Starting on a Lighter Note

All carbs are not created equal. The bad ones (chips, candy) are the ones with a high glycemic index (GI), that is, they are digested quickly. Good carbs (whole grains, legumes) are digested slowly, meaning that you eat less of them before you feel full. This diet from the best-selling Australian authors of The New Glucose Revolution incorporates good carbs with proper amounts of protein and fats. Their program includes meal plans (with 30 recipes), a sensible exercise regimen, and tips for keeping the weight off. An excellent choice for those who might otherwise abstain totally from carbohydrates.

That empty feeling—the munchies—is what sabotages so many weight-loss programs. Diethrich, founder of the Arizona Heart Institute, and nutrition expert Steinback have developed a diet rich in foods that promote satiety without overloading on empty calories. Lean proteins (i.e, beans, cheese), low-fat meats, fish, and tofu can be combined with high-fiber fruits, vegetables, and grains to make tasty, satisfying meals, even in small portions. The bulk of the book consists of recipes, along with weekly menu planers for both men and women.

Because most plans don't commonly change normal eating habits, many dieters find it hard to maintain weight loss permanently. Nutritionist Fleming advises starting small with simple lifestyle changes (drinking more water, throwing away the snack foods, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.) that will make a visible difference and motivate you to continue to do more.

Diet alone isn't enough for weight loss and improved health, but getting the benefits of exercise does not require a personal trainer or hours a day. Freytag, the fitness expert for ShopNBC, explains how to fit exercise into a hectic schedule, outlining a regimen of aerobics, strength training, and flexibility exercises that takes only ten minutes a day.

Trainer Greene helped Oprah stop her yo-yo cycle of dieting and finally keep off the weight she had lost. Here he presents a 12-week accelerated version of his best-selling Get with the Program! exercise plan, which can easily be used with such currently popular diets as Atkins, South Beach, and The Zone. Greene's focus is on motivation—a good thing given the advanced nature of the workouts. He does clearly explain what exercisers should be feeling if they are doing the routines correctly. Although this fitness program is pretty tough, especially for beginners, the book will probably be in demand.

Gullo's Institute for Health and Weight Sciences in New York City boasts a six months–long waiting list. His weight-loss plan involves recognizing the "trigger foods" that often cause a loss of eating control and learning to substitute healthier items. The three-step program starts with the 10-Day TurboCharge diet for people who want to lose a relatively small amount of weight in a short period of time; the second step is for those who have more weight to lose and who will stay on the diet longer. Weight loss maintenance is the focus of the final regimen.

Therapist Helmering and health writer Hales posits that most diet books aim for the wrong target—the stomach—when they should be working on the brain. Only by changing our mental attitudes can we successfully lose weight. Using an eclectic mix of established psychological approaches, including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Transactional Analysis, the authors help readers understand their own motivations and roadblocks and to work through them. No specific food or exercise programs are included.

Even the most motivated and disciplined dieter must sometimes venture into the dangerous world of fast food and restaurant eating. Nutritionist Jones has compiled an excellent directory of menu items (listing calories and net carbs) from 37 chain restaurants and drive-ins that are compatible with The Zone, South Beach, and similar 40-30-30 plans. Libraries, though, may balk at the tearout pages featuring the 7-Day Quick Start Program.

The Pump Energy Food restaurants in New York City have become a mecca for athletes, trainers, dancers, and dieters. This cookbook authored by the chain's founders features a variety of excellent recipes and sample menus for those who want to increase energy, lose weight, or build muscle mass. Relying heavily on grains and vegetables, but also using lean meats and poultry, these recipes allow for larger portions than usual. Nevertheless, the tasty dishes will also appeal to nondieters.

Sleeveless wedding gown? Honeymoon in a bikini? It can be done! Kleinberg, a certified personal trainer, means business. Requiring a PT ball, dumbbells, and resistance bands, these exercises are demanding, at Basic, Advanced, and Hard Core levels. Although there is a chapter on nutrition and several recipes, the book's main focus is on exercise. Several before-and-after pictures are sprinkled throughout, with tips from brides who've survived the course.

