Customer Reviews

The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry-The Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss Success

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I have to say I love "The Skinny" and I am a hard to please diet book reader. It is truly rare that I purchase a book anywhere but Amazon. Amazon prices are the best. But after looking through this book at Target, I ante upped the extra bucks so I could read it right away. And I am so glad I did, because if I had read the reviews on here, I never would have bought it. The reviews appear to be totally skewed. Unfortunately it appears from the reviews that the Kindle edition is a mess and that should be corrected but that is NOT the content of the book. Then there are a number of 5 star reviews which are very short, sound the same and since the reviewers don't have other reviews well they could be faked. So the reviews on this book do not appear to be accurate.

That said I read the book and totally love it. The fact is most of the information in here is nothing I have not read before, it is just presented in a new way that makes following the plan much easier than other plans that share similar information. He didn't invent the wheel, he just made it easier to drive on. And that is worth a fortune. Because if you know what to do but can't do it and learn a method where you can do it, you will get the results you desire. Sort of like the aha moment a student gets when someone shows them a different way to approach a problem. Same results, we had the facts, just couldn't get the answer before.

Essentially the plan is a lower carb and lower fat one. But it is done in such a sneaky way it is pretty easy to do. Dr. Aronne tells you to fill up on broths, soups, vegetables, and protein before you eat your starch. Done correctly you will be very full and eat very little starch. Since starch tends to create hunger issues and possible insulin issues an excess of starch often leads to weight gain.

So there I was in Target reading the book, rolling my cart over to the "market section" where I grabbed cashews, chunky peanut butter, sugar free chocolate pudding (boxed not pre-made). I checked out and started the plan the next day. Great that I had so much of the food at home already. Just needed to eat it a different way. No hard to find foods in this book.

Very easy to follow surprisingly. Two stages. The first stage is light on the starch. Get up in the am and instead of heading for the computer eat breakfast. And it must be mainly protein. (An egg cooker is great for this). Next a snack; apple and peanut butter or celery and cheese. Follow this with a lunch of salad and protein and more veggies. Maybe vegie soup and a high fiber cracker. Another snack. Dinner......

A few things I didn't agree with. He suggests 4 egg whites no yolk. I think 1 egg with yolk and 1 white instead. I eat them with a little hot sauce and Lowerys seasoned salt. Washed down with a few cashews. Great breakfast and satisfying.

Just a matter of rethinking how you eat and the order you eat. Dr. Aronne refers to Dr. Roll's Volumetrics book often and that was one I own, so in addition to his recipes, I can use hers.

Later you can add in more starch. Aronne gives tips so you don't over do.
He is also gut honest and reveals methods to lose weight if your revamped food efforts don't work.

A great plan and one that is very doable! Snap it up and get Skinny with The Skinny!

~ Lee Mellott

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From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!

A FirstLook Review
The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry--the Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss Success (Broadway/ Mar 2009) by Louis J. Aronne, M.D. with Alisa Bowman

The Skinny provides the reader (weight loss wannabe) with a lifestyle makeover that gets the metabolism running and puts hormone issues into perspective.

The skinny on the author though deserves some eye-popping attention. Dr. Aronne has directed the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York--Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center since 1986. He is the former President of the Obesity Society, has been named a top doctor by Castle Connolly, and is the founder of the Cardiometabolic Support Network. In 2000 Dr. Aronne diagnosed David Letterman's heart problem.

Aronne believes that people with weight problems have a disease that can be treated. He writes, "It's about biology," and not about a person's lack of will power. He has performed more than 25 weight loss studies searching for what really works for lasting weight loss. The result being that the most difficult weight loss patients are regularly referred to Dr. Aronne from around the world.

Initially, many of these patients lose 15-20%, equivalent to weight loss from lap band surgery.

Aronne identifies the "lack of fullness" as a culprit, preventing many from losing. He adds that this condition affects roughly two-thirds of the adult population. What you may not know is that this problem may have begun after following a certain type of diet or from taking specific types of medication.

The Skinny's purpose is to help the reader understand dieting--it's difficult, and provide sound solutions to losing really stubborn weight. The dieting is divided between Phase 1 (3 or more months) and Phase 2 (for life).

The Skinny also gives an explanation of the physical and psychological aspects of yo-yo dieting, the medications and surgeries sometimes used for weight loss, and eating out advice.

A Resources section points to recommended foods with attention paid to the glycemic load.

Skinny recipes for meal and snack makeovers are more than 50 are basic, but high in flavor and low in calories. Vegetables and lean protein make the grade.

Ones to try:

* "Noodleless" Spaghetti Pomodoro
* Asparagus Omelet
* Honey Mustard Chicken

Tips:

* Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms
* Eat more protein with breakfast
* Keep a food log
* Add more exercise
* Add more vegetables to the diet
* Get a checkup and make sure there are no underlying health issues
* Eat starch and dessert last
* Keep protein lean

The Skinny backs up Aronne's positions on weight loss with a 15 page bibliography.

The Skinny is an informative book for those still searching and hoping for a weight loss option.

5 Stars

I am a mother of 2 children who has battled her weight for 4.5 years now. I carry most of my weight in my belly, rear and legs.
With this book, I have lost 13 lbs in 1 month and I hardly noticed that I was "trying" to lose weight. I have never achieved this type
of weight loss and the feeling of "not being hungry" in any program before. Not on Atkins, not on South Beach, NutraSystem, Jenny Craig,....etc
No weighing, measuring, counting etc, just little adjustments to my diet.... and most importantly 'when' I can eat the food (all veggies/fruit first, protein second, carbs last).
I highlighted what I found important to MY weight issues and reviewed it daily to help me along. I have to admit, I haven't fully complied with ALL of the suggestions in the book, but when I SEE the results already, it has been motivating me to push myself further and futher towards the full program.

