Dieting Books

Healthy, beautiful, flavorful foods - and a joy to prepare. Once you assemble the basic spices and ingredients, Alamelu encourages you to practice a few basic techniques then follow your instincts. No need to worry about a missing ingredient here or there . . . she encourages experimentation. This is a great cookbook to add to your collection (for the experienced cook) and the book would also be a wonderful gift for the novice cook. You will never again serve the same old boring vegetable dishes once you have tried a few of the recipes from this collection. I particularly like the way I feel after a meal prepared with these recipes - energized and a little proud that I'm preparing food without a lot of the fat and salt so common in popular American diet. Without bragging, I think what I have prepared from this collection is better than food I've had at any Indian restaurant. Try this book, you won't be disappointed. -Mary T

If you want to add some interest to your cooking,using this book is a great way to do it! The section that lists vegetables in alphabetical order is very helpful. Whatever vegetable I am craving, I just look in the book to find a recipe for it and I know it will be great. The chicken recipes are wonderful as well; and who knew cream of wheat could be a main dish for dinner!? After my mom visited, she bought the book and found all the spices. Once you do this, you are set. [...]

I have participated in Alamelus cooking class and bought the book on Amazon. The recipes are very easy to follow.
Just adding the ingredients as they are listed.
Since I have the book I have cooked every weekend at least one dish if not compleate meals (there is an appendix that indicates what dishes go best together for a complete meal, I love it!)I bought most of the spices online, and had indian friends over who loved my "authentic" dishes. They come out right every time!
The photos of the finished dishes are in the center of the book. Usually I would like them better if they would be per recipe, but since the recipes are so easy to follow, it realy makes no big difference.
[...]
There are also daytrips to Chicago to explore indian recipes and culture.

I attended one of Alamelu's cooking classes one Saturday morning at a local high school. She made it seem so easy, and after the demonstration the students dined on the three dishes she had prepared. The food disapeared quickly!

I bought the book, Healthy South Indian Cooking, and have been recreating those dishes and others for myself. I enjoy cooking and needed to supplement my spice cabinet with only a few addtional ingredients that I had no trouble finding in Milwaukee. The cooking style is intuitive, and all the recipies have turned out well. I found Alamelu's explanation, that the list of ingredients is not rigid, to be true. I improvise on quantities of spices and make substitutions if I find myself short of an ingredient. It's a fun way to cook, and the results are delicious!

I heartily recommend this book to anyone seeking an adventure in good dining!

Ned Turner

Being a big fan of indian food since I had my first bite of garlic naan & samosas, making my own indian food has always been a desire of mine. The canned indian food might have cut it at first but I always wanted to do it better, authentically. However a good friend of mine always complained that when she made indian food it was a disaster, not only a good cook and her boyfriend being indian I found this rather discouraging! However, with Alemelu's guidance and easy instructions cooking so far has been a breeze! The first entree I tackled, the black eyed pea sambar turned out not only deliciously, but easy as pie! Wait, should I say easier then pie? It literally took 10 minutes to make, and had everyone I served it to 'ooohing' and 'ahhing'. I give this book 5 stars only because I can't give it a million, this might just be my favorite book and Alamelu, my favorite teacher!

This is my opinion only. This diet is just to far out there. For example it wants you to eat Free range eggs but not really Chicken eggs? Come on. The average person doesn't have access to eggs that are not from a chicken. The General idea of the diet is a good one they just go overboard. Basically it is a low carb diet made more difficult. You would almost have to be a fanatic to have any luck with this diet.

ok, i lost about 40 pounds in about 6 months and i have been keeping it off. i love meat and salads, i still cheat every once in a while and drink my share of beer. But i am the envy of my friends i eat anything and dont gain weight. i do excercise so this help a lot but its the diet that makes this work for me.
this has changed my life.
JR

Using this diet, I have lost over 50 pounds in the last eight months! (I am 6'2 185)My waist size has gone from 38 to right now it is a very loose size 32 and I am sure I will have to go down to a size 30 soon. This diet has been so easy for me that it doesn't even seem like a real diet. When I first started it and would have strong cravings for carbs, I would eat meat and vegtables till I got full, and even though I was eating alot of calories, I would still loose weight. Since I have lost all this weight I have had a lot of energy and have starting exercising. Right now I am in the best shape of my life, I can run three miles, and then ride my bike for twenty. Also, I have cheated on this diet and still lost weight. I still drink about a six pack every week-end and have totally fallen off the diet during the holidays and at birthday partys, but the fact is that I have dropped my total intake of carbs by about 90%. This book really does a good job of spelling out what and what not to eat, and I recomment it very highly.

