I’m pleased to say there is now available a diet book, researched and written by an expert in BOTH nutrition and psychiatry, that you may find to be reassuring. No matter what your weight might be you will discover how your food habits are strongly influenced by hardwired instincts. If you have found weight loss to be an uphill battle there is a good reason why! Dr. Susan B. Roberts, the author of The Instinct Diet, will teach you how to work WITH your instincts rather than against them to make weight loss less of a struggle.

Dr. Robert’s credentials for writing the weight loss book are impressive. Not only is she a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University in Boston, she is also the director of an Energy and Metabolism Laboratory. Her book is the synthesis of more than 20 years of research about why we eat what we eat.

What Dr. Roberts learned in her many years of research studying eating behavior is that we are guided by unlearned, instinctive responses to our environment. Although we might think we are different from one another in our responses to eating and enjoying food we share the same biological tendencies.

We each have moments when we sense an almost uncontrollable urge to eat. The stimulus for that urge comes from the inner workings of our subconscious. Dr. Roberts identified five basic food instincts that have an enormous impact on our eating behavior.

1. Hunger: We have a strong and very normal need to satisfy our hunger.

2. Availability: We tend to eat whenever we can.

3. Calorie Density: The more calorie dense a food the more we like it!

4. Familiarity: We prefer and like familiar foods because we associate such food with safety and comfort.

5. Variety: The more food choices we have the more we eat.

Each of these seemingly simple responses to food are the result of learning how to survive in less than hospitable conditions throughout much of human history. What worked so well for thousands of years now works against us. All too often we are surrounded by endless opportunities to eat.

The book is divided into two parts. The first half is devoted to the three stages of the diet plan including strategies for how to overcome entrenched habits. The second half of the book includes menu plans and recipes. There are four basic variations to the menu plan. You can select either a meat-based or vegetarian diet and for each of these you have a choice between making home-cooked foods or buying prepared foods depending on what would work better with your lifestyle. Included with the book are more than 100 recipes and 8 weeks of menus.

This diet may not be for everyone. It does require some advance planning to be prepared with meals and snacks throughout the week. Dr. Roberts teaches you ways to eat less without feeling hungry as I do on this website. However, don’t expect to never, ever be hungry. That’s just not realistic.

Although I have spent a good deal of time researching what this book is about and reading some excerpts, I have not yet had an opportunity to read the entire book. I need to finish reading Tom Venuto’s new book The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscles, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight, which I’m enjoying, as well as a number of others. I own a Kindle reading device (Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)) from Amazon.com and so I am in the middle of about 5 or 6 books at the same time. Having to keep track of only one reading device for all the many different books is wonderful. But I think I may have gotten a little carried away!

I am eager, however, to read The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off as soon as I can. I didn’t want to wait to let you know it is available! Do take a look at the reviews on Amazon.com and elsewhere. There seem to be quite a number of satisfied weight loss customers.

Till next time, watch those calories and remember to eat healthy food!

A number of weeks ago I wrote an article on why you might want to consider owning a body fat monitor (Body Fat Scales) to assist your weight management efforts. I would like to purchase a bathroom weight scale for my husband and me that includes this feature. After spending quite a bit of time researching the possible choices, I learned a lot about what is available and what to look for when buying a unit.

Tanita body fat monitors seem to be one of the most accurate and popular of the available products. A company by the name of Omron also makes electronic scales that are rated fairly well. In addition, Omron offers some handheld body fat monitors but these do not seem to have the same degree of reliability or accuracy as the more traditional looking bathroom weight scales.

Electronic weight scales for home use now come with a number of additional features in addition to weight and body fat measurement. Some of these features include daily calorie estimation, metabolic age, body water percentage, muscle mass, and physique rating. However, the accuracy of these features is not clear.

Here’s what I think you should keep in mind when choosing a bathroom scale with a body fat monitor:

1. Accuracy and Consistency with body weight. Ideally your weight will be the same whether measured at home or at your doctor’s office. When I visited a number of online product review sites, I found many satisfied customers who purchased scales that meet this test. There are a number of scales that also seem to rate well for consistency. If you test a scale in a retail shop, each time you step on, then off and on again, you should get the same reading.

