FAQs about the Ten Years Thinner program: question and answer session with author, Chris Lydon, MD.

How long before you can realistically expect to see changes in your body?
You'll notice results almost immediately. All my test subjects experienced tangible changes (lost weight, lost inches, gained stamina) within the first week. And the improvements in energy and body composition accelerated as they progressed through both three week phases of the program.

How can this program work so well and so quickly?
Ten Years Thinner is not just about weight loss; it's about fat loss. This is not a fad or a magic bullet that will cause your weight to plummet by ten pounds in the first two or three weeks just so you can regain it all in the months to follow. Unlike other popular diet programs that contradict human physiology, Ten Years Thinner harnesses natural processes that transform your body into the healthy, energized, fat-burning furnace it was born to be.

What do you mean by "natural processes"?
The program is based on two simple, scientific principles. First, there is no such thing as an unhealthy food group, only an unhealthy food. And second, when it comes to exercise, smart is better than long. As a result, the diet is so simple and nonrestrictive, and the exercise routine is so brief and versatile, the program is realistically sustainable. Moreover, Ten Years Thinner primes your system to combat virtually every chronic disease known to man-- including the cosmetic signs of aging.

Can you elaborate? What do you mean when you say there is no such thing as an "unhealthy food group"?
Ten Years Thinner does not limit the consumption of healthy carbohydrates or fats. On the contrary, my program recognizes that there is no such thing as an unhealthy food group-- only an unhealthy food. As a result, the eating plan contains an enormous amount of variety, which not only paves the way for countless simple recipes and quick meal ideas, but also prevents cravings.

Why doesn't your program recommend cardio?
The old-school approach to weight loss and physical fitness emphasized lengthy sessions of low-intensity cardiovascular exercise. People were told to climb onto a treadmill, find the pace which corresponded to their fat-burning "target heart rate," and enjoy the monotony of the human hamster wheel for forty five minutes to an hour. Although low-intensity aerobic exercise burns some fat DURING the actual activity, it has only minimal impact on lean tissue development and overall metabolism. Don't get me wrong: low-intensity cardio is better than nothing. Previously sedentary individuals get results from low-intensity cardio-- at least for a little while. In the long run, however, progress using low-intensity cardio is limited. Plus it's boring!

You claim that your 25-minute workout delivers equal or better results than one that takes three times as long. How is this possible?
Exercise physiologists are now proving experimentally what I've known empirically for years-- namely that the most efficient way to induce progressive (and permanent!) fat loss is to elevate metabolic rate around the clock-- an endeavor best accomplished through a combination of resistance training and intense, short-duration exercise. Resistance training builds muscle, and a little muscle goes a long way toward increasing metabolic rate, caloric expenditure, and fat burning. Likewise, brief intervals of intense exercise induce a hormonal response that raises resting metabolic rate and increases overall fat burning for up to two days.

What do the exercise routines entail?
Because the exercises require minimal space and equipment, the routines can be done just as easily in your living room, office, or hotel room. There is never any need to join a gym, hire a babysitter, or rearrange a busy schedule. Two pairs of light dumbbells, and the time it would take you to watch a sitcom, are all you will ever need.

Can anybody do them?
The exercises can be performed by almost anyone. If you can lift your arms over your head and climb a flight of stairs, you can do the workout. During phase 1, the 20-minute beginner routine permits even previously sedentary individuals to train for fast, visible results. The 25-minute phase 2 routine has a built-in mechanism to allow for a lifetime of gradual, progressive improvements in conditioning and fitness. The exercise program combines light resistance training with brief intervals of intense activity to create an efficient, graduated workout program that allows the individual to challenge herself and progress at her own pace.

It is a well-documented fact that most people give up within a few weeks to months of starting a new exercise program. Why do you think that is?
The reason that most people cannot stick to an exercise program is NOT because we lack the willpower, or the dedication, or even the time. The reason we cannot stick to an exercise program is because most exercise programs do not work. Just like low fat and low carb diets don't work, the vast majority of exercise routines that are compact enough to fit into our busy schedules are inefficient for promoting appreciable changes in body composition or improvements in health. Not only that, most exercise programs are tedious and boring. And who in their right mind would bother investing their limited time and energy into doing something they may not particularly enjoy, especially when the promised rewards are so completely exaggerated?

