Pantry prep is key to successful diet

Linda Shrieves | Sentinel Staff Writer

September 18, 2007

When patients say they want to lose weight, the first thing that Candace Chemtob recommends is this: Get the chocolate out of the house.

"If I had a piece of chocolate and I dug 20 feet under the ground of my house -- and put the chocolate into a safe, buried it and filled up the hole, I would still know it was there," says Chemtob, a Maitland registered dietitian.

And, in a weak moment, she'd probably go dig up the chocolate.

"You can't fool yourself," Chemtob says. "Having the temptation around is going to set you up for failure."

So as we prepare to launch the Orlando Sentinel's first Weight-Loss Challenge -- which kicks off Sept. 25 -- we'll help you by telling you how to prepare your kitchen and pantry for the challenge.

First, say registered dietitians, it makes sense to go through your cabinets and refrigerator and toss out [or give away] the tempting foods.

"I don't think it's realistic to throw everything in your pantry away," says Tara Gidus, dietitian for the Orlando Magic. "But you should get rid of things that are going to be high-calorie temptations for you. Ice cream, potato chips and chocolate. For some people, it's high-fat sauces. It just depends on what your trigger foods are. You need to ask yourself: What do you overeat?"

When you've cleaned out the fattening foods, take an inventory of what's left.

"The pantry is a great place to have staples for quick meals on hand such as microwave brown rice, diced tomatoes with garlic, olives, black beans and other bean favorites, canned tuna and chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, whole-grain pasta, vinegar, that type of thing," says Susan Mitchell, an Orlando dietitian and co-author of Fat Is Not Your Fate.

Another key: keep the refrigerator stocked with fresh fruit for snacking. "For example, I brought some watermelon and put it on the counter so that when I get that feeling that I want a snack, I'll see the watermelon first," Gidus says.

Stock your pantry with fiber-rich foods, including high-fiber cereals and whole-grain breads. Fiber makes you feel full, so it's important for dieters.

Eat a lot of salads? Add lean protein to the salad to stave off hunger pangs later. A scoop of cottage cheese or turkey slices or some low-fat cheese can round out that salad and make it a meal, Gidus says. Stock up with cans of water-packed tuna, which can also give that salad a protein boost.

If you like to make casseroles -- and can't cut them out of your family's diet -- consider arming yourself with lower-fat ingredients, such as low-fat or fat-free sour cream, light mayonnaise and reduced-calorie mushroom soup.

Other suggestions: Stock up on sugar-free Jell-O and low-fat ice cream treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. Sugar-free Popsicles, for instance, contain only 12 calories, and a fat-free Fudgesicle has 64 calories.

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to fill up on fruits and vegetables, says Chemtob. If you get at least five servings a day, you'll be eating a healthier diet and getting more fiber in your diet. Worried that you'll have a vegetable crisper full of rotting fruits and veggies? Chemtob suggests buying some canned fruits (in juice, not heavy syrup) and canned vegetables. If you're on a low-salt diet, look for low-sodium varieties of canned vegetables or go with frozen vegetables.

For snacking, try 100-calorie snack packs.

"Part of the reason these work for people is because they're pre-portioned," Chemtob says. "It makes you completely aware of what you're doing when you're snacking" -- so you don't go overboard and eat a half a bag of chips. If you're a late-night popcorn eater, buy the 100-calorie popcorn bags, she says.

And it's not just what you eat -- it's how much of it.

Nowadays, our food portions are making us too big for our britches.

To fight that, some doctors and dietitians recommend buying a "portion-control plate." The plates cost from $12 to $35, depending on the design, but they split the plate into three areas: a small section for meat, a small section for starches like rice and pasta, and a large portion of the plate devoted to vegetables.

"Since America's been supersized, people don't know the appropriate portion sizes anymore," says Chemtob. "It's a very simple, easy-to-use tool that brings people back to what a portion size should be."

Even if you don't opt for a portion-control plate -- which you can buy on the Internet -- get out the measuring cups and tablespoon measures. For the first week or two, measure your breakfast cereal, salad dressings and peanut butter to make sure you're not eating two or three servings.

But the key to a successful diet, say dietitians, is a pantry full of healthy foods. "You can't walk in at 6 o'clock tonight, starving, and have nothing there," says Chemtob. "You'll end up going to a fast-food restaurant or ordering a pizza."

Linda Shrieves can be reached at lshrieves@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5433.