1. Lose weight gradually. Cut 100 to 600 calories from your current intake that, when combined with the 400 calories you will burn daily in exercise, will result in a one to two pound weight loss each week. This ensures you lose the fat in those dimples (you will be losing water and muscle if you drop weight more rapidly!). Cutting 100 calories can be as simple as eliminating a tablespoon of butter or margarine from your daily diet.

2. Cut out the junk. The more processed a food, the higher its calories, fat, and/or sugar and the lower its fiber. Compared to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and other “real” foods, many processed foods are “calorie dense,” that is – they pack a big calorie bang for their nutrient buck. (Hint: There is 440 calories in one 12-Grain Bran Muffin at Starbucks compared to 86 calories in a slice of whole wheat bread). The combined effect of more calories and less fiber means these foods are less likely to fill us up, so we gobble more and gain weight. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found that the more calorie-dense processed foods people consume, the more body fat they accumulate, while the more real foods they included in their diets, the lower their calorie intakes and body weights.

In addition, dietary fat, which is a big contributor to a food’s caloric density, is more fattening than protein or carbs. Dietary fat is more readily stored as body fat, if only because the body must work harder to convert carbohydrates and protein to body fat, while dietary fat can be stored as is. That increased work equates to a slight loss of calories. In short, the combination of daily exercise plus a low-fat, fiber-rich diet places the body in a calorie deficit that promotes fat loss.

3. Watch portions. Heap the plate with produce and watch portions of everything else. Too much of anything (except vegetables) can cause weight gain if you end up consuming more calories than you burn in exercise. It also is as much about what you pour into your glass as what you stack on the plate. Calories in drinks add up quickly, yet don’t fill us up, so are extra calories added onto what we already eat. This goes for any clear liquid – from soft drinks to martinis. In fact, researchers at the University of Minnesota conclude that soft drinks are “…one of the primary culprits in the escalating rates of obesity..” Alcoholic beverages are no better, with popular drinks, such as Margaritas, Cosmos, and Long Island ice teas packing 100s of calories per glass. Stick to recommended portions of grains, cheese, and meat; switch to diet soft drinks or water, and drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.

In contrast, vegetables and fruits are Mother Nature’s perfect “diet” foods, packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals and low in fat and calories. Fruits and vegetables are the tried-and-true core, the very basis, of a successful weight-loss diet. They fill you up without filling you out, which explains why study after study shows – the more colorful produce a person adds to the diet, the easier time they have managing their weight and the lower their risk for all major diseases. Studies from the Pennsylvania State University confirm this finding that a tossed salad (light on the dressing!) or a glass of V8 juice prior to a meal takes the edge off appetite, so people eat fewer calories, yet feel full and satisfied.

Aim for 9 servings a day of fresh, frozen, cooked, and raw, with a few being juiced or dried. To reach this goal, include at least two fruits and/or vegetables at every meal and at least one at every snack. That does not mean you must eat eight different fruits and vegetables; you can double a serving to reach this goal.

4. Graze, don’t gorge. Large, infrequent meals might set up a feast-or-famine scenario where the body stores more calories as a safeguard against what it perceives as a famine. In contrast, divide the same amount of calories into five or more little meals and snacks and you trigger the body to “burn” the food for immediate energy rather than store it in the hips and thighs. Space meals, starting with breakfast, so that no more than four hours goes by between a light meal or snack. Definitely do not skip meals! You will overeat later in the day, and be tempted by all the wrong foods!

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How much do you need? Aim for at least 2 servings a day of the darkest greens you can find. A serving is 1 cup raw and 1/2 cup cooked. Include spinach or baby greens in salads and sandwiches. Steam them and add to mashed potatoes, lasagna, soups, and stews. Saute them with garlic in olive oil.

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2. Read labels: Choose foods that have no more than 1 gram of saturated fat for every 100 calories, and no trans fats. On the other hand, monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats are good. So that peanut or almond butter is heart healthy, as long as you don’t go overboard and eat too much!!

3. Real foods: Anything in your cupboard that is close to the original source as possible, such as olive oil, olive oil spray, canned tomatoes, canned beans, or instant brown rice. Low sodium tomato or V8 juice is a perfect example, supplying two servings of vegetables in a tall glass…it doesn’t get any easier than this to meet your quota for vegetables and save your heart! Other foods you probably already have in your pantry include spaghetti sauce, fruit canned in its own juice, bottled salsa, and 100% whole grain bread and cereals.

