Think Thin, Be Thin: 101 Psychological Ways to Lose Weight

Clinical social worker Helmering and health writer Hales (An Invitation to Health) present 101 tips for dieters who need to change not only their exercise and eating habits, but also their way of thinking in this slim but to-the-point volume. The idea behind the book, write the authors, ""is that the more you see, hear, or read a message, the more positively you view it."" In this case, the message is to drop weight and get moving, so the book is packed full of briskly worded, often original ways for dieters to motivate themselves. The authors make use of psychological theories (including a semantics-based exercise to encourage language awareness), meditation and chanting exercises, and calculations such as the YLL (years of life lost to obesity) to help readers refrain from overeating. Not every entry is original; readers will find familiar suggestions such as to exercise in a group and keep a food diary. Others seem excessive, especially when done in combination with different practices. How many readers could repeat an affirmation for an hour each day while keeping a food diary, exercising and literally grading their own performance? On the positive side, the book's emphasis is always on health and fitness, and binge and fad diets are actively discouraged. Overall, this book is an excellent tool for diet-minded readers who occasionally require a mental kick in the pants.