Customer Reviews

Refuse to Regain!: 12 Tough Rules to Maintain the Body You've Earned!

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After being overweight or obese for all my life (I'm now 51) about four years ago, I lost 80 pounds - and I've kept it off ever since. So, I was eager to like this book - I wanted to see if what the author suggested was consistent with my experience, and if she had any "new" info that wold be helpful. I'm sorry to say that I was quite disappointed. In brief, here's why:

Fisrt, her approach is a "one size fits all" stratgey that will not work for everyone. Although she says it doesn't matter "how you lost your weight," she does propose only one approach - hers - for maintaining. Quite frankly, I have done almost exactly the opposite of what she recommends: I eat mostly whole grains, vegetables and fruit, and some dairy, with minimal animal-based protetin...and this, after losing wiehgt on a protein-based weight-loss plan (kind of a modified South Beach). So, the "one size fits all" isn't necessarily a good approach - people might think, "Well, if I can't bear to do it her way, in such an extereme manner, why try at all?"

Second, she takes an inconsistant approach, even within her own rather rigid plan. I was shocked to see that she breaks her own health-focused "Primarian" rules in odd ways...like allowing artificial sweeteners, which certainly aren't even vaguely "Primarian," and chemical-laden frozen "diet" entrees, like Lean Cuisine. I'm having a hard time picturing Og the hunter-gatherer chowing down on a Healthy Choice dinner and washing it down with a Diet Coke.

Most importantly, she rails against "moderation" as if it is more like wild abamdon. I am proof that moderation CAN work: I am careful to watch my eating and eat a very healthy, real-food based diet (no sugar, artificial sweeteners, or packaged, chemical-laden food) all week, and take a day off each week (over the Jewish Sabbath). On that day, I don't go wild, but I allow my self foods I don't eat during the week: some sugar, baked goods (no bread during the week, either), and other "treat" type foods. It's worked for me for four years, and can work for others, too. I think Dr. B's rigidity will discourage people before they even start...life need not be so bleak when maintaining a significant loss. And yes, I do exercise - but not an hour a day. I've stayed slim and fit with 25-30 minutes a day, about five days a week.

(As an aside, I'm a member of the National Weight Registry she refers to, and her characterization of what we long-time maintainers say and do is not entirely accurate...people should check out that source independently.)

Take heart, Big Losers - the maintenance picture's not as grim as Dr. B. paints it to be! Good luck to us all.

Smart and sophisticated, Refuse to Regain is a well written and well researched book that is a must read for anyone serious about being healthy. Although the book is geared primarily to people who are struggling to maintain weight loss, it is actually a fascinating read that would be valuable to anyone, as it lays out the basic principles for how to eat healthily and explains why so many Americans are overweight. Dr. Berkeley manages to present state of the art medical research in a way that is easy to grasp and her point of view is very convincing. Unlike other books about diet and lifestyle, this one is actually a good read! And there really are not any other books out there that address the specific question of what to do after you've lost weight to keep off the pounds. Kudos to Dr. Berkeley!
S. Jesmajian MD, Chief of Medicine, Sound Shore Medical Center, New Rochelle, NY

This book was not as helpful as I had hoped for. The eating plan that she lays out is just so restrictive. I think it's making an already hard job (maintenance) harder than it has to be. I would look at her plan as one way among many ways that you can achieve your goal, not THE way. If you look at it as THE way I'm afraid you're going to set yourself up for failure. I found Anne M. Fletcher's "Thin for Life" a more practical guide.

There are books galore written on the subject of weight loss, but very few of them ever talk about the even more important subject when it comes to diet: WEIGHT MAINTENANCE! Yeah, you can lose weight on just about any diet out there, but can you keep it off over the long-term? That's what Dr. Barbara Berkeley has been exploring over the past few years and she's come up with twelve "rules to maintain the body you've earned."

Some of them are obvious (weigh everyday, exercise, limit your menu to healthy foods), but others aren't so commonplace (commit to a three-month opt out period from modern foods, eat only foods our ancestors would have consumed, and make sure you have one acceptable treat per day). As someone who has lost 180 pounds in the past and put back on about 30 of those pounds, I found Dr. Berkeley's advice to be extremely helpful. She made me become more aware of areas where I had allowed myself to slip while simultaneously making new suggestions that may point to a pathway back to the success I experienced before.

Whether you are at your weight loss goal yet or not, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of this fabulous book from a bariatric physician who truly understands what it takes.

This book is a true gem for those who want to maintain their weight after dieting as well as for those who want to learn more about the science of why we gain weight and how that weight gain affects our bodies. Dr. Berkeley explains how the body processes what we eat and underscores the dramatic health risks associated with gaining back the weight you lost. In a world focused so much on diets and dieting, it's about time we have an excellent reference to guide us in maintenance. As I read this well written book, I felt support radiating from its pages. It's clear that Dr. Berkeley cares passionately about her readers and their successes. From that passion, she gives us powerful tools to insure we don't regain!

