Nutrition for Weight Loss

Forget the fad diet that worked for your neighbor. Fad diets are fads because they come and go. Losing weight sensibly and safely for the long haul requires setting reasonable weight-loss goals, adopting healthful eating habits, and getting enough and appropriate exercise.

Step one - determine a realistic weight goal. The table below developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, offers a range of suggested weights for adults based on their height. Use this table as a guide to set a weight goal for yourself, or ask your doctor or nutritionist for help in setting a goal. The higher weights generally apply to men, who have more muscle and bone. The lower weights generally apply to women, who have less muscle and bone.

How much weight can I lose safely?
It took a while to put that weight on, so expect it to take a little while to take it off. Plan to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week by consuming about 300 to 500 fewer calories per day than usual. If that seems too restrictive, try a combination of consuming fewer calories and burning more through exercise. Most women and inactive men generally need to consume approximately 2,000 calories to maintain weight; most men and very active women may consume up to 2,500 calories daily. Losing weight at this rate is generally safe and healthy. You may shed pounds faster at first and then experience a plateau. Just stick to your program and you will eventually reach your goal.

I have my goal and I know what to expect, now what?
The first thing you need to do is determine your daily caloric needs to meet your weight-loss goal. This is your lucky day because we happen to have a tool that will help you determine just that magic number of calories. Click here to go to the tool.

Got your number? Great! Now let's move on to the sample diets for various calorie needs. There is a sample diet for 1200, 1600, 1800 and 2000 daily calorie needs. You can follow it exactly if you need to, or you can use it as a guide for your own shopping and food preparation.

Assignment #3
What is it about these fad diets that so grip our attention? Why do they appear to be working for some people? Are the changes permanent? What health risks are there? Take a look at this fascinating article that separates fact from fiction regarding the popular low-carbohydrate diet.

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