 
< Back to Index You watch what you eat, you exercise--yet the scale won't budge. Could you be making the same mistakes these frustrated dieters were? by Maura Rhodes. You know a thing or two about dieting--for instance, that a salad smothered in creamy dressing doesn't pass for a low-cal lunch. And while you're not completely virtuous about what you put in your mouth, you are careful. So why can't you drop those stubborn 10 or 15 pounds? Chances are you're making simple mistakes-like the three women here. Each is struggling to lose a tenacious 15 pounds or so, and all thought they were following sensible weight-loss diets. But when New York University Medical Center clinical nutritionist Susan Taman Levy examined their five-day food diaries, she detected common slipups. With her easy adjustments, they (and you) should now be able to quickly drop those excess pounds. The Grazer Her diet strategy: Since giving birth a year ago to her second son, Scannel has tried to peel off the pounds that have settled in her belly and rear by watching portion size and skipping breakfast. This, she assumes, will also make up for her frequent munching, includiong a midnight snack habit: "When I get up to feed the baby, I munch." Plus, she can't find the time to exercise. Before (2,000 calories) 4:00 a.m. 1/2 cup chocolate pudding, 1 cookie
The Solution: Scannel needs to put some planning into what she eats, suggests Levy. Instead of picking during her kids' dinners, she should eat a healthy meal with them or, if she wants to wait for her husband, she should have a low-cal snack, such as ten small pretzels before feeding them. Scannel should also eat breakfast, since her hunger causes her to snack. Switching from juices to real fruit, substituting skim milk for whole, and decreasing the amount of oil and butter she adds to foods will also help. As will exercise: "She could lose half a pound a week by pushing the baby in a stroller for half an hour, four days a week," says Levy. The Fat-Free Fan HER DIET STRATEGY: Peskin skips breakfast and squelches her appetite with coffee but allows herself treats, relying on fat-free and reduced-fat foods. When possible she walks to appointments. BEFORE (1,900 calories) Breakfast: 3 cups coffee with skim milk Lunch: Mixed greens with 1 can tuna and fat-free mayo, 2 Tbs. Italian dressing Snack: 2 large honey wheat pretzels Dinner: 2 pieces grilled chicken, salad with 2 Tbs. fat-free dressing, 1 bunch of grapes, 6 reduced-fat chocolate chip cookies, 1 large frosted cookie Her Pitfalls: Peskin is loading up on calories, especially with baked goods. "So much sugar is added to fat-free snacks that, cookie for cookie, there's often not much difference between fat-free and the regular ones," explains Levy. And skipping breakfast leaves her with the sense that she can "afford" to eat oversize dinners. The Solution: "She should start her day with a little breakfast and less coffee," recommends Levy. "If she feels the need to drink to curb her appetite, flavored seltzer or decaffeinated coffee would be healthier choices." Peskin should consider snaking on regular cookies (she may be able to stop at one or two rather than going overboard with low-fat treats). Where she should rely on fat-free items is as a substitute for fats she adds to foods, such as salad dressing. And Peskin needs to log more exercise each day by working in two 30-minutes strolls daily (for example, after lunch and dinner). She should also do a simple 20-minute weight-training routine three times a week to help build muscle, which boosts metabolism. THE CARB SHUNNER HER DIET STRATEGY: Martin runs five times a week, yet she still has extra flab on her hips and thighs. She's diet savvy ("I can tell you how many calories are in three cups of broccoli" and follows the high-protein, low-carbohydrate approach to weight loss. She avoids pasta and bread ("I enjoy them and find it easy to overload on them"). BEFORE: (1,800 calories) 9:00 a.m. 6 boiled egg whites Her Pitfalls: Shunning a food you love often causes you to cave into cravings--which is why, after a day of avoiding carbs, Martin comes home and pigs out on pasta or rice. She also breaks down on weekends, indulging in chocolate chip cookies and granola bars. The upshot: She consumes too many calories to lose weight, despite all her exercise. The Solution: "It's important to eat foods you like when you diet," says Levy, who suggests that Martin include small portions of the carbs she loves-bread, potatoes, pretzels--in her diet. "Complex carbs provide the fuel needed for exercise," adds Levy--so in a sense, Martin is craving what her body needs. She should, however, continue to consume lean, protein-rich foods, which help suppress the appetite.
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