The Secret Life Of Fat

Blends historical perspectives with cutting-edge research to examine body fat as a critical endocrine organ that can be better understood and managed when recognized as a necessary component of human health.

We lose it. We gain it. We hate it. We hide it. We shame it. We suck it in and we even suck it out. Fat is an international obsession, a dirty word and our least understood body part. A groundbreaking combination of historical, cultural and cutting-edge scientific research, The Secret Life of Fat reveals everything we need to understand fat: how it influences our appetite and willpower, how it defends itself when attacked and why it grows back so quickly. Find out how our genetics and hormones determine how much we fat we have and where exactly it will show. Fascinating and surprising in equal measure, this book will give you a powerful new understanding of your body. Sylvia Tara holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. After noticing that she ate far less and exercised more than her friends, and yet couldn't lose as much weight, she began her research into the science of fat.

A gourmand's guide to the slim life shares the principles of French gastronomy, the art of enjoying all edibles in proportion, arguing that the secret of being thin and happy lies in the ability to appreciate and balance pleasures.

The International Bestseller, as featured in The Times Fat is a vital yet hugely under-rated organ. Fat has become a dirty word, but we know so little about how it really works. In Fat, expert doctors and obesity researchers Dr Mariëtte Boon and Professor Liesbeth van Rossum present the ground-breaking research which explodes many of the myths and prejudices surrounding body fat and will make us completely rethink our relationship with it. Making use of the cutting-edge research in this specialist field, this fascinating and entertaining book will explain how fat generates important hormones, communicates with our brains and is, indeed, essential for staying alive. Informative yet accessible, Fat: The Secret Organ is important reading, not only for people who have struggled with their weight, but for everybody who is serious about their health.

A biochemist shows how we can finally control our fat—by understanding how it works. Fat is not just excess weight, but actually a dynamic, smart, and self-sustaining organ that influences everything from aging and immunity to mood and fertility. With cutting-edge research and riveting case studies—including the story of a girl who had no fat, and that of a young woman who couldn’t stop eating—Dr. Sylvia Tara reveals the surprising science behind our most misunderstood body part and its incredible ability to defend itself. Exploring the unexpected ways viruses, hormones, sleep, and genetics impact fat, Tara uncovers the true secret to losing weight: working with your fat, not against it.

No more counting carbs, calories, or fat grams! This revolutionary diet plan works with your hormones to curb your appetite, boost your metabolism, take weight off—and never put it on again. Cutting-edge scientific research shows that losing weight is not about carbs, calories, or even willpower—it’s about a hormone called leptin and how it functions in your body. Leptin is your body’s natural weight-loss mechanism: it curbs your appetite and jump-starts your metabolism. And when those hormones are working properly, they make you literally fat resistant! You will lose weight effortlessly and efficiently, and never gain those pounds back. A leading expert in the field of nutritional medicine, Dr. Leo Galland knows that if you’ve struggled to lose weight on diet after diet but still can’t shake those excess pounds, chances are you are “leptin resistant”—your body no longer responds to leptin, making it impossible to slim down, no matter what size portions or how few carbs you eat. But here’s the good news: by adding the right foods to your diet, you can quickly reverse leptin resistance and reprogram your body to start melting away the pounds. The Fat Resistance Diet is the first weight-loss plan designed specifically to combat leptin resistance, using a unique combination of anti-inflammatory and hormone-balancing foods to get your hormones working again. Used by hundreds of Dr. Galland’s patients with remarkable results, the three-phase regimen includes: STAGE 1: A fourteen-day starter program that delivers a loss of ten to fourteen pounds in the first two weeks. Inflammation-fighting superfoods work to trigger rapid weight loss and set your hormones straight. STAGE 2: A ninety-day plan that builds on the benefits of Stage 1 and delivers a loss of at least five pounds a month. You can enjoy a greater variety of foods while still keeping your hormones working overtime. STAGE 3: Sustainable for life, the meal plans in this phase keep your hormones doing their job, even after you reach your target weight, and offer an expanded, flavorful menu. With delicious recipes that are rich in healing carbs, healing fats, and powerful phytonutrients, the diet is a breeze to stick with—there are no hard-to-find ingredients, no expensive supplements, and no complicated proportions to figure out. Best of all, when you make the Fat Resistance Diet part of your life, your hormones will do your weight-loss work for you! This groundbreaking program at last reveals the true secret to weight loss success, and will transform you from a chronic dieter into a lean, fat-fighting machine.

