Understand what body shape means, how it is formed, how it changes, and how it relates to your health. Learn why all fat is not created equal. Discover the Elite foods that help protect against disease, promote general wellness, and improve your odds of shedding fat. Find out why the human body is not designed to give up weight easily -- and learn what you can do to lose more weight with less effort. Change the way you relate to your body forever. Acquire the tools you need to make conscious, informed, healthy choices about food while still living in the real world. Throw away your scale and get out of the cycle of diet failure. No more fads. No more confusion.

When it comes to your health, body shape really does matter! Chances are you already know if you're an apple or a pear. If you tend to gain weight in your belly and back, you're an apple. If your thighs and derriere are the canvas on which your snack food sins are written, then you're a pear. But what does it matter? Gut or butt, too much is too much, right? Wrong!

Whether you are an apple-shaped or pear-shaped woman determines far more than whether you select a swimsuit with a waist-whittling pattern or a thigh-hiding skirt. According to medical pioneer Marie Savard, M.D., your body shape is the single most powerful predictor of future health. It is connected to differences in your physical chemistry, hormone production, and metabolism and directly affects your likelihood for obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, stroke, varicose veins, and certain cancers.

Your body shape may be putting your health in danger through no fault of your own. But there is good news: There are things you can do to prevent or even reverse the risks of body shape. Apples & Pears: The Body Shape Solution for Weight Loss and Wellness offers women of all shapes and sizes specific nutritional and exercise recommendations based on body type. So much more than just another diet book, Apples & Pears teaches you exactly what you need to do to sidestep the physical and emotional pitfalls of body shape in order to live longer, lose weight, and feel healthier.