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• Some people mistakenly assume that a marriage of low-carb and a low-fat diet is
the best of both worlds. Not so! As long as you're restricting carbohydrates, the
dietary calories from fat are used directly for energy and are unlikely to be stored.
Yummy foods like nuts, guacamole, olives, aioli, chicken salad, pesto, and butter
help provide satiety so you can keep your appetite under control. They also ensure
an adequate calorie intake so your metabolism doesn't dial itself down to "low,"
slowing weight loss. Protein can't do the job on its own. The tag team of fat and
protein keeps you from feeling deprived.
5. Eat Enough Fat to Feel Satisfied
• By carefully reading package labels, you can avoid those added sugars and other
sneaky carbs. Just because a package says it's low in calories doesn't mean it's low
in carbs. Avoid low-calorie products unless they're labeled as low carb. Likewise,
use full-fat versions of mayonnaise, salad dressing, and the like. Low-fat versions
of packaged foods almost invariably add sugar to replace the f lavor carried by oil.
If the label is unclear, check out the food in a carb counter.
6. Know What You're Eating
• Even if spirits have no carbs, your body will burn alcohol for energy before carbs
and fat; you're slowing down the process by having a cocktail. Alcohol lets down
our inhibitions, so you're more apt to eat foods you're better off avoiding after a
drink or two.
7. Hold Off on Alcohol
• Record what you eat in a diet journal every day. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to
keyboard) allows you to see patterns you might miss otherwise. You'll also quickly
see if you're consuming more carbs than you think you are.
8. Write It Down
• Weigh and measure yourself weekly or use weight averaging. Your weight
naturally varies across a three- or four-pound range from day to day, so weighing
yourself daily is setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration. Moreover,
if you are working out, you may actually be building muscle even as you shed fat,
which may keep your weight constant, even as you trim inches and your clothes fit
better. (Muscle is denser than fat and therefore takes up less space.) If you could
lose four pounds or fit into a smaller size, most likely you'd opt for the latter.
9. Watch the Scale, But Not Too Much
• Wait a week or more until you've become accustomed to your new way of eating
before starting or increasing exercise.
10. Focus on Small Changes
