Eat More, Weigh Less: Dr. Dean Ornish's Life Choice Program for Losing Weight Safely While Eating Abundantly [Paperback]

Dean Ornish (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2000

You really can eat more and weigh less -- if you know what to eat. As this groundbreaking book clearly shows, it's not just how much you eat, it's primarily what you eat.

Most diets rely on small portion sizes to reduce calories sufficiently. You feel hungry and deprived. Dr. Ornish's program takes a new approach: abundance rather than deprivation. If you change the type of food, you don't have to be as concerned about the amount of food. You can eat whenever you're hungry , eat more food -- and still lose weight and keep it off. Simply. Safely. Easily. In this book, you'll find 250 gourmet recipes from the country's most celebrated chefs.

Unlike high-protein diets that may mortage your well-being, Dr. Ornish's diet and lifestyle program is scientifically proven to help you lose weight and gain health. People not only keep off the weight, they lower their cholestoral and reduce their chances for getting heart disease and such other illnesses as breast, prostate, and colon cancer; diabetes; osteoporosis; and hypertension. Dr. Ornish's program has given millions of people new hope and new choices.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ingeniously disguised as a weight-loss manual, this bestselling guide to preventing--and in some cases, reversing--heart disease through diet, exercise, and soul nourishing comes from renowned cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish, the first doctor to prove that there are alternatives to surgery for clearing clogged arteries--namely, diet, exercise, and stress management. Citing his own published research findings, Ornish concludes that eating a vegetarian diet with only 10 percent of the total daily calories from fat is the first step to healthier, happier living. The other key elements--moderate exercise, fostering social support, and reconnecting with the self--take more time and care. For these, Ornish offers about 75 pages of encouraging words, again backed by numerous research findings and his personal experiences.

About 250 gourmet recipes from two dozen famous chefs help ease the blow to those who view becoming vegetarian as a dramatic lifestyle change. The good news is, entrées like Polenta Alla Veneziana and Tofu Gumbo will surely tickle the taste buds; the bad news is, the sheer number of ingredients and lengthy prep time required for most recipes could send readers running back to their favorite fast-food joints. Plenty of cooking methods, tips, and food descriptions help demystify the recipes; Ornish also provides a comprehensive nutritional analysis of common foods as well as for each dish. But the great strength of Eat More, Weigh Less is in Ornish's opening sections, where he builds a solid case for curbing fat, tossing out the meat and dairy, and fostering mental and emotional happiness. --Liane Thomas

