Customer Reviews

Dr. Bob Arnot's Revolutionary Weight Control Program

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This program works. No gimmicks, no weird foods, no rabbit food. I lost 28 lbs. in 2-1/2 mos., eating vast quantities of foods that I like. Dr. Bob acknowledges busy lifestyles, and even includes "fast" foods suitable for the very busiest traveller. His premise is that "foods are drugs," and he teaches you to use it to your advantage, working with your body's metabolism and nutritional needs. As soon as I read his comment that dieting is "perverse and unnatural," I knew that I had found a program I could live with!

I am 54 years old and had to retire from the National Guard last year because I could not keep my weight under control. During my career I have lost count of the diets I have attempted with the same results--failure. My daughter asked her Dr. about a diet on a recent visit and he told her about Dr. Bob's book. She read the book and told me about it and we both started following his suggestions a week and a half ago. I have lost 4 lbs in this time period. This is the first time my weight has gone in a negative direction in 4 years. I don't call this a diet. It is a whole new way of eating. I don't agree that this book is hard to follow. There is a lot of information in a little space. I read the book through once to get the basic idea of the plan. I am now reading it again and taking notes so I can fully understand how my body has been fighting against me all my life. I just wish that this information had been available to me years ago. On this plan you don't need portions. You are always full with no cravings. It has been an adventure eating new foods that I never knew existed. It is true that the book offers no menu suggestions, but the internet is full of ideas on ways to cook and season the foods on the low GI index list. One thing that I like about this plan that it isn't rigid. I had purchased a bunch of banana's the weekend before I started the plan. I hate wasting food, so as Dr. Arnot stated, I mixed the bananas in my oatmeal to lessen the Glucose load on my system. Thanks Dr. Bob Arnot. P.S. My daughter is having as much success as I am and more. She had been trying to lose weight since my beautiful grand daughter was born 7 months ago with no avail. She was runnin 5 days a week and could not get over 4 miles. Since starting the plan she has been able to hit 7 miles and said she felt like she could have gone farther.

Whenever one of my friends complains about his/her weight I recommend this book. I do not have a history of weight problems, but at 6'2 and 210lbs I noticed a nice tire settling in for the long run around my waist. Like so many other people, I subscribed to the more carbos, less fat plan, and kept adding weight. I always exercised, so I knew that wasn't the problem. The advantage of Dr. Arnot's plan is that it doesn't eliminate any of the major nutritional components. The Zone diet eliminates carbohydrates, and thus fruit and vegetables in the process. Tradition diets eliminate calories and fat. With this plan, you may be consuming fewer calories than before, but it doesn't feel that way. I feel like I'm eating alot, but I'm losing weight. As for difficulty in understanding the book that some reviewers have mentioned, there are charts that point out lean proteins and low-glucose load carbohydrates. Make these the bulk of your diet. Perhaps the most important message of this book is the differentiation of complex and simple carbohydrates. Learn to read labels and avoid or limit simple carbohydrates and you are on your way.

I disagree with other reviews labeling this book difficult to follow. I did read it twice thoroughly and still refer to it often.It is not a cookbook, yet there are good ideas on preparation. If you learn the carbo/fat/fiber lingo you should be able to find recipes which adhere to this plan. There are so many on the internet alone! I, too, am athletic and ate low-fat, high carbo for years. When sidelined by surgery and also on beta-blockers I began to feel lethargic and gained two dress sizes. Every time I tried to resume my running routine, I couldn't make it through 3 miles.My daily lunch was pasta marinara or a baked potato with salsa. After reading this book, I realized that I needed a drastic diet overhaul to regain my shape and fitness. I switched to an ACE inhibitor and cut out the white flour and high glucose carbs. I made pots of beans/grains every week and seasoned them with salsas, vinaigrettes,lite parmesan;put them in soups, whole-wheat pitas and tortillas, stir-fried them, etc. Within 3 months, I was running 6 miles, lifting weights and wearing dresses that I hadn't worn in 3 years. I am 46 and feel 20 years younger. My body is strong and fit and I am NEVER hungry, nor do I have cravings. For biking, I suggest buying an indoor "wind trainer" on which you mount your own bike. It is more effective than regular stationary bikes, and you can use pedal straps for better form.When the weather is nice, you'll be in bike shape! Buy this book, follow it at least 80% of the time and you will be amazed by the way you feel and look.

