Low-Calorie Dieting For Dummies

Break your bad habits and start enjoying a low-cal lifestyle! Want to lose weight and keep it off for good? This no-nonsense guide shows you how to consume fewer calories than you burn, providing a delicious, easy, and safe low-calorie plan you can follow for life! You'll find tools to improve your eating and exercise habits, cope with stress and boredom, assess your progress, and live healthier and happier. Discover how to: Understand your metabolism. Set realistic, attainable goals. Maintain a healthy weight. Stock a low-cal kitchen. Eat right with simple, scrumptious, low-calorie recipes. Stay motivated long-term. Find outside support. Order your copy today!

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 3 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organized 4 Part I: Understanding the Basics of Low-Calorie Dieting 4 Part II: Getting Started: The Four-Week Plan and Beyond 4 Part III: Overcoming Obstacles and Moving On 5 Part IV: Trying Time-Tested Low-Calorie Recipes 5 Part V: The Part of Tens 5 Part VI: Appendixes 5 Icons Used in This Book 6 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: Understanding the Basics of Low-Calorie Dieting 7 Chapter 1: Living a Low-Calorie Lifestyle 9 Deciding How Much Weight to Lose 10 Understanding How to Live a Healthy Low-Calorie Lifestyle 12 Getting Started on Your Low-Calorie Plan 13 Psyching up with goals, tools, and more 13 Setting up a low-calorie kitchen 14 Planning marvelous meals 14 Exercising to burn calories and improve your health 15 Staying on the Low-Calorie Track 16 Working through challenges 16 Assessing your progress from time to time 17 Looking for help 18 Chapter 2: Figuring Out the State of Your Weight 19 Ups and Downs: Discovering How People Gain and Lose Weight 20 Understanding the basics: Metabolism 101 20 Identifying calories and why they matter 21 Figuring out why gaining weight is so easy for some people 22 Recognizing why losing weight is so hard for some people 23 A Trip through Time: Taking Stock of How You Arrived Here 23 Reviewing your weight history 24 Examining your family history 25 A New Beginning: Altering Your Diet Plan 26 For beginners only 27 For pros 29 Tools of the Trade: Figuring Out How Overweight You Are 30 Interpreting a healthy weight range chart 31 Computing your BMI 33 Determining your waist-to-hip ratio 34 Chapter 3: Working with Guidelines for Healthy Low-Calorie Living 37 Cutting Calories for Weight-Loss Success 37 Comparing low-calorie diets to other diets 38 Figuring out what a “low-calorie” diet means to you 40 Focusing on Formulas for Low-Calorie Living 41 Determining the number of calories you need 42 Using another formula for weight loss 43 Understanding the Nutritional Nuts and Bolts of a Low-Calorie Diet 45 Getting the nutrients you need 45 Keeping your energy high and your diet interesting 51 Using Proven Strategies for Cutting Calories 52 Controlling portion size 52 Eating “free” foods 53 Watching calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats 55 Part II: Getting Started: The Four-Week Plan and Beyond 59 Chapter 4: Kick-Starting Your Low-Calorie Plan 61 Examining Your Current Diet Habits 61 Recognizing problem behaviors 62 Playing diet games 63 Giving Yourself a Lifestyle Makeover 65 Making changes one step at a time 65 Knowing your diet limits 66 Keeping your diet fresh 67 Checking Your Attitude 68 Finding and maintaining your motivation 68 Loosening up 68 Staying positive 69 Using Tracking Tools As You Get Started 70 Establishing your weight goals 70 Setting up your lifestyle goals 71 Keeping a food diary 74 Weighing in on a regular basis 77 Practicing Mindful Low-Calorie Living 80 Eating mindfully 80 Thinking mindfully 81 Chapter 5: Cooking