I’ve done LOTS and LOTS of reading about weight loss.  The reading ranges from popular magazines to scientific (peer-reviewed) journals.  While all of that reading qualifies me for or as NOTHING, I have synthesized my learning and drawn some general conclusions.  One major conclusion is that if it’s long term weight loss that interests you, then you don’t want to “diet” (for small or short-term weight loss, there are plenty of commercial diets that’ll get you there; some healthier than others).  Long term weight loss only happens by lifestyle changes.  That means committing to a life of two things: eating right and exercise.  Simple, right?

Well, obviously not.  There’s very little agreement as to what constitutes “eating right” and even disagreement about what’s proper exercise.  So, for today, I’ll just write about what I’ve come to believe are basic principles of eating right THAT WORK FOR ME.  I capitalized that last bit because I do think losing weight happens differently for different people.  My working list of principles for eating right involves two things: HOW to eat and WHAT to eat.

HOW TO EAT:

• The first meal of the day is the most important – this one’s always tough for me to implement; but a nutritious and hearty “breakfast” is really important.
• 5 small meals instead of 3 large ones – the idea of breakfast, lunch, dinner is a social construct; it’s just one of those things we’ve always done.
• Drink lots (8 glasses, 64 oz.?) of water – I’ve actually read some stuff refuting the need to drink water to lose weight, but it definitely can’t hurt.  I suck at drinking water; I hate it.
• Don’t eat anything within 2-3 hours of going to sleep – there’s actually no evidence that I’ve found to support this one; for me this is more mental than anything.  I’m able to sleep better and I feel better in the a.m. if I follow this principle.
• Don’t eat until you’re stuffed; eat until satisfied and wait…you’ll feel full before you know it.
• Eat slowly; you’ll fill up faster.
• Make the little, easy substitutions (e.g. skim milk in coffee, sugar substitutes in coffee, low-fat dressings, etc.)
• Vary your foods; don’t let your body get too comfortable – again, no evidence behind this one, but I have found that this works for me, especially to get through those plateau periods.

WHAT TO EAT:

• AVOID trans-fatty acids and partly hydrogenated fats (“bad fats”)
• AVOID “bad carbs” like sugar (especially simple sugars such as high fructose corn syrup) and white flour
• EAT MORE “good carbs” like fruits, vegetables, legumes and unrefined grains such as whole wheat flour and brown rice (unlimited salad vegetables.

So, that’s my starting point.  I’ll probably add more principles as I learn along this journey.