70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly Surprised--Good for Pre-Diabetics, GD, or Type 2, November 24, 2009
This review is from: The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've read a few of Bob Greene's other books, so I thought he'd basically be packaging the same info. I was pleasantly surprised (perhaps because one of his co-authors is a prominent endocrinologist). As a side note, I had insulin-dependent gestational diabetes for three pregnancies, which did not resolve after the last one (so I have type 2). I've kept my HbA1C <6% for the past two years (since diagnosis).
The first chapter does a really good job in explaining HbA1C, blood glucose monitors, and testing. There's a good chart which shows what a HbA1c translates into in terms of average blood glucose. The best part is that Bob acknowledges that testing strips are wicked expensive--and recommends focusing on a different meal each day for testing. Basically, you end up doing two testings per day rather than 5 or 6. So, Day 1 you might do your fasting a.m., and 2 hours after breakfast. Day 2, before and after lunch (2 hours post prandial). Day 3, before dinner and post-prandial. Etc. There's also a great chart on how to interpret your highs and lows (p. 46).
Like Bob's previous books, he believes in small changes. The difference is you won't have a month of getting ready/mental prep type stuff. You have diabetes (or are pre-diabetic)... your body really can't stand another month of sky rocketing blood glucose levels. Still, he starts out gentle. The basic diet plan is a carb controlled...looked at low-GI foods whenever possible. The first 4 weeks, phase one, you're supposed to focus on blood glucose testing (see above), watching carbs, and a gradual increase in exercise.
Food-wise, phase one, we're talking three meals and two or three snacks (depending on your calorie level). There are four calorie levels with corresponding carb levels: 1500 (144 g.), 1700 (154 g.), 2000 (191 g.), and 2250 (212 g.). Bob breaks the carb levels into meals and snacks so that you're not over-consuming at any one meal. Like Bob's other books, he's against night-time eating...so no eating two hours prior to bedtime (probably a good idea to help prevent a high a.m. fasting.) He also says cut out alcohol in phase one as well as sweetened beverages.
Exercise-wise, phase one and if you're a couch potato, he's hoping to get you moving. Something aerobic, 15 minutes, 3x/week ideally. Add 2 minutes each week until you hit 30 minutes. If you're already exercising, then you'll add strength training. One surprise is that it is recommended that you get a stress test if you're over 40 and diabetic. Period.
Phase two is about fine-tuning your diet. Increasing your exercise another notch (optional, but recommended), looking more at high quality food on your plate (low G.I., low refined, high quality protein, healthy fats), and adding vitamins.
The book also has chapters on diabetes drugs as well as drugs diabetics often take... including statins and ACE inhibitors.
The last part of the book includes some meal plans and recipes... as well as charts you can use to track carbs, blood sugar, etc.
Two negatives:
1) Limited info on resistance training. Bob describes his basic 8 exercises.. but there are no pictures. One is told to go to the [...]video website to learn how to use them. (May not be realistic for all readers of the book.)
2) Not that many recipes. I wonder how the other recipes from his books work with the plan. It would be nice to have a list of which recipes in his other books worked with the plan, how to modify them, etc.
Once again, I was really surprised. It's a well-done book. I'd recommend it for anybody just diagnosed with gestational diabetes, pre-diabetes, or Type 2. My favorite book for new Type 2's is "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes" by Gretchen Becker. I think this book would be a good complement or could even stand on it's own. It's that well done.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
135 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Should Come With a Warning Label, December 26, 2009
This review is from: The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes by Bob Greene is the latest in many books on diabetes and given the author's affiliation with Oprah Winfrey there is no doubt that this book will be a huge seller, probably even have a lovely life on the best-seller list.
This is unfortunate. In chapter one, the author discusses insulin as a medicine. Insulin is not a medicine. It is a hormone the body naturally produces. For diabetics and pre-diabetics either their pancreas is not producing enough or any insulin or the organs are not properly absorbing the insulin the body is producing which results in high glucose levels. Of course, this could be considered a syntactical oversight and something one could overlook.
