Customer Reviews

The 9 Truths about Weight Loss: The No-Tricks, No-Nonsense Plan for Lifelong Weight Control

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Finally there is a book that is honest, scientific, easy to read,humorous and comprehensive that addresses weight loss and weight maintenance as a life style and not just another diet.

I have been on almost every diet that has been conceived. I have been starved, over watered, eaten just meat till my blood pressure went through the roof and filled myself with so many grapefruits that I broke out in a acidic rash.And these are only examples of a few. I have lost 900 pounds and probably gained that much over the years. The only thing left would be to wire my mouth shut!

The 9 Truth's About Weight Losss is the first book that puts aside diets and goes right to the cause of weight gain and loss. As opposed to dieting I am now eating a good deal of food that I truly enjoy but am cutting out as much fat as possible. Of course my fat cells are rebelling and cause hunger to get me to eat. Well I am battling back and I am winning.

The book has been enormously helpfull as well as highly enjoyable to read.Thank goodness I never have to on go another diet again. I recommend it very highly.

I have Learned the 9 Truths.

After following the plan for 8 days I have lost 6 pounds. (The weight of a gallon of milk) The book ,enlightened me as to what biological factors we all have to battle. I'm not going to let those fat calls have what the want.

I am now monitoring my Fat Intake,Calories and Calories burned with exercise.The written facts are informative and serve to motivate me to stay the course.The results at the daily weigh-in also serves to provide feedback that will keep me on track.

The benefits of weight loss are enormous. I'm not talking about shedding the pounds anymore ,I'm doing it. I needed a foundation to build on and a logical plan, "The 9 Truths about weight loss" laid out the facts ,while motivating and entertaining with stories of real human challenges. My next review will will report that I have lost the equivalent of a bowling ball. ( 16 lbs.) Less stress on my knees and improved court coverage on the tennis court. Fire up,learn the "9 Truths" and start using the approach that motivated me to get going .

I have been overweight all of my life. I have tried som many different things to lose weight - some extreme, some dangerous and some just plain dangerous. After ten years of searching (I'm only 23), I have found something that actually made me realize what it takes to be successful at weight loss permanently. The author drives home the important point that those who have chronic weight problems are different physiologically than those who are naturally thin. This is definitely not a "diet" book. In order to take th weight off for good, you have to become a weight manager for the rest of your life. At first I resisted this notion, but as I read on I understood that it takes significant lifestyle changes to be successful. To date, I have lost 23 pounds in the space of two and a half months. More importantly than the loss, I have gained the confidence and motivation to continue onto my goal. Finally, someone who will tell you the honest truth about weight loss.

Since the birth of my second child (three years ago), I have been unable to lose the last 15 pounds of excess weight. I've watched my friends try every fad diet out there - especially high protein - losing weight initially only to gain it back. I have steadfastly refused to alter my diet in any way that I know I can't maintain for life, convinced I can do it the right way -- through diet and exercise.

The 9 Truths about Weight Loss gave me just the extra support I needed to stick with it. I am ready to take on the "athletic challenge" necessary to obtain the lifelong weight loss I'm seeking. I now strength train three times per week, walk and ride my bike and do yoga. Never a true exercisor, I am now finding I truly enjoy the process of getting fit.

I am also eliminating as much fat as I can from my diet. Just learning how much fat is in a large muffin or a morning latte helps keep me from making poor food choices (at least most of the time).

Thank you Dr. Kirschenbaum for finally writing a book that speaks the truth. I plan to share it with all my "diet crazy" friends.

...but Ive lost 55 pounds since reading this book. Im 44, and had gained weight steadily over the past 20 years, reaching over 250 pounds, and my cholesterol was 267. Im now 195, my cholesterol is 170, and I feel better than I have in years. Prior to this, Ive gone on diets off and on over the years, gaining and losing 15-20 pounds probably 6 or 7 times, but it always came back. I found this book to be clear headed, and right on target. Obviously, losing weight is a battle that needs to be fought every day, and this book laid out the stages a dieter goes through with remarkable insight. I found the tips on how to force myself to excercise every day to be invaluable, such that now, after 5 months, the thought of missing a day bothers me more than getting up at 430 am to do it. The best advice however was the monitoring advice. By writing down EVERYTHING I eat, Im forced to acknowledge "slippage", and that helps me refocus myself. It also gives me a tremendous sense of self accomplishment to be able to look back over time, and see written proof of how far Ive come. Of course the best proof, is that none of my old clothes fit anymore!!