Like Paleo Diet but allows you some more food items that Paleo does not. Makes the same kind of points about the importance of protein and the elimination of some starches and grains.

I'm a low-carb dieter who lost 47 lbs on the Atkins diet last year. During that time I felt great, slept better, skin cleared up, had wonderful energy and also experienced other little side benefits to the weight loss that are too numerous to get into here. However, after several months I plateaued at about 25 lbs above my ideal, and of course I wanted to jump-start my weight loss again. So, I did a little investigating, discovered the Neanderthin diet and decided to give it a try.

A brief summary of the basics of this diet: eat no technology-dependant foods. By that, author Ray Audette meant that if a food needs technology beyond a sharp stick or stone to process it to become edible, or to exist in its present form, it was never a natural part of our human diet, which had its origins with hunter-gatherer societies. What foods absolutely must be processed and/or cooked are: grains, including wheat, rice and most others; starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams; legumes, including peanuts, beans and peas. Refined sugars and artificial sweeteners are absolutely unnatural, although a small bit of honey is fine. Modern fruits are okay but must be eaten sparingly due to the fact that they have been altered over thousands of years to barely resemble the wild originals that our ancestors snacked on, usually much larger and with a much higher sugar content. Fermented foods are of course absent without our technology, so that excludes cheeses, vinegars and alcohols. Dairy products are also absent from the lives of hunter gatherers for obvious reasons. That leaves us with meats, fish/seafood, eggs, nuts, most vegetables, greens, and small amounts of fruits and berries.

I tried the hunter-gatherer diet for about one month. Just as with Atkins, I felt wonderful and had all of the other side benefits of the low-carb diet, but my weight loss was still stalled. You see, the allowance of fruits on this diet was too great a temptation and I overdid it there. Longtime dieters may be familiar with the term "trigger", which is anything that causes your cravings to resurface. Some people like me have carb triggers so sensitive that even fruits can activate them. So, reluctantly I concluded that I would have to replace the Neanderthin diet with a low-carb diet that forbid me to have any fruit, at least during the weight loss phase. When I am finished and at my goal weight, however, I will return to the Neanderthin diet to maintain my excellent health, as I can't imagine a life entirely without strawberries, peaches and melons!

I should note here that the authors Audette and Gilchrist do not advocate this diet as an aid to weight loss per se, but for reversing health problems and improving overall fitness. They theorize that diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity and many other curses of civilization are the byproducts of an immune system response to unnatural foods like grains: they show how you can trace the origins and progression of these conditions from the time grains and other technology-dependant foods were introduced into a culture. Examples in our European culture point to the Industrial Revolution as the biggest health problem of our history, when steam powered mills made refined white flours and sugars commonly available and cheap to the masses. Until then heart disease and diabetes (just to pick two examples) were so rare as to be unheard of; now they are epidemic in the USA, which by the way consumes more refined flour and sugar per person than any nation in the world.

Audette's theories and explanations make perfect sense to me, a non-scientist. They may partly explain why other low-carb diets are successful for weight loss. I can also see the sense in removing refined and processed foods from my diet, along with all the chemicals and trans fats that come with them. It's just too bad that a hunter-gatherer diet has a built in flaw, namely that the diet food industry can't cash in on it (remember, no artificial sweeteners or processed foods), and therefore it won't get the kind of publicity that diets like Atkins and Protein Power have had. Hopefully, the good word of mouth from satisfied dieters will spread and eventually get Audette nd Gilchrist the acclaim they deserve for helping so many people get back their health and quality of life.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

It is a revolution this book. I have met Dr.Rosedale in a conference and I have been impressed by what he has communicated about this diet.
It is an oppotunity to improve your life, a new point of view.

