Overeating Overruled by Estrich

Susan Estrich is best known for her political and legal commentary. But, among her friends and acquaintances in Los Angeles, where she lives and teaches at USC, she has also become known as a woman who managed to bring a longtime weight problem under control. In her new book, Estrich sets out to answer the question: “Why do intelligent women get stupid when it comes to their own bodies?”

Readers may find it enlightening and heartening to see someone as obviously bright and accomplished as Estrich describe how she tried and failed every stupid diet. In the end, Estrich says she succeeded in maintaining her size 6 figure for several years by using lawyerly thinking to approach the task. For example, she debates her urge to eat an 800-calorie muffin with the kind of arguments a logical thinker would use: It’s not healthy; it will add weight; it will lower energy levels. It’s like having a great defense lawyer arguing your case, Estrich says.

The book also contains lots of familiar advice that most good weight-loss plans incorporate and a sample of the diet Estrich used to lose weight. The book will undoubtedly inspire some women who are motivated and ready to commit their best effort. But for women whose life circumstances make it difficult to be so focused and committed to one goal--weight loss--this approach may be another exercise in frustration.

THE RESOLUTION DIET: Keeping the Promise of Permanent Weight Loss

Dr. David Heber

Avery

209 pages; $21.95

*

Heber is the director of UCLA’s Center for Human Nutrition and at the forefront of research in the field. The three basic tenets of his program are grounded in good science and include restricting fat intake and controlling portion sizes, regular exercise, and behavior modification to make a long-term lifestyle change.

The emphasis on a very personalized approach to changing eating habits is one of the book’s strongest points. Heber suggests that the best diet is one that can be adapted to a person’s individual needs. For instance, he emphasizes finding and eliminating the particular foods and thoughts that keep you from losing weight.

Like Susan Estrich, he also stresses a theme of personal responsibility for “your new lifestyle by recognizing that you may not be perfect every day, but you can still make overall progress every day for the rest of your life.”