"I ate a supersize fast-food meal" continued...
Next Time
Order low-cal. If you must hit the drive-through, choose foods that won't do major diet damage. At Burger King, for example, choose the Whopper Jr. (290 calories with no mayo) instead of the regular Whopper (670 calories). And always skip the fries: A small bag at McDonald's clocks in at 250 calories, about half of which is fat. Instead, order the side salad (20 calories) with a packet of Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories). For more good eats at fast-food joints, check out Dr. Harlan's Website, drgourmet.com.
Don't skip supper to compensate. That kind of starvation strategy always backfires, warns Fernstrom. "The day after your severe restriction, you'll be eating everything, including the paint off the walls."
"I quit keeping track of what I was eating"
That's understandable — but it will cost you big-time. "You don't realize how much mindless eating you do every day," says Somer. "You taste what you're cooking, or grab a French fry, or eat the rest of your kid's cake at a birthday party. On average, there's probably 25 calories in each of those mouthfuls. If you take just four mindless bites a day, that adds up to an extra pound every month."
Fast Fix
Buy a little notebook. By writing down every sip and nibble, you'll avoid surprise weight gains. If carrying a notebook is too yesterday, go the electronic route. Sites such as nutrihand.com offer free subscriptions that allow you to track your meals. Or you can use a pocket-size food diary, such as CalorieSmart ($69, coheso.com).
Next Time
Measure everything. Most of us have trouble eyeballing a cup or a 4-ounce serving with any accuracy — dietitians call this "portion distortion." So for a few days, measure and weigh all your food. Here's one shortcut: "Ask the butcher to divide the meat you buy into 4-ounce servings, which will shrink down to about 3 ounces when you cook it," suggests Somer. "Buy individual 4-ounce potatoes instead of a whole bag. And use measuring cups and spoons until you become very accustomed to what a cup or a tablespoon looks like."
"I'm eating lots of low-fat foods"
And you're not losing any weight, right? There's a reason why. "Research shows that if you tell a person that a food is low-fat, she'll take a larger serving," says Somer. And more food — even if it's nonfat — means more calories.
Fast Fix
Read labels carefully. The front of the package can make all kinds of cheerful claims ("Half the fat!"), but the cold facts are in the nutrition information. You'll find, for example, that those delicious SnackWell's Fat Free Devil's Food Cookies are 50 calories each. (So you might want to put that second one down.) And those low-fat Cheez-Its? Sure, they're only 130 calories a serving. But that's just 29 measly crackers — you can eat that in one minute alone.
Next Time
Eat your greens. Veggies are low in calories and also extra filling. A study from Pennsylvania State University showed that women who ate a large low-cal salad (lettuce, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and cucumber tossed with fat-free dressing and light cheese) before lunch felt so full, they ate less at the meal.
Let yourself have the low-cal dressing. It won't throw off your numbers, and it may encourage you to eat more of these salad superfoods.
"I haven't exercised in a week"
You kicked your walking shoes under the bed, threw a blanket over your treadmill, and are driving the long route to work so you don't have to see all the walkers in your neighborhood. We understand — it's hard to get motivated after you've missed a few days of exercise. But those skipped days can easily turn into weeks, so it's important to start up again fast. Here's the good news: "Fitness is the one thing that comes back pretty quickly," says Fernstrom. "By the end of a month, you should be close to where you were before."
Fast Fix
"Go out and walk for 10 minutes," advises Dr. Wyatt. "And tell yourself you can stop at that point if you want. Yes, you might quit in 10 minutes. But once you're out on the sidewalk, you'll probably keep walking."
Next Time
Buddy up. "If you have an exercise partner, it's easier to stay committed," says Dr. Wyatt. So enlist a friend to walk with you every day. Short on buddies? Visit walkers.meetup.com to find folks in your area.
Find a fun exercise. "If your workout is drudgery, you won't do it," says Fernstrom. So if you've worn out the treadmill at the gym, take an aerobics class instead. Or try these fun alternatives (they all burn more calories per hour than walking): ballet or swimming laps (422), biking or playing Ping-Pong (281).
"I haven't weighed myself all week"
If you know the news will be bad, who can blame you? But that's just the time to step on the scale. Once you know the worst, you can act before a few extra pounds become 10.
Fast Fix
Change your attitude toward the scale. Think of it as your own personal coach, suggests Dr. Wyatt. And it really does help fight fat: Of the NWCR participants, more than 60 percent weighed themselves daily to keep pounds from creeping back on.
Next Time
Stop kidding yourself. Avoiding the scale is just another form of denial. "Refusing to acknowledge that there's a problem just makes it worse," says Dr. Wyatt.
Don't get number obsessed. If you were as good as gold all week but still gained a little, don't flip out. Some of it might be water weight — last night's moo shu pork, the salty bag of popcorn you ate at midnight, or even your menstrual cycle.
Don't take weight gain personally. A lot of us have an annoying habit of tying our weight to our self-esteem. But the number on your scale is just information. "Weighing yourself is like monitoring your blood pressure or blood sugar," says Dr. Wyatt. "It lets you know where you are — not what kind of person you are."
