The reality is that extreme diets that promise instant results just don't work. For one thing, you lose muscle and water, but little fat, and may seriously jeopardize your health in the process. For another, restricting certain foods and food groups deprives your body of essential nutrients. In the end, the faster the pounds come off, the faster they pile back on. After seeing many of his patients fail on these kinds of fad diets, and suffer health-threatening side effects, Dr. Steven A. Schnur, founder of the largest cardiology practice in South Florida, developed a new, breakthrough program. "The Reality Diet" is not low carb, low fat, or high protein. Instead it is rich in a wide variety of foods that are high in one key fat-fighting ingredient-fiber. Not only does fiber stop hunger, it also significantly lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other illnesses. Flexible and forgiving, "The Reality Diet" is for real people living in the real world.

Interview with Steven A. Schnur, MD

Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is joined today by Dr. Steven A. Schnur, author of “The Reality Diet.”

Dr. Steven Schnur, founder of the largest cardiology practice in South Florida, developed his breakthrough program described in “The Reality Diet” after seeing many of his patients "yo-yo" on fad diets that result in health-threatening side effects.

Tyler:  Thank you for joining me today, Dr. Schnur. You say you wrote “The Reality Diet” because you were alarmed by all the unhealthy fad diets out there. To begin, what do you think is the biggest mistake people make when trying to diet?

Dr. Schnur:  First, the mistake people make is that they think of it as a diet, and not a lifestyle change. Changing the way you eat should not be a temporary fix; it should be a life change. Learning how to be healthy for the rest of your life and not giving into extremism in dieting is a healthier approach to weight loss and health. The second misconception is that they need to lose their weight quickly. Quick weight loss is not healthy and not lasting, the quicker you lose the weight the more you can put on when you stop dieting. A correct approach is a slow healthy approach of about 2 pounds a week.

Tyler:  In “The Reality Diet” you debunk several of the diet and exercise myths that exist. Would you tell us a little about the biggest myths and why they are myths?

Dr. Schnur:  It’s a myth that high protein diets are the most effective. This myth will also answer the “low-carb” fanatics. Substituting protein for carbohydrates not only increases the likelihood of going into ketosis, but it can deplete calcium from bones, and increase the risk for kidney stones. In terms of its effectiveness, high protein diets by design are low in carbohydrates, putting you into a state of ketosis in which you lose a lot of water weight and burn lean muscle. Unlike what is often preached to us, eating more protein does not make you gain more muscle, especially if you are not working out.

We often hear that on a low-carb diet, you can eat as much protein and fat as you want and still lose weight. The reason people lose weight on these diets is that they have eliminated a whole category of foods (carbs) and they get fuller from the protein so they inadvertently begin to restrict the amount of food they eat. Overtime, however, you get sick of eating bacon and eggs and want the toast with your breakfast or the potato with your dinner so you add more calories, but are still eating fatty meals and thus gain the weight back. The danger of these diets can be osteoporosis, gout, kidney disease, and all the cardiovascular problems that come with eating lots of fat.

The biggest exercise myth that is often heard is, “If I lift weights, I’ll build muscle and lose weight, since muscle burns more calories than fat.” Lifting weights is not the most effective use of your gym time when you are trying to lose weight. It is true that muscle burns more calories than fat; the difference is far less that what you’ll burn in an aerobics class.

Tyler:  I understand “The Reality Diet” is not about losing weight quickly and for a short time, but about an entire lifestyle change. Would you discuss more about the lifestyle change required for people using the philosophy of “The Reality Diet”?

Dr. Schnur: You can expect that the Reality Diet will work for you. The plan will not sacrifice nutrition and exercise standards that are essential to good health. You will not feel tired, constipated, light-headed, hungry or guilty about eating a baked potato. You will also not lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Instead you will lose 8 to 10 pounds of fat, not water in one month, and you will keep it off.  Livability and flexibility are the acid tests for a successful long-term diet. The Reality Diet is designed so that you eat from all of the food groups and to eat until you are full, but not stuffed. The bottom line is that if you eat a variety of healthy foods that keep your taste buds satisfied and your stomach full, and you exercise enough to burn just slightly more calories than you eat, you’ll lose weight and make it a lifestyle change.

Tyler:  You mentioned aerobic exercise. How important is exercise to maintaining a good diet. What types of exercises do you recommend and how frequently should a person exercise?

