Never Say Diet

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IF YOU'RE LIKE A LOT OF Americans, you're in the second week of a New Year's resolution to lose weight. You may have even found a diet you think will do the trick. Chances are, alas, that the minute you stop dieting--and who can deprive themselves forever?--you'll find it practically impossible to keep the weight off. But that's no reason to give up and consume a box of Krispy Kremes. If you're serious about shedding pounds, your best bet is to forget about dieting and make some permanent changes--the kind you can live with for the rest of your life--in your eating habits.

You'll improve your odds if you know a little something about how many calories are in the foods you eat. Wait, wait! Don't turn the page yet. We're not talking about actually counting calories. Rather, what we could all use is a better understanding of just how packed with calories certain foods that might otherwise seem healthy truly are. Consider, for example, a 5-oz. plain bagel with 2 1/2 oz. of cream cheese. That must be more healthy than a Big Mac--right? Not necessarily; the bagel with cream cheese contains 640 calories--or 50 more than the Big Mac. Here's another example: 8 fluid oz. of orange juice contain almost the same number of calories as two fresh oranges. That doesn't mean that Big Macs are good for you or that you should stop drinking orange juice. It does mean that calories count and that it's easier to overdo it, calorie-wise, with some foods than others.

Few nutrition books have made the point as clearly as Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss, which is now available in paperback (Warner Books; $14.95). Nothing about the book is earth shattering. The advice is pretty standard. It's the pictures that will really grab your attention. In essence, what Howard Shapiro, a New York City osteopath with a thriving weight-control practice, has done is to demonstrate photographically the food advice he gives his patients. Through these pictures, Shapiro shows how you can eat a lot of very tasty and satisfying food without gaining weight if you learn to choose the stuff that isn't so heavily packed with calories.

You'll discover, for example, that one raspberry tart is the equivalent of eight cups of raspberries with whipped topping and that one scone has the same number of calories as a bowl of oatmeal with peaches plus an English muffin with jam plus a bowl of cherries plus a bowl of cornflakes with banana plus two slices of light toast with marmalade plus a bowl of orange and pineapple slices.

Of course, for the best results, you'll also want to increase your level of physical activity. But you don't have to become a gym rat. (Take your pick of walking, dancing, ice skating, gardening, yoga, Tai Chi or strength training, to name a few options.) The point is, by cutting back on calorie-dense foods and moving around a bit, you'll be tipping the scales back in your favor.

For more, click on FOOD AND NUTRITION at mayoclinic.com