Customer Reviews

Joy's LIFE Diet: Four Steps to Thin Forever

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This diet book is full of the advice you already know, while all true, I felt it was redundant. There are many diets out there that have the same script: eat this, don't eat that, here is a daily menu to chose from, cut out sweets, don't eat fat, the first few weeks are limited choices -- all this is the basis for weight watchers, south beach, etc. I liked the testimonies and I am sure the plan works because it is all the common sense that a plethora of diets before it have touted.

I am not saying it is a bad book, it just doesn't really contribute anything new to the guidelines of how to live at a healthy weight. The cover and description acts like all this info is ground-breaking. It IS a book full of good advice and guidelines, a revolutionary diet that will blow your mind and make dieting obsolete it is not.

I was really looking forward to this book because as a Self magazine subscriber I enjoy the Food and Diet Q&A she does on that site. Because of this, I had pretty high expectations and unfortunately it fell short.

The biggest downfall with this book is that while the content is presented nicely and approachably, none of it is groundbreaking. If you are embarking on a diet for the first time this isn't an issue, but if you read health magazines or have read other diet and wellness books you'll find yourself thinking that you've heard this before. Despite that, I don't think this book is without its merits. Dieting is largely a personal thing and I think you have to pick what works for you and by that token some people will find it to be the perfect approach for them while others will not.

The Pros:

-Joy does a good job of making losing weight approachable. She breaks the process down into 4 steps, shares success stories, and has a friendly approach, all of which can go a long way if you are intimidated.

-Her book is straight to the point. If you're not interested in the science behind losing weight and want a "Do this, not that." approach you are likely to enjoy this. There is very little grey area, no calculating, etc. She gives you meal plans for each step so you don't have to think about what will be acceptable at each stage in the diet.

-There is some flexibility. While the diet is based around the meals she suggests you are allowed to swap components out in each meal if there is something you don't enjoy. For example, if you don't like the protein on the list you can swap it out for another acceptable protein. Same goes with vegetables and fruits. You can also repeat the meals as many times as you like. She also provides you with acceptable meals when eating out which is great if you travel a lot. Once you are further along in the process you can even use frozen meals so long as they meet her guidelines.

-The diet focuses primarily on whole foods. I really appreciated this since many diets praise low fat, sugar free, and low calorie foods at the expense of nutrition and health. This diet is really based around a lot of fruits and vegetables.


The cons:

-The downside of not having a points system or counting calories is that the diet is based around primarly cooking the meal plans in the book. Because there are as many meal plans as there are days in each step (and some meals are repeated) there wasn't as much variety as I would have liked. She also doesn't make it easy to swap in another meal of your choice. She gives a directions if you want to swap in a frozen meal in the later steps, but not homemade meals. Because of this, the diet seems more geared for people who prefer convenience than those who like cooking. This is certainly NOT a bad thing as I know many people that fall into this camp, but would love if the book were more flexible to those with varying perspectives. Also, the meals themselves are rather bland and limited or obvious. There are a lot of sandwiches for lunch and twists on American classics. This was quite disapointing to me having cooked from great healthy cookbooks like: The Eating Well Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from Eating Well, the Magazine of Food & Health, Canyon Ranch Cooks: More Than 200 Delicious, Innovative Recipes from America's Leading Health Resort, Conscious Cuisine: A New Style of Cooking from the Kitchens of Chef Cary Neff, Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life, and more. Meals from those books don't scream "diet food," but to me the food in this book does.

-The book is thin on nutritional knowledge and statistics. It is clearly meant for someone who just wants the steps without the background info of why they are important. A lot of the background information I have seen in other diet and nutrition books was simply missing here. I especially would have liked the section on maintenance to be more detailed because as someone who has been through this before, that is the most challenging part. She also suggests that once you are in maintenance mode you should lighten up favorite recipes, but doesn't give suggestions about how to do so! Yes some of them might be obvious, but there are also a lot of tricks I've picked up along the way that are worth mentioning. I would have also expected some information in the opening section about how to choose a goal weight that is appropriate to you, but this wasn't included.

-This diet would be a challenge for a vegetarian. Granted, this is true on many diets, but since this diet is based around her meal plan it is especially so. Few meals are inherently vegetarian and while you can substitute tofu and other acceptable vegetarian proteins for the meat/fish/poultry in recipes a lot of them would be very bland due to the naturally subtle flavor of tofu.

Overall this book was just okay. There were a lot of aspects about it that do not fit with my personal lifestyle and philosophy about food. However, I am still giving it 3-stars because I imagine that while it does not fit my lifestyle, others will find it just what they've been looking for. A diet book is as much about whether or not you can actually stick with it as it is about the content and while this is not a program I could stick with, I imagine it will be doable for others. It is definitely geared towards someone who is new to the world of dieting and nutrition or someone who would like a straight forward, uncomplicated diet. It is not as good for someone who already knows a lot about nutrition or who enjoys more flexibility in what meals they make. If you fall into the latter camp I highly recommend Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life. It's very approachable and doesn't assume a high level of prior knowledge about nutrition. It also is informative and has EXCELLENT recipes that prove that you can eat food that is good for you, but that is also very flavorful. I hope others find this a better fit than I did.

