Single on a Diet? How to Play it Smart :

Being single means never having to say you’re sorry -- about not preparing a big elaborate four-course meal. You can eat popcorn and ice cream for supper with abandon, munch away on cold pizza for breakfast and carelessly dine on a box of Oreo cookies dunked in milk.

Unless, of course, you want to lose weight and keep it off. In which case, it’s time to become wise to the meaning of “good carb,” “smart carb” and eating according to the glycemic index.

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No advanced degree in math is needed here. What all these terms mean is: Different carbs have different impacts on your body.Eating primarily smart carbs, which are low on the glycemic index , will help you to stay on a food plan. Why? Because you’ll feel satisfied with fewer calories.Recommendation: Buy and use a book that ranks foods according to the glycemic index. Those that rank less than 55 go on your “good carb” list. Those that rank higher than 55 belong on your “eat rarely” list.

For example, if you’re eating solo, it’s all too easy to decide to skip complicated meal preparation and snack your way through the evening. First course: those little caramel-flavored rice cakes, you decide, thinking they’re relatively low in calories. But low on the glycemic index? NOT. One serving ranks about 80 on the glycemic index, making it a very not-smart carb.

Instead, try enjoying a slice of avocado or low-fat cheese, because such foods have little or no carbs and thus are low on the glycemic index. Meat, poultry, fish and most vegetables also are low on the glycemic index, so you can accompany your cheese or avocado slice with a generous serving of steamed broccoli sprinkled with garlic-wine vinegar and herbs, topped off by slices of turkey breast.

Yes, Virginia, there is dessert on a smart-carb diet: Try a sliced fresh pear, with a few almonds.

Beyond the “what to eat” question, there’s the important topic of how to serve it. Just because you’re dining alone does NOT mean that you should stand up at the kitchen counter eating from containers or paper plates. Set the table for yourself -- heck, light a candle and use your most elegant silverware and plates.

Play classical music in the background, sit down and slowly savor the delicious meal that you have fixed for the one person in your life who most deserves your time and your love: you!

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