Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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600 of 688 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very surprised by all the good reviews, April 4, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I felt very conflicted by this book. A lot of the advice was the sound advice that you've already read in all those women's magazine and seen on TV. You know, things like "calories in need to equal calories out", and try to eat a balanced diet, etc. Then the rest of the book teaches you neurotic, eating disordered behaviors.
Bethenny talks about how you shouldn't have to settle for a filling, healthy meal, when what you really want is a steak. Go ahead and order the steak, BUT you can only have 3 bites. Yep, 3 bites, she repeats that over and over again through the book. I don't know how you're supposed to live off of 3 bites. I can just imagine how concerned my friends and family would be if they saw me ordering food and then only have 3 bites. So what do you do with the rest of your food? You either A) throw it away B) pawn it off on your dinner companions or C) take it home and make your kids eat it. Frankly, I know a woman like this and I dread being around her whenever food is involved. She's constantly trying to pass off her food on everyone, including drinks (which Bethenny recommends). It's one thing if I'm like, "wow, that looks good", but I've never shown any interest in her meal. If I wanted to eat it, I would have ordered it! Then, if she does try to get some bland healthy meal, she stares at what I ordered, and begs for some. It's rude, annoying, and I hate going out to eat with her.
Next, Bethenny talks alot how when you're on a "diet" you act neurotic about food and obsess. Then she gives tips like, never eat a whole bagel, take half a bagel and then pull the bread out of it and eat only the crust. Same goes for english muffins. It also annoys me that she says repeatedly that she learned these eating habits from living in Italy. I'm a thin Italian woman and I EAT food.
Well, I guess if you ever wondered how these celebrities stay so thin, this book is the harsh reality. She gives a list of what she ate for 3 weeks as an example of how she lives. Here's one of the days: breakfast was 1/2 cup of coffee (couldn't possibly drink a whole cup!) and half of a egg white veggie omelet. Lunch was miso soup, glass of chardonnay, 2 prawns, and arugula salad with mushrooms. Dinner was a medium greek salad, a "skinnygirl" margarita, a couple chips with a small scoop of guacamole and roasted vegetables. Snack was a small handful of blueberry granola and almonds. I added that up to about 778 calories, and it's probably less than that since she never actually finishes food. Keep in mind she also exercises quite a bit.
While some of the advice in this book is solid, like "sit down to eat, eat slowly", the rest is actually quite unhealthy and eating disordered. Maybe Bethenny is confusing "naturally thin girls" with anorexics.
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61 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of good tips., May 30, 2009
I'm a big Real Housewives fan and I bought this book because of that. I'm glad I did. A lot of it really makes sense too. I know that many people don't agree with a lot of the advice that Bethenny Frankel has to offer, but if it works for her then it'll work for others too. The recipes are also really good. Another great book that I read that has some really good weight loss and maintenance tips in it is Goodbye, Fatty! Hello, Skinny! How I Lost Weight And Still Ate The Foods I Loved-Without Dieting. Like this book, it not only has some really good information, but it's also an entertaining read.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Naturally Self-absorbed, June 16, 2009
Please do not be duped by this woman's wish for you to be as thin as her. This entire book is a sham. She spends countless words trying to convince her reader not to worry or obsees about food, yet her entire business empire and life seems to be revolved around her unresolved issues with food and weight. Trust me, I have struggled with anorexia and this woman is a high-functioning anorexic. Nobody can live a healthy life and eat the limited number of calories that she does. Most people in this economy would also not go order an expensive steak and eat just 2-3 bites of it. Aside from her advice being unhealthy it is also just plain ludicrous. Save your money on this book for an entire steak and enjoy the whole thing.
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