Customer Reviews

The New Beverly Hills Diet

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I bought this book after seeing the amazing results that my best friend was getting. I am on day 10 and have already lost 6.5 pounds despite the fact that for two days I only followed the diet for breakfast and ate whatever I wanted the rest of the day. There must be something to Judy's plan, because losing weight on it is faster what it would be if I ate nothing at all. It's very easy for me because food preparation is simple.(and I'm pretty busy). I'm excited about it because I can eat a variety of things. I have not had any gas, bloating, or felt lightheaded. Another friend of ours with ALOT of weight to lose (more than 100 1bs) is following the original diet and has already dropped 13lbs in 10 days!(She hasn't felt weak or lightheaded either!) The only thing I don't like is that I'd like 1 or 2 recipes for chicken preparation, there isn't much guidance there unless you buy the recipe book. Temptation to "cheat" isn't too great because you can have your favorites here and there, AND because the rapid reduction is so motivating! ALL in ALL, I say TRY IT! You'll lose the weight FAST and keep it off! How's that for the best of both worlds!

First of all, I have done this diet with the old book, I just found out there is a new version.

4 years ago I came across the book by accident and being the heaviest I had ever been and very desperate, I decided it wouldn't hurt to try, I had already tried everything else... now I refer to the book as my "bible". It was not easy but after a couple of days the weightloss motivated me to continue and within 6 months I had lost 60 pounds!I took pictures of myself when I started and every 3 months after that and it is amazing to look back at them, I really advise you do the same when you start this diet, it is good motivation...

Keeping my ideal weight will always be a challenge and as soon as I tend to slip (vacations are tough) I grab my "bible", it puts me back on the tracks and makes me feel a lot more energetic and healthy.

I would like to make a comment about the reviewer 'A reader from New York'(March 24 2000): the Beverly Hills diet is not meant to be done for just 2 weeks and then stopped, no wonder you regain, the Beverly Hills diet is a change in your foodpattern, a way of life that you should try and stick with to lead a healthier life, this is clearly specified in the book, so please do not blame Judy Mazel for your weight gain and obvious lack of discipline! To everyone who is ready to try it I would like to say this: the first 6 days are the hardest, then you realize you are over the first half of the 10 days of just fruit...and believe me, the first bite I took of my tunafish sandwich on day 11 was the best I ever had! Good luck people, you can do it and don't be put off by people with negative remarks telling you it can't be healthy etc. I realized those people are just envious of the fact that you are losing the weight when they just don't have the motivation to keep it up and you know what? That just motivated me even more! And thank you Judy Mazel...

I started the diet with scepticism, but quickly was encouraged by the results. I followed the book religiously and lost 16 pounds in 35 days! I feel great as for the first time a diet worked for me with no pain. Thank you Judy! PS: I checked the diet with my doctor. His comment was that the diet is drastic but healthy.

I am a student of Holistic Medicine specializing in Nutrition. I am researching the concepts of food combining and tried The New Beverly Hills Diet. As a professional dieter and with obesity in my background, I am most impressed with the conscious food- combining program that Judy Mazel teaches. I lost 30 pounds in two months, feel healthy, look great and know that I found the way to remain thin for a lifetime. I have been recommending this program to clients, friends and family. Thank you my friend Judy Mazel. Amy Person-Pullen

I had back surgery in April and was looking for something different to help me get the 20 pounds off that I had gained throughout the year. I followed the first 35 days and lost 11 pounds and now a couple more weeks have passed and I have lost a total of 14 pounds. I am so happy to have found a way to lose the weight and keep it off - the book explains EVERYTHING - including what to do if you go off the diet, how to maintain your weight once your are done and tons more. Highly recommended - food combining is the key!

I have been on this diet for 19 days and I have lost 16 lbs. I have heard people say that this is not a "healthy" way to lose weight. How can starvation, belima, anorexia, pre-packaged food, shakes and pills be healthy? If your like most dieters, you have tried everything. This is a wonderful way to learn about food, your body, and eat healthy at the same time. I am never hungry and I eat a lot of food. I have learned a lot of ways to make fruit days fun. Freeze it, blend it with ice, cold and even cooked! I am healthier and happier than I have ever been and I don't see how that can be bad! It's a way of life that I will follow forever and if I get skinnier along the way, GOOD FOR ME!!! I have met Judy Mazel and she is a wonderful person! Try it! What have you got to lose??

I started this diet yesterday and I've lost 2 pounds already, but I'm debating whether I should switch to another diet.