It's good to read about leptin(hormone).Makes complete sense.I'm implementing changes in my diet.It goes together well with other books I read.Great book.

Wonderful book, easy to understand and follow. A new way of eating that brought fast, easy results.

The Rosedale Diet Book
This diet works. It is the only book that makes it clear that excess protein can be turned into sugar and then into fat. Like all good things, it comes with work, but when all else has failed, this one will work for you.

I'm a physically, active male over the age of 50 and I had reached the point that it seemed like skipping meals was the only effective means to not gaining weight. And while I could maintain I was often hungry and it was difficult to lose weight. Since practicing the Rosedale diet over about 3 weeks and I admit probably only holding to it about 75% of the time, I have lost 5 pounds. Also, I'm not hungry and I don't feel the urge to eat sweets like I once did. The bonus to the Rosedale Diet is not just the weight loss potential but the many health gains that you'll get on the inside of your body. Eating high fat (but the right kind of fat) may be counterintuitive to what we've been bombarded with by the media but for me it works.

This book is such an easy read and I found the recipes and tips for Coconut Oil to be so helpful. I began using Coconut Oil after reading this book and I found it worked on so many things. My hair is so much softer and my skin is too. It has helped me in fighting a Candida overgrowth that I have. And it revs my metabolism like crazy. I've been wanting to find a natural way of doing this instead of some sort of diet pill. Overall, this is an amazing find.

I loved this book. My personal opinion is for everyone to sit down with a cup of their favorite drink and open the binding to this incredible read. Highly recommend. I loved this book. My personal opinion is for everyone to sit down with a cup of their favorite drink and open the binding to this incredible read. Highly recommend.

This will completely change any pre-conceived ideas you may have about coconut oil. Lots of wonderful and informative information that you should have already known, a real education. My wife and I have found lots of useful ways to use the oil. One of the best ways is use instead of butter on a toasted bagel or English muffin and then cover with peanut butter, low cal is fine. And, you may also use the oil in replacing vegetable oil for cooking. But, don't let me give up all of the secrets from the book. Extremely informative and useful. Well worth the purchase.
The Coconut Oil Miracle (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of Coconut Oil)

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fascinating account of the wonderful properties of [virgin, unrefined] coconut oil. The information is very helpful and my husband and I try to get coconut oil in some form, regularly. While we haven't yet gotten some in every day, we have, however, tossed our canola oil, and the book has largely increased my awareness and caution over processed oils. It has stimulated my jump into rethinking how we eat and making serious efforts to eat a less Western diet.

I thought his explanation of medium-chain fatty acids and how they differ from long-chain fatty acids was very helpful and readable for a non-science person. It's quite a simple fact that plant fats are entirely different from processed fats (and even animal fats) and are thus used by our bodies very differently. However, looking at what we largely hear in the media and the medical field today, you would think ANY fat should be avoided and at best, reduced or skimmed down. I firmly believe, however, that there are fats that don't need to be reduced by any means. One important aspect of a truly healthy diet is to have a large variety of foods that are whole or close to whole and minimally processed. Having coconut (oil, milk, meat) is one of many good factors of healthy eating (and as a result, healthy living).

The only drawback is I felt the author seemed to elevate coconut as the sole reason islanders are healthy. However, as I consider all the reading I have done on natural foods and natural health lately, the adoption of a Western diet is responsible for much of our poor health, not JUST the omission of coconut oil. I agree that islanders' health degenerates as they eat Western foods, but it is for more reasons than not having coconut oil that this is the case.

There are pages and pages where I underlined sections and read them aloud to my husband. I was very intrigued in his discussion of the real causes of heart disease, and it didn't take much convincing to see right through the popular caveats about saturated fat and cholesterol. I've read from more than one source about the benefits of natural fats. I strongly believe that coconut oil does not increase the risk of heart disease.

