The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets (Paperback)

by Kym Douglas (Author), Cindy Pearlman (Author) "I got tough when I was a little girl..." (more)
Key Phrases: best workout tips, best diet tips, own workout plan, Black Book, Lose Your Ass When You're Over, Eat Your Way (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Easy ways to get—and stay—slim from the authors of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets, and their celebrity sources

How do the stars get so thin? (and how do their trainers keep them that way?) Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman are back with exercise tips and eating strategies from a Who’s Who of Hollywood beauties. The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets takes readers inside the fridges and out to the gyms of the stars, uncovering the daily regimens that keep celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, and Beyoncè Knowles in A-List shape. They’ll dish on stars’ daily diet plans and tell us how the stars bounce back after baby, stay slim after forty, drop a quick twenty pounds, outsmart a Fat Day, and see fast results from exercise. Kym and Cindy have done it again, from (A)niston to (Z)eta-Jones.

From The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets:
• Heidi Klum and Cindy Crawford eat a salad dressed with vinegar BEFORE they go out to dinner. The vinegar is an appetite suppressant.
• Oprah and Rachael Ray drink Wulong Slimming Tea
• Denise Richards, Jessica Simpson, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams all detox with So-Cal cleanse
• Demi Moore and Sharon Stone eat prunes to ease bloating AND to prevent wrinkles

About the Author
KYM DOUGLAS is the host of the upcoming Lifetime Television makeover show, Queen, airing in October and the image consultant on The View. She appears regularly on Soap Talk, Good Day Live, Before & After’noon, and Your Weekend with Jim Brickman.
CINDY PEARLMAN is a nationally syndicated writer for the New York Times Syndicate and the Chicago Sun-Times. Her work has appeared frequently in Entertainment Weekly, People, Self, In Touch, and National Geographic among others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Plume; HEALT edition (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452289041
• ISBN-13: 978-0452289048
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,475 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring & Full of Info I've Read Multiple Times Before, March 2, 2008

By	Katharine Sullivan "Health Freak" (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was excited when I saw this book on the shelf, and immediately bought it. I should've skimmed it first. I would've realized that I've heard all this information many times in other books and articles. All the information was so surface-level and mundane, that I had to force myself to finish the book. Additionally, in all honesty, I really am not convinced that this book includes the REAL diet and workout plans for these big-name stars. People simply don't look as thin as these celebs do by "hiking in the hills with my dog and drinking green tea!". Either way, I don't recommend this book unless, I suppose, you're a beginner with clean nutrition and working out.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read with Good Advice, July 1, 2008

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"We interviewed A-list stars and their trainers and nutritionists because celebs have no choice but to stay in shape; it's their job." ~ Introduction

"The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets" is a book filled with not-so-secret tips for weight loss. While it is true that you may have heard it all before (eat your veggies and protein), this book puts the tips in an easy-to-read format that is really fun to read. The tips include the basics of a healthy diet along with ideas for exercising more and more. The book begins with stars either saying they exercise all the time or that they don't at all. Are you willing to work out six times a week? There are very few stars in this book that say they don't exercise.

Have you heard that artificial sweetners make you fat? If you need more motivation not to use them this book also explains that they dehydrate the skin. One surprise is that chocolate can help you burn fat. I'm sure they mean dark chocolate. It would have been helpful if the authors had promoted "stevia" as a natural sweetener. You may also be surprised to learn about the healthy benefits of parsley and asparagus.

In the first French Toast recipe, the instructions tell you to mix egg whites in a bowl but they don't list how many eggs to use in the ingredient list. I assume they want you to use two eggs. They do remember to put in the egg whites in the second Banana French Toast recipe. Some of the stars interviewed say you should eat only egg whites while later in the book it is OK to eat whole eggs. Which is it? At times there is no consistency because everyone has a different idea on how to lose weight. It seems you have to make a decision based on the facts presented in each case.

Here are some of the items mentioned in the book (in case you want to order them along with this book - they don't give specific brands):

Original Wu-Long Weight Loss Tea Bags, 60 Servings
Itoen Tegaruni Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Powder 30 gram)
Bernard Jensen Black Cherry Concentrate Extra-Quality 16oz from Bernard Jensen
Amber Agave Nectar Syrup 16oz (100 % Pure Raw Cetified Organic)
Nature's Bounty CINNAMON 1000 mg - 100 Capsules
Bigelow Chinese Oolong Tea, Tea Bags, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 12)
Parsley Herb 100C
Benefiber-Natural Fiber Supplement, 25.6oz 190 Servings
The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss

So will this book help you lose weight? I think the advice on walking is encouraging as I've lost 25 pounds walking one hour a day on my treadmill. I plan to lose even more now that I have some extra tips from this book. The advice about exercise is correct as far as I can tell and the diet tips could make a difference in how you view food on a daily basis. Little changes in your lifestyle could mean a loss in weight and that is what this book is all about.

~The Rebecca Review

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tons of Tips!, January 10, 2008

By	Laura Swim "Fitness Guru32" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I like this book because it is a quick read and really gives you an idea of what Hollywood does. It is full of tips from hollywood trainers, actresses, and celebs. The tips from the Hollywood trainers are right on target. As a trainer myself, I always worry when some Holllywood trainer throws out a crazy program and says everyone should follow it to see results. All of the trainers in this book are awesome though!

A lot of top name diet gurus throw in their advice on nutrition, and ways to drop the weight. The advice they give is nothing extreme, like another adkins or serious low carb diet. Everything is very sensible, pushing foods like vegetables, healthy proteins, and healthy fats.

Check it out. Its easier to implement a few small changes from this book, and still see results.