Rating: 
Summary: It really works!
Review: After liberally flipping through the pages of Ultimate Weight Solution, I decided to dictate (from memory) the main points to my fleshy father. Needless to say, the incessant insults coupled with a poor Dr. Phil imitation has resulted in a temporarily estranged relationship with said father. Works for me!
Rating: 
Summary: marketing for the masses
Review: Only in America can a fat man write a diet book and have it go to the top of the best seller list by the force of pure marketing. I would think that people would be insulted by this shameless attempt at a quick buck.
Rating: 
Summary: After you finish the book, then what?
Review: I think Dr. Phil's words are right, but with all due respect, this is mostly the same thing Weight Watchers has been saying FOR YEARS. The psychological tools, the food management, the works. I have a number of friends who have attended well-run WW meetings, and they all agree.I enjoyed the information Dr. Phil gives, but for me, group support drives it home. It also helps to work with someone who knows what it's like to be overweight, to binge, to feel discouraged, etc. When you talk to someone who has been there and worked through it, now that's powerful! I would advise you to enjoy this book (it gives great common sense advice), but then get off your you-know-what, find a friend, a group, SOMEONE OR SOMETHING to help you learn to love yourself. If you commit yourself to weekly support and accountability you stand a better chance of doing it. Not that you can't do it alone, you can . . . but do you want to? After you finish the book, then what? I'd find a group who can guide you with real solutions, real answers, step-by-step. Most of us need support. We need love. We need people around us who understand. WW did it for me, but whatever friend or group does it for, go for it! (And hang in there!)
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Summary: If you can't stand the heat, stay fat!
Review: I am not even finished with this book and I have lost three pounds. Why? Because Dr. Phil gets to the true heart of the matter. The why's and where's. And if you take the time to really do the assignments in the book, honestly and truthfully, you will lose weight too. And you might even fix other areas of your life (not related to weight loss) in the process. I know I did. If you are waiting for some miracle, it's not going to happen. I have followed many diets, some more successful than others. However, I don't care what diet you try, they are temporary fixes unless you work out the issues that Dr. Phil talks about like taking on the responsibility of exercise, creating the right environment both at home and at work, and dealing with emotional eating triggers. Even people who have their stomach's surgically altered still have to deal with these issues! I highly recommend this book to all those who are ready to end the yo-yo dieting cycle forever!
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Summary: Not ment for a quick fix, you must want it
Review: So many people say that this book isn't good by standards of diet books, but it isn't really a diet book, it is a self help book. It gives you the gidelines that you need to help you focus on overcoming food and losing weight. You can't go into it lightly. I think completely different about food than I did two weeks ago and I feel amazing!
Good work Dr. Phil!!
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Summary: Dr. Phil deserves his success
Review: Dr. Phil has written an insightful book that delves into the origins of obesity and options for resolving this pervasive problem. I suggest you read all of this interesting book and while you're at it, get a copy of Optimal Thinking--How to Be Your Best Self which shows you how to make the best choices and make the most of any situation.
Rating: 
Summary: Diet book?
Review: I think that based on the numerous one-star reviews I read those checking the postings may be confused. So, as a long-time past student (11 years) whose curriculum has been in medical studies and clinical nutrition, here are a few facts to make it easier on you. 1) Most dieticians I have encountered in my life have neither been thin, nor obese. However, they have been overweight. Well, 9/10. It is a fallacy to believe that just because you know something, you will apply it. I tell you, many cardiologists emphasize the need for any physical activity, yet fall short of carrying out their own advice, just like many MDs are not shying away from alcohol consumption, low fat foods, and smoking, which they all know is wrong. So, saying that Dr. Phil is overweight and that as a result, he should not be writing about weight loss strategies is plain ignorant. He is 6'4" and weighs 240lbs. Now, he is, indeed, overweight. Someone of his stature based on the dietetic currents 16 from Ross Labs in Columbus Ohio (reference used in clinical nutrition) is considered overweight. 