Fad diets are now so numerous that when the latest is introduced, the media must whack the scepticism up to maximum to have any hope of people reading past the first sentence. And yet, they will write a safe few paragraphs in. And yet, they will say, their early skeptical stance giving way to advertorial. And yet, it works.

Being an adherent of the psychological approach, I'm a firm believer that which diet you choose has little effect on your average long-term weight. The main determinant is always going to be your attitude to eating and whether you really, at heart, want to lose weight.

The New York Times provides the perfect antidote to thinly disguised fad-diet marketing with George Saunders', 'Absolutely No-Anything Diet':

"Of late, we have become an aggressive and greedy nation. I believe that soon the pendulum will swing back, and we will become an ashamed, repentant nation. What better way to express our total self-loathing than to all stop eating at once, denouncing the endless cycle of intake and output, the corrupt global system of planting, harvest and feast? I will be happy to show the way."

I'll start tomorrow.

From The Observer Food Monthly and The New York Times

Making Habits, Breaking Habits

In his new book, Jeremy Dean--psychologist and author of PsyBlog--looks at how habits work, why they are so hard to change, and how to break bad old cycles and develop new healthy, creative, happy habits.

→ "Making Habits, Breaking Habits", is available now on Amazon.

Reviews
The Bookseller, “Editor’s Pick,” 10/12/12 “Sensible and very readable…By far the most useful of this month’s New You offerings.”

Kirkus Reviews, 1/1/13 “Making changes does take longer than we may expect—no 30-day, 30-pounds-lighter quick fix—but by following the guidelines laid out by Dean, readers have a decent chance at establishing fulfilling, new patterns.”

Publishers Weekly, 12/10/12 “An accessible and informative guide for readers to take control of their lives.”

→ You can dip into the first chapter, or check it out on Amazon.com.