A carb-lover's dream: want to lose weight without giving up your favorite carbs? Phase 2, a starch-blocking extract, may turn your wish into reality.(CHECK OUT: SUPPLEMENTS)

Delicious breads, pastries and pastas don't have to end up on your hips. A dietary supplement that stops starch calories from being digested can make weight loss more realistic and sustainable. The supplement, known as Phase 2, is an extract of a type of white kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

How Phase 2 Works

Our bodies use an enzyme, alpha amylase, to digest starch. Phase 2 binds with and blocks the action of the enzyme, stopping about 80 percent of the starch calories from being absorbed. The indigestible starch becomes fiber that is eliminated.

"We need a bit of starch to produce serotonin and other neurotransmitters, but we just get too much," says Steven Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, who has used Phase 2 with patients in his Los Angeles practice for more than six years and is the author of The Starch Blocker Diet

Rosenblatt recommends using the supplement along with regular exercise and a diet that is high in fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. "There's some starch in most foods," he notes, "even in fruits and vegetables."

Beyond Weight Loss

Starch rapidly converts into blood sugar and, in excess, is a key contributor to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a precursor to heart disease. Blocking starch absorption reduces blood sugar levels and helps to prevent or even reverse diabetes without medication.