13 Things Diet Experts Won’t Tell You About Weight Loss

“Good Morning America” is teaming up with Reader’s Digest on a special series, “13 Things Experts Won’t Tell You.” This month, Reader’s Digest unveils the secrets to weight loss, as outlined in the new book, “The Digest Diet,” a new, healthy-living plan that lists foods, exercises, and lifestyle tips that help you release fat fast.

1. You have to eat fat to beat fat.

While too much of the wrong fat (certain saturated fats in highly processed meats and trans fat found in some cookies and crackers) is bad for your health and waistline, a diet rich in the right fat — good unsaturated fats — can help both.

Good fats, like monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in olive oil, nuts, and avocados have proven to be powerful reducers of belly fat. Other sources of good fat are the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); found in fish and its oil, and in many nuts and seeds, PUFAs help release fat, too. A Dutch study found that consumption of PUFAs lead to a higher resting metabolic rate (the calories used just to live), as well as a greater DIT, or diet-induced calorie burn. PUFAs are also burned faster than saturated fats in the body.

What’s more, fats help you feel full—they have 9 calories per gram compared to 4 for protein or carbs. So a small nibble of something yummy, like a handful of nuts or some peanut butter on whole wheat crackers, can help you feel full for hours.

2. A daily dose of chocolate can trim your waistline.

If you’re like us, you welcome any new excuse to add more chocolate into your life. To release fat, here’s the trick: Go heavy on the cocoa and light on sugar. Cocoa contains more antioxidants than most foods and is good for so many things, including — when consumed in moderation — weight loss.

In a June 2011 study from the Journal of Nutrition, researchers looked at the effect that antioxidants found in cocoa had on obese diabetic mice. (Since a diabetic’s lifespan is, on average, seven years shorter, they were looking for any antiaging promise that increasing dietary intake of this flavonoid might give.) Their findings: The mice lived longer. The cocoa reduced degeneration of their aortic arteries, and it blunted fat deposition.

To add more cocoa into your diet, buy unsweetened cocoa and add it to shakes, coffee, and other recipes.

3. Dairy promotes weight loss.

Unfortunately some myths persist that dairy sabotages weight loss, but science proves this couldn’t be further from the truth. Research shows that those who have deficiencies in calcium hold a greater fat mass and experience less control of their appetite. What’s more, studies have found that dairy sources of calcium — like yogurt, low- or nonfat cheese, and milk in your diet — are markedly more effective in accelerating fat loss than other sources.

In one study out of the University of Tennessee, researchers showed that eating three servings of dairy daily significantly reduced body fat in obese subjects. If they restricted calories a bit while continuing with the same dairy servings, it accelerated fat and weight loss.

4. Losing weight early and fast is best.

Besides giving you a great psychological boost right out of the gate, losing weight quickly may also help you keep it off longer. To those of us who are used to hearing that slow and steady wins the race, this news is a little shocking and counterintuitive.

In a 2010 University of Florida study, when researchers analyzed data on 262 middle-aged women who were struggling with obesity, they demonstrated that shedding weight fast lead to larger overall weight loss and longer-term success in keeping it off.

5. Exercise alone is not an effective weight loss tool — you have to pair it with the right diet.

Thinking you can eat whatever you want in your diet as long as you work it off later is actually a pretty dangerous mind-set, particularly if you look at the current research. Exercise alone leads to a very modest decrease in total body weight: less than 3 percent!

I learned this lesson the hard way. From 1998 to 2006, I was the executive editor of Fitness magazine. Studying the fitness research and trying the trends were all part of my job. For years, I believed that I could eat anything I wanted because I was exercising so much. But the more I exercised, the hungrier I was. And the more I ate, the more I needed to exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Here’s what happened: I saw a steady increase in my body weight of a pound a year.

Diet and Weight loss with Bill & Sheila
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What diet will work for you?

You want to eat food you like. You want it to make you happy, or skinny or fit.