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That carton of Tropicana orange juice, the carton of Driscoll berries, the jar of minced garlic from Costco, and even the rubber lemon filled with juice are heart healthy options, as is the watermelon loaded with lycopene. You even can keep a carton of eggs on hand (everyone except diabetics can have up to one egg a day). As for cheese, it now surpasses red meat as this country’s #1 source of artery-clogging saturated fat. To reduce this bad fat and still enjoy your favorite recipes, you do your heart well to stock low-fat cheeses, preferably ones with omega-3 fats. Look for butter substitutes with stanols and sterols known to help lower blood cholesterol levels (however, you’ll need to consume 3 Tablespoons daily to get enough stanols to lower cholesterol levels..and the calories can add up).

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Like the old adage says, “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.” There are no studies on coconut and weight loss (or even other health links like Alzheimer’s disease), only mixed evidence using purified MCTs. Even then, these fats appear useful mainly for hospitalized patients requiring tube feedings. For the healthy person who wants to drop a few pounds or even avoid weight gain, the research is scanty at best. And, get this – you must consume half your calories as MCTs to see results, which is a lot more than you could realistically get from coconuts and also could cause side effects, including nerve damage and intestinal cramping. In short, I don’t know of any good data on long-term weight changes using food, including coconut, as a source of MCTs. If people lose weight with coconut, it’s because they cut calories, not because they sprinkled coconut on their chicken.

OK, so coconut oil isn’t the Promised Land for weight loss, but is it good for your health? The proponents of coconut say we’ve been duped into thinking that the saturated fats in tropical oils are bad for us, pointing out that we’ve “…drastically reduced saturated fats…[which] has not solved the nation’s health problems.” They say lauric acid in coconut oil lowers, not raises, heart-disease risk, as proven by the low rates of heart disease in coconut-eating cultures such as India.

First, saturated fats, along with trans fats, are major contributors to heart disease, it’s just that few people follow the dietary advice to cut back. Second, while cultures where people eat coconut-rich diets sometimes do have a lower incidence of disease, there is no proof it is because of coconut. It could be that these people are at low risk because they are lean, physically active, and eat traditional diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and other real foods. In contrast, adding coconut oil to the fat- and sugar-laden American diet is like pouring kerosine on a blazing fire of obesity.

The evidence linking coconut oil to heart disease is contradictory, but points sharply in the direction of caution. Some studies show lauric acid might improve the ratio of bad cholesterol (LDL) to good cholesterol (HDL), thus lowering heart-disease risk. Even then, coconut oil is no where near as beneficial as switching from butter to olive oil. Coconut oil should be judged on it’s entire fat content, not just it’s lauric acid. Coconut oil also contains myristic acid, a fat that dramatically raises blood cholesterol levels. Keep in mind, decades of studies show that tropical oils, including coconut oil, actually raise, not lower, heart disease risk, which is why they were removed from processed foods in the first place. Even researchers from countries, such as India, recommend a decrease in coconut oil consumption to reduce their rising heart-disease rates. Based on the research and information we have to date, I can’t imagine returning to coconut oil is a good. In short, if coconut has any effect on metabolism it is modest compared to its potential to raise your risk for heart disease.

Don’t get me wrong. Coconut has redeeming qualities. Virgin coconut oil (made by pressing coconut meat with minimal heat to remove the oil) has some antioxidant-rich vitamin E and phytochemicals called polyphenols. Coconut flakes also have some fiber. Small amounts added now and then also add flavor and enjoyment to a meal. Until we know more about the long-term health effects of this fat, it’s best to err on the side of caution – if you use coconut milk in cooking, grab the “light” version, which has 70% less fat and 65% fewer calories. Then use it sparingly.

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Select a broad-range multiple that supplies as close to 100%, but no more than 300%, of the Daily Value for a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. For men and post-menopausal women, select a multi with little or no iron. Make sure the multi has some of the lesser-known nutrients, such as chromium, manganese, molybdenum, and selenium. For quality sake, stick with the major brands, such as Centrum or Nature Made, or with a product with the USP quality seal that guarantees high standards.

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