Dr. Shapiro's Eat More, Eat Better Plan

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Dr. Howard Shapiro, a weight loss expert who helped the New York Fire Department slim down, has written a new prescription for wellness: You have to go beyond dieting to get healthy, he says.

Rx for Wellness

Eating well and staying trim are an important part of the prescription. Maintaining weight is a problem for many fire fighters. On the job, fire fighters also face tremendous stress along with a lot of down time, Shapiro said.

"Fire fighters are healthy people. They can carry 75 pounds in equipment upstairs. But extra weight takes its toll on their knees and their respiratory systems," said Shapiro. "They can put themselves in a healthier place."

His latest book, Dr. Howard Shapiro's Picture Perfect Prescription, features a lifestyle program that shows you how to eat healthy, deal with stress, exercise and connect with family and friends--all in 11 days.

"It's taking a week and weekend, and you've changed yourself," the doctor explained.

Photos Inspire Weight Loss

Shapiro uses visual images to help people lose weight. Photographs show the amount of calories in some popular foods and how you can eat more food for the same calories. View Gallery

"We try to show people the way with pictures and get people to expand their food choices to give them better health and energy," he said. When he was first beginning his practice, Shapiro said he used to give his patients a list, and they would throw it away. "By seeing it, you don't forget, and you teach people things very quickly."

NYC Fire Fighters Drop as Much as 83 Pounds

The strategy worked great with New York City fire fighters a couple of years ago.

When he started working with the NYC fire fighters, Shapiro predicted they would lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks. "They lost nothing in the first couple of weeks as they learned the concept," he recalled. "By the end they had lost between 19 and 43 pounds. It was unbelievable." The fire fighters went on to lose as much as 83 pounds and appointed Shapiro an Honorary Medical Officer.

The doctor said the fire fighter who lost the most told him, "I have eaten as much food losing this weight as I did when I gained it, but I am eating healthier food that I like."

See for yourself the difference healthful food choices can make to your waistline.

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