Rating: 
Summary: The Carbohydrate Lifespan Programme
Review: I first saw you both on the Oprah show one day and this changed my life from then on. I have tried everything from liquid diets to prescribed pills and nothing has ever made me feel this great and nothing has ever been so simple to do. I now eat three meals a day and sometimes snack and I have lost over 30 pounds. Now after my second child I had no worries about my weight loss since I already knew what to do and that it would actually work. I don't worry anymore, feel guilty or starve myself like before. Thankyou both and Oprah for airing that show.
Rating: 
Summary: Still Waiting for This Diet to Work (Take 2)
Review: I promised I would write again to chronicle my progress on this diet (Rachael says "way of life"), and here I am 8 weeks into it and I have lost only 8 pounds. I have not cheated, but I guess those free dinners are what is keeping me from losing as much as I would like. I still feel great, no cravings, sleep better, etc. so I'm not giving up. One of the most helpful suggestions in the book is to keep track of your average weekly weight and I've created a spreadsheet that calculates that for me, together with a graph that illustrates my weight loss. My graph is very encouraging as it shows that I've lost weight every single one of those 8 weeks. I think it's basically a healthy diet, and a 1 lb./week loss is probably healthier than crashing down. Rachael recommends not losing more than 1% of your weight per week -- at that rate I should be losing 1.5 lbs per week. The sluggish digestion I mentioned in my previous review is still a problem if I forget to drink water (6-8 glasses a day makes a real difference in that department). So I'm still on the wagon, with about 12 more lbs. to lose. Will write back in 12 weeks!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent less extreme version of Atkins
Review: On the Atkins diet, I felt sick and tired all of the time - it just didn't work for me. Plus, giving up things like Italian food forever was not my idea of fun. This diet is a much better alternative. It's not hard to stick to no-carbs for breakfast and lunch, when you know that you can have literally anything you feel like for dinner. I have gone from size 9 to size 5 jeans, and every night I eat things like lasagne, oriental chicken with peanut sauce, pizza from PizzaHut and desserts like chocolate bars or pecan tarts. It's not tough to stick to a diet where you get to 'cheat' every single night! Bravo to the Hellers, I am on this program for good.
Rating:
Summary: Still waiting for this diet to work...
Review: I've been on this diet for 3 weeks, but I am already plateauing on it in the third week... and no cheating! I lost 3 lbs the first week, 1/2 lb the second, and stayed the same the third. I'm not giving up on it though, and I give it 4 stars because all my sweet cravings have been put to sleep by eating this way, and I love my reward meal! It's just that even though I eat lots of veggies and salads, my bm's have been reduced to two a week... no wonder I don't lose weight! This week I've decided I would buy some fiber tablets to see if that wakes up my digestion and makes a difference. Otherwise I feel fine.
Rating:
Summary: IT WORKS!
Review: I've lost 27 pounds since January (two over my original goal of 25; three from my new goal of 30). I'm down three dress sizes and two pants sizes and feel better than I ever have, even in my 20s, which was 20 years ago! The amazing thing is how easy it is to stick to it. GREAT plan!
Rating: 
Summary: Read the fine print
Review: If you had success with, for example, Atkins diet (as I have), think twice before you consider using this one. It is not truly low carbohydrate, and, if carbs stimulate your appetite all of the time, not only when consumed with no protein, this problem will not be eliminated. There are none of the benefits of appetite reduction, reduced fluid retention, or the slight metabolic advantage of a truly low carb program. The "reward meal" (a concept I loathe - since confirmed Atkids like myself base when and how much we eat solely on genuine hunger) is not so liberal as appears at first glance. It is very rigidly "balanced" and depends on protein portions being "normal" - which the Hellers define at three ounces. (Never mind the ADA pyramid - can you yourself get through a day on that little protein?) Eating desserts would be a disaster for many of us as well.The entire book is annoyingly apologetic. Supposedly this is an alternative program, yet the authors are at their wits end to show conformity with the same old ADA food pyramid, even stressing that their diet can be used to increase intake of complex carbohydrates. It may work for some, but it is not for those who have serious problems with carbohydrates.
Rating:
Summary: Carbohydrate Addicts Diet
Review: I have been on a lot of diets, either my own or ones that I hear about. I have been on this diet for 5 months and have lost 25 lbs, but most important, I don't crave anything during the day, because I know I can have it at night. but, you know what, I usually don't what it at night. I work with a lot of women, and I watch them eat all day long. I used to be one of them. Now I am free. I don't crave the things they are eating. But, the best part of this diet. My husband droped over 40 points in his cholesterol, and I dropped over 50. My husband is a diabetic, and his sugar level stays within the level the Dr. wants, and both of our blood pressure levels have dropped. When I told the women in my office of the drop in my cholesterol, they all want books now. Thanks for a diet or rather a life style that I can live with and that will help me to live.
Rating:
Summary: If you are addicted to carbs, this program might be for you
Review: This program on dieting is not a solution to Yo Yo dieting. I have in the past been on a low carbohydrate diet and yes it did work but I was not ready to incorporate this type of program in my lifestyle. It works for awhile but who could do this for a lifetime. The Heller's add a new twist to it, you have two very low carbohydrate meals a day and one meal in which you can eat pretty much anything you want if you eat it all in one hour. The authors do recommend that you eat healthy at this meal but who ever heard of gorging yourself for one hour, it's not only disgusting, it's not healthy. The scenarios that the clients share are rather funny, for example, going to a party and putting the hor d'euvres in your pocket until the entrée is served, and I guess you could wrap up the dessert and take it home. I believe as the author's do that yes, most of us are addicted to carbo's and we need to eliminate a large number of them, mainly the processed foods like chips, crackers, etc. but a moderate amount of fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal. A more holistic approach are the following books: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing by Christiane Northrup, M.D; The Diet Cure: Rebalance Your Body: The 8 Step Program to Rebalance Your Body & Chemistry and End Food Cravings, Weight Problems by Julia Ross and Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil, M.D. I have done book reviews on all these and I highly recommend them.
Rating:
Summary: This book has changed my life
Review: I have been on the diet for 3 months now and have lost almost 15 lbs. I have 3 kids and with every one gained a few pounds until I was totally feeling out of control. I was eating most of my high cal foods in the evening after the kids went to bed. And I was starting to feel like every night I went to the fridge for just a little treat, but it was controlling me rather that my controlling it. I felt so weak. This diet has helped me most of all to be able to control my cravings for high carb foods. My favorite things were donuts, cakes and cookies and they still are but now I save them for my reward meal and I enjoy them so much!!! But then I am done... and I don't feel the need for more and more. The recipes in the back of the book were yukky. They should not try to imitate the real thing. As addicts, we know the real thing when we taste it and those recipes are a poor substitution. I would much rather eat the real thing during my reward meal than waste time with the "bread" recipes in the book. Other than that, my life has been truly changed by this diet. Thanks to the authors for giving us a doable solution to overeating.
Rating:
Summary: Life Saver
Review: After having my second child I had gained a lot of extra weight. The weight kept coming on until one day I looked in the mirror and realized I had gotten so big. A lady at work was talking about a book that was talked about on Oprah, she gave me the basics and I was interested. I bought the book that day, read the beginning and started the next day. I am so thankful for this book, I have lost 49 pounds in 8 months, with about 20 more to go. I know I will lose all the weight I set out to lose, there is no depriving myself on this diet. It's just a change in eating habits. I realize these are just words to you, but believe me, if you try this book, this diet... they may be YOUR words too.
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