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The Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories to Lose Weight and Keep It off Forever
Developed by weight-loss experts Drs. James O. Hill and John C. Peters, co-founders of America on the Move™, The Step Diet Book is a motivational walking program that will help millions of overweight Americans lose weight and keep it off forever.
Combining a book and pedometer--in itself a $20 value--plus conversion charts and dozens of fat-burning Step Recipes, this is a complete package. At its core is a simple concept called energy balance. Calories come in, calories go out--and when intake is greater than output, you gain weight. The Step Diet Book attacks the problem from both ends. First, use the pedometer to figure out how many steps you take in an average day, then raise the number by 2,000--it's as easy as pacing while talking on the phone, or parking at the far end of the lot. Second, eat one-quarter less of your food--which counteracts our tendency to supersize meals. Once balance is achieved, get fit and lose weight by adding more steps to your day. You can even enjoy a guilt-free lapse by knowing exactly how many steps to tack on at the end of your day.
Combining a book and pedometer--in itself a $20 value--plus conversion charts and dozens of fat-burning Step Recipes, this is a complete package. At its core is a simple concept called energy balance. Calories come in, calories go out--and when intake is greater than output, you gain weight. The Step Diet Book attacks the problem from both ends. First, use the pedometer to figure out how many steps you take in an average day, then raise the number by 2,000--it's as easy as pacing while talking on the phone, or parking at the far end of the lot. Second, eat one-quarter less of your food--which counteracts our tendency to supersize meals. Once balance is achieved, get fit and lose weight by adding more steps to your day. You can even enjoy a guilt-free lapse by knowing exactly how many steps to tack on at the end of your day.
- GenresReference
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 29, 2010
This seems like a really great method for weight loss! It’s too late for me to do it in this way, but if I were going to recommend an alternative way to how I did it, I would start with this book.
The primary emphasis is on using a pedometer to measure steps through the day. The plan goes in phases, so you’re gradually adding more steps into the day, first enough to stop weight gain and then, more gradually, enough to start losing.
Of course, most of us have to control food intake as well. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that most of us eventually have to change both what we eat and how much we eat. I started with changing what I ate (eliminating junk foods and fast foods). This plan has you start with changing how much you eat, recommending that you eat 75% of what you normally eat (there’s an early stage where you simply record what you were eating, so figuring out that 75% isn’t as hard as you might think). They literally mean that if you have a Big Mac for lunch, you cut it into four equal pieces and throw away one of the pieces. I’m pretty sure that you would eventually realize that you could eat a lot more food for the same calories if you brought a salad from home and the book provides plenty of hints to get you to that conclusion if you want to go there.
For the times when it’s difficult to figure out what a 75% portion would be, they have charts that convert food calories into steps. If you’re already counting exchanges, calories, or points, it probably would make sense to continue using your own methods for figuring out what to eat. But if that hasn’t worked, then this would be a fun new way of thinking about things—and I’m all for fun, new ways of approaching weight loss.
I also like the phased approach. There is a preparation phase, a stop gaining phase, a 12 week weight loss phase, and a maintenance phase. After maintaining for several weeks or months, if you still have more to lose and are ready to make further lifestyle changes, you can do it all again. I’ve recently decided to maintain my loss for the rest of the year, partly based on this book’s recommendation. I figure it will be fun to go back into a weight loss phase at the New Year when everyone else is doing it. And, I’ll go into it with more confidence if I’ve proven to myself that I can maintain what I’ve already lost.
The primary emphasis is on using a pedometer to measure steps through the day. The plan goes in phases, so you’re gradually adding more steps into the day, first enough to stop weight gain and then, more gradually, enough to start losing.
Of course, most of us have to control food intake as well. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that most of us eventually have to change both what we eat and how much we eat. I started with changing what I ate (eliminating junk foods and fast foods). This plan has you start with changing how much you eat, recommending that you eat 75% of what you normally eat (there’s an early stage where you simply record what you were eating, so figuring out that 75% isn’t as hard as you might think). They literally mean that if you have a Big Mac for lunch, you cut it into four equal pieces and throw away one of the pieces. I’m pretty sure that you would eventually realize that you could eat a lot more food for the same calories if you brought a salad from home and the book provides plenty of hints to get you to that conclusion if you want to go there.
For the times when it’s difficult to figure out what a 75% portion would be, they have charts that convert food calories into steps. If you’re already counting exchanges, calories, or points, it probably would make sense to continue using your own methods for figuring out what to eat. But if that hasn’t worked, then this would be a fun new way of thinking about things—and I’m all for fun, new ways of approaching weight loss.
I also like the phased approach. There is a preparation phase, a stop gaining phase, a 12 week weight loss phase, and a maintenance phase. After maintaining for several weeks or months, if you still have more to lose and are ready to make further lifestyle changes, you can do it all again. I’ve recently decided to maintain my loss for the rest of the year, partly based on this book’s recommendation. I figure it will be fun to go back into a weight loss phase at the New Year when everyone else is doing it. And, I’ll go into it with more confidence if I’ve proven to myself that I can maintain what I’ve already lost.
December 11, 2011
In the last 3.5 months, I've lost 45 pounds. Even though I'm not at my thinnest (I have 15 lbs to go!), the pants I wore at my thinnest are now held up with a belt because I've gained muscle while losing fat. This book helped me to know how to combine activity with a very specific daily nutritional balance to do that. I used it to set a goal date, calculate how many miles I needed to walk everyday (12!) stuck religiously to my daily nutritional values and it worked according to projections. It's also helped me to calculate what my maintenance commitment needs to be (about half of my current daily journey). Hopefully, it will continue to be spot-on accurate and I committed.
I didn't like the pedometer that came with the book. I bought my own. Even though it was a lot more expensive, it was a much higher quality/accuracy (www.fitbit.com).
Oh yeah, it also helped Homer and Tatum to lose about 15 - too bad I can't add their loss to mine and call it an accomplished goal!
I didn't like the pedometer that came with the book. I bought my own. Even though it was a lot more expensive, it was a much higher quality/accuracy (www.fitbit.com).
Oh yeah, it also helped Homer and Tatum to lose about 15 - too bad I can't add their loss to mine and call it an accomplished goal!
January 20, 2010
This is an excellent book on what to do to lose weight. It seems very logical eat less and move more. I especially thought the advise to add 500 steps a day and eat 25 % less each day seemed practical - although I have had a hard time implementing it. I suppose that is the biggest step - doing it!
July 30, 2012
Listed as one of the top ten diet/fitness books, this is more about developing a lifestyle of walking 10,000 steps per day. Lots of little tips about finding ways to walk. Nothing complicated here. Motivational tips for losing weight and increasing fitness with an emphasis on small changes.
September 30, 2012
Really good tips of conversion of calories to steps. I was looking for more tips or challenges though as I am already walking 12000 steps a day.
May 6, 2013
One of the best diet books I've read so far!
August 30, 2021
Some sound advice - move more and watch portion control. But didn’t learn much I didn’t already know.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews