Why 'No-Fad Diet' Really Works

Read Excerpt From Book By American Heart Association

(CBS)  Many diets promise a quick fix to shed unwanted pounds, but few actually deliver.

A new diet book, "No-Fad Diet," just released by the American Heart Association, promotes a healthy lifestyle to gradually and permanently lose weight.

Dr. Robert Eckel, the president of the American Heart Association and one of the contributors to the book, tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm this diet is for all those who are tired of trying to lose weight and failing. Click here to get a recipe from the book.

He says, "We now have the science to say if you lose weight quickly, you really have to adapt a lifestyle to keep it off long term. Fad diets work, but not long term better than any other diet."

The good thing about "No-Fad Diet" is that it helps the reader personalize a weight-loss plan by offering a variety of options that work best for his or her lifestyle.

"It is not simply what you're eating, it's what you're doing, too," explains Eckel noting the book includes a quiz to help readers.

He explains, "It is very brief. Ten questions about how you should go about eating better and 10 questions about how you should go about moving more. After you take this, you can be personalized into a plan.

The American Heart Association has stood by its dietary guidelines for four decades and the book is just a reflection of its desire to educate people about the heart-healthy way to eat and live and maintain a healthy weight, Dr. Eckle explains.

The recommends a three-pronged approach to a healthy lifestyle: think smart, move more, and eat well.

"Is it not that hard," Dr. Eckle says. "We're talking about small restrictions. To lose a pound a week, you need to eat 500 calories less a day or exercise more to allow that deficit."