The Resolution Diet: Keeping the Promise of Permanent Weight Loss

"When you combine a change in behavior with the latest knowledge on nutrition and exercise, losing weight becomes an obtainable goal, instead of a wishful thought," promises David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. In The Resolution Diet, Heber blends the best knowledge from nutrition science and behavior science to design a simple, personalized approach to weight loss in a seven-step program:

• Getting ready to make the promise
• Eliminating the foods and thoughts that are keeping you from losing weight
• Taking charge of your food habits through meal replacements and portion-controlled foods
• Educating your palate
• Living the Resolution Diet
• Getting into the exercise and stress-reduction habit
• Keeping the promise

The book takes you through a process that's much like attending a weight-loss clinic. At the end of each chapter, a questionnaire (called a profile) helps you examine and overcome your challenges in that area. When you finish all the profiles, you know which areas you need to concentrate on, and you have the strategies and your own weight-loss plan. (One caveat: Heber's exercise recommendations are unnecessarily repetitive--e.g., seven sets of 12 reps per exercise in week number six. Supplement the nutritional and behavioral information in this book with a good, motivating book about exercise.) --Joan Price