Rating: 
Summary: Researched this for years...
Review: I have researched this diet for years. It is one of the only diets that you can follow for life. Eat well and remeber to get out and be active as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Great all-purpose book about dieting, health, & nutrition.
Review: I read Dr. Merkin's last book, Fat Free Flavor Full, and this one seems to be more or less the same book, just reworked with a little more emphasis on dieting and less about health in general. The 20/30 Plan is shorter than Fat Free Flavor Full, having only about 100 pages of information on the program (as opposed to 150 or more in the previous book), about 50 pages of recipes (as opposed to 150+ in the last one), and almost 150 on the "food list" (not included at all in the last book) which is basically a nutritional guide to a vast variety of different foods. Because I had read most of this before, for me the book wasn't all that interesting. It reminded me of Merkin's basic diet plan - that you should have 20 grams or less of fat per day, that you should limit low-fiber carbohydrates and sugars drastically, and have lots of high-fiber foods. Actually in this book for the first time Mirkin quantifies that by saying you should have at least 30 grams of fiber per day. Other than this, the plan suggests you have seafood 2-3 times per week, but no meat or poultry, and all the vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans that you want (except for some high-fat fruits like avocados and olives). Whole grains are listed very specifically and there's good information on exactly what is considered in the diet by "whole grain" - for example whole wheat bread is not. If you follow this plan for every meal, you are allowed 2 meals per week where you can eat whatever you want within reason. Mirkin also emphasizes an exercise plan, going into different types of exercise and how they can help your diet. I would recommend Fat Free and Flavor Full, if you want a lot more recipies, and perhaps a little more in-debth info about diet and health, but the 20/30 plan if you want more of an all-purpose book with recipies, a good diet strategy with some info on diet and health and fitness, as well as a nutritional guide for foods. I have a lot of reviews of books in general, but some diet/health books on my website; check it out if you're interested!
Rating:
Summary: I lost 21 pounds in 6 weeks!
Review: I wasn't even obese, however, on the 20/30 diet I lost 21 pounds without very little effort and no pain. I didn't follow the Doctors advice religioulsy and I did'nt use my free days, didn't feel I needed to pig out. After one month I started to loose my taste for fatty foods. Now I look at old favorites, like pizza, and cringe. My Triglycerides went from 174 to 143(LDL is 74, HDL is 56), bp from 120/76 to 112/62. My skin and memory improved almost immediately. My attitude at work is far better and I'm generaly much happier. I am still loosing at 1/2 lbs a week. I don't find it difficult to limit fat to under 20g but getting fiber up to 30 g was difficult at first. Make sure you suppliment your diet with calcium, multi-vitamines, vitamine-E and Omega-3. Exersize is important. You need to tone and cut the fat. When you plateu, and you will sometimes as your body adjusts to the new diet, focus on building muscle. I think the reason people don't suceed on the 20/30 diet is that they either don't pay attention to calorie limits or don't change there hunting and gathering skills. You can't eat a sweet potato every night. First thing to do is replace all butters, oils and sugars. Butter: fat free Promise, Oil: squeezable fruit purie in the baking section, Sugar: Splenda. My secret weapons: oatmeal, sweet potatos, greatfruit, dried pitted dates. My husband has lost 25 lbs and he is just along for the ride (I do the cooking).
This diet has truly returned my quality of life. I thought I was just starting to age.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good, Simple Plan
Review: If you want to lose weight and you just want to get on with it, this is the book for you. The text is brief and easy to understand, the plan is simple, and the book even comes with a handy little gadget to keep track of your daily fat and fiber intake. I'm finding, though, that I simply can't manage 20g of fat per day. I've been down that road before, and those considering this lowfat of a diet should be aware of the possible side effects: dry hair and skin, splitting nails, and constipation. I do better at around 30g/day, which is still very low. The recipes I've tried so far are simple and very tasty. I especially like the Banana "Rice" Pudding, which uses rum and lots of spices for knock-out flavor. You'll find yourself scouting out the nearest health food store to stock up on interesting and delicious grains, but aside from that, the recipes don't call for weird, hard-to-find ingredients. I'm not trying to lose weight right now, but I know from personal experience that this kind of plan works (which is why I'm not trying to lose weight right now.) I bought the book mainly for the recipes, and for the fat/gram counter, which -- take it from one who knows -- is a lot less cumbersome than writing down every darned thing you eat. As with all "counting" methods, the main bugaboo is what we're all doing more of: eating in restaurants. Like the average American, I eat out 3 to 4 times a week. Fat count? Fiber count? Who knows? The book does include excellent suggestions for restaurant dining, most of which have become automatic for me. This is a plan that works, either for weight loss or for maintenance.
