Entries Tagged 'Book Review' ↓
September 5th, 2008 — Book Review
This book made Bob Phillips a household name and we thought it was a good idea to revisit this book and see how it compares to the latest diet books on the market. While we are deluged with new titles every month, it’s always nice to go back to an old favorite and see if it can still help us. Many of us buy diet books, read them and follow the advice for awhile before moving on. Should you give this one another try? Let’s find out!
The first few chapters are very informative and may change the way you think about food. We particularly enjoyed the fifth chapter that covers dieting myths and facts. You may be surprised about some of those old wives tales. The author does a great job of keeping the tone light and fun, which is always good when you’re reading a diet book. You won’t want to put it down and he did a great job of presenting his information and the way that he made the diet work for him. It’s pretty inspiring and a good read at the same time.
In the second half of the book, Phillips provides recipes for the foods he’s talked about in the first part. This was very nice to see since many diet books just don’t provide this research. It’s one thing to tell you that you need to eat something, but if you don’t show someone how to make that food, they may not ever follow through. Phillips makes it easy to do just that and discover some great new healthy and tasty alternatives for your diet.
The success stories at the end were a great addition to the book and once again, very inspiring. That was a stroke of genius and should supply readers with enough fuel to really take this diet plan seriously. The sections on kitchen essentials and conversion charts were also incredibly helpful.
Our main complaint with this book wasn’t the advice or the food suggestions. It was the total lack of attention towards another major component of getting and staying healthy – exercise. Without that, you may not be able to achieve your goals using just this diet alone. However, it does provide you with the tools you need to make lifestyle changes and that fact redeemed the book in our estimation.
While the book does have some issues, overall, it is a very solid diet book. For those that are having a hard time figuring out what they should be eating, this is the perfect teaching tool. While it doesn’t cover exercising nearly enough, it does what the title suggests – providing you with a new way to eat for life. It’s not a fad diet, and it’s not all sparkly and pretty, but it does get the job done. If you’ve tried everything else, you may want to give this book another shot. At the very least, it’s well worth the read and very useful.
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August 29th, 2008 — Book Review
While many diets come and go, new ones spring up to take their place each year. Some go by without much notice, while others are fervently adhered to, at least until the next one comes along. Fad diets have their place, and will undoubtedly last longer than most of us will, but once in a while, an interesting one does come along. The Ultimate Tea Diet has one of the more fascinating premises among these diets and we thought it would be interesting to see what it was all about.
Basically, this book asserts that if you drink tea eight times a day, include a lot of different teas in your cooking and exercise regularly, you will lose weight. Nothing really new there, but the interesting part is that three of the components of tea may actually help people lose weight. It should be noted that in order for this diet to work, only caffeineated teas can be used. Caffeine of course speeds up the metabolism and acts as a stimulant, which does indeed help weight loss. Numerous diet pills contain caffeine but the vote is still out on how safe it is.
Eight cups of heavily caffeineated tea may not be a good idea for those that aren’t used to a lot of caffeine, so we highly recommend speaking with your doctor if you do decide to adopt this diet. The second component of tea that can help you lose weight is called l-theanine. This is an amino acid that the authors claim will reduce the harmful side effects of caffeine, such as feeling jittery. The third component is ECGC, which apparently speeds up the weight loss process.
We all know that tea has many different health benefits, such as helping boost the immune system, preventing tooth decay and lowering blood sugar, but can it really help you lose weight? Only if you combine it with the right diet and exercise plan. Drinking tea on its own really won’t do you much good, and although the book contains numerous recipes for tea-based foods, many people may find them a bit hard to swallow. After all, how many of us would really look forward to eating a fruit tea smoothie after a long hard day.
In the books favor, it does help you select the teas that will appeal to your palate, and there is a lot of good advice contained in the book. If you’re looking for a miracle cure that will help you instantly shed weight without having to exercise, this isn’t it. Combined with the right foods and the right exercise plan, you will most likely be successful, but that would be true if you weren’t drinking any tea.
