
mushrooms, and selection of “free” vegetables, tomato, 3 green
onions, 1 Tb. low-calorie salad dressing)
- Snack
– 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt flavored with extract and artificial
sweetener.
Joyce D. Nash, Ph.D. 1986.
Palo Alto
: Bull Publishing Co.
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