Follow world-renowned cardiologist Valentín Fuster's essential recommendations to a healthier heart and a longer life!Cardiovascular disease affects, and often cuts short, millions of lives every year—and very few doctors have had as much success as Dr. Valentín Fuster in treating this widespread scourge. For years, U.S. presidents and world leaders have sought Dr. Fuster's expertise and advice—and now he offers it to a wide audience.Dr. Fuster knows it isn't easy putting your health first—to reach and maintain an ideal weight, to quit smoking, and to conquer stress and depression . . . all the behaviors and alterations necessary to keep cardiovascular disease at bay. In The Heart Manual, the legendary physician gets to the core of many of today's most important health issues, and offers solid, easy-to-follow tips and advice on how to better the quality of your life and transform cardiovascular disease into a manageable ailment.

A Must-Have Guide for the Smart VeganA vegan lifestyle is the newest hot health trend—thanks in no small part to the smart, fearless, and number one New York Times bestselling Skinny Bitch books. But with so much conflicting information out there, it's not always easy to make the best choices. Now Skinny Bitch coauthor Kim Barnouin is back with a book that makes making the right vegan choice easy. In Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps, Kim Barnouin takes the mystery out of following a plant-based diet. It's a comprehensive, user-friendly guide that tells you what foods look healthy, but actually aren't, and explains how to avoid the stuff you don't want. And because Kim knows that the concerns of today's savvy eaters run the gamut from calories to carbon footprints, she explains it all.Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps offers exciting and tasty alternatives for vegans, whether you're just starting out or have been a vegan for years. Barnouin's fun, no-nonsense voice sparkles on every page and in helpful lists and features like:The Best Places for Vegans to Grocery ShopDelicious Swaps for Your Favorite Dairy ProductsTop Ten Things to Eat While Stranded in an Airport

"Diabetes could have killed me. Instead, it saved my life."—Sherri ShepherdThe day that actress, comedian, and cohost of The View Sherri Shepherd was diagnosed with the Big D—type 2 diabetes—she didn't see it coming. But she should have. Sherri had spent years battling excess weight, ignoring the warning that she was prediabetic, avoiding doctors, and denying some very clear signs that a diabetes diagnosis was imminent. Even watching the disease take her mother's life at the age of forty-one didn't sound the alarm for Sherri. But when D Day came, she had a diagnosis in hand and a child of her own. Sherri knew she needed to take a cold, hard look at the way she was living and make a choice: she could completely overhaul her life and reevaluate her relationship to food and exercise, or continue on a path that could leave her son growing up without his mother. The choice was easy. Putting the choice into action was a little more difficult.If you're one of the 100 million Americans diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes each year, or one of the 130 million people who are overweight and at risk but don't know where to start, Plan D can provide life- changing results. Here, Sherri Shepherd breaks down the basics of the science of diabetes, explains how reversing your insulin resistance (the cause of type 2 diabetes) is the key, and offers support, humor, and the action plan you need to get results. With this medically supported plan, Sherri was able to lose forty pounds and keep it off. Through three key simple but effective strategies centered on diet, exercise, and taking control of the emotions that lead to poor food choices, Sherri offers readers a way to lose weight and control diabetes without feeling deprived, or chained to a strict, lifeless way of living. Plan D is flexible, sensible, and straight-forward, and it works wherever you are on the spectrum—whether you're struggling to lose weight, are in the danger zone of prediabetes and looking to turn things around, or have already been diagnosed with diabetes.Plan D will give you the facts you need to start changing your habits and your health now. With the help of her doctor, a leading endocrinologist, and a support group of family and close friends, Sherri changed her life. With Plan D, you can too.

The Simple Science of a Healthy Life From fitness to diets to emotional health and longevity, what do people who feel and look healthy do differently than those who are overtired, depressed, or out of shapeEvery day we face an avalanche of studies and statistics that tell us what we should or shouldn't eat, how long we need to exercise, or how to protect ourselves from secondhand smoke and the harmful rays from the sun. Not only are these studies often contradictory, but the actual scientific information is usually inaccessible. Moving beyond the myths and misinformation, the advice in these pages is not based on one person's opinions or one expert's study. For the first time the research available on the health of average Americans has been distilled into one hundred essential ways that we can become healthier and happier. Each of the core findings is accompanied by a real life example showing these results in action. ?Eat more often. Oxford University researchers found that people who ate five or six times a day had a 5 percent lower total cholesterol than average and were 45 percent more likely to be able to sustain their target weight than people who ate once or twice a day. ?Who says caffeine is bad for youThe majority of scientific evidence shows that, for a healthy adult, moderate quantities of caffeine (about three cups of coffee per day) pose no significant health risks. ?Home sweet home. People who described their home lives as satisfying were 24 percent more likely to live beyond normal life expectancy, according to a UCLA study.

