Be sure to include exercise in any diet regimen: New research published in the January 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that those on a diet who exercised lost on average 11 pounds over a three-month period, as compared with only seven pounds for those who did not.
Read those labels: Carbohydrates contain sugars (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates). Simple carbohydrates are the so-called “bad” carbs, which are more likely to be converted to fat. Sugars are included in the Total Carbohydrate listing; starches, however, are not. To calculate the amount of starches, deduct the grams of sugars from the grams of Total Carbohydrates, e.g., Total Carbs 10 grams, Sugars 3 grams = 7 grams of starches, the complex carbohydrates.
Keep snacks handy to avoid cravings:
- Cut up celery sticks, zucchini or other low-carb veggies
- Wrap turkey, roast beef, ham or cheese around a pickle slice
- Buy individually wrapped cheese sticks and keep them in your workplace
- Make your own low-carb chips by taking wholewheat tortillas, cutting them into triangles and baking on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees.
For more information about the low-carb products, visit Phil’s website at www.supermarketguru.com. You can e-mail Phil directly at Phil.Lempert@nbc.com