Losing weight for holiday pleasure

CARLITA Collins has the perfect outfit to wear to a Christmas party and she wants to lose 10 more pounds for an even better fit. She's not interested in using a fad diet that could take the weight off quickly, but might not keep it off. So she's planning to cut back on the number of calories she eats and hopes to find an exercise routine that she likes to help her complete her move from size 14 to size 12.

"I'm not somebody who works out," says Collins, a 31-year-old CPA and accounting manager at BlueCross BlueShield in Chicago. "It's easier to get me to cut back on food than to get me into a gym. Exercising and walking bore me."

Dr. Ian Smith, an NBC News medical correspondent, and Rod Johnson, a medical news producer for CNN in Atlanta, say Collins' way of thinking is on the right track. They agree that the best and fastest way to lose weight is to reduce calories and increase physical activity.

"If you're doing cardiovascular exercises for 30 minutes, increase the time to 45 minutes," says Johnson, who is also a certified fitness consultant. "If you're only doing cardiovascular exercises once or twice a week, increase them to four or five times a week for at least 45 minutes."

Weight-train the entire body, including all the major muscle groups, at least two times a week. Or do the upper body one day and the lower body the next day. Remember, weight-training burns calories for 48 hours after a workout, and a cardiovascular workout burns calories for 45 minutes.

Johnson, who has helped clients get in shape as a kickboxing instructor and as a personal trainer, says it's important to develop a regular exercise schedule and then stick to it. Don't skip days in your routine. Exercise more days a week than you have been to lose weight faster. Avoid excuses and work out with a friend or relative who has similar goals.

But with your zeal to lose the pounds, be cautious. Medical experts say don't try to lose too much weight too fast. Don't try to lose 50 pounds in three months. Give yourself time in advance of an event to get the weight off. Without using a fad diet, try to develop good habits in a short amount of time by being consistent, and motivate yourself by thinking about your goals. Think about that dress you want to wear.

Dr. Smith, author of The Take Control Diet: A Life Plan for Thinking People, also recommends sticking to a realistic goal. Don't try to lose more than 2 pounds per week, he says. When people begin to diet, if they're not chronic dieters, a lot of weight will come off initially. As their bodies adjust to the diet, the weight will start to plateau. Combining exercising and dieting is the one-two punch that takes the weight off quickly.

But hidden calories found in gravies, dressings and butter can sabotage weight-loss efforts, experts say. Salads should be ordered with no-fat or reduced-fat dressing on the side. Use very small portions, if any at all. Don't order gravy on mashed potatoes. Another place calories can hide is in alcohol. Smith suggests having no more than one alcoholic beverage a day because alcohol is full of empty calories. Sweets and chips should be avoided and substituted with raw fruits and vegetables.

Fruit and preferably raw or steamed vegetables should be what you eat mostly when you're trying to lose weight in a short amount of time, experts say. Nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day is best. Each serving should be about the size of a fist. But be careful not to overcook vegetables because it eliminates the nutrients. Also, the serving size of carbohydrates and meats should be reduced. But Smith doesn't advocate a low-carbohydrate diet or eliminating carbohydrates altogether.

Eating three meals and two snacks at the same time every day is important. Don't eat heavy dinners. Don't eat anything two hours before going to sleep, including fruits and vegetables. Everyone's metabolism slows down when sleeping, so the body burns fewer calories, Dr. Smith says. Calories eaten less than two hours before bedtime turn into added fat.

The heaviest meal of the day could be lunch or an early dinner. (Even after dinner, it's suggested that you do some type of physical activity.) Scheduling meals helps your body anticipate when it will be supplied with nutrition. Metabolism and hunger get synchronized when you don't trick your body by changing mealtimes. Eating breakfast at 8 a.m. one day then 10 a.m. the next throws the rest of the day off.

Fried food is another element that should be avoided. Try to eliminate all fried foods for two weeks, eating only foods that are grilled, seared, steamed or baked.

All of these tips sound good to Collins, who plans to continue eating less and exercising more with aerobics videos at home. She also wants to stick to some guidelines she came up with when she lost 22 pounds, which she has kept off for a year and a half. She plans to drink eight glasses of water a day. She says she'll eat more vegetables before eating anything else at mealtimes and eat desserts less often.