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+

Notes: "Intuitive Eating" by Tribole/Resch

Here are some quotes from "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch:

p.34 - "If you focus on how you feel as the goal, rather than on weight loss, you will find, ironically, that you can't help but lose weight. If, instead, you continue to focus on weight loss as the goal, you'll get tied up in the old diet-mentality thinking and find that permanent weight loss is [elusive]."

p.45 - "They may be physically off a diet, but the dieting thoughts remain. The problem is that dieting thoughts usually translate into diet-like behavior, which becomes (unconscious) psuedo-dieting."

** Some "Dieting" Behaviors in Disguise: **
- paying penance for eating "bad" foods (cookies, cake) by vowing to "be good tomorrow"
- pacifying hunger by drinking something (coffee, diet sodas) to put it off
- limiting carbohydrates
- putting on a "false food face" in public to appear "virtuous"
- competing with someone who's dieting
- not eating at certain times of the day (ie: after 7pm)

p.102 - Eating "healthy" snacks (fruits, veggies) is okay ONLY if there's no "hidden agenda" (thinking that healthy foods will aid in weight loss)

** FOOD IS NOT THE "ENEMY" -- IT'S FUEL! **

p.195 - Three things that work, but are often ignored, are VARIETY, BALANCE, and MODERATION.

p.196 - "It is CONSISTENCY over time that matters!" ***

p.214 - "Learn to operate out of curiosity, not judgement!" ***

p.53 - "The simple act of being told what to do (even if it's something you want to do) can trigger a rebellious chain-reaction."

p.89 - "The only way that you will come to believe that you will be able to stop eating is to go through the food experience, to actually eat... This is not about knowledge of food, but rather rebuilding experiences with eating... it's like learning to play the guitar by reading a book on music theory. You may understand the components -- but only when you practice and struggle with the strings personally will you truly know how to play. And, the more you practice, the more confidence you'll have."

p.115 - "When you're dieting, you think in terms of 'all-or-nothing'... black-and-white thinking can be dangerous and is often based on the premise of acheiving perfection. It gives you only two alternatives, one of which is usually neither attainable nor maintainable. The other then tends to be the black whole in which you inevitably fall after failing to get the first. You set your sights too high, constantly chasing an ideal that you can grasp only moments at a time..."

p.116 - "Give up the notion that you must eat in an all-or-nothing fashion. Let go of your old black-and-white dieting rules! Allow yourself to eat the foods that were always restricted, while checking your thoughts to be sure that they support your choices."

REVIEW: "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating by Tribole, Resch

This book details the steps you need to take to become an "intuitive eater" -- a person who follows their body's natural cues of "hunger" and "satiety" in order to eat in moderation and shrink down to their natural body weight.
(10 Keys)

I especially liked the chapters called: "Challenge the Food Police" / "Make Peace With Food" / & "Respect Your Body". Challenging the "Food Police" means undoing the "diet mentality" that's been so ingrained in us by society, and substituting positive statements every time you hear a negative one regarding food or your eating (in your head).

Making peace with food reminds us that NO food is "good" or "bad" or "forbidden", and we need to give ourselves "unconditional permission to eat" the foods that we love and that satisfy us.

Respecting our bodies means not having negative things to say about yourself when you look in the mirror, and it means buying clothes NOW (not later when you've lost X number of pounds, first) that make you look and FEEL great!

This is an awesome book that I'll be recommending to a ton of people! :o)

My Story...

My weight problems started during my first pregnancy, in 1998. Up until then, I'd been a tiny size 6, and could eat whatever I wanted without gaining a pound. I never *truly* exercised, unless you count dancing around in my room to my music. ;-)

With my pregnancy, I was going through a great amount of stress, plus I'd injured myself and couldn't work. I lost a lot of my "friends" during this time period, so I was lonely, afraid, and bored. I sat around in front of the television, watching soap-operas, and snacking.

My family (and my doctor) kept commenting on my weight gain. They told me to go easy on the snacks, and drink more water. I didn't listen. I thought, "I'm eating for two! It's okay!" Boy, what a lie! LOL

By the end of the pregnancy, I'd ballooned up to a size 18 -- the heaviest I've ever been in my life -- and I was absolutely horrified! I'd thought I was fat when I was a size 6 (thank you, wonderful media!) -- so you can just imagine what I felt with those extra 60 pounds on my frame!

I started walking when my son was about 8 months old, and I took off 10 pounds in a month. This was reassuring, but not comforting.

By the time of my second pregnancy, two years later, my life was a little more stable, and I'd plateaued at a size 12.

With the second pregnancy, I knew not to "eat for 2", but I still ended up gaining 35 lbs. This put me back to a size 18, afterward.

I tried diet after diet, but nothing lasted longer than 1-3 weeks. Some plans didn't even last a day! LOL I just don't like to be told what to do, what to eat, or how much/little I can have! I felt really restricted or deprived, so I always gave up and went back to my ways.

After my daughter was born, we went through a time of serious financial stress. The bank foreclosed on us, forcing us to move from our home within a month -- talk about STRESSFUL! But, God provided, and we moved from our large, 2-bedroom, to a tiny 3-bedroom home. There were *some* blessings hidden in this time of trial!

5 years after the birth of my daughter (it was now 2005), God led me to find the hunger-fullness method for weight-loss, via a popular book. Reading it, I couldn't believe it could be this simple! "You mean, I just have to eat when I'm hungry, stop when I have had just enough, and I can lose weight? I don't even have to exercise? Yeah, right!"

In just two days of following this method, though, I lost 2 pounds! I seriously thought my scale was lying to me. But, when I continued to see the scale move down over the next few weeks, I started to believe that this could possibly be the answer I'd been seeking to my weight problems!

Reading the book, though, raised some little red flags for me ... some of the theology seemed "off" -- after all, this was supposed to be a Christian weight-loss program, and yet, something wasn't sitting right.

At this time (3 weeks into following the principles of hunger-fullness), an online friend sent me a link to an article ... and I was enlightened. The author of the book I'd been reading was a supposed "cult-leader"! I immediately wanted to burn the book (though, I couldn't do that, as I LOVE books!) I was devastated!

Luckily, God also included the name of yet another hunger-fullness program -- a GRACE-oriented one! -- in this same article, so I wasn't left hanging. Mind you, I was reluctant to try it, as I didn't want to be so easily duped, again!

Thank the Lord, though, the new program was MUCH more freeing, and I continued to release weight as I listened to my body's natural cues of "hunger" and "fullness".

Six months later, I was just 5 pounds from my goal -- I had become a size 8! (something that, in the depths of my "dieting days", I never thought I'd see again!)

Unfortunately, with the Holiday season upon me, I gave myself permission to snack when I wasn't hungry, which just snowballed until I'd completely let go of the principles I'd learned, and I put back all of the weight I'd released. :-(

But, God is faithful. He has used my "falling off the wagon" to teach me that "failure is only failure if you don't keep trying". So, I'm pressing on, and I know that I will get the hang of this again.

I also learned that I never dealt with the emotional side of why I overeat, so it was like I'd put a bandage on a wound that needed stitches. It didn't really "fix" my problem. So, now I'm working on my emotions, too (and I just found a really cool, helpful website that I think is REALLY going to help!)

Anyway. I'm in this for life! It's the best, most FREEING thing I've ever found, and it works! Praise God, I'll never have to diet again! No more roller-coaster. ;o)