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Q1. Why do you feel your book is needed?
A1. When I was a teen, living on a farm, I told my parents that I would never let myself get fat, and they laughed. In my forties, I managed to get about 30 pounds overweight, which showed up in a big gut and high cholesterol. Strict diet worked, but was no fun. Along the way, I developed an interest in Asian foods, and learned that such meals tended to more vegetables, less meats, more soy foods than typical of "Western" diets. I later learned that such Asian diets tended to produce far lower rates of many scary diseases than typical of North America and Europe. My book is the advice I wish someone had given me decades ago.
Q2. You seem to have a thing about "fat burners". Why?
A2. I suspect that "fat burners" were invented by some seller of magic pills or snake oil medicine for weight loss. The only problem is that they don't exist, so no special nostrums can turn them up. Yet, even some physicians and nutritionists peddle advice to "turn up your fat burners". Yeah, I "have a thing" about fraud, lies, stupidity.
Q3. What do you have to say about other diet guides?
A3. Many popular diets are far too elaborate, and detract from real cause and effect issues. All diets that work to reduce weight MUST follow one simple principal.
"If calories burned are more / less than calories ingested, weight will be lost / gained. Physics can NOT be turned off."
It does not matter if caloric intake comes from carbohydrates, fats, alcohol, meats, cookies, French cuisine, pickled pig knuckles, or any thing else. The "kiss" approach says "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Of course, if you want to eat fewer calories, you should avoid high energy foods, which have fats, sugars, and alcohol at the top of the list.
Q4. Do you feel exercise is essential for weight control.
A4. Of course not. Any starving person proves that. But even moderate exercise helps stimulate the body in ways that reduce risks of common scary diseases. I spend an entire section on that topic in my exercise book. I was amazed to find that general exercise helps prevent specific organ cancers for which there is no obvious relationship. For example, regular walking reduces the rate of breast cancer.
Q5. What do you tell people who are afraid of diet discipline?
A5. If you are overweight, you almost certainly must make some changes in your eating patterns to permanently fix it. But there is absolutely no reason for your menus to be dull, tasteless, or to allow hunger. Pick your food types wisely, restrict addition of dairy fats and margarines, and eat as much as you want. A little secret is that fat prevents hunger easier than high protein foods, but it does not take much, and it can come from nuts, grains, and other plant sources that have only un-saturated fats.
Q6. What about "hidden fats"?
A6. Read the food labels, or research the library or internet. Recognize that liquid oils are also fats. For many people, one of the highest sources of fats is salad dressings. Thus, many dieters are not dieting.
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