in a Low-Calorie Kitchen 83 Gearing Up for Low-Calorie Meals 83 Following dietary guidelines 84 Deciding which foods to eat 85 Making a list and sticking to it 87 Shopping for Low-Calorie Foods 88 Reading the labels 89 Going aisle by aisle 92 Setting Up a Low-Calorie Kitchen 96 Using the tools of the trade 97 Brushing up on low-calorie cooking techniques 101 Chapter 6: Planning Low-Calorie Menus: The First Four Weeks 109 Preparing Yourself for the First Four Weeks 109 Going by the numbers 110 Following the rules as closely as possible 110 Doing your own thing to keep the plan fresh 111 Taking the Plunge: Week 1 112 Day 1: 1,500 calories 112 Day 2: 1,500 calories 113 Day 3: 1,500 calories 114 Day 4: 1,400 calories 115 Day 5: 1,400 calories 116 Day 6: 1,300 calories 116 Day 7: 1,300 calories 117 Whittling Down Your Calorie Intake: Week 2 118 Day 8: 1,300 calories 118 Day 9: 1,200 calories 119 Day 10: 1,200 calories 119 Day 11: 1,200 calories 120 Day 12: 1,200 calories 121 Day 13: 1,200 calories 121 Day 14: 1,000 calories 122 Making Adjustments: Week 3 123 Day 15: 1,000 calories 123 Day 16: 1,000 calories 124 Day 17: 1,000 calories 124 Day 18: 1,000 calories 125 Day 19: 1,000 calories 126 Day 20: 1,000 calories 126 Day 21: 1,000 calories 127 Watching Your Weight Drop: Week 4 128 Day 22: 1,000 calories 128 Day 23: 1,000 calories 129 Day 24: 1,000 calories 129 Day 25: 1,000 calories 130 Day 26: 1,000 calories 131 Day 27: 1,000 calories 131 Day 28: 1,000 calories 132 Chapter 7: Pulling through Your Plan’s First Few Months 133 Reassessing Your Low-Calorie Plan 134 Revisiting your goals 135 Taking stock of your diet 136 Making changes to fit your lifestyle 137 Motivating Yourself, Bit by Bit 137 Reaping rewards for sticking with your plan 138 Finding diversions to avoid overeating 139 Using the buddy system 141 Getting into Fun Menu Plans 141 High-protein day 142 High-fiber day 143 Dairy day 144 Fruit fast day 145 Grazing day 145 Snack day 146 Shake it up day 147 Salad day 149 International food day 149 Dessert day 150 Wine with dinner day 151 Fast-food day 152 Convenience food day 154 Chapter 8: Working Out and Working the Weight Off 155 Recognizing the Advantages of Different Kinds of Exercise 156 Distinguishing between aerobic and anaerobic exercise 157 Exploring the physical benefits of exercise 157 Examining the psychological benefits of exercise 158 Fitting Exercise into Your Life 159 Easing into an exercise routine 160 Organizing your workout schedule 160 Increasing activity in your everyday routine 162 Putting Together a Safe and Effective Exercise Plan 163 Warming up, cooling down, and other workout essentials 163 Burning more calories with aerobics 164 Building your strength 167 Exercising Additional Workout Options 169 Stretching out 169 Walking tall 170 Finding alternative ways to burn calories 171 Exercising for Body and Mind 173 Knowing How Much Exercise Is Too Much 174 Identifying the warning signs of too much exercise 174 Overexercising to the extreme 175 Part III: Overcoming Obstacles and Moving On 177 Chapter 9: Making Your Way through Trials and Tribulations 179 Recognizing and Solving Predictable Problems for Emotional Eaters 180 Busting boredom 181 Dealing with everyday frustrations 181 Feeding your sorrow 183 Meeting Typical Long-Term Challenges and Temptations 183 Figuring out whether you’re truly hungry 183 Satisfying cravings 185 Avoiding binges 186 Maintaining your interest and motivation 187 Breaking through plateaus 187 Eating Away from Home with Ease 188 Dining out at restaurants 189 Enjoying parties 190 Celebrating holidays 191 Traveling light 191 Chapter 10: Staying Fit and Stopping Regain in Its Tracks 193 Adding Calories and Keeping Up with Your Workouts 194 Using a formula for