It leaves me concerned for those who, as a result of having heart disease, severely cut all fats. While there is huge benefit in cutting processed oils and unnatural fats, I believe there is benefit lost in not consuming plant fats in the form of coconut, avocados, nuts, etc. I believe their bodies and heart can be greatly helped by the medicinal properties of plant fats.

To make the review more helpful, I wish I had tried more of the recipes. I cook a lot though so I already had a lot of ways I could implement the oil or milk without needing his recipes. We did try one of the smoothies and liked it.

When we eventually have kids, I will be very intentional to have coconut as a part of my regular eating for the benefit of my nursing babies.

I've been using coconut oil on my face as an evening moisturizer before going to bed for several weeks now, and I believe it has increased the health of my skin. A close friend used it on hemorrhoids and found more relief than he had in previous years with other ointments. I also rub it on my legs after shaving. A little bit goes a long way. Just today I've rubbed it onto my ring finger several times where I have had an ongoing irritation from my wedding rings. I have had a noticeable improvement after unsuccessful use of cortizone-10.

As for brands, I purchased Nutiva. I would also buy from Wilderness Family Naturals. They have a great website that is informative as well. I haven't really looked into other brands. Check out your local Co-op and I'm sure you could find it there without having to order online.

Yes, there are those out there trying to get their piece of the nutrition pie and sell you some useless subpar products, but this book is not about that. It is informative on the benefits of coconut oil. By using this information, I have had good results with my "imagined ailments" (which have been caused by my lack of understanding of nutrition in the past). People have been so miss guided by western societies way of thinking. Look at our health crisis!!!! There are countless over weight and unhealthy people out there, who are eating what the FDA has approved to be good. On the other end of it, its creating a major demand for health care and guess who is striking it rich? Yep... the big pharmaceutical companies and the makers of these unhealthy foods, oh yeah and not to mention the FDA is getting a kick back too. So the point is, get informed!

How often do we low-carbers find a treasure like this gem from the Dinner Diva herself, Leanne Ely? She's mastered the knack of combining her nutritionist's know-how with well-detailed cooking techniques and healthy ingredients to create the most appealing - and most used! - of any of my low-carb cookbooks. And she has organized its format to reflect seasonal offerings - a boon for the cost- and taste-conscious.

"Something for Everyone" should've been this cookbook's subtitle, and we're particularly fond of the Salmon Burgers with Dill Sauce, Happy Family Beef Stir-Fry, Sautéed Garlicky Spinach, and No-Hurry Crock Curry. One yummy new tip Leanne's taught me is that of making taco chips from low-carb tortillas (¡olé!).

For those of us who mind both calories AND carbs, yes, she's included both counts plus other nutritional data as well. Including this tantalizing tome in your cookbook arsenal will prove to be an excellent investment. Bon appétit!

Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way - great cookbook with grocery lists and meal plans for an entire year...all low carb.

I really like this book, it makes my shopping so much easier and the recipies are great too.

This cookbook was recommended to me by another busy mom...and it has been a huge help to me! I go to the store with a list for a whole week's worth of meals, so shopping is more efficient. The recipes I've tried so far have been easy and yummy...even my picky husband likes them!

This book has easy to follow recipes and everyone my husband and I have tried has been excellent. We started giving this book about two years ago for wedding gifts. Recipes are simple enough for beginning cooks. Ingredients are common to most supermarkets and stores.

The Live Right 4 Your Type is a must have for those that are serious about the blood type diet. This book gives further explanations on the secretor status and the importance to different foods. Being a type O and gluten intolerant, this book has been my bible to better health and maintaining my weight.

This book is a bit esoteric for a layman, though I muddled through it and learned an amazing amount of things I had no clue about. I will now move on to the "eat right 4 your type book". The Live Right book hit home repeatedly and explained things I would have liked to have known 60 years ago.

I trust that when I get the Eat Right 4 Your Type book it will be more precise as to exactly what to eat and not eat. I just wish that someday some Doctor would right a book that says we just need to change our diet and never have to exercise!" Not holding my breath on that one.

I recommend this book to those who are looking for that ever elusive answer as to what to do for health. Now I will give the plan a try.

