Customer Reviews

The Carb Lovers Diet: Eat What You Love, Get Slim For Life

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

We can probably thank Dr. Atkins for creating the belief that "carbs" and not money is the root of all evil. There is just one problem that comes up. I have never known anyone that has been able to stay away from cars long term.

The Carb Lovers Diet tells us that carbohydrates are not the enemy when it comes to losing weight. In fact, eating the right types of carbohydrates can help you drop pounds, since they can help curb your cravings, preserve lean muscle tissue (which can keep your metabolism from dropping) and control your blood sugar levels (so your body stores fewer excess calories as unwanted body fat.)

The real hero in this book is called "resistant starches". It seems that different types of starches digest at different speeds. Resistant starches will pass through the body without being digested, similar to fiber. This does sound like a dream come true, doesn't it? The book suggests raising the average of 4.8 grams of daily resistant starches to 10 to 15 grams through various carb-based recipes.

Here are the 5 rules for winning the carb game:

1. Eat at least one resistant starch-rich food (called CarbStars) at every meal

2. CarbStars should make up about 25 percent of every meal. The rest of your calories coming from lean meats, low-fat dairy products, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables (in other words, cut out the junk food.)

3. Watch your portion sizes (brilliant!).

4) Don't deprive yourself, but use moderation for the bad foods.

5) Create a power pantry (stock up on CarbStar foods).

The first 7 days allows only 1,200 calories a day divided among four small meals. The second portion of the program (21 days) allows for to 1,600 calories divided among five small meals.

This program really follows the idea of a calorie-restrictive, nutrient-dense, fiber-rich diet, which is actually a great way to eat. The book offers 85 recipes with a colorful picture of every meal, which makes the meals seem more visually desirable. Haven't you done that in a restaurant when you see some food go by? Of course, the program also includes exercise, which is a great idea.

Bottom Line
The Carb Lovers Diet follows the usual plan of most diet books, although it is a fresh approach that may help you rethink how to eat better and exercise more. It is solid advice that will work if you stick to it. The big letdown for me was that it doesn't really live up to its title. If you love those sinful unhealthy carbs (ice cream, chocolate, cookies), you may still face the same challenges you had before. If you came here looking for a magic fix for eating bad foods and losing weight, you will have to look elsewhere. If you are looking for good advice on healthy weight loss, you have found it.

After months of struggling to stay within points on Weight Watchers and making just too many concessions I bought this book. I think if I was to ever meet up with these authors I would probably burst into tears and thank them. Not only are most of these meals inexpensive and easy to prepare, but each meal ranges about the same calorie intake so you can have whatever recipe strikes your fancy for that meal. Another reason I would start crying: I have yet to be hungry. I have managed to stay within the portion sizes and not once did I get hungry enough to jump off the menu. Most days I don't even eat the snack that is allowed. I would never, ever have thought that a piece of rye toast, almond butter and a banana would keep me satisfied for up to 6 hours. I don't get weak or shaky from getting too hungry too fast. Within 2 days of starting the program every craving I had vanished. For the first time in a long time I feel like I am controlling the food versus the food controlling me. I also noticed a wave of energy without that afternoon/evening drop. I am staying up an extra hour and half without impact. Sometimes I have so much energy I can't be still. Another plus for those who are on a budget and short on time, most of these recipes are fast and quite of few of them use the same ingredients or an ingredient can be substituted easily for one that you have already bought. The best part of this whole thing is I can have my morning egg sandwich and cheese. The only thing I had to change was from a bagel to rye bread. Losing my egg sandwich was a deal breaker for me and why I left WW. Seriously, I am so happy to be losing weight and feeling full after every meal, I could cry.

I am a vegetarian and find the diet easy to follow and vegeatarian-friendly. I never feel hungry on the meal plans and love how the recipes incorporate some of my favorite foods --- sweet potatoes, beans, almond butter, strawberries, raspberries, coconut, and other fruits and veggies. Chapter 11 is especially helpful with the charts listing correct serving sizes so I don't overeat. I also like knowing the number of calories and resistant starch values so I can make the healthiest food choices.

I was a tester for this diet and started on it in January. I've stayed on the diet since the test officially concluded in March, and it's been easy. It's full of actual food that I want to eat - like Italian sausage with roast vegtables and polenta - not faddy things that I'll get sick of. Even my kids like the food.

I also found this take on managing my diet to be easier than anything else I've tried when I'm out for a meal. Since the focus is on getting enough of the right things and not on avoiding tabu things I'm not the party pooper when I'm trying to order off a menu.

I'm down by two dress sizes and most of the weight came off my hips and belly, so I'm thrilled with it!

I got an advance copy of this book and let me tell you it really works! I lost 6 pounds the first week, and I was never hungry. Sometimes I felt so full I couldn't even eat the whole portion. I felt good on it too...had so much energy. This diet feels so healthy as opposed to others I've tried. My favorite recipes are the Scallops with Southwestern Rice and Spanish-Style Shrimp with Yellow Rice. My (non-dieting) husband lapped them up too. Lots of lunch-to-go options and restaurant options which makes the diet achievable. Love having my carbs back!Health The Carb Lovers Diet: Eat What You Love, Get Slim For Life

I was one of the test dieters and I really ENJOYED this diet. I'm a big advocate now and I can't say that about WW or Jenny Craig. I was on my own and did (am still doing) a great job!
I just read some of the other reviews about the diet. Hey, if you want to change the way you're eating, I suggest trying this. But if you still want to eat "DONUTS" and other crappy fatty foods, then is your head really in it? and are you ready to focus on eating healthier? I love donuts too, but I don't think I'm going to lose weight while eating them!
Losing weight is hard work, but this book makes so many unusual suggestions that I hadn't tried before. Like Black Bean Tacos and Pumpernickel bread with Peanut Butter and chocolate truffle balls, etc. I found with my lifestyle, dieting was difficult and this book definitely helped me focus and get my head in the right place.
I'm still on it (probably will be for a long time because it's not difficult) and instead of losing 14 pounds, I've now lost 20 pounds. The weight has yet to come back, but it's a slow process. I do NOT expect to lose 20 pounds in three months. It's taken me almost 7 months to lose 20 pounds. Maybe by the end of the year I'll be down a total of 30 pounds.
I do feel A LOT better, health-wise. I have more energy and I even like the gym a little more. I don't work out often either. One of the things I noticed is that I no longer get CharlieHorses in my legs. I used to get them once a week, at least.