the future 194 Planning menus for weight maintenance 195 Revisiting your exercise routine 199 Managing Your Weight for the Long Term 200 Reviewing what’s worked for you 200 Pushing ahead with new ideas 201 Coming to terms with your genes 202 Checking your maintenance plan periodically 202 Recognizing Your Body’s Changing Calorie and Nutritional Needs 203 Staying lean and healthy at any age 203 Working through normal stages of life 205 Chapter 11: Helping Yourself with Outside Resources 207 Asking Other Folks for Help 208 Talking to friends and family 208 Reaching out to find diet buddies and role models 210 Sorting through Commercial Weight-Loss Plans 210 Figuring out whether a commercial program can help you 211 Asking the right questions 212 Picking a suitable plan 213 Getting the Scoop on Medically Supervised Programs 214 Going lower than low 214 Exploring your options 215 Seeking Out Support Groups 216 Overeaters Anonymous (OA) 217 Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) 217 Other groups 217 Considering Counseling 218 Selecting the best type of counseling for your needs 219 Finding a therapist 220 Deciding to face your fears 221 Part IV: Trying Time-Tested Low-Calorie Recipes 223 Chapter 12: Benefiting from Breakfast 225 Getting Off to a Good Start 225 Recognizing great reasons to eat breakfast 226 Keeping your morning meals interesting 228 Eating on the run 228 Drinking Up in the Morning 229 Beginning Your Day with Berries 232 Bulking Up Your Fiber Intake with Grains 235 Making Eggs-cellent Breakfasts 242 Chapter 13: Preparing Tasty Lunches 249 Putting Together Midday Meals 250 Packing a low-cal lunch 250 Using low-cal leftovers 250 Mixing Salads 251 Making salads with meat and poultry 251 Diving into seafood salads 256 Tossing together grain and fruit salads 257 Serving Up Sandwiches 261 Savoring Soups 265 Chapter 14: Sitting Down to Delicious Dinners 269 Keeping Supper Simple and Enjoyable 269 Planning ahead 270 Portioning out 270 Feeding the rest of the family 271 Preparing Pleasing Poultry Dishes 271 Fixing quick chicken dinners 271 Putting a new twist on turkey 277 Making the Most of Meat 279 Beefing up your meals 279 Picking pork and ham 282 Fishing for Seafood Dinners 284 Trying a Variety of Vegetarian Dishes 288 Chapter 15: Fitting In Snacks and Desserts 293 Being Smart about Munching between Meals 294 Adding variety to snacks and desserts 294 Grazing throughout the day 295 Sampling 100-Calorie Snacks 296 Treating yourself to sweet snacks 296 Savoring salty snacks 297 50 snacks worth 50 calories 301 Dishing Up 100-Calorie Desserts 302 Making the most of fruit 302 Satisfying your sweet tooth with chocolate 306 Part V: The Part of Tens 311 Chapter 16: Ten Benefits of Following a Low-Calorie Diet 313 Looking Good, Feeling Great 313 Boosting Your Energy 314 Sleeping Better 314 Saving Your Back 315 Lowering Your Blood Pressure 315 Maintaining a Healthy Heart 316 Preventing Diabetes 316 Fighting Cancer 317 Simplifying Pregnancy 318 Living Longer 318 Chapter 17: Ten Low-Calorie Success Stories 319 Finally Fitting into My Genes 319 Eating Small Portions All the Time 320 Consuming Fewer Calories and Adding More Workouts 321 Knowing What Works and Making Time for It 322 Making Four the Magic Number 322 Eating Smart While Eating Out and Cruising to a Lower Weight 323 Having a Baby, Losing the Weight 324 Counting Calories as the Years Go By 324 Buddying Up to Lose Weight 325 Staying Strong with “Want Power” 326 Part VI: Appendixes 327 Appendix A: Calorie Counts of Select Foods 329 Appendix B: Calorie Counts by Food Groups 339 Vegetables 339 Fruits 340 Proteins 342 Grains and Starchy Vegetables 342 Dairy Products 343 Fats and High-Fat Foods 344 Appendix C: Metric Conversion Guide 345 Index 349