Customer Reviews

The Cheater's Diet: The Medically Proven Way to Supercharge Your Weight Loss, Break Through Diet Ruts and Stay Thin for Good

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(4)

 

 

There are three incredibly great things about The Cheater's Diet:
1. It works!
2. It's EASY to stick to, and
3. It works incredibly fast!
In all my years I've never tried or been on a diet that I could stick to for more than a week. Dr. Rivas' diet is (pardon the expression) a piece of cake.
So far I've been on it a month and so far I've lost 9 lbs!
Where has this diet been all my life?

Ah, at last a diet book for a robust, full-blooded human being! The diet recommended in The Cheater's Diet is not much different from every other diet you'll find in your local book store. After all, we know what we should eat and what we should avoid. No big surprises, right? Whatever fancy name you give it, South Beach, North Beach, No Beach, Sonoma, Portland, Pasadena, they're basically the same old diet. But instead of driving yourself crazy every day, counting calories and carbs, and then beating yourself over the head in guilt for straying, we've got the weekends to howl. We can cheat! That's the big difference with the Cheater's Diet. Cheating! For five days, you behave yourself. You can do that, can't you? Then -- thank God it's Friday -- you can lay your burden down. Now, I'm not going to tell you the Cheater's Diet lets you go totally insane and stuff yourself with everyting in sight, but, compared to those disciplined five days (and believe me nobody will starve to death on the diet recommended for that time period), you can let your hair down and have some fun. The book helpfully gives you lists of the foods and drinks you can cheat on without doing yourself undo harm. The nice guy who invented this system is a highly regarded diet doctor with all the credentials and history of success you can ask for. So, read this book and get ready for some serious weight loss without the pain and guilt trips that often accompany the other diet programs. This one is designed to work for us ordinary weaklings.

At last! A diet for the real world! "The Cheater's Diet" recognizes what we've always known: sticking with a diet routine is boring. This book provides insights into why and how bodies adapt to what we eat, in a way that's very readable. I sat down to read and, before I knew it, the book was almost finished.

"The Cheater's Diet" confirmed that variety is the spice of life and taught me some things I didn't know. The book includes interesting tidbits about cinnamon and supplements. It's also full of useful facts on super-charged foods.

This book clears up myths about diets, what makes metabolisms tick, and what provides incentives to make this diet "stick." It has simple, tasty, quick and easy recipes that work with today's schedules. The "Cheater's Diet" also has great exercise advice, such as the best time to exercise and how to fit it into a hectic life.

For someone like me, who wants some solid, basic guidelines for an effective diet that doesn't involve counting calories or hours of working out, this book is the one to get.

At last, here's a book for people who love to eat (as I do). Given the choice between deprivation and reward, I'll take reward any day. And The Cheater's Diet really works, even for a chow-hound like me. The weekday meals are delicious, and Dr. Rivas has recommendations for strategic cheating that are, well, pretty appetizing. Enjoying this instead of hating it. Six pounds off in two weeks, and I don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. I'm going to stick with this plan.

I've actually been following this diet for years, and now there's a book to tell people how it's done. My version is slightly different, but Rivas' version seems logical, too. I count calories, but allow myself to have (and really enjoy) small things each day, like 2 dark chocolate Hershey's kisses with a cup of tea, or something similar. I found that for me, such indulgences helped me stay on track without bingeing. I know some people (as one review here states) can't eat just a small amount of their favorite foods, or can't allow themselves to cheat on the weekend because then they'll cheat all week, but I'm a "Cheater's Diet" fan from way back! Rivas sets it out for others to try in a sensible diet plan.

The principle theme (or gimmick if you are cynical) is that you need to cheat (eat a bunch of extra calories) on a regular basis to keep your metabolism from slowing down. This books suggests cheating on weekends, which is presumed to be the easiest structure for most people. If this method really works, then the book is worth several times its price. He said that he has worked with several thousand patients over the years, implying that the general approach works. He gave just a few case histories, which left me wondering how well he tracks the progress of his patients. However, I think it is worth a try if it can avoid the dreaded plateau.

The author's suggested weekday diet is mostly low carbohydrate. Fruits and vegetables are included, but not bread or nuts. I eat bread and nuts during the week, although in moderation. He says that bread contains a lot of fat, which is a silly generalization. He restricts nuts because he thinks many people will eat too many. However, he also said that you should feel free to modify his suggestions.

For the weekend, his rule of thumb is to add 10 extra calories per pound each day for the weekend. For me, this is just way too much. I started the plan this weekend, and I added about 1200 calories a day, and still felt a little stuffed. I will probably cut back on upcoming weekends. I don't know where he got the rule of 10 extra calories per pound per day.

Naturally, people want to know just how you can modify this plan. Does it have to be 2 days off in a row? Can it be a lot less than 10 extra calories per pound? He does not address this, probably because nobody really knows all of the variations that might work, or what might be optimal. He did say that other people have had success with similar cheating plans, so some variation is certainly possible. You will probably need to experiment to see what works.

Read this just after reading the latest results from the Women's Health Initiative regarding the limited benefits of a low fat diet. Most striking in the WHI news was the inability of most of the study subjects to stay on the low-fat diet long enough to see if it works! In addition to providing a provocative way to "cheat" the body's metabolism and help folks get through weight loss plateaus, this book offers something too few diet books offer, a weight loss regimen that you can live with.

I heard the author on TV and decided to buy the book. I find it a realistic plan that is working: I have already lost five pounds. Some of the dinner recipes are really delicious and easy to make--I've added a few of them to my "staple" recipes. The best part about this diet is its simplicity: there are no "stages" or "phases" or food combining. It's easy to stick to the plan because you know you can cheat on the weekends!

I have been doing this plan now for over a month and I am not having any luck. I read into what he says and don't quite understand. Basically there seems to be too much freedom, which originally attracted me to the book. I do not know if I am strict enough during the week, or too lenient during the weekend. I wish there were feedback more specifically from success stories.

Okay, how many times have you done a diet and everything that you can live without when your not on a diet seems to be the one thing you want. For my husband that is cake. Anyhow, 4 years ago we started a diet like this, but only gave ourself 1 slurge day. It was Fridays! Thank GOD for FRIDAYS! Anyhow, I was expecting and only at my 6th month. Afraid I would balloon up I started something like this. I didn't diet during that time, I just kept myself under control. But on Fridays, boy I loved it. Had a date at Denny's every week and loved eatting the Fried food. I only gained 15 extra pounds my whole term taking me from 140 to 165 and had a very healthy 6pd 2oz girl. I then continued on the diet doing it like a real diet and got back to 150 somewhat quick. Trust me, it wasn't all the diet, I did walk 3 times a week, but boy it sure did work. My husband dropped about 40 pounds. Now the downfall, after you get to your goal, then you start eating normal. But what is normal, after all you have been use to eating whatever you want, so it doesn't work and the weight will come back, unless you develope some soild fitness plan. Diet shouldn't mean you have have to die over it, but I wish you all the luck to your success.