The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Robin Aronson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The brilliance of this fun-to-read munching manifesto is its ability to adapt itself to the vagaries of real-world eating; the writer-editor authors understand the temptations of workaday life and lazy weekends and provide practical tips that allow even dieting dropouts a bit of the leeway they crave. Underscoring the importance of portion size, the duo explains how to avoid recreational eating. In light-hearted prose aimed at women, the authors suggest eating "like a food writer"-sampling favorite foods and discarding the rest. Convinced that the lion's share of overeating stems from boredom, they explain how "breaking a food rut at home" can jump-start dieting results. "The Skinny on Drinks" may be the most valuable chapter, as it reminds readers just how many pounds those Cosmos and Frappuccinos can pack on. Packed with little black dress-friendly recipes that are simple to whip up, this upbeat guide is fun enough to bring any veteran calorie counter back from the dieting doldrums.
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Product Description

Eat what you love and love how you look! Let the girls show you how it's done.

If your two favorite girlfriends wrote a hilarious, insightful book about how to look and feel fabulous without denying yourself the pleasure of great food, it would look just like this! The authors bring their unique perspectives (girl-about-town and mother of twins) to show how, whatever your lifestyle, you can balance eating smart and eating rich, and still look amazing in that little black dress. No strict rules, no boring talk about glycemic index, just savvy advice, complete meal plans, and more than 75 amazing recipes, plus an emergencies-only The Little Black Dress Diet-how to eat when you absolutely must fit into your dress by the weekend.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Meredith Books; First edition. edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696232421
• ISBN-13: 978-0696232428
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,093 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to apply, works great, March 7, 2007

By	Sparkle Reed "smartmouth" (MILWAUKEE, WI USA) - See all my reviews

"The Skinny" by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson isn't just a diet book - it is a lifestyle book. Filled with humor, personal anecdotes and recipes, this book is fun and practical at the same time. You're not going to find a lot of facts, numbers, calculations, calorie counting or any mumbo jumbo such as carbs and food combining.

First, the authors encourage the readers to figure out what their 'happy skinny' size is (for Melissa it's a 2, Robin an 8). Then, they have a set of 'rules': eat what you want (and banish the guilt); Don't eat what you don't want; Build a skinny meal around the thing you want (add veggies, fruit, protein and a complex carb); Eat when you're hungry; Eat like a food writer (eat a bit then throw the rest away - which is rather indulgent and wasteful in my opinion); Control your portions; Enjoy your meal; Exercise some; etc. There is info on eating for every situation including dining out. The recipes are marvelous and everyone will find something here to satisfy them.

I've always hated diets as I like having a little sweet every days - and that is a no-no in almost every book you'll read. All in all, it is a nice little book with tips that will help you to stay on track without starving yourself or subsisting on carrot sticks.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is changing my life!!, February 22, 2007

By	Tina R (LES, New York) - See all my reviews

I was thinking this morning as I drove to work about what it was, exactly, about this book that has me so lit up about losing weight. I figured out that what it is, is, that the authors have every excuse in the world to weigh 900 pounds..Melissa Clark eats in every high end restaurant in New York about 5 nights a week, and she is a size 2. So, of course, I paid close attention. And, there it is...a strategy for every situation, every excuse that I ever thought of, used, and abused. It is the strategy, really, that I was missing. A diet, after all, is nothing more than some version of eat less, exercise more...we all know that already. It's how to deal, that we really get from this book. And, the spirit of the writing is so infectious, I just found it altered how I thought about the whole enterprise of losing weight. Now it is just a fun game. Plus, there are lots of great recipes, many of which I have already tried, and really enjoyed. I love to cook, love to eat, and finally have a book that is teaching me how to have it all. In five weeks, I have lost 6 pounds, effortlessly. I expect the next 20 pounds to come off just as easily.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Stay Sane, Have Fun, and Look Good: Read This Book, January 22, 2007

By	Mazzie (NYC) - See all my reviews

The last thing in the world I ever feel like reading is a diet book but I picked the Skinny up at my hairdresser's and I couldn't put it down. Even my lovely but slightly paunchy boyfriend picked up the copy I bought and read a good portion of it in just one sitting. The magic of this book is its wonderful, funny, but quite persuasive writing. It puts out a collection of ideas, some of which may be obvious to you (like portion control), that really sinks in more than, at least for me, other health and dietary advice ever has. I think this is because the book avoids faddish nutritional advice and emphasizes finding real pleasure not in over-consumption but in the joyful appreciation of the food that we love, while learning to really listen to and take care of our bodies in a sane and balanced way. As a New Yorker without a clue how to feed myself or stock my fridge, I found the section on how to stock my fridge and recipes for how to feed myself (for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND snacktime!!) extremely useful. There are no illusions spun here, just great advice based on common sense, good health science, and a real love for food. And it's a fun read!!!