Rating: 
Summary: in just 2 obsessive hours a day!
Review: As a fan of Denise Austin and her fitness message, I went looking for more information about her. I went to her website and found some disturbing information about what she really does in a day to stay fit. She wakes at 6:45, does 5 minutes of Tai chi before even getting out of bed. She does 30 minutes of running or her morning show routine. She does 5 minutes of stretching. She bounds up and down her "3 flights of stairs" house. She does 5 minutes of 'bun firmers'. She does tummy tucks while stuck in traffic. She does tri-cep curls while on the phone. She does back stretches while sitting at her desk. She does wall sits while sending faxes. She walks for 10 mintues at lunch. She does arm curls while reading the paper. She does Waist twist will stuck in afternoon traffic. She does Kick Boxing while hanging up the phone. She walks for 20 minutes with her daughters. She does saddle bag slimmers while making dinner. She "does arabesques in the kitchen" while doing dishes. She does crunches and pushups while watching TV.Wow. Are you exhausted just reading her "real schedule". To me, this reads much different from the routine recommended to us. I wonder when she will come out with her new book "The Obsession Diet"? At least now I know what it really takes to have a body like hers. Constant attention and focus on my body.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book!
Review: Denise Austin has written a very clear, step-by-step book for losing the last 10 pounds. I am on Week #2 of her 28-day plan and have lost 5 pounds already. I feel great and know that I have developed muscle as well. Her instructions are quite clear, and she keeps each day interesting by doing different exercises. (I particularly like the toning exercises! ) I have a very sedentary job and now have incorporated her "Fidgetcizers" into my daily routine. Only downside is that some of the recipes contain uncommon foods. I just spent extra time going through the 4 weeks and creating my own meal plans for each day, eliminating those foods I did not like or had no idea what they were!
Rating:
Summary: Whooo Hooo, This Life-Style Program Really Works!
Review: I am so incredibly happy, I just bought Denise's new book on losing those last 10 pounds and it is truly wonderful. I am currently in week one but I have already lost 3 pounds and golly, I am so excited. Denise is a gifted writer and you can really see her passion for health and exercise in her book. You know something, she really cares about all of us and it is so beautiful, because as you read, you can sense her love. She has created an incredibly fun way to lose weight, consisting of eating small meals every few hours as well as by exercising regularly. One of the fun things I love doing is what she calls Fidgit-cizers where you simply do any kind of exercise, such as squats, while you brush and dry your hair or do any other common chore. This is not only a great program for dropping weight, it's also a total blast. Lily of the Valley Carnie, author - Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy, and Natural Magick
Rating:
Summary: Really motivational!
Review: I initially took this book out of the library on a whim but ended up buying it because I found it so useful. The meal plans- I agree with other readers- are not completely practical. I am cooking for a family (including a meat and potatoes man)- but her recipes do sound delicious. I modified them to suit our needs. The motivational advice is great and I love the variety of exercises and daily changes in activities.The figitcize idea is really helpful for those busy days. True, none of it's new but it is sound advice and nicely packaged.
Rating:
Summary: fun and motivational
Review: I really like this book because Denise Austin makes it really a lot of fun to lose those last ten pounds with not only different kind of exercises and Yoga/Pilates moves to stretch and tone, but also her recipes are easy to prepare and very tasty and I didn't get bored with the whole program. I do like that she tries to motivate you not only to exercise and workout but also for the day-to-day stuff. I didn't regret to have bought that book and can highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Cookbook way to lose weight
Review: My husband and I have been doing this weight loss plan for 2 weeks now and find it a very manageable and educational scheme. It is very obviously based on the USDA's food pyramid, which is great for us. We're really starting to understand what it means to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday and how to better manage portion size, especially with starches and meat. It's given us some great new breakfast and lunch ideas, and I love the fact that the easy-to-prepare recipes can be doubled to two portions and leave no leftovers to fill up my fridge. Most of the recipes are pretty tasty, if simple, but the chicken breast dishes are on the bland side, requiring a little extra touch to make them better. Additionally, preparation advice can be a bit sketchy, leaving the reader to make assumptions about how things should be done. There are also some editing problems which add to the confusion, such as describing 1 oz. of linguine as "about the size of a quarter" in one recipe and "about a quarter of an inch in diameter" in another. The exercise plan is very manageable as well, where I substitute my usual aerobics or exercise bike routines for her routines. Her toning routine is great - I'm already reaping the benefits in firmer muscles. The yoga/pilates routine left me a little cold, but has inspired me to find a video that may be more suitable for me. Overall, I think it's a very realistic plan that should lead to better habits of both eating and exercise, which is really what matters.
