Excerpt from Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss by Howard M. Shapiro, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Among the first-timers are women who notice small to moderate weight gain with the onset of menopause. The extra weight isn't a problem, and they want to make sure it doesn't become one. They feel like there are certain things that they can do now to lose some weight and avoid a lot of weight gain in the future. And they're right.

Some men meet their first challenge with weight gain just as they're reaching middle age. That's to be expected. Metabolism changes as we get older, and the food that we consume doesn't get burned up as quickly. Even if our eating habits don't change, it's easy to put on a few pounds—and much harder to take them off. In fact, by the time you're a mature adult, you need 100 fewer daily calories than you needed when you were growing up.

Some people who have never had weight problems in the past find that a new medication can have side effects. People often gain weight if they start taking drugs that contain steroids. And some people gain weight when they have hormone therapy or take psychotropic medications such as antidepressants.

Other factors that can cause weight gain? Maybe you've put on a few pounds because you've started traveling for business a lot more than you used to. Or perhaps you have young children who tie you to the home front and kitchen much more than you used to be. Working odd shifts, changing jobs, or going through a relocation can also initiate weight gain.


The Quick-Fix Lure
For anyone who starts to put on weight, a gimmick diet might appear to offer a quick fix. My advice: Stay away from those diets.

You need practical, easy-to-understand advice to make some healthful and easy adjustments in the way you choose food. With my program, you can continue to eat real food, and you don't have to follow a set routine of eating a certain amount at a particular time. Also, you don't have to deal with control and deprivation. While you're eating healthier food—for some people, the best food they've ever had in their lives—you'll also be controlling your weight, as long as you have Food Awareness Training to guide the hand that feeds you.

• If you have gone on diets many times during your life, you'll be relieved to discover that Food Awareness doesn't involve unusual regimes and extremes of deprivation.
  
  I know how extraordinary those programs can be, having met people who have tried everything from pills and injections to elaborate rituals that involve weighing each portion of food. Food Awareness Training will teach you how to make food choices for a lifetime. With this plan, you have the very best chance of losing weight and keeping it off—without ever feeling deprived.
  
  Most important, you won't have to go through the heartbreaking cycle of losing and gaining weight again. You will never again have to see a diet doctor or join a program. Why? Because you will be dealing with food in a totally different way than you ever have before.


• If you're particularly concerned about fitness and nutrition, Food Awareness Training will help guide you through the maze of information and apparent contradictions that relate to reduced-fat or low-calorie foods and beverages. Which of these foods really do make sense? Are there some low-fat or "light" foods that are nutritionally barren? With Food Awareness Training, you'll find out which of the diet foods are nutritional booby traps and learn to make other choices automatically. You'll also discover some of the nutritional superstars that can help you maintain a well-balanced, healthful diet even if you're trying to maintain or lose weight.


• If you're a teenager or college student, you may already think a lot about being overweight. But even if you know that certain foods should be avoided, you may not always find it convenient to sit down to a regular meal. Also, you may not be sure which foods are good choices for meals or snacking.

With Food Awareness Training, you can pick up knowledge of your food choices with minimum effort. This book presents that kind of information in a memorable and easy-to-understand way. You can start to develop automatic eating habits that will help you for the rest of your life.

Reprinted from Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss by Dr. Howard M. Shapiro, Copyright 2000. Permission granted by Rodale, Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800)848-4735 or visit Rodale's website at www.rodalestore.com.