​Darlene is 15 pounds heavier than the ideal (according to the Metropolitan Insurance Company charts), and she believes she should go on a diet to lose 15 pounds. Advise her as to what type of diet to choose and what type to avoid.

​A. Darlene should choose a program that:
1. Contains a variety of foods, so that she will not get bored with the diet.
2. Provides sufficient calories to produce a slow weight loss rather than a rapid one.
3. Is low in fat, contains sufficient protein for maintenance of muscle, and is sufficiently high in carbohydrates to provide energy.
4. Decreases portion size rather than eliminating a specific food or foods.
5. Includes exercise as well as changes in eating.
6. She can adapt to a permanent change in her eating patterns rather than a temporary change to produce weight loss.
B. Darlene should avoid diets that:
1. Are very low in carbohydrates and high in fat because these diets make poor lifelong diets.
2. Are high in sugar.
3. Consist of a single food because these diets are boring, difficult to continue, and nutritional disasters.
4. Rely on drugs to suppress her appetite.