FORT LAUDERDALE, FL April 13, 2013--Several often overlooked factors beyond diet and exercise play vital roles in the overall strategy required to effectively lose and maintain weight, though learning about them does not need to be boring or difficult according to award-winning author and nutrition researcher Diana Hunter. In her latest book, Me Myself & Food: Conquering the Struggle Against Overweight and Obesity Without Dieting (Consumer Press, $12.95 print; $4.95 eBook), Hunter, who has coordinated on food issues with the National Institutes of Health and other agencies as well as nutrition researchers worldwide, details a distinctly different approach to weight loss with a combination of wit, personal anecdotes, and effective strategies.

"Beating overweight and obesity requires synergy," says Hunter. "It's that simple. Achieving healthy lifelong weight control requires more than being on a diet and exercising. But getting there doesn't have to be drudgery."

Among the factors Hunter deems essential are self-perspective, nutritional knowledge, shopping skills, social eating strategies, hydration, and specific sleep patterns. She notes that given a person does not have underlying health problems such as hypothyroidism, employing the factors is highly effectively for producing weight loss and fending off obesity.

"Proper use of willpower is also important," stresses Hunter. "It shouldn't be used to restrict what you eat, as most people think, but rather to focus on making better choices?and to learn how to effectively make those choices. It can actually be fun and enriching."

For more information visit FoodSmart.org.

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