86 Part II: Enjoying Total-Body Health: Eating Well and Staying Injury-Free
You shouldn’t have to carry around a diet book and constantly glance at your
watch. A better plan is to know nutrition basics, listen to your body’s own
signals for hunger and food preferences, and develop eating habits that you
can sustain for life — not just for five days.In this chapter, we present sensible, basic guidelines for nutritious eating.
Adopting these common-sense rules will help you maintain your weight and
your health yet, at the same time, keep your taste buds interested. If you’re
interested in a more in-depth discussion of nutrition, visit http://www.dummies.com
for a wealth of health and nutrition books that answer your every question.Control Your Calories ...................................................................................
As a country, we eat less fat than we used to, but we’re more overweight than
ever. How come? Because people don’t pay enough attention to calories. The
reality is, if you eat more calories than your body consumes, you’re going to
gain weight. If your nutrition analysis — or simply the fit of your jeans —
indicates that you’re eating too much, use the strategies in this section to keep
your calories under control. Just make sure you don’t drop your calorie intake
too low, especially if you exercise regularly. If you drastically cut calories —
particularly if you drop below 1,200 — your body will think it’s being starved
and will compensate by hanging on to the few calories that you do eat.Start with small portions. You don’t need to model your dinner plate
after the Eiffel Tower. You can always go back for more. Also, buy single-
serving packages of snack foods. You’re less likely to keep eating if you
have to rip open a whole new bag of chips than if you have your hand
buried in a bargain-sized package.Don’t confuse fat-free with calorie-free. Many fat-free foods are plenty
high in calories because they make up for the lost fat by adding sugar.
One Reduced-Fat Chips Ahoy! cookie has 50 calories, while a regular
Chips Ahoy! has 53. Not exactly major savings.
Don’t deprive yourself. If you lust after a slice of chocolate cake, eat a
small piece; otherwise you’ll end up inhaling an entire cake tomorrow.Eat slowly. Utter at least one complete sentence between bites or chew
32 times before taking another spoonful. Many people eat so fast that
they don’t taste anything and then rush back for seconds. Give your
body a chance to feel full.
Go easy on the booze. Alcohol stimulates your appetite and weakens
your reserve. This combination can lead to some serious overeating.
Instead of drinking before a meal, drink while you eat.