Stan Spencer's Blog: Science of Weight Loss

Most of us have dieted to lose weight, only to gain it back again within a few weeks or months. It isn’t that diets don’t work. It’s that they don’t last. Most diets are so unpleasant, inconvenient, boring, complex, or expensive that they are difficult to stick with for very long. When you quit the diet, the weight returns.

Think of excess fat as a collection of calorie-adding habits. Lose the habits and you will lose the fat. Each time you give up one of these habits (all other things being e...

This new health and weight loss book is free (kindle ebook) on Amazon September 17-19.

This book isn’t about the latest celebrity diet, wonder food, or miracle supplement. It’s about creating a personalized weight loss plan—your own easiest path to naturally thin. While you can lose weight with almost any diet, keeping the weight off is much more difficult, requiring permanent changes in eating and exercise habits. This book provides a science-based approach for making those changes in a way...

Atkins, Dukan, Paleo, South Beach, or Zone? They can all work, as long as you stick with them. Many studies have been conducted to try to determine which diet is best for losing weight. Overall, the results of these studies have been inconsistent, say the authors of a paper recently published in JAMA, a leading medical journal. It doesn’t really matter, though, because the differences in amount of weight lost with the different diets is relatively small (usually a couple of pounds). The only...

This recipe combines the natural sweetness and vitamins of fresh fruit with the health benefits of yogurt.

Yogurt Fruit Dip or Fruit Salad

Combine 1 cup plain low-fat regular yogurt or Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, honey, or jam. Mix well. Chill for 30 minutes.

For variety, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or vanilla.

Eat with bite-sized pieces or apples, strawberries, grapes, or other fruit, or mix it with chopped fruit to make a fruit salad.

Makes abou...

This new health and weight loss book is free (kindle ebook) on Amazon July 26.

This book isn’t about the latest celebrity diet, wonder food, or miracle supplement. It’s about creating a personalized weight loss plan—your own easiest path to naturally thin. While you can lose weight with almost any diet, keeping the weight off is much more difficult, requiring permanent changes in eating and exercise habits. This book provides a science-based approach for making those changes in a way that wor...

Sometimes you just get that unmistakeable craving for a hot bowl of soup. Whether you are trying to stay warm on a cold day, or just want to get rid of extra vegetables in the fridge, this soup makes a healthy lunch or dinner. Try this recipe using any of the following vegetables: onions, celery, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, corn, or shredded cabbage.

Garden Vegetable Soup

Cut dense, slow-cooking vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes into 1/4...

Roasting your vegetables is a wonderful and simple way to prepare them. Not only is it quick on those busy nights when you are rushing to get dinner ready, but it is an easy way to prepare a variety of vegetables at the same time and use a minimum of dishes for preparation. Easier cleanup always makes me happy.

Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of vegetables better than steaming and you can roast almost any vegetable. Asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflo...

As the most important meal of the day, breakfast should always be balanced and include different food groups. This delicious parfait has fruit, whole grains, and yogurt.

Yogurt Parfait

Take a cup of plain low-fat yogurt, add a few drops of vanilla and a little sugar or honey if desired. Mix well. Top or layer with fruit, chopped or sliced nuts, grated coconut, and granola or whole grain breakfast cereal.

Makes 1 or 2 servings.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: Eat this parfait fo...

Most granola recipes call for oil or syrup instead of yogurt. Yogurt gives the granola a lighter taste and fewer calories.

Light and Crunchy Granola

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Add 2 cups rolled oats and 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds. Pecans, cashews, walnuts, slivered almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds all work well. Stir until all o...

Looking for a yummier way to eat carrots? This recipe is easy and combines the great flavors of mint and honey to make eating carrots more pleasurable.

Mint and Honey Carrots

Peel 4 medium carrots and cut into bite-sized pieces. Steam or simmer in 1/2 inch of water until tender. Drain. Add 1 teaspoon oil or butter, 1 teaspoon honey, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon dried mint leaves.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: For variety, substitute parsnips, caul...