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CULTURE AND CELEBRITY GOSSIP
GUY PROOF YOUR DIET NOW….
Does being in love somehow pack on the pounds? Keep the man but lose
the fatty foods! Women’s Health magazine lists how you can guy-proof
your diets and use healthier substitutes:
If you’ve always suspected that love makes you fat, you can now feel
vindicated, according to the October issue of Women’s Health magazine.
Last April, a report published by the Human Nutrition Research Centre at
Newcastle University in England found that women tend to eat more foods
that are higher in sugar and fat, and to exercise less, after moving in with
a male counterpart.
We’ve all been in that situation. It’s a Sunday afternoon during football
season and your significant other is deciding between pizza, nachos and a
burrito and now that he’s talking about it, so are you. But be careful: At
best, women burn about 26 percent fewer calories a day then guys do, so
if you mimic his eating habits, you could end up piling on the pounds.
Here are the ways your significant other is unwittingly undermining your
diet, and how you can balance the scales without giving up all your
favorite guy foods.
His Habit: Pretending vegetables don't exist
Research backs up what you already knew: Men and brussels sprouts do
not mix. A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention of more than 300,000 people found that 10 percent more
women than men eat three or more vegetables a day.
Your Damage: Fewer veggies mean more of everything else. Trade one
cup of steamed broccoli for the same portion of cooked rice, and you add
150 calories to your meal. To burn off the difference, you'd have to run at
5 mph for about 20 minutes.
Slim Solution: Getting him to go green may be easier than you think.
According to a survey by the National Cancer Institute, only 5 percent of
the men surveyed said they don't like the taste of fruits and vegetables.
So while your guy might not realize that tomato sauce alone doesn't fill his
five-a-day quota, he also isn't likely to object if you send some chopped
salad his way. Force yourself to throw some frozen, pre-chopped veggies
(the kind with no added sauces or seasonings) into the supermarket cart.
Then, at dinner, heat up a cup or two of chopped onions, peppers,
broccoli florets, green and yellow wax beans, or spinach and mix them
into your usual cooked rice or pasta. You'll be replacing processed carbs
with filling fiber: Eating a cup and a half of frozen mixed Oriental-style
veggies with a half cup of cooked rice also saves you 130 calories, versus
eating 2 cups of rice alone -- enough to prevent a 14-pound weight gain
every year.
His Habit: Nonstop prime-time munching
If only yelling at the screen during football season were his worst habit.
Turns out watching Heroes while you eat may make you lose track of that
hero sandwich. A recent study at Johns Hopkins University found that the
more people were into what was on the tube, the less aware they were of
how much mac and cheese they were inhaling.
Your Damage: No one, not even Gandhi, can resist delicious, crunchy
snack foods that are right in front of them. But a 120-pound woman burns
only about 54 calories an hour watching TV (a 180-pound man burns 74
calories per hour).
Putting away half a canister of Pringles during 3 hours of Monday Night
Football leaves you with a 315-calorie surplus. That adds up to about one-
tenth of a pound of fat per game.
Slim Solution: First, you're better off watching a boring sports event than
an easy-to-love show like Big Love or Weeds. The Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago released a study in June
showing that TV viewers ate an average of 44 percent more potato chips
while watching a program they found entertaining, says Dr. Alan Hirsch, M.
D., the foundation's neurological director. Are you as into the game as he
is? Then fill a giant bowl with some light microwave popcorn and munch
away. Most brands contain just 20 to 25 calories per cup popped, so even
if you scarf 6 cups, you've consumed only 150 calories -- the amount in
less than one-sixth of a can of Pringles.
His Habit: Chugging beer with every meal
You don't need a statistic to tell you that men like knocking back a cold
one, but here's one anyway: In an online survey of nearly 2,000 adults,
more than half of all beer drinkers were men.
Your Damage: He hates to chug alone, so you become his de facto
drinking buddy. Alas, even a 12-ounce ultra-low-carb beer has 95 calories.
Have one 4 nights a week and you'll see a 6-pound weight gain in a year's
time (not including the junk you scarf while your guard is down).
