Hey Fans! Even though the summer season is coming to an end, it isn’t too late to get in shape and lose weight. If you are one of the 50 percent of women in the United States classified as petite – being 5’4″ or under – you may be facing some unique challenges when trying to lose weight that other women may or may not possess. In his new book “The Petite Advantage Diet” fitness expert Jim Karas attempts to help us petite women understand why regular diets don’t work for us. We no longer need to feel frustration wondering why our taller girlfriends are dropping the pounds more quickly than us! Here are 5 of the tips Jim Karas shares in his dieting book: 1) Allow Yourself to Indulge in Certain Carbs People forget that carbohydrates are not just breads and pasta, but items like fruits and vegetables too. Healthy carbs, especially those with high water content, are needed to help people stay full and lean in the midsection. 2) Keep Track of Your Calories Jim Karas estimates that women with petite frames who overeat – even by as few as 28 calories a day – will gain 30 pounds over the course of one decade! So for example: a 45-year-old woman who weighs 160 pounds and is 5’9,” can eat approximately 2,013 calories per day to maintain her weight. A petite, 5’3″ woman of the same weighing, 160 pounds, and same age, 45-years-old, would only be able to consume 1,973 per day without gaining weight. Look at it this way, if the petite woman were to take in those extra 40 calories per day, she’d gain 4.2 pounds of fat each year! And if you multiply that by 10, that would mean 42 pounds each decade, and an extra 128 pounds over the course of 30 years! So not fair! But that’s just Mother Nature, I suppose. 3) Eat High-Calorie Foods and High-Fat Foods Sparingly According to Jim Karas, petite women should watch out for three foods in particular when counting their calories: 1) olive oil, 2) avocado and 3) juice. Just one tablespoon of olive oil, for instance, contains 120 calories and is 100 percent fat. Therefore, Karas recommends using it sparingly, no more than one serving per day. Juice, meanwhile, has 25 percent more calories than soda and twice as many calories as liquid sports drinks, so petite women should watch their intake. Commercial juice products are also pasteurized, which kills valuable nutrients and vitamins. 4) Swap Your Meals Eaters in the U.S. typically start the day with their smallest meal, breakfast, and then work their way up to the largest, dinner. However, Jim Karas says that petite woman in particular should do just the opposite. To start off, he recommends flipping breakfast and lunch servings in order to better balance the day calorie-wise. 5) Skip the Treadmill and Pick Up the Weights Karas says cardio can actually cause petite women to gain weight. This is because it increases their appetites, and since their frames are small there isn’t as much “room” to store the food. Instead, petite women should focus on strength training. Strength training will fulfill their cardio needs while also increasing their caloric burn. This will enhance their posture by strengthening and flattening their core muscles. To purchase Jim Karas’ awesome book, please visit his website: http://www.jimkaras.com/ http://abcn.ws/uaA9Fz