Weight Loss

In No Time, Flat, Step 2: De-Fat Your Diet

[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 5:08:25 PM ]

Experts agree that the most effective weight-loss strategies include both diet and exercise. In our case, however, diet might not be the right word. A diet, by definition, requires a deprivation of some kind, whether it be eliminating certain foods, limiting portions, or eating on a set schedule rather than when you're hungry. "And that's why they don't work," says Howard Shapiro, M.D., author of Picture Perfect Weight Loss. "Deprivation backfires. Once you return to 'real life,' the pounds inevitably come back."

The fact that diets don't work is borne out by statistics: An estimated two-thirds of Americans are on diets to lose weight or are watching what they eat to control their weight, yet more than 65 percent of us are overweight or obese. On our plan, you'll never feel deprived. You'll be eating just as much as you were before, but the foods will be nutrient dense instead of calorie dense. "It's about making the right choices," says Shapiro. "If you constantly go to the low-calorie foods, the weight will take care of itself."

Below is a simple 7-day eating plan. We've included a few options for each meal and snack throughout the day. No matter what combination you use, your daily calorie count will be 500 less than the 2,618 the average American guy consumes in a day. Stick to our plan, and by the end of the week, your "diet" will be 3,500 calories leaner and your body will be 1 or more pounds lighter-even if you don't exercise a lick.


The Eating Plan
Daily Calorie Count: 2,100

Consider this Day 1 of your new eating plan, but by no means consider any part of it written in stone. Select whatever you like for each meal or snack from the options below. No matter what you choose, your calorie count will never exceed 2,100 per day.

(Eat any one of the five snack options listed on this plan for any of your snacks during the day.)


8 a.m. Breakfast
350 calories