Thanks Dr Kirschenbaum!!!

Hello. As someone who has lost several dress sizes and gained much peace of mind through the non-dieting approach to fitness, I give this book a poor review. The behaviors that the author promotes are daily weighing, scrupulous food journaling, and very restrictive intake of fats, along with moderate exercise. I have two kinds of problems with his plan: one is regarding the effectiveness of the plan, the second is my argument with his restrictive, hypervigilant approach to diet. Regarding the effectiveness, the author is "carbohydrate-friendly," encouraging "pasta, pasta, pasta" as a mainstay of nutrition. In this respect, he ignores the significant sector of the population who are indeed carbohydrate sensitive, and feel unwell eating these amounts of carbs and need more protein to feel well (there is no mention of glucagon's positive function nor of carbs' versus protein's respective effects on brain chemistry). The extremely low fat recommendation (less than 20 grams) does not provide for vital nutrients in the diet, such as essential fatty acids and the other beneficial nutrients present in healthy fats (such as those found in olive oil, nuts, cold-water fish, etc.); even dairy products contain fats that are beneficial (e.g., CLA). His approach to exercise is, to my mind, too moderate, as it's been demonstrated that thirty minutes a day just doesn't cut it for many people over forty if they wish to gain the benefits of cardiovascular activity. It seems he seems to err on the side of too severely limiting caloric intake (he advocates a near-starvation, 1200-calorie-per-day diet), while simultaneously encouraging activity levels barely above couch potato status. He asserts, erroneously but in keeping with the popular lore, that exercise will "burn the calories" one has ingested. If this were true, marathon runners and triathletes would have weights in the negatives! The TRUTH is that cardiovascular exercise promotes stable weight by making muscles and other tissues more efficient at utilizing fats in the bloodstream, thereby decreasing their rate of storage. My second area of concern is the real sadness and sense of waste I felt when I read accounts of his "success stories" severely depriving themselves of satisfying, nourishing food while practicing the most extreme forms of self-monitoring--dare I say self-obsession? He seems to advocate the use of alcohol (lots of wine drinking); this is problematic, since there is evidence that calories from alcohol are treated by the body very much like fat, which the author eschews at every turn. Wait a minute: foods with fat contain nutrients and are prohibited, whereas alcohol, which is pure empty calories, is permitted--what's going on here? Could it be these clients are self-medicating to numb the feelings of deprivation and imposed self-vigilance? My advice, if you want to be sane and healthy, is NOT to follow this diet--yes, it IS a diet--but to learn the way of life of self-awareness, body awareness, informed approach to nutrition, and active lifestyle promoted in a non-dieting approach to fitness. It's much healthier.