In chapter two, the author erroneously suggests that a glucose level of 180 two hours after a meal is acceptable. This was true, once upon a time, but the American Diabetes Association has modified this number and lowered it to 150. If this book were a few years old, such a mistake could, and one could even argue should, be overlooked.
So given that the book is pretty much off to a poorly researched start, in spite of the collaborative efforts of John J Merendino, MD and Janis Jibrin, MS, RD, is there any merit in reading further?
During the chapter on Phase One, Greene (and/or one of his "experts") says that it is safe to exercise unless your glucose level is 300 or higher. According to the American Diabetes Association, it is safe to exercise if your level is 250 or lower. (You can exercise if your glucose levels are lower than 300 but above 250 if you check your ketone levels, something that is not mentioned in the book at all.) That is a 50 point difference which anyone with diabetes can tell you is not an insignificant mistake.
I commend Greene for outlining a conservative approach to increasing the daily exercise. Adding two minutes of aerobic/cardio exercise per week while adding one or two strength training exercises per activity level is gradual enough that most people following his suggestion are not only likely to experience success but unlikely to cause themselves injury.
But really . . . as I was reading I kept jumping back to how messed up it is the book says 300 is the upper limit when it is actually only 250. Any one of the mistakes I have pointed out would be merely a nuisance or a slight carelessness. Perhaps even a publisher's oversight. However, this is already one too many and we have more than one erroneous piece of information being presented as professional advice. I can only pray that anyone who reads this book has the sense to listen to their diabetes team, to the American Diabetes Association, and to their own common sense and the messages of their own body. This book should not be the "go to" resource for anyone with diabetes and/or pre-diabetes.
The Mayo Clinic has come out with a wonderful book,
Mayo Clinic on Managing Diabetes, with unsurprisingly superior medical advice than this book has. It does not, however, have recipes or online charts and resources for you to use, which Bob Greene's book offers. Of course, all of these free resources are also available through the American Diabetes Association. And if you choose to use the ADA resources, you won't have to worry about the offer to get additional help from Oprah's personal trainer for less than $3 per week with the "click here to learn more" encouragement.
This is what worries me the most because Bob Greene is Oprah's personal trainer and so many people will immediately think that because Greene works with Oprah that somehow anything and everything he says is accurate. Given the complications that come with diabetes if it is not properly managed, this book and its inevitable best-selling popularity scares me.
However, I digress. Phase One focuses on how carbohydrates impact glucose levels, on increasing your activity level, and on a few other essential details including possible medications (once again mistakenly saying that insulin is a medication!) someone with diabetes may have. In Phase Two the dietary focus shifts over to proteins and fats. The fact that beans are often considered a protein is mentioned but the truth is somewhat buried in the content and I was surprised that the author did not take the time to highlight more clearly that although beans are a protein they impact the body the way a carbohydrate does. In other words, for a diabetic or pre-diabetic person, beans are not a protein but should be counted as a carbohydrate; more specifically beans are considered starch exchange rather than a meat exchange. Given how unhappy I already was with the book at this point, let me state for the record that although this very important information is not given the focus it requires and frankly deserves, I am not going to begrudge Greene and/or the publishers for not choosing to emphasize this point.
Phase Two also addresses the introduction/use of dietary supplements like multi-vitamins. The information is not unlike what can be found on the ADA website or in most other nutrition/diet books. Ie. The best offense is a well-balanced diet; supplements may help but are not the answer nor will they make up for unhealthy eating habits, etc. Phase Three builds upon the suggestions made in Parts One and Two and there is good practical advice for the reader on how to avoid discouragement and offering a list of healthcare professionals that the diabetic will need including some that might be needed. Again, information one can easily find elsewhere.