It was an interesting read and if you’ve tried other diets that haven’t worked, this one may be worth looking into, especially if you love tea. If you hate tea however, this will probably be just one big disappointment.
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August 22nd, 2008 — Book Review
There are dozens of books, if not hundreds, on the market to help you achieve success and make all of your goals obtainable. However, most are pretty much claptrap that you've already heard before and few offer any real advice that you couldn't get for free. Let's see if Harmonic Wealth can buck that trend and provide some solid information that will help you in your quest to lose weight and get your life back on track.Most of us want to improve ourselves in some way, it's only human nature. We always want to be thinner, richer and happier, and the book world caters to these desires. Every year we get the latest and greatest, but few leave you satisfied and wanting more. We appreciated the way that Ray cut through all of the mumbo jumbo and presented his take on the matter in a thoughtful and logical way, but we're really not sure there is anything new here.
However, there is a lot to be said for stating something in a way that makes sense. Basically Ray contends that you have the power to slim down, change your life and get richer, you just need to unlock that desire and put it to work. Thankfully, this wasn't a book about instructing the "Universe" on how to get what you want, but it does pull heavily from a lot of the ideas contained in that famous and controversial theory.
We appreciated that the author was very practical in presenting the information and that his writing will undoubtedly empower many people to take control of their lives. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that the author is merely capitalizing on the success of the "The Secret" and finding a way to make the same theory work in a different way. There is nothing wrong with that per-se, but it's falling back into that same trap of repurposing information and selling it in a new way.
Bottom line, if you're looking for a kick in the pants that will help you get your life back on track, you can merely look within and find all of that desire right there. Whether or not you put it into action is up to you. This book may help you find that answer and help motivate you to start building a plan of action. However, if you're expecting to start collecting money with your mental static electricity, it's best to be more realistic.
Like anything in life, weight loss and wealth take a lot of work and a lot of devotion. If you don't have that, you may never achieve your goals. If you do, do you really need a book to tell you how to do it? It's an interesting read, and for some, it may be the answer. We just couldn't get past the fact that we've heard it all before, even if it was put in a little different way.
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August 15th, 2008 — Book Review, calories, diet, exercise, fad diets, healthy eating, motivation, nutrition
Out of all the diet books we have ever seen, this one simply has the best cover. Nothing gets the point of the title across better than a pie-eyed dog staring at you over a bowl of what looks like very unappetizing cereal. The author of this book is the renowned Bradley Trevor Greive, who is a very big person in the gift book industry. It turns out that Greive is also a pretty big person in real life and he decided to write a book about his journey from 280 pounds to fit.
The sense of humor Greive has makes this one of the most entertaining books on the market. His chronicles of dieting and what he learned along the way will keep you enthralled and most likely, laughing quite a bit. His main premise is that dieting is pretty insane, especially when you're hungry, and he feels that he has found why so many diets just don't work - simply put - they're too mentally difficult to stick to.
As Greive found out, the best way to lose weight, and keep it off, is through an entire lifestyle change. It's not going to happen overnight, but if you keep at it, you will be successful. Our favorite piece of advice though was his best method of dieting - keep your mouth shut. As he put it, that's one of the best ways to reduce your caloric intake - even if it's not always going to work.
The tone of the book is very light but don't let that fool you. There is some really useful advice in here and it is definitely well worth the read. Through his engaging prose, Greive tries to open the reader's eyes to the fact that all of the diet fads and difficult diets in the world aren't going to help you until you make that step to get healthy first, and then lose weight.
Although technically there really was nothing new in this book - we all know how important it is to eat right and exercise - but the author managed to put all of these things into a fresh new perspective. He is a great motivator and we believe that this book has what it takes to actually change lives instead of offering false hope and a hefty cover price. Through Greive's mistakes and his humor, you may just find the inspiration you need to put his advice to good use.
Overall, we found this to be a fantastic read that was well worth our time. Entertaining books are just more fun to read and we were happy to report that we were indeed sad when it ended. This is the measure of a great book, and Greive hit all the right notes. If you're trying to lose weight or if you just want to get a bit healthier, we highly recommend this engaging book.