Next Time
Order low-cal. If you must hit the drive-through, choose foods that won't do major diet damage. At Burger King, for example, choose the Whopper Jr. (290 calories with no mayo) instead of the regular Whopper (670 calories). And always skip the fries: A small bag at McDonald's clocks in at 250 calories, about half of which is fat. Instead, order the side salad (20 calories) with a packet of Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories). For more good eats at fast-food joints, check out Dr. Harlan's Website, drgourmet.com.
Don't skip supper to compensate. That kind of starvation strategy always backfires, warns Fernstrom. "The day after your severe restriction, you'll be eating everything, including the paint off the walls."
"I quit keeping track of what I was eating"
That's understandable — but it will cost you big-time. "You don't realize how much mindless eating you do every day," says Somer. "You taste what you're cooking, or grab a French fry, or eat the rest of your kid's cake at a birthday party. On average, there's probably 25 calories in each of those mouthfuls. If you take just four mindless bites a day, that adds up to an extra pound every month."
Fast Fix
Buy a little notebook. By writing down every sip and nibble, you'll avoid surprise weight gains. If carrying a notebook is too yesterday, go the electronic route. Sites such as nutrihand.com offer free subscriptions that allow you to track your meals. Or you can use a pocket-size food diary, such as CalorieSmart ($69, coheso.com).
Next Time
Measure everything. Most of us have trouble eyeballing a cup or a 4-ounce serving with any accuracy — dietitians call this "portion distortion." So for a few days, measure and weigh all your food. Here's one shortcut: "Ask the butcher to divide the meat you buy into 4-ounce servings, which will shrink down to about 3 ounces when you cook it," suggests Somer. "Buy individual 4-ounce potatoes instead of a whole bag. And use measuring cups and spoons until you become very accustomed to what a cup or a tablespoon looks like."
"I'm eating lots of low-fat foods"
And you're not losing any weight, right? There's a reason why. "Research shows that if you tell a person that a food is low-fat, she'll take a larger serving," says Somer. And more food — even if it's nonfat — means more calories.
Fast Fix
Read labels carefully. The front of the package can make all kinds of cheerful claims ("Half the fat!"), but the cold facts are in the nutrition information. You'll find, for example, that those delicious SnackWell's Fat Free Devil's Food Cookies are 50 calories each. (So you might want to put that second one down.) And those low-fat Cheez-Its? Sure, they're only 130 calories a serving. But that's just 29 measly crackers — you can eat that in one minute alone.
Next Time
Eat your greens. Veggies are low in calories and also extra filling. A study from Pennsylvania State University showed that women who ate a large low-cal salad (lettuce, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and cucumber tossed with fat-free dressing and light cheese) before lunch felt so full, they ate less at the meal.
Let yourself have the low-cal dressing. It won't throw off your numbers, and it may encourage you to eat more of these salad superfoods.
"I haven't exercised in a week"
You kicked your walking shoes under the bed, threw a blanket over your treadmill, and are driving the long route to work so you don't have to see all the walkers in your neighborhood. We understand — it's hard to get motivated after you've missed a few days of exercise. But those skipped days can easily turn into weeks, so it's important to start up again fast. Here's the good news: "Fitness is the one thing that comes back pretty quickly," says Fernstrom. "By the end of a month, you should be close to where you were before."
Fast Fix
"Go out and walk for 10 minutes," advises Dr. Wyatt. "And tell yourself you can stop at that point if you want. Yes, you might quit in 10 minutes. But once you're out on the sidewalk, you'll probably keep walking."
Next Time
Buddy up. "If you have an exercise partner, it's easier to stay committed," says Dr. Wyatt. So enlist a friend to walk with you every day. Short on buddies? Visit walkers.meetup.com to find folks in your area.
Find a fun exercise. "If your workout is drudgery, you won't do it," says Fernstrom. So if you've worn out the treadmill at the gym, take an aerobics class instead. Or try these fun alternatives (they all burn more calories per hour than walking): ballet or swimming laps (422), biking or playing Ping-Pong (281).
"I haven't weighed myself all week"
If you know the news will be bad, who can blame you? But that's just the time to step on the scale. Once you know the worst, you can act before a few extra pounds become 10.
Fast Fix
Change your attitude toward the scale. Think of it as your own personal coach, suggests Dr. Wyatt. And it really does help fight fat: Of the NWCR participants, more than 60 percent weighed themselves daily to keep pounds from creeping back on.
Next Time
Stop kidding yourself. Avoiding the scale is just another form of denial. "Refusing to acknowledge that there's a problem just makes it worse," says Dr. Wyatt.
Don't get number obsessed. If you were as good as gold all week but still gained a little, don't flip out. Some of it might be water weight — last night's moo shu pork, the salty bag of popcorn you ate at midnight, or even your menstrual cycle.
Don't take weight gain personally. A lot of us have an annoying habit of tying our weight to our self-esteem. But the number on your scale is just information. "Weighing yourself is like monitoring your blood pressure or blood sugar," says Dr. Wyatt. "It lets you know where you are — not what kind of person you are."
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