Great info in book. I highly recommend the blood type diet especially if you have a lot of pain and are on heavy meds.

The new and improved version of the blood group diet that customizes eating plans to your blood group.

I have purchased two other books in the series. I found little to be different in this book from the other two. The books tend to repeat themselves a lot. I purchased this book with all good intentions of learning the lifestyle changes and exercise programs that are recommended for my blood-type. I was a little disappointed to find that there was very little additional information provided in this book from the Eat Right For Your Blood Type book. Based on this, I am not going to be purchasing any other books in the series.

After reading so many wonderful reviews for this book, I got my hands on a copy. The material is pretty basic - if you've ever read another behavioral sort of diet book before, you'll know what's coming. I also couldn't get into the writer's style of writing. Much of the book details her own personal stories from over the year - how her family would push food on her, her awkward struggles in dating, learning she had the strength to exercise. I just couldn't get into her personality and didn't feel a real connection with her experiences.

All in all, it was nothing new for me and I found myself skimming for the more interesting parts after a while. A while ago, I read The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever, which I found very helpful. In fact, after reading it and The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person, I lost about 15 lbs and I was looking for a book to read as a refresher over the holiday season. But I would recommend those two over this one - The Beck Diet Solution goes into more detail than this book about how to develop "thin people" behaviors and thoughts, and The Skinny gives useful little strategies for navigating mealtimes (one of the authors is a full-time food critic who eats out constantly and maintains her weight).

That's my biggest complaint with Secrets of a Former Fat Girl that The Skinny addresses: What if you don't want to spend your life eating rabbit food and saying no to social functions? What if you don't want to be a size 2, but a size 6 or 8 who enjoys cooking and eating fancy foods? These are questions that The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever addresses quite well.

This is an interesting read, but if you're using it to solve all your weight issues, it won't work. That should be obvious, though -- if someone had figured out the key to weight loss, would America still be frighteningly obese?! Still, she has some really good points and suggestions for how to handle certain weaknesses and situations that could really work for some people. Because everyone is different, though, they won't work for one and all.

I had never really considered myself "fat", even though I knew I was outside of the healthy weight range for my height. The reason I bought this book was I was tired of how my clothes were fitting, and I was hoping it was give me more than just a crash diet I could try for a few weeks and then go back to my old habits.
I almost cried while I was reading this book, because I never knew that there were other people in the world who had similar experiences to mine; things like sneaking food while other people are out of the room. The author shares very personal experiences, and I felt like she could have been sharing things from my own life. The changes that she made in her own life are such a huge inspiration, and knowing how much she was able to change herself gave me the kick-start I needed.
Honestly, I will never buy another diet book again. I have already started following her advice, and I've lost 9 pounds already, and I know that finally, this time, they're staying off for good.

To sum it up: this book changed my life. I never thought I'd say that about a book, but it's incredible, I recommend it to anyone who is uncomfortable in their own body.

This book was an ok read, but I didn't find a lot of the tips useful as I'm already working on my weight loss. I didn't like how she talked so badly about herself and it sort of made me feel bad too just reading it. There are some interesting bits in there, but for the most part I didn't find it all that inspirational. Might be good for some, but not everyone.

This book was the absolutely best book I have ever read to motivate a person who wants to lose weight. I have been yo-yo dieting for about 40 years now and so you can imagine how many books I have read and own on the subject of losing weight. Lisa Delaney hits the nail on the head over and over again about getting to the absolute inner core of why we punish ourselves continuously in order to get to the "perfect weight". I carry her book around with me so I can open it during trying times to remind myself of all the reasons why I don't want to binge. Needless to say, I have highlighted huge sections of this book, so if something doesn't work one minute something else is right there to support me. As I was reading it I kept saying to myself, "This is so amazing--she knows exactly what I need to hear!" I recommend buying this book, not just borrowing it. You only really need this book alone, because we all know we don't need a diet plan--we all know how to diet! We need to know how to deal with the times we aren't eating and really want to. If you need motivation, you need this book and it will help you for your whole life to keep on the happy and healthy path to a normal weight.

