It is utterly amazing how - in a world where so much information is accessible with the click of a mouse - weight loss myths continue to thrive. Every day, across the nation, people seeking to lose weight are starving themselves, drinking diet shakes, popping diet pills, and attempting sometimes ridiculous fitness regimes all in an attempt to fit into the next size down.  Nutrition expert Wendy Chant, in her new book Crack the Fat-Loss Code, takes the science behind how and WHY the human body works the way it does and teaches readers how to use this knowledge to their weight loss advantage. Thanks to Wendy for chatting with us.

Why this book now?

Crack the Fat Loss Code is here to help people understand how they can finally overcome that dreaded weight loss plateau. With so many diet books on the market and so many diet trends out there, people are confused, frustrated and even fatter than ever before—and they don't realize that it's all the dieting that has gotten them to that state. Crack the Fat Loss Code finally lets reader know in clear terms exactly how the body works, why it's designed to hold on tight to fat, and why it stores more fat the more you restrict yourself. In other words, it explains to the reader why diets tend to stall and you don't always get the results you'd hoped for. But Crack the Fat Loss Code goes one step further to give the reader the exact science-based strategy that outsmarts this natural instinct of the body and that triggers mechanisms which finally burn body fat for energy, so even the most stubborn pounds fall off. Another reason as to "why now:" The food plan allows you to have all types of food after the first 7 days, so you have all the nutrients needed to maximize energy and productivity, which is ideal for the modern day busy schedule. The food plan also allows you lots of flexibility, so it's practical for the regular person. It's designed so that you're never "stuck on a diet" at a social engagement, like holiday parties. That's not something you'll find with many other diet plans.

Why won't the human body lose fat?

The human body is a machine with an extremely important task, and that is survival. Start restricting calories, which makes the body think food is scarce and that its survival is in jeopardy, and it's going to make sure it collects as much of its emergency energy source as it can. It just so happens that the energy source the body holds on to for emergency purposes is fat. In fact, holding on to fat is so important to the body, that it even prefers to degrade muscle for energy, so it doesn't burn the fat it thinks it might need later on. As the muscles get eaten up for fuel, fewer calories are burned and metabolism is lowered—another way the body is trying to slow down and save energy to prepare for a perceived upcoming emergency.  Also, take in too much food, and the body ends up storing the excess calories as fat, totally content to keep holding on to this fat in case food is ever scarce. It is simply not in the body's best interest to lose fat, or it could possibly fail at survival. Your body only cares about staying alive. Unfortunately, it doesn't care if you can't fit into your favorite pair of jeans anymore!

What role should exercise play in a weight loss regimen?

Great question!  Exercise should play a secondary role to weight loss.  When most people want to lose weight, one of the first things they do is join a gym, thinking that producing sweat means you're losing fat. But that's not the case at all. You can spend hours on the treadmill and not loss an ounce of fat. That's because a strategic food plan which jumpstarts fat burn must come first. Then, it's key to understand the timing strategy that will help you incorporate exercise into your day in the smartest way so that it maximally taps into fat for energy.  My next book being published by McGraw-Hill will provide readers with the precise exercising strategy as it relates to the Crack the Fat Loss Code food plan, for even more targeted weight loss results.

What are the most common myths people need to start ignoring when to comes to weight loss?

One myth that people still hold on to is that if they eat 500 calories of anything, they can go to the gym and get on an exercise machine and burn those 500 calories off--no harm done. I would be out of business as a food coach and nutrition expert if you could do the math that way! The truth is that different types of calories get processed by the body in different ways, and some calories might be burned for immediate energy and others might be stored as fat as a future energy source. Another very common myth, which can actually be harmful to health, is that you should avoid all fats.  Some fats, like the healthy essential fatty acids including omega-3s, must be regularly consumed or we run the risk of poor immune systems, cloudy thinking and other signs of slowed down brain function, and even extra belly fat, since these fats actually assist in burning body fat.

What will serial dieters - those people who are continually trying new weight loss programs - find unique or different about your plan?

Crack the Fat Loss Code lets you plan your diet around your life, instead of making you live life on a diet.  The uniqueness of the plan is that you can enjoy all your favorite foods, so the plan is realistic and easy to stick to. Most people give up on their diet plans after two weeks because they get tired of all the restrictions, but people on my food plan find it's easy to incorporate it into their lives. It's also easy to make adjustments to the plan so you aren't on a diet on days when you're out socializing. Like with the upcoming holidays, people on my plan are still going to be able to indulge in their favorite holiday foods, like turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and even dessert, because the plan is flexible enough to allow this. There are food pass days and cheat days, and even an "on-the-plan/off-the-plan" schedule during the maintenance cycle, so people can eat without guilt, yet not gain any weight back.

At the Diet Channel, we like to play word association. Below are some weight loss related topics. Please share your thoughts with us:

Soda: Don't drink it; the biggest waste of money and excess calories.

Type II Diabetes: Scary epidemic that isn't taken seriously, even by people who have the disease

Fast Food: I can say that in all my 43 years of life… I have never had a fast food burger!!! I do wonder why I get so many owners of fast food restaurants in my program???

Childhood Obesity: Sad to see, and many to point fingers at!  If you got me started, I could write a book.