2. Multiple-User Memory. Most scales come with the ability to store personal data for a minimum of two users. Some provide data storage for four or more users plus a guest. This is great for families so each person can track his or her own measurements independently. Another feature to look for are buttons to change from one user to another with your big toe (”toe buttons”). These buttons eliminate the need to reach down to make a change.

3. Easy to Read Digital Display. The larger the window and size of the numbers on an analog display, the easier it may be to read. I understand that some electronic scales have a display window that is backlit for better viewing. A few may even have a speech function to report the weight.

4. Consistency with body-fat measurements matters most.. Although body fat measurements may not be accurate, consistency will work. Look for consistency in the results and direction of change if you either lose or gain body fat. (To learn more about how body fat monitors work and why consistency matters please read my previous post: Body Fat Scales)

5. Caution! Body fat monitors should not be used by anyone with a pacemaker or by pregnant women. The small electric current emitted to measure body fat could interfere with the functioning of pacemakers and may be harmful to pregnant women.

6. Additional Features. Some electronic scales may offer an option to provide results specifically for athletes. If you work out 10 or more hours a week or have a resting heart rate of 60 or less (Tanita scales) this may be important for you. Athletes tend to have a much higher ratio of muscle to body fat, which changes the way the values are calculated. Other interesting features, as mentioned earlier, include daily calorie estimation, metabolic age, body water percentage, muscle mass, and physique rating.

7. Electronic weight scales need batteries to operate. They will work with four AA or a lithium battery.

Tanita Body Fat Monitors

Tanita BF679W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Body Water

This scale offers a measurement mode for two adults and a guest. It monitors body fat and body water percentages in addition to weight. Changes in body water will have an effect on body fat measurement so this could be a valuable feature if it works. It also offers a unique feature for estimating daily calorie intake based on current weight level.

The Tanita BF679 is manufactured to work for anyone weighing up to 300 pounds and it is backed by a three-year warranty. Of the 91 reviews I found at one site, this monitor received an average rating of 4 out of 5. (Many negative reviews seemed to come from individuals who had not sufficiently read or understood the limitations of the product.) At Amazon.com the Tanita BF679 received 36 reviews with a rank of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Overall this unit seems to offer good value for the price.

Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water

This scale offers four different modes of measurement: adult, child, athlete, and guest. It also has a recall function to compare your current weight with the last weight and body fat percentage. (The guest mode does not store data in memory.)

This scale will work for anyone weighing up to 300 pounds. It has a 10 year parts and labor warranty. Of 27 reviews on one site it ranks 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series

This body fat monitor and scale is one of the most comprehensive you'll find for home use at a reasonable price. It is more expensive than the others reviewed here but it may be a good choice for you if you work out more than 10 hours a week and you would like to have more complete feedback about your diet and fitness routines.

The unit provides measurements for metabolic age, muscle mass, healthy range, visceral fat, BMR, and physique rating in addition to body weight, body fat percentage, and body water. It will store user information for up to four individuals and can measure weight up to 330 pounds.

Of 97 reviews on Amazon.com, this product received 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale

OMRON HBF-400 Fat Loss Monitor with Scale

The HBF-400 supports up to four personal profiles and can measure weights up to 330 pounds. The manufacturer claims this unit is designed to provide measurements for people of nearly all heights and ages (10 to 79). It also claims to customize measurements for males and females.

This Omron scale provides measurement for body weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI).

Average customer review is 4.0 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.

In conclusion:

Each of the units reviewed here should provide you with an accurate body weight and consistent body fat measurement. Beyond that you will want to consider which features are relevant to your needs and which are not. Having more features does not necessarily make an electronic scale a better buy.

If you do buy a unit, remember to read the instructions carefully! The specifics of each monitor are important. (For example, weigh yourself with dry not wet feet.) If you want to have the most accurate and consistent results possible, you will need to adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations.

(To read more about how body fat scales/monitors work read: Body Fat Scales)

Have a great week, watch those calories, and remember to eat healthy foods!