The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet: The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting

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Summary: Great for Meat Lovers
Review: I had not watched the Oprah show on which this diet was featured, but saw this book and thought that the diet sounded great. Unfortunately, I overlooked the fact that I am not crazy about meat or eggs. I found myself eating my reward meals at a vegetarian restaurant after gagging down fats, meats and eggs all day. I got very nauseated after several days and stopped the diet. If you like meat and eggs, this diet would be a dream come true! Eat foods you like all day and then have a reward meal with everything you like at supper. If you aren't a meat-lover, though, it is useless.

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Summary: Success is just ahead!
Review: After seeing the Heller's on Oprah, I wanted a book. I got one and began to read, it fit me so well as they described peoples reactions to carbs. After 2 months on the program I have lost 25 lbs. This is the best results I have ever gotten on any program. My blood pressure showed improvement every week. During the Christmas holidays I have fallen off the program, but plan to return right away. Words can not describe how much better I feel. This book and the Hellers have been a God sent for me. I have also handed this program on to friends and family members.

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Summary: The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet
Review: I think this book is great! I am definitely sensitive to carbohydrates and find myself literally falling asleep after a meal of junk food. I followed the plan for seven weeks and lost 6 pounds. The seventh week I actually gained a pound. Consequently, I became discouraged and fell off the plan. Right away, I found myself feeling tired, depressed, and my mood swings were phenomenol! I checked out a support website for carb addicts and I'm going to try again using some of the tips suggested. Also, my blood pressure was better and my PVC's almost became nonexistant. In reading some other reviews, I noticed one that stated only losing 5 lbs. in 5 weeks--this is supposed to work this way, slowly. And another review said that they couldn't eat just meat and select veggies--not one mention of the all important Reward Meal. Obviously, they either didn't read the whole book, or didn't put into practice the Reward Meal. Without the Reward Meal this plan would be unliveable, but with it it's possible to make this a very balanced and nondeprivational diet--INCLUDING LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES, and whatever else one might feel is necessary to make this a very, VERY HEALTHY way of eating! Thanks!

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Summary: good book but....
Review: some of what is said in this book conflicts with what these authors said on the oprah winfrey show.

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Summary: I've Found Relief
Review: I can hardly believe how well this plan is working for me. I am on the start of my 3rd week and not only have the cravings disappeared, but I feel full about 15 minutes into a meal (this is a first for me!). I have lost 8 lbs so far and have many to go, but with this plan I feel I will be able to continue on because the cravings are non-existant. Cravings have ruled my life for the last 20 years, it's such a relief to be rid of them. The increased energy is another wonderful by-product of this diet - I have energy to spare. It's been simply amazing!

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Summary: The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet
Review: This is the best diet ever! I tested as a severe carbohydrate addict - answered yes to every question. I was a binge eater - good for 2 days, then ate everything (carbohydrates)I could lay my hands on. Eating was a real problem for me. I am not really overweight, but would feel better if I lost 1 stone. It is coming off slowly, but I never feel hungry. I never want breakfast, don't eat till lunchtime and I never think of food. I really do feel normal now. I can't imagine not being on this diet.

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Summary: Attention Anyone Suffering from Constant Fatigue!
Review: I read many of the reviews on here before ordering the book, which was recommended by a friend (who is still doing well on the diet). I was skeptical but figured I'd give it a try. This diet opened up a whole new world to me! I was suffering from constant fatigue and drowsiness - it was so bad that I had undergone two hospital sleep studies to figure out what was wrong. I'd taken different drugs to help me to stay awake and accomplish simple daily tasks, including just feeding and dressing my toddler. I started this diet for weight loss reasons (I had lost all of my pregnancy weight and then gained it right back so I was determined to find a diet I could live with forever), but it turned out to have benefits that I didn't expect. After two days on the diet, I was no longer sleepy. I waited to write this review until I was sure the effects were here to stay. It's been 5 weeks and I have taken only one nap which was due to extenuating circumstances. For this twice daily napper, that is incredible. So incredible for me that I have the urge to have another baby, something I never thought I'd have the energy for. My only concern is working out a way to maintain the high-energy aspects of this diet while pregnant. The weight loss is slow but I have no reason to believe it will stop completely as long as I follow all three rules of the diet. I lost 10 lbs in the first 9 days but only 4 lbs since then. The pattern seems to be plateauing for a little while, then dropping a pound or two, and then remaining at that weight for a little while. But I eat whatever I want once a day during the reward meal. And I mean WHATEVER I want - donuts, bread, chips, cookies, candy bars, etc. I could not live with a diet that doesn't allow me these things; at least not for the long haul. I know I could lose weight faster using the starvation tactics I've used in the past but it's not worth it. As for the people who say you can't eat fruit and certain veggies - you certainly can! You are just supposed to include them in your reward meal, along with milk and other healthy foods. For the small investment of buying one paperback book, you can change your life, so if you're interested at least read the book! One note - I scored EXTREMELY high on the carbo addict test which is why I think it's working so well for me. It's not for everyone so if you don't score high on the test, don't expect the same results as someone who did. My husband is following the diet also and has lost only 5 lbs - he scored much lower on the test than I did. However, he too is eating whatever he wants and losing weight steadily. Good luck!

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Summary: A REVELATION
Review: My maternal Aunt, Maggie actually lost 55. lbs by following the guidelines mentioned in this book and she looks super! She has tremendous energy and her friends can't get over it (although she did admit giving up potatoes and the brown bread she so dearly loves was sometimes hell),and,when she looks in the mirror, she sees someone who looks ten years younger than before!

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Summary: Use Caution......
Review: Please use caution when using this diet. It did wonderful for me for the first 2 weeks and I thought I was actually going to get rid of this excess. However after the 2nd week I never lost another pound, I was on the diet for a total of 5 weeks and only lost 5 lbs. The second problem is that I totally skipped my cycle for the whole time I was on the diet and did not have it again till a week after I stopped the diet. This diet was the cause of that and caused an imbalance in my system that caused my cycle to stop. Please use caution with this diet and talk to your doctor before you start and if you have any odd issues come up.

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Summary: Some good ideas, but a little too unbalanced for me.
Review: I read this book about 3 years ago and had trouble sticking to the diet then, and tried it again after all the Oprah hype and still have trouble with it. I did learn a few things from this diet - limiting my carb intake throughout the day DOES give me more energy, and also that the more carbs I eat, the sooner I feel ravenously hungry again. So from this book I learned to cut back on carbs (I love pasta and bread, so most of my meals centered around carbs). My main concerns with this book are that it doesn't emphasize exercise enough (one reviewer said they like this diet because they rarely get off their duff - yikes!) and the requirement that one should limit their consumption of fruits and certain veggies. Really, its not the fruit or potatoes or whole-grain breads that are the problem. The problem is with refined sugar and white flour. Our bodies were not designed to eat highly processed foods. It's undeniable fact that we were meant to eat lots of veggies and fruits and whole grains, with a small amount of meat and dairy. These things were put on earth for us. Pop-tarts and frozen pizza and cheese curls were obviously not! If people have lost weight on this plan, more power to them. But there are certain truths about weight loss that wouldn't sell many books - eat less, exercise, cut down on fatty foods, and eat a BALANCED diet. All these diet plans are unnatural and difficult to some degree, whether its food combining, high-protein, low-fat, calorie-counting, whatever. They have some valid points to make, but you will only lose weight and be healthy when you stop obsessing about what to eat and when, and eat natural less-processed foods. Remember that weight loss and health are not necessarily the same thing either.