Who Will Get Fat First?
By Lambeth Hochwald
The Fat-Free Freak
"I've been on a diet since I was 10."
--Rachael, 24, marketing manager
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 145
Dress Size: 6
Eating style: Rachael's fear of fat runs deep. "My father was fanatical about skinny women, and that's had a big impact on my relationship with food," she says. For the past two years, she has been on a mission to cut out all unnecessary fat from her diet.
Breakfast: Cooked egg whites, high-fiber cereal or fat-free yogurt; a banana; and coffee with artificial sweetener.
Lunch and dinner: Grilled chicken over tossed salad topped with fat-free dressing or a plate of steamed vegetables.
Vices: "My usual treat is frozen yogurt, but once or twice a month, I'll go on a binge -- I'll head off to McDonald's and pack away a carton of super-size fries. Or, I'll polish off a can of vanilla frosting over the course of a weekend."
Exercise: A 45-minute cardio workout every day and boxing four times a week.
Why the expert gave a three-star rating: "Rachael sets herself up for bingeing by following an overly strict diet," says Joy Bauer, R.D., a New York City-based nutritionist and author of The 90/10 Weight Loss Plan. "For now, she offsets any weight gains from her binges with a rigorous exercise regimen, but her eating pattern will take its toll in the future as her metabolism slows and new responsibilities -- like potential job promotions or a future family life -- take away from the time she can devote to working out."
Diet fix: Rachael has to trust that she won't gain weight if she adds small amounts of good fats to her diet, says Bauer. "We need a certain amount of fats -- they help the body to absorb vitamins A, D and K, which fight bone loss. A few ways to get healthy fats into her diet are by eating fish and by drizzling a bit of olive oil over her veggies and salads."
