Simple Way to Lose Weight

We all know that losing weight requires some changes in our eating habits. But many of us avoid making those changes for one obvious reason: It seems too darned hard.

Well, here's a simple, novel approach endorsed by top nutritionists: Make just one change. For the next month, focus on a single improvement, whether it's doubling your fruit intake, adding some protein or switching to nonfat milk.

For instance, if you drink 3 cups of milk a day for a month, the switch from reduced-fat to nonfat will save you 3,000 calories -- nearly enough to lose 1 pound!

What's more, changing one habit at a time gives you a sense of success: You'll see results and be able to stick to your plan. Soon, the habit will be second nature. Then you'll be inspired to add another change, and another. This works far better than a drastic dietary overhaul, which leads to feelings of failure and deprivation. People end up regaining all the 
weight they've lost, often even more.

When you make dietary changes step by step, you lose weight at a sensible pace and develop habits you can keep. "Dieting for weight loss shouldn't be an event," says  a Dr. "It's not something you gear up for, do for an intense period of time and then you're done. You need to make lifestyle changes that will be yours for the rest of your life."

Here are two simple dietary changes with big payoffs, both for weight control and good health. Start with the one that seems most feasible to you.

1. EAT MORE OFTEN -- AND ADD SOME PROTEIN
The strategy: Switch from two or three large meals to five or six smaller ones of 300 to 400 calories.

The weight-control benefit: By eating more often, you're less likely to get ravenous and scarf down everything in sight. "When you eat a midmorning and midafternoon snack, you're not starving at lunch time or after work, so you won't come home and eat 1,200 calories," says a Dr. For each meal or snack, eat both protein and carbs, such as cereal with milk, an apple with peanut butter or a turkey sandwich. Protein takes longer to digest than carbs, so you'll stay satisfied longer. A small Yale study showed that when women had a high-protein lunch, they ate 31 percent fewer calories at dinner than when they had a high-carb lunch. (Tip: Try adding 2-3 ounces of fish or chicken breast to your lunch.)


The health bonus: By eating more often you will keep up your energy, concentration and alertness levels -- and you'll ward off the late-afternoon energy drain that's common among women. Plus, you are likely to eat more nutritiously because you won't be bingeing and loading up on empty calories.

2. SWITCH TO WHOLE GRAINS
The strategy: As often as possible, choose whole-grain products over their refined counterparts. For instance, try barley or bulgur instead of white rice. Eat whole-wheat bread instead of white or enriched wheat, oatmeal instead of grits, Grape-Nuts instead of Special K, or worse, Cap'n Crunch. Here's why you need to read nutrition labels:

* Bran for Life bread contains 5 grams of fiber per slice -- 80 calories -- while Pepperidge Farm thin-sliced white bread also has 80 calories but zero grams of fiber.

* 1 ounce of Grape-Nuts contains 2.5 grams of fiber and 104 calories while 1 ounce of Special K has 0.88 grams of fiber and 105 calories (1 ounce of Cap'n Crunch has 0.9 grams of fiber and 113 calories -- and lots of sugar).

The weight-control benefit: "Whole-grain foods are chewier and more satisfying," says Polk. "Their fiber makes them more filling. You'll eat less and not be hungry as soon." ( Tip: Eat 1 whole-grain serving at every meal.)

The health bonus: High-fiber foods like whole grains help protect against heart disease, diabetes and, possibly, cancers of the breast, pancreas and colon. They also contain trace minerals that are stripped from refined food products.