Like Fleming and Helmering (above), dietitian Krieger believes that slow and steady wins the best results. Each week of her plan calls for specific actions, from better breathing to incorporating play into your exercise routine. Recipes are interspersed throughout each chapter, along with a wide variety of nutritional information, and tips for cultivating mindfulness and building strength.

In 2000, fashion designer Lagerfeld decided to lose about 85 pounds and chose Parisian physician/nutritionist Houdret to oversee his diet. Lagerfeld reached his goal in 13 months. Houdret's Spoonlight Program concentrates on fish and fresh fruits and vegetables, prohibits red meat, and recommends nutritional supplements that may be difficult for U.S. readers to obtain. Houdret advises only moderate increases in daily physical activities, although Lagerfeld notes that he does light weight-lifting, walks on a treadmill, and dances to maintain muscle tone. A pullout dietary chart may be easily lost or stolen. This will be demanded by fashionistas longing to wear Lagerfeld's designs.

If obesity is a genetic disease (researchers found an "obesity gene" in 1994), then the external factors that trigger those genes are crucial to keeping weight at healthy levels. This means that those with the obesity gene can keep them from being activated by eating right and exercising well. Drawing on research from the Human Genome Project, the nutritionist authors help readers identify their own particular genetic programing, or phenotype (addictitve, blood pressure, cardiovascular, diabetic, emotional, or hormonal) and provides eating plans tailored to each one. Although the book is heavy on scientific explanations, its recipes and healthy food lists are good, and it includes an outstanding portion-control system.

Anyone contemplating a diet plan should read this! It separates the popular myths from the truth. Researching the work of numerous dieticians, MDs, and physiologists, popular fitness columnists Neporent (Shape magazine) and Schlosberg (iVillage) answer 239 common questions about fitness and weight loss. Each clearly written answer is annotated with the reference to the relevant publications.

Halle Berry and Orlando Bloom are among trainer Pasternak's Hollywood clientele. He favors the short, intense workout, claiming that longer sessions can tax the immune system, and he varies the number of reps and sets to keep exercisers from getting bored. His five phases of exercise begin with a cardio warmup followed by two phases of strength training and a phase concentrating on the core muscles. The final section is a cardio workout that descends into the cool-down. A five-week plan runs about 25 minutes a day.

Similar in approach to Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg's The Fat-Free Truth (above), this title examines common misconceptions that can sabotage a weight-loss program. Going into greater scientific detail than Neoporent and Schlosberg in explaining diet myths, Rippe (medicine, Tufts Univ. Sch. of Medicine) also incorporates many of the Weight Watchers® principles into his comments.

Women's health expert Savard explains how the fat distribution makes apple-shaped bodies more susceptible to disease than "pears." Weight that is carried above the waist tends to be deposited inside the body, rather than just under the skin as it is below the waist. Visceral fat (within the torso) affects the functioning of heart, lungs, liver, and pancreas, leading to insulin-resistance (type 2) diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease. The bad news is that pear-shaped women can become apples after menopause. The good news is that it is easier to shed pounds from the midsection than from the hips and thighs. Sensible nutrition is vital, and Savard presents diet programs specially tailored to each shape.

Endocrinologist Schwarzbein's The Schwarzbein Principle detailed her idea of balancing metabolism to re-energize the immune system. Here she lays out a step-by-step program for integrating her system into daily living, using healthy foods, stress reduction, vitamin supplements, and the exercise trinity of aerobics, strength training, and flexibility. The popularity of the first book insures that there will be demand for this one, the third in a series.

This four-week plan is based on boosting the metabolic rate. Although Shilstone identifies various foods as being able to "burn fat," a misleading concept, still the diet, recipes, and exercise plans are reasonable and not dangerous in any way. The author of Lose Your Love Handles and Maximum Energy for Life, Shilstone has worked with heavyweight champions Michael Spinks and Roy Jones Jr. This guide, although it includes a diet for women, will appeal primarily to men.

If all the above makes you long for a potato chip and mayonnaise sandwich, you'll find the recipe here! This spoof of The South Beach Diet is a total hoot.