Practical advice and information from the world's foremost experts on autism -- and a mother's own hard-won lessons from helping her son recover from the disorder When Karen Siff Exkorn's son, Jake, was diagnosed with autism, she struggled to pull together comprehensive information about the disorder. Fortunately, she was able to educate herself quickly, and her extensive at-home treatment of her son led to his amazing full recovery. But the journey wasn't easy, and now, in The Autism Sourcebook, Siff Exkorn offers parents the wisdom she wishes she'd had at the beginning. Recent studies show that there is a worldwide epidemic of autism. More than 1.5 million people are affected in the United States alone, with one in every 166 children diagnosed. Early detection and early intervention are two of the key factors in improving prognosis -- but too often, writes Siff Exkorn, parents get bogged down in denial or confusion about the still mysterious disorder, and are unable to take the necessary steps. Providing accessible medical information gleaned from the world's foremost experts, Siff Exkorn offers an inside look at families with children who have autism, and ties in her own firsthand experience as a parent. The author shares valuable knowledge about the following: ?What the diagnosis really means ?Understanding and accessing treatment options ?Knowing your child's rights in the school system ?Coping with common marital and familial stress ?Making the stigma of autism a thing of the past With extensive appendices, including the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Diagnostic Criteria for the Five Pervasive Developmental Disorders, and carefully selected lists of Internet resources, recommended readings, and top autism organizations worldwide, The Autism Sourcebook is the single most comprehensive, practical resource available to parents and loved ones of children with autism.

More Than 600 New Options! Imagine eating your favorite foods every 3 hours to finally get the results you've been searching for. NO calorie-counting, NO carb deprivation, and NO skipping sweets. Based on the revolutionary principles of Time-Based Nutrition?, this pocket guidebook will give you the slimming secrets you need to enjoy fast food, restaurant meals, gas station gourmet, and much more! Visit www.3hourdiet.net for your free personalized weight-loss profile.

This attractive box includes The Beauty Buyble book and dozens of amazing product samples you won't be able to wait to get your hands on! Indulge yourself--and find out what products work best for your hair, skin, and face! Going to the cosmetic counter can be one of the most abusive experiences in a woman's daily routing. Where else do you pay for the privilege of being told, You need a new look The salesperson, who has no clue about what's right for you, sells you $150 worth of makeup and skin care products you may not need or that may irritate your skin. How do you know which mascara truly lengthens, curls, or offers the blackest blackWhich lipstick really does stay on all day without drying your lipsThe Beauty Buyble is a one-step reference to the year's best beauty buys and products. It takes out the guesswork, making it easier for you to find the best hair care, makeup, skin care, and beauty tools available on the market. This helpful, accessible book lists product in the low-, middle-, and high-end price range so you can find the item that's right for you and that will truly enhance your beauty. The clean, concise format helps you find just what you need -- and the authors offer advice from celebrity hair stylists, makeup artists, and real women to help you get the best out of your beauty purchases!Includes tips and secrets from the top names in beauty!Sally Hershberger, celebrity stylist and spokesperson for John Frieda Oscar Blandi, celebrity stylist Rebecca Restrepo, New York-based makeup artist Mark Garrison, celebrity stylist Katherine Hickland, owner and founder of Cat Cosmetics Orlando Pita, celebrity stylist Lorri Goddard-Clark, celebrity colorist Dr. Dennis Gross, dermatologist in New York City Carla Kay, Cloutier celebrity manicurist

In the tradition of YOU The Owner's Manual, The Checklist is organized as a guide to help individuals and families take the right precautions, at the right time in their lives, to avoid the most common health pitfalls and illnesses, and put them on the path to a vigorous and sound lifestyle. Each decade in a person's life introduces new risks not seen in their previous ten years. A health plan must be tailor-made to fit a body as it matures decade to decade. Dr. Manny's friendly, easy explanations and simple maintenance breakdowns show people how to act preventively and proactively, without unnecessary fears or reliance on the abundance of outdated, counterproductive health myths. Dr. Manny's mission is to aid readers in their pursuit of living a healthy and long life, and to help close the door on future life-threatening illnesses using proven, sound medical knowledge.