Why are the Ten Years Thinner workouts sustainable?
The exercise program described in Ten Years Thinner embodies sustainability because it actually DOES deliver the promised rewards with a minimal time commitment. In addition, Ten Years Thinner improves your fitness level as it teaches you how to exercise efficiently. Hence, if you have the time and inclination to take up a sport, join an exercise class, or begin a weight-lifting regimen, you will have at your disposal both the necessary conditioning to undertake more physically-demanding activities, as well as the requisite knowledge to structure your training so that it best supports your health and physique goals.

One of the biggest criticisms you hear about diets is that once you go off them, you tend to regain all the weight, plus some extra for good measure. How does the Ten Years Thinner program address this issue?
Well, for starters, Ten Years Thinner isn't really a "diet" in the conventional sense. It's just a different way of thinking about food. It's not something you ever need to "go off." As many of my test subjects pointed out, the longer you're on the program, the easier it gets, and the less you want to give up healthy eating habits. Whereas most "diets" create food cravings while they turn you into a smaller, hungrier version of your former self, Ten Years Thinner literally reprograms your physiology and in doing so, it retrains your appetite. At the six-week marker, you have toned your muscles, revved your metabolism, and transformed your internal furnace from one that burns sugar to one that burns fat. As a result, you will not crave junk food. Nor will you start packing on the pounds the minute you miss a workout or fall off the wagon and have dessert. After week six, even though there is a weekly cheat meal built into the protocol, many of my test subjects reported that they didn't want to cheat, that they'd literally lost the craving for unhealthy foods.

What happens if you are unable to follow the program guidelines for several weeks?
When unforeseen situations or circumstances beyond your control prevent you from adhering to the program guidelines, you will not regain lost weight overnight. Because your metabolic rate has been accelerated and your physiology has been transformed into one that preferentially burns fat, there is a sort of built-in grace-period, a margin of forgiveness if you will. You will not start to backslide right away. As one of my test subjects so aptly put it: "Life happens. Ten Years Thinner allows your body to absorb the occasional curve ball without sacrificing everything you've achieved."

For what demographic is this program intended?
The Ten Years Thinner program was designed specifically for people who lead hectic lives which, these days, means just about everyone! The workouts are so concise and the meal plan is so flexible, the program accommodates virtually any schedule. Furthermore, the dietary guidelines are nutritionally complete and healthy for everyone in your family so you'll never have to make two separate meals at dinnertime. The program is perfectly appropriate for just about everyone-- from people who want to lose weight and keep it off, to people who simply want to improve their overall health, increase their energy levels, and extend their longevity. Dozens of men and women of all ages and fitness backgrounds have gotten great results with this program.

Will you see results if you do the diet without the exercise routine and vice-versa?
There are actually a handful of people who have tried one or the other and they've all gotten surprisingly good results. As a vegan, my sister-in-law couldn't follow many of the dietary guidelines, but she still lost substantial weight (sixteen pounds) and body fat (she's now wearing a size zero/two) when she substituted the Ten Years Thinner workout routines for her daily run. Another test subject lost 35 pounds in eight weeks on the diet without exercising. But I don't recommend these approaches. The diet and exercise components of the program were designed to compliment one another in such a way that, by doing them together as directed, it creates a sort of synergy. It's a situation where two plus two equals ten.

How can program participants be sure that this program will work for them?
Two reasons. First, every component of Ten Years Thinner is firmly rooted in cutting-edge scientific research. And second, dozens of men and women of all ages and fitness backgrounds have already lost hundreds of pounds and inches following this program. Even more impressive-- months and years later, they've kept the weight off.

Where can people go to buy the book?
For a list of stores near you, or to order Ten Years Thinner on-line, click here.