Slim Solution: Enjoying a beer with him at dinner isn't worth the calories,
but you don't have to give up the tasty malt goodness altogether. Just
skip it on weeknights -- chances are, you'll enjoy the alcohol more if you
save those calories for a mini-splurge at a future happy hour or during a
weekend out. Ask him to stock the fridge with only enough bottles for
himself so you'll be less tempted (and he'll be more possessive). And
when you need to bounce back from a killer day, schedule a massage
instead.
His Habit: Meals on wheels
Count the Big Mac wrappers under his passenger's seat and you'll realize
that most men live for the drive-thru. A 2006 Mintel online survey of 2,000
people found that men eat fast food more often than women, and tend to
choose burgers and French fries over salads and other healthy options.
Your Damage: Sharing a ride makes you captive to his drive-thru
addiction. One fast-food grilled-chicken club sandwich has 570 calories.
You could eat a half pound of skinless chicken breast, a half cup of
couscous and a cup of cooked green beans and still save nearly 300
calories (even without the fries or soda). Indulging even once a week
means you'll be about one pants size plumper in a year.
Slim Solution: Before you hop into the car, throw your favorite portable
healthy food -- a peanut-butter protein bar, a banana and mozzarella string
cheese, a cup of Greek yogurt with honey -- in your bag. If you have
something satisfying to chow on during his greasy rendezvous, you won't
be so tempted to add to his order.
His habit: Full-fat everything
Most men would as soon buy tampons as tofu — low-fat labels drain the
machismo right out of them. A 2006 study in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association backed this up with its finding that more women than
men know they should limit the intake of fat and carbs in their diets.
Your damage: Making your tuna melt with a slice of regular cheddar packs
on 65 more calories than using a slice of reduced-fat cheese. Wash it
down with an 8-ounce glass of whole milk instead of skim, and you've
added 123 calories (plus a lot of fat) to your lunch for not much extra
taste. If you don't spend almost 20 extra minutes on the treadmill each
day, you'll gain 8 pounds by swimsuit season.
Slim Solution: If he insists he can tell "a huge difference" between whole
and skim, compromise with 2 percent. Or take a tip from kosher kitchens
and buy two of everything: Swap a gallon of whole milk for half--gallons of
whole and skim; buy a pint of frozen yogurt for you and stock Ben &
Jerry's for him; put your Diet Coke on the door and stash his cans of
regular out of sight in the crisper drawer. Then cut out the previous
paragraph and stick it to your refrigerator door — every time you start to
think that doubling up isn't worth the trouble or expense, read it again.
Guy-proof your diet Healthier substitutes
Burrito
Eat this: Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable Burrito, 6 oz
280 calories per burrito
8 g fat
(1 g saturated fat)
580 mg sodium
44 g carbohydrates
4 g fiber
9 g protein
Avoid: Taco Bell Bean Burrito, 7 oz
340 calories
9 g fat
(3.5 g saturated fat)
1,190 mg sodium
54 g carbohydrates
8 g fiber
13 g protein
Why: Two words — convenience and control. Let’s face it, fast-food joints
just don’t offer an array of healthy choices. Stocking the freezer with Amy’
s guarantees you a fat-fighting option. Studies show that regular bean-
eaters have a 22 percent lower risk of obesity. And the burritos are ready
in minutes.
Pizza
Eat this: Medium Thin N Crispy Pizza Hut Pizza 12" with Sauce, Cheese,
Grilled Chicken, Green Pepper, Mushroom, Red Onion, Tomatoes
180 calories per slice
6 g fat
(3 g saturated fat)
540 mg sodium
22 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
10 g protein
Avoid: Medium Pan Supreme
Per slice
310 calories
16 g fat
(6 g saturated fat)
720 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates
2 g fiber
13 g protein
Why: It’s still a piping-hot fresh pie, and hey, is there any such thing as
bad pizza? This version’s veggies up the flavor factor (especially those
green peppers and onions), and with the addition of grilled chicken, he
won’t even miss the red meat (or the pools of grease).
Nacho topping
Eat this: Hormel Turkey Chili with Beans
200 calories per cup
3 g fat
(1 g saturated fat)
1,200 mg sodium
26 g carbohydrates
5 g fiber
17 g protein
Avoid: Bush’s Chunky Homestyle Chili with Beans
260 calories per cup
10 g fat
(3.5 g saturated fat)
1,250 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates
8 g fiber
15 g protein




