Books & Tools

The No S Diet by Reinhard Engels (2008) is a book worth reading, even if it is to merely access the wisdom, common sense, and Habit concepts of the author, Reinhard Engels, a software engineer who created it for himself and lost 40 pounds.  His diet has just three rules and one exception:  No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds,  Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S" (Saturday, Sunday and Special Days).



The Secret Life of Fat, the Science Behind the Body’s Least Understood Organ and What it Means for You. by Sylvia Tara, PhD (2017)
This is a book about how fat works, about understanding body fat - specifically, its role, why it is so difficult to fight, and how it works differently for different people. Beginning with the question “Why is it easier for some people to stay thin than others?”  Biochemist, Sylvia Tara, investigates the biology of fat and its vital purposes in the body, from reproduction to immunity. Then she examines the genetic, dietary, and other types of influences on body fat.

The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating by Anthony Warner (2017)  This brilliant book is an investigation of bad science in the food world.  It is full of forceful, amusing, and convincing information which explodes the “theories” of ‘health and wellness bloggers’  by the application of rock solid science. Warner shows the faulty reasoning which pervades the healthy eating industry.  This is a thoughtful, scientifically researched and referenced work on healthy eating, which is also an entertaining read.

Body of Truth: How Science, History, and Culture Drive Our Obsession with Weight — and What We Can Do about it, by Harriet Brown (2015)  Body of Truth is an inspired and inspiring, well-researched book about our cultural obsession with weight, our fetishization of thinness, and our demonization of fat. It is a compelling read which will make us think more deeply about the attitudes we have about our bodies and our health.

Diet Fix by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, MD (2014) promotes a sane, compassionate approach to getting a grip on food and weight. He points out that 90% of all diets end in failure and addresses how to fix the way we lose weight to make results last.  Dr. Freedhoff, says, "at the end of the day if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing weight, you're virtually certain to gain it back." This book doesn't push or demonize any food group and provides a step-by-step process for a frustrated person trying to lose weight and keep it off in a healthy manner.


Why Diets Make Us Fat: The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession With Weight Loss by Sandra Aamodt PhD (2016). The author, a neuroscientist and proponent of mindful eating, discusses scientific research on weight and health.  Her central argument is that our body weight tends to settle at "set points" — that 10- to 15-pound range the brain maintains despite repeated efforts to lower it. Once people see how the set-point theory reflects their dieting experience, they realize that although they don't have the final say on their weight (their brain does), they do have real influence — through exercise and other health-affirming activities — over their health and well-being.

The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung MD (2016) provides a sensible, well-researched, well-reasoned explanation of Obesity as a hormonal disease, with insulin resistance as a core underlying cause, and how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance to reach and maintain a healthy weight.   Dr. Fung’s position is that while Calories-In /Calories-Out is the PROXIMATE cause of obesity, the ULTIMATE cause of obesity is due to hormonal imbalance.

 
Secrets From the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again by Traci Mann PhD  (2015). An expose of the dieting industry from one of the nation’s leading researchers in self-control and the psychology of weight loss that offers strategies for sustainable weight loss. The author is a professor at the University of Minnesota where she researches self-control and dieting.  Her research indicates that not only do diets not work; they often result in weight gain. We lose the battle of the bulge because our bodies and brains are not hardwired to resist food—the very idea of it works against our biological imperative to survive.

The Simple Diet by Dr. James Anderson MD (2011),  is a replacement meal plan, in which one eats only shakes and packaged entrees of one’s choice, together with any type of fruit (except dried) and/or any type of vegetable prepared without butter or additional fat.The diet relies on frozen entrees and diet shake mixes … plus fruits and vegetables. The daily plan is to eat only 3 protein shakes … either a ready-made brand or protein powder mixed with water (soup also qualifies as a shake), 2 packaged frozen entrees, and 5 or more fruits or vegetables a day.

Brain over Binge by Karen Heidebrech (2011), gives an informative scientific perspective on binge eating as well as an interesting personal account. Instead of viewing bingeing as a symptom of complex psychological problems, Heidebrech explains why traditional eating disorder therapy often fails. She explains how she came to understand her bingeing was a function of her brain, and how she used the power of her brain to recover.  Brain Over Binge gives an alternative method of “eating disorder” recovery. The author uses principles of contemporary neuroscience to explain the traps of disordered eating, and how she herself has found recovery from her own binge behavior.

