SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Deborah Arneson is divulging things we love to hear — no to diets, yes to fats (the right ones), ditch the scales and increase calorie consumption.

Our reward for the abuse? Fat loss, muscle, gorgeous skin and the bliss of slipping into that "snappy little dress," she says.

Arneson says she's done clinical studies for the past 20 years at her Healing Quest Center in Chicago. Among her findings: Devouring larger quantities of the right foods gets results, while eating less on a diet guarantees failure.

A clinical nutritionist, host of Chicago TV's "Health Quest" and author of "Fries, Thighs, and Lies: The Girlfriend's Guide to Getting the Skinny on Fat" (Basic Health Publications, $14.95), her mantra is diets ultimately make people fatter.

She wants to jump-start fat burning in clients through proper eating, sleeping, hydrating, detoxing and exercising (yes, you'll have to sweat some, too).

She answered some questions.

Q. You say the low-fat approach is out of date. What's the modern advice on fats?

A. Eat fats, but only healthy fats. The ugly fats are trans fats, saturated fats. We need to choose polyunsaturated fats (also monounsaturated) from raw sources to lower our risks for certain diseases.

Q. Did you have some sort of epiphany?

A. I was on a mission to find out what worked and went to India 15 years ago. I saw lean, supple women in India eating avocados off trees like apples. They would use clarified butter to cook their rice. They'd cook fish in coconut oil. These women were beautiful, some in their 80s, with full cheeks, luminescent eyes, shiny hair. With 1,500 calories a day, 750 of them from fat, they melted the fat away.

Q. If many fats are good for us, why do we still feel we should avoid fats in general?

A. Our phobia with fats makes no sense. Fat-phobic people age quickly. Fats calm the central nervous system.

Q. Which foods help burn excess body fat?

A. Polyunsaturated fats, unprocessed foods, organic oils from raw seeds and nuts. Avocados are fabulous, and hummus. Spicier foods, foods with ginger or cayenne.

Q. You claim we must exercise for more than 25 minutes at a time to lose fat. Why is that?

A. Between 26 and 30 minutes, you begin to burn fat.

Q. Why do you oppose weighing on scales?

A. Weight is just a measurement. Scale numbers can go up or down four or five pounds a day. One cup of water weighs a quarter of a pound.