Rating: 
Summary: My wife's the expert...
Review: on this program...I just sort of follow along...she has been very successful, losing 30+ pounds in a year and lowering all of the "bad fat/cholesterol" levels in her blood while raising the "good colesterol" levels, lowering blood pressure, and generally just feeling a lot better.I watched her effortlessly lose weight...and finally thought that I'd better start doing something, too! Once I started this program I learned that it isn't truly "effortless" but it is easy enough to follow, and is the first diet program where, if you eat out often, you have a fair chance of finding a good meal that still meets your needs. We both find it difficult to get the "carbos" meal into the daily routine...so usually have puffed wheat, shredded wheat or grape-nuts for breakfast. (The upper midwest is a poor place to live if you're looking for whole grain breads without sugar added...but there are some cracker/breads that have no added sugar or starch, so work pretty well.) I love bacon and eggs...so this diet is right on target! Giving up caffeine and my daily beer was hard...but I don't miss either (well, maybe the caffeine) most of the time, now that I'm "over the hump" and broken the habit. For people new to the diet plan, remember when buying food in the store to read the ingredients list, not the nutritional panel, when determining what, if any, sugars/starches have been added. Once I got that through my thick skull I found a lot more food that fits into the program. Since January, 2003, I've lost 24 pounds...I was wearing 36" waist pants (and kept having to pull them up because my belly sagged over the waistband)...now I'm wearing the 32" slacks that I last wore in February of 2000 (and they were TIGHT back then!) So...nearly 60 pounds gone between us! If you're thinking of this plan, go for it. But I encourage you to commit, wholeheartedly, to following it for at least a month. And don't cheat! Read the labels of all food products...don't "just assume" (as others have pointed out, things such as pickle relish, catsup, barbecue sauces, marinades, etc. nearly always have a lot of sugar in them. And a warning flag should always go up when you see a product is advertised as "fat free" or "low fat" (such as salad dressings, etc.) because they for sure have starch and sugar added! Good luck
Rating: 
Summary: life changing
Review: Nearing 60 and fighting weight increase, and carbo-addiction, reading this book opened my eyes to the real problems of health and weight loss. No more diets for me, just a great, healthy lifestyle. It took me three reading to get it, so do not get overwhelmed and give up.
Rating: 
Summary: FOOD COMBINING - NOT FOR ME!
Review: I bought most of Suzanne Somers's books and, yes, there are some good recipes in some of them. But her take on the protein diet is unscientific. She advocates a basic high protein, fat, and lots of green vegies diet, but with the twist of "FOOD COMBINING"! Her claim that you must not eat protein with carbs is totally unfounded and unproven. This food combining is not new - every few years someone writes a diet book telling you not to mix certain foods in the same meal. I can't imagine giving up meat & cheese lasagna, meat and potaoes, shepard's pie, and many other dishes that call for carbs and protein. I do believe in high protein low carb way of life and have had successs with it without having to combine my foods in any special way. I also have an occasional dessert (with real sugar) and have not fallen off the wagon. If you can live with the restrictions of having to combine your foods - then more power to you. As for myself, I have given away all of Suzanne's books and am happily following "Protein Power" by Doctors Michael R. Eades, and Mary Dan Eades.
Rating:
Summary: Fast and Easy...Most of the time....
Review: I purchased this book in 12/02 and followed the "Somerisize" eating plan for the past few months. For those unfamiliar with the plan, Somersizing is a hybrid of controlling carbs and food combining.
THE GOOD: The food is delicious! There are outstanding recipes for onion rings, flourless pancakes and Coq Au Vin (chicken in wine.) The food is diverse and full of flavor.
THE BAD: Cooking these fantastic dishes is not cheap. Eating fresh meat, chicken and seafood really adds up. Also, without a deep fryer, the onion rings aren't as good. The Coq Au Vin will take hours without a pressure cooker. You could make her ketchup from scratch (over an hour of cooking time) or buy two bottles from [the website] for [$$]. There are plugs all over the place for everything from Somersize marinara sauce to Somersize coffee ice cream. Without her pricey products, the cooking is not nearly as Fast and Easy. It is the book's biggest flaw.
THE UGLY: I followed the plan quite strictly for two months. I jogged four times a week. I lost less than 8 pounds. I found for myself, eating tons of eggs, heavy cream, olive oil and beef was too many calories for my body. For many people like myself, the only way to lose weight is to take in less calories than are expended. It's not as chic as Somersizing but it has been a thousand times more effective.
That said, this book has helped lots of people lose weight. I'd never say it's not for everyone. I firmly believe there's no single path to dropping pounds. If you've been thinking about cutting sugar and starch from your diet this may be for you. Just be careful, you could really put a dent in the family food budget making a lot of these treats.
