The Step Diet
What it is: The Step Diet was created to help you learn healthy eating habits and exercise often without having to follow a strict diet plan. The premise is that you walk 10,000 steps a day and cut your portion sizes by ¼, and you will lose weight.
How it works: The diet book outlines how dieters can cut calories, as well as burn more calories to help them lose weight. The plan emphasizes making small, gradual changes to your diet so that you will ultimately maintain a healthy lifestyle over the long term.
What you do: The Step Diet book comes with a pedometer so dieters can measure the number of steps they take each day. It is recommended that you measure your typical steps each day, and then increase that by 500 steps. Each week, dieters must add 500 steps until they reach the 10,000 step goal (which is equivalent to walking 5 miles or 75 minutes). As far as eating, the diet permits you to eat whatever you want, as long as you cut your portions down by approximately ¼. The book includes a chart outlining how many extra steps you will need to take to balance out extra calories from an indulgence.
Benefits: Experts praise the diet for being effective and easy. The diet is also flexible. For those who may be busier and don’t have time to walk 5 miles each day, dieters are urged to carry the pedometer with them at all times and to make small changes like taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator. The book also outlines how steps can be exchanged for other exercises (i.e. 150 steps = 1 minute of cycling).
The Down Side: Doctors and nutritionists alike love this diet, citing no negative aspects. The only possible down side to the step diet is making sure you can commit the time to exercise regularly.