But when you go to the bookstore looking for guidance on the shelves, the choices are more overwhelming than the cholesterol report you just got back from your doctor.

And with a cycle of new diet books weighing in all the time, how do you know what’s healthy or what will even work for you?

“At the end of the day, you want to learn something, and you want to be able to take it with you for the long haul,” says Stephanie DiBacco, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition science at The Sage Colleges and an Albany, N.Y. -based registered dietitian. “Sometimes you relate to whoever’s on the cover, skinny girl or a fitness trainer, because you think that that’s your ideal goal or picture of health. You have to look beyond the cover and say, `Is this something that I would do every day or take parts of it every day?’ so that you’ve actually gained something from reading it.”

DiBacco says it’s important to look into the author’s credentials, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) has reviews of diet books on its website (http://www.eatright.org).

She also says there are a couple of red flags to consider when you’re flipping through the pages of the latest release. If a book is promising results within a set period of time — seven days, even 30 days — it’s not taking into account that cookie-cutter plans don’t work. People have different health concerns and varying circumstances.

And a plan that fits a person’s lifestyle is key to success, DiBacco says.

“You want to look and see if those recipes are things you like and are able to make,” DiBacco says. “As a general rule, most people don’t eat alone three meals a day, so it’s nice to be able to say, `If I made this for my partner, my friends, my family, everybody should enjoy it.’ ”

If the diet book doesn’t measure up, head to another aisle.

“I actually think cookbooks are better than diet books, because they just give you enough variety, and they do it in portions, and you get to pick what you like,” DiBacco says. “There’s no prescriptive about it.”

If you’re not interested in heading to the cookbook section, here’s the skinny on four hot new diet books.

“Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution”

Who did it?: Chris Powell, who serves as the fitness trainer on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition”

What’s the deal?: Encourages you to not only eat carbohydrates but use them to increase weekly weight loss. Based on the idea of switching between high-carb and low-carb days to create a fat-burning, metabolism-boosting cycle.

What’s the goal?: Losing weight. The book considers the body’s metabolism a furnace that needs to be stoked, and includes four rules for keeping that furnace burning: eat more often, eat carbohydrates, build muscle, move your muscles.

What’s in the book?: A BMI chart, an exercise program with step-by-step photographs, suggestions for easy foods on the go, a master grocery list, and trainer-type motivational words.

Is it for me?: If you want to work your glutes off and really like spaghetti — yes.

“The DASH Diet Action Plan”

Who did it?: Marla Heller, registered dietitian with a master’s in nutrition.

What’s the deal?: DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension,” which came out of research funded by the National Institutes of Health. The diet encourages people to eat all the things they’ve already been told they should: Lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy products, lean meats, fish, beans and nuts.

What’s the goal?: Lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers and getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

What’s in the book?: The book offers 28 days of meal plans, recipes and shopping tips.

Is it for me?: If you’re looking for a true, reasonable lifestyle change, this is gold (And it’s endorsed by the American Heart Association).

“The Happiness Diet”

Who did it?: Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey. Graham is a journalist specializing in health topics. Ramsey is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

What’s the deal?: The authors say that MAD — the Modern American Diet — is making us unhappy because it deprives the brain of important nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin B12, iron and vitamin D.

What’s the goal?: Eating more foods that make you happy. Truly happy, not Big Mac happy.

What’s in the book?: One hundred reasons to avoid processed foods, a guide on how to select, prepare and store produce, explanations on how certain nutrients are good for your brain and recipes for healthy meals.

Is it for me?: If you’re tired of sulking in a bag of potato chips, give it a try. It can’t make you feel any more blue, right? And a little magnesium doesn’t hurt.

“Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food”

Who did it?: Christine Avanti, a clinical and sports nutritionist, nutrition director and executive chef at Passages rehabilitation center in Malibu.

