Longevity studies reveal a pattern of eating in the longest living people in the world that allows participants to consume on average 20% more calories than the typical American diet, and yet weigh 30% less than the average American body weight. So, what are these people doing that is allowing them to eat more, and weigh less? How are they dieting for keeps? To appreciate the answer to this question, you need to understand the relationship between foods and the amount of calories they have. Often the most nutrient dense foods contain the least amount of calories, while those that have the fewest helpful nutrients, such as candies, cakes, and cookies, have the most calories.

For 2000 calories you can eat any of these things:

• 1 cup of oil


• 1.25 cups of butter


• 1 pint of sugar


• 2.5 cups of walnuts or almonds


• 6-8 cups cooked wheat, beans, brown rice


• 20-30 cups or 6.2 pounds of grapes (may vary slightly depending on the type)


• 7 whole cantaloupes


• 14 pounds of watermelon


• 14 papaya


• 15 mangoes


• 16 bananas or apples


• 30 peaches


• 31 oranges


• 4.2 pounds sweet potatoes


• 5.5 pounds corn


• 5.75 pounds green peas


• 10 pounds carrots or beets


• 16 pounds potatoes or broccoli


• 20 pounds asparagus or spinach

If you look at this you will see that oils, sugars, nuts and seeds produce the fewest nutrients per calories consumed, but per unit of measure, they have the highest caloric density.

Longevity studies show that the longest living, thinnest people consume foods that are high in volume, low in calories, and exceptionally high in nutrient value. These foods satiate the body in two ways: first, they fill the stomach causing the stretch receptors in the stomach to send a message to the brain indicating you are full. Second, as these foods begin to digest, their exceptionally high nutrient content are recognized by the nutrient receptors in the digestive system and throughout the body. This means nutrient receptors aren't signaling the brain for nutrients, which often leads to the brain signaling to your body that it is hungry. This means less burden on the body, less feelings of being hungry, and thus better ability to maintain weight loss.

Weight loss is approached in several ways, which is evidenced by the hundreds of diets out there today. You can eat a diet that consists of only eating grapefruit, or only protein, or a diet that consists of dark chocolate. You name it, there is a diet for it. However, along with many of these diets is the problem of not being able to maintain the diet long term. A low carb diet, for example, might satisfy your appetite for meats and fats, but pretty soon your body health comes as a consequence of weight loss, and thus you must stop the diet, which eventually leads to your return to old eating habits, and the regaining of your weight.

For a diet that not only helps you lose weight, but helps you keep it off, you have to be able to master the principles, and they have to be principles that you can carry with you even when you are out of the dieting phase so that you do not go back to your previous habits. You can't change the outcome doing the same thing over and over. So, if you go on a diet, lose weight, then go back to what caused you to gain weight in the first place, your weight will eventually come back. What does this mean? It means if you want to diet for keeps, you have to learn the principles of good health, and eat the foods that sustain good health. The appropriate weight comes as a byproduct of good health. This is not to say you can't enjoy a fatty donut or a salad covered in fatty dressing now and again, but by dieting for keeps, you will eat in a way that you feel good, that your metabolic function is healthy, and your body is strong, that way when you do eat things that are not so good for you, your body is not going to respond by gaining weight and getting sick.

What are some good examples of diets that help you not just lose weight, but keep it off?

Weight Watchers is a good diet choice, but only if you get out of the point mindset and recognize what the point values are telling you. The Weight Watchers program assigns point values to foods based on how good for you they are, and whether or not they will cause you to lose weight. Foods that are low in calories and rich in nutrients, like fresh vegetables and fruits are given an almost zero point rating, which essentially means you can eat them as much as you want without gaining weight; while chocolate cake, might take up half of your allotted points for any given day.

People who join Weight Watchers with the mind set that as long as they stay under their points they will lose weight, will be unable to keep it off once they stop counting points. The reason for this is that the foods they will eat are not going to encourage long term health, and are not going to help them change their eating habits, instead they are going to deprive their bodies of nutrients, and calories and in response it will burn fat. Basically all this person is doing is cutting back how much they are eating. However, the person who eats until they are satisfied and full on Weight Watchers without going over their points must be eating a good amount of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and other foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. Thus, when they quit counting, they will have established a pattern of eating that helps them keep weight off.

Look for foods that are nutrient dense, not caloric dense.

A great diet that will not just help you lose weight but keep it off is "Eat to Live". This diet was developed by a man named Dr. Furhman, with the idea that if you follow his pattern of eating you will not only lose weight, but restore and improve health to your body as well. This is not a quick fix program but a dietary lifestyle change. It does not require you to count points or calories, it encourages eating foods freely, as long as it is the right foods.

Daniel's Challenge, a six week weight loss program by Original Fast Foods is another great diet that will help you lose weight, but also teaches you the principles necessary to keep it off. In the first six week the diet is stricter than it is for life because it gives you a chance to learn it, understand it, and employ it. This diet has three different approaches, weight loss, maintenance, and prevention. Each employ the basics of good health in eating, but with slight twists for your desired goals. For example, if you want to lose weight, you are going to want to avoid oils, avocados, nuts, dairy, and meat. However, once you reach your optimal weight, you can incorporate these back into the diet in limited portions.

"The McDougall Plan" is another great approach to dieting for keeps. It is slightly stricter than the two above diets, as it advocated no overt fat intake, including, oils, refined and processed foods, nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, etc.. However, beyond that the ideas are fairly similar in that you can eat as much fruits and vegetables as you want, and support your energy needs with starches such as beans, potatoes and grains, as long as they are not the focus of your diet.

Diets that limit too many foods, are unrealistic, and not enjoyable. If you want to keep weight off permanently you will need a diet that offers variety. You will need a diet that you like the food in. You may lose weight on a South Beach diet, or a Jenny Craig diet, but if you can't stomach the premade meals, or the recipes, you won't stick to it for long. So, look for a diet that offers variety, good taste, plenty of recipes to choose from, and sustainable principles that promote health in your body. If you master these principles, eating in a way to maintain long term health will come as easy to you as breathing.