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August 8th, 2008 — Book Review, Meals, alternative ideas, carbohydrates, supplements
Out of all of the low carb diet books out there, this has to be the most confusing. Normally, we steer clear of diets that are strictly low carb, since few are balanced, but since this was a book from the Dummies line, we thought it might be worthwhile. What a surprise to find that this was one convoluted mess that mixed some really great advice with some really bad advice.
The book is not entirely about low carb diets and in fact, the author seems to be developing her own special diet throughout the text. There is nothing wrong with that in theory, but since her diet doesn't really mesh with the low carb theory it is a bit confusing at times. Our biggest issue was that she continually talked about how great a low carb diet can be and then brought up statistics that show it's not the smartest thing for your body.
Several myths are dispelled and enforced, again we have a contradiction. That seems to be the main theme of this book on several levels. The author says that carbs in fruits don't matter, when in fact, they contain some of the highest levels of bad carbs you can find. On the other hand, she recommends avoiding some of the best and most nutrition filled low carb foods out there, such as chicken wings. When she starts to contradict her own words though, it gets a little silly.
That said, this is still a good book. While the above wasn't exactly ringing praise for the author, the recipes contained are worth the cost of the book. You'll get plenty of good ideas for eating healthy, low card meals that are very well balanced. The key isn't so much cutting carbs out of your life completely as it is finding the right balance with good carbs and protein.
She also discusses how to find healthy replacements for fast food and again, this redeems what would have otherwise been a truly awful book. This section is very useful for those that like to eat out but don't know which kind of foods they need to be eating. This can make the menu selection a lot easier and you won't feel so guilty.
The book also covers making lifestyle changes, the importance of supplementing with vitamins while you're dieting as well as some great advice on how to avoid beating yourself up mentally if you do slip on your diet. For these sections, we recommend this book whole heartedly.
We recommend taking the advice on low carb eating with a grain of salt, but buy the book for the good advice on dieting as a whole and knowing what to avoid and what you can eat when you're eating out.
Overall, it's not the best book, but you can still get some good information out of it, especially if you go into it with the right mindset.
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August 1st, 2008 — Book Review, diet, fad diets, healthy eating, motivation
This is an incredible book by Judith Beck, the daughter of a famed researcher that revolutionized the mental health industry. Like father, like daughter, Beck is poised to make some big changes in the diet industry, using the same techniques. Beck's philosophy focuses on Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT. This is a term that means literally, changing the way you think and training your brain to produce certain results.
This method is incredibly powerful when applied to mental concerns, and has the potential to really change the way that most people think about dieting. If you're sick of trying fad diets, or you think that you will never be thin - this book needs to be read and put in a place of honor on your shelves. Our big thing is really lifestyle changes, and how powerful they can be. This book takes it to the next level and goes further into how to get your brain to work with you instead of against you.
The main premise of the book is that people who need to lose weight, or even those that have already lost weight and are trying to keep it off, do not think like thin people. Thin people don't beat themselves up over their food choices, they know when they're full, and they don't create vicious cycles that doom their diets to failure. In fact, they don't diet, because their brains are trained to control their appetites and their cravings.
This book will show you how to start thinking like a thin person and literally retrain your brain. Since hunger is only partially associated with your stomach, the brain is what you really need to be targeting, before you lose a pound. This book will put you on the path towards becoming thin, even if your body hasn't caught up yet. However, once you put the advice into action, it won't take long to get there.
By focusing on behavior that leads dieters into a vicious circle, Beck shows them how to break free. Willpower is rarely enough and it is all too easy to slide, especially when your body is so insistent. But, according to Beck, it's not really your body making those demands, it's your brain. Teach your brain to shut up, and you've got it made. That's really oversimplifying it, but that is the basic reason why so many diets fail. Our brains force them to fail by over thinking, triggering bad behaviors and sabotaging our best efforts.
We highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking to lose weight the healthy way. If you're stuck on fad diets, this will literally change your life and show you that there is a better way. Even if you're already thin but worried you might slip, this book will show you how to stay thin for the rest of your life and still get a lot of enjoyment out of your life.
