The validity of weight as a measure of body fatness then is only fair, especially in certain types of individuals such as mesomorphic (muscular) males and elite athletes. Reliability of the measure on the other hand is quite high. Sensitivity is also reasonably high (i.e. around 0.8) detecting small changes in body mass. But, of course, this is not sensitive to fat as distinct from changes in other body tissue. Weight, therefore, is limited as a measure of fatness, except where combined with some other measures.

Myth-information. Weight loss through heat treatments such as saunas and steam baths represents fluid losses through sweat. These techniques have no permanent effect on fat loss.

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Friends suggested that she try snacking on something before special eating events, but Mary doubted that would work for her. She feared that she’d eat beforehand and then indulge anyway, doubling her potential for gaining, rather than losing, weight. So she came up with the idea of banking calories.

“I realized that if I ate only 300 calories during the day, I’d have 900 left for dinner. I could eat what I wanted and not go over my calorie goal,” she explains. “The trick was to find foods that would fill me up on the fewest calories.” So she started checking her calorie counter for filling but low-cal foods. Among her choices were light J bread, light cereal, tiny graham crackers, carrots, celery sprinkled *i with chili powder, sugar-free Jell-O, and lots of water. ?

Like someone squirreling away money from every paycheck to buy an expensive coat or a new stereo system”, Mary saves up calories so she can splurge on food at special events. “When my office “* planned a big holiday dinner, I saved 100 calories a day for 10 days,” she says. “I was able to go to the dinner, sample all the great foods, and not worry about overindulging!”

Since establishing her personal calorie account in 1998, Mary has dropped 112 pounds. And she plans on using calorie banking to get to her 135-pound goal. She’s banking on making it.

WINNING ACTION

Save, save, save, then splurge. While this tactic may not work for everyone, Mary found her own way to enjoy party foods without ruining her weight-loss efforts. As I say in my Ten Commandments of Weight Loss on page 1, slimming down doesn’t have to mean giving up on all of the fun. You just have to find a way to do both. Give Mary’s method a try to see if it works for you.

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