10 Diet Don'ts That Do Us In

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10 Diet Don'ts That Do Us In

By Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.

Most women claim they eat healthy. But according to

Somer's new book, '10 Habits That Mess Up a

Woman's Diet,' most women are actually delusional.

Dieting is an American obsession. Yet according to

recent obesity statistics we're as heavy as ever. Why?

" Women are unintentionally eating more calories than

they think, " says Tara Gidus, M.S., R.D., of the

American Dietetic Association. But if you can kick a

few bad habits -- 10 to be exact -- you're bound to

drop the pounds. Here's a quick look at Somer's

terrible 10.

Mindless Eating: You grab a handful of M & M's from your

colleague's desk, test the spaghetti sauce while

you're cooking and dig into a few bites of your

hubby's dessert. Never mind the kids' leftover PB & J

crusts or the hidden oil in your cafe lunch.

Unfortunately, these little indulgences add up to

weighty matters on the scale.

Putting Others' Needs Before Your Own: You love

veggies. Your hubby digs meat and potatoes. What

gives? Your man wins, hands down. Throw kids into the

mix and hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries win out

every time -- unless you put on the brakes.

Not Being Honest: " Most people drastically

underestimate the number of calories they eat, " says

Gidus. We downplay our Krispy Kreme intake and play up

our cardio workout. And with restaurant portion sizes

on the rise, many of us have no concept of a

" standard " USDA serving size.

Skip the Broccoli, Eat the Fries: According to Somer's

book, if you do nothing more than double your current

intake of fruits and vegetables, you'd be on your way

to eating a good diet. 'Nuff said

Setting Off Without a Plan: It's easy to overeat if

you don't have a roadmap specifying your diet and

exercise goals. Gidus advocates keeping a food diary,

setting measurable, attainable goals and sticking to

them.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses: Whether it's a sluggish

metabolism, lack of time or a dysfunctional thyroid,

we're masters of coming up with excuses. Change your

outlook, believe you can lose weight (make the time,

decompress, whatever) and set priorities accordingly.

I'm Moody -- Let's Eat: " People turn to food for

comfort, " says Gidus. " They think they deserve a

treat. " And while overindulging may make you feel good

in the moment, it sets you up for diet disaster over

the long haul.

Give Me the Quick Fix, Now! We've all fallen prey to

the latest fad diet, downing gallons of cabbage soup,

eating nothing but grapefruit or loading up on eggs

and bacon grease. The end result is always the same:

We gain the weight back and then some.

Drinking Away Our Waistlines People who drink soda

consume more calories. Alcohol isn't much better.

" It's very common to eat more or make poor food

choices when you've had a drink or two, " says Gidus.

The All-or-Nothing Approach to Dieting: If you ate a

plate of fries, you might feel like you've blown it.

But don't let one setback completely derail you.

Instead, focus on baby steps and reward yourself along

the way.

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