What’s the deal?: The book encourages ditching snack packs and low-calorie frozen entrees for whole foods and dinners foodies would appreciate. And it lets you have cheese, pasta and butter. Encourages readers to take a look at how much processed food they consume by keeping a “photo food journal,” and snapping pictures of what they’re about to eat.

What’s the goal?: Kicking processed foods out of your diet and staying fit while eating well.

What’s in the book?: Explanations of food labeling and daily suggested meal plans and recipes (with photos).

Is it for me?: If you are a want-to-be skinny chick who has time to make petite asparagus frittatas, give it a go. The recipes sound good, and it could be a match for dieters who like to cook.

Diet and Weight loss with Bill & Sheila
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Return from diet to Home Page

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Experimental diet drug keeps weight off for 2 years

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An experimental diet drug seems to help some obese people shed pounds, and keep them off for two years, researchers report.

The drug, which will be called Qnexa if it reaches the market, is a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine and the anti-seizure drug topiramate.

So far, it’s had a bumpy road to approval. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected Qnexa, citing safety concerns — including elevated heart rate in some users and the potential for birth defects if pregnant women used the drug.

But last month, the FDA accepted a new application from Qnexa maker Vivus Inc., which is now seeking approval for the drug to be marketed with a warning that it shouldn’t be used by women of childbearing age.

The new study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is an extension of an earlier clinical trial. That one found that Qnexa, added to lifestyle changes, helped obese adults lose more weight over one year, versus placebo pills.

The current study suggests that the benefit lasts for two years, according to researchers led by Dr. W. Timothy Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By the end of two years, the 449 men and women randomly assigned to take Qnexa had lost about 10 percent of their starting weight, on average.

That compared with a two percent decline among 227 people given a placebo.

Qnexa users also showed a decline in obesity-related health problems. On average, their blood sugar and insulin levels dipped, and they were less likely than placebo users to develop diabetes.

Almost four percent of the placebo group developed diabetes per year. By comparison, just under two percent of people on a lower Qnexa dose developed diabetes each year, as did one percent of those on a higher dose.

Whether the diet drug will actually become available is still up in the air.

Qnexa and two other weight-loss drugs — Arena Pharmaceuticals’ lorcaserin and Orexigen Therapeutics’ Contrave — were all rejected by the FDA in the past year over potential safety concerns.

All three companies, though, are still working on addressing the FDA’s concerns to try to win approval.

Drugmakers have struggled for years to develop weight-loss drugs that are both effective and safe.

Back in 1997, the infamous diet drug “fen-phen” was pulled from the market after reports of fatal heart-valve problems in some users. Another diet pill, Meridia, was pulled from the U.S. market last year after being linked to heart problems.

In this latest Qnexa trial, the most common side effects were upper respiratory infections, constipation, dry mouth and tingling sensations. Over two years, 3 percent of placebo users and about 4.5 percent of Qnexa users dropped out of the trial because of side effects.

For now, the drug options are few for obese people who fail to lose weight through diet changes and exercise alone.

The only drug approved for long-term use is orlistat (Xenical), which is also available as a lower-dose, over-the-counter version called Alli. But Xenical has its issues as well, including side effects of gas, uncontrolled bowel movements, and cases of serious liver problems.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/uqZTQe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online December 7, 2011.

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If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return from diet to Home Page

Recommended Reading

• dessert
• Kathy Abascal diet is aimed at wellness
• Western diet changes gut bacteria and triggers colitis in those at risk
• New Book The Hot Tub Diet: Get Out of the Gym, Into the Hot Tub, and Lose Weight
• After the Dukan, get the skinny on the OMG diet
• Diet blamed for cholesterol surge
• Diet starts tomorrow. Thanks, Michelle Obama.
• Diet Glasses, The New Way To Lose Weight?
• Regular soda, diet soda, zero-calorie soda: What's really safe?
• The diet dilemma
• Paleo diet followers love eating like cavemen, but health experts wary
• Google+1