Customer Reviews

The 30 Day Total Health Makeover: Everything You Need to Do to Change Your Body, Your Health, and Your Life in 30 Amazing Days

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wasn't expecting much when I started this eating plan, but was pleasantly surprised. I DID feel much better. However, the food combining theory can be a little confusing, and the book needed to be a little clearer on substitutions. The recipes are tasty, but although none of the recipes call for adding salt, there is a prominent use of Tamari/soy sauce which is in itself high in sodium. If you are watching sodium, you might want to use another type of seasoning. Some of the recipes for example called for Sea Bass and/or Red Snapper and Ahi Tuna (the Sushi grade kind). At my supermarket, the sea bass was $20.00 lb.,I can only imagine what the Ahi tuna costs! I just substituted plain old tuna, and either cod or tilapia for the sea bass. Also, the menus needed to be planned better to utilize your leftovers. For example, I baked the "Mary Ann's Corn Muffins" recipe, which made 12 muffins. We were supposed to have them for breakfast for that one day, and nowhere on the plan did they appear again! So the next day, there was another different breakfast, with no usage for the leftover muffins, and no information on what to do in these cases. Some of the recipes that did allow you to use leftovers the next day, happened to be the recipes that made very small portions to begin with, so there WERE no leftovers! UGHHH! Also, you need to have a restaurant size icebox for all the veggies and ingredients. I found myself going shopping more frequently, running all over town to different stores to get some of the ingredients. Luckily, I live in an area that it's easy to find the different ingredients. If you are a working person, you will need to cook things the day before you need them to have it all ready on some occasions. I had to make my hubby's lunch the night before for some of the days, otherwise I'd be up all night cooking. It seemed I was in the kitchen way too frequently though. I was a little disappointed to find out that Marilu has a nanny employed! :) I wonder if that's who cuts up all the veggies in her home and prepares all of these meals. Because some are a little time consuming. Don't get me wrong, I like Marilu, and although there's a few downsides to the book, it is still worth doing. Sometimes celebrities forget about what it's like to be the "average" person. See Bass is ok for celebs, but there are other types of fish that are cheaper and also healthy. But the diet can become a little pricey if you get every single ingredient on the shopping lists - but in the end, you'll feel better.

I checked out this book from the library and thought it was great. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the recipes call for some exotic ingredients. It's hard if you are on a budget. By the way I ordered this book from Amazon almost two months ago and still haven't recieved it. They never returned my money and they stopped responding to my emails. The book is good, but you might want to buy it somewhere else.

I've done the 30-Health Makeover several times, mostly because I miss something along the way, or forget things over time. I first started this program in 1999, lost about 60 lbs. (without much exercise as I was working about 75-90 hrs. a week and my skin, hair and nails became healthier. I've always had people at work asking me what I'm eating because it looks and smells delicious. I sometimes substitute less expensive fish and the program works fine. By the end of the month, you're pretty used to the food combining and it's not hard to come up with simple meals of your own that follow the rules. Also, many maintstream grocery stores now have organic foods and lots of soy and/or rice substitutes, so shopping is easier than it was when I first started the program.

I found Marilu's book quite by accident. After skimming through the pages, I knew I had to buy it. It is the first "Total Health" book that I have found - it looks at the whole mind, body, spirit elements rather than simply the body.

I love the tips throughout the book - beauty tips, exercise tips, organisational tips. These tidbits of information were very inspiring for me. I also loved the simplicity of the recipes - they were very quick and easy to make. This was very important for me because I work long hours and don't want to come home and slave away in the kitchen for hours on end.

The book advocates a total change in life, not simply a diet. My only criticism is that it is very difficult to keep to this "way of life" when visiting friends and family. Everyone it seems uses meat, dairy and/or sugar.

While this book contains numerous testimonials from satisfied customers, I found it far too rigid. By the time I reached Day 1 on page 83 and was confronted with no caffeine, no dairy, no sugar, no meat -- I felt defeated before I had even begun. No doubt there are numerous people willing to relinquish such mainstays in their diet and happily live on fish, tofu and soybeans -- it simply isn't for me.

This book is laid out out fabulusly. It begins with a clear introduction and then lays everything out for the reader in sections. I am not a good speller but I do know when someone has written a book as good as this. It also has every thing laid out for the reader from grocery list for the week to wonderfully colared pictures of the foods that you can make with the enclosed recipies. The book is so organised that she has a picture of her dinning room table with note cards laid out and organised for the book.

This book is amazing- She gives you a menu for everyday- a beauty tip, an organizing tip and so much more. She is personable, funny and she really cares about the health of her readers. In addition her online community is a great assest to The Total Health Makeover program. This is a Way of Life- and it's changed my life! Thank you Marilu!

This book is awesome! I love that there are healthy and delicious menus every day, for thirty days - and there are also vegetarian and on-the-go options so you can switch out menus any time you like. And while you're following the menus, you can follow Marilu's wonderful tips on anything from organizing your home - to your life! Marilu has fun beauty secrets that she shares each day, motivational tips, and lots of great exercise information. She even helps us "fake it 'til we make it." There's a great online support website at Marilu.com, and I found this to be most helpful in finding others who wanted a healthier lifestyle. There are online support classes every month, as well. Thanks Marilu for a great book that truly changed my life!

I took the 30 day plunge and lost over 20 pounds! I didn't follow every recipe, neither did I purchase everything on the grocery lists. I used the tips to create my own menus. This book is guide to a lifestyle change, not a diet. At the end of 30 days, I was more organized, felt more energetic, and lighter! I will definitely recommend this book to those serious about changing their life!

Great book for learning how to change yourself both inside and out and adopt a healthier eating habits and behaviors. I would use the book as an educational springboard, take what makes sense to you, and modify the program along the way to meet your lifestyle.