I bought this book because a girlfriend (who is overweight) told me she was reading and starting the program. She already had lost enough weight that I "noticed" it (I wouldn't dare ask her how much....). She also mentioned that her sister, who had 3 children and was about 75lbs overweight had started the program and her weightloss was noticable (again, I didn't ask how much she lost)....but I decided if she looked THAT good after only 2 months, then I would give it a try.

I'm very happy I purchased this book and I am very happy with the results. I feel great. Good luck to all of you struggling with weight and health issues due to your weight.
Please, give this book and the program a try....

If you want to read this book, get it from the library. Fair warning: get stronger reading glasses because the light orange text used for an overwhelming amount of sidebars is difficult to read and annoying. The basic diet is the glycemic index one, eliminate simple sugars, eat complex carbs, and exercise. While the doctor is no slouch and a well-respected expert, he offers little, if any, new information. At times it seems more like a biography of what Dr. Aronne did rather than what the patient should do. The book has some good, but old and heard-before tips. There is a brief discussion on drugs and their affects on weight loss, but nothing that couldn't be found on rxlist.com, drugs.com, or nlm.nih.gov. The writing style was stiff and generally boring. If you want to buy it, wait a couple of weeks and buy it for a few cents from an Amazon reseller or when it hits the bargain bin at your local bookstore.

I actually do read a lot on nutrition and diet, and study fitness....and am pretty good at it, being in excellent shape for a 49 year old. However, approaching the age of 50, the lbs began creeping on, mercilessly. The old rules of even a year ago, including most always complex carbs, were not working any more. I happened to pick up this book, and it offered a way to tweak the system. I read the entire book, and the methods and the recipes appealed to me. I've just done it for a couple of days, but am giving it 5 stars because I can tell it will be the ticket. Why? Because I've greatly reduced carbs, including his suggestion at breakfast, and have improved my diet further by adding tons of veggies and even fruit, and the last 2 days have not in the least been hungry - essential for success. This diet just FEELS good to my body, appeals to my taste, and puts together in simple fashion information I've already read. Diets, more properly referred to as lifestyle changes, cannot work if the eating plan is inconvenient or not interesting. Some compare it to the South Beach Diet. I disagree. That book did not hold my interest, nor did I have much luck with the recipes there. It was too wordy and too contrived, and I never did read the entire book. This book is refreshingly simple, with plenty of lists and references to make it easy to do. So....in a sea of diet books out there, I think this is sound and has something to contribute for people dealing with stubborn weight loss problems and carb sensitivity. Most importantly, it is clear that this is a healthy diet. If you can deal with more carbs, he says, go for it - AFTER you've eaten your veggies and protein. Also good tip - if you drink a glass of beer or wine, drink it not before dinner, but with the main course. I plan to try this, too, to mitigate the effects of a carb/sugar rush into my system.

Diets are different for everyone because people have different lifestyles. I eat out about 5 days a week so Dieting for me is the hardest because I cant just make something healthy. Dr. Lou has a huge section on how to eat out in all different restaurants which is great because I use the guide to pick my foods. Its not unrealistic either its tasty food. The way he is telling us to eat is a different style so we feel full faster. I started this method 3 weeks ago and I lost 17lbs. I even go off the diet once a week at least and havent gained anything back. Any other diet and Ive tried them all I have gained all the weight back instantly because they are unrealistic. This is the first one where I can go out and socially live with people and friends and not feel like im dieting. I think thats the biggest key is that we all dont want to feel like we are on a diet and this is the first "diet" that I dont feel like i am dieting. I think its a must read!

This book is easy to read, and the steps suggested seem easy to follow. No weighing, measuring, counting, and a LOT of appreciation and recognition of the realities that surround diet and exercise. Dr. Aronne offers easy steps - if you feel you can't commit to a total eating makeover, he tells you what's most important and what to do first. He's also very realistic about exercise. I can't say yet whether or not I will lose weight but I found the suggestions realistic and I am optimistic that they will work.

Wow, I was so disappointed with this book. I saw the author/doctor on Letterman, and was very excited to pre-order the book. I waited for weeks for it to arrive and it finally came today. I read through it in about an hour. A large part of the book explains why some people have a greater difficulty losing weight than others. It was all very technical and detailed with names and functions of the various chemicals and hormones at work in our body that make us fat and skinny. However, I didn't care about that stuff and skipped ahead to HOW to lose the weight. Well, here it is....eat lots of lean protein, not so much carbs. Steer clear of refined sugars, starch. Eat plenty of veg, drink lots of water. Oh, and exercise. Is there anything new here? Isn't this the South Beach diet? It is a Low Glycemic diet. Sorry Doctor, this book didn't need to be written. This is all old news. Maybe I just bought it because you saved Dave's life.

If you want to eat whenever you are hungry and feel full-then buy this book. No you are not going to eat candy all and junk-but a diet of candy and junk makes you feel gross and look bad. By following this plan I can easily cut 1000 calories from my diet everyday w/o feeling deprived. Love it and love the research.

Other reviewers have said there is nothing new in this book, that it is just South Beach revisited. Perhaps we are all looking for the magic cure, which is why we spend literally millions of dollars on diet supplements and programs. While this book may not offer the magic cure, it does offer an excellent analysis of why some people overeat, and yet feel constantly hungry. Understanding our dilemma is the first step in curing it, much as an alcoholic first has to admit he is an alcoholic before he can be "cured" of his addiction. Dr. Aronne offers excellent suggestions, and the science to back them up. Those who have the interest and desire to change will succeed with this book. The fact is there is no magic cure . . . only the unwavering desire to eat better will give us the results we want.

Lynette Fleming, Coauthor of Lunch Buddies: Buddy Up for a Better Diet