The iconic Molly Ringwald shares intimate stories and candid advice in this fun, stylish, and sexy girlfriend's guide to lifeTo her millions of fans, Molly Ringwald will forever be sixteen. As the endearing and witty star of the beloved John Hughes classics Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink, Molly defined teenage angst, love, and heartbreak. While remembered eternally as the enviable high school princess Claire, or the shy, vulnerable Samantha, Molly has just celebrated her fortieth birthday. Facing a completely new, angst-inducing time in her life, she is embracing being a woman, wife, mother of three, actress, and best friend with her trademark style, candor, and humor.In Getting the Pretty Back, Molly encourages every woman to become "the sexiest, funniest, smartest, best-dressed, and most confident woman that you can be." She shares personal anecdotes and entertaining insights about the struggle to get through the murky milestones and identity issues that crop up long after the prom ends. Whether she's discussing sex and beauty, personal style, travel and entertaining, motherhood, or friendship, Molly embodies the spirit of being fabulous at every age, and reminds us all that prettiness is a state of mind: it's "the part of you that knows what you really want, that takes risks."Lavishly illustrated by Ruben Toledo, Getting the Pretty Back is sure to charm women of all ages with Molly's unforgettably personal, refreshingly outspoken take on life, love, and, of course, finding that perfect red lipstick. . . .

This book is about our new relationships. A new and surprising world is emerging that requires each of us to explore the sources of our love and cultivate them and the inner sources of all that prevents us from loving (our fears) and heal them. Our evolution has taken a new path, and our relationships are changing in unexpected and dramatic ways. We are evolving beyond the limits of our five senses and encountering more expanded experiences of ourselves and our world than were previously possible. Where once our perception was confined to what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, we are now increasingly able to access data that these senses cannot detect. This expanded perception is forever altering our experiences of ourselves, our world, and our relationships. Our evolution now presents us at each moment with a profound choice: we can pretend that our lives and the world are not changing and continue to relate to one another as before, or we can use our relationships to transform ourselves into authentically powerful, loving individuals.In Spiritual Partnership, bestselling author Gary Zukav reveals a profound new relationship dynamic that enables us to reach our full potential and create authentic power—the fulfilling and joyful life that is calling to us all. Spiritual partnerships are not only for couples in marriage; they can be created anywhere two or more individuals decide to engage as equals for the purpose of spiritual development.Filled with poignant examples and practical guidance, including specific guidelines, Spiritual Partnership empowers and enables us to explore our emotions, our intentions, our choices, and our intuition and to use them to create profound spiritual growth. The world is changing around us and within us, and Spiritual Partnership is the road map to that change.

Hailed by Utne Reader as "a visionary" and the San Francisco Chronicle as "the X-rated intellectual," Susie Bright is indisputably the sexpert of our times. Now, in a frank and intimate look at our own erotic experience, she delves into the most personal aspects of sex and shows us how our sexual passion can be a source of creativity and inspiration. By her own example and insight, she helps us to discover our own erotic story and sexual philosophy. How do talking, reading, and writing about sex affect your actual sex life What are the real differences between men's and women's sense of the eroticWhy is it so threatening to consciously address sexual desire in the first placeIs there a line to be drawn in erotic creativity--can you go too farIs the best erotic expression soulfulHow can articulate erotic expression make us better lovers and, more important, better peopleBright concludes with an "erotic manifesto" that is a call for everyone to reclaim sexuality, cast off sexual shame, overcome repression, and become true sexual beings. She offers up "rules to live by," which include debunking your own fantasy life, appreciating the simplest erotic gesture, and taking inspiration from everyone but instruction from no one. Bright's work celebrates the joy of sexual creativity--and the very uniqueness of each individual's sense of the erotic. Susie Bright is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including The Best American Erotica series, the first three editions of Herotica, Sexwise, and The Sexual State of the Union. She has written for Esquire, Playboy, Village Voice, New York Times Book Review, and is a regular columnist for the on-line magazine Salon. She lectures and performs at theaters and universities nationwide and currently lives in Northern California. How do you really feel about sex"I want to cut through all the labels and politics, and reveal what I've learned about sex - what has been transformational for me as a lover, a parent, a daughter, and an artist. I want to argue that sexuality is the soul of the creative process, and that erotic expression of any kind is a personal revolution." -- from Full Exposure Bestselling author and erotic pioneer Susie Bright boldly crosses our culture's most private boundary--our personal eroticism--and reveals the ways in which individual sexual expression has the power to inspire, challenge, and transform all aspects of our lives. Bright explores some of the most complex questions about sexuality today, including: how our emotional and sexual lives intertwine, how we can come clean about our true desire, and what sexual expression teaches us about our bodies. She offers an erotic manifesto of seventeen straightforward guidelines for gaining erotic freedom.

