The Midlife Miracle Diet: When Your Diet Doesn't Work Anymore [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Adele Puhn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

Have your diets stopped working for you? Do you have a chronic lack of energy? High blood pressure or cholesterol? Excess weight that won't budge? Does type 2 diabetes run in your family? Do you feel older than your age? After listening to client after client answer yes to these questions, Adele Puhn began to see that many were suffering from insulin resistance-a Metabolic Mix-Up so life affecting that it literally controls our body chemistry, fueling our cravings and starving our cells of needed nutrients. Insulin resistance not only prevents us from losing weight, but can also put us at a risk for developing life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes as we age.

The Midlife Miracle Diet is your road map to a healthier, more vibrant, and more fulfilling way of life. The secret to the diet is an eating plan that controls blood sugar and limits carbohydrates-without deprivation and unrealistic restrictions. Carbs, fats, sugars, and proteins are all included in moderation, but carefully timed and paired to maintain stable blood sugar throughout the day. Insulin function is further enhanced with targeted supplements and exercise. Following this program, you will lose weight, lower your risks, and boost your energy by controlling the chemistry that has been controlling you.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Puhn, author of The 5-Day Miracle Diet, believes people can feel healthier and more energetic, and by following her plan, they can lower the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses. The key-understanding insulin and carbohydrate resistance-has become a buzz conceptamong diet gurus. Puhn asks readers to evaluate their eating habits, physical condition and level of activity, then poses questions in a true-and-false format: for example, "You never say no to a bagel" or "Every day deserves an afternoon candy bar." Once readers understand their individual weak points, they can start to follow the program's four steps, which will enable them to balance their blood sugar, control carbohydrate intake, take the right vitamins and begin an exercise regimen. She encourages readers to choose foods primarily from the "pure power" list rather than those in other categories. Then, after people have achieved this balance with regard to sugar, they move on to "carb careful" eating. This part of the program is sometimes more difficult because certain foods are eliminated-breakfast fruit or bread and cereal are replaced with vegetables and protein. To assist readers, Puhn includes basic daily snack and meal plans; however, the book does not include detailed recipes or specific food quantities, which is a shortcoming for dieters who need to follow a prescribed diet. Still, the book offers a straightforward and sensible way to treat carbohydrate and insulin resistance for people not suffering any serious illnesses.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Adele Puhn, M.S., C.N.S., a nutritional consultant with twenty-four years of experience, has a thriving practice in New York City and Long Island. She holds an M.S. in medical biology and clinical nutrition as well as the title Certified Nutrition Specialist from the American College of Nutrition. She is also the author of The New York Times bestseller The 5-Day Miracle Diet. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• ISBN-10: 0670031682
• ASIN: B0002S9W72
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good ideas, but...., January 25, 2003

By 

Lee Mellott "Skin Care For Wrinkles" (Frederick, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Midlife Miracle Diet: When Your Diet Doesn't Work Anymore . . . (Hardcover)

The Midlife Miracle Diet is according to the author a method where you can take back control of your eating habits, lose weight and become healthier.

The diet has 4 basic steps. First you achieve BASIC BALANCE by cutting back your carbohydrate intake. Next you go to CARB CAREFUL where you further cut back on carbs. You also add SUPPLEMENTS that will help you balance your blood sugar and you add EXERCISE.

There are many good ideas throughout the book. Adele tells you never to get hungry so your blood sugar will stay on keel. She recommends hard chews (like an apple) and soft chews (like tangerines) to satisfy your hunger needs. Adele includes food choices to select from that will help you stay in control.

Unlike other low carbohydrate diets where you suddenly go from eating what is normal for you to eating low carbs, in this diet, according to Adele, the transition is gradual. The first step Basic Balance removes many carbs but in a gentle way. The next step Carb Careful removes more when you are ready. Personally, I did not see a large difference in the two steps. For example in Carb Careful she suggests removing cereal and grains from your breakfast meal, but then includes bread in the menu plan.

Menu plans are included for both Carb Careful and Basic Balance.
These may get you in balance and in control of your food but they are pretty stringent. In one example, a client of hers, eats a handful of string beans with other veggies several times a day and portions of protein, with a tiny amount of grain and fat included. The menu plans to me were pretty joyless. There was no mention of wine or chocolate, fat free cheeses were used, etc. Can you eat this way for life?

One of the reasons that low carbohydrate dieting can be so successful is that the fats in the diet are so satisfying. They add a richness that helps make up for the lack of carbohydrates we are used to. Adele does not mention fat much in her book. A menu might have a tad of olive oil or a bit of cheese but not much more. I feel many folks will not be satisfied eating both low carbohydrate and low fat. And recent studies have shown that good fats are good for you to eat. So she could have included more of these in the sample plans and at the very least more information on how to treat fat in your diet.

Another area Adele discusses in depth is supplementation. She makes suggestions for different nutrients and explains what they can do to help you. She also sells these nutrients at her website and to her credit does not push her own products at all.

Exercise is also covered. She discusses how it can really help your insulin. One suggestion she gives as an exercise choice is TY BO. It made me wonder how quickly the book was put together as the correct spelling is TAE BO. With the lack of information on fats and the obvious spelling error, I wondered if perhaps the book was put out fast.

I think alot of Adele Puhn's warmth and regard for her clients comes through in the book. But I think with the stringent eating plan and lack of thorough information on how to treat fats in the diet many people will be disappointed with this book.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feeling Great -- At Last!, February 5, 2003

By 

Linda NY (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Midlife Miracle Diet: When Your Diet Doesn't Work Anymore . . . (Hardcover)

Adele's book has been so helpful. Following her plan, it has been easy to reduce the amount of carbs in my diet. And I don't even miss them, which is a miracle. With some planning ahead, I always have the right snacks to keep me on track. I feel satisfied and do not miss eating what is not good for me. I do not feel deprived.

It has made such a difference in the way I feel. I am so much more energetic -- which helps me exercise more. My cholestrol and blood pressure are going down. I sleep better and no longer have headaches. After many years of yo-yo dieting, I feel I have found the program that works for me.

Thanks, Adele.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Midlife Miracle Attainable, January 22, 2003

By 

Margot Tutun (Lexington, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Midlife Miracle Diet: When Your Diet Doesn't Work Anymore . . . (Hardcover)

Adele Puhn goes directly to the heart of the matter. How could so many intelligent, well-read people, people who care about their health, care about their looks, keep getting fatter and fatter?

Blaming this syndrome, often the precursor to Type 2 diabetes, on a metabolic mix-up, Puhn lists foods, supplements, eating plans, all of which are low carb and the combination of which make you feel, at least in my case, like your "old self" again.

Very few people who don't have the problem themselves understand, as does Puhn, how awful you can feel when the metabolism is out of whack. Constant hunger and weakness, headaches, cravings--all signs of systemic imbalance--can lead to destructive overeating and weight gain. One feels in the throes of something uncontrollable.

I've only been on the plan a few weeks and am feeling in control and fit. I've tried other plans that hint at what Puhn spells out directly and am ever grateful to her for her thorough directives. The supplements she advises really help.

An avid golfer, I'm not running out of steam by the eleventh hole and am as careful about my snacks as if my life depended on it.

And I bet it really does!