Tips and Advice From the Doctors, Dietitians, and Exercise Physiologists at the Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa in Aventura, Florida

The best strategy for losing weight is to get as much satiety as you can for every calorie you eat, advises Dr. Jay Kenney, Nutrition Research Specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa.

Traditionally, weight loss strategies have focused on reducing caloric intake by restricting portion sizes or counting calories. But these limited portion sizes leave most of us hungry - and unsatisfied. In research, people often report that they were doing pretty well with their “diet” but didn't really feel satisfied, so they began to eat more. Sometimes, they'd become so ravenous they'd binge on rich, calorie-dense foods like ice cream, cookies, pizza, and chips. (Sound familiar?) What they're lacking, quite simply, is satiety.

Satiety is the flip side of hunger. The more satisfied, or satiated, you feel after eating a meal or snack, the less hunger you feel. Satiety is also a measure of how long it takes for you to become hungry again after eating a meal. Does your meal fill you up, in other words, for one hour? Two hours? Three hours? The longer it “sticks to your ribs,” the more satiety that meal has.

Interestingly, a higher calorie intake does not necessarily mean a higher level of satiety. Oh sure, if you ate an eight-ounce can of calorie-rich peanuts, you'd feel full
- and you probably wouldn't need to eat again for a few hours. But you can achieve the same level of satiety on a lot fewer calories. Indeed, research has shown that satiety does not depend solely on the number of calories in a meal.

To get the most satiety on the fewest amounts of calories, follow these six tips:

1. Avoid liquid calories.

Studies have found that sugar in a solid form (jelly beans) provides more satiety for a given calorie level than when it's dissolved in water (coke). So, rather than drinking fruit juice, eat your fruit. Peel an orange. Finish off a big crisp apple. Snack on carrots. These whole foods will have a lot more “staying” power than their liquid counterparts.

2. Reduce the calorie density of the solid foods you eat.

Foods with a higher calorie density, like dry cereals, dried fruits, and potato chips, generally provide less satiety per calorie than foods with a lower calorie density, like hot cereals, fresh fruits, and potatoes.

3. Increase your consumption of foods with a greater volume.

Popcorn, for example, has pretty much the same calorie density as corn chips (the fat-free variety), but you're getting a lot more volume with the popcorn than you are with the corn chips. The popcorn fills up a big bowl; the corn chips, a fairly small bowl. Opt for the popcorn. It'll give you more satiety.

4. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry.

Research has shown that the same snack provides more satiety if you eat it when you're hungry rather than when you're not hungry.

5. Increase high-fiber foods.

Studies have found that foods with more dietary fiber tend to make people feel satisfied longer than foods with less dietary fiber.

6. Avoid foods high in fat and/or sugar.

Research suggests that foods with more protein, starch, and fiber provide more satiety per calorie than foods high in fat, sugar, and refined grains. Scientists at the University of Sydney, Australia, have developed a Satiety Index based on how full we feel two hours after eating 240 calories' worth of various foods. High-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables rank high. High-fat foods are not very satisfying at all; no surprise really, since 240 calories of a fat-rich food is a small portion.

Here are some more interesting findings from the University of Australia: Baked potatoes are six times more filling than croissants. Whole-grain bread is 50% more filling than white bread. Cakes, doughnuts, and cookies (all high in fat and sugar) are among the least filling foods.

Daily Exercise

The second very important strategy for losing weight is regular exercise. Contrary to popular belief, walking several miles a day will not increase your appetite to any great degree. Walking several miles daily is, in fact, a win-win situation. Your appetite will stay pretty much the same, and you'll burn several of the calories you're eating, both of which translate into successful, long-term weight loss.

Here's a real motivator: If you burn an additional 300 calories each day by exercising (that's about three miles of walking daily), and you don't increase your caloric intake, you could easily lose 30 pounds within a year.

If you're really serious about losing weight, book a one- or two-week stay after the holidays at the Pritikin resort. Many Alumni do. It's the best “shot in the arm.”

Says Barbara Dreeben of San Antonio, who returns every January to Pritikin with her husband, Alan: “If you ask me where in the whole wide world I'd like to go, I'll always say ‘Pritikin.’ The two weeks I spend at Pritikin every January are the most stressed-free, relaxed two weeks of my year.

“For my husband and me, it's our time to really take good care of ourselves -- and get in great shape for the new year.”