1、You Can Eat After 8 P.M. 晚上八点后也能吃东西

It doesn't matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat. If you want a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you've eaten that day.

一天中什么时候吃并不重要，重要的是你吃了什么、吃了多少、一整天的运动量如何。这些才能导致你的体重或增、或减，或保持不变。不管你什么时候吃，你的身体都会储存多余的脂肪做能量储备。如果你想在睡前吃些点心，先想想你一天总共吃了多少吧。

2、There Are No Negative-Calorie Foods 没有所谓的负热量食品

You may have heard that some foods, because they are difficult to digest, will make you lose weight. Dubbed¹ "negative-calorie foods," citrus fruits and celery have both basked² in this flattering light in fad³ diets over the years. The problem is that it's not true. The calories your body burns in fueling the digestive cycle are minuscule⁴ compared with the calories in the food itself. Although chewing celery might seem like a strenuous⁵ activity, it burns about the same amount of calories as watching grass grow.

你或许听说过一些食物可以帮助减肥，但那是因为它们不易消化。柑橘类水果和芹菜被冠以“负热量食物”的绰号，近年来在减肥时尚中享有美誉。问题是负热量食物根本不错在。你消化食物消耗的热量与食物本身提供的热量相比太小了。尽管咀嚼芹菜貌似一项激烈的活动，它消耗的热量只如同你看着草生长消耗的热量。

3、Liquid Calories Count 饮品也有热量

If and when you tally⁶ up your calories at the end of a meal or a day, do your calculations take into account what you drank? Do you remember to include that can of soda⁷, smoothie, cup of latte, or cocktail⁸? People tend to guzzle⁹ their calories and it really adds up, often more than they realize. For example, that can of soda you drink each morning is the calorie equivalent of a piece of fruit and a slice of toast, about 150 calories. A smoothie can run up to an extra 500 to 1,000 calories despite all the good stuff added in, and a 16-ounce latte with whole milk packs 260 calories. The average margarita — my favorite — has more than 500 calories. What's more, the brain doesn't seem to register liquid calories as accurately¹⁰ as calories that are chewed, and it doesn't send stop-eating signals to keep you from eating more food. If you're taking in only 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, save those calories for food. Liquid calories add up quickly, so stick with water and calorie-free beverages¹¹, and you could lose a pound or more a week. I lost 5 pounds last month because I decided¹² not to have a cocktail periodically with friends.

如果你有吃饭一餐或一天结束时计算热量的习惯，你会不会把饮品的热量算进去？苏打水、思慕雪、拿铁咖啡、鸡尾酒，这些你有没有算进去？人们常常会吃进去超乎他们想象的热量。比如说，你早上喝掉的一听苏打水的热量相当于一片水果或一片土司，大约为150卡。一杯思慕雪的热量比它所有的原料要高出500- 1000卡路里，而一杯16盎司的全脂牛奶拿铁咖啡含有260卡路里。我最喜欢的一般玛格丽塔鸡尾酒一杯含有500多卡路里。比起固体食物来，大脑好像不怎么在意饮料提供的热量，不会在你喝东西的时候给你发送不要再喝了的信号。如果你一天只打算吸收1200-1500卡路里的热量，还是省些留给食物吧。饮品的热量很容易就被吸收了，所以你要坚持只喝水或无热量饮料。这样，你一周可以减一磅以上体重。上个月我减重5磅，就是得益于我不再时不时和朋友们喝上一杯了。

4、Dessert Can Be Dinner 甜点也能做正餐

Don't call the food police on me for this one, but I say you can enjoy a Rocky Road ice-cream dinner "now and then," which means as an occasional deal and not a steady routine. Don't deny yourself certain cravings. Make a meal out of a favorite treat and you'll be less tempted¹³ to overindulge on your splurge foods. Just swap¹⁴ the steak out for the sundae and know that this tactic¹⁵ is for the occasional treat, not the everyday occurrence — and it may help you be more successful in controlling your weight over the long term.

不要向食品警察投诉我，你可以偶尔吃上一顿冰淇淋晚餐。也就是说，这只是偶然行为，不能当成日常选择。不要否定你的口味爱好。用最爱的材料做一餐食物，你就不会沉溺于你的食物狂欢了。就着圣代吃牛排，要知道这只是偶然行为哦。这样能帮你有效长期控制体重。

5、Moderately Overweight Kids Shouldn't Be Put on Restrictive Diets 中度超重儿童不能进行节食

If you have kids who are 10 to 15 pounds overweight, the current thinking is that they should not be put on restrictive diets. Instead, it's better to help them make basic improvements in their diets, ramp¹⁶ up their activity, and give up some TV and computer time. Perk¹⁷ up your kids' diet by adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while cutting back on the junk foods. That way, you'll automatically slow the rate of their weight gain while they continue to grow in height. Children go through dynamic phases of growth, and a low-calorie diet is not what they need. They need nutrients¹⁸ and activity.

