Customer Reviews

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for Everybody

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been fighting excess weight all of my life, and have lost the same weight numerous times (then gained it all back, plus more). I have been on every "diet" known, I think, belonged to 3 different organizations that claimed to help me lose weight, and had finally given it all up as a lost cause, when I came upon a review for this book in my job as a librarian. Herein, if one chooses to follow them, are the most commonsense, easy-to-understand guidelines that I have ever seen--and I've read ALL of the books and tried many of their schemes. This distinctly NON-diet approach is healthy and, I am convinced, will work.

I've fought my weight my whole life. I've always been afraid of "fad" diets or diets that exclude one particular food. I think they are not a healthy way to lose weight. Everyone kept telling me to "eat a balanced diet" but no one explained what that meant. People talk about saturated fats, trans fats, etc and I felt like they were speaking a foreign language. My friends would count calories or carbs and would become frustrated. I didn't want to do any of that.

I bought the "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for Everybody" when we moved and I had plenty of time for a "project". It is a 12 week program designed to get you into the habit of eating healthy. The first three weeks were a lot of work and took a lot of dedication. I had to weigh and measure everything. After the first three weeks, my eyes adjusted and were able to do the measurments without the scale and cups. Some of the recipes are a lot of prep and there is a lot of cutting of vegi's and fruits. My husband and my 2 teenage kids didn't mind the changes (except brown rice) so after the first 3 weeks "learning curve", it all worked out well. I lost 25 lbs in 12 weeks and I never even got into the exercise part. After the 12 weeks, I stopped tracking my number of servings for 3 months. I still ate the same foods and made sure I didn't eat "A LOT" or high calorie foods. I stopped losing weight but I didn't gain it all back either. I have started tracking my servings again and have started working on the exercise. I have set my goal to lose another 25 lbs in the next 12 weeks.

I agree with everyone else here that the information is presented in a way that is easy to understand and explains it all. The book gets indepth but it is presented in a way that if you don't care what "trans fat" is, you can skip that part. I've even gien this book as presents to friends and family. I bought the cookbook too but I don't like that one.

I love Mayo Clinic. To me, they are some of the best in the world in giving wanted information in an easy-to-read and enjoyable style and format. HEALTHY WEIGHT is divided into three parts: Getting Motivated, How to Lose Weight and When You Need More Help. At the beginning of each chapter there are about ten short sentences in bold print the key you in on the main points of the chapter which are very helpful and motivating.

Here are some key points that I have gained from reading that I'd like to remember and share:
"You have to cultivate a positive attitude about making lifestyle changes."
"Muscle burns more calories than fat does."
"Strength training can help burn calories at rest by maintaining muscle mass."
"There's evidence that being satisfied may be more strongly determined by the volume and weight of food you consume rather than the number of calories. In other words, fruits, vegetables and other high-fiber foods are bulkier...and fill you up better without the extra calories."
"If you focus on your health, then you'll develop healthy habits. If you develop healty habits, then the pounds will take care of themselves."
We could learn a lot from the Chinese: "The Chinese in Asia consume significantly more calories than do the Chinese in North America, yet they get a much smaller percentage of their calories from fat, weigh less, and are leaner. Their diet is predominantly plant-based, and the get about 90 percent of their calories from nonanimal sources. They also spend more time in vigorous activities."
"To limit calories, go easy on portion size and high-sugar and high-fat foods."
"Eat half the amount of food you normally eat, and eat more slowly."
"Eat when you are physically hungry, not when the clock says it is time to eat."
"Eradicate the "D" word...maintaining weight loss requires permanent change in activity levels and nutritional habits."
These tips are from just the first five chapters. (!) There's a wealth of information for all so enjoy reading this book and learning great tips to help you lose weight and maintain your loss successfully.

Soar!