Rating:
Summary: Eat, Eat, Eat Your Way to a Thinner You
Review: Suzanne's program works because it is not about deprivation. It's about eating the best quality food you can get and eating certain carbs by themselves. Once you learn the basics, you can run around and eat whatever, whenever, as long as you don't eat the wrong combinations. When I first started Suzanne's program, I wanted to lose 20 pounds. That was last August. I lost the first 10 pounds quite quickly, but the second 10 pounds came off more slowly. Now I've gotten rid of the 20 pounds and have maintained that for some time. I don't even have to try anymore. I eat constantly, but I don't often eat cake or cookies or bread. I thought I was just going to die to have to give up bread, but I don't really miss it. Plus, I have it sometimes, as long as I get high quality bread with no added sugars. Sometimes I even have chocolate. But now that my taste buds have adjusted to better food, I have to have only high quality chocolates (my tastes run toward Droste chocolates of Holland at Trader Joe's and other quality chocolates.) If you want to avoid sugar but still enjoy tremendous taste, you can try Suzanne's chocolates and dessert sauces. They are awesome! And if you're still on the losing weight part of Suzanne's program, you can usually have these. FAST & EASY differs from Suzanne's other books in that it gives shortcuts to making her wonderful recipes by incorporating some quality Somercized products she has put together. (If you are interested in seeing what she has available, see suzannesomers.com.) If you are serious about losing weight and you don't have a lot of time, this recipe book is heaven sent. And, if you like variety, like I do, buy all Suzanne's books. You'll find that some of her recipes inspire you to come up with your own favorites. Food will not be the enemy and you will never have to worry about weight again. (You will have to exercise though -- I really want Suzanne's body row so I can exercise and watch TV at the same time. Nothing like having your cake and eating it too! By the way, Suzanne does have some awesome cake recipes.)
Rating:
Summary: This works best for me!!!
Review: I have tried this WOE, and I enjoy it. I have purchased several of her books and made some of the receips. I have better digestion and less gas. After reading several reviews both here and on Ms Somer's website, I came to realized that since we are individuals so should our diet be.the concept of food combining is not new. And Ms. Somers concept is not completely food combining I was looking to elimiated sugar from my diet as much as possible. I need to loose a lot of weight and I have lost some. I had a physcial about 3 weeks go and the doctor was really impressed. The funny thing is I am simply replacing food items with better choice. I have shredded wheat w/bran instead of captain crunch. I have a sugarless bread with fat-free cream cheese instead of wonder bread. I replaced white rice with wild rice. I steam instead of boil. I have eliminated "junk food" however I went back to eat some and I really didn't like it. I might be doing the program incorrectly However, I am loosing slowing and having more energy.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT PLAN
Review: After trying low fat diets and diet shakes for years with little or no results I decided to try something different. The Atkins diet was working, but was too restrictive. Somersizing however, is easy to understand and so far been effective. I did have trouble understanding how different milks are classified, but after reading that section many times, I finally have it figured out. I have not tried any of the recipes because its so easy to eat food I've been used to eating as long as it's in the right combination. Love this book.
Rating:
Summary: IT REALLY WORKS.
Review: I have all of Suzanne's books and from the first one, have strongly believed in her program of food combining. I use her program, and was able to lose 36 pounds in just three months. She has delicious recipes, but even those of us who hate to cook can take the principles of her plan and make it work. You can do this without ever investing a dollar in her other Somersize products. Read the book. Follow the plan. It works!
Rating:
Summary: Diets are not one size fits all, but it is working for me!!!
Review: I originally wrote a review at the beginning of March.... I promised I would return.... so here it is... I have lost 5 1/2 lbs since beginning this program and this is with little cheats...(I am hoping for a cheat-free April)..... I have begun my exercise program;using the Firm & Leslie Sansone... but more importantly.... I am eating good foods, with less gas, and better digestion... I will admit it is important to have a lot of ingredients on hand, but she is just marketing food combining... so far so good..... I have purchased some of her products but for the most part I have become the "SUGAR" police and I eat a lot of low-glycemic fruits......, veggies and grains... More than the weight I just feel better... full and better.....
Rating:
Summary: Do this - it will work!
Review: I wrote a while back about this book, I had been on the diet for 9 days and lost like 4 pounds - that was then -- and now, less than 3 months later I am 29 pounds lighter and 4 pounds to my goal weight -- this plan has been so great, I am so happy that I was able to stick to it. I have always had a hard time sticking to a plan but this works! My husband started the plan with me (he still has tobacco and caffeine issues) and he has lost 32 pounds! We both work full time and have 2 school age kids, we are just your normal average folks, but we have both had such success with this plan. It's not a gimmick, it's not a trick, if I can do it, you BET you can do it! When I started the diet I told myself I would commit to 1 month on the plan. Just one month. And if it didn't work I could always quit. But I am here to tell you that it does work and you can do it! It's such a healthy way of eating and so delicious. I am so glad to have found this book. The recipes are great but we have just been cooking the same foods we always ate and incorporate more healthy choices like salads and steamed veggies -- with cheese!!!! :-) And don't forget the hot wings! I do have my days where I "cheat" and have a donut - but it's no big deal and no excuse to fall off the wagon. I've lost 29 pounds and I'm not trying to find them! It's worth the money to get this book, buy 2 because you will want to give a copy to a friend too! I also want to note that Suzanne talks a lot about her line of products, I am sure that they are great but I have not purchased any and still followed the guidelines of the book and come out on top. I would like to try some of the goodies that she has but I think that will be my reward when I hit my goal! Good luck to all you Somersizers out there!
|