The next chapter, "Drugs Used to Treat Diabetes and Prevent Complications," unfortunately lumps insulin as a medication. At this point, I was neither surprised nor disappointed by this nonsense. Early in the chapter Greene states "people tend to lump diabetes medicines into two categories, pills or insulin" and never does he correct this statement. Forget altogether the argument that insulin is a naturally produced hormone in the body (like estrogen and testosterone), diabetes medicine is usually "lumped" in two ways: medicines that help the body produce insulin and medicines that help the body absorb insulin. So let's add this to the increasing list of mistakes this book makes and move on.
Last but not least, the book concludes with meal plans and some recipes. I want to commend Greene for not focusing solely on the diabetic who is trying to lose weight. Too many diabetes resource focus so much on losing weight which makes it difficult and frustrating for the diabetic who is trying to lose weight to find the necessary information that will support the individual's individual needs. Soy milk seems to be the dairy choice for Greene and the fact that Silk Soy Milk carries the Best Life seal I suppose explains this emphasis. There are arguments for drinking soy milk, obviously, but there are also reasons why some people, especially some women, might prefer to avoid soy milk. That this is never mentioned in the book is unfortunate. Greene explains how grilling meats releases carcinogens back in Phase Two so I don't know why the same concern isn't expressed regarding the consumption of soy milk. It behooves the reader to be educated but, given that this book is supposed to be a trusted resource for the reader, it would be nice to see the author being as forthcoming about products with his company's stamp of approval as he is with those products that don't have it.
The recipes are good. I tried a few and didn't hate them, didn't love them, didn't feel the need to share them in my blog. I was disappointed that the soup recipes all included beans. I would have liked a recipe that was free from starches (a hearty vegetable soup perhaps) or even high in protein (egg-drop soup). Of course, the book is not trying to present an exhaustive collection of possible recipes. There is just enough for someone to make gradual changes to their daily fair. No need to completely overhaul the diet although the reader can choose to follow the proscribed menu plan to begin the necessary lifestyle changes.
I realize that some people may think I am being nit-picky about a few mistakes but when there are resources available that do not have these mistakes, resources that offer the same advice, I don't understand why this book contains any mistakes nor why it should become a resource upon which anyone would rely. For anyone considering buying this book, please reconsider. Read resources that will not compromise your health or well-being. Living with diabetes is hard enough without thinking something is safe when it is not or thinking you are doing the right thing when you are not. This book . . . it could have been better and it should have been better and, although there is some merit in the content, there is not enough for me to say this book is a better choice than any of the others I have already read. For a basic overview of diabetes, how glucose and insulin work in the body, and the complications of diabetes if it is not well managed, I highly recommend the Mayo-Clinic book. For the most up-to-date information on diabetes and diabetes research, you can't go wrong reading the ADA website. If you want delicious recipes that will help you maintain healthy glucose levels and possibly help you lose weight if that is your goal, check out DLife, a weekly program that airs on CNBC Sundays at 7pm; the website offers the videos so those without cable can enjoy the educational resources.
Like I said, there are other, better, resources out there. Like I also said, odds are that because Bob Greene is Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer, this book will inevitably be a best-seller...
Read more ›
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome even if you are not at risk, December 2, 2009
This review is from: The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I do not have a sugar problem, but some of my relatives have Type II diabetes. My wife avoided gestational diabetes with our first child, and so far she's okay with the second child. Of course my relatives living with diabtes ate without thinking and rarely excercised. I did not know that Bob Greene is involved with the Best Life plan. However, I have seen the best life on certain foods I buy.
That being said, this is a robust 'bible' of the who, what, when, where, how and why. I must be honest, I am familiar with how to help reduce my risk for diabetes. In the past, I have read up on low glycemic foods. But I wanted to drill down more into the diet and science behind it. Of course having a meal plan is great too. Despite my background knowledge, I still found his charts and plan to be great. This is a roadmap that we can all learn from.
As a sidebar, you should Google Steven Burd of Safeway supermarkets. Read how they cut their healthcare costs based on lifestyle changes. Notice what he said about diabetes.
Update... My mother-in-law tried to take the book from me. She's not at risk, but knows way too many people with Typee II diabetes.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