Rating: 
Summary: Low fat/ high fiber diets help you lose weight, but...
Review: The basic nutrition information given in this book is excellent. If you eat only 20 grams of fat and 30 grams of fiber per day, you WILL lose weight and you WILL be eating a lot healthier!! The author does an excellent job of explaining WHY this kind of diet will help prevent disease and promote excellent health. However, I think that the 20 grams of fat allowed per day is on the low side. Also, in looking at the listings of foods (taking up about the last half of the book), I saw that the author really believes that we shouldn't consume any beef or chicken!! He has symbols for "eat all you want" foods (fruits, veggies, etc), foods to cut back on, and foods that have the time bomb as the symbol. Under beef, there isn't one single item listed that doesn't have a time bomb symbol!! I have lost weight myself on a low fat/high fiber diet, and I'm currently on Weight Watchers. In my opinion, Weight Watchers is much more liveable in the long run. On Weight Watchers, you can have a favorite food if you just count the Points. To be fair, the 20/30 Plan allows for 2 meals a week where you can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go overboard. But the recipes in this book are based on mainly whole grains and beans. I do think eliminating meats is excessive. I think that the emphasis should be on LEAN meats and poultry, and small serving sizes. If you can eat this way, I think that's great! I just don't think it's very practical for the average person who is trying to lose weight. For low fat/high fiber healthy recipes, I highly recommend any of the Weight Watchers cookbooks (the newer ones that have recipes for the current 1-2-3 Success program). Another interesting book on weight loss and healthy eating is Volumetrics. Please check my review of this book here on Amazon (as well as reviews of cookbooks - though not necessarily low-fat ones!<g>). I wish you all the best in the quest for better health!
Rating:
Summary: Low fat/ high fiber diets help you lose weight, but...
Review: The basic nutrition information given in this book is excellent. If you eat only 20 grams of fat and 30 grams of fiber per day, you WILL lose weight and you WILL be eating a lot healthier!! The author does an excellent job of explaining WHY this kind of diet will help prevent disease and promote excellent health. However, I think that the 20 grams of fat allowed per day is on the low side. Also, in looking at the listings of foods (taking up about the last half of the book), I saw that the author really believes that we shouldn't consume any beef or chicken!! He has symbols for "eat all you want" foods (fruits, veggies, etc), foods to cut back on, and foods that have the time bomb as the symbol. Under beef, there isn't one single item listed that doesn't have a time bomb symbol!! I have lost weight myself on a low fat/high fiber diet, and I'm currently on Weight Watchers. In my opinion, Weight Watchers is much more liveable in the long run. On Weight Watchers, you can have a favorite food if you just count the Points. To be fair, the 20/30 Plan allows for 2 meals a week where you can eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go overboard. But the recipes in this book are based on mainly whole grains and beans. I do think eliminating meats is excessive. I think that the emphasis should be on LEAN meats and poultry, and small serving sizes. If you can eat this way, I think that's great! I just don't think it's very practical for the average person who is trying to lose weight. For low fat/high fiber healthy recipes, I highly recommend any of the Weight Watchers cookbooks (the newer ones that have recipes for the current 1-2-3 Success program). Another interesting book on weight loss and healthy eating is Volumetrics. Please check my review of this book here on Amazon (as well as reviews of cookbooks - though not necessarily low-fat ones!<g>). I wish you all the best in the quest for better health!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!!!!
Review: The diet plan works, you just have to stick to it for about 3 months to really see results. I've dropped over 25 pounds in 3 months and I'm still loosing weight. Remember Rome wasnt built in a day, we put on weight in a hurry, but it takes some time to get trim again. The food choices are easy, and it really takes some discipline to stick to it. But isnt your health worth it????
Rating: 
Summary: Torture not diet!
Review: The only things you can eat on this diet is fruits and vegitables and whole grains. No fat, no processed food of any kind, no meat...... The guide in the back even discourages fat-free dressing for your salads. The only food you can have at a fast food resturant is salad w/out dressing. This is too extream of a way to eat for very long.
Rating:
Summary: better off reading labels
Review: this book must be for vegetarians it seems like even low fat stuff you cant have most exceptable stuff is fruits and vegetables. your better off getting your fat and fiber count off the food labels or buying a fat counter book. not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Makes good sense
Review: This book was written clearly for the layman (as opposed to doctors or nutritionists) and the recommendations on the diet make sense though they tend towards vegetarianism which meat lovers might not want to cope with. The recipes that I've tried are good.
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