Skinny On Losing Weight Sans Hunger

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, it's more about brain power than will power.

In his latest book, "The Skinny On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry," Dr. Lou Aronne, of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, points to the right foods to eat to keep from getting hungry.

"We like to say it's not about willpower, it's about fill power," he said. "That there are physical mechanisms that stop people from losing weight. But there are ways that you can eat that can help you to lose weight. And it's actually not too hard to do."

According to Aronne, some of the latest research shows that when people eat fattening foods, such as cookies, cakes, chips, they just don't feel full, which is called, "fullness resistance."

The more people eat, the hungrier they get, Aronne says. There are simple ways that you can overcome this problem.

Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith pointed out that when he eats an apple, he doesn't go for a second one, but when he opens a bag of pretzels, he has another and another, he explains.

"Right. What you may think is that it's just your behavior. But the fact is, that what we're finding is that some foods just break down the fullness mechanisms," said Aronne. "Your fat cells can't tell your brain how much you've eaten. You wind up overeating again and again."

What are some of the foods that really fill you up?

Aronne says starting a meal with a soup is very filling. He also suggests to have your vegetables first.

"That's one of the best pieces of advice we can give people, because it starts you getting full," he said.

He also suggested eating low-fat proteins, chicken or fish.

If you start out eating bread and all of your rice, you're never going to feel full, you're going to eat a lot more, he notes.

What are some of the fatten fattening foods that we should really watch out for?

"Anything that would have a lot of calories in it, very calorie-dense food -- cookies, cakes, chips, I think most are the major offenders," he said. "But then if you get into fast food, it has a lot of calories in a very small compartment. You overeat it and your body just doesn't feel full."

If there were one dietary change that he could pass along, what would it be?

Aronne says that your breakfast has to be the "right kind of breakfast."

"If you're having trouble losing weight, a protein breakfast, an egg white omelette, cottage cheese, yogurt, we find that cuts appetite later in the day. Sort of a natural appetite suppressant," he said.

To learn more, read an excerpt from Dr. Aronne's new book, The Solution To Lasting Weight Loss.