For those of us who have struggled for years to KEEP the weight off, this book, I believe, is our salvation. It is unique in that there are so few books that deal with this subject. Dr. Berkeley's background in the field plus her sincere desire to help those of us who are so tired of fighting the weight battle, has given us a new way of looking at the food we eat. What comes through in the book, is that Dr. B is someone you can trust and if you follow her lead you will succeed. It's so easy to go back to old eating habits but using this book as a tool written just for YOU, you feel encouraged that you can DO it! Thanks, Dr. Berkeley. Bette Friedman, Cape Cod, MA

I have just read Dr. Barbara Berkeley's book on how to keep off the weight you've lost. I've read many scientific books about health and diet over the years, but I have never read one like this one. Dr. Berkeley's caring and devotion to her patients and her readers shines through the pages. You feel as if you're being spoken to with respect and empathy, making even some difficult dietary changes much easier to implement. Even the scientific explanations are done with imaginative drawings and creative descriptions which help you remember the material without the usual resistance many of us have to science. I suggest, if you're wondering whether or not to try this book, that you invite Dr. Berkeley into your home and your kitchen. You'll find her to be a good friend.

There are many great things about Dr. Barbara Berkeley's newly released book, Refuse to Regain: 12 Tough Rules to Maintain the Body You've Earned.
At the very top of the list, the firm ground on which her book proudly stands is that it eloquently and passionately tells the truth about how to, with necessary determination, maintain our bodies optimally as we make daily decisions about eating our way into life-preserving health.
With great attention to detail, her book offers us clear and necessary physiological and practical information about the damage or the conscious support our bodies experience depending on our daily (and extending to lifelong) nourishment choices. The book's wisdom methodically promotes the most worthy truth that we can either betray or honor our bodies (and health), in part, through our eating style. On a personal note, I have paid far less than optimal attention to, really,(and I am a well-educated woman)the raw fact that so much damage can happen to our bodies, so many life-threatening illnesses develop because we carry excess weight. Dr. Berkeley's book is certainly a must-read for those courageous and determined people who have lost needed pounds to secure their health at least in the weight arena. The book is a true gift to them, as if the weight loss is not maintained (for a lifetime, actually), the short-term gain of health will be quickly reversed as the health-defying pounds return. It is a major intention of this book to guide and support successful dieters in their quest to Refuse to Regain! For those not struggling with weight issues, the book is a most relevant read as well, as it educates all of us about what it means to maintain a healthy lifestyle from a nutritional standpoint. Dr. Berkeley's passionate intention for writing this remarkable book has been to teach us about the gift we can all give ourselves through our understanding of what we must do, through what and how we eat, to strengthen rather than endanger our health. As a highly intelligent and long-term experienced authority on the subject, most simply and humbly stated, in her book Dr. Berkeley has spoken all the truths about weight issues that we must understand and integrate into our daily living in order to maintain or regain healthy bodies that do not buckle under excessive weight. The truths now have an opportunity to be heard.

Barbara Berkeley has written a fantastic book that pulls together a wealth of weight loss and maintenance information gleaned from her experience, education, and research. Don't be intimidated by her degrees. This book is easy to understand and adapt to your situation.

I consider 'Refuse to Regain' a must-have reference book for anyone who has lost weight or is even thinking about losing weight. For the maintainer, it is a "booster shot" loaded with tips, encouragement, and up-to-date facts about how your newly trim body works now. For those still grappling with losing that first 5 pounds, this book provides a road map of the mental and physical challenges you will encounter. I believe adopting the principles in this book will increase your chances of successfully maintaining a weight loss, no matter where you are in the process.

I have maintained a 90 pound weight loss for over a year - using many of the 12 Rules. After reading 'Refuse to Regain' last week, I adopted the 90% Primarian Rule and have lost another 2 pounds!

I think this book is an important one for persons trying to maintain their weight loss. There are a million and one books on weight loss, but very few on maintaining. This is a huge anomaly -- the goal is to lose weight AND to maintain that loss, but somehow many losers get caught up in the first part of the story, and don't do any thinking about maintenance. The result? Just look at Kirstie Alley.

The author is a doctor who runs a clinic targeted at obesity issues. She also operates a website (www.refusetoregain.com) that I think is a super source for maintainers. I took away two key points from this book. First, and most importantly, formerly overweight people almost always have issues with refined grains and sugars, and the best approach is simply to avoid these foods and adopt a "primal" diet. Primal means eating what hunters/gatherers would have eaten -- meat, eggs, some dairy, vegetables, fruits, fats. I have adopted this approach, and it has just turned my life around. The people I see who struggle with their maintenance and weight loss goals almost always seem still to be in a sugar/carbohydrate addition phase. Just realizing the addictive power of these foods was a huge first step, which helped me virtually to eliminate them.

The second key point was the concept of using the scale as a tool (daily weighing) and establishing a "scream weight" -- a weight at which, if you see it on the scale -- you move into an "all hands on deck" approach, and take immediate steps to reverse this gain. There are other helpful tools in the book as well.

The two concepts in the book that I disliked were (1) the use of artifical sweeteners, and (2) the concept that people should have a little daily treat -- usually of some very unhealthy refined food. To me, artificial sweeteners are something that should definitely be avoided, and I don't see how they possibly fit into a "primal" eating plan. I think they are triggers that keep the sweet tooth active. The daily treat? I don't think there's a problem with the occasional treat, but again, eating some kind of artifically sweetened pudding or dessert didn't seem like it fit in with the overall philosphy. Overall, though, for anyone who wants to maintain a weight loss, I highly recommend this book -- if nothing more, as food for thought.