How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss

I've read a ton of diet books, and this is the best — I suspect, the only one I'll ever need again. Simply fascinating front to back, and it appeals to the skeptic in me with the author's frequent refrain to "put it to the test," to examine weight-loss claims through randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.Consider programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers when actually studied — they lead to about 3 to 6 pounds on average lost after 2 years, 93 percent of participants dropping out by the end of one year. Participants spend about $200 per pound lost.And the keto diet — you'll never want to try this after reading the book. An institute created with $40 million to study and promote the diet found that keto proponents' claims were false — those on the keto diet end up retaining more fat in their bodies — so the institute ended up closing.The studies on gastric bypass and other surgical procedures to lose weight are also alarming. Most people who undertake them end up still obese because they just learn to game the system — eating lots of tiny meals of junk food or putting chocolate bars in blenders.I’ve changed numerous habits based on findings that have been put to the test — and have continued to do them every day for 4 months while I finished the book. (It's a huge book!) For example, the biggest meals of the day are now breakfast and lunch with only a salad for dinner — the same foods essentially have more calories based on the time of day you eat them because of the body's circadian rhythms.I highly recommend getting both audio and text versions of the book. I would've never finished it just reading it. It's not only big but filled with lots of studies, numbers, and chemical compounds — but these were easy to digest thanks to the author's "Drunken Capt. Kirk" reading of the material. Absolutely loved it.In short, the way to lose weight is not to decrease the quantity of food but to increase its quality. Cut out sugar (especially sugary drinks) and processed foods, decrease or eliminate dairy and meat, and increase whole plant foods. Some unexpected tidbits: exercise does not help with weight loss generally, diet sodas are linked to overeating, and beans are one of the best foods for maintaining a healthy weight.Oh and one more thing: The author has a thoughtful section on fat-shaming that addresses much of what makes many other diet books creepy in their treatment of fat in general and obesity in specific.Two short excerpts, the first about how frustration causes poor food choices and the second about claims that people won't stick to plant-based diets."So this was the setup: Randomize people to memorize either a seven-digit number or a two-digit number to be recalled in another room down the hall. As they walk from one room to the other, offer each of them the choice of a fruit salad or a piece of chocolate cake. Memorizing a two-digit number is easy and presumably takes few cognitive resources. Under the two-digit condition, most chose the fruit salad. Faced with the same decision, most of those trying to keep seven digits in their heads just went for the cake.""Even those who are young and healthy with no health issues appear to have little problem sticking to a plant-based diet. There was a crossover study in which women were instructed to eat plant-based foods for a few months to see how it would affect their menstrual cycles. But then they were to switch back to their baseline diets to note the contrast, a so-called A-B-A study design where you reverse the experimental variable. The problem is that some participants felt so good eating healthfully—they were losing weight without any calorie counting or portion control, they had more energy, their periods got better, and they experienced better digestion and better sleep—that some refused to go back to their regular diets, which kind of messes up the study. Because they didn’t comply with the protocol and go back to their baseline diets, their data had to be thrown out. So, ironically, the plant-based diet worked a little too well."Oh, what the heck, one more excerpt:"Why won’t cereal manufacturers reduce the amount of sugar in their products? A number of explanations have been offered, such as “a product with semi-addictive properties may be a safe way to ensure long-term revenues.… Another possibility is that selling cereals high in sugar is a smart technique to sell expansively a cheap commodity product—sugar.” Ultraprocessed foods like breakfast cereals tend to have the highest profit margins. Remarkably, the cost of packaging may outweigh the cost of ingredients in a cereal box by more than ten to one."