2) The title of the book reads "ULTIMATE WEIGHT SOLUTION: THE 7 KEYS TO WEIGHT LOSS FREEDOM". It is NOT passed as a diet book. And though you may read on and see people's main critique that they have not learned nothing new does not mean that it is bad. We all know we should be eating less. We all know we should be more active. We all know that fat is not great (though necessary to some extent). The real question is to figure out whether we are actually applying that wise wisdom? Well, are YOU? If not, maybe you just find it hard to do it with your stressful life, your busy occupations, your family responsibilities. And that is where this book comes in, because it hands over strategies for you to incorporate those skills in your life. Now, note also that he does not mean to make you skinny or thin. He wants you to lose weight that you are suffering from, no more, no less! 3) Many claim that he is not an MD. And indeed, he's not! However psychology is the study of how the mind responds to certain stimuli. While an MD (psychiatrist) is focusing on physiological changes, Dr. Phil approaches from a psychosocial front claiming that by changing a few things in life, the emotions that lead you to eat less can be isolated and dealt with step by step. 4) about complaints that there is no weight loss plan, here is a newsflash! That is exactly what has made the USA as fat as it is. Lasting weight loss takes time and dedication. There is no ONE weight loss plan that fits all. Whoever tells you that is a fallacy. You may want to believe it because it is easier to deal with than to look at one's life and feel like a failure. Think about that too. You have to come up with your own needs based on your lifestyle, family life... This being said, I don't deny that with some experience you can come to the same conclusions. However, I think that many people are stuck in a maze not knowing what to believe. This is information you can believe. It is important to eat less and encompass some physical activity. However, for the critic about the lack of physical activity that you may read in other postings, the person should have been a little more in tune with the fact that weight loss is the ultimate goal to prevent further cardiovascular diseases, diabetes diagnoses (type 2) skeletomuscular problems. Muscles weigh a lot. Dr. Phil's goal is to lose weight. Once you have got that one down, he tackles the physical activity. Remember, walking 5 times a week for 30 minutes allows you to lose 20 lbs without changing anything else in your diet. Now, I am sure it is not that hard to realize that a lot of people may be wondering where that 30 minute time frame is coming in. And that is where Dr. Phil comes in by showing you the strategies to allow such a routine to take place.
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Summary: Buy Flip the Switch Instead
Review: I just finished reading Dr. Phil's new book. I hoped it would provide me with the incentive that I need to lose some more weight. I had success this past winter with the book Flip The Switch by Jim Karas. He's the guy who helped Diane Sawyer and Gayle King (Oprah's best friend) lose alot of weight. And they both still look great. I lost 19 pounds with Jim's plan but then I got lazy. I still have another 10 pounds to go. I thought reading Dr. Phil's book would give me a boost. But honestly, it didn't. I am going
back to reread Flip, which by the way provides a great 7 Day Jump Start Diet Plan and includes simple to perform exercises. It worked for me once, I know it will work again. If anyone is reading this, buy Flip and get a complete program for success. Sorry Dr. Phil.
Rating:
Summary: Telling us what we already know.
Review: Most of us are smart enough to know these principals already. Infact, I am sure that is why so many people say it rings so true for them, he is telling you what you already know. However, sometimes, even though we do already know the truth, it helps to have someone point it out to us. I just have to question a diet book written by someone who is not exactly thin himself (he's not obese, but he doesn't look all that fit either). I do have to give him a thumbs up for trying to use his influence to help stop the epidemic of obesity. It is frightening to know that in the US we are so fat, 60% now of the population are overwieght. We do need a good kick in the pants to get us going. However, if you are looking for a healthy lifestyle change, with more food and lifestyle advice, I recommend Fit For Life, by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond instead. They present a real plan that is easy to follow. Just have fresh fruits and veggies for 80% of your diet, and not only will you lose wieght, but you'll actually be healthy.
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Summary: THIS ONE DOESN'T STICK EITHER
Review: Over the past several years weight loss has been the hot topic. There have been more diets than you can possibly imagine. And what do they offer in common? Seemingly quick fixes for an age-old problem. But just as there is no free lunch, there is no magic pill either. There is an old problem-solving saying: Let's throw it against the wall and see if it sticks. Most of the diet hype out there today seems to be just that, putting up everything, anything--throwing it against the wall in the hope that it will stick. Well, this one doesn't stick either. This book offers absolutely nothing that is new except the name on the front of the book. Moreover, in my opinion, there is nothing here that will work either. Like so many other weight loss fads, this one will go by the wayside like all of the others. It's time that each of us woke up and smelled the proverbial coffee. Losing weight is not easy and if we are to accomplish it responsibly we need to do three things: get out from in front of the television, start exercising until it hurts and, oh yes, stop eating so much! Douglas McAllister
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