There are no menus or recipes but the basic philosphy is easy to follow. No white sugar, white flour, or high fructose corn syrup. Whole grains, lean protein, lots of fiber through fruits and veggies make up the bulk of the foods you eat. Yes carbs are OK as long as they are slow load complex carbs. I have lost over 80 pounds since April (5 months). I don't use the word diet because it doesn't feel like one. I feel full all the time. People are amazed at what I am able to eat. Cravings have disappeared. Just find foods that you like from the lists and eat them at the right times and in the right combinations. I am the cook in our family and it started with me making two seperate meals each night but gradually everyone's diet started changing and now we are all eating much more healthily. Regulating your blood sugar and insulin levels through the food you eat is the key. I feel better than I have in my adult life and added regular moderate exercise after about a month of eating this way. This book is a life changer and saver. My cholesteral plummeted to normal, healthy levels after about four months. Buy this book and change your life TODAY. Thank you Dr. Bob Arnot!!

My husband & I have exersized on average 30 min a day, 5 days a week for over 7 years. We ate "low-fat" meals. When tempted to snack, carbos were our choice. What we couldn't understand was why we both continued to have trouble losing weight. Then some friends told us about Dr. Bob's program. We now eat beans at least once day. There are no white starches in our diet. In a month's time both of us has lost 10 lbs. It is a way of life for us now. I do agree Dr. Bob should format the book in a more user freiendly manner and provide menus plans with recipes.

This book is packed with up-to-date information about food and nutrition. Arnot is not a weight-loss specialist but has reported on so much nutrition news during his career as a TV medical reporter that he decided to summarize it in a book. He finds a common thread in several of the seemingly contradictory approaches taken in several of today's popular diets - including Atkins and other low-carb diets, The Zone, McDougall/Ornish and other low-fat vegetarian diets, and the old Overeaters Anonymous approach of "no sugar, no flour." This common thread is that all these programs lower the glucose load by limiting or eliminating foods with high glycemic indexes. Arnot's advice centers on choosing "hard carbohydrates" - those that cause a slow release of insulin into your system - and on understanding how our bodies react to various foods. He recommends starting each day with a serving of protein before consuming anything else, and consuming a mix of protein/hard carbs during periods when you need to be mentally alert and energetic. He advises keeping evening eating to a minimum and limiting protein intake (unless you need to be sharp and alert). Separate chapters are devoted to protein, carbohydrates, fiber, beans, grains, and fruit.

I would not call this a "diet" book but a compendium of recent research on nutrition and weight control. There are no recipes, no weight charts, no strict eating plans, just loads of information to digest and use in your own life.

Dr. Bob could not make it any simpler: Fiber, Protein = Good, Fat, Sugar, Starch = Bad. Sure you already "know" this, but the book explains the reasons WHY, fully. You cannot read this book and think the same way about what you are eating again. There are no 'gimmicks', 'meal plans', etc., Dr. Bob just explains how the human machine processes what goes into it. I eat no less than what I used to, in fact I eat a lot, only different foods. I dropped from 225lbs to 195lbs in 2 months, and to 175lbs where I belong in the 2 years since, just by changing what, not how much, I eat. Once you read and absorb the information you're already on your way.

I found this book to be extremely helpful. Dr. Arnot clearly explains the pitfalls of fad dieting. This book was well written and well thought out. On a personal level, the plan worked for me because I enjoy the foods he that are part of the plan. If you do not like beans, vegetables and grains you will struggle with his philosophy. That being said, I highly recommend this book, merely for the chapters on glucose load and the glucose epidemic.

Dr. Bob offers thinking that is ahead of the mainstream, although it is incomplete so far -- e.g., we have a LOT to learn about the glycemic index. I liked his "feed-forward" idea and his discussion of the roles of soluble and insoluble fiber. However, there were many other things about the book I had problems with. For example, he says nothing whatsoever about portion control (!), which in my view makes this a bad choice for anyone just getting into the world of weight control, especially if they are more than 25-30 lbs. overweight. Second, his eating schedule presupposes that a person can fit all these eating periods into their work day. Unfortunately, many people lack that freedom. Third, he has conflicting statements, e.g., bananas have a high glycemic index (bad), but one of his "favorite" meals/snacks has him eating bananas as part of it instead of another fruit. Fourth, there are typos in the charts, and his data, especially on GI, conflicts with that of others who have published on the matter. Fifth, he states at least one important inaccuracy, namely that fat is not a satiety factor. Anyone who has ever worked in animal nutrition can tell you that fat is so satiating, that in order to have an animal eat all it needs of carbos, proteins, and other nutrients, fat must be limited in the feed. Too much fat = too full too soon. Sixth, the book desperately needs some recipes to guide people new to the area of watching their nutrition. If you are new to weight loss programs and want to use Dr. Bob's concepts, find someone to help you out!