From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Perricone– respected physician, award-winning research scientist, and trusted expert on health and beauty–comes the biggest breakthrough in weight loss since Atkins. Millions of women and men have restored youthful radiance, smoothness, and suppleness to their skin through Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s advice, care, and transformative eating plan–and all with the welcome yet unexpected benefit of losing excess weight along with the wrinkles! Building on this discovery, Dr. Perricone breaks new ground with his trademark anti-inflammatory program based on the foods, supplements, and lifestyle changes with the proven ability to accelerate fat loss by increasing metabolism and building and maintaining muscle mass. Consider this staggering fact: As we age, we can expect to gain ten pounds of fat and lose five pounds of muscle each decade. In three easy steps, Dr. Perricone shows how to fight this weight gain and rebuild muscle mass, and avoid the haggard, aging, and drawn appearance that results from other weight-loss programs. Inside The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet discover • the rejuvenating and slimming secrets of the anti-inflammatory diet • which foods, supplements, and lifestyle changes enable us to lose fat while maintaining muscle • how to control hormones such as insulin and cortisol to lose weight • how to maintain youthful, firm, and radiantly toned skin on the face and body during weight loss As an added bonus, as you follow Dr. Perricone’s program you’ll sleep better, have more energy and less stress, and experience greater mental clarity without the food cravings. Lose the weight, the wrinkles, and the years! Advance praise for The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet “This significant book shows that Dr. Perricone’s anti-inflammatory program is a powerful tool we have to fight excess weight gain. The anti-inflammatory foods and supplements introduced in this book enable us to fight metabolic syndrome, whose complications lead to obesity and diabetes. Utilizing a wide range of groundbreaking scientific discoveries, Dr. Perricone demonstrates once again that he is at the forefront in finding solutions to difficult problems. Highly recommended!” –Harry G. Preuss M.D., M.A.C.N., C.N.S., professor of physiology, medicine, and pathology, Georgetown University Medical Center, and author of Maitake Magic “The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet delivers a solid program that will melt away the pounds–while maintaining toned skin and healthy muscle mass. Dr. Perricone proves once again that chronic, subclinical inflammation is not only responsible for accelerated aging, wrinkles, and a host of degenerative diseases, it is at the basis of our current obesity epidemic. If you need to lose weight, this is the book! –Oz Garcia, M.S., Ph.D., author of Look and Feel Fabulous Forever: The World’s Best Supplements, Anti-Aging Techniques, and High-Tech Health Secrets “Unless we are morbidly obese, we don’t often think of excess weight as anything more than a cosmetic problem. However, in this extraordinary new book, Dr. Perricone proves otherwise. The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet unlocks the secret link between inflammation and unwanted weight gain. By implementing simple, effective strategies, both men and women can shed significant weight–without hunger or deprivation. A brilliant program that keeps its promise.” –Vincent C. Giampapa, M.D., F.A.C.S., co-founder, American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine, and author of Breaking the Aging Code : Maximizing Your DNA Function for Optimal Health and Longevity Nicholas Perricone, M.D., is the author of three #1 New York Times bestsellers–The Wrinkle Cure, The Perricone Prescription, and The Perricone Promise–as well as The Acne Prescription. He is a board-certified dermatologist, award-winning inventor, research scientist, and internationally renowned anti-aging expert. He is the focus of a series of award-winning PBS specials, and a popular guest on Oprah, Today, and 20/20, among many other programs. Visit the author’s website is www.nvperriconemd.com. Chapter 1 Getting Started The best way to predict the future is to invent it. —Alan Kay, computer genius/visionary In writing this book, I have discovered that the greatest gift I can give my readers is permission to eat healthy and delicious food. This might seem strange considering this book is about weight loss, because traditional concepts of weight loss are all about not eating—nevertheless, it is a fact. Statistics regarding obesity and excess weight are alarming. The International Obesity Task Force, which is advising the European Union, had estimated in 2003 that about 200 million of the 350 million adults living in what is now the European Union may be overweight or obese. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 stated that nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States were overweight, and 30.5 percent were obese. However, a closer evaluation of the figures in the