As Amber Dunlap stood in her Memphis, Tennessee, backyard, holding her new baby girl, she knew she should be happy. But she wasn't. Such a moment is normally joyful, but when Dunlap saw her reflection in a glass door, her mood changed: She barely recognized the overweight woman she saw.

"With my schedule--working two jobs, going to school, going through a divorce and being a single mom-I had good excuses not to exercise or eat well," she told me. Yet for her daughter's future, Amber knew she had to lose weight.

She's not alone--some 80 percent of Americans are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reports that more than 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity-related illnesses--a number second only to tobacco. With 800 people dying daily because they're fat, obesity is becoming an epidemic.

Yet, I'm happy to say Dunlap had the strength to change. She lost 40 pounds by sticking to my simple weight-loss plan. So, there's good news: Losing weight doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. By following this simple plan, you can lose two pounds a week while exercising for only 8 minutes a day--without aerobics or starvation dieting.

muscle means metabolism

When I tell people the good news for the first time, they think I'm crazy. That is, until I explain that body fat isn't the source of the overweight problem. It's only the symptom. The real cause is a lack of lean muscle tissue.

Muscle mass controls metabolism. The more active your lean muscle is, the more fat you burn throughout the day--whether you're exercising or not. Although aerobic exercise is great for the heart and overall health, only strength training will turn your body into a fat-burning machine.

Consider the fact that muscle fiber usually begins to atrophy after about age 20. Aging isn't necessarily the cause, rather the problem stems from a lack of resistance-bearing exercise.

But strength training doesn't mean you need to go to a gym, nor does it mean you're going to look bulky--especially if you're female. It does mean you become firmer and stronger as you lose weight. And you can do it in your home for less than 10 minutes in the morning before work.

By training early in the morning, you fire up your system, dramatically speeding up your metabolism for the rest of the day. Plus, morning trainers have a greater tendency to stick to their exercise commitment.

A 500-person study conducted at the Mollen Clinic in Phoenix, for example, showed that only 25 percent of evening exercisers consistently do their exercise routines, compared to 75 percent of morning exercisers.

The bottom line is that when you commit to exercising in the morning, you bypass excuses and get the fat off faster. The clinic's founder, Art Mollen, DO, says that "as the day goes on, people hunt for excuses not to exercise--like having to work a bit later, run errands or go out with friends."

What's more, researchers at the University of Leeds in England found that women who worked out in the morning reported less tension and greater feelings of contentment than those who didn't. Physical activity sends a signal to your pituitary gland to release endorphins, your body's natural feel-good drug. When you exercise in the morning, chances are you'll have a better day.

change your oil

Once you start this plan, you'll never eat a fat-free meal again. Surprised? For years we've been told the best way to lose weight is to go fat-free--but nothing could be more wrong. Certain good fats actually help curb your appetite, thus speeding up weight loss.

My favorite good fat is flaxseed oil, which is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (see BN, June 2002, page 36, or write us for more detailed information).

Various studies conducted at the Pennsylvania State University in State College and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia--along with anecdotal feedback from my 3 million online clients--report that no other nutrient does a better job of creating a feeling of fullness and satiety than flaxseed oil.

The reason is that this good fat is harder to break down than other foods, so it's held in the stomach longer. This helps stimulate the release of cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that signals the brain to stop eating. As a result, you require smaller meals to make you feel satisfied--and feel satisfied longer.

You can eat flaxseed oil on toast or put it in salads, yogurt, cottage cheese or shakes. I recommend that you take 1 teaspoonful with each meal. If you're extremely overweight, you may need more.

facts on flax

Flaxseed oil contains essential omega-3 fatty acids that help maintain the integrity and function of your body's 75 trillion cell membranes. Flaxseed oil also supports healthy joints, skin, hair and strong nails. For all of its benefits, you have little worry that flaxseed oil will be stored as body fat.

For information, books and videos on Jorge's weight-loss program, please visit jorgecruise.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: Avoid the fat trap.

Over the past decade, fat has earned a bad reputation. We once thought that if you cut fat out of your diet, you would lose weight. But throughout the no-fat craze, people continued to get fatter. To make fat-free foods taste good, manufacturers had to add more sugar. By the time manufacturers were done creating fat-free foods, products often had just as many calories as the higher-fat versions.

Some fats are not good for you and are converted to body fat faster than others. To avoid fattening, unhealthful fats, you need to understand what types of foods they are concealed in.

saturated fats. Found exclusively in high amounts in animal products such as beef, milk, cheese, lunchmeat, butter and bacon. You can can avoid these fats--and continue to eat animal products--if you:

* Choose lower-fat options such as white meat chicken and turkey without the skin, and reduced-fat dairy products. Look for the lowest-fat options of red meat. You can also try great-tasting soy versions of traditional meat.

* Watch your portion size. Think of meat and dairy as condiments, not as your main course. Hold yourself to a 3- to 6-ounce serving of meat a day, roughly the size of one to two decks of cards.

trans fats. Also called hydrogenated fats, trans fats have no physical purpose in your body. They are a type of fat you could cut completely out of your diet and your body would never notice the difference. These fats are made when foods are processed, so they can be found in just about everything that has been boxed or changed from its natural state. Common trans fat culprits include biscuits, cakes, chips, crackers, doughnuts, muffins, cinnamon buns, pie crusts, many types of popcorn and shortening.

All fats are not created equal. Healthy fats--the omegas--can be found in flaxseed oil, flaxseeds and cold-water fish such as salmon or tuna.

RELATED ARTICLE: Your sample 8-minute weight-loss week.

Jorge Cruise

You do only two exercises each morning. They change every day, so by week's end you've worked on all your muscle groups. Make sure to pick a dumbbell that allows you to complete 12 repetitions but leaves you too fired for a 13th--by challenging your muscles you will get better results. The basics are the same: Do 12 reps of one, switch immediately to the other, and go back and forth that way until you've completed 4 sets of each. You're finished after only 8 minutes.

monday

strengthen your chest

Keep your knees hip-width apart, hands shoulder-width apart, pelvis down and head straight so your body makes a straight line. Inhale as you lower your chest to the floor, keeping your back straight and abs tight. Exhale as you push back up.

strengthen your back

Exhale and extend your right arm and left leg. Balance on your right knee and hold for three seconds. Exhale as you lower your arm and leg. Repeat on opposite side for one rep.

tuesday

strengthen your shoulders

Bend forward from the waist with a dumbbell in each hand and arms slightly bent at your side. Exhale and raise dumbbells out to the side. Hold for one second. Inhale as you lower your arms.

strengthen your abs

With heels above the floor, exhale as you slowly bring your heels and knees toward your torso until your thighs and knees make a 90-degree angle. Hold for one second; exhale as you extend your legs back out.

wednesday

strengthen the front of your arms

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out and arms relaxed at your sides. Exhale and curl your arms up toward your shoulders, keeping wrists straight. Hold arms just above a 90-degree angle for one second, as shown. Exhale and lower your arms.

strengthen the back of your arms

Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, and raise your arms straight above your head, keeping elbows slightly bent. Inhale and lower the dumbbell behind your head as shown, trying to keep your elbows close to your head. Hold for one second and exhale as you raise your arms.

thursday

strengthen the front of your thighs