Dude! Joe's Jottings, Mostly Junk

We've harped on Romano's Macaroni Grill for years. As home to such belly-ballooning classics as the 1,810-calorie Spaghetti and Meatsauce dinner and the 1,630-calorie New York Cheesesteak (with Caramel Fudge Sauce) dessert, we'd all but written off the Grill as a nutritionist's worst nightmare.

Those dietary disasters still lurk on the menu. But the latest upgrade in the Mac Grill's food offerings shows an entirely different culinary landscape. To our (enormous and pleasant) surprise, we now feel confident steering you toward this Italian-themed chain.

THE GOOD:
If you're at the Grill for lunch, order from the Mediterranean Grill section. If you're there for dinner, take your pick from the list of plates under Amore de la Grill (with the exception of the pork chops). All calorie counts fall in the reasonable range, and we're pleased that Romano's has added these fitter-fare choices.

The latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine features research out of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Scientists monitored individuals for two years on one of four popular diets: low fat, high carb, high fat, and high protein. The results (drumroll please.....)

It's all about calories.

Go figure.

ABSTRACT

Background The possible advantage for weight loss of a diet that emphasizes protein, fat, or carbohydrates has not been established, and there are few studies that extend beyond 1 year.

Methods We randomly assigned 811 overweight adults to one of four diets; the targeted percentages of energy derived from fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the four diets were 20, 15, and 65%; 20, 25, and 55%; 40, 15, and 45%; and 40, 25, and 35%. The diets consisted of similar foods and met guidelines for cardiovascular health. The participants were offered group and individual instructional sessions for 2 years. The primary outcome was the change in body weight after 2 years in two-by-two factorial comparisons of low fat versus high fat and average protein versus high protein and in the comparison of highest and lowest carbohydrate content.

Results At 6 months, participants assigned to each diet had lost an average of 6 kg, which represented 7% of their initial weight; they began to regain weight after 12 months. By 2 years, weight loss remained similar in those who were assigned to a diet with 15% protein and those assigned to a diet with 25% protein (3.0 and 3.6 kg, respectively); in those assigned to a diet with 20% fat and those assigned to a diet with 40% fat (3.3 kg for both groups); and in those assigned to a diet with 65% carbohydrates and those assigned to a diet with 35% carbohydrates (2.9 and 3.4 kg, respectively) (P>0.20 for all comparisons). Among the 80% of participants who completed the trial, the average weight loss was 4 kg; 14 to 15% of the participants had a reduction of at least 10% of their initial body weight. Satiety, hunger, satisfaction with the diet, and attendance at group sessions were similar for all diets; attendance was strongly associated with weight loss (0.2 kg per session attended). The diets improved lipid-related risk factors and fasting insulin levels.

Conclusions Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize.

• pour cereal to fill the bowl
• pour milk
• eat until you run out of milk
• add milk
• eat until you run out of cereal
• add cereal
• eat until you run out of milk
• add milk
• etc etc etc. 
  
• repeat until by total coincidence you run out of milk and cereal at the same time.
• then you're done. 
  
• and so are at least 3 programs you were watching.
  

What wets your whistle? A cold beer? A slushy margarita? A glass of red wine? At a party, a happy hour or a night by the fireplace, a drink is such a natural accompaniment that sometimes we forget about the calories we're consuming. Big mistake: Calories from alcohol add up quickly. Our bodies don't register liquids in terms of fullness," says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., a nutritionist and author of The Origin Diet (Henry Holt, 2001). "The reason you gain weight from alcohol is that you don't compensate by eating less later. You still eat the same amount, regardless of whether you had the drink."