Julie Upton - The Real Skinny: Appetite for Healths 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions

JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN

Published by the Penguin Group

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Copyright 2013 by Julie Upton & Katherine Brooking

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Upton, Julie, date.

The real skinny : appetite for healths 101 fat habits & slim solutions / Julie Upton, M.S., R.D., CSSD, & Katherine Brooking, M.S., R.D.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-101-61429-7

1. Reducing dietsRecipesPopular works. 2. Weight lossPopular works. 3. NutritionPopular works. I. Brooking, Katherine. II. Title.

RM222.2.U68 2013 2012050284

613.25dc23

Neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the authors nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES, FAT HAPPENSEASILY. IF you are struggling to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, youre not alone. Nearly 70 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese. And its little wonder: There are literally hundreds of factors that influence what, when, and how much we eat and drink every day.

Our genes influence us, as do the government, the environment, and city planners. The food industry, your parents eating habits, portion sizes and packaging, education, social circles, spouse, work, finances, age, and sex can also tip the scale in the wrong direction. Before you even know what hit you, you might find yourself stuck with dozens of what we call Fat Habitsthose daily unhealthy behaviors, choices, and actions that are keeping you out of your skinny jeans.

Studies show that you make around two hundred food choices every day. Think about it: Do I want OJ with my Kashi or Special K, Starbucks or Peets, sugar or Splenda, chips or an apple, grilled chicken or Tex-Mex, an extra helping of rice, or cookies or a piece of cake while watching Modern Family?

Your weight is a reflection of the sum of all your daily habits, and with so many of us being overweight or obese, most of us need to know how to tone up and slim down our Fat Habits. Thats why we wrote this book: We want you to be armed with all the information and tools you need to successfully navigate the complex world of food. When your everyday choices are good, its easy to keep your weight in check. When your habits pile on extra calories from low-quality food choices that are rich in added sugars or saturated fat, pounds pile on.

As nutritionists, we know that theres nothing simple about losing weight and keeping it off. Thats why half of all adults are on a diet right now. Millions are probably going off those diets just as youre reading this sentence. Most dieters lose steam because the diets theyre on dont fit their lifestyle or are too restrictive, or they let a slipup derail all their efforts. As a result, few are successful at losing significant amounts of weight and keeping it off when following a typical diet.

Our approach is completely different, because we take a nondiet approach that focuses on progress, not perfection, and simple changes that add up to pounds off. Going on a diet that focuses on eliminating problem foods, such as wheat-free plans, or paleo approaches that make entire food groups off-limits, is setting yourself up for failure. As a rule, if you cant stick with something for life, its not likely to work.

The good news is that despite all of the minefields that can lead to extra pudge, you have the power to prevail over stumbling blocks, setbacks, and saboteurs that inhibit you from reaching your goals. You can take charge of your weight fate. And were going to help you succeed!

WHAT MAKES THE REAL SKINNY DIFFERENT

First, this isnt a diet book. Its a tool that we want you to use daily to make positive behavior changes in your life. We believe and promote healthy eating of wholesome, quality foods, the foods you love and crave, but doing so in ways that allow you to enjoy a fit, healthy body and life. We focus on eating healthy foods combined with functional fitness. If your diet is full of delicious, great-tasting, high-quality choices, you wont necessarily have to count calories to achieve weight loss.

We wrote The Real Skinny: Appetite for Healths 101 Fat Habits and Slim Solutions based on what we heard from the hundreds of thousands of fans who visit our website, Appetite for Health (AppforHealth.com), where we share what we eat and provide daily diet and nutrition advice.

Our readers sent us comments complaining about how they had gained weight and just couldnt seem to get it to budge. Most were repeat dieters who had tried everything from celebrity-endorsed diets to detox diets, commercial weight-loss programs, and more. Like other frustrated dieters, they were spending oodles of money on diet pills, powders, books, and plans that didnt address the underlying habits that ultimately derailed their efforts to reach a healthy weight.

By helping our fans find solutions for their weight woes, we identified many common habits people face when dieting. Its from our conversations with our readers that we compiled the 101 worst Fat Habits. Luckily, from our work with fans, many of whom were able to take control over their diet and eating, we proved that healthy eating is delicious, satisfying, and always possibleno matter the circumstances.

PUTTING THE SCIENCE INTO PRACTICEON YOUR PLATE

As registered dietitians, weve spent years studying human nutrition and even have graduate degrees in nutrition science. Together weve helped thousands of people and have more than thirty years of experience in nutrition.

As nutrition professionals, all of our recommendations are based on significant scientific agreement. To write this book, we combed through thousands of weight-loss studies to look at the major reasons why so many of us are overweight. We looked at biological, psychological, neurological, behavioral, and social science studies to give us comprehensive solutions to treat overweight from every angle.

We were able to digest the results of those studies to provide our Slim Solutions for everyday living. We give you the practical tools and tricks to combat the current behaviors that are standing between you and your healthy weight goals. Everything from the temperature of your house to your office environment, your daily screen time, emotional triggers, and foods that hijack your bodys hunger hormones is considered in each of our recommendations.