Thursday, September 01, 2011

More than just a book review

How about TWO book reviews? (and more) After getting yesterday's post done, I decided to come back today and do more! First up is:
"The 17 Day Diet" by Dr. Mike Moreno
I am always a skeptic when it comes to these types of books. This book was no exception. Does it work? Yes. Is it magic? No. This is just another example of the latest fad diet out there. They've launched this book with a full media blitz on TV and the Internet. CBS News, ABC TV, Dr. Phil, The Doctors and more have had stories about it. There is a web site you can join up with. There is a workbook and a DVD you can buy, to go with the book. With promises of rapid weight loss and astounding results, it is easy to see the lure.

Save your money.

It is basically a low calorie diet (one day's suggested menu was under 1200 calories for the whole day). It is heavy on veggies, light on fruits, and low on carbs. You can eat a lot of proteins, as long as they are chicken, fish, and other lean meats. You don't have to actually count calories, which will appeal to many. It is divided up into three - 17 day chunks that change up your foods a little. (quote) "But you do have to accept that this won't be a pleasure diet. You've got to stop eating unhealthy crap." This is nothing new, but rather just a different way of stating the tried and true, 'calories in, calories out' that ultimately works for most people. They also have exercising in the program, so it really is not anything new and ground breaking.

The "maintenance" plan is: (quote) "....a program of eating that lets you enjoy your favorite foods on the weekends, while eating healthfully during the week."
Well duh! Doesn't this amount to cutting calories? And don't you think folks will read into this that they can do fast food all weekend and still lose weight?

So I would not spend the money to buy into this, even though it does work, it isn't anything new or special or magical. If you are looking for something to follow that is laid out for you, then this might be for you. Just be aware that it IS brand new and comes across as being the diet fad of the year...next year will bring a new and different plan with a catchy name. I am sure it will make money for the doctor and might help some folks out as well. Most of these fad diets will work to some extent, but they are not a new miracle cure for obesity.

Speaking of obesity...someone said to me this week, "You don't look obese anymore!" I suppose some folks would take that as a slam, but I took it as a full blown compliment! My mind's eye still sees a fat woman. It is only when I glimpse the hall mirror, in passing, that I see this stranger looking back at me! Who IS that woman???
Before the next book review, I wanted to mention something else to you. I've been enjoying my Dannon vanilla Greek yogurt a bit too much. I was having two or three a day, mostly after supper, as my dessert. Heck, I was buying this stuff by the CASE! I finally figured out why. It has 18 (that is EIGHTEEN) grams of sugar in it! That is TWO THIRDS more sugar than plain yogurt. (Plain has 6 grams of sugar) No wonder it tasted so good! Guess who isn't buying this any more? I still like Greek yogurt the best, but it will be Yoplait or Dannon PLAIN Greek, from now on. I will add the flavorings myself and not the sugars!!! I hate when I have to give up my indulgences!!! I hate being fat, more!
Book review #2:"The Skinny- What Every Skinny Woman Knows About Dieting
(And Won't Tell You!)"
by Patricia Marx and Susan Sistrom
What a fun book this was! Patricia Marx actually is a prolific writer, usually with a wicked sense of humor too! This book has a lot of funny material, interlaced with real truisms! Some of the chapters are:
  • Making It Look Big
  • Calories Per Minute
  • The Best Way to Look Skinny
  • What to Do if You Really, Really Need to Lose Five Pounds in Five Minutes
  • Naked Eating
  • Space Travel
  • What to Do if You Accidentally Drink a Coke Instead of a Diet Coke
  • No, Really, what to Do if you Accidentally Drink a coke Instead of a Diet Coke
  • The Outside vs. the Inside of a Food
  • Why You Should Never Tell Your Mother You're on a Diet
There are many, many more chapters.
In the "Calories Per Minute" (CPM) chapter, I took this excerpt: "The difference in calories per ounce is marginal, but the pistachios with shells are unquestionably the Skinny Choice. (The CPM for pistachios can be even lower than 80 because you are likely to get stuck on a particularly hard-to-crack nut or even break your nail and have to stop eating nuts for a while. If you are very lucky, you will slice open your finger on a shell and have to go to the hospital, where you will cause the CPM to go down even farther. We advise, therefore, to buy the pistachios nuts that must opened with power tools.)"

I would get this book and have it by your nightstand to read. The chapters are short and funny. You would go to bed with a smile on your face! Your partner will wonder what you're thinking, so share the book with him or her too.

That is it for today and for the rest of this week! I am still working out the kinks in my new routine and trying to decide the best plan of action. I see my doctor on Tuesday and will be asking him questions too.

Enjoy your day and have a safe and fun filled Labor Day weekend y'all!

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