I ordered several raw food books, Raw in Ten being one of them. I returned it today after looking through all the books and realizing this is the one I'd rarely use. I had only noticed 5 recipes I might prepare. First, I must say that many recipes sound delicious and different from usual recipes (such as Macaroni and Cheese). However, I was disappointed for a few reasons.

First, the recipes are heavy in nuts; I personally don't want most of my meals nut-laden. Second, the constant reference to specific brands of products. One suggestion or mention of a product is helpful, but constant endorsement is ridiculous. Finally, (and I was surprised at how much this bothered me,) the set-up and writing style of the book made me not want to read it. I am not someone who required glossy pictures and fancy binding, don't get me wrong.

Someone in another review mentioned typos, and I'd add that it seems like the author added to much commentary or ingredient description where a regular cookbook wouldn't. I realize it isn't as clear-cut as other cookbooks. I've already packaged it up to return, otherwise I'd give better examples, sorry. I wish I'd liked this cookbook more, as the author has very creative ideas but I think I'll just check his website for posted recipes instead, as this cookbook was unpleasant to read. To be fair, if you are someone who doesn't mind nuts and coconut in many recipes, nor hunting down specific brand products, you will probably like this book.

I have a couple of raw food recipe books, but by far, this is consistently the easiest to use and most fun. Bryan's writing style is fun to read (oozes with personality and humor) and most of the recipes I have tried are great!

I make the spicy avocado soup a staple food item to take to work with me on a daily basis along with apples and bananas. The other recipes I eat on a regular basis are the lasagna (I leave out the guacaamole layer and use strictly the tomato, "ricotta," and olives), Thai coconut soup, Goji Strawberry smoothie (although I tend to use frozen raspberries), and super nachos. I have tried other recipes that are good, like the taco "ground beef" filling served on dehydrated bread I bought from my local raw foods cafe and the baklava, but the items I listed previously are the ones I tend to return most to.

This book is reasonable in price and will be used over and over again. The recipes are easy and flexible- meaning you can substitute, omit, and add things to the recipes. (Like one of my other fave raw food gurus, Arnold Kauffman, says- There are no mistakes with raw foods.) Bryan Au's book, Raw in Ten Minutes, is definitely a great buy and good for your recipe book collection, whether completely raw or just something different in your vegan/vegetarian collection.

This is an excellant book. We especially like the Creamy Tomato Soup. The book also has many tips & interesting tidbits within it's pages. Good souce of info on raw food.
I had a question about "pine nuts". Bryan was very timely with his answer...helpful too.

I like this book alot. The layout could use some work and some cross-referencing of other recipes would be nice to have page numbers that match the recipe, but the food is really tasty by and large.

Hi wanted to let you know I did all the research on my raw organic recipes! None of them have cashews, dates, nama soyu or dehydrating! Too many raw recipes have this and these are actually high mycotoxin, high mold and high fungus foods! If you read The Rainbow Green Live Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens MD he explains it ALL in easy to understand language so you have to wonder why people ignore his RAW medical, scientific and spiritual advice, lab research and recommendations? Sure you can use moderation but better not to be exposed to all mycotoxins at all and do raw correctly with well researched optimal recipes that are netural in Ph, Alkalizing and not all just variations on cashews, dates, nama soyu and dehdyrating! None of my recipes has those because I do the research!

Now I have a new FIVE STAR RAW SPA CUISINE WITH CHEF BRYAN AU raw recipe book that is just now available and the BEST yet! All totally new original raw recipes that still takes 5 to 10 minutes to make, no dehydrating and many new recipes with no-nuts! Like Donuts, Cupcakes, Ramen Noodles, Pesto Kelp Noodles, "Cookie Dough", Fruit Sushi, Eggplant Manicotti, Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, "Bacon and Eggs", Candied Apples and many more totally new raw recipes to RAWCK your world you will love it! Enjoy! Raw Organic Chef Bryan Au, also look for my new RAW STORY: The Autobiography coming very soon and 2 new RAW Recipe books too! Keep on RAWCKIN' but do the research and read Gabriel Cousens MD: Concsious Eating and The Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine and do RAW RIGHT not randomly or wrong...

