Dear DOCTOR Owen:

There are so many books out there on diets and various types of diet programs. I don’t know which one to choose or which diet would be best for me. Are there any guidelines about which diet to choose? I have heard that one’s type of body determines the diet that works best. What do you think?

Diet Planner

Dear “Planner”:

It sometimes seems as if there are as many diet plans as there are people on the planet. Sooner or later, we may cover most of them in these columns! In the meantime, I suggest some basic principles set down several years ago by a committee comprising the American Medical Association, The American Dietetic Association, and Congress at the conclusion of a conference on Fraud and Quackery in the Diet Industry Committee. (This committee is still active.)

The choices include food exchange diets (where you choose from lists in groups of food), very low calorie diets (VLCDs), high-protein diets like the Atkins Diet and Sugar Busters!TM, rice diets, the Mediterranean diet, the Polynesian diet, rotation diets, the Pritikin Diet, the Zone Diet, a grapefruit diet, USDA food-pyramid diets, deal-a-meal plans, Beverly Hills diets, vegetarian diets—I could go on and on.

Then there are numerous diet locations from which to choose: medical clinics, dietitians, groups such as Weight Watchers® and TOPS®, Overeater’s Anonymous, plans that are sponsored by houses of worship, the “drink two shakes a day and eat one meal at home” theme—again, the same situation.

Making a decision among all these choices will make you dizzy and, I guarantee, confused. So, let us start with three basic premises:

1. 1. Seek out others with a weight consciousness. If you could lose weight on your own, you already would have done so. In every study of long-term success, group or individual support has consistently shown value. Being accountable seems to be important, so go somewhere to get help. If you do not like groups, start with a dietitian or physician who has training in Diet Therapy. If you do like groups, rotate through all of them. You will be dieting forever—that is correct—forever! A diet is a conscious method of eating. Managing your weight in our Western culture will never be done unconsciously.
2. 2. Attend sessions that teach basic nutrition and the math of weight management. Basically, weight management is math, or counting caloric intake—period! The only question is, “How do you deal with the who, what, when, and where factors—positive and negative—that influence the simple arithmetical calculations?” If you do not believe in, and address, these factors, then you will be like many patients who come to my clinic, who “think,” “feel,” “hope,” and “believe” that their excess weight will just magically disappear. I listen closely for those words, which describe emotion. But I yearn to hear the word “know,” as: “I know I lost 3.2 pounds, but the scale showed only a 1-pound loss.” When I hear this kind of statement, it is clear that these patients are on the path to meeting their goal weights. After all, the word “know” is a derivative of knowledge. Weight loss may occur with a diet plan; weight maintenance occurs with conscious eating, which must continue forever. And, any effective diet program requires basic record keeping.
3.  Exercise daily. In every weight study done to date, exercise is the number-one factor that predicts success. Your program should reinforce this and make you accountable, preferably through the records you keep, for exercising. Build in exercise as part of your day—not on an “if I have time” basis. When I hear those words, I know that health is not getting top priority. Therefore, I strongly recommend investing time and money into proper exercise. Some kind of exercise—even walking—is better than none. However, for the same amount of time needed to walk “off” excess calories, an exercise workout improves every part of the body and aims better at achieving your weight goals.

• Author’s Note: Records are the only way to force the left side, or the analytical part, of your brain into action; the left brain gives you the ability to reason, plan, read, write, and calculate The right side, or emotional part of your brain, cannot solve a problem; however, this is the part of your brain that hopes, believes, may clap in a group, or shout with joy—but never solve a weight problem.

All three of these require a “conscious method”: conscious—part of the plan; method—the plan, which requires using your brain.