08/20/06

         OLD DIET IDEAS VS NEW DIET IDEAS

OLD DIET
Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

NEW DIET
Eat six times a day.

Old diet systems ensure that you stay hungry by forcing you to eat a daily calorie count that’s lower than Jessica Simpson’s SAT scores. I don’t want you hungry- I want you full. When you’re full, you won’t be as tempted (or likely) to steamroll your way through pizza boxes. And the way you’ll get full is by eating six times a day, choosing from the nutritional heroes you’ll meet below. By eating every few hours, you’ll keep your metabolism revved and ensure overall stomach satisfaction. The great thing about the Abs Diet powerfoods is that, because they’re high in nutrients, protein, healthy fats, and fiber, they make it almost impossible to overeat. Proper nutrition will leave you feeling satiated all day long.

How to do it- eat three standard meals and three smaller snacks, for example:

8 a.m. – Breakfast
11 a.m. – Snack
1 p.m. – Lunch
4 p.m. – Snack
6 p.m. – Dinner
9 p.m. – Snack

OLD DIET
Deprive yourself of specific foods.

NEW DIET
Indulge in specific foods- the Abs Diet Power 12

Most diets treat you as if you’re the kid and they’re the parent: no this, no that, no fruit, no bread, no meat, no potatoes, no sugar, no, no, no, no. And you end up hearing “no” more often than the science-club president 3 weeks before prom. Yes, it’s true that there are foods and substances so toxic that you should stiff-arm them like Reggie Bush shaking off a tackle. But there’s an enormous world of wonderful foods out there just waiting for you. And it’s not all veggies and tofu; the preferred foods are as diverse in taste as in nutritional power. How convenient that they line up next to the letters in ABS DIET POWER:

A – Almonds (and other nuts)

B – Beans (and other legumes)

S – Spinach (and other green vegetables)

D – Dairy

I – Instant Oatmeal

E – Eggs

T – Turkey (and other lean meats)

P – Peanut Butter

O – Olive Oil

W – Whole Grains (breads and cereals)

E – Extra-protein Powder (whey)

R – Raspberries (and other berries)

Adopt the Abs Diet Power 12. Eat the Abs Diet Power 12. Enjoy the Abs Diet Power 12. But, most of all; live longer and better with the Abs Diet Power 12.

How to do it – Make sure that every meal includes at least two foods from the power foods list, but try to put together meals in which every foods is a powerfood. The more you use the foods, the better your results.

OLD DIET
No dessert for you!

NEW DIET
Have dessert every day!

In fact, I insist. Let’s face it: There’s a basic human need for sweets. In our scavenger days, our taste buds encourage us to seek out berries and other fruits, so we’d get all the vitamins and minerals we needed. Today, we still crave sweets, and to completely eliminate them goes against human nature and guarantees only one thing- dietary failure.

So how can you fulfill your cravings for sweets but not blow a week’s worth of calories on a chain-restaurant cake that’s the size of an ottoman? With a powerful and sweet Abs Diet smoothie, combingin as many of the powerfoods as you can- raspberries, oatmeal, peanut butter, whey powder, and milk, for instance. (Go to MensHealth.com/absdiet/ for recipes.) In each drink, you can have the taste of chocolate (whey powder comes in lots of flavors) and berries- without the guilt that typically comes from desserts. Smoothies also take up stomach space and help you avoid the blood-sugar highs and lows associated with desserts filled with simple sugars.

How to do it – Use smoothies as snacks or replacement meals.

OLD DIET
Count every calorie, weight every portion, hoard points, eat meals in some sort of “zone.”

NEW DIET
Have a life.

Sure, some of us really are rocket scientists. We track calories and calculate our optimum payload and energy expenditure. That’s fine if it works for you. But you know what? Most of us have our hands so full with work, kids, and CSI reruns that we don’t have time to obsess over food. So don’t. Eat the Power 12 and calories and fat take care of themselves.

How to do it – Eat meals with a balance of nutrients- making sure to include stomach-satisfying high-fiber whole grains, good fats, and protein. Let your foods do the counting.

OLD DIET
It’s the food, stupid.

NEW DIET
It’s the drink, stupid.

Your food intake can be as healthy and ad disciplined as a monk’s and you can still be consuming too many calories. Between high-sugar OJ, high-fat whole milk, high-calorie sports drinks, and higher-calorie beer, it’s scary how many unhealthy fats and carbohydrates we guzzle. For that reason, I want you to really examine what you drink along with and between meals.

How to do it- Drink water, fat-free or low-fat milk and smoothies. Coffee and tea are okay, too. But avoid whole-fat dairy products and high-sugar fruit juices. Alcohol? Best to limit yourself to two or three drinks a week, because you don’t need the extra calories. And for goodness’ sake, stop with the soda. Our constantly increasing soda consumption (50 gallons per person per year!) may well be the biggest reason for the obesity epidemic.

OLD DIET
Don’t cheat.

NEW DIET
Cheat like Jude Law at a nanny convention.

Diets used to be like marriages: If you strayed from the rules, you were done. You cheated? Forget it. Diet’s over. But I want you to cheat (on the diet, that is). One meal a week, eat anything you want. Deprivation leads to resentment, which leads to a secret affair with both Ben and Jerry. But if you cut loose once a week, you’ll feel in control for the other 41 meals and snacks. Eating healthy will be your choice, not your chore.

How to do it- Time your cheat meal to coincide with a party, a poker game, or your office happy hour. Just don’t be surprised if, when your body adjusts to the powerfoods, you don’t feel the need to cut loose. This is a diet that works with you, not against you.