Awaken the Diet Within: From Overweight to Looking Great-If I Can Do It, So Can You [Hardcover]

Julia Griggs Havey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2003

In this title, Julia Griggs Havey shares the weight-loss secrets which enabled her to lose 130 pounds and become a beauty queen. With more than 130 delicious recipes, nutritional advice and fitness tips, readers will discover how easy it is to achieve success.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This revamped version of a 1999 self-published paperback of the same name offers Havey's success story coupled with weight loss advice and a new menu plan section. The author, a formerly overweight mother of two, received an anonymous letter detailing an affair her husband was having with another woman. Havey divorced her husband and turned her life around-by losing 130 pounds through a motivational plan of her own design. The secret to successful weight loss, according to Havey, is to identify individual goals and develop a positive attitude by engaging in enjoyable activities-walking, meeting a friend or gardening-instead of eating. Havey recommends exercising and offers healthy recipes and advice on supplements; she believes in losing weight through self-motivation rather than via the diet of the moment ("Live the life, not the diet"). The author has parlayed this helpful, commonsense weight loss program into a career that includes advertising her books and diet aids on cable TV and maintaining a Web site where she promotes motivational tapes and CDs.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

JULIA GRIGGS HAVEY Pinch me, quickly! I must be dreaming. I can't believe all that has happened to my life in the past 5 years. It seems like yesterday that I was a morbidly obese woman, desperately searching for an answer to my weight loss woes. I tried every book, every commercial diet...everything, yet I remained obese. I lost the weight that had for so long eluded me, the story behind that is enough to fill a book (so I wrote one!), so to make a long story short, now I am living the "AFTER" of my weight loss success story. It really is "happily ever after". I spend my days answering hundreds of emails from people across the country and even overseas. People who have stumbled upon my eDiets.com articles or my website and are seeking my help. I can't help but answer them. It is such a thrill to have a hand in helping someone realize that there is hope and help them chart their path on this weight loss journey. This is not only my job, but now my mission as well...and I love it! I have the best job in the world. The rest of my life is a pretty normal suburban life. I am happily married to my best friend, Patrick, the most handsome, most romantic, funniest, sweetest and most determined man I have ever met. Together, we have the joy of raising our two children: Taylor 13 and Clark 9. Tay loves ballet and singing (she wants to be a "Diva"!) and Clark can't decide whether he is going to be a hockey player, quarter back or West Point cadet. (I tell him he can do all three!). We have Buddy the dog and Patches the cat. I work out 5-6 days a week, clean my house, cook our meals (ok, Patrick helps with that part!) and do the laundry. Glamorous, huh?! I love to read and have many favorite books, among them The Art of Happiness, The Dalai Lama; Over the Top, Zig Ziglar; Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins; Oh The Places You Will Go, Dr Seuss; anything Harry Potter, JKRowling; I loved my summer reads this year, The Emperor of Ocean Park, Stephen L. Carter and The Bondwoman's Narrative, The Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and a couple of Wally Lamb books. I can't read gory, scary books, they scare me too much. I like mysteries as long as they aren't too graphic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530166
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530163
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

139 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Awaken the Diet Within" is a lifechanging book !, August 10, 2003

By 

Lee Mellott "Skin Care For Wrinkles" (Frederick, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Awaken the Diet Within: From Overweight to Looking Great-If I Can Do It, So Can You (Hardcover)

Over the years I have read a number of diet books. One expert after another sharing a different diet, none of which worked for me. Food combining, low carb, no-fat, over exercising, dubious supplements and other weight loss methods resulted in my needing to lose 40 pounds instead of the 20 I wanted to lose when I started.

Then I came across Julia Havey's book. Julia is not a scientist, doctor, or nutritionist. Julia is a woman who weighed 290 pounds, wore a size 24 and hit rock bottom when she discovered her spouse was unfaithful. Determined to change her attitude and her life, she lost over 130 pounds, found new love and was crowned Mrs. Missouri!

She shares how she accomplished her weight loss in her book "Awaken The Diet Within" and she teaches how you can reach your weight loss goals too. Julia has been there. She understands the pain and frustration of being overweight. The despair at failing at yet another diet. And she knows that dieting does not work. Lifestyle and mental changes work. This is the key to "Awaken The Diet Within".

Simple steps equal big results. Julie teaches you step by step what to do to get the body you want. There is no complicated diet, strenuous workout or special pill you have to take. You don't need a PhD to understand the book. It's very clear and concise.

Reading the book is like chatting with your best girlfriend. Your friend has lost a ton of weight. She looks fantastic! And now she is going to tell you in simple terms how you can lose the weight you want too and she is going to root for you every step of the way!

First you develop the right attitude. Mini questions will help you really dig deep into why you want to lose weight and what you can accomplish with your weight loss. Then Julia holds your hand and walks you step by step to achieve your goal. One step builds upon another. These are baby steps. You do not go to step 2 until you have accomplished the first one. It's very doable.