Dr. Schnur:The bottom line of weight loss is that you have to burn off more calories than you consume, and the best way to do this is through diet with a combination of exercise. It is best to try to burn 2000 calories per week thorough exercise. I recommend this not to be mean, but to force you into forming a habit of exercising. Weight loss is about total health, not just the waistline. It is important to consider your health not just now, but years from now and exercise is an important part of this future.
 
In order to burn these calories, you need to try and burn 300 calories per day. Do something you like, if you hate to run, then walk and also do what you can do at first and build up. Don’t try and walk one hour if you can barely walk for ten minutes. Aerobic exercise can be anything from jogging, playing tennis, to gardening. Many people own treadmills that are stored in the garage; get them out and put them in front of the TV, 45 minutes will go by quickly if you watch TV at the same time.

Tyler:   One of the key components of “The Reality Diet” is to eat a lot of fiber. Why is fiber so important in a diet, both for health reasons and to lose weight?

Dr. Schnur: Among its many attributes is fiber’s ability to promote satiety; it makes you feel full. This can be key to successful weight loss, because no matter how much will power you have, if you are hungry you might not be able to resist driving past that Dunkin Donuts. Fiber has also been proven to promote weight loss by preventing absorption of calories from the small intestine. Not only does fiber help control weight, it also prevents disease. A plant rich diet has been proven to help reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies has found that increasing daily fiber in diets 40 percent lowered the risk of colon cancer in many who had very low fiber intake. Other studies have found that increasing daily fiber intake by 6 percent can decrease the risk of heart disease by 25 percent. I could go on because there is so much supporting data for increasing fiber in the diet, so it has not only benefits for weight loss, but also for overall health.

Tyler:  What are the best fiber food sources you would recommend?

Dr. Schnur:  Naturally fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber. Our lunches and dinners should have at least a half a plate of vegetables at each meal. Beyond that how about a small baked potato? If you eat it without all of the high fat toppings, it is only about 100 calories and has three grams of fiber. How about a whole grain waffle for breakfast topped with berries? Both the waffle and the berries are great sources of fiber and taste great.

Tyler:  Are there any types of foods you specifically recommend that we stay away from?

Dr. Schnur: Sure. As a cardiologist I think that foods high in saturated fats like whole milk, cheese, and butter should all be avoided. Remember that this can also include cocoa butter, and tropical oils; these oils are found mostly in commercially baked cookies, cakes, and pies. Other foods to avoid would be those that digest too quickly like fast food, white rice, and other high sugar drinks. These foods provide little nutrition and in the end just leave you lots of calories and you are still hungry.

Tyler:  What about drinks? Should we resort to drinking just water since it is the most natural drink?

Dr. Schnur: Water is the best, but other freebies can be: club soda, sparkling water, decaf coffee, decaf tea, unsweetened ice tea, and other sugar free diet drink mixes.

Tyler:   The end of “The Reality Diet” includes many recipes, including caramelized peanut butter and banana toast and strawberry shortcake napoleon, which sound fattening and delicious. Steven, are you also a chef? Where did you come up with such great recipes, which are not so fattening?

Dr. Schnur:  I am not a chef, but I do like to show people that healthy food does not have to taste like cardboard. The recipes were actually developed by Andrew Hunter a chef out of California. He has helped to provide the Reality Diet with recipes that would seem like they are sinful, but are actually part of our plan.

Tyler:  And what is your favorite recipe in the book?

Dr. Schnur:  My favorite recipe out of the book is the banana chocolate crepes and Italian flatbread pizza.

Tyler:   We’re almost out of time. Could you tell our readers how they can find out more information about “The Reality Diet” and how to purchase a copy of it?

Dr. Schnur:  You can find more out about “The Reality Diet” and purchase the book by visiting our website: www. RealityDiet.com.

Tyler:  Thank you, Steven, for joining us today. Do you have any final words of advice you would like to give to our readers?

Dr. Schnur:  My final words of advice would be to make healthful living your top priority. Make the commitment to lose the weight and keep it off, and you can do this if you adopt healthful habits. Adopting a lifestyle of exercise and eating nutritious foods in moderation can keep your body healthy for many years to come.

Tyler: Thank you, Steven. I’m sure we will all benefit from reading and following the practices in “The Reality Diet.”