Diet Detective's Diet Starter Kit: The Ten Things You Must Know Before You Start Any Diet

By Charles Platkin

This is a MUST read before you start any diet.

"Give me answers: How can I lose weight? Please tell me the secret(s)!!" I'm asked these questions all the time. As if I had some magical secret that would leap from these pages and grab that doughnut out of your hands and shove an apple into your mouth.

It's not happening.

So what is my advice? What's different from the last 600,000 or so words I've written or said on the countless news and TV programs where I’ve been asked to speak?

Not too much. In fact, the science has not really changed too much in the last 15 years in terms of weight control. Is there a group of successful losers? Some place to look for answers? Not exactly, but I have complied a few key points from the various articles and research that I've done in the last 14 years that will really help you lose weight for good. This is a short eBook, designed to read fast, and get you started losing weight fast. Read on and start losing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diversion Books
• Release date: Apr 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9780982905098

Book preview

Losing All the Weight - The Real Truth

You say you’re tired of dieting, you’ve had enough, and this is the year you’re going to do it once and for all. You’re finally going to lose the weight for good. Nice, but what do you do, what’s going to be different from what you’ve done in prior years? It’s so simple, right? All you have to do is eat less and exercise more. Well, not exactly. Here are a few hard realities you should consider before you start.

Exercise: You think you can really lose all that weight by walking up the stairs rather than taking the elevator or escalator? Not really. Yes, you can improve your health, but if you are seriously overweight you’ll need to do a lot more than simply walking up a flight of stairs to lose a significant amount of weight and be fit. However, that doesn’t mean you have to go out and run for two hours each day, either. So what should you do? Walk — walk for at least 60 to 90 minutes per day. Are you thinking that’s too much, how could you possibly fit it into your already busy life? If so, you need to understand that you don’t have to do the entire 60 to 90 minutes all at once — you just need to get it in at some point during the day. Also, you can bike, use an elliptical trainer or swim instead of walking.

What about sports like basketball, tennis, etc.? Those are good, too. The only problem is that you typically don’t do them on a daily basis, and you’re trying to create consistent, sustainable, automatic behaviors — which means doing the same thing every day with no breaks.

Then, in addition to the walking every day, you also need to do strength training about three times per week. Most important, pick core exercises — those that focus on your abdominal and back muscles.

Find the Why: Why in the world do you want to lose weight? You’d better have a very clear and precise reason that will stand up to your most powerful excuses. It helps to find a good reason why. Don’t just say for my health, to look better, to feel better. Be specific — I would like to lose weight because I would like to be there for my granddaughter’s graduation in 30 years. Keep in mind, if you’re not sure, or you treat this glibly, there’s a high likelihood you will not achieve your weight-loss goal. Think you already know? Make sure. Then write it down.

Food, Activity and Emotion Guide: Research reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that weight loss is doubled by using a food diary. Get an inexpensive 2 x 3-inch pad that fits in your pocket or pocket book, or use your PDA or the memo function on your phone. Write down every single food or drink you put into your mouth. Also record where you were when you ate, and your feelings before, during and after each meal. You should do this for at least four months to see your pattern of eating, drinking, activity and emotions. At the end of the evening record this information on a chart, preferably on a computer so you can store and review it. Don’t feel like carrying a pad? Many of you have camera phones — why not photograph each and every food and drink you consume — then record it later that night. While this will not help you to pinpoint where you ate and what you were feeling, at the very least it’s a start.

Compliance and Consistency: It is important to be consistent in your eating and activity habits. This means that you don’t take any breaks, and you record all your food and activities each and every day. Do your walking each and every day, and eat and drink healthful foods each and every day for at least one year. That’s how long it takes to get your mind and body on track. Research has shown that you shouldn’t need to take breaks from your diet. If you have to take a break, you’ve made too many compromises in the first place and your diet will not last. New eating behaviors need to be comfortable and not too restrictive. Also, in the first four months, if you don’t see weight loss that you consider significant, you will probably not stay on track.

Eating Out: Eating out is not the best way to lose weight. Most restaurant and prepared foods are high in calories (even when you ask to have them prepared healthfully). So, cooking all your own food would be best. That way, you can choose all the ingredients, spend time cooking and getting to know your foods, cleaning up and burning calories. If you do eat out, check out all menus from restaurants you frequent before you go. Most restaurant menus are available online. Come up with three or four pre-selected, healthy choices. Call ahead to find out how various dishes are prepared.

Clean Out: Get rid of ALL the foods in your home that are tempting. If you live with other people, you need to get them on board from the start — and they need to be very committed to your new lifestyle. How do you really expect to lose weight if your spouse or kids are bringing home your favorite unhealthy foods? Your willpower may last a few weeks, but certainly not a lifetime.

You Must Combine: If you think you can just diet, or only exercise away the pounds, you’re mistaken. You need a combination of the two. Not only that, but you need to take a good, long look at your emotions. It’s the combination of all three that will get you looking and feeling your healthiest. The increased activity revs up your metabolism, dieting lowers calorie intake and changes the energy balance in your favor, and checking your emotions — looking at why you overeat and have not committed to increase activity — helps you to stay on course.

Part 1: The Ultimate Weight Loss Quiz

To predict your ability to lose weight permanently, take this quiz. While the quiz is not scientific, it is based on key studies as well as experts’ advice. Check your score to find out if you’re ready to shed those pounds for good.

1. When it comes to sin food such as cake, cookies or chips, you:

a. Keep eating until it’s gone. (-2)

b. Have no problem stopping after a bite or two. (+3)

c. Hunt it down like a heat-seeking missile even if it’s removed from sight. (-4)

d. Prefer fruits or vegetables instead. ( +4)

Tufts University researchers report that if you can’t be