and if expecting to lose 50 pounds within a month, forget it! According to Government nutritionist Betsy Baillie, only by maintaining a balanced diet and exercise routine is it possible to lose weight healthily and even then, realistic goals must be set.

"The ideal,'' she said, "is to make small, long term changes to present eating habits rather than to follow a temporary `diet'; to get a balanced diet that provides moderate amounts of a variety of different foods in groups and a balance of all the different food groups.'' Serving sizes, which vary from person to person, are found on most food labels. But as a general rule, women and some older adults require between 1500 and 1800 calories a day -- six servings from the bread group, three from the vegetable group, two from the fruit group and two from the meat group.

Children, teenaged girls, active women and most men need about 2,200 calories -- nine from the bread group, four from the vegetable group, three from the fruit group, and two from the meat group.

Teenage boys and active men require the greatest portions to make up the approximately 2,800 calories they need daily; from the bread group, 11 servings, from the vegetable group, 5 servings, from the fruit group, 4 servings and from the milk group, two servings. Each group also requires two to four servings from the milk group daily.

"Sometimes, people who don't have a weight problem can sabotage your efforts.

A lot of times they think they are being helpful by saying things like, `You shouldn't eat that. It makes you fat.' Such statements only trigger a person into doing that exact thing. Maybe the person should say, `Let's go for a walk,' or maybe have an expression they could use which you will pick up on instead of making it a fat issue.'' There are other practices which, if followed, should lead persons towards their desired size, said Mrs. Baillie.

Eat at regular intervals to avoid eating more than you need at a later time.

"Do not fall into the trap of eating light early in the day, and then, because you are so hungry, eat a lot later in the day,'' she warned. "Also, listen to your body signals and identify real hunger. There are a lot of times when people eat in response to other things, emotions, for example, the smell of other food. Sometimes if thirsty, we identify that as hunger and eat rather than drink. So it's important to try and identify things that trigger that response.

"Another thing is that if you know that when you go home after work the kitchen is a problem, figure out ways to avoid it. Plan activities that keep you out of the kitchen, make sure that you don't have problem foods that are readily available and get support from your spouse or people you live with.'' Choose foods from each of the food groups each day, selecting low-fat or fat-free foods when possible.

"There are so many fat free products, but it doesn't mean that they are calorie free. For example, one fat free fig newton cookie has 60 calories.

That's the same as one apple and not many people eat just one fig newton.

Never say `never' (to different types of food in moderation). It's how much and how often that contributes to the problem. In the end the balance of the total calories, with exercise, should help control weight.'' Watch portion sizes.

Trim visible fat from meat before cooking.

Use fat free or low fat milk and dairy products.

Use small amounts of seasonings and herbs to add flavour without calories from butter, sauces, and added fats.

Fill up on fresh fruit but beware of drinking too much juice as it contains its own, natural sugar.

"One of the popular things now is to have those huge bottles of drink. On the label it gives information for the serving size but there are actually two servings in the container, which can be misleading. An entire bottle can have 19.75 teaspoons of sugar in it. People believe, rightly, that it's fruit juice so its better nutrition, but eight ounces of fruit juice can have 100 calories. Yes, you need a serving of fruit juice during the course of the day, but you don't need four or five.'' Fill up on whole grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta but use low fat and fat free spreads and sauces.

Go for low fat and calorie free snacks such as pretzels, air popped, or microwave light popcorn.

Drink plenty of water and calorie free drinks.

Wait 20 minutes after your first helping to allow the stomach to notify the brain that it is full.

Plan meals and snacks each week. Make a shopping list and stick to it and never shop when hungry.

Be prepared for binges and have low fat foods available to snack on.

Exercise helps burn calories. Ideally aerobics, four to six times per week for half an hour each day.

Keep motivated.

"Many people expect to lose too much too quickly,'' she added. "One quarter to half a pound a week is realistic and achievable over the long term. That means a loss of 250 to 500 extra calories which you have cut out or burnt through exercise each day. Sometimes people have unrealistic expectations for their bodies. The media has decided it's culturally correct for everybody to be skinny, which means the majority of people in the world are inferior. Not everybody is model thin. People generally need to be more accepting and respectful of people with different body sizes. And people must have realistic expectations for themselves as well. A weight loss of ten pounds is of a significant health benefit and more achievable than a weight loss of 40 or 50 pounds. That's not going to happen.

"Basically, people need to establish a comfortable pattern of eating and exercise that's based as closely as possible to what they are already doing.

Saying that you will exercise seven days a week is impossible. It might work for a short period of time but if you become unable to achieve that, you might become discouraged and stop exercising altogether. It's better to say, `I'll exercise three times a week', which is more sustainable and a realistic achievement.'' Studies are often misleading, the nutritionist warned, biased either through sponsorship or the focus group.

"It's important for people to question what they hear in terms of studies.

For example, there are multitudes of diet books and none, or at least the majority, are not based on scientific principles. Also with studies, you need to be concerned with the number of people in the study, who is sponsoring the study and remember that no single study can stand alone as definite proof.

What is required is a body of evidence that points to one direction. Also, results that are valid for one population are not necessarily true for another.'' For consultations, the public is welcome to contact Government's Nutrition Services at the Department of Health. 236-0224 ext. 385 or 259.

Government nutritionist Betsy Baillie HEALTH HTH