Positions on Losing Propositions

So you’ve got five or 10 pounds to lose? It’s not enough, really, to sign up for an organized weight-loss program, but it’s plenty to make your jeans feel uncomfortable.

How to lose the excess girth? Here are two approaches to getting it off in five weeks or so. One centers on a “real food” diet approach and the other on the on the use of over-the-counter liquid meal replacements.

Diane Whelan, Beverly Hills dietitian:

“Follow a ‘real food’ plan, eating food high in carbohydrates, low in fat and high in fiber so you will feel full. Women should not eat less than 1,200 calories a day and men not less than 1,500 calories a day. If you go lower than that, you are not getting the nutrients you need.

“Concentrate on lowering fat intake. It’s got twice the calories of carbohydrates and proteins. Studies suggest that excess calories from fat are more easily stored as body fat than excess calories from carbohydrates or proteins. Get some exercise. Instead of exercising vigorously for a short period of time, exercise at low to moderate intensity for a longer period of time. After 45 minutes of activity, you are burning mostly fat.

“Lose weight slowly and without deprivation. If you feel deprived, you will overeat. Plan to lose a pound to two pounds a week. That way, it is more likely to be a permanent loss.”

Laurie Meyer, Milwaukee, Wis., dietitian and American Dietetic Assn. spokeswoman:

“You should try to lose weight first by caloric reduction and exercise. If you’re unsuccessful, try liquid meals. Look at the label to be sure the product has a complete protein source. If the label lists skim milk or casein, or (if) the product is mixed with milk, you know it offers a complete protein with all the essential amino acids.

“Look too at the sugar content. The higher the sugar content, the hungrier you may be after drinking it.

“While using these meal replacements, be sure you get enough water, at least eight glasses a day, to aid digestion.

“You should drink these liquid meals no more than twice a day and then have a nutritious ‘real food’ meal--three ounces of protein such as chicken, a cooked vegetable, a salad, potatoes or bread and a glass of milk.

“Use liquid meals for two weeks at a time only. Then wait two weeks before going back on them if you need to. On liquid meals, women can probably lose two pounds a week and men three or four pounds a week. Exercise is still important.”