I was a diet coach during the pilot phase of this plan and can vouch that the LIFE diet really works. I am a Registered Dietitian and work daily with clients struggling to lose weight. I was looking forward to the release of this book so that I can recommend it to clients that I see. It is sound, based on science, healthy, tasty (I've taste-tested most of the meals and they are dee-lish) and what's best about it is that it's adaptable and simple. You have the option to follow a meal plan, or to use the allowable foods to create a plan of your own, using your own foods. You will relearn how to eat within your preferences and can individualize this program to work for YOU. I think this is the element lacking in most diet programs. I reviewed this diet before choosing to coach my parents on it. If this were a "diet," in the restrictive, unrealistic and harmful sense of the word, I would not have recommended this to people who I knew would both not enjoy "dieting" and people who I would not want to undergo harm, discomfort, or rebound weight gain. My parents have successfully lost 55 lbs together on this plan over the course of 6 months, and they were not significantly overweight to begin with. They both have a new sense of confidence, health, and vitality that I can say I have never witnessed during my life as their daughter. I can say with confidence, both professionally and personally, that if you are looking for a book that won't give you false hopes and disappoint you, this is an excellent pick. Here's to 2009 and the opportunity for healthy, steady weight loss from a true expert.

Hi There Y'all :-)
I have been Over 215 pounds when I was pregnant with my first child (up from 115 pounds!) & as low as 103 pounds after my first four children....., I am 51 years old, 5'5" & weigh about 115 pounds,a VERY toned size 4, + or - a bit, & have seven children ages 10 to 32, (& have had 5 miscarriages on top of that!)......my poor body has been through the wringer!!

I give you all this info, not to shock you, but to let you know that there is hope in maintaining & returning (IF you have one!) to a size & fitness level you actually will feel GREAT about!! ..........let me tell you as I am the self proclaimed "Queen" of dieting & Diet books! This book is GREAT! It is not only "do-able", but complete in that it gives you easy, basic recipes (no need to buy ANOTHER recipe book from the author like sooo many others make you, can we say "Ka-Ching $$$" & incremental increases in adding foods once you get stabilized with what you are doing , along with exercise tips & actual inspiring histories from men, women, couples from various backgrounds & weights..........

I got this for a friend who wanted to know HOW to do what I have done, & while I've "tweaked" her Diet for myself, as I know what gets me my BEST results, it is a fantastic start to a new you!

It's like walking, 1 step at a time, & before you know it walking gets easier & easier, it is so exciting to do things EASILY that were once so difficult!

She also gives you the info you need to "alter" your choices for meals, like for breakfast, instead of 1 egg, you could have 4 egg whites, 3 slices of turkey bacon, 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 cup skim milk or plain nonfat yogurt,6 ounces nonfat flavored yogurt not over 100 calories

I have tried myriads of Diets from Zone to Cabbage soup etc....but they all deal basically with the losing of the weight through altered eating styles, then you try , Try, TRY...(BIG sigh!) to keep the weight off by figuring out how to eat what you like in different portions or days etc ...& it inevitably all returns (& usually a bit more!)

One thing she will tell you is that once you lose the weight, you cannot return to eating the amounts of calories you used to, unless you want exercise like CAH-RAZ-EEE! Your new weight will be MUCH less, requiring much less calories!! I know it isn't rocket science, but there you have it in a nutshell!!! IF you are a person that LOVES to chew & chew & chew or feel STUFFED once in a while (or all the time) find some foods that will give you that CRUNCH or chewiness you crave without the calories, whether it be a MOUNTAIN of salad or slices of cucumbers & veggies sprinkled with your fav lo-cal topping, or beef jerky or jello or no calorie liquids all day long to keep that tummy topped off! LOL
Whatever it takes for YOU! But there is a solution, you just need to stay with it & once you get there & KNOW HOW to stay there, wild horses can't drag you away!

I have been my "goal size" for quite some time now (years), & have helped many people achieve this very same thing that Joy shares in this book! So YES, I do recommend it, it is sensible complete, & does NOT require any expensive supplements or other stuff! You get this & you will be "good to go"! :-)

One tip from me to you, is EXERCISE......yes the dresded "E" word! I absolutely HATE (yes Hate! aerobics!) I will only do an aerobic routine maybe once a month or... 2...or 3 (I'm bad!), while my daughter LOVES running & HATES lifting weights! LOL :-)

We are all different, but WHATEVER works the best for you, DO THAT!
I made a rule for myself, that I HAVE to do my exercises EVERYDAY that I brush my teeth...........well unless I am soooo sick I cannot get out of bed to brush my teeth, I DO my exercises! For me, a semi empty or empty tummy works best (after a bit of stretches in the morning), iF I put it off, it gets harder & HARDER as the day wears on to do them.........but that's ME!
You do whatever you like, but do it CONSISTANTLY!! :-)
You eventually will feel so gOOD (I know, hard to believe) AFTER you finish, that you will look forward to your next session or even sneak a second one in later in the day! Aaaand as the clothes get looser & you get MORE energy, it will be easier & easier!!

