Weight Loss

Stephen Sinatra, a cardiologist from New York, was upset at his patients' obsession with fast food and their helplessness in changing over to better lifestyles. But he finally realized that it was no easy thing for most people to drastically alter their tastes and so he came up with a plan that made only a few adjustments in their eating choices. His book The Fast Food Diet explains how to cut down on calories by making a few sensible choices at fast food restaurants. With these choices, he says, dieters can lose as much as 100 pounds in one year.

Sinatra says that people in busy cities are addicted to drive-throughs but know they have to lose weight and be healthier. Although he would like all of them to eat fruits, vegetables, nonfat dairy and lean cuts of meat, he knows that it is too idealistic for most. So he decided to help them out by advising some substitutions.

What you can eat:

Some tips by Sinatra:
* Eat your chicken sandwich grilled instead of fried.
* Avoid the french fries and go for baked potato.
* Drink fruit juices instead of soda. Soda sweetened with corn syrup is not okay. Seltzer with lemon will do.
* Drink plenty of water to fill up.
* Go for vinegar oil salad dressings instead of the creamy ranch ones.
* Don't order extra mayonnaise and other sauces. You can take mustard instead.
* Try the fruit desserts instead of nibbling on cookies and pies.

The book is full of helpful tips to shave off the calories from what you eat at the restaurants. Sinatra even gives a few easy meal recipes to prepare food in 15 minutes or lesser. These fast recipes will encourage you to eat at home instead of driving through.

The Fast Food diet does not give you the liberty to eat whatever you want of fast food. It helps you mind those calories when you have a choice before you. Common sense is something to be kept handy. Trans fats are out of limits. It's all about making a smart choice.

The recommended intake of calories is 1,500 a day.

Exercise:

Walking is highly recommended. One mile a day is the minimum that every dieter on the Fast Food diet must walk.

Benefits:

It is a convenient plan with no drastic changes in diet.
The tips are useful. For example, as much as 300 calories can be saved just by sipping seltzer instead of sweetened soda. Or if you don't order the mayonnaise, you can shave up to 170 calories on one sandwich.

Negatives:

* The title may mislead people into believing that fast food is fine.
* Difficult to obtain nutrition if most of the food you eat is fast food.