Health at Every Size  by Linda Bacon, PhD (2010), is about loving and accepting your body as it is right now. Long-term dieting/weight-loss is hard to achieve and maintain, and Health is not necessarily improved by it.The book is well-researched, and contains good information on what makes the body's set point rise. The difference between HAES and other intuitive eating books is that it discusses the body's self-regulating system and how the body will always work to maintain its current weight, thus weight-regain after weight-loss. This puts into perspective the reason why weight-loss doesn't necessarily happen as a result of healthy eating, and drives the point home that being slim will never happen for most obese people.

Thou Shalt Not Eat: How Diet Gurus and the Media Use Bad Science to Make You Fat, Fearful, and Coming Back for More by Scott Kustes (2015) is a well written, positive, and mildly amusing overview of how we are led to think in various ways, by various gurus, in the different types of diet tribes.  This book is a good look at some of the logical fallacies that are used to support fad diets, detoxes and other nutritional fantasies. It makes sense of the diet information on the internet, and it could actually be directed at any kind of belief system we might hold.


Ditching Diets: How to lose weight in a way you can maintain by Gillian Riley (2013) contains advice of the author, who is an addiction counselor in the UK. It disagrees with the conventional Intuitive Eating advice ‘to eat when hungry and stop when full’. She uses the three core issues of Choice, Motivation and Temptation to introduce a way of different thinking about eating food and losing weight.

  Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It by GaryTaubes (2011) is an updated summary of Good Calories Bad Calories, but much quicker and easier to read, with some significant points clarified. His hypothesis is that Insulin is the hormanal cause of obesity and recommends a Low Carbohydrate diet. 

 Eat Stop Eat is an e-book by Brad Pilon, BodyBuilder (first self-published in 2007), on a 24-hr intermittent fasting plan for weight-loss and maintenance.

The Fast-5 Diet by Burt W. Herring MD (2005). An intermittent fasting plan which consists of restricting all eating to a daily 5 hour window of time. Dr. Herring’s position is that a daily 19 hour fast provides the ability to manage hunger, and helps bring insulin and other hormones under control. It is also available as a free e-book by registering at Fast-5

The QOD Diet: Eating Well Every Other Day by Dr. John T. Daugirdas, MD (2006). QOD stands for quaqua (Latin for "every") other day. The diet calls for the dieter to eat regularly one day while doing a semi-fast of 300-400 calories the next. 

                            
The Alternate Day Diet by James B. Johnson, MD (2008, 2013), Dr. Johnson is a retired instructor in plastic surgery.  The diet calls for alternate day calorie restriction, and is commonly known on the internet as JUDDD…”Johnson's Up Day Down Day Diet”




The Every-Other-Day Diet: The Diet That Lets You Eat All You Want (Half the Time) and Keep the Weight Off by Krista Varady PhD (2013). The EOD diet is an alternate day intermittent fasting diet plan in which one eats 25% of their normal maintenance food intake on one day, and 100% to 110% of their normal maintenance food intake on the following day…repeatedly. The author is an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, who has conducted many scientific studies on EOD eating, involving hundreds of people, with results published in top medical journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Obesity. 

The Secrets of Skinny Chicks by Karen Bridson (2010). The author is an award-winning women's health journalist who profiles 25 svelte women--including models, actors, athletes and regular folks--to reveal exactly what it is each one does to look so great. These women share with you their tips for planning menus, exercising, and staying motivated as well as advice on boosting metabolism.



Snack yourself Slim by Richard Warburg and Tessa Lorant (2008) is a diet book based on the premise of having tiny snacks every hour instead of meals. Success would depend on whether constant snacking and zero meals will work in as part of one's lifestyle, and if one is able to limit oneself to eating only very tiny amounts.

I've used DietPower for about twelve years, and plan to continue doing so. The computer software tool centers around a daily food journal that can be used with any diet or non-diet.

I track my food and weight in DietPower, which gives me instant information about my nutritional intake, including calories, as well as my weight progress. This takes a minimum of about 5 minutes a day.

DietPower has its own food dictionary, and individual foods can easily be added via label information. It also has a recipe section, to which you can add your own recipes...which allows for ease in future tracking.  It has charts and graphs and other features that are fun to play with, and I've found many uses for my personal DietPower data. I especially like the fact that my records are all stored on my own personal computer and not online at some location outside my control.