As we cycle through diets, as fad follows fad, as people look for the
quick painless dietary fix; will they turn to the northwoods diet?

Obesity researcher comes up with new diet
  By KARREN MILLS, Associated Press Writer

  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Florida's got the South Beach diet. Now Minnesota's
  got the "Northwoods Diet." That's what University of Minnesota
  professor David Bernlohr came up with as the solution when he noticed
  his waistline expanding. After all, he's an obesity researcher.

  Bernlohr said he'd fallen into the traditional American habits of
  skipping breakfast, eating too much and eating too late at night.

  So he put himself on his own diet - what he jokingly dubbed the
  "Northwoods Diet," poking fun at the fad diet industry and the popular
  South Beach diet.

  "I said if the beautiful people in South Florida can have South Beach,
  the hardworking people of Minnesota can have Northwoods," the
  professor said.

  His eating plan: Three meals a day with smaller portions and no food
  after 7:30 p.m. He starts with a carbohydrate-heavy breakfast such as
  cold cereal or oatmeal. He said the carbs stimulate production of
  insulin, a hormone that helps cells convert blood sugar to energy.

  Lunch is a transitional meal with both carbs and protein, often pizza.
  Dinner is heavier on protein, including meat, vegetables and salads.

  His rule against eating later in the evening adds to the time the body
  is naturally fasting - when he's sleeping. As for exercise, he said,
  he didn't change his normal pattern. He's always walked a lot.

  The approach "is just common sense to people who study nutrition or
  metabolism," said Bernlohr, who heads the university's department of
  biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics and leads a research
  team at the Minnesota Obesity Center.

  Bernlohr said he's lost 40 pounds over the last year and he looks
  trim. But he declines to disclose his weight, and says he's a little
  chagrined that his diet has attracted media attention.

  "This is not a scientific study. It's simply a catchy name," he said,
  adding that the principles he's following aren't new.

  It may not be new information, but people apparently aren't paying
  attention to what already is known about good diet habits.

  The federal government estimates about 65 percent of the adults in the
  United States - nearly 119 million people - are overweight or obese,
  which can lead to major health problems.

  The key to losing weight and staying trim?

  "Don't put as much on your plate. Park as far away from the mall as
  you can, not as close as you can. Walk more. Exercise more," Bernlohr
  said.

  And don't expect quick results.

  Allen Levine, director of the obesity center and head of the
  university's department of food science and nutrition, uses the
  analogy of the automobile to make that point. It takes minutes to fill
  the tank with gas, but hours to burn off the fuel.

  People have to balance the calories eaten with calories burned, he
  said. And people have to police themselves.

  "You can't have sex at your desk and you can't drink booze at your
  desk and you can't inject drugs at your desk, but you can eat a
  doughnut. Nobody's going to stop you," he said.