TIPPING THE SCALES
Concentrate on one or two of these strategies and you'll soon reach your weight loss goals.
By Kristine Clark
PUBLISHED 09/14/2001
Keith Fitzpatrick was plenty active when I first started seeing him at my sports nutrition clinic. He ran 25 miles a week, played rugby and lifted weights regularly. In the previous three years, Keith had lost almost 50 pounds on his own.
But Keith wasn't where he wanted to be. As he put it, he couldn't lose those "last lousy 10 pounds."It was clear that Keith's running had been most responsible for his weight loss, so I didn't want to prescribe more of that. Instead, I suggested several new nutritional strategies for him to try. Pick the one that works best for you, I told him. And stick with it.
Following is the menu of nine weight-loss choices I gave Keith. In the 15 years I've been a sports-nutrition clinician, I've found these to be the most successful strategies for active people--whether you’re looking to lose those last lousy 10 pounds or those first lousy 10 pounds. If you’re not able to use all nine strategies, fine. In fact, that's the point--you don't need to.
Simply choose the tips that are most appropriate for you. Then practice them regularly; make them habits.
By adopting these habits, you can expect to lose about 2 pounds a week, or 10 pounds within a month. And you'll be amazed at how much better you feel. Final bonus: You'll run more easily, faster and farther.
1. Start keeping a food diary--today
As much as you may dread doing this, research consistently shows that people who keep a record of what they eat lose more weight and keep it off longer than those who don't. Many runners find it tough to remember what they ate even for their last meal. A careful record of what, when and how much you eat is sometimes the only way to get a handle on what may be thwarting your weight-loss effort. To keep a diary, I suggest you either carry a small, spiral-bound notebook with you or copy the sample form below (see "Dear Diary"). Since weekend eating is typically different than weekday eating, keep your diary for at least seven days to get an accurate account of your usual eating behavior. If you have an office party or some other celebration during this period, don't record that day. Skip it and include a more typical day. The point of this exercise is to examine your normal eating routine, find problem areas and make adjustments.
2. Pick one eating behavior that is contributing to your current weight level--and change it
When runners tell me they can't lose weight, I usually ask,"What do you think you're doing wrong?" Almost everyone can think of one eating behavior that's keeping him or her from losing weight. Let's take the use of margarine as an example. Say you put a tablespoon of margarine (plus jam) on each of two slices of toast in the morning. That's 180 calories' worth of margarine. Then you use margarine for your turkey sandwich at lunch. That's another 180 calories. At dinner you add a small dollop of margarine to your cooked vegetables or pasta. That's 90 more calories. Eating those same foods without the margarine would save 450 calories for the day, which is the calorie equivalent to 4 miles of running! Margarine may not be your particular problem. It could be salad dressing, soft drinks or a particular snack food you enjoy. Cutting out one of these can make a huge difference.
3. Once a week, plan your meals for the next several days, then buy groceries accordingly.
Planning menus means you'll be telling yourself what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Write it all down and post it on the refrigerator. This will eliminate guesswork at mealtimes, and you won't be able to say, "Hmmm, there's nothing here I want to eat, so I might as well order a pepperoni pizza." It's the same as keeping a running schedule. Once you have a routine mapped out, you're more likely to follow through than if you’re making it up as you go along. Planning meals in advance takes some, well, planning, but it's worth it. (For a sample menu, see "Make a Plan," below.) Like a food diary, a meal plan will provide a record of your eating as your weight-loss effort proceeds.
4. Place a basket of fruit on your desk or countertop
Simple as that. Fruit should never go in the refrigerator. (Once it's there, it's out of sight, out of mind.) Fruits (and vegetables, for that matter) are high in fiber, which causes a feeling of fullness and helps you eat less. Studies show that people on high-fiber diets (25 to 35 grams of fiber per day) tend to take in less fat. Carry around bags of dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, apples, figs) or sliced vegetables (carrots, celery, green peppers). Dried fruit is nonperishable, so you can keep it in desk drawers, gym bags and lockers. Or keep a ready stash in the glove compartment of your car for the commute to and from work or school.
5. Consume more fluids
The reason is simple: They fill you up, according to Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., nutrition professor at Penn State University. Rolls has studied groups of people who drink lots of water (at least eight large glasses a day) or eat lots of fruits, vegetables and broth-based soups (all high in water). These people tend to consume fewer total calories than those who don't take in as much fluid. Again, there's no magic here, just common sense. If you fill up on low-calorie, high-water-content drinks and foods, you'll be less likely to crave more fattening foods. (Remember: The drinks need to be low-calorie. Beer, wine and soda don't count.) It's the same concept as eating more fiber: Take in the good, and you'll be less tempted by the bad.
6. Have your body-fat percentage checked
Okay, this may not be a weight-loss strategy per se. Rather, knowing your body-fat percentage tells you for sure whether you need to lose weight at all. My own history serves as a good example here. When I was training for the San Francisco Marathon 10 years ago, I had my body-fat percentage checked. I was 34 years old at the time, and I had 17 percent body fat. Today, I'm 44 and weigh 6 pounds less than I did back then. However, I had my body fat checked recently, and it was 23 percent. Not bad, but it made me realize that the weight I'd lost in 10 years wasn't from fat, it was from lean tissue--from muscle, in other words. In my case, I didn't need to lose weight, but I needed to strength train in order to build my muscle mass back up. Check with your doctor on the various ways to have your body-fat percentage measured. (Some are more accurate than others.) Once you know it, refer to the table below:
| | Recommended | Overweight | Obese |
| Men | 6 to 18 % | 19 to 24 % | Over 25 % |
| Women | 10 to 25 % | 26 to 30 % | Over 31 % |
7. Get adequate protein.
Of the three nutrients that supply calories in our diet--carbohydrates, protein and fat--protein is best at making us feel full. When you eat high-protein foods, you'll stop eating sooner than if you eat only carbohydrate. Most runners know that carbohydrate is the most important energy source and a high-carbohydrate diet (50 percent or more of total calories) is vital for maintaining adequate muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate). Still, too many runners emphasize carbohydrates at the expense of protein. Sedentary people should take in around 4 grams of protein per 10 pounds of body weight per day. As a runner, you need roughly 6 grams of protein per 10 pounds of body weight. This comes to 78 grams a day for a 130-pound runner or 108 grams for a 180-pound runner. Look for low-fat protein sources such as fish, lean beef, skinless chicken and turkey, as well as low-fat dairy products or meat alternatives like eggs, dried beans or reduced-fat peanut butter.
