That, in essence, is the message given by Dr. Hans Gandhi in his book, "A Novel Approach to Losing Weight", in which he explores various methods for weight loss he has developed over a nine-year period of exploration into the reasons why people become overweight.

After those nine years of research, the doctor said he has concluded that "for an obese or overweight person to lose weight, it is just like passing through a dark, zigzag tunnel."  He said the overweight individual needs some light to help him pass through this tunnel.

Gandhi, who has recently opened a clinic for weight control on Route 27 in Franklin, actually offers eight methods for the treatment of weight control as his "novel" approach.

The methods include medical management, hypnosis treatment, acupuncture treatment, mental yoga treatment, exercise treatment, special diet and nutrition treatment, consultation for surgical treatment and an eighth treatment called "miscellaneous."

"To lose weight is not easy," said the native of Jaipur, India, who has been in the New Brunswick area for the past 16 years.  "As we know, every individual is different.  If one management fails, then the individual may choose another treatment.  The results - if followed honestly and persistently - will be excellent.

"The final goal is to help you lose weight and bring you to a point where you should be able to eat, unrestricted, any food of your choice.  If someone has told you you will never feel hungry and still lose weight, we will not accept this statement," he said, adding that "the book and the clinic's method is to help you to tolerate hunger easily, and help you continue to increase your will power."

The ways to do this are explained in details in various chapters of the book, woven together by a mythical family whose father is obese.

It begins with a discussion on the importance of promise and trust in life and goes on to the origin of man on the planet and the origin of fat cells.  The reasons for beginning in this manner, Gandhi says, is that man must have a thorough understanding of life in the way that Indian philosophy accepts it.

Appetite and taste buds are dealt with in a way which helps desensitize the taste buds for certain foods, he explained, and he also discusses the effects of different hormones on body weight and obesity.

Such other subjects as the number of fat cells and the relation with exercise, blood sugar and its relationship on hunger, and the different brain centers for hunger and appetite are explored in the book, published by Vantage Press.

Reasons for losing weight and the ability to deal with external and internal yoga and the importance of exercise in life, together with the calorie expenditure of different exercises flow through the book written by the internist who did his internship at Middlesex General Hospital.

"I am a medical doctor," he explained, "but I am a scientist in my mind."

When he first advises individuals to go on a weight-loss program, he gives them seven rules to live by.

". If an overweight person is eating, he should at least wrap his utensils in a napkin and wait three minutes before he starts, rather than just jump on the food and eat it right away.

" He can also try to put his utensils, like a fork or a spoon, on the table after eating each bite of food, which means that he has to pick up the utensils again to swallow the second bite, and this will decrease his speed of eating.
" This is very important.  He should wait at least 20 to 25 minutes before he starts his dessert after he has finished his food.  Then, he can also save one of his food items, such as salad or a roll, to eat later, rather than to get a new roll or a salad or a piece of fruit at a later time.
" When overweight people eat, the best thing is to concentrate simply on eating rather than any other thing, like watching TV, doing homework, reading a novel or a newspaper, or talking to someone.  The most important thing is to concentrate just on eating.  That's the work you are supposed to do.
" You are advised to buy small-sized utensils, small glasses, small dishes and so forth, so that when you put a small portion of food on this plate, it will not look like a small amount of food.
" Once you have finished the food, it will be much desired if you clear the dishes from the table, put them in the sink, and leave the kitchen completely.
" Brush your teeth immediately after finishing your meal.  This is a signal to you that the food is over."

In the medical management of obesity and overweight control, Gandhi advocates limited use of appetite-suppressing medications which are allowed in New Jersey by law.

"I do not agree with some medical authorities that these drugs should not be used," he said.  "What happened was the medical profession abused them.   Diet is the primary thing, but I know it's hard to stick to one.  People become irritable when hungry.  The medical profession should be able to diminish hunger by drugs.

"No one, however, should receive these drugs unless medically checked first and if there are no contrary indications to the use of these appetite suppressant medications, they then should be allowed to be used."

Gandhi said that in his clinic, if one of the treatments does not work, "the individual is switched to another program or treatment.  One such treatment might be hypnosis which can run anywhere from four to 16 weeks, depending on the eagerness of the person for hypnosis and the results achieved."

Gandhi also is involved in acupuncture, which he believes can be useful for certain obese and overweight people.

But he believes that acupuncture has not been fully understood and his book attempts to explain this method.

He devotes an entire chapter to the subject of mental yoga, which he says is not for everyone.

"It is designed for those who have an intense desire to understand and learn about this method of mental yoga or mental exercise," he said.  "The book also delves into physical exercise as an important component in weight loss or weight control.   Then there are the special diets, some of which run from four to 12 weeks, depending on the amount of weight loss desired.  As with most other programs, the desired loss is from 1 to 2 pounds a week with these methods."

Gandhi's book also lists a number of modified diets as a guide for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.