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Summary: I lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks!
Review: I lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks, never starved, have kept it off and cut my cholesterol by two-thirds. Enough said!
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Summary: 5 days & 6 pounds lighter!! YAHOOO. AWESOME BOOK!
Review: I started reading this book and doing the diet on 11-10-03 and it is now 11-14-03... I have lost 6 pounds already! I am a very very picky eater... as a matter of fact... I don't even eat half of the food they mention to eat! I east the foods I like that Dr. Agatston suggests are good and I see results already! This is really an awesome diet! I have tried many diets... and none have worked this well! I get to eat a variety of things... I never go hungry... and I am losing weight! What more could you ask for! How much easier can it get! I highly recommend this to all! You will not be disappointed! I mean, I used to drink up to 6 pots of coffee a day with milk and sugar! Now I have a cup, maybe 2 all day... and no sugar!! Just splenda (or equal) and a low fat creamer. I have more energy then ever before! I sleep better at night and wake up so refreshed in the morning! It is great all around! If you want to make your health better and lose weight this is the book for you! You can't go wrong with this book!
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Summary: Easy to Start, Tough to Stick With
Review: I think this is a sound diet plan and it was quite easy to start. After 3 weeks, I lost around 15 pounds, but I really didn't feel right. I was really tired while I was on the plan. In addition, my thought process seemed to become sluggish. Ultimately, I quit the plan and am feeling much better. I think this plan is great if you just want to shed a few pounds, but like any other diet it is HARD to stay with. To me, meals just didn't seem to be complete without having bread. The recipes and the meal plan itself sound good, but if you don't have a personal chef, they are time-consuming and a bit unrealistic.
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Summary: Outstanding eating plan!
Review: I think that this diet book contains the outline for what real and healthy eating should be, for all of us. What it talks about is sound nutrition. I hesitate to think of it as a diet, because it really is more like "lifestyle" this is how we should eat to support our optimal health.
What this book does not have is the motivation to get one to adhere to it! I think it would be the absolute best thing in the world for anyone wanting to lose weight if you married the wisdom and science of Dr. Agatston, with the motivation and compassion of Julia Havey, Awaken the Diet Within, From Overweight to Looking Great. I would like to see the two of them take on Dr. Phil and solve obesity.....they ARE the answer! Dr Agatston is THE Dr, and Julia is the REAL deal...she has been obese and knows how we feel!
Read this book, use what it says to lose the weight, just be sure to incorporate Julia Harvey's book with it to really succeed!
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I didn't read this book for the tips on losing weight; I read it to improve my energy levels. As an author who sits at the computer for hours everyday, energy and motivation are important but difficult to maintain. This diet has definitely improved my energy levels and my ability to stay focused. By Diana DeLonzor, author, "Never Be Late Again, 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged".
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Summary: This is NOT just an "Atkins ripoff"!
Review: I honestly think it's missing the point to call this diet an "Atkins ripoff". That's like saying that once the first low-fat diet was published, no one else has the right to develop a different low-fat diet or make improvements upon the original. There are some very significant differences between this diet and the Atkins diet, which you will understand when you read this book.So far, my husband and I have lost a little over 20 pounds each. We are eating more healthfully than ever before, we have more energy than we've had in years, we've lost most of our cravings for sugary and starchy foods, and we don't usually feel deprived. Now and then we will deliberately go off the plan for a special meal/occasion, but if that bumps us up a pound or two, we know exactly what to do to get back on track. Best of all, this is not a special diet where you take the weight off, but then put the pounds back on when the diet is "done". Instead, it is a way of life -- and a healthy, realistic way of life at that. Too many diets have gone to extremes: the "low-fat" bandwagon has often been too difficult to sustain over the long run, and the emphasis on low-fat carbs such as pasta has actually sabatoged weight loss for many. On the other extreme, we all know about the Atkins dieters gorging on saturated fats. Instead, this plan emphasizes "good fats" (olive oil, lean meats, etc.) over "bad fats", and "good carbs" over "bad carbs", with care taken to avoid foods which are too high on the glycemic index. With this book, you will quickly learn to "read" a recipe to see if it conforms to the guidelines of this plan, and you don't have to use the recipes in the book if you don't wish to. In Phases I and II, you even get to have two snacks a day. There are a few inconsistencies in the book which would have benefited from better editing, and I imagine this will be cleared up if another edition is published. In the meantime, there is a phenominal South Beach forum hosted by Prevention magazine's website which does an excellent job of answering people's questions and giving support. I am hypothyroid, and previously have tried numerous diets, all to no avail. I have walked 3 miles a day, 4-5 days a week for several years, and the scale didn't budge. I developed high blood pressure in the last year or so, and my doctor has been prodding me to begin taking medication. With this book, I am developing a healthier lifestyle along with losing weight. Best of all, my blood pressure has gone back to normal levels and my doctor says I'm "off the hook"! There are good reasons why so many people are "defecting" from other diets and heading for the "Beach". If you give it a try, you won't regret it!