But do...DO ...DO as Joy says, purge your cupboards/home/workplace etc,,, of all "TRIGGER" foods that will sabotage your goals!

& Here's to a great NEW YOU!

Hi, I am a member of the Joy Fit Club and was on the Today Show in October. I have lost over 175 pounds but was stuck on a plateau for over two years. Joy challenged me to use her LIFE Diet to bust the last 25 pounds off of me. I used her LIFE Diet and it is wonderful. The book is filled with great recipes and best off all it works.
I am finally in a size 8. Thanks Joy!

Be good to yourself in the New Year and get her new book and take it to heart as you start living a healthier life for you and your loved ones.

I started this plan a little over 6 months ago, thinking that hey, maybe I could finally lose the 30 extra pounds I've been carrying around my entire life. Granted, I'm only 24 years old, but I had absolutely NO idea this plan would actually work for me, let alone allow me to lose a total of 40 lbs to date!! I far surpassed my original goal of losing 20-25 lbs and have totally shocked myself and turned my entire life around. All thanks to Joy Bauer and her simple, easy to follow plan on the LIFE diet. I have tried many "fad" diets before, and have successfully lost weight, but was unable to keep off what I lost once I got back to my normal everyday life. This is why this plan works. Its not a fad, its a realistic way of living and eating HEALTHY. Even though I've been following this plan for months now, I bought the book the day it came out, and I HIGHLY recommend you do the same! Joy Bauer is most certainly on to something with this plan, and if you are looking to turn over a new leaf and get healthy and shed some pounds in the new year, THIS is the plan to start. Joy Bauer ROCKS!! :)

I don't watch TV -- I know, horror of horrors, how can somebody openly admit that in this day and age -- so I didn't know who Joy Baurer was until I picked up this book. But that didn't really surprise me, one day I ran into somebody called Dora the Explorer in the Mall in Portland, Oregon. She had a gaggle of kids around her and when I asked who she was, several of them wondered what planet I was from. I'm saying this here so that you won't think I'm being influenced by someone on the tele.

This is not just a book about diets and dieting, it's a book about changing your life, though she does give you some of the standard advice you'll find in other diet books, like eating on schedule and pre-planning your meals, she also gives you advice I'd not seen anywhere else, like making a playlist (and playing them) of songs you find inspirational. She also advises you to find a diet buddy, that's a great idea.

But any diet book will fall flat if the recipes aren't up to snuff. If you feel like you're eating cardboard, you're not going to stick to it. If you feel hungry ten minutes after a meal, you're not going to stick too it either. True, like Joy says, you've gotta have a plan and you've gotta stick to it, but the food has to be tasty and you have to feel full after your meal and that feeling's gotta last for more than fifteen minutes and that's where this book shines. Dr. Bauer will help you take the weight off without you feeling like you're starving yourself.

I've tried many diets in the past, but this one feels different.... more
like an overall healthy lifestyle that I can follow long-term. I'm down 15
pounds after four weeks on Joy's LIFE program -- which is a pretty big deal
for me. The best part is I don't feel deprived and I'm enjoying the recipes
(easy and delicious). I highly recommend this book for anyone struggling
with their weight or simply looking to eat healthy.

just wanted to let everyone know that I got the audio version too and all of the workbook materials Joy talks about are actually on the CD. You just put it in your computer and you can download your food lists and Unlimited Foods list and everything else you need. I used the audio book - loved it - and am already down 15 pounds!

My wife and I both undertook Bauer's diet to see if it would fit our life style. First, I'll include my wife's comments.

"Compared to other diets, Joy's "Four Steps to Thin Forever" was a reasonable, manageable and easy-to-follow diet and exercise plan. I was able to lose 4 pounds in one month. I especially liked the lists of do's, don'ts and foods allowed at each step. The recommended menu and recipes were excellent aids. I was surprised that my husband and I didn't get tired of the LIFE Veggie Soup and found it more filling and satisfying than the LIFE Dinner Salad. My only critique was that I found the use of light blue ink for headings difficult to read."

Joy's diet is based on some simple and common sense ideas, such as get your self filled with healthy low cal food before starting dinner. Since I'm a big fan of fruits and vegetables, it was easy to start our dinners with vegetable soup or salad. I never got tired of it. I also lost about 4 pounds so far and have kept the weight off. It remains to be seen how this will progress in the future but Joy's common sense diet is working for us and is not nearly as complex as other diet plans.