Didim Today

Did you ever think that reading could lead to weight loss? Well, it can. What matters is what you read. Several recent scientific studies have indicated that if you read certain labels and objects a little more closely then you will lose weight. Let me be more clear: you need to read labels on food packaging, the numbers on your bathroom scale and any book or magazine that you enjoy.

This three-pronged plan for weight loss will yield results, coupled with exercise and the will to eat right, of course. Now, for the details:

1) Clues to reading labels correctly Advertisers know very well what will draw your interest to their product. One of their favorite strategies is to label a food as "low fat." Sounds great, right?

Well, that multi-syllabic adjective should raise your suspicions, especially if you find it on cookie or muffin packages. You see, processed foods (which hopefully are not making up the bulk of your weight-loss diet plan) use lots of fat and sugar to make them tasty.

So, if the product that you have in your hand and have placed halfway into your cart says "low fat", guess where the manufacturer is going to make up for that deficit to produce the sweet taste? You got it! Sugar. Most products that claim to be low fat make up the difference with added sugar, which means lots of calories just the same. In other words, "low fat" does not equal "low calorie." Take a look at the calorie total for the food that you are going to buy. Disregard the hyped-up adjectives.

Calories are the bottom line. While you are at it, take a look at two other items on that label: a) verify that a serving size is approximately equal to what you will eat. For instance, a food might say that it is only 200 calories per serving size, but that serving size might be 1/2 of what you normally eat of that food. An example could be potato chips. A serving size could be one handful.

Do you ever eat one handful of chips? I didn't think so. Figure out how much you usually eat and multiply appropriately to determine how many calories are going into your body per your serving size. b) check out the "%DV" line to see what percentage of a given nutrient or fat or sugar are in your food. Percentages of 20 or more are good if you are looking at the vitamin lines, bad if you are looking at the fat line; 5% or less is the reverse–great if looking at the fat line, not so good if looking at the nutrient lines.

2) Read your scale No matter what your logic tells you, having a scale around is a good weight loss tool. People who have lost more than 30 pounds in weight and kept it off for a year almost all weigh themselves daily. You might not weigh yourself because you don't want to know the bad news, but weighing yourself daily as you try to shed pounds does not have to be a discouraging affair. As you weigh yourself you are building in a self-accountability that will help you in the long run. Remember: people who lose weight successfully weigh themselves daily.

3) Read rather than watch television Watching television has been found to correspond to weight gain in multiple studies. Pick up a good book or magazine instead. Think about it: do you eat a bag of chips while you read a book? No. Do you sometimes slip and eat a bag of chips while you watch a movie on demand? Yes, that has happened, if you are honest. Read and expand your world that way; you will eat less and be less liable to pack on fat as you relax. About the Author Want to know the 15 secrets supermodels and makeup artists are trying to keep to themselves?