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Summary: Re-edit this book!!!
Review: There is something to this diet, and I think it can work. But you have to follow it exactly. I found it very annoying that the recipes for the first weeks included ingredients that were not on the okay-to-eat list. This book needs work and polish.
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Summary: I'm a healthier eater!
Review: This book has caused me to be aware of what I put in my mouth. After a week of hell with sugar withdrawals, I don't crave garbage foods any more. Sure I would love that piece of dark chocolate cake, but it doesn't keep calling me like it used to. Drawbacks includes recipes that are too time consuming and difficult with too many ingredients. I have simplified a lot by eating scrambled eggs with spinach every morning, deli meat and swiss cheese wrapped inside romaine lettuce leaves for lunch and meat with veggies for supper. Of course, lots of tomatoes and V8 juice. It's a winner. I've lost 25# in three months and am continuing to lose about 1# every 10 days. It's slow but it's sure.
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Summary: Rehash of The Zone & Sugarbusters, but harder to follow...
Review: This diet is a pain in the ass. You have to follow a daily menu based on complicated, time-consuming recipes and expensive ingredients. So a lot of time, money and above-average cooking skills are required. The worst part of this book is that it gives virtually no guidance on substitute foods, or how to use this diet without following its difficult menu regime.
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Summary: Rethink the way you eat
Review: If nothing else, this book made me rethink the way I eat and change my eating habits. This book, unlike the other trendy "low-carb" diet books, has a sensible eating plan. Although it is poorly written (it has a very conversational tone, jumps around a bit) he gets the point across and I read it in a day. Since I am nursing my four-month old baby, I have not followed the 3-phase plan. The first phase is too restrictive for a nursing woman (no grains or fruits for two weeks). Instead, I merely adjusted my diet based on what I learned from this book. So far, after only 5 days, I have lost a couple of pounds. I also no longer crave sweets or breads, and I don't feel deprived at all. I am eating even more healthfully than I was before. As for the menus and recipes, they are very helpful if you need ideas and are not sure what to eat (he is not clear on what exactly to eat in the different phases). They may be a little time-consuming and expensive, though, and I think that may be a turn off for some people. My advice is to look at the glycemic index part of his book and/or buy another glycemic index guide to help you get an idea of what foods to avoid or enjoy if you don't want to follow the diet to the letter (i.e., eat this on Day One and this on Day Two, etc). Overall, I think Dr. Agatston is right on the money. We eat far too many processed foods that have been stripped of their nutrients and we need to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. He says this, though not in so many words. I like his idea of "good carbs and bad carbs" and "good fats and bad fats." That helps us understand that you DO need to eat carbs and you DO need to eat fats, you just need to know what kind to eat. Remember, though, this is no quick-fix and this diet involves a change of eating habits FOR LIFE in order to keep the weight off. What sets it apart from other diets is that it is feasible to do so, it is healthy to do long-term, and you can still enjoy eating!
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