Steps include drinking tons of water, exercising, eating lots of fruits and vegies etc. Of course you know that these are important to weight loss. But in the past you may not have been able to consistently include them in your life. Julia teaches you how. She teaches you how to work the food pyramid so it helps you stay healthy and fit.

I cannot emphasize enough how inspiring Julia is. She tells you what you need to do in a way that makes you want to do it! Her words are powerful and she speaks from her soul. Her honesty and caring shine through the book. You will be motivated!

As you work through the program steps, Julia includes advise on staying the course, building confidence and so much more. At the back of the book is a handy shopping list and a number of recipes including her famous veggie sandwich, healthy oatmeal cookies, mushroom salad, linguine with asparagus, pineapple pork chops and more. The recipes I tried were not only delicious, but simple to prepare with easy to find ingredients.

I really love this book! Julia makes the weight loss process so clear and simple. At last! Thank you so much Julia!

111 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more counting!!, August 6, 2003

By 

Judy Cross (MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awaken the Diet Within: From Overweight to Looking Great-If I Can Do It, So Can You (Hardcover)

I will admit that I am a skeptic. I have tried every diet out there known to man and woman. With so many diet books on the market these days, it is amazing that any of them could convince an overweight person (me) to buy them. Julia did this for me in person.

I was at a local bookstore where I had plucked yet another great sounding diet book off the shelf and went to sit down to read it noticing the woman behind a small table to the side of me selling yet another great sounding diet book. There was no one sitting around us at the time so I gave her about 5 seconds to say something to me and of course, she did.

"Could I talk you out of buying that book?" She asked, and inside I cringed and thought, `Oh great, here we go!'

Over the next few minutes, I met a woman that was both down to earth and very like me. She is a mother, and a wife, remarried to a wonderful man after being married to a not so wonderful man the first time around. She spoke to me about taking things slowly, not trying to lose 30 pounds in 10 days. About living your life now not waiting until you lose some pounds or until everyone else in your life is satisfied with their lives to do so. Most of what she said made sense to me. I ended up buying her book which she signed for me, and so far I haven't regretted one penny!

Finally, a book that makes sense! No counting calories or points. No writing down every little morsel that passes your lips. What Julia proposes is a no-nonsense life style change of self-improvement through self-motivation. Julia Griggs Havey details out a plan that takes things at your pace, if you don't feel comfortable moving on to the next level then you stay where you are until you are ready to enter the next phase of your metamorphous to the brand new you.

My first day reading her book brought about a question that I e-mailed to her and to my surprise she answered back promptly HERSELF! She answers all her own e-mails! If that isn't devotion to others, then I don't know what is.

Julia has her own web site, and will talk to you via e-mails, on-line chats, and even personal phone calls so I hear if you want. This book is not for anyone that wants to lose the previously mentioned 30 pounds in 10 days but about a total life change. I highly recommend it!

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The tools to help you change your life are in this book:, December 22, 2002

By 

booklvr (Wolfforth, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awaken the Diet Within: From Overweight to Looking Great-If I Can Do It, So Can You (Hardcover)

This is a book that will change your life. It is the story of how Julia Havey lost 130 lbs. This is not just another diet book that tells you to do it my way and you will lose weight overnight. This book will give you the tools to develop a healthy lifestyle that fits your life. This book will give you the tools to learn about yourself and adapt healthy habits you will use to develop a healthy lifestyle for yourself that fits your life for the rest of your life. With this book you will be able to begin living your life again.

Julia does not ask you to give up everything and change immediately. She does not expect you to start your exercise program by running a marathon. Her premise is to take small steps to begin to incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine. She presents common sense principles and ideas in this book that will lead to a healthy lifestyle, with the by-product of your new healthy lifestyle being happiness, awareness, power, success-and oh, yes, weight loss goes along with all this other good stuff.

Check out Julia Havey's website. This will give you an idea of what her ideas are all about concerning self-improvement through self-motivation. Her tapes are inspriational, educational, and will help you through many weight loss hurdles. She will respond personally to your needs and questions about developing a healthy lifestyle.

Julia Havey's book, tapes, and website helped me lose 40 lbs. She has helped others lose a lot more weight than that. At 160 lbs. my life was a mess, I had no energy, I was miserable, and I didn't think I would ever see 150 lbs. again, much less 120. As I read Julia's book I realized I could make small changes like drink more water and become aware of my food choices. I could slowly add activities to my life at my pace-it was fine to start with activities that I could do for however long I could do them and then as I got stronger I could add activity at my pace. This is not a diet program; this is not a plan that will set you up for failure if you do not follow it to the letter. This is a way to incorporate aspects of a healthy lifestyle into your life at your own pace to improve your life and your health. This book will help you change your life for the better. This is not something that will end when your reach your weight loss goals. This is a lifestyle change that will allow you to have your health and be fit for the rest of your life.

The successful person gets up one more time than the person that fails. If you have tried over and over, for years and years to try to lose weight and have given up and think nothing will help you I urge you to do yourself a favor and read this book, look at Julia's website, please don't give up. You are worth the effort. Your health and your life can change-you have the power within to succeed. This book will be your guide to doing that.