Summary

Get the real skinny on fat. When it comes to losing weight, the false beliefs most of us cling to could fill a book - this one! As a medical doctor, medical journalist, and veteran of the diet wars, Nancy L. Snyderman knows better than almost anyone what really works and what sabotages your best efforts to shed pounds and keep them off. Do you believe any of these prevalent diet myths? Your weight is your fault. Dieting is a waste of time since most dieters regain their weight before long. Carbs are bad for you. Carbs are good for you. Calories don't count, it's the kind of food you eat that's the problem. Fat is fat, it doesn't matter where on your body you carry it. Diet drugs and surgeries are a magic bullet. In Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat, Dr. Snyderman reveals exactly why these and other bogus ideas get in the way of what should be the simple and even joyful endeavor of reaching and maintaining your ideal weight. In their place, she reveals 101 surprising truths - muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, you can eat after 8 p.m. and not gain weight, you can eat dessert for dinner when on a diet, and 98 more. But here's the best news: Slimming down and getting healthier doesn't have to be about deprivation or superhuman feats of willpower. Instead, you will enjoy a new relationship with food - including those treats you love the most - while feeling fabulous inside and out. So forget the fad diets that work great . . . until they don't, along with the negative emotions associated with everything from bathroom scales to full-length mirrors. Most of all, forget all the myths and remember what's true: You can do this and you'll never regret it for a minute. From the Hardcover edition.

Author Biography

NANCY L. SNYDERMAN, M.D., F.A.C.S., is the chief medical editor for NBC News and reports for Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and MSNBC. She also has an academic appointment in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining NBC News, Dr. Snyderman served as a medical correspondent for ABC News, then spearheaded a digital project at Johnson & Johnson. She has received numerous broadcasting awards and grants from the American Cancer Society and the Kellogg Foundation. Dr. Snyderman lives on the East Coast with her family. She is passionate about horses, travel, and hiking.

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Excerpts

Introduction

Very few of us are ever entirely happy with our weight,
and I hate the feeling of putting on a few extra pounds.
But I’ve found some healthy and acceptable ways to get
down to a healthy weight– things that really work. If
you’re like I once was– tired of going on and off diets
and up and down in weight– I’m going to help you get
and stay naturally fit while eating anything you want,
not depriving yourself, and appreciating the wonderful
body you have.

How can I make such claims? I am a veteran of the diet
wars, a doctor, and a reporter. Between medical school,
my internship, and my residency, getting pregnant for the
first time in my thirties and the second time in my forties,
and doing live television, I’ve done it all: I’ve starved
myself, and I’ve pigged out; I’ve binged, dieted, skipped
meals, and lived to tell about it.

I subsisted on vanilla wafers and black coffee while
serving my residency in pediatrics. I relied on graham
crackers and peanut butter during my surgical training.
I’ve been on liquid diets and protein diets– one week
this diet, the next week that diet. I’ve exercised in sauna
suits, and I’ve dieted on carrot sticks. There are times
when I spent so much time poking my head in the fridge
that my nose got frostbite. Add what ever you’ve done to
this list, and I would understand. But finally, whendiet
became a four- letter word to me, I said, Enough is enough.
I started making friends with food.

So now I have an easy rule. I regard food as fuel. I eat
foods I like– even some things that might not be so good
for me. As a result, I find it easier to lose weight– I just eat
a bit less and exercise a bit more and it falls off. I’m not
a member of a health club– it’s just not my thing. I prefer
walking, hiking, or biking outdoors to keep fit. I watch my
weight, but I’m not obsessive about it. And I wouldn’t
deny myself something I really wanted. Every week, I
try to enjoy something from each of my four favorite food
groups: the chocolate group, the ice- cream group, the
pizza group, and the chips group. But most of the time, I
choose healthy foods. Do I have a perfect body? Far from
it– but I know I’m healthy.

Making friends with food, with diets, and with your
body isn’t easy. And a big reason is that most of us have
been following certain “rules” for losing weight all our
lives. These rules come and go. We are fascinated by
them; we follow them. We throw out everything we’re
doing and embrace the latest rule. If it doesn’t work,
we blame ourselves for messing up. The truth is that
these rules are largely “myths,” misinformation that is
often considered to be true. Nutrition is a fairly new science
and it’s pretty boring stuff unless you are a dietitian.
But the most important thing we all need to
remember is it is always changing. That constant change
generates loads of myths, many of which I’ll explode in
this book– myths like calories don’t count, carbs are bad,
and you can’t keep pounds off.

How do such myths start, and why do they continue?
Some myths are holdovers from our mothers and grandmothers,
such as “Bread crusts will make your hair
curly,” or “Gum takes seven years to pass through the digestive
system.” Others come from fad- diet promoters
who use only part of accurate nutrition statements but
don’t tell you the whole story. Most are interested in
making a buck, not in helping you lose weight or keep it
off. Other times, the media report news based on incomplete
research or the half- truths these diet promoters
pr

Excerpted from Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat: And the 101 Truths That Will Save Your Waistline--And Maybe Even Your Life by Nancy L. Snyderman
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