When Meredith hit the finish line at the Niagara Falls Marathon last year, people in their living rooms all across America choked up. Who could help it? Here was a young woman who, just a few months earlier, had weighed in at 340 pounds on the hit ABC show Extreme Weight Loss. Now for all the world to see—and merely part way into her one-year effort to pare down—she’d (literally) gone further than she’d ever expected. From barely being able to walk up the stairs to running 26.2 miles in practically no time? The body is an amazing thing. And yet … it’s no match for the brain. It wasn’t the strength of Meredith’s body propelling her across the Niagara Falls finish line—it was the power of her mind. No one knows that better than JD Roth, who as the number one producer of TV weight loss shows has helped countless overweight people change their bodies—and lives—for the better. Viewers of Extreme Weight Loss, The Biggest Loser, The Revolution and other transformational shows have seen the “technicians”—the trainers, the nutritionists, the doctors, and other health pros who appear on-screen—but they’ve never seen the heart and soul behind these amazing makeovers. That would be JD, whose production company not only created weight loss television, but who has produced more episodes in the genre than all other producers combined. He’s the behind-the-scenes wizard who gets inside the heads of the shows’ participants, encouraging, persuading, prodding, and inspiring them to succeed. Intimately involved in casting the shows’ contestants, then seeing them through the weight loss process, he’s the guy whose picture they tape onto their elliptical trainers and angrily scream at each night—then hug out of gratitude the next morning. He’s the guy who holds them when they cry and the one who tells them they need to get back on the treadmill even though they’re crying. JD is the shows’ tough-love dad—love being the operative word. Because it’s not just TV to JD; he’s on a mission to change people’s lives. Every fat person (yes, “fat person”—there’ll be no sugarcoating here) knows that you need to move more and eat less to shed pounds. Not exactly rocket science. Yet that simple formula doesn’t get to the root of what makes someone top out at 500 pounds, or sometimes just carry an extra fifty. The missing link in transformative weight loss is mental and emotional fortitude. Mining the same problem-solving and motivational skills JD has used so successfully with reality show contestants, The Big Fat Truth gets readers to address the real reasons they’re overweight (and nobody gets away with saying it’s because they love food). With his combination of enthusiasm, empathy, no-holds-barred style, and master story-telling abilities, JD helps them unearth and tackle the unresolved issues they’ve buried under the French fries and chocolate chip cookie. Presented in three parts, The Big Fat Truth includes short straight-to-the-point chapters that help readers identify their real issues, create their own reality show, and then shake up their lives to do the impossible. Included throughout are inspiring stories, advice, and before-and-after photos from people JD has helped to lose weight (both on camera and off), along with quick tips for how to stay accountable and a 30-day plan for putting this advice into action.

Fight Fat at Its True Source . . . Your Cells. An M.I.T.-Trained Scientist Explains the ONE Secret You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Keep It Off. Raymond Francis is the scientist people turn to when diets don't work. His groundbreaking approach treats excess weight for what it reall y is--a disease caused by malfunctioning cells. As Francis explains, many of the foods we eat every day, especially the 'health' and 'diet' ones we dutifully buy to lose weight, have the opposite effect . Full of hidden toxins and lacking nutrients, they actually poison your cells and alter your weight-control genes, causing your body to put on the pounds. Like he's done for thousands of other people, Raymond Francis can help you turn this fat cycle around and reclaim your waistline--and your health. His simple yet scientifically supported plan will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years-- in just six weeks. You'll discover: Which low-fat and no-fat products actually make you fatter How one missing nutrient can signal your body to store fat Which food additives are most toxic--and how to spot them on a label The 'Big 4' worst foods to eat--with delicious and nutritious alternatives How to sneak more fiber- and nutrient-rich foods into your day Plus, delicious recipes for meals and snacks and week-by-week to-do lists to keep you on track Your body already knows how to regulate its weight--you just need to give it a fighting chance. Now you can--for life.