如果你家有超重10-15磅的孩子，你该考虑的不是让他们节食，而是对他们的日常饮食进行基础改进，敦促他们多活动，少看电视、玩电脑。让孩子多吃水果、蔬菜、全麦食品，减少垃圾食品摄入。这样，你就会自动减低他们体重的增长速率，同时又能让他们继续长高。孩子们成长很快，不能进行低热量节食。他们需要的是营养和运动。

6、Calorie-Free Soft Drinks May Make You Fat 无热量饮料也可能让你发胖

I've never been a big fan of diet drinks (I prefer good old water), and now I'm glad. A study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio followed over six hundred people ranging from twenty-five to sixty-four years old for up to eight years and found that those drinking diet soda — even as little as one can or bottle a day — did not lose weight and were significantly more likely to become overweight than those who drank regular soft drinks or none at all. How can this be? No one knows for sure, but scientists think that artificial sweeteners, perhaps even the caramel coloring, may muddle¹⁹ brain chemistry. The brain in a sense gets a reward, and the desire for more sweets is intensified²⁰. The more of these fake sweet products you eat or drink, the more sweets you want.

我对节食饮料从来不热衷，只喜欢纯水，如今我深感庆幸。位于圣安东尼奥的德克萨斯州立大学健康科学中心对年龄层在25-64岁的600人进行了八年的研究，发现那些喝减肥汽水的人，及时他们只喝一点点、一天只喝一瓶，并没有比喝普通饮料或完全不喝饮料的人有显著的减肥效果。这是为什么？没人知道答案，但科学家们认为人工甜味剂甚至焦糖色素可能对大脑化学造成紊乱。大脑得到一个鼓励信号，吃更多甜食的想法被强化。你吃喝的假甜食越多，你就会越想吃甜味的东西。

7、You Can Lose More in Cold Weather 冷天让你减更多

Some people swear they gain more weight in the wintertime. Frankly²¹, I think it's because we're not quite as active in winter. But the reality is, your metabolism²² revs²³ up to keep your body warm in cold temperatures. This may mean marginally more calorie expenditure²⁴ each day.

一些人声称他们在冬天容易长肉。老实说，我想那是因为在冬天我们动的少。事实是，冬天里你的新陈代谢会加快，以维持正常体温。这能让人体每天消耗更多热量。

8、Yo-Yo Dieting Won't Wreck²⁵ Your Metabolism 急速减肥不会破坏新陈代谢

Because of all the ups and downs I've experienced with my weight through the years, I was afraid that dieting might have messed with my metabolism. Now I've learned I don't have anything to worry about. While extremely low-cal diets temporarily lower your metabolism, recent studies suggest that the effects don't last. Researchers in Canada looked at fifty-two overweight women who'd been dieting on and off for an average of eighteen years. They measured the women's resting metabolic²⁶ rate, then compared those numbers with what their metabolism was expected to be based on their weights, heights, and ages. The result: There was no difference between actual and predicted metabolic rates in all but four dieters. So even if you've lost and regained²⁷ weight countless²⁸ times, don't give up. Yo-yo diets don't hurt you; they just don't get you anywhere.

这些年减肥事起起伏伏，让我很担心自己的新陈代谢系统会紊乱。现在我知道并不需要担心太多。极度的低热量节食会一时减缓新陈代谢，但近期研究也表明这一现象并不会持续下去。加拿大科学家对52名在平均18年里反复减肥的超重女性进行了研究，发现和根据她们年龄、身高、体重计算出来的新陈代谢速率相比，除了四名正在节食的女性之外，其他人静止时的新陈代谢率并无二致。所以，即使你的体重无数次下降又回升，不要放弃。急速减肥不会伤害到你，只是并非什么时候都管用罢了。

9、There's No Need to Shun²⁹ Red Meat on a Low-Fat Diet 不用为了节食戒红肉

While it's true that prime and choice grades of meat are high in fat, lean cuts with fewer than 30 percent calories as fat are available. When buying meat, it's best to look for "select" grades of lean cuts like top round and tenderloin as well as extra-lean ground beef. They are among the lowest in fat.

虽然确实特选或精选肉类脂肪含量很高，但脂肪含量30%以下的瘦肉块是可以吃的。卖肉的时候，最好注意下瘦肉的类别，内大腿肉、里脊肉、精瘦牛肉馅是最好的选择。它们脂肪含量最低。

10、Diets Do Work 节食是有用的

The phrase diets don't work has been drummed into us by book titles, advertising³⁰ slogans, and other such mantras. But the truth is, you can lose weight following pretty much every diet on the bookstore shelf. The problem is that unless the diet fits your lifestyle, it's bound to fail, and your weight will creep back on. You want a diet you can live with. If you like sandwiches for lunch, for example, you'll have trouble sticking to a low-carb diet. If you hate counting calories and find it much easier to follow rules — like avoiding carbs — Atkins may be for you. And if you really love your olive oil, the Mediterranean³¹ diet is more appealing than a true low-fat diet. If you're trying to lose weight, you have to exercise your options.

好多书名、广告标语和类似地方都鼓吹节食不能减肥。但事实上，书店里任何一本节食书都能让你减掉体重。问题在于除非节食方法适合你的生活方式，否则必然会失败。比如说，如果你喜欢中文吃三明治，坚持低碳节食法就会有难度。如果你讨厌计算卡路里，喜欢遵守条目，比如避免碳水化合物，阿特金斯节食法就很适合你。如果你热爱橄榄油，地中海式减肥法比低脂节食更有效。想减肥，你就得弄清自己的选择。