Didn't your mom ever tell you to go easy on fruits? My mom did -- and she's right. She used to warn me that eating too much of certain fruits (pineapple, cherries, etc.) would give me a tummy ache. I'm remembering her words of wisdom as I sit here with stomach cramps after eating prunes and strawberries all day today.

I envy the success stories I've read of those who've completed this diet, but I'm not sure it's worth the health risk. I was looking up diet book reviews on the web and found a Good Housekeeping review of the book (see http://homearts.com/gh/health/67dietf1.htm). The GH review warns against this diet for the very reason that fruit binges aren't healthy and this diet is low on protein.

Just be careful!! Your body is a precious commodity, no matter how much you think you need to lose.

Oh, and in answer to the dieter's question about what to drink on this diet, Mazel recommends water, tea and coffee. If you drink alcohol, she limits the types you can have. (I'd say water is your best bet.)

I usually do not buy books on dieting, but for some reason this book attracted my attention. The key here, I believe, is INCORPORATE Judy's diet to our life gradually and sensibly. For one thing: this program requires maturity and reasoning. I did not care about loosing so much weight. I cared about conditioning my body in a way that I didn't crave for sweets, especially chocolate, conditioning my mind to eat without guilt, conditioning my soul to feel good about eating. This is, within limits, a very good program for what Judy calls very appropriately "eaters". I love to eat, and after years losing and maintaining my weight with heavy duty medication, spending thousands of dollars on pills that were altering my brain to make believe I was not hungry or didn't want to eat, I think this diet is the solution for my life. For three weeks now I don't crave for chocolate or sweets at all. When I do feel like, I eat one small candy bar and I am fully satisfied, as opposed to before adopting Judy's system, when I could eat two pounds of chocolate without blinking! This alone is worth the book! I also noticed that my body responded very quickly to what Judy calls "miscombinations". If I do too much of miscombinations I gain wwight. If I keep it within limits, I don't. The scale is not really my guide: my clothes are. Even though I only lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks, my clothes are all getting looser. I am not doing the diet so strictly because I don't want to and because my goal is to condition my body and mind, not to loose a bunch of pounds. But the days I followed the book exactly, I lost an average of 1,5 to 2,0 pounds per day. Because of the separation of Food Groups, I got a hold of what really makes me gain pounds, in other words, by keeping track of the foods I eat, I now know for sure what foods are more likely to make me fat. This alone is also worth the book! Fruit only in the morning is being great to keep my energy levels up! I don't miss big breakfasts at all! The down side of this diet is that we loose a lot of water, and of course that accounts for most of the fast weight loss. There are also some gaps in the book that should be attended to when possible (Hello there, Judy!): what should we drink during the program? What about hypersensitivity to prunes and other dry fruits? Although there are some adjustments that need to be made, I believe the book is an excellent guideline for food lovers. Eliminates guilt and prevent dropping out of the program in the middle of the way. If I may suggest to prospective buyers of the book, just follow your body's response. Listening to our bodies is a key part of this program. I love it, and intend to keep on it for life, no matter how many pounds I loose!

Take it from a diet junkie....I've tried everything from fasting, daily workouts, diet supplements, prepared diet meals, and NOTHING took off more than about 2-3 pounds of the 40 that I had gained after quitting smoking last year. A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and it makes sense - you really are what you eat, and HOW you eat it. I have been on the diet for 6 days now, and logged a total weight loss of 10 pounds this morning. I understand that a lot of it is probably water, but isn't that the case with all diets??? Some days were pretty hard, but I kept focus on the days I could look forward to - like steak and shrimp tonight. I went from frustrated and depressed to actually looking forward to stepping on the scale every day. Granted, this diet isn't for every one...you have to be fond of fruit and willing to give up preservatives and salty, pre-packaged foods, but it is totally worth it. Even if you can draw from only one or two of the author's theories (like starting every morning with fresh fruit) and apply it to your favorite diet regimen. I did it, I know it can work for most everyone.

The New Beverly Hills Diet worked for me but there were times such as all fruit days that I craved something more substantial and filling. During the 35 Day plan I lost 15 pounds (5 pounds a week during the first three weeks) but once the 35 days was up, I was not able to continue eating the way I did during the diet. I do believe that there is something to food combining, but Judy Mazel's program was too strict for me to follow. One book that is easy to follow is "The Hay Diet Made Easy" by Jackie Habgood, which gives straightforward information about food combining!