Being thin never goes out of style; trying to get thin is always a hot topic. A ton of fad diets are available, depending on what you're willing to give up eating. However, there is a line of thinking that eating sensibly, without deprivation, reaps long-term weight-loss success. Lose weight, maintain your new healthy size, and feel good for the long run while eating cookies and pizza.
Expert Insight
According to the American Heart Association, the number of calories you need per day depends on your age and your activity level. A moderately active female between the ages of 31 and 50 wants to shoot for around 2,000 calories a day, for instance. Referring to the Food Pyramid, most of these calories should come from whole grains. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the vast majority of Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. With that in mind, there is no reason a diet rich in whole grains and full of fresh produce cannot include pizza and cookies. Always check with your doctor first, though, before making any changes to your diet.
Benefits vs. Problems
While many restrictive diets may offer short-term success, the Pizza and Cookies Diet offers flexibility and long-term sustainability. Just mix your calorie allotment in different ways, and you allow yourself to eat pizza and cookies as often as you like. However, a flexible plan and permissive diet may allow too many options, and you might find yourself making bad choices. If this is the case, seek help from a nutritionist to lay out more detailed menu plans. Also, before making your meal choices, you will want to figure your optimal calorie range with your doctor.
The Game Plan - Breakfast Options
Start with a nutritious breakfast. Some suggestions are half a cup of yogurt with one cup of strawberries and an ounce of almonds on top, 340 calories; or one egg on a piece of light toast with one slice of low-fat American cheese, 185 calories. Both choices include a serving of dairy and a serving of protein to start your metabolism and also keep you full.
The Game Plan - Snacks
To keep your energy level high and your hunger low, between-meal snacks are a must. Choose a piece of fruit like a banana for 105 calories or a cup of baby carrots with 2 tablespoons of low-fat ranch dressing for 150 calories. Either choice will help you get more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
The Game Plan - Lunch
Lunch options are virtually endless. If you are in a rush and want to keep it simple, choose a fast frozen pizza and microwave your lunch in minutes. A 6-ounce frozen cheese pizza is about 340 calories. If you add 2 cups of chopped salad and 2 tablespoons of low-fat Italian dressing, your lunch will still be around 400 calories. Make sure to have another snack before dinner.
The Game Plan - Dinner
If it was a busy day, you might find yourself picking up a pizza to share with your family. If you watch portion sizes, this does not have to derail your weight loss efforts. 1/4 of a 12-inch pizza with pepperoni and cheese is around 420 calories. If you have the time to prepare your own pizza, you can have much larger portions for around the same number of calories by making whole wheat crust and using low-fat cheese, plus you will want to top your pizza with lots of vegetables.
The Game Plan - Dessert
After a day of sensible, healthy choices, you will have plenty of wiggle room leftover for a couple of cookies. Some people suffer from an energy lag in the late afternoon and choose to have a sugary snack at that time. If that is the case, use your evening dessert for another serving of fruit. Each 2 1/4 inch-diameter chocolate chip cookie has around 50 calories. If you followed all of the day's suggestions, eating two cookies will still keep you around 1,500 total calories for the day, and you will have had several servings of fruits and vegetables.
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