PITTSBURGH -- People read books and try all kinds of products, but the answer to weight loss may be as close as the nearest animal shelter, television station WPXI reported.

It's the dog diet.

Patti Lawson, a West Virginia attorney and the author of "Dog Diet," came up with the idea after a bad break-up.

"I thought I could glue my heart back together with chocolate. I had gained 30 pounds on pizza, Starbucks ice cream, chocolate in every form you could imagine," said Lawson.

Lawson decided to take action and got a dog.

She adopted Sadie from a shelter, and before she knew it she lost 8 pounds.

Within six months, Lawson dropped a total of 30 pounds.

So how does a dog lead to weight loss?

First, it gets you moving. Dogs need to be walked and just taking care of Sadie made Lawson more active then she'd been in months, the station reported.

Even the experts can't argue with that.

Leslie Bonci, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center dietitian, said, "There have been a lot of studies that show if people have a dog it forces you to get out and walk. If we're out walking the dog, chances are we're not eating."

While on the dog diet, participants cannot eat food that smells good or makes noise.

Plastic packaging is noisy, and the kind of food in it is usually not good for you or your pet, Lawson said.

"You cannot open a potato chip bag without those four paws coming running into the kitchen," said Lawson.

Lawson replaced noisy, unhealthy foods with quieter foods such as salads.

"I wanted something that Sadie wouldn't be attracted to and that was also odorless and quiet," said Lawson.

Many experts believe one reason we overeat is to comfort ourselves. That's where the dog comes in again.

"If somebody has a pet it can be extremely comforting. I can pet the dog, I can sit here and enjoy and I'm not putting anything into my mouth," said Bonci.