Good reading on weight loss

By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 25, 2001

Weight Loss for African-American Women, by Dr. George Edmond Smith (Hilton Publishing Co., 2001, paperback). Research shows African-American women have a tougher battle of the bulge than white women: More of them are overweight, and their metabolisms are slower at rest. In an eight-week plan to shed pounds and improve health, the author, a family physician, stuffs a plethora of useful information into 351 pages. There are meal plans, recipes, suggested grocery lists, illustrated exercises, tips on meditation and more. Four women, all over 200 pounds, talk about the trials of dropping a total of 143 pounds under the doctor's guidance.

The Take-Control Diet, by Dr. Ian K. Smith (Random House, 2001). Medical correspondent for NBC's Today Show, Smith subtitles his diet book "a life plan for thinking people." The tone is no-nonsense without being superior: Good health is hard work. Who could resist chapters with titles such as: "If this doesn't scare you, nothing will," on the risks of obesity; or "Don't believe the hype," on high-protein, low-sugar, pill-popping fad diets. While some information is old news and oversimplified, the goal of losing one pound a week on a nutrition plan to last a lifetime is sensible.

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