The Fit-or-fat Target Diet

Diet and fitness expert Covert Bailey earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and received a M.S. degree in biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduation, he taught nutrition at a community college in California. In 1975, he began Bailey Circuit, a traveling diet and fitness lecture company, and in 1978, he published "Fit or Fat?", followed in 1984 by "The Fit-or-Fat Target Diet."

The Target

Covert Bailey compares smart eating to a game of archery. Low-fat foods sit at the center of the bull's-eye, medium-fat foods in the first ring and high-fat foods scatter around the target's circumference. The target also lets you arrange foods according to their sugar and fiber content. Bailey believes that people should eat a diet that is low in fat, low in sugar and high in fiber, but stresses the importance of eating a balanced and varied diet. He asserts that eating a totally low-fat, low-sugar diet is unrealistic and advises people to occasionally shoot away from the bull's-eye.

Flexibility

The wide range of foods permitted on the Fit-or-Fat Target Diet gives you the flexibility to eat according to your specific dietary needs. While sugar, for example, is nowhere near the bull's-eye, Bailey advises that a sugar snack provides instant revitalization for a worn-out marathon runner or hiker. Fitness lecturer Rhonda Gates, who worked as Covert Bailey's assistant, warns against diets that advise you to eat only one type of food. They rarely live up to their claims and easily lead to diet burnout.

Benefits

Foods located near the target's bull's-eye include fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and beans. These foods are low in cholesterol and usually do not contain any type of preservative or food additive. In many cases, they are far less expensive than the foods near the target's circumference. Compare, for example, the difference in cost between a banana and a banana cream pie. Despite their lower price, the foods near the bull's-eye, which include tuna packed in water and whole grains, have a high nutrient content.

Exercise

Covert Bailey favors body fat loss over weight loss and thus recommends that an aerobic and muscle toning program accompany the Fit-or-Fat Target Diet. Aerobic exercise burns calories and speeds up your overall metabolic rate, but resistance training also plays an essential role in the fat-burning process. Muscle, he explains, is more efficient at using and burning the sugar and fat content in your food. A person who exercises in conjunction with the Fit-or-Fat Target Diet has more food choices than a sedentary person. A runner can occasionally shoot her arrow away from the bull's-eye and enjoy a post-workout candy bar without consequence.