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July 25th, 2008 — Book Review
The author of this diet is already quite well known thanks to the ABC series, Extreme Makeover. David Hirsch has quite a reputation as being the go-to guy when you want to lose weight and celebrities swear by his plans. This online book/site received its fare share of hype and However, is it worth the cost to try it on on your own? Let's find out.
Right off the bat, this is a diet that will help people see results in just about two weeks, and unlike many other diet plans, it focuses on lifestyle changes as well as losing weight. This is the first sign that you're dealing with a diet that's going to work, not just now, not just in two weeks, but for the rest of your life. For those of us that want to lose weight and keep it off, this resource is packed with incredible advice amidst all of the inspirational talk.
The main concern we had with this plan was that in order to take advantage of it, you've got to join an online program for $16 and you'll also need to buy some shakes, which can be pretty expensive. For those dieters that do not have a lot of money, this really isn't a plan that they could get much use out of. Unfortunately, the whole idea of having to pay a monthly membership fee for a diet is a little too much to take, and cheapens what is otherwise a very good plan.
However, you can still walk away with enough advice to make these changes on your own, and stick with a new diet plan, without having to shell out money for shakes or memberships. Possibly the best part of the plan is that it contains a fitness test to help you gauge your progress as you start the diet. This is a terrific addition that not many diet books or plans have and it compensated for the points that we didn't like. You can easily use this test to make sure that you're not only losing weight but getting healthier too.
Exercise plans are given that can help you get on the path to total wellness and that was greatly appreciated. The bad thing is that you do have to pay to access them. We would have liked to see a few more free resources available for those who simply cannot afford to take advantage of this program. There is so much good advice here that it needs a wider audience and while this may not be economically smart, it would have been nice.
Overall, we recommend the Ultimate New York Diet simply because it contains so much useful advice, plans and information. It is a recommendation with reservations however, given that there is a monthly fee and the shakes are pretty costly. With a few modifications, we could really get behind this one, and that's not praise that is handed out lightly.
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July 18th, 2008 — Book Review
Out of all of the diets, by far the one that has received more than a fair share of adherents is the South Beach Diet. While there are plenty of those that may criticize this diet plan, for many others it does work and quite well. However, many feel that the diet is not strong enough and want to see quicker results. In this vein, the South Beach Diet Supercharged by Dr. Agatston should address these concerns and show how to turn this diet into a powerhouse.
It is best to state first off that this diet is a new version of the South Beach Diet and some changes have been made. It's interesting that the author chose to keep that name even though many things are fundamentally different. It's highly probable that the name itself is more profitable and it certainly is easier to promote a diet based on this very popular diet plan that millions of people have tried. The author does break down the diet into three phases, much like the original South Beach Diet and it does draw heavily from this plan. However, it does branch out and provide new ways to adapt a healthy lifestyle.
The best parts of this book are the ones that focus truly on building a healthy new lifestyle and not just losing weight. The author did a very good job of stressing how important it is to make those changes, particularly if you are looking for success over the long term. Too many diet books focus on fads and fail to provide readers with solid information that they can keep with them for the rest of their lives. In this vein, the book is well worth the cover price.
The problem I have with this book is mainly with the types of food that were recommended. It's heavy on advice for using sugar substitutes without regards to what these are made of, many of these contain unhealthy chemicals and since this book is about not only losing weight but getting healthy, this is a bit at cross purpose. However, since the jury is still out on the safety of alternative sweeteners, it is difficult to judge this point too harshly. Personally, I recommend Agave Nectar has a sugar substitute.
The bottom line - this is a good book, but like many in the industry, you can't read just this one and expect to get the whole picture. For those who are already on the South Beach Diet, it's a great resource, but it is certainly not a stand alone book.
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July 11th, 2008 — Book Review
The Martha's Vineyard Diet rocketed to success and the author, Dr. Roni Deluz is already well known for her other diet book, 21 Pounds in 21 Days. This book is an extension (more of a second edition) of the first book (the title is even very similar). While the book is well written and contains some helpful information, I was a bit disappointed that a holistic nutrionist didn't go into more detail about making those changes that are necessary towards keeping weight off.
