Elizabeth Takes Off [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1988

First Edition / First Printing with full number line. OUT OF PRINT! Dust jacket has very minimal shelf wear and all pages are bright, clean and crisp. Binding is tight and edges are square. SHIPS NEXT BUSINESS DAY!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Actress Taylor talks openly about her well-publicized weight gain of several years agohow she went from famous and glamorous to famous and fatand how she lost weight (and an alcohol problem) while gaining the self-esteem necessary to dieting and weight maintenance. The first, biographical, part of the book explains how she gained the weight; the second partperhaps the most valuable for the dieting readeris filled with advice on gearing up mentally for a long-term, successful diet. This book is extremely positive; all the advice makes absolute sense. The remainder of the book includes her diet plan, recipes, and exercise advice. Readable, instructive, and sure to be popular. Carol Spielman Lezak, General Learning Corp., Northbrook, Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons; First Edition edition (February 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399132694
• ISBN-13: 978-0399132698
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We need more books like this, February 16, 2007

By 

Myrna (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elizabeth Takes Off (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Taylor, an actress and sex symbol who is one of the most sought-after celebrities by the media, has published several books during her lifetime. Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-image & Self-esteem is one of them. I first picked up this book because of the words "self-image & self-esteem" in the title, rather than the "weight gain, weight loss" portion. Well, it turns out the book would be an excellent source for those who want to lose weight, but that was not what I was interested in.

Nevertheless, the book itself is highly commendable. Even if you're not planning to go on a diet - it wasn't why I bought the book - the first half of the book is still worth a read. Miss Taylor writes briefly and frankly about events that occurred in her life which affected her self image and consequently, self esteem. She writes how being a senator's wife caused her to divulge into a period of extreme inactivity and boredom which unintentionally turned her to overeating. She also mentions the dire effects of binging, nibbling, or "grapple-snapping". Unlike those strictly diet-focused books, Elizabeth Takes Off offers insightful explanations and reasons for weight gain while also presenting a dietary method which to me looks superb.

If the first half analyzes the impact of events in Miss Taylor's life, the latter half offers diet menus, recipes and exercises that could help keep your body in shape. The Taylor-made recipes mainly consist of nutritious food, notably fruits and vegetables that have low calories. Her daily menus seem reasonable, diverse and easily followable because it is not a starving course, but a replacement for your typical diet. The exercise portion contains several beneficial stretches which, again, are also simple and effective.

Overall, I found this book to be a smooth, easy read. I also found myself nodding to many of the things that Miss Taylor says in this excellent book - which needs to be more in circulation today.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Recipes & Exercises, April 18, 2011

By 

Khezla Durr "Khezla Durr" (St. Louis MO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elizabeth Takes Off (Hardcover)

This book surprised me, I bought it mainly out of curiosity.

DIET: Approximately 1000 calorie a day diet, low fat, very low carb -- all you get is 2 bread exchanges a day, altho you do get some fruit, and zero protein for breakfast which would not agree with me. However, it reflects the rhythm of Liz Taylor's daily schedule and would be easy to rearrange to suit your own. Has both diet version and maintenance version.

EXERCISE: Interesting mild toning exercises and I say interesting because Liz had back surgery and back trouble, so it shows what a person can do that can't do much. Her aerobics was swimming or aqua aerobics, but you can use your own.

RECIPES: Very nice! I think this section is worth the price of the book.

I loved the first section of the book where she detailed the physical demands and emotional factors that led to the weight gain, I think the majority of overweight people could find parallels in their own experience here.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting reading, September 4, 2011

By 

Bonnie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elizabeth Takes Off -- On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image, and Self-Esteem (Hardcover)

Loved every moment I read the book; very reader friendly. Elizabeth goes into detail on weight loss & management @ the appropriateness of looking right for your body type.