The fresh new handbook on how to achieve and maintain stylish natural hair, from the savviest and most revered expert on coils and curlsThese days there's a revolution going on. Relaxers are out. Weaves are so yesterday. Tired of damage from expensive chemical treatments and artificial enhancers, women of color are going natural thanks to Nikki Walton of CurlyNikki.com, the natural hair blogger and online hair therapy expert.In Better Than Good Hair, this gifted "curl whisperer" educates women on how to transition from relaxed to completely natural hair, with advice and styles for every length—from Fierce Braid-and-Curls to Fancy Faux Buns. She also counsels those considering the "big chop"—cutting it all off at once to sport a bold and beautiful "teeny weeny afro." Here, too, is essential?guidance for parents of mixed-race children dealing with new and unfamiliar hair textures and styles.Combining Walton's expansive knowledge with tips from other experts in the field, Better Than Good Hair includes:Product recommendationsHome hair care recipesAdvice for parents on how to manage their children's natural hair Tips for using henna on gray hair Guidance on dealing with?detractors Step-by-step illustrated directions for nearly two dozen hairdos, from frohawks to twist-outsFull of indispensable information, as empowering as it is accessible, and with a foreword by actress and comedian Kim Wayans, Better Than Good Hair is a must-have natural hair care bible that will help women of all ages and styles achieve their natural beauty.

Breakouts. Dryness. Redness. Oiliness. If you're like most women, you've been on a never-ending quest for perfect skin—or even just good skin—since adolescence. It's a frustrating pursuit to say the least, filled with one disappointing (and expensive) miracle solution after another. Why is it so hard to get good skin?Adina Grigore, founder of the organic skincare line S.W. Basics, would argue that getting clear, calm, happy skin is about much more than products and peels. Or, rather, it's about much less. In Skin Cleanse, she guides readers through a holistic program designed to heal skin from the inside out. We tend to think of our skin as a separate entity from the rest our bodies when in fact it is our largest organ. The state of our skin is a direct reflection of what our bodies look like on the inside. So Adina's program begins as any healthy regime should: with the basics for full-body health. That means eating plenty of fresh, whole foods; drinking more water; getting blood pumping and oxygen flowing to your cells through movement; and giving your skin a chance to repair and regenerate by resting.From there, readers are challenged to a skin cleanse that requires going product-free for twenty-four hours. Once detoxed, Adina then shows us how to overhaul our beauty routine, how to carefully add some products back in, and even how to make our own products at home, with advice and targeted solutions for specific skin conditions such as acne, dry skin, oily skin, and more.The secret to beautiful, stress-free skin is simple: it's an inside job.

The Game On! Diet is not a diet. It's a bold new approach to fitness that turns the latest, smartest, most successful health science into a fun, fierce, and exhilarating game. Developed by Az Ferguson, to help Grey's Anatomy writer Krista Vernoff shed forty pounds of postpregnancy weight, it is the ideal program for busy people who should be working out but have a thousand good excuses not to. Az keeps you motivated and Krista keeps you laughing as they show you how to organize opposing teams, set goals, and compete to earn points for daily exercise, healthy meal plans, and positive lifestyle changes. With The Game On! Diet, the process of losing weight, for the first time ever, is actually fun. After all, what's better than a bikini body . . . and bragging rightsGet out there and lose . . . to win! Game on!

Is it really possible to reverse the painful, debilitating symptoms of asthma and to reduce your dependence on doctors and medication--in Just 21 days?Conventional medicine offers no real solution to the seventeen million Americans suffering from this disease. But in this remarkable book, Kathryn Shafer, Ph.D., and Fran Greenfield, M.A., share their natural alternative, the FUN program (Focus, Undo, Now Act!), that can help you break the bonds of asthma forever in only minutes a day!Kathryn Shafer's triumph over life-long asthmais a testament to the power of mind body healing. This approach allowed her to successfully run the entirety of the New York City Marathon without medication. Her astounding victory became the seed for the FUN program. Together,Fran Greenfield and Kathryn Shafer reveal the intimate relationship between asthma and personal freedom in this self-guided, breakthrough method, which many of their clients have used with miraculous results.This "masterful, innovative, and successful program for the treatment of asthma" (from the foreword by Gerald Epstein, M.D.) introduces:Over forty exercises, including visualizations, for immediate symptom reliefA blueprint that redefines your relationship with asthmaThree twenty-one-day healing plans that can be tailored to your own needsA unique mind body perspective on exercise-induced asthma, nutrition, and environmentA fun guide developed especially for kids!Along with a wealth of real-life success stories, these strategies can prevent panic, clarify the meaning of symptoms, increase energy levels, and achieve a deeper healing than you ever thought possible. Whether used as a complement to conventional medicine or as a medication reducing alternative, this program empowers people of all ages to live more active, fulfilling lives.