The man's credentials are impeccable-he's widely quoted in journals on weight loss medicine(bariatric medicine),is a psychologist, and gets quoted in just about every lay person's guide to weight loss(e.g. Anne Fletcher's Thin For Life). His philosopy is the ToughLove school of dieting-he insists that discipline,diligent calorie counting and a very low fat diet are the key,and daily exercise.The book is actually endorsed by the American Council of Exercise and he presents plenty of examples on how to find the discipline and the structure to follow his rules.
Does it work?Yes. It will work for many people and it provides a huge amount of structure and training in stress skills and food skills.It is the classic low fat calorie counting diet.He has no quick fixes for you and he drills the reality into your head(and he does it well).This book is very very similar to a book he wrote in the early 90's(Weight Loss Through Persistence) and what is REALLY depressing is that the facts and anecdotes he provides have not changed.In other words,in his researched opinion,your human biology hasn't changed(did you really think any different?) and you need to "beat it into submission" to quote him.
Some drawbacks are that many people are hungry on the standard high carb routine, and new studies indicate that it may tip your cholesterol over to create stickier more dangerous cholesterol particles.This diet probably overcomes the tendency to unfavourable insulin surges by promoting exercise as a daily process, and keeping the calories and fat down.Most people will find it restrictive(his meal plan is truly dreadful) but this is what it takes for many of you out there.When you are sick and tired of being fat,this book is what you need.I do suggest that you toss his atrocious recipe plan out of the window and turn to the delightful Don Mauer cookbooks for the best that low fat food has to offer(it tastes like real food and has no bizarre ingredients), engrave Dr.Kirschenbaum's guidelines in all other aspects on your forehead and go forth.Even if you modify the plan to suit your needs, his basic rules are absolutely true and you will not lose a cent by buying the book. Exercise discipline,caloric awareness and structure are the very true messages you need if you are fat,REGARDLESS of the diet plan you choose,even higher protein ones.Don't give up if you want to try the low fat,high carb way -get a set of good recipes and walking shoes and use this book.

I think Kirschenbaum was very clear and readable. I especially liked the explanation of the physiology of fat, and the table comparing bodies of exercisers vs non-exercisers over the decades. My main disagreement with the author is his apparent lack of peace with the process of choosing the foods and behaviors that allow maintainance of weight loss. See page 50: "Grilled swordfish may be a real treat, but it does not rival the taste of a porterhouse steak." There are a few comments like this in the text. As if the author is merely settling for a distant second best in his food choices, while the REALLY good stuff (porterhouse steak? ) is on the plate of the genetically thin person at the next table. I agree with the author that maintainance of weight loss is a lifelong accumulation of daily decisions about eating and moving. I've maintained a loss of 65+#, beginning in 1992. But decisions about food need not come from constant struggle,or a sense of war with self. Though fat physiology has the last word, it is not the only word. I think "Intuitive Eating", by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch does a very good job addressing the additional complexities affecting food, eating, and movement choices. Chronic dieters, those authors point out, can become out of touch with the presence or absence of their hunger, and their own food preferences, among other self-estrangements stemming from chronic dieting. Re-connecting can help make the life task of self-respectful body awareness a process of decisions coming from a sense of being true to yourself, and not at war with yourself.

I'm an ACE-certified personal trainer and got this book from the library since ACE (American Council on Exercise) recommends it. There is a lot of good advice in this book regarding self-esteem, self-monitoring and exercise; however, his dietary guidelines are too severe. The idea of limiting fat to 20 grams per day is extreme. Also, the client profiled in chapter 3 is consuming a diet that is almost a fast-- waiting up to 8 HOURS between meals. This client is a 165-pound man who exercises 30 minutes a day and is barely eating enough to keep a small child alive (less than 1000 calories per day). Almost any dietician or nutritionist will tell you NEVER to go below 1200 calories per day (unless under a supervised fast) or your body will go into "survival" mode and actually hold on to fat. One last bone to pick-- the serving sizes he recommends for his diet are not in accordance with the USDA food pyramid. For instance, his servings of protein are 1 ounce, while the Food Pyramid recommends 2 oz. He says a serving of milk is 3/4 cup, the food pyramid recommends a full cup. I could go on, but you get the point... I don't know how on earth anyone who follows this diet can keep from eating everything in the house because they're always starving! How much popcorn can you eat every day? There are other, better ways to lose weight without the dismal prospect of spending the rest of your life longing for a slice of cheesecake. Stop spending money on diet books and consult a reputable dietician or nutritionist. Don't do this on your own-- get professional help.

I've finally found the answers I've been looking for. My shelves are lined with popular diet and anti-aging books which have been interesting reading, but often contradictory and inconsistent. Sometimes after following a certain plan for a while, I've looked and felt worse. The Nine Truths About Weight Loss has dispelled myths and helped me drop and keep off those last few stubborn pounds. I feel great and look younger. Reading this book has changed my life. I can exercise longer and happily now. Creating fat-free or much lower fat versions of my recipes has been fun as well. Thank you Dr. Kirschenbaum!