I loved this cookbook so much that I bought Looney Spoons also! I haven't tried even one recipe that I don't like! And I love the witty remarks - they almost make me feel like cooking isn't such a drudgery after all. I even bought both books as a Christmas present for my daughter who is is newly married and just beginning to cook. She and her husband love the recipes, and he is VERY picky. My only negative comment is that Looney Spoons seems to only be available "used". When I received my copy, I didn't particularly like getting a cookbook (which was supposed to be in very good condition!) with someone else's cooking smears all over it! Yuck!

As with their previous book, I suggest you borrow this book from the library before buying it. You will either like their style of writing or you won't.

This one is laid out in the same busy/distracting style, with again, lots of "cute" names for recipes. I found it annoying to read, but your children might think it lots of fun.

And, transfer the recipes you like onto recipe cards rather than trying to work with the book.

I just received CRAZY PLATES and made the chicken fajita salad for Memorial Day. While putting this salad together I was beginning to have my doubts. But fear not, this is a fantastic tasting salad and I definately plan on making it again.
I am so encouranged by this recipe and this books great reviews that I have also purchased Looneyspoons and have pre-ordered Eat Shrink and be Merry.
I am a former Weight Watcher and just recently quit NutriSystem (I hit a plateau and was tired of their food). I have gone back to using the Weight Watcher's plan and will incorporate the appetizing recipes from these books to keep me on track.

I'm on weight watchers and I like the weight watcher's take out tonight book but I feel the portions are just a touch small, this book however is great. The taste is good and you will actually get full plus another thing I like about the book its that it not a bunch of non fat ingredients like non fat cheese or sour cream etc... I also like that the entire book uses the same spices so you do not have to run out and buy a bunch of different spices. I've only had to purchase coriander. Plus it gives you a whole bunch of little tips and inspirations on every page. Out of the 9 low fat or weight watchers cookbooks that I own this one is by far the best.

this book is so easy to use and the recipes are so delicious that I am compelled to include my feedback. As someone who is not a superstar in the kitchen, when I use these recipes, I feel that I make a unique and healthy meal for my family that is always well-received. What strikes me the most about this book is that a majority of the main dish recipes include all the food groups. I have found that most of the time, the kids do not even know that they are eating vegetables. By the way, I think "Crazy Plates" is MUCH better than "Looney Spoons."

This was the first book I read on the subject of weightloss by combining macro-nutrients in the right percentage. I chose this over "The Zone" as it seemed more user-friendly, and I was right. The system can be complicated at first, until you get used to it, and the Zone's "blocks" are an additional complication.

The authors do a great job at explaining why it is so important to balance the right amounts of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and how to choose wisely. It could very well be the first health/fitness book a person reeds and the reader would not feel overwhelmed, as the information is given in a way that it can be easily understood without any previous experience or background in the field of nutrition. The data is complete but you don't feel you need to be a biochemist to understand it, like in some other health books.
The book also offers one week of menus, in different variations: the regular ones, the vegetarian and the "fat flush", for those who want a more rapid weight loss. The meal plans are furtherly taylored to your individual needs by establishing which type of 4 (A-D) you fall in, depending on your weight and activity level, and therefore being able to establish the right quantity of each food contained in the daily menus.

There is also advice on what to choose when dining out and nutritional info on common commercial products, as well as a food value guide (how much protein is in 4oz of chicken breast?) to help the reader make the right choices and design his menus following the 40-30-30 regimen.

Overall, a very good guide, which doesn't get 5 stars just because at an attentive eye (from someone who has a background in nutrition/health/fitness), the plan would be even better if it was lighter on the sodium and dairy, but still, it's a great improvement over the current nutrition of most people.
I would suggest it to anyone who wants to lose weight but also to anyone who wishes to improve his/her fitness performance and energy levels.

My husband visited a nutritionist and he highly recommended this book and that's how we found it. This book was great and the recipes were wonderful. Nothing too fancy or crazy in taste. Has sections for Vegetarians, for the Fat Flush which is a specific diet you do for a few weeks to kick your body into gear losing the fat as quick as possible, and then a section on maintenance with new recipes and meal plans. The Fat Flush helped me lose 8 lbs. the first week and my husband lost 12 lbs. (men loose faster than women). The meals are about balancing your carbs, protein, and fats. I plan to re-read it again to refresh the nutritional information and advice.