Our children are bundles of joy who enhance our lives in innumerable ways. We love them beyond question. But let's be honest . . . they take a lot of time. For most of us, that means less regular workouts and not enough time to prepare healthy meals at home. It's a struggle just to get to the gym once a month and put nutritious food on the table. Even worse for your waistline are those tempting snacks in the fridge and the little extras kids leave on the plate.Mark Macdonald knows this firsthand. A New York Times bestselling author, nutritionist, and fitness guru, he gained thirty-five pounds in the two years after the birth of his son. For women, like his wife, Abbi, it is even harder . . . they have to gain weight with each pregnancy, and then attempt to shed those pounds in the midst of stressful demands from the newborn—and often a severe lack of sleep. But we all face a choice: when we notice those pounds packing on, will we evolve, make changes, and reclaim our healthOr will we allow our health to enter that awful downward spiral?Mark and Abbi know it is possible to reclaim your body, even in the throes of parenting. With this eight-week program, Mark has helped thousands of parents lose up to thirty pounds and rediscover the energy they thought was gone for good. The step-by-step program has three phases: Phase One, Detox, cleanses your body and helps you lose your bloat. Phase Two, Ignite, burns fat and melts your belly. Phase Three, Thrive, reprograms your metabolism and allows you to incorporate this new way of eating into a sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle.With a comprehensive diet plan, specific workout regimen, everyday strategies to help parents lose the weight, and incredible success stories with before and after photos, Why Kids Make You Fat . . . and How to Get Your Body Back is a book that will help parents look and feel better than they did even before the kids came along.

In the publishing tradition of Driven to Distraction or The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing, this pre*ive book by a developmental psychologist and sufferer of Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD) sheds light on a little known but common affliction in which sufferers react to harmless stimuli as irritating, distracting or dangerous.We all know what it feels like to be irritated by loud music, accosted by lights that are too bright, or overwhelmed by a world that moves too quickly. But millions of people suffer from Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD), a common affliction in which people react to harmless stimuli not just as a distracting hindrance, but a potentially dangerous threat.Sharon Heller, Ph.D. is not only a trained psychologist, she is sensory defensive herself. Bringing both personal and professional perspectives, Dr. Heller is the ideal person to tell the world about this problem that will only increase as technology and processed environments take over our lives. In addition to heightening public awareness of this prevalent issue, Dr. Heller provides tools and therapies for alleviating and, in some cases, even eliminating defensiveness altogether.Until now, the treatment for sensory defensiveness has been successfully implemented in Learning Disabled children in whom defensiveness tends to be extreme. However, the disorder has generally been unidentified in adults who think they are either overstimulated, stressed, weird, or crazy. These sensory defensive sufferers live out their lives stressed and unhappy, never knowing why or what they can do about it. Now, with Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight, they have a compassionate spokesperson and a solution–oriented book of advice.