I've been a "soup and salad" dieter for ages now, cutting myself off completely from carbs as soon as I notice I've gained an extra 10 or so. But during those months of strictly surviving on lettuce and broth, I'm hungry, grouchy, and listless. Thank goodness, now, for Carb Lovers. I've been going strong for about three weeks, and I can't tell you how satisfied I feel. It's crazy to think I'm eating those foods I thought were in the "danger zone," like potatoes and bread, and actually loosing weight and gaining energy. The best part -- it's ridiculously satisfying. I have oatmeal with walnuts, cinnamon and a banana each morning, and feel full till lunchtime. And I'm basically just using everything I already have in my cupboard. I can safely say I'm a Carb Lover convert!

This book is a joy to read: remarkably straightforward, clear and easy to read, filled with fascinating nutritional information, and with 85 splendid recipes. The simple recipes accompanied by truly gorgeous full color photos of the food produced are reason enough to buy this book. I am not a good cook, but I found the recipes easy-to-follow and well worth the minor effort involved. And the amazing photos of the end results gave me encouragement. Every recipe looks delicious and presents both an idea of what you're striving for and useful and interesting nutritional information.
I have always loved carbs and incorporated them into my dieting. But after reading this book I feel I can make more knowledgeable and healthy choices. I prefer non-ripe bannanas and now realize they are better for me.
The actual success stories occur throughout the book and include encouraging statements and realistic results. A number of the people featured lost 10 pounds or less in a slow but steady manner -- I found this particularly refreshing and a good reminder of what a difference 5-10 pounds can make.
I consider this a most appealing and informative book and give it 5 stars without hesitation.

(Written by my wife, who actually bought the book)
I fell for the hype in buying this book and am very disappointed. This book promised that some "new" category of carbohydrate called Resistant Starch would allow the dieter more flexibility and freedom. "Eat the carbs you love, get slim for life!" is the claim, but it's just not so. If the carbs you love are made from white wheat flour (like white bread, donuts, bagels, crackers and such), then you're out of luck because these are not the carbs they are talking about, and they're not part of the diet.
The hype made me believe there might be good substitutes though - foods high in RS that I could select instead of starchier ones - but even the highest ones listed in their book - bananas - are a big disappointment. A tasty ripe banana has 4.7 grams of RS (and they want you to eat about 12 grams per day), but that banana still contains over 100 calories and 18 grams of sugar, so even if the 4.7 grams of RS do what the book claims and resist being digested, there's still the 18 grams of sugar that will affect blood sugar and weight. So the diet then has to restrict total calories by reducing portions overall, primarily reducing fat and protein portions, as well as reducing all starchy portions. This is nothing new: There have been low-calorie, low-fat diets around for decades - before low-carb became popular 10 years ago.
It says "Bread! Potato Chips! Pizza!" but then you read and it means "whole grain bread, baked chips in moderation and home-made pizza with low-fat toppings per their recipe".
It bashes low-carb diets with half-truths: For example, it says "low-carb diets make you fatter", but then if you read the related paragraph, it says that once you STOP low-carb dieting, you'll gain the weight back. But that's true any time you stop eating reduced food volumes and return to the habits that caused the weight gain in the first place.
In another section, the book talks about bloating and says that it's not starch that gives you bloating but water retention from salt. Well, I'm here to say I can feel the difference between water retention and bloating from popcorn - grains can be hard to digest, and that can make a person gassy. They just skipped past this by blaming salt.
The pictures of the foods are pretty and the recipes might be worth a peek, especially if you need help understanding smaller portions, but don't expect to get solid food facts from this book.

I have tried quite a few diets in my time, rarely with much success. I am nearing the end of the Carb Lovers 7 day phase 1, and have a few things to say about the diet so far:

1. Economically, it's great. A lot of diets require you to throw out most of your pantry and buy all new items. This diet incorporates (at least for my husband and me) much of the food we already eat (re: baked potato chips, rolled oats, almond butter, etc). Even if you don't eat those things I listed, it won't break the bank as about 99% of the menu doesn't consist of specialty items that you can only get at a fancy market or health food store. It's regular food, in other words.

2. The recipes are very tasty and VERY easy to make. Most of them are portioned for 2 servings, which is immensely helpful when cooking for two. They aren't the fancy, in-depth recipes you usually see in diets (I loved South Beach, but some of the recipes just took up too much of my time and expense). They are also very quick to make, prompting me to be more proactive in fixing them.

3. I think the only problem a lot of folks may have with this diet is the portion sizing. Reading this book, it seems that it's slanted towards those who avoid carbs or have some sort of weird complex about eating them (I will never understand that :P ). However, they do a good job educating about portion sizing, emphasizing that we eat way too much as a society, and most of our portions are three times too big. While the diet allows you to eat really yummy food, your only restriction is the amount of food you eat. Phase 1 has you eating 1200 calories a day, for example. It has been the biggest obstacle for me as I have gotten used to eating way more than I should, and am left feeling very unsatisfied after most of the meals. But that's where will-power comes in.

It's not the best diet I've been on, but since I'm newly starting it, things could change.