Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At the Diet Forefront, April 14, 2002
Typical of publications from the Prevention magazine staff, "Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way" takes into consideration the latest medical research to create a diet that helps you lose weight the healthy way. Unlike other low-carb diets like Atkins, it doesn't go to extremes. It doesn't recommend you go into a state of ketosis (the body's alternate way of getting energy when it doesn't have enough carbs), but rather, it advocates somewhat reduced carbs and choosing less harmful types of carbs. Authors Bettina Newman and David Joachim first explain the whys behind low-carb dieting. I found particularly useful a section which addresses common concerns about low-carb diets such as whether the diet will have a detrimental effect on cholesterol levels. Newman and Joachim don't load you down with a bunch of theory on your body's metabolic response to this or that. In fact, theory and diet plan make up only about 20% of the book, and some of the 20% are personal triumph stories and diet menus for various calorie ranges. The majority of the book is recipes. They then outline the diet plan. Although they start out with the basic principles which can be used alone, for those who do better watching grams and calories, more specific diet recommendations involving calorie counts and grams are provided. A simple calculation based on how active you are tells you how many calories you should aim for. For those who can't make the switch the book encourages a slow weaning from our previous eating habits, as even making one little change like not eating sugar can cause weight loss. Sprinkled throughout the book (including in the recipes section, so make sure you go through every page) there are valuable tips such as how to recognize alternate names for sugar ("hidden" sugar). The recipes so far range from good to very good. I've made about 4 or 5, and I plan to make all the ones I've tried so far again. They are very easy to make, so they fit into a busy lifestyle. One I prepared took much less time than I thought, so I had to take a break and play computer games with the extra time I had allotted for cooking dinner! Most use very common ingredients or have substitutions suggested for more exotic ingredients. Since I already ate largely the way it says to when I got the book, I can't attest to losing so many pounds which were a direct effect of this book's diet. When I did switch to eating this way, however, a small amount of weight mysteriously disappeared without any effort (I'm about average weightwise, so I wouldn't expect much more), even though I was eating more oils. I also stopped snacking constantly, and my blood profile improved immensely. Those of you who get this book as their first diet book will be lucky. I had to read several diet and health books, consider the information, and combine the best pointers from each to come up with essentially what "Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way" advocates. If you want to lose weight or ever just eat healthier and are feel fad dieting is not for you, give this book a try. It is a reasonable diet plan which people can stick to, based on the latest medical research.
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Low Carbohydrate Diets Are Boring......Not Anymore!!!!!, August 31, 2002
While still villified by some in the medical community and particularly by the low fat gurus, low carbohydrate diets are proving to be successful and healthy. The problem for me, as one who has used the Atkins' guidelines is that low carbohydrate diets are BORING!! To maintain a state of ketosis requires a daily carbohydrate intake of between 20-30 grams. The list of Atkins' approved foods is limited at best. Certainly, it is great to be able to eat all of the meat and eggs that you want, but let's face it, bacon and eggs for breakfast gets old very quickly. Green veggies are great and low in carbohydrates, but I love carrots and it is a real sacrifice to give up all root vegetables. Fruit too, is pretty much disdained by Atkins and this too, adds to the tedium of the dietary repertoire. So along comes 'Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way', which articulates a seven step approach to losing weight. To my absolute delight, the first two steps say to eat more grains and eat more veggies and fruit. To be sure, the remaining steps focus on sensible choices (lean meats, smaller portions, avoiding 'trigger' foods)and all of a sudden, what for me has been a short-term diet is now a reasonable and easy-to-maintain lifestyle. By the time you have reached page 79,(and you might want to re-read pp. 1-79), you will have a thorough understanding of why a low-carb diet works, how to get started, and how to make the program work for your lifestyle and tastes. The authors will give you lots of tips for food selection and substitution. The bulk of this book is dedicated to cooking low carbohydrate meals. You may note that the recipes employ a liberal use of spices and herbs to enhance the flavor. This of course allows you to tailor the dish to suit your tastes. Most of the ingredients are readily available and preparation time is minimal. Nutritional information is provided with each recipe and for diabetics, diet exchanges are also itemized. Many beautiful photos of recipes are included and there are success stories printed throughout. The index is very well laid out and you will find it easy to use. Overall, I like this book. There are some recipes that are high in carbohydrates and should be used sparingly, but for the most part, this is a book that will help you to shift your current eating habits to a healthy low-carbohydrate lifestyle. I don't think of this as a 'diet' anymore....it tastes too good!!!
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A low-carb book with normal ingredients!!!, July 31, 2003
I've been looking for a low-carb diet that I can actually stick with past 90 days. One that doesn't require me to run to Whole Foods or a specialty grocer every other day to get some arcane ingredient. I've investigated Atkins, both pro and con, it's ok but I have serious questions about sustainability. I can't figure out the new age mumbo-jumbo on The Zone's website. I just want a lower carb, not fanatically low but lower, diet that I can stick with using "normal", easy-to-find and cheap ingredients. THIS IS IT! I've read all the reviews, I guess you either love it or hate it. It seems from my research and experience with Atkins followers that Atkins is quicker, and better for flash weight loss. But if you're willing to take the slow road and are in this for the long haul, I highly recommend this book. Contrary to the more militant Atkins Addicts, there is a middle road between Induction and Binging. Common sense, sustainable, real-world, few special ingredients. That's what I was looking for. And I found it with this book.
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