Book On Weight Loss- You: On A Diet

Weight around the belly is dangerous for the heart- it is a fact well known. The more the waistline, the more harmful it is. You: On a Diet seeks to emphasize more on waist management than sheer weight. It is a book written by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen, regular guests on the Oprah show. They urge you to rely on the measuring tape and dump the weighing scale.

The book tries to dispel several false notions about weight loss and teach new techniques for better management. Appetite, say the authors, is not governed just by will power but by the general chemistry of the body. They explain the chemical processes in simplified terms so that the dieters get a better understanding of why they need to eat particular foods and avoid some others. Dieters on the plan lose two inches off the waist in two weeks.

The diet
Eating less is not recommended; the plan is to eat three meals and three small snacks at regular intervals. This boosts metabolism and the results last longer. But, nothing should be eaten within three hours of bedtime. Desserts can be taken only on alternate days.

Foods allowed on the diet are whole grains, lean cuts of meat, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Refined carbs, white flour and sugar are out. This helps eliminate craving for unhealthy foods. The book lists foods rich in fiber and whole grain carbs to give the feeling of fullness.

The list of allowed foods is small, as the authors think that too much variety increases appetite. The diet plan is designed to control splurging and overeating.

The authors suggest eating out of the following list in cases of hunger pangs:
Dried fruits, apples, uncooked vegetables, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese and soup.

Supplements
One multivitamin pill, two grams of fish oil and half a teaspoon of cinnamon is recommended per day. The supplements help guard against nutritional inadequacies.

Exercise
The authors recommend 30 minutes of brisk walking each day. If difficult to do at a stretch, dieters are allowed to do it in intervals. They also recommend five minutes of stretching exercises and 20 minutes of strength training, three times a week. The book illustrates how strength training can be done without equipment.

Positives
* Scientific theories are broken down for easy understanding.
* Helps reduce waistline and therefore the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
* Encourages healthy eating- no starvation.
* Boosts metabolic rate by encouraging daily exercise.
* No calorie counting.

Negatives
* Lesser variety in foods.
* The supplements reduce appetite.

Weight Loss Book Review- Eat This, Not That

Editors David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, chief honchos of Men’s Health, have brought out a book called Eat This, Not That, that lines up everything on the menu in restaurants and groceries for scrutiny. Most of us are not quite sure of the calories in the foodstuffs we buy, and this book surgically lays them bare.

How the book helps?
Eat This, Not That is a handy book that can be taken along while shopping for food or eating out. It is full of facts regarding calories, fats, carbohydrates, sodium and sugar to help choose better among the vast options available. Calories are singled out as the most important of factors responsible for weight gain, and are dealt with in detail.

The colorful book is designed in a well-ordered way for quick reference. On the left side of the page are the “Eat This” foods and on the right side are the “Not That” foods. All of the foodstuffs that an average American eats are covered in the book. There is place for every junk food and prepackaged food that you get at supermarkets.

All the major restaurants come under the scanner and are rated according to the nutritional qualities of the food they offer. Several tips are provided to search the best that each restaurant offers. The authors have rated every restaurant from A plus to D minus. Several restaurants are shamed by the authors for not listing the nutrition facts. In fact, many of them have promptly put up the list after the exposé.

The book is good-humored and lists 20 “weapons of mass destruction”. Foods on the chart are those with excessive amounts of fats, sodium and of course calories. The “super eight” foods that are the most beneficial to health are black beans, blueberry, carrot, oats, spinach, tomato, walnut and yogurt.

Benefits
The book advises on how to choose foods that are more in nutrition and less in calories. It is not a very “obvious” thing to know about nutrition facts of all food items. The book helps identify each one of them. Better choices can be made with better knowledge. The right choices will reward you with several hundreds of calorie loss.

Negatives
However, the book tends to mislead people by claiming that their plan spot-reduces belly fat, which is absurd. No diet can target specific areas of the body, because it simply has no connection. It is the overall metabolism of the body that decides where to remove fat from. And, belly fat is almost always the first to go. Another negative of the book is that no exercise plan is specified.