Fad diet books out, 'lifestyle' books in

Want to shed those pounds you gained over the holidays? Nutrition experts have a bit of advice: Don't go for the restrictive "fad" diets that guarantee quick weight loss.

Many people react drastically to their holiday overindulgence, said Sheila Kelly, director of product research and development at WeightWatchers.com, in New York. "They think, "I've feasted and now it's time to starve myself and get on some strict or unreasonable diet plan.'"

Instead, "the key is to look for a healthy lifestyle change," said Kimberly Glenn, coordinator of the weight reduction clinic at Northside Hospital, in Atlanta. "With a fad diet, you'll end up back where you started."

Rather than going for the latest fad -- such as a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet -- look for a diet book that shows you how to permanently change your lifestyle and eating habits, say the experts. Here are a few of their recommendations:

-- "Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success from People Who Have Lost Weight and Kept It Off," by Anne Fletcher and Jane Brody (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1995). "The authors have interviewed many people who have lost weight and found out their `tricks of the trade,'" said Cathy Nonas, administrative director of the VanItalie Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, in New York. Kelly praises the book for "focusing less on the diet mentality and more on setting measurable goals for yourself. It also goes into problem-solving, such as finding out what your pitfalls are and when you tend to overeat."

-- "Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss," by Dr. Howard Shapiro (Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa., 2000). "This book is about eating more nutrition-dense foods and fewer calorie-dense foods," said Glenn. For example, the book shows how a 10-ounce loaf of crusty bread is equal in calories to a tiny dish of Chex Mix. "It's gimmicky and fun, but it also may help you to visualize portions."

-- "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan," by Barbara Rolls and Robert Barnett (HarperCollins, New York, 2000). "The authors believe that if you like volume in your food, you should go for it in the areas that are the most nutritious and highest in fiber," said Nonas, noting that many of the high-volume foods turn out to be vegetables and fruit. "Fat or thin, Americans don't eat enough vegetables and don't have enough color in their diet."

-- "Save Your Child from the Fat Epidemic: 7 Steps Every Parent Can Take to Ensure Healthy, Fit Children for Life," by Gayle Povis Alleman (Prima Publishing, Roseville, Calif., 1999). The book discusses ways to help your child make good food choices, healthful things to eat at fast-food restaurants, and how to determine a child's risk of becoming obese. "The author knows her stuff," said Sharron Dalton, associate professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University. "And this book is very user-friendly for parents."

-- "Nutrition for Women: The Complete Guide," by Elizabeth Somer (Henry Holt, New York, 1995). "This book is easy to follow, and it includes a variety of diets, whether you're trying to lose weight or just interested in healthy eating," said Glenn. "It's not just saying, `Eat this and don't eat this.' It talks about how to set goals and how to make a change." The book also addresses diets for women with particular medical conditions.

Some experts, however, caution consumers away from diet books entirely. "Diets don't work, so there is no diet book I recommend," said Julie Miller Jones chair of the family, consumer and nutritional sciences department at the College of St. Catherine, in St. Paul, Minn., Instead, she suggests adopting the habits of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off -- including eating small meals frequently, eating 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 6 servings of bread and cereal daily, and watching portion size.