Ann Fletcher's Thin for Life: What It Is

What It Is

As a nutritionist, Ann M. Fletcher, MS, RD, has counseled hundreds of people with weight problems. In her book, Thin for Life, she provides the latest nutrition and diet information.

However, inspiring stories from "masters of weight loss" are the real meat of this book. These are people who have lost at least 20 pounds and kept the weight off for a minimum of three years. Fletcher integrates quotes from interviews she conducted with more than 200 masters at weight loss, who share their success tips.

"Who better to tell you how to lose weight permanently than the very people who have done it?" writes Fletcher. "Thin for Life demonstrates the sensible, livable approaches the masters take to control their weight."

Fletcher's book outlines 10 Keys to Success based on wisdom gleaned from these weight loss masters. The book also contains their favorite recipes.

The first edition came out in 1994; the revised edition (2003) contains new scientific information that "firmly buttresses the book's original findings," writes Fletcher. The book includes updated nutrition and diet information, new sections on high-protein diets, yoga, and tai chi, and other resources for losing weight.

What You Can Eat

Fletcher says: "You don't have to starve, buy fancy foods or portions or stay away from sweets and so-called 'junk' foods." She talks about "high-flavor, low-risk eating" that involves cutting calories and fat to match recommended intake for your height.

She also outlines a Six-Week Nondieting Weight Control Plan - which means that, week after week, you integrate one segment of the Food Guide Pyramid into your diet. In Week One, for example, you're focusing on fat, oils, and sweets intake - and learning to use them sparingly.

Examples of Fletcher's focus on high-flavor, low-risk foods:

• Breakfast: Cheerios with skim milk and a banana
• Snacks: Fig bars; sherbet; jelly beans; low-fat popcorn.
• Lunch: Very lean baked ham on rye bread with reduced-fat mayonnaise
• Dinner: Broiled halibut with margarine and lemon juice; cooked spinach with lemon juice
• Dessert: Cantaloupe with low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt

Fletcher advises experimenting with reduced-fat versions of yogurt, sour cream, cheese, and milk to find those you like. She also lists 22 ways to shave fat from your recipes - by substituting egg whites for whole eggs, unsweetened cocoa for baking chocolate, chocolate syrup for fudge topping, evaporated fat-free milk for heavy cream, and applesauce for oil, for example.

Also, small amounts of flavorful fats like butter, olive oil, bacon fat, and sesame oil can go a long way to enhance a low-fat recipe, she says.

How It Works

Fletcher's 10 Keys to Success are a cornerstone of her book. They are:

1. Believe that you can become thin for life. "The masters' stories will help you believe in your own power to lose weight and keep it off forever," writes Fletcher. "The masters at weight control are living proof that weight destiny need not be controlled by your genes or by the fact that you're a 'slow burner.' The masters have learned how to 'stifle' their genetic legacy."