While it's great to lose 20 pounds in three weeks, it's really not that healthy. How much of that is just water weight that will come back as soon as you start eating the same foods you were before you started the diet? The answer is usually more than half. The main problem with this diet is simply that it is not well balanced, it doesn't address future concerns and it's a little too much like a fad diet to be a book that we could recommend.
This diet requires a lot of intensive food preparation that will throw off a lot of people that are busy. You'll basically be living on soup, but you'll have to make everything yourself. While this is great if you've got a lot of time on your hands, this isn't a diet that's going to translate well for someone that needs to stay on their game for work.
In reality, this is a detox diet that aims to quickly flush everything out of your system. While the author claims that the soup is satisfying, most people get pretty sick of it after three days. The key to a successful diet is finding ways to blast apart the usual excuses, such as I'm too busy, I'm starving, I feel deprived. This diet accomplishes none of these things. It's very hard to recommend a book that is simply not going to be useful to anyone over the long term.
That's not to say that detoxing isn't important. With the majority of diets in the United States, it's a given that we all need to eat healthier and stop ingesting so many chemicals. Detoxing is a good way to lose temporary weight, but if you want to keep that weight off, you're going to have to make some lifestyle changes.
This book is great if you just want to carve off a few pounds or see really quick results. The bad thing is that those results are going to be pretty short lived. It feels like the book is simply trying to capitalize on a trend and doesn't really address the issues that cause weight gain in the first place. Fast results are great, but the depression that sets in once that water weight comes back, is going to be a lot to handle for some people.
Overall, this is not a book that I could recommend to any dieter. There simply isn't enough solid advice or good information that you can take away from reading it.
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July 3rd, 2008 — Book Review
Tomorrow is a holiday, which is why you are reading a book review today. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the fireworks and BBQs!
Dr. Shapiro's book The Guide to Picture Perfect Weight Loss combines several interesting factors into one plan to help readers lose weight. While you may not agree with some of his advice or suggestions, it certainly is an interesting read and a book that dieter's should at least consider. The author really focused on healthy lifestyle changes, so that earned him points right off the bat.
When it comes to losing weight, it's not about those initial quick results. If you're not making whole life changes, it's all too easy to fall back into bad habits and immediately your progress was for naught. We always appreciate it when authors step away from the fad diet craze and start focusing on ways that everyone, regardless of their current weight, can get healthy and stay that way.
Dr. Shapiro was hired to help the Fire Department in New York City lose weight and it's easy to see why he is well renowned in the diet industry. This book focuses on using pictures to help readers make smart food choices. It's all about replacing bad foods and developing those healthy eating habits that will keep you slim for the rest of your life. We really appreciated the fact that he illustrated proper serving sizes visually since many of us have a hard time picturing what a "serving" actually is.
The best part of the book lies in the suggestions for replacements for unhealthy foods. At times, it was pretty shocking to see exactly what you could eat instead of fast food. The sheer volume of healthy but tasty food compared with the small serving of fast food was remarkable and no one could ever claim that this was a diet that left them feeling hungry.
Since total deprivation does not work when it comes to losing weight, this book offered hundreds of alternatives that readers can immediately put into action so that they feel full and fulfilled. It may be tough at first to implement a few of these changes, particularly since fast food and unhealthy food as a whole tastes so good, but the author really did his job when it came to finding alternatives that are completely comparable. If you can break your addiction to fast food, you'll be surprised at just how much healthy food you could be eating.
It was virtually impossible to come up with any criticism for this book. It's well written, well thought out and most importantly, provided a new way to look at dieting. So many diet books are all the same and so many leave reader's feeling empty or worse, ripped off. By visually representing food changes, the author really took diet books to a whole new level and we can hope that the industry will follow suit.
Overall, this is a book that belongs on any dieter's bookshelf. Even those who are already at their goal weight can learn a lot from this book and walk away with a new appreciation of eating healthy.
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