Excerpt: 'The Four Day Diet'

Feb. 18, 2009— -- Are you one of the many Americans who've tried diet after diet, just to end up putting the weight you've lost back on? Dr. Ian K. Smith, known for "The Fat Smash Diet" book and for being the diet expert on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club," has designed the "Four Day Diet," a new weight-loss plan that he says helps you overcome the mental obstacles to weight loss by switching the foods you eat every four days.

Here is an excerpt of "The Four Day Diet:"

YOUR MIND MUST LEAD YOU

Is it easy resisting temptation? Absolutely not, but this chapter will help you stayresolved in the face of it. Let's establish context first. Temptations are abundantlyand conveniently located throughout our environment. Whether it's that expensivedesigner scarf that you want so badly but know it's beyond your budget,eavesdropping on a conversation between an arguing couple at the table next toyours, or a piece of double fudge chocolate cake—the temptations are endless.The good news is that we are successful more times than not at resisting theurges to indulge in these forbidden callings. So why do we lose on occasion andgive in to temptation? What happens late at night when you can't stop yourselffrom downing a handful of chocolate chip cookies or plucking off the lid to thatpint of butter pecan ice cream? It's about the mind losing its competitive edge.

One way of thinking about temptation is as a fierce conflict, one that youcan win if you focus mentally and train properly. When it comes to resistingtemptation, your mind is locked in an epic battle with your anticipated senseof physical satisfaction. Your body knows that buying that scarf, eavesdroppingon the juicy details of that argument, or biting into that double fudgecake will produce a physical response of pleasure. Your challenge is to convinceyourself that the brief reward you get from the indulgence will be lesspleasurable than the reward you get from abstaining. In other words, you have to train your mind, strengthen it, and prepare it to recognize and seek the moreenduring pleasure—a pleasure that does not provide immediate gratificationbut can be extremely satisfying over the long term.