There is a profound absence of scientific evidence to support the claims of most of the popular weight-loss programmes. Most diets can guarantee that if you eat 1,200 calories a day and exercise moderately, you will lose weight. It would probably be safe also to guarantee that you cannot sustain this regime. That is the problem with most weight-loss diets: they create loss but the loss cannot be sustained. Brooks Carder, a scientist with a businessman's mentality for the bottom-line, made a firm decision never to go on a calorie-controlled diet again. Yet he was facing health problems and needed to lose weight. Dr. Carder's salvation began with his love for Italian food and his introduction to the Mediterranean diet - not an actual diet - but a set of dietary principles focusing on whole foods that have been proven to promote health. When he began to lose weight without deprivation or discomfort, his scientific curiosity was challenged and he began to read the scientific literature on obesity, weight loss and diets to understand what was happening. THE LAGUNA BEACH DIET is the culmination of these findings. The book presents an eating and exercise plan for sustained weight loss, along with the science that backs it up. It conforms to the principles of the Mediterranean diet, yet is adapted to the cuisines (besides Italian) of Asia and Mexico, representing the ethnic diversity of Southern California, where THE LAGUNA BEACH DIET originates. Unlike most diets, you do not have to buy special meals, weight portions, count calories or anything of the sort. You simply keep the principles in mind and make the best choices you can, according to the ingredients that you have on hand. Assessment tools for tracking your compliance with the diet and your exercise and charting these along with your weight, will tell you if the process is succeeding. And if it's not, using problem-solving tools will assist you in understanding the problem and dealing with it effectively. Rec.