About the Author

Dean Ornish, M.D., is president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, CA. He is assistant clinical professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and an attending physician at California Pacific Medical Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Rev Upd edition (December 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060959576
• ISBN-13: 978-0060959579
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, where he holds the Safeway Chair. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ornish received his medical training in internal medicine from the Baylor College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address. For the past 30 years, Dr. Ornish has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Recently, Medicare agreed to provide coverage for this program, the first time that Medicare has covered a program of comprehensive lifestyle changes. He recently directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of prostate cancer. His current research is showing that comprehensive lifestyle changes may affect gene expression. He is the author of five best-selling books, including New York Times bestsellers Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Eat More, Weigh Less, and Love & Survival. He writes a monthly column for both Newsweek and Reader's Digest magazines. The research that he and his colleagues conducted has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Circulation, The New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Cardiology, and elsewhere. A one-hour documentary of their work was broadcast on NOVA, the PBS science series, and was featured on Bill Moyers' PBS series, Healing & The Mind. Their work has been featured in all major media, including cover stories in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Ornish is a member of the boards of directors of the U.S. United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the Quincy Jones Foundation, and the San Francisco Food Bank. He was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and elected to the California Academy of Medicine. He is Chair of the Google Health Advisory Council, Chair of the PepsiCo Blue Ribbon Advisory Board, and Chair of the Safeway Advisory Council on Health and Nutrition and consults with the CEO of McDonald's to make more healthful foods and to provide health education to their customers in this country and worldwide.He has received several awards, including the 1994 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the University of Texas, Austin, the University of California, Berkeley, 'National Public Health Hero' award, the Jan J. Kellermann Memorial Award for distinguished contribution in the field of cardiovascular disease prevention from the International Academy of Cardiology, a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, the Beckmann Medal from the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases, the 'Pioneer in Integrative Medicine' award from California Pacific Medical Center, the 'Excellence in Integrative Medicine' award from the Heal Breast Cancer Foundation, the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, a U.S. Army Surgeon General Medal, and the Bravewell Collaborative Pioneer of Integrative Medicine award. He is listed in Who's Who in Healthcare and Medicine, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World.Dr. Ornish was recognized as 'one of the most interesting people of 1996' by People magazine, featured in the 'TIME 100' issue on integrative medicine, and chosen by LIFE magazine as 'one of the fifty most influential members of his generation.' About Art SmithArt Smith, chef, award-winning author and television personality, has brought back meaning and symbolism to the word 'table' and has united families and friends through the sharing of a meal.The 2002 James Beard Award winner for his first cookbook, Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family (Hyperion, 2001), Art is also the recipient of the prestigious 2001 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the category, 'For its Human Values.' Art's second cookbook, Kitchen Life, was recently awarded the 2004 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the category of 'Best Family and Children's Cookbook.' Art is a National Bestseller and a New York Times Bestseller. A native of Jasper, Florida, Art began his career with two internships at The Greenbrier Resort. He was then selected to attend the prestigious Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program in Florida. Following graduation, Art took a position as executive chef at the Florida Governor's Mansion where he worked for Governor Bob Graham, now a U.S. Senator, and his wife, Adele. Art has run his own restaurant and has cooked for families all over the globe, including politicians and celebrities. After traveling extensively through Europe and Africa as a family chef, Art took a position as chef on the American European Express Train. Once settled in Chicago, he began a career in teaching and has served as personal chef to Ms. Oprah Winfrey since 1997. He is also a contributing editor to O magazine. Art's nonprofit organization, Common Threads, is based on his passionate belief that families (whether a family by blood or a family of friends) all share an innate desire to care for each other, regardless of culture, race, or geographic location. Art's mission is to foster a familial environment where children learn through cooking to value each other and discover universal understanding and mutual acceptance (www.commonthreads.org).Art serves on the board of directors of Kid's Cafe®, a nutrition program for children in Minneapolis. He is currently working on his third book, Our Common Thread: World Families and Food.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

180 of 188 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This program changed my life March 16, 2000

By JS

Format:Paperback

I've tried lots of diets over the years and succeeded with some of them but after a mild heart attack last summer I really did not want to go on any diet that promised short-term results but obviously was not good for my health long-term. I really only wanted to invest my time and energy in a life-program that would build good health for the rest of my life. I began Dr. Ornish's program (a very low-fat, plant-based diet, moderate exercise, meditation and yoga) and within two weeks I began to feel like a different person -- more energetic, healthy and well. It took some time to get good at cooking this way but now I've got my shopping and cooking system set up so it works -- I cook double batches of things on Sundays and have my little repertoire of things I can fix quickly on weeknights. I also bought Dr. Ornish's book "Everyday Cooking" which has additional recipes, and that's great, too. Even my husband likes the food. I am looking and feeling better every day and am completely satisfied that I am not only losing weight but doing absolutely the best that I can do for my long-term health.

