The Alternative To Crash Diets

Thoughts of spring break and warm sunny beaches often lead to thoughts of crash diets. "All diets can work initially, but crash diets are not good in the long run because they are not sustainable," said Bobbie Saccone, registered dietitian and nutrition counselor at the Indiana University Health Center in Bloomington. "You often end up gaining more than you lost in the first place." Crash diets, which typically involve severely reduced calorie intake, can have the following negative side effects: low energy, poor concentration, increased depression and irritability, and increased risk for binge eating. And ultimately, they can slow down your metabolism. Saccone said the calories we take in must equal the calories that we take out or burn. "The only way to lose weight is to disturb this balance and cause a calorie deficit." In one pound of body fat there are roughly 3,500 calories. Saccone gives the example that if one ate 250 less calories per day and burned 250 calories through exercise (total of 500 calories), then a person could lose about one pound per week. "A half to two-pound weight loss per week is an acceptable amount of loss, and it is more likely to stay off," she said.

Saccone offers the following alternatives to crash diets:

• Decrease food intake and increase exercise. Just using exercise is not good enough for weight loss. According to Saccone, "exercise is good for maintaining weight but not necessarily for losing weight." When you exercise more you are usually hungrier later and tend to eat more. Good nutrition is also part of the equation.

• Change certain habits. Think about habits that interfere with losing weight (grazing at night, choosing a restaurant without healthy options, not buying fruits and vegetables) and try to change them. Any type of change, even small changes can make a difference. It can be something as simple as using half the amount of salad dressing you normally use, eating one more piece of fruit or serving of vegetable every day, using one teaspoon less peanut butter on your sandwich, eating a few M&M's instead of a handful. Little changes do add up.

"In the case of weight loss, the tortoise really does beat the hare," says Saccone. "For permanent success, it's best to make small healthful changes in diet and exercise and stick with them so they develop into your regular habits."