As predicted, many people are growing tired of low-carb diets because,
like all diets, they have a low long-term success rate, offer little
variety and -- well, I guess people miss carbs.
But the truth is that you can continue to lose weight, or maintain the
weight you lost on your low-carb diet, if you follow a few simple rules.PATIENCE
You're
not going to lose weight as quickly when you go off your low-carb diet,
and, in fact, you might actually gain a few pounds at first. "Don't
freak out. When you start eating healthy carbs, you may gain some water
weight, because some of the weight you originally lost was water,
especially in the intro stages," says Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D.,
senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center in
New York City.
How long do you have to give
yourself to adjust? "Give it about three to four weeks," suggests Dawn
Jackson, R.D., L.D., of Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute and a
spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
DON'T GO WHITE
One of the biggest mistakes low-carb dieters make
is going back to the white stuff. It's very easy to overindulge in
empty-calorie foods, such as cookies, cakes, white bread, potatoes and
pasta. "And white carbs are also convenient -- too convenient! --
available at every turn: in the vending machine, the open box in the
pantry, as side orders in restaurants," explains nutritionist Molly
Kimball, M.S., R.D., of the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans.
Instead,
make sure your starchy carbs come from whole grains. "When you
reintroduce carbs, the whole grains give you a more consistent release
of energy, whereas eating foods with refined white flour or sugar may
make you hungry sooner," says Heller. Whole grains have a high fiber
content, which means you should feel full longer and get more food for
fewer calories. "Fiber-rich foods are more satisfying and also lower in
calories," adds Jackson. That means, in addition to whole grains, eat
plenty of vegetables, which are also packed with fiber.
SUBSTITUTE
As
you start adding carbs back into your diet, you'll probably need to
trim calories from other areas by replacing higher-calorie, high-fat
foods with lower-calorie, lower-fat foods you enjoy. For example,
switch from full-fat to light salad dressing, regular to light mayo or
from regular bacon to turkey bacon.
REVOKE YOUR LICENSE TO FILL
Just
because you go off your low-carb diet doesn't mean you should go out
and eat as much as you want of a food that's whole grain or considered
"healthy." Even fruit can pile on calories if you eat enough of it --
so steer clear of the "free food" mentality.
Be cautious -- you
might have a tendency to overeat all those foods you denied yourself
for so long, not to mention that the increase in variety can also lead
to overindulgence. And some high-carb foods have a lot of calories in a
very small amount, "so even eating a small portion can add up," says
Cynthia Sass, M.P.H., M.A., R.D., author of "Your Diet Is Driving Me
Crazy" (Marlowe & Co., 2004).
FUHGEDDABOUTIT
The
concept of "net carbs" is history. A food can be very low in carbs and
very high in calories. It's time to start looking at how many calories
are actually in the foods you're eating. And don't forget to check
serving sizes, too. The calories in a single serving might be low, but
if you eat the whole bag or package, well, the weight's going to come
right back.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME
One of the biggest
advantages of your low-carb diet was eating as much protein and fat as
you wanted. Well, those days are over, but you can still try to find
foods that are low in calories but high in volume. In fact, Barbara
Rolls, a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, wrote an
entire book, "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan," on the topic of
eating large volumes of food. All foods have a certain number of
calories within a given amount (volume). Some foods, like desserts,
have many calories in just a small portion, while others allow you
larger portions for fewer calories. In order to feel full and still
lose or maintain weight, you'll need to eat foods that "look large" and
fill you up but are low in calories by volume, especially those that
are high in water and/or fiber, such as soups, vegetables, fruits and
whole grains.
DON'T FALL BACK
You have your entire
life to diet, so don't go cold turkey -- try phasing out your low-carb
diet gradually, so you don't jump right back into your old eating
habits. "If you were eating three pieces of bacon and three eggs, you
might want to cut out a piece of bacon, and add a piece of whole-wheat
toast," recommends Jackson. And remember, not every one of your
low-carb foods has to go. Many of them are also low in calories, and if
you were already using them to replace higher-calorie foods you had
been eating -- don't go backward.
CHANGE YOUR MIND
Don't
worry about carbs being the enemy and leading you away from the holy
grail of ketosis. According to Kimball, "Ketosis isn't even necessary
to lose body fat. If it were, no one would've lost body fat with
low-fat diets or on Weight Watchers or Slim-Fast! In fact, if you look
at the Atkins Web site under FAQs, it states that it's not necessary to
be in ketosis as long as you're losing weight."
DO FAT RIGHT
Just
because you're off the low-carb diet doesn't mean you should eliminate
all fats. Be sure to include healthy fats like nuts, peanut butter,
avocado and olive and canola oils, and limit saturated fats, butter,
cheese and whole milk. Portion control is still essential, however,
since all fats -- even the "good ones" -- are high in calories.
STAY LEAN WITH PROTEIN
Protein
is still a nutrient that fills you up and keeps you satisfied. In fact,
some research has demonstrated that protein can make you feel full
longer than other nutrients. Even so, protein contains calories and
oftentimes carries fat with it. So keep protein in your diet, but make
sure it's lean -- for example, chicken breast without the skin or
nonfat dairy products.
BECOME ACTIVE
A low-carb diet
can sap you of energy, especially in the beginning. Because carbs boost
energy, reducing or eliminating them can make people feel fatigued and
less likely to exercise. There's a good chance that you will have more
energy as a result of getting off your low-carb diet. And if you have
more energy, you should try to move more.
CHARLES STUART PLATKIN JD MPH is a nutrition and public health advocate, author of the best seller Breaking the Pattern (Plume, 2005), Breaking the FAT Pattern (Plume, 2006) and Lighten Up
(Penguin USA/Razorbill, 2006) and founder of Integrated Wellness
Solutions. Copyright 2006 by Charles Stuart Platkin. Sign up for the
free The Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com
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