Major U.S. Industry

Weight loss publishing is a $1.3 billion a year U.S. industry. This should tell you that you would not have the tiniest of troubles finding books on the subject.

Bookstores have giant sections for diet and weight loss; magazine and newspaper ads sell them mercilessly; there are probably thousands of websites devoted to the subject, each promoting some book or system or other. Attend a book fair, toss a tennis ball in any direction, and chances are it will hit a new diet book book representative, and bounce onto another.

The words “densely populated” come to mind. And the problem, of course, is how to choose the book that is right for you.

The Shortest Book

The shortest (and truest) diet book would read (in its entirety):

Burn more calories than you consume. The End.

An expanded edition may carry this appendix:

The First Law of Thermodynamics

The increase in the internal energy of a system is equal to the amount of energy added by heating the system, minus the amount lost as a result of the work done by the system on its surroundings.

Which in plain language says that you provide heat (calories) to your system (body) through food, you lose energy (calories) by work done. If you add more heat to the system than you lose as a result of work, you increase the internal “energy” which the body stores for future use, usually as fat. If your body uses more energy than it consume, you will burn these stores, and lose weight.

But even this expanded version would be too short; people would not want to pay $25 a copy.

Fad Books

Knowing that the only law at work in weight loss is the First Law of Thermodynamics, and knowing that you can’t sell that over and over, and certainly not for $25 each time, there’s an army of devoted “diet specialists” of varying degrees of authenticity out there working very hard devising new angles and renditions of the same subject.

Hence the string of fads diets that seem to mushroom whenever you turn around: “Cabbage Soup Diet,” “The Lazy Zone Diet,” “The South Beach Diet,” “The Chocolate Diet,” “Atkins Diet,” “Scarsdale Diet Plan,” “Amputation Diet,” “The 3 Day Diet,” “7 Day All You Can Eat Diet,” “Lemonade Diet,” “The Hollywood Diet,” “Russian Air Force Diet,” “Grape Fruit Diet,” and on and on and on ad infinitum.

I think that many of these fads are taken to heart by people who need new topics of conversation more than anything else. And it also strikes me that people as a rule seem to dislike simple, and seem to like—if not demand—complicated. Fad books meet that demand by tending to make the simple subject of weight loss complicated.

Intention

So, in this sea of books and systems, how do you tell the good (really wanting to help) book from the bad (just out to make a quick million bucks)? Ultimately, no one but you can answer that question, but whatever answer you arrive at, you should base it on the author’s intention.

With your BS antennae fully extended and finely tuned, read the sleeves and introduction of the book to get a sense of where the writer is coming from. Does smugness and self-importance seem to be a big thing with this person, or is he or she just too darn slick or smooth for comfort?

Be aware that some variations on the First Law of Thermodynamics are definitely more equal than others.

Variations that tell you how easy and painless it is to shed a hundred or so pounds are not being honest. Put the book back. Variations that offers money back guarantees every second or so paragraph are probably selling snake oil. Variations that tell you that you don’t actually have to cut your calories, it’s all in your head, or that you don’t have to exercise, it’s still all in your head, should have to write the First Law of Thermodynamics a hundred thousand times on the blackboard. Put the book back.

Honesty

Books that point out the first (and only) principle of weight loss: Burn more calories than you consume, are starting out right. And if they go on to tell you that this is not going to be easy, and that you will have to really commit to this and probably work your butt off to get somewhere, now you are dealing with someone honest. Give this book due consideration.

And if you get the sense that this writer truly has your best interests at heart (without causing as much as a ripple in your BS antennae); give him or her due consideration.

Pudding Proof

Of course, the proverbial proof is in the pudding. If the book or system you have chosen leads toward your goal, week after week, month after month, and you feel better and better, lither and lither, happier and happier: well done, you have made a good choice.

The multiTRIM Diet

All diet plans—except for the outright fraudulent ones, and be warned: they abound—have only one goal: for you to burn more calories than you consume.

Possibly the most sensible plan we have seen in recent years is the multiTRIM diet which supplies all needed nutrients to maintain health while easing hunger in a fifteen calories meal-replacement drink.

A multiTRIM Journal

A friend recently set out to shed 143 pounds over 18 months with the help of the multiTRIM diet. The blog-record of her journey can be found here.