Rating:
Summary: You better believe!
Review: This book is excellent. Easy to read, easy to follow, easy to enjoy. Even though I'm an extremely picky eater, I was able to lose 17 lbs., and my goal was 15. Denise is right, once you train yourself to do something, it's hard to go back. My stomach used to be able to hold an entire bowl of pasta from my favorite restaurant, but now I can only eat about 1/3 (all I really need antway!). Everyone should have this book.
Rating:
Summary: Common sense approach to losing weight without straving !
Review: This is the book for those of us who are carrying a bit extra weight. I bought the book on my 3 year old's birthday and have already lost 4 lbs. This is an easy plan to live by, not just diet. I love the cracker jacks for snacks and the triscuits with cream cheese. I always thought snacks had to be celery sticks or carrots! The meals are simple to prepare and the dinners are not always family adaptable so I substitute a bit. Like another reviewer, I found the diet initially expensive to start but worth it. I think I will actually achieve my goal after 3 years of trying all kinds of other diets that I only could stick to for a day!
Rating:
Summary: It works, and it's Healthy
Review: This review is mainly to tell you what the others (teacherwhocares & T.M.) didn't tell you. First off, I thought that this book was very helpful with tring to increase my recipe library and to also increase what I know about Fitness & Nutrition and the basics about exercises. I found this book to be very helpful! The others that I meantioned earlier (teacherwhocares & T.M.)in this review must have been looking for some negetive things of some sort, or they just wanted to 'pick' on her book for whatever reason. First off, the shopping list the is in week 1, you WILL use all of the things that are on the grocery list unless you decide to discontinue to use it in the middle of the week. Second, the typical day that Denise Austin is talking about in the book is HER TYPICAL DAY! Shoot, if everybody was a fitness personality, buiness woman, wife, mother of two, and a avid fitness expert it would look kind of silly for her to just SIT AROUND THE HOUSE AND EAT BON-BONS ALL DAY! She does all those exercises to help give her energy throughout the day and if the person who wrote the review would at least TRY those exercises that Denise recommends then she/he would find them to probably be helpful. I don't exercise for "2 obessive hours a day" and I also do SOME of the 'fidgetsizing' that Denise talks about in her book everyday and it really works! I think that people who are CLOSED MINDED shouldn't ever think about picking up this book, because that will mean more 'bad reviews' that shouldn't even be here! If you are serious about fitness and nutrition and are flexible enough to try new foods, then this book is worth EVERY PENNY!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: My first copy is worn out -- coming back for a second
Review: We started this program 6-10-00 and lost 38 lbs at low point of 3-10-01. As of 12-08-01, I have given back 7 lbs but am still down 31 lbs. This program works. One positive not mentioned in other reviews is that the the meal plan rationalizes grocery shopping. Prior to this meal plan, my wife spent time figuring out what to prepare and went to the grocery store nearly daily and sometimes more than once in a single day. With Denise's plan, she does the main shopping once a week. I prepare the grocery list. The grocery list is sorted by aisles in the store, an extra bit of work to make up but more than justified by the overall time saving. There is some time (and likely even monetary) savings in the grocery shopping component of your life with this plan. Most of the menus require preparation, on the order of 2 hours per day. For example, even a trivial breakfast of strawberrys and yogurt requires washing and cutting up strawberrys. The food is generally good and varied. It is really the meal plan that has the highest time commitment impact, not the exercises.
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