I bought this book in December 1998, at the recommendation of the womens gym where I had been exercising. I followed the "Fat Flush" sample meal planner and lost 16 pounds. Now it's April 2004, I am 5 months post pardum, and have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks, using the same meal plan. I've lost the carbohydrate cravings and truely feel great! The sample meal planners are satisfying examples. Chapter 8 "Putting it all together" provides all the tools you need to creat your own 40-30-30 meals in the portions right for your weight and activity level. Chapter 4 "The Glycemic Index" is an excellent resource for good-better-best carbohydrate choices.

I have finally found a weight loss book that is simple to understand and easy to follow. What I found to be extremely helpful was the Meal Planner Conversion Chart. It's all figured out for you. You choose the plan that suits you best. Since I have been on this diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www. S o y c o f f e e.c om. It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this. I lost 9 pounds in three weeks. Went from a size 18 jeans to a size 16. This is the only way to go!!!

My doctor started me on this book in June 2004. I am 5'6" and was hitting the scales at my highest ever - 200 lbs. I was having trouble fitting in my size 14/16s and couldn't stand the thought of buying new, bigger clothes. I have always been a woman that "knew" what was good and bad in my refrigerator (I've read just about every article about dieting written), and had trouble fitting in exercise - especially after having two kids. The Zone was outrageously complicated, and so many other diets had huge restrictions on fruit and most veggies, and just didn't seem to make sense from a nutritional standpoint - I couldn't stick with them for long. My cravings, weird rules and the heavy restrictions on almost everything I loved was always a bomb ticking away inside. Then I found 40-30-30.

It is now six months later, I've lost 40 pounds and counting. I have a new way to eat for life! I lost 14 pounds the first month, then seven, then six and the rest has been consistently coming off ever since and - get this - I haven't managed to fit exercise in yet (still trying). I was very religious the first three months, then fell in to more of a settled routine where I am comfortable with the general parameters without refering to the book or my notes very often. And the beauty is, since you are changing the way you build your meals, I can "cheat" - I really consider it more like living your life, not cheating. I had chocolate cake at my son's & daughter's birthday parties one month in to the diet, had a glass of wine WITH my dinner during the second month but it was no big deal! My new way of eating wasn't disrupted, weight loss continued, and I very rarely have any cravings - I find that most of them are psychological anyway (a habitual reaction to stressful situations, etc.). Odd thing is that most of the things that I used to REALLY love (all carbs), don't return the same old satisfaction anymore - just not the same response from my body - that's definitely not something I expected.

I even managed to stay "even" during the difficult holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's). I thought for sure that my excesses would tip the scale since I seemed to indulge in so much! But here I am, right on track! Looking back, I seem to make enough slightly different choices at all of these events to still maintain some balance (like eating shrimp cocktail along with some chip & dip instead of a plate of straight carbs).

Some of the key things for me were:
1) The ability to substitute my ZonePerfect bars (Fudge Graham are best) for up to two meals a day - really a lifesaver when you're on the go at work and with the family and it's critical that you not skip your meals.
2) There are really quick & easy meals that fit in to a life that was used to all of the convenience foods.
3) Please, those of you reading those "the cost of good food is so high!" reviews... have you added up the cost of all of your sodas, chips, ice cream, etc., lately? Even with the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats, I'm still spending less.
4) New, clear approaches to fast food and restaurant eating is outlined - I even check the websites of different companies to makes sure my picks keep my carbs, protein & fat in balance - it would surprise you what some of the "healthy" items add up to!
5) I have almost completely eliminated hydrogenated oil and aspartame from my diet - not easy considering they're in darn near everything these days! (I'm not sure if that came from my doctor or the book.)
6) First meal within one hour of getting up, last one four hours before bed.

Good luck! It's a great book, clearly and simply written, and it's been a lifesaver for me!