I recently purchased this book with the intent to lose a few pounds and eat a little better. If you are like me, and need someone to guide you along so you don't lose track of your goal or cheat (oh, come on, we all do it!), this is the book for you. A full twelve-week menu is laid out for you, with a food pyramid where each serving is shown by an empty box that you check off as you eat it. A weight chart and activity chart are also available for use. The main goal is to eat more fruit and veggies, which it gives great suggestions for. If you are willing to invest the time, you will get results. I found that I am starting to feel comfortable switching out options for other alternatives, but the guide still makes sure that I am getting what I need each day. I have already lost 5.8 lbs in three weeks--your goal will typically be 1-2 lbs a week. I highly recommend this book--only one teeny complaint--I thought there should have been an additional little box next to the food pyramid for water consumption. A must buy!!

I can't say enough good things about this book. I had tried everything. I was fairly successful on the Body for Life program, but it took too much time. All I did on that program was eat and workout. I have a life. I need time for my family, work, continuing education and other activities. When I saw my life suffering at the expense of my body, I had to compromise the Body for Life program. I then ballooned back up to being obese. My doctor tried to talk me into a gastric bypass because my weight was getting so bad. This book from the Mayo Clinic gave me a diet that was very easy and had a lot of great food. I haven't even been tempted to wander from this program at all. The variety of food has filled my food addiction while also taking the weight off of me. I have been continually losing weight and my doctor is not worried about me at all now. She even just filled out a physical report stating that I am in very good health.

If you want good food, good health and time for a real life, this is the only book for you.

I first came across a review for the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Plan in early March of last year (2001), ordered a copy, and have been following the plan, more or less, for the past 10 months. In this period I have lost 30 pounds, competed in 2 triathlons, and done a competetive long-distance open water swim.

I will have to say that until I began experimenting with the Mayo Plan, I had no idea that I had 30 pounds to lose! I was training to compete as a triathlete, and considered myself pretty healthy and in good physical condition. I assumed that if I lost 5 - 10 pounds, I would be hard as a rock. When my rock-hard abs didn't appear on schedule, I decided to keep on losing weight until they did. Such is the male ego.

For me the Mayo Plan has turned out to be a good basic program for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. It also made me much more competetive as an athlete --- 30 pounds is a lot of excess weight to carry on a bike or on a run!

(..)I'm quite enthusiastic about the Mayo Plan. I expect to be following the basic plan for the foreseeable future, and I recommend it often. If I can provide additional information beyond what I have put in this review or in the TriKC article, I would be glad to do so.

I, too, am a librarian, and I found this book very refreshing after all the "Diet Hype" that is flying around out there. With every doctor on ever corner touting his/her own diet as being the "one true way", it's very easy to become confused as to just what, exactly, we're supposed to do to lose weight and eat more healthfully. This book is a no-nonsense approach; easy to read, easy to understand, and friendly. The authors understand how hard its been and tell you exactly what you need to know to set yourself right again. Ignore the protien plans and the carbo-diets. Ignore the "lose weight fast" schemes. Get back to basics, and get back to the healthy way of eating that really does work.

I have found this book helpful for reworking my eating plans and just improving health. It is fairly comprehensive and I think it is probably the kind of material you would get if you went to a nutritionist. If you want to lose weight sensibly I would recommend it.

Whether or not you need to lose weight, this book is an excellent guide to healthy eating for life. The recipes are so easy that we're able to incorporate them into our everyday menus easily. We're all getting out 5-a-day, and then some! For weight maintenance, all you need to do is add a few more portions of some food groups. Even without reading the book, you can open up to the menu pages and start right away. You can also follow this plan on a tight budget since there aren't any hard to find or expensive ingredients. Between the eating plan and very helpful exercise goals, this has got to be the easiest way to get or stay healthy I've ever seen.

This book has been an excellent help to my family. We have not had any trouble adjusting to the menus and it has been very helpful to us by changing our eating habits. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs help with losing weight. The menus are easy to follow and prepare and the recipes are very tasty.