111 of 120 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book about diet and health. December 29, 1998

By Levi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

A cool book about nutrition, health, and losing weight. This book is what actually motivated me to become a vegetarian four years ago and so far I've not had an ounce of meat since. Though I do eat fish, so some may not consider me a true vegetarian. I have recently picked this book up to review it and am finding it just as interesting as I remember. Ornish quotes scores of studies including his own which back up his philosophy about eating and health. In a nutshell, if you don't eat meat, and limit yourself to 10% of your calories as fat, exercise moderately, and "pay attention" you will avoid heart disease and other ailments, lose weight, and generally feel great. To be more specific, he concurs with Merkin in that you can eat as much grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables as you wants, but aslo warns that you should never stuff yourself. In fact, he concentrates somewhat on "paying attention" in the sense that if you concentrate more on what you eat as you eat it and not simply gulp a meal down while you watch TV, you are much more likely to hear the natural cue's your body puts out that tell you when you should stop eating. He also recommends getting rid of salt from your diet as this hides the flavor of food, and claims that after about two weeks your tastebuds will readjust to the lack of salt, sugar, and fat that is in the normal American diet, and which he claims hides the real flavor of foods, and after your tastebuds readjust, everything will taste much better then they ever did. Finally, when it comes to exercise, he has a very interesting viewpoint that moderate exercise such as walking is the best kind. The benefits he lists are that it is less stressful to your body, so you are less prone to injury, walking is a lot easier to do than other more vigorous exercises which may require special equipment, and finally, it aids much more in losing weight. This is because, according to Ornish, when the body detects that it is exerting a lot of energy in strenuous exercise, it slows the metabolism down in order to counteract this - it's trying to maintain the store of energy so that you don't starve. When you walk, your body does not get the same message, and so your metabolism stays the same and you burn calories without having to work as hard. Ornish does seem to get a little flakey towards the end of the first part of the book, where he talks about stress. If you are more scientifically minded, you can get beyond the psychobable/new-agey stuff and just retreave the main point that stress is bad. The second half of the book is a bunch of recipes by Ornish, but as stated by other reviewers here, these are somewhat ridiculous. Sure perhaps a wealthy diet-doctor or someone else with either a lot of money or time on their hands or both can make these recipes, but for the majority of us working stiffs, forget it! So I just ignored this part of the book. Don't even attempt it unless you have the qualities described above, and/or have a real love for cooking.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Healthy-Eating, Healthy-Living Guide Ever September 26, 2003

By Athene Five

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been using this book for about 3 years, and have just ordered a copy for my brother. If I could, I would give a copy to everyone I know who has a weight and health issue, if only because of his concept of "meditative eating".

When I reflect on this book, the element that impresses me the most is the compassion with which the book is written. Ornish clearly wants to help people be healthy, and be happy in their lives. He does not promote extreme goals or unattainable body images- he talks about real people who want to feel better, have more energy and be able to do the things in life that they want to do. He encourages the reader to be mindful of what they are eating and doing, to eat with joy and pleasure, to savor and meditate upon the experience of nourishing themselves in a healthy manner.

Many people looking for a make-over book look for not just a diet plan, but an exercise plan, an journaling plan, a food log, and a lot of rules. Ornish is not presenting a weight-loss, get fit fast plan, to remodel your outer body by Christmas. This book is about remodelling your inner self so you want to make better choices about what you eat and do. He recommends a healthy diet, and a moderate amount of exercise, things that you will do ALL your life. This is not a short-term project, it's a life-style retraining guide that treats you gently.

I love to cook, and I'm partial to the vegetarian life choice, so I found the recipes not only delicious, but inspiring. Over time, I have been able to convert almost my old fat-laden favorites to his guidelines. Also found that my tastes changed over time, and I desired less fat and salt and sugar in foods. This has been a slow process, as Ornish no doubt intended, a gentle metamorphosis into a more mindful life.

In addition to the excellent recipes, which are fun to make, there are simple and helpful hints that you can use in your everyday cooking, hints that don't add any more prep time to your cooking but add flavor and cut down on fats. And what I really love are his simply stated general guidelines about what you can eat, and how much. With those guidelines in mind, you don't need to diet or follow a food plan, just remember what you're eating.

For those who regret the absence of meat in this eating style, well, I don't think Ornish intends for you to give up every single thing you love. I dearly love avocados- and have them now and then. You learn to have those things less often, but to enjoy them so much more. Far from giving up the things you love, following Ornish's advice allows you to make room for them in a way that does you no harm. It's all about balance and paying attention to yourself.