Dr. Greater is the real deal. He doesn't tell you what you have to do or try to make you feel guilty if you reject his advice. But neither does he treat you as as a child who isn't capable of hearing the truth.Processed "food" is engineered to be addicting. It does not exist to nourish your body, which is supposed to be the reason we eat, it exists to taste good so that we continue to be good customers.Our bodies are not designed to be carnivores OR omnivores, since omnivores also have to have the abilities of carnivores. We don't have claws, teeth, or the speed to catch prey. Our teeth, digestive acid, and alimentary canal are those of herbivores. Yes, we can eat fish, meat, dairy and milk, but so could bunnies. They wouldn't be healthy bunnies, however. But Dr. Greger doesn't go into that in this book. He does, however, discuss the numerous studies that show the negative effects of eating processed foods and animal products have on our bodies and how consuming them makes it much more difficult to lose weight. (The fact that avoiding these same foods ALSO extends not only our lifespans but also our "health" spans is a happy byproduct.)The number one take away from this book? Eat more fruits and vegetables, especially those that are grown above ground, intact grains, and pulses. Avoid processed foods (yeah, that includes olive oil) and animal products.But he gives you more than that. He has some of the best advice I've ever read on how to break old habits and how to establish new ones. He also discusses what herbs and spices have been shown to increase your metabolism or decrease your appetite. He also discusses how and when to drink water for a metabolic boost. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information.Have I found this information to be helpful, and effective? YES. Does it promise to help you lose 20 pounds in 7 days? No.Is this book for everyone? Sadly, no. If you are not committed to making major changes in the way you eat, and then continuing them after you have lost the weight you want lose, don't waste your money. Any diet, whether it's a gimmicky one or not, will have you regaining the weight you lost, and perhaps then some, once you stop it. The beauty of Dr. Greger's recommendations is that you can follow them without becoming physically hungry, and the cravings for the foods that made you gain weight in the first place will diminish. (Trust me on that one.) In addition, you can continue on this plan eating a variety of food that will give you the best chance at avoiding problems with your cardiovascular system, a variety of cancers, and arthritis and dementia, or at least postponing problems until later in life.If you are ready to make some major changes in your life to lose weight and then continue on with them to maintain a healthy lifestyle, then this may be the book for you.PS to KETO fans who may want to rebut me here. Yes, you can lose a lot of weight fast eating that way. I've done it. But to maintain that loss you have to continue on KETO, which means not getting enough fiber and the phytonutrients and antioxodants found only in plants. Yes, whole plant food eaters will have to take a B12. But animals do not make B12; it is made by bacteria that animals eat. You can get B12 from pill instead of having to eat bacteria-laden food or eating animals. I also take an omega 3 supplement, extracted from the same source where fish get their omega 3: algae. Omega 3 has not been shown to reduce cardiovascular events but may protect brain health. If you are young enough, you can probably produce enough of you own Omega 3 from foods like walnuts and flaxseeds. I do not have to take a vitamin pill, however, which KETO adherents should, depending on how strictly they follow KETO. And the lack of protein in a varied whole plant food diet has long been disproved. An excess of animal protein, on the other hand, is likely to be responsible for the explosion of kidney failure we see in the US. And the high consumption of animal products (especially dairy) may be responsible for the explosion of diabetes that we are seeing in many places in the world.

All profits from this book go to charity, it's easy to read, entertaining and based on solid research.Very helpful.

Giving brief about anything and everything related to health will help everyone and all the information is emanating from the research studies makes it more exciting and informative.

Very good, some good stuff

This is not a fad diet or marketing ploy. Dr. Greger is a dedicated doctor and scientist that cuts through all the bull and gives ONLY scientifically researched FACTS about nutrition and how our bodies gain or lose weight (and get sick or well). I have been reading this and using the free app for about 10 days. It is really about ADDING more of the GOOD foods that are known to reduce inflammation, weight gain and disease.I lost 7 pounds of my 12 pound goal so far. But more importantly, I understand a great deal more about my body, nutrition, and the limitations and dangers of dieting, and the scams that are so popular and costly. Dr. Greger gives all the money from the sale of his books to charity and doesn't sell supplements or other products. His work is an act of love and medical integrity. I have given a dozen copies of his other great book, "How Not to Die" to loved ones with various chronic diseases. The book is equally well-documented and literally gives the information needed to avoid or reverse the 10 most common causes of death in the USA! It is incredible.I also highly recommend Dr. Greger's website: NutritionFacts.org where, for FREE, he provides only science-based videos and articles on just about every food and every disease. The database is a phenomenal resource for anyone who wants trustworthy and often entertaining answers to medical questions and who wants to make sound nutritional choices in their lives. Dr. Gregor deserves a Nobel Prize for medicine. I am deeply grateful for his tireless efforts to educate and cannot recommend him and his staff highly enough.

Sigo al Dr Greger desde hace años y este libro revela y nos acerca a muchos de los nuevos estudios sobre alimentación.