Way – way – back
in the late 1960s, I wrote a book called The Anti-Diet: the new “pleasure
power” way to lose weight. The good
friend who provided a sounding board for my project called it a manual for
living disguised as an innocent little diet book. When The Anti-Diet was
published in 1971, it didn’t change the world, but I began to get thank-you
letters from all over the U.S., England
and Canada. People said my idea worked for them where other weight loss
solutions had failed.
The Anti-Diet proposed that the wonderful apparatus we
all have to nourish ourselves and maintain appropriate weight might work better
than any diet. It said:
* A fundamental reason why we overeat is lack of
awareness about when we are hungry, when we are satisfied, what we really want
to eat, when, and how much.
* Rules, restrictions and other interventions put us
further out of touch with our needs and desires. They tend to make the problem
worse.
* You can lose weight and keep it off through self-awareness
rather than self-control. Pleasure is your greatest ally in this process.
The Anti-Diet also introduced an unconventional how-to format
for its time: no rules, no measurements, no menus or recipes. No impressive
degrees or credentials appeared on the cover. The author, then in her late
twenties, offered only the personal experience of a chronic overeater and
dieter who learned, literally, to trust her gut.
I am now a slender, vibrant septuagenarian – did I really
say that? This fully revised edition of my book draws on nearly half a century
of following and developing its principles. It retains much of the original
text with its youthful perspective, but speaks to a far wider audience than
originally envisioned. I promised no miracles then and promise none now; however,
I’m living proof that The Anti-Diet works. I’m not the most willing,
consistent, determined, or sane person in the world. But, I have what it takes. We all do. We are born with fantastic equipment to deal
with the elemental need for food. This complex biological, neurological and
psychological system is sturdy, adaptable, and has withstood the test of
survival since we rose up on two feet. The hardware is built in and the
software innate. I discovered, with a little experimentation and thinking
outside the box, that the whole thing runs elegantly, given half a chance.
Click HERE for more information about The Anti-Diet by Lynn Donovan McCann
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