by
Melanie Mendelson
All Rights Reserved
Our
supermarkets are loaded with the low-fat and
fat-free products. Name a product, and most
likely there is a reduced-fat version of it
available in stores. We have lean meat, low-fat
hot dogs, skim milk, low-fat mayo, fat-free
dressings, and even fat-free cookies, cakes
and ice cream. Industry analysts estimate
the sales of low-fat and fat-free products
in the United States to be around three billion
dollars per year. With all these "slimmed
down" food options available, why are
we getting fatter and fatter every year? Why
don't the low-fat and fat-free foods "cure"
obesity?
The
answer is that most people don't understand
that they CAN gain weight even if they are
eating 100% fat-free products. They believe
that the fat-free treats are "innocent",
and overindulge on the low-fat cookies, fat-free
muffins, processed snacks and other low-fat
"goodies". Then these people claim
that they eat "healthy", and are
surprised that they are still gaining weight.
Believe
it or not, I've even met some people who go
as far as thinking that by eating low-fat
products they will burn fat! They eat huge
amounts of fat-free foods thinking that the
more of this stuff they'll eat, the more weight
they'll lose… Needless to say, they
achieve the opposite effect from their "fat-burning"
intentions.
Here's
the scoop on the low fat-foods: it's all about
the calories and the quantities of what you
eat. Quantity by quantity, low-fat products
tend to have fewer calories than their full-fat
alternatives. For example, one cup of fat-
free milk has about 35% fewer calories than
one cup of whole milk.
If
you eat the same quantity of low-fat substitute
as you would if you were eating a full-fat
product, you'll be better off with a low-fat
version. In fact, if you ate the same quantities
of food that you do now, but replaced all
food products with low-fat or fat-free versions,
you would lose weight. When used correctly,
reduced-fat products are a great help for
losing weight.
However,
if you switch to low-fat foods, but eat bigger
portions than you ate before, you will gain
weight. For example, if instead of drinking
one cup of whole milk every morning you will
start drinking 2 cups of fat-free milk, you'll
increase the total calories instead of decreasing
them. Portion size is critical. It is much
better to eat one full-fat cookie than a box
of fat-free cookies!
Another
thing you should watch out for is that "low
in fat" does not always mean "low
in calories". Many times fat-free products
are loaded with sugar to compensate for the
lack of fat. Sometimes they have about the
same number of calories per serving as full-fat
versions. Always look at the food labels!
For example, one fat-free muffin usually has
around 200 calories… This makes 2 fat-free
muffins have more calories than a cheeseburger!
In
addition, many reduced fat products are lacking
in taste. Therefore, before substituting,
follow this rule: are the saved calories worth
the decreased taste? Some low-fat products
taste pretty good, while others are plain
disgusting. Many times, low-fat version tastes
OK, while fat-free just does not cut it -
in this case, go with low- fat.
Look
at the calories per serving - if the reduced
fat product only saves 10 calories per serving,
but tastes much worse than the original, it
is not worth using. However, if it cuts calories
significantly and tastes decent, it is really
worthwhile... as long as you remember to watch
your portions.
Melanie
Mendelson is one of those select few people
who succeeded in losing weight and keeping
it off. She lost 23 lbs and got down to her
ideal weight, and she reveals all her weight
loss secrets in her special guide. Visit Melanie's
site at http://www.practical-weight-loss.com
