REVIEW: The SuperFoods Rx Diet by Wendy Bazilian & Steven Pratt

((NOTE: This book is still a diet, but it does talk about following your hunger signals, so I'm reviewing it here -- you can choose whether/not you want to get it and read it)). ;)

I found this book online, the other day, while searching for books about healthy eating & the Mediterranean-style of eating. It just so happened that my local library had a copy (at my branch, nonetheless), so I went and picked it up, and started reading it right away. I didn’t intend to read the whole thing, but it was quick and really interesting!

This book has an absolutely fascinating concept as far as a weight loss plan goes… it has the SlimDown, which is two weeks of more strict adherence to get you off to a good start, and then the FlexPlan to loosen things up a bit while still maintaining control. But, the most interesting part was the “Prep & Practice” week you do before the SlimDown. It’s where you start planning what you’ll do in your SlimDown, and you practice some of the meals & exercises. Very cool!

Now, when I talk about “strict adherence” for the SlimDown part, please don’t misunderstand me… this seems different than other diet books I’ve read where you have to give up all sorts of different foods and/or categories of foods. For this, it’s more about adding in the “superfoods”, and making sure you follow the plan. It’s not difficult, nor does it seem like too much.

Some of the “superfoods” listed are: Oats, Blueberries, Soy, Turkey, Oranges, Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Spinach… and a whole slew of “sidekicks” (other foods that are good for you, that you should add into your new plan).

I also liked that you basically make up your own meal plans, based off the SuperFoods categories (there are 3 main ones), and you can pick and choose what works best for you for exercise.

This plan is very flexible, and has some great ideas! The book even promotes listening to your hunger cues, so that was a big plus for me! (I’m a big fan of that!).

While there are still some points of this book that I don’t really agree with, overall I really like the concept, and think it’s a good thing to try out, especially coming into a new year! (the “Prep & Practice” week could be the last week of the year, and then you start the SlimDown come January 1st!)

Recommended. Rated B+

Why restrict when you don't have to?

Can I just say...? It really hurts me to watch women limiting themselves in what they can eat, just because they are afraid to gain a few pounds. WHY DO THEY DO THIS? Sure, I want to be thin, too, and I don't want to gain any weight, either. But, I'm not going to say 'no' to a couple of treats just because they *might* add a pound to my frame.

Okay, if you're going to eat the whole package of cookies, then maybe I'd understand why you want to avoid them -- people with serious addictions, or with addictive personalities, maybe need to exercise a little more caution.

But, for the most part, the rest of us don't need to be saying 'no' to a couple of treats now and then.

*** EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!***

If Intuitive Eating has taught me anything, it's that you can eat anything you want (provided you don't have a medical reason for avoiding something), as long as you exercise your brain and have those things in moderation. Life is more fun that way! You don't have to mope around and say, "Oh, poor me... I can't have that 'cause I'm watching my weight". Ugh.

((Sorry... but this just kills me!))

The New Look!

Got a new template from http://finalsense.com! What do you think?

Willpower and Determination vs. FOCUS

The other day, I was reading a book about home organization called "Organizing for Life" by Sandra Felton. Now, much as this book is about getting to the root of your lack of organizational skill, I found some great insights that can be used with IE!

For example, these quotes:

p.126 - "You do not need discipline or willpower to make your life organized and successful. You only need to know how to FOCUS your attention and effort where it will make a difference...

..."To focus our attention in productive ways, we must decide which unnecessary things we are doing that focus our attention away from [what we want]. When we eliminate these, our lives will be disciplined without having to use willpower and without having to keep our noses to the grindstone."

There were some other great quotes, too, that I thought could really be applicable to one's IE journey:

p.119 - "I was still thinking in the old way while trying to act in the new way. My old way of thinking put obstacles in the way of my freedom."

p.119 - "Be patient with yourself. You are not doing this for...anybody but yourself. You don't have to prove anything... Be prepared to slip. When change begins, the ___ part of you will see itself shrinking and will try to get you to turn back. It will try to sabotage your success and go back to the more comfortable and familiar [lazy/overeating] lifestyle. But don't give in."

p.119 - "Many times I was tempted to go back to the old way. The only thing that kept me going was my unwillingness to return to the pain of living that way."

p.121 - "The most important change we need to make is in our thinking. Until we do, we will contend with the stress of living in two worlds."

Funny where you can find helpful insights, eh? ;)

Heads-up...a new blog!

For those that are tired of reading all of my book reviews -- especially the ones that aren't SOLELY about Intuitive Eating ((grin))-- I've created a whole new blog where I review books from the "Health & Fitness" category. From now on, all of my book reviews will go there. If they are IE-related, though, I will copy them here, as well.

The new blog can be found here. Be sure to bookmark it!

REVIEW: Diet Fads by Barbara A. Zahensky (for TEENS)

DIET FADS by Barbara A. Zahensky

Okay. Yes, I am once again reviewing a somewhat *diety* book. BUT, I am only doing so because this was a book written for TEENS, and it wasn't so *diety* after all. There were a few parts that mentioned watching calorie-intake, or avoiding a lot of high-fat foods.

But, overall, the book encouraged teens to stay away from fad diets (while explaining WHY), and encouraged them, instead, to listen to their hunger signals, to do some research into why they think they overeat, and to get more exercise.

I would recommend this book, definitely. I might give a word of "warning" along with it ((grin)), but only to say that we don't necessarily NEED to count calories, or avoid any foods so long as we're truly listening to our bodies' signals, paying full attention, and allowing any food in moderation. Moderation is key. ;o)

REVIEW: The Skinny by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson

The Skinny: How to Fit Into Your Little Black Dress Forever by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson

While some parts of this book were still a little "diety", MOST of the book promoted the principles of Intuitive Eating -- hence why I am sharing the book with you here! :-)

Basically, the authors encourage you to:

• Eat when you're hungry


• Eat what you WANT (don't settle for less)


• Don't eat to please someone else


• Don't eat what you don't want

They also say you should eat at least one fruit, and/or one vegetable with every meal. And, they promote eating slowly, and eating sitting down.

I liked that they gave you two perspectives -- one author is a Food Writer, and the other is married, and a mother. They show that their "plan" is a good fit for anyone, as it can be altered.

There were a lot of tips outlined....how to handle certain situations (eating out; eating in the presence of coworkers; eating at parties), and what to do if you find yourself eating emotionally.

The "diety" parts of this book (mostly just the usual, "Skip the junk food -for the most part- and go for the veggies") weren't all that bad. They even go so far as to say you can HAVE the junk food, but just make sure you have the veggies first. ;o) They don't count calories (or anything else, for that matter), so it's not anything I'm fully against.

Have a look through their website first, if you want to know more about their style, without having to buy the book. And, if you like their website, get the book! It'd still be worth your while! ;)

REVIEW: Secrets of Successful Weight Loss by Diana Burrell

Title: "Secrets of Successful Weight Loss"
Author: Diana Burrell (with "Psychology Today" magazine)
Pages: 336
Rated: B+

Comments:
I loved this book. It was soooo full of great information, covering
almost every aspect of weight loss and healthy living:

- a brief overview of most of the diet plans out there
- how to design your own plan
- exercise & eating healthy
- what to do when you hit a snag in your plan, or go through tough spots
- medical conditions caused by overweight/obesity
- what to do when you hit the maintain stage
- how to think differently once you've reached your goal
...and SO MUCH more!

This book has been put on my wishlist, as I'd like to own a copy. It
really was helpful, and it'd be a great book to reference back to from
time-to-time!