As any dieter knows, cutting calories can chip away at your energy level until exercise is the last thing on your agenda. Dieting smart, however, can make you feel peppy instead of sapped. The trick is a balanced diet that replaces those simple sugars most people love -- candy bars, sugary drinks and desserts -- with complex sugars like those in pasta or whole-grain bread, while maintaining an adequate protein and fat intake. With a better supply of the stuff that energy is made of, your body will have enough leftover oomph to get active.
Function
Carbohydrates are a group of simple and complex sugars that provide energy for your body. Your metabolism snatches whatever you put into your mouth and tosses it into the cooker, where those foods high in carbs emerge as glucose, a source of energy. Complex carbs are the energy champions, delivering a longer-lasting metabolic performance, while simple sugars contribute a brief burst of energy and then drop out of the race. Many complex carbs are lower in calories than sweets but contribute other vital nutrients to fuel your metabolism.
Types
Your body quickly metabolizes simple sugars for a fleeting spike in energy, that famous "sugar rush." Simple sugars include table sugar, honey and fructose -- derived from fruits but often consumed as high-fructose corn syrup. Soda pop and candy contain simple sugars. The benefits of simple sugars extend only as far as your taste buds, providing little or no nutrition. In contrast, the complex sugars you consume in potatoes, bread, whole-grain cereals and legumes supply you with substantial energy as well as dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Features
Lower your calorie intake and eat more nutritionally for a higher energy level by trading simple sugar for complex carbs. For example, save 143 calories by switching your 4 p.m. Snickers break with 1 cup of fat-free yogurt. You will gain 18.8g of complex carbs and 14g of protein, plenty of calcium and potassium, and will save 14g of fat.
Time Frame
You can lose 2 lbs. per week by eliminating 1,000 calories from your daily diet. By combining a reduced intake with burning calories through exercise, you can more easily accomplish this. Cut calories without sacrificing energy. For example, instead of eating a glazed doughnut -- around 200 empty calories -- toss back a handful of peanuts for 100 energy-filled calories. Rather than snacking on french fries, eat a cup of sliced strawberries and save 450 calories, plus get vitamin C, dietary fiber and calcium.
Considerations
To maintain a steady level of energy throughout the day, eat more often, ideally five small meals a day. According to the authors of Maximum Food Power for Women, "this mini-meal plan is a super energy booster because you're getting energy into your body right when you need it, you won't be going too long between meals, and you're less likely to overeat or undereat."
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