BALTIMORE -- What if you were told that you could eat all the comfort foods you love, lose weight and keep it off?

Eat Carbs With Starch-Blocker Diet

Sound too good to be true? Maybe. But there's a new diet that claims to do just that.

Many people love to eat sandwiches, pasta and fried foods. But eating those foods and losing weight just don't add up.

That's where the Starch-Blocker Diet, a new book by Dr. Steven Rosenblatt and medical writer Cameron Stauth, comes in.

Rosenblatt explained that people can block starches by using a supplement called Phase 2.

"It's an extract from white kidney beans, a natural extract that stops the digestive enzyme for starch," Rosenblatt said.

By blocking the action of the enzyme, Rosenblatt said you're able to do away with starch calories.

"In the clinical trials, we found that people were not only able to lose weight, they were able to lose inches," said Rosenblatt (pictured, left).

But if all we had to do was take a pill to lose weight, we would all be thin. There's still work involved in this diet.

"One of the things we like is exercise. So I'm not saying taking a starch blocker makes you lose weight. It's a tremendous help to fight this epidemic of obesity in this county," Rosenblatt said.

The Starch-Blocker Diet goes beyond the supplements. It also promotes a three-step strategy for long-term weight management. They include:

1. Redistribute calories -- which doesn't mean restricting them to starchy foods
2. Take emotional control over food, which obliterates cravings and mood swings
3. Exercise

"When we exercise, we barely burn off this morning's bagel. But by blocking some of that starch, you allow the body to turn and burn some of the body weight, some of the stored energy," Rosenblatt said.

Dr. Tyler Cymet of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore took a look at the Starch-Blocker Diet plan. He said you can get the same effect without spending so much money.

"The pills typically cost between $50 to $100 a month. It is expensive. It is a lot cheaper to take a full glass of water with a high-fiber food," Cymet said.

Cymet said diabetics should not use this diet without doctor supervision because it blocks the absorption of starch and other carbohydrates, and it may keep simple sugar levels too low.

Additional Resources:

Rosenblatt Profile
Sierra Slim, 'The Super Starch Blocker'