Posted by editor

Summer is coming and the thought of you in a bathing suit spells a-w-f-u-l. New Years Eve and a little black dress beckons. Your high school reunion is a month away and you’ve gained a pound for every year since you graduated. Wouldn’t it be nice to lose 10 pounds for such occasions?

It would be nice, and it would even be feasible if you do it right.

Dieting for a special occasion works only if it’s part of an overall plan to change the way you eat and exercise over the long term.

If dieting for a special occasion motivates you to get started, great. If you drop your plan as soon as you drop 10 pounds, not so great. The same principles apply to special-occasion dieting as to a lifelong plan.

You need to be realistic about how much you want to lose and how long you will take to do it.

You need to take a good look at what’s keeping you over your desire weight and resolve to change those habits and behaviors.

You need to design a healthy eating plan that you will be able to live with over the long term.

You need to incorporate more physical activity in your day, to burn calories and keep your metabolism humming as your energy needs drop along with your weight.

Do not think of a diet as a quick fix for a temporary problem.

You may be able to squeeze into that dress on New Year’s Eve, but if you don’t also make and keep some resolutions, you’ll have to do it ail over again for the reunion and again to make the most of the summer sun.

Use with care

If your weight-loss strategy includes reducing the number of calories you consume, you may be attracted to low-cal substitutes for sugar and fat. There’s a good reason why diet soft drinks are perennial bestsellers, but they are not necessarily the dieter’s best friends.

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