This article gives pertinent information about Dukan Diet and its side-effects

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Pierre Dukan, a French doctor and nutritionist, challenged with the case of obesity started to look for alternative ways in curing the illness. After 20 years of thorough research he published in the year 2000, a book called, “Je ne sais pas maigrir” or translated as, “I don’t know how to get slimmer.” It gained the best-seller in France after a year it has been published.
It was made a hit in UK when Kate Middleton, now the duchess of Cambridge, tried the Dukan Diet before her marriage to the beloved Prince William, she reportedly claimed a loss of two dress sizes. It also allegedly claimed to help five million French. The book is also gaining fame in the US in the year 2011 when actress/singer, Jennifer Lopez, lost pounds after her pregnancy by following this diet.
Dukan Diet: What is it? How does this work?
Dukan Diet is similar to the famous Atkins diet. Atkins and Dukan are much alike in terms of non-intake of carbs initially and do not require portion control or counting calorie consumptions. In Atkins, it requires net carbohydrate intakes and unlike Dukan, it suggests a daily intake of oats, increase water consumption and 20 minutes of everyday brisk walking. Dukan Diet adopts four phases namely: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization.
Four Phases of the Dukan Diet
Attack: In this starter phase, the dieter is only allowed take protein rich foods that are exquisitely low in fat. Dr. Dukan provided 72-item list of foods to be eaten, it excludes pork, lamb, poultry products and cheeses. Food should always be cooked but without adding any fat to it, it best to cook in grilling or roasting. It also requires you to eat 1 ½ tbsp. oat bran & 1.5 liters of water per day. This phase should be followed around 2-7 days or more. Results from this initial phase within 5 days may result in 4-7 lbs. loss. This phase promotes quick loss of weight since it is strictly based on a protein-only diet.
Cruise: Cruise, the second to the fourth phase of the Dukan diet scheme. During this phase dieters who were only allowed to eat protein-only foods can now alternate a 28-items of non-starchy vegetables. They may take attack phase diet for today and take non-starchy veggie diet for tomorrow, and so this phase must go on by alternating these two types of diet each day. This phase may last long enough as much as you want by reaching your desired weight and assuring 2 pounds per week loss.
Consolidation: As one achieves the desired weight, one has to go the next phase called Consolidation, this is the maintenance phase of this diet scheme where you have to prevent putting back excess pounds. The plan in this phase is less strict compared to the first two phases. During this phase you are permitted to eat protein-only and veggie diet along with a piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole grain bread and a portion of hard cheese. In this phase you are allowed to have 1-2 serving of starchy foods and one celebration meal per week. The phase of consolidation does not expect to loss off pounds but rather it is steadily the maintenance process.
Stabilization: Stabilization is the final phase and a life-long phase of the diet scheme. In here maintenance of the life-changing diet may be a challenging and tempting. During this portion of the scheme, one is already permitted to allow any food intake that a person wants and by also sticking to the diet rule in the consolidation phase. As Pierre Dukan suggest, that staying on the phase 1 rule once a week and eat whatever you like for the rest of the week lowers the chances of regaining weight.
Pros and Cons of Dukan Diet
Pros: The fast results of this diet scheme is beneficially rewarding and motivating. It allows you to have protein and veggie meal plan diets and does not require you to count off your calorie intakes.
Cons: It is highly restrictive and can exclude healthy foods. Dieters can experience side-effects such as symptoms of headaches, nausea, lethargy, irritable and loss of concentration. Dieters may acquire halitosis (bad breath), metallic tasting mouth and strong smell in their urines. For those people who have problems with their kidneys and liver are not advised to follow this diet plan. It is not also recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Views and Opinions by Health Experts on the Dukan Diet
There are lots of critics in this diet plan. Due to the restrictive type scheme of this diet, some fruits, grains and nuts which are healthy and have high amounts of vitamins and minerals that are vital to the nutrition of the body are eliminated. Keri Gans of American Dietetic Association, said that the lost amount of multivitamins that should be acquired from those restricted foods are not compensated in the Dukan diet. Experts have also criticized that experiencing such side-effects may not be healthy at all.

If several meal sizes are available, always pick the smallest one. A hamburger and three beef patties have seventy grams of fat and about 1,000 calories while a children`s size hamburger lets you eat only about 300 calories. You are better off choosing the children’s size hamburger.

You may save about 300 calories if you give up the regular French fries or onion rings portion size, and take smaller portions. Or, instead of French fries, chose a baked potato or a salad with low-fat dressing. Other healthy choices at fast food restaurants include fruits, yogurt, steamed rice, apple or orange slices, baked potato chips, or corn.

Don`t avoid vegetables at fast foods. You may have an entrée salad with chicken, shrimp or garden vegetables with low-fat dressing. This choice may help you save 300 calories per packet. Avoid as much as possible salads with deep-fried shells, cheese, croutons, fried chips, bacon bits, or breaded chicken.

On the other hand, you may have grilled or roasted turkey or chicken breast, lean roast beef, or lean ham. Always ask for reduced-fat mayonnaise for your sandwich. If you`re at a Mexican fast food restaurant, ask for salsa instead of nacho cheese sauce or shredded cheese. Avoid tartar sauce, high-calorie condiments, special dressings, and sour cream. To read the rest of this article, go to Project Weight Loss, an online weight loss community featuring calorie counter, carbs counter, BMI calculator, diet planner, workout planner and other weight loss tools. (c) Project Weight Loss 2007. All rights reserved.