Dr. Joe Colella knows the science of weight loss. He has been helping thousands of patients lose weight—and keep it off—for over twenty years. And here's one of his secrets: any diet that leaves you feeling constantly hungry is almost certainly destined to fail.In fact, hunger should be your first clue that your diet isn't working. Sound crazyIt's not. There is science behind it, and in The Appetite Solution, Dr. Colella reveals what is holding you back from the weight loss you desire and provides a six-week, three-phase plan to help you start to shed those pounds in a sustainable way.His revolutionary "Appetite Scale" is a measurement that shows which foods lead to weight gain and cravings, no matter how much you've cut back on calories. Often, much of our weight gain comes from failing to recognize how many simple sugars we consume. Once aware of those secret saboteurs of weight loss, you'll begin the six-week plan. In phase one, you start to incorporate more protein into your diet. Phase two involves a progressive reduction of the simple sugars that lead to weight gain. And in phase three, you gradually begin to incorporate moderate exercise. This step-by-step process allows your body to adjust to the changes without going into survival mode and a decreased metabolism. This means you are increasing your metabolism for the long run, allowing you to slim down and maintain your ideal weight forever.After following the program in The Appetite Solution, you will have the metabolism of a teenager and no longer feel like you pack on pounds despite the yo-yo diet lifestyle you've experienced. Whether you have twenty pounds to lose or two hundred, Dr. Colella provides a practical and realistic way to control your appetite, lose weight, and stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Contrary to what most diets would have you believe, the human body does not recognize all calories as equal. Some foods are used to boost brain power, fuel metabolism, and heal the body—while others are simply stored as fat. In The Calorie Myth, Bailor shows us how eating more of the right kinds of foods and exercising less, but at a higher intensity, is the true formula for burning fat.WhyBecause eating high-quality foods balances the hormones that regulate our metabolism. When we eat these foods, our bodies naturally maintain a healthy weight. But when we eat sugar, starches, processed fats, and other poor-quality foods, the body's regulatory system becomes "clogged" and prevents us from burning extra calories. Translation: Those extra 10 pounds aren't the result of eating too much . . . they're the result of eating the wrong foods!Bailor offers clear, comprehensive guidance on what to eat and why, providing an eating plan, recipes, and a simple yet effective exercise regimen. Losing weight doesn't have to mean going hungry or spending hours at the gym. The Calorie Myth offers a radical and effective new model for weight loss and long-term health.

PBS host, weight-loss expert, and renowned authority on longevity, Dr. John Tickell shares the secret to a long life: moderation. Moderation in everything except love, laughter, and fish (and a few vegetables!).Based on common sense, sound science, and good food, Love, Laugh, and Eat is an easy-to-follow guide that will help put the bounce back in your step and add years to your life. With his characteristic wit and medical expertise, Dr. Tickell lays out his proven Activity, Coping, and Eating (ACE) program, which simultaneously works out your body, your brain, and your mouth—the three keys to a healthy life—through physical activity and stress-management techniques and his revolutionary Four Simple Rules of Nutrition. He also serves up a seven-day detoxification plan and a series of delicious, manageable, and satisfying meal plans that actually work, as well as his eight Fall-Safe Snacks to keep you energized morning, noon, and night.Through Dr. Tickell's Love, Laugh, and Eat program you will:Look better Sleep better Feel better Love betterInspiring and engaging, Love, Laugh, and Eat is the approach to healthy living and longevity you've been waiting for. Healthy living has never been so easy—or so much fun.

From a leading voice in health, nutrition, and fat-cell research comes a radical and revolutionary approach to losing weight, looking great, and achieving optimum health—simply by restoring your body's fat cells to their natural state.Are you consistently overweight, no matter what you doHave you tried everythingAre you plagued by stubborn fat hanging around your hips, thighs, and bellyWell, there's a reason for that. All those frustratingly pointless diets and exercise regimes have failed to address the root cause of weight gain.According to Dr. Lori Shemek, a successful diet isn't centered on calories or cardio. She says, "Cutting calories doesn't cut it." Our problems with fat are created because we eat foods that cause the body's natural fat cells to become inflamed. Sadly, the staples of the Standard American Diet—from pasta and bread to factory-farmed chicken and cattle, from sugar and artificial sweeteners to salad dressing and soft drinks—irritate our fat cells, causing chronic inflammation and chronically oversized fat cells. This irritation causes the body to store fat permanently, no matter how hard you exercise or how diligently you cut back on calories.Dr. Shemek calls this serious condition FATflammation, and only when you decrease the inflammation of the fat cells can you achieve the weight loss and optimum health you've been chasing. We need to forget about counting calories, counting points, fad diets, no-fat diets, and spending countless hours at the gym. There is a better and more satisfying way to lose the fat and maintain your desired weight. "If we want to fix our problems with fat," Shemek writes, "we need to reduce the inflammation in our fat cells." In How to Fight FATflammation Shemek reveals her revolutionary three-week program that helps reboot your body chemistry by returning your body's fat cells back to their natural, healthy state. In the process, she explains the critical importance of maintaining balance between good fats (omega-3) and bad fats (omega-6) and how a proper ratio of both will help boost your metabolism; in short, your body will burn fat simply by your eating the right kinds of fat. She also helps you eliminate from your diet the dreaded FATflammation Four—sugar, refined grains, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. Here's your chance to shrink your fat cells and get the body you always wanted.