The "Rules" of the Game

Following these general guidelines should help you to lose some weight:

• Choose higher-fiber fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Limit starchy, lower-fiber foods like baked potatoes, peas, carrots, corn, bananas and grapes to 1 serving per day. Limit bread, pasta and crackers to 1 serving per day. To accelerate weight loss, eliminate bread, pasta and crackers and replace with whole grains like oatmeal, oat bran, brown rice, barley,quinoa, millet and buckwheat.
• Eat only naturally occurring sugar found in fruits and low-fat dairy products.
• Eliminate all artificial sweeteners.
• Eat 2 fruits a day.
• Choose reduced-fat and non-fat dairy products.
• Choose lean cuts of meats, poultry or fish.
• Eliminate processed foods; reduce packaged foods.
• Eliminate alcohol and caffeine.
• Eat every 3-4 hours during your day.
• Eliminate beverages with calories. Drink 8-10 8-oz glasses of water each day, more in hotter environments or for increased activity levels.
• Remember, the longer you avoid sugar, the less you will crave it. Your body will learn to satisfy its sugar cravings through the natural sweetness found in a variety of fruits and vegetables.
• Reduce sodium intake by putting away the salt shaker and eliminating processed foods. Read labels.