Customer Reviews

The Vice-Busting Diet: A 12-Week Plan to Break Your Worst Food Habits and Change Your Life Forever

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To sum it up in just a simple phrase, Id say " Changing your life is an understatement for what this book does"!!! Who would have thought that my life would come full circle in the last 5 years! In 2001, I sat at this very computer reading the cold hard facts about how vices control our life! The definition of vice was put as simple as anything that controls you and hinders your desired outcome. My biggest desire in the world was to become a healthy person who could dream big and THEN make those dreams become a reality! My biggest hinderence was my LOVE for cupcakes! It was as simple as giving up my first vice in order to start a journey that would last a lifetime. It has been 5 years since I started this long journey with Julia Havey and this road has led me from a 350 pound admirer of this successful weight loss author, to a 170 pound friend of this warm hearted mother, wife, and honest woman! She has been by my side through ups and downs, both weight loss related and life related, and help keep my head high throughit all. This book is a real life approach to helping someone reach their dreams and goals. It teaches you to bust your vices one at a time and more importantly to learn to belive in yourself! Without the self confidence that you learn to feel, success would not be the final outcome. If I had to suggest one book that would truely fit its title, this would be it. It will help you change your life in every aspect of the word!!!! Its a simple, doable, believable approach to weight loss, and once youve read the book, you will know that "IF you dream it, YOU CAN DO IT!" I dedicated my time and effort to this woman 5 years ago, and believed in myslef enough to bust all my vices, and go on to lose 185 pounds in less than 2 years and have been living a life of confidence, health and love for myself for the last 3 years! In october of this year I will marry the love of my life, and Julia will be standing up next to me in my wedding. Life has come full circle thanks to her, and if you are looking for a plan that will work not only to lose weight, but to change your life FOREVER, please read and follow this plan for 12 weeks, and then spread your wings and fly!

Before you can share what "vices" you have in your life that are preventing you from moving forward in your quest for weight loss, the first thing you need to know is what that little four-letter word actually means. Do you know what a "vice" is?

The following are just a few definitions of the word "vice" that should get your mind to thinking:

"An evil, degrading, or immoral practice or habit."
"A serious moral failing."
"Wicked or evil conduct or habits."
"A slight personal failing."
"A flaw or imperfection"
"A physical defect or weakness."
"An undesirable habit"

OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, and OUCH! Do all of us REALLY have things like that we allow to creep into our lives? Is it really THAT bad and we've just never realized it since nobody has shined the light on this issue before now?

If you ask Julia Havey, author of the "The Vice-Busting Diet: A 12-Week Plan To Break Your Worst Food Habits and Change Your Life Forever," then the answer is YES and it may be even worse than you even realize. Yikes!

Think about it for moment. How many of us consciously TRY to cause harm to our bodies with the way we live our lives. Nobody with a sane mind does that, right? But Havey says our small choices in life such as mindlessly drinking sugary sodas, stopping by the local burger joint for a quick meal on the go, or even forgoing exercise just so we can plop down on our couch to watch hours of mindless television are all vices that we need to overcome to lower our weight and get healthy.

Although the word "diet" is in the title of this book, Havey will be the first to tell you she does not and will not ever recommend you go on a diet to lose weight because you will simply set yourself up for failure just like all the other hundreds of them you have been on in your lifetime. Instead, she says people need to make those "simple changes" in their lives that they KNOW they need to make the improvements in their weight and health which will surely follow.

While many diet gurus who write books about weight loss are people who have no idea what it feels like to be fat, this is definitely NOT true about Havey who once weighed nearly 300 pounds. But she overcame her obesity and lost 130 pounds because of the very principles she shares in this book. Best of all, she has kept that weight off for over a decade and has committed her life, along with husband and co-author Dr. J. Patrick Havey, to helping others find the success they so desperately crave in regards to their own weight.

Havey is very crafty in the way she explains how two out of every three Americans got to be overweight or obese and openly shares how their lives could change so much for the better with just a little weight loss, including physical and mental changes that you most of us never even realize is just waiting to explode out of us until you lose weight for yourself.

As someone who has lost 180 pounds personally, I can verifiably attest to each of these remarkable changes in my own life. When you have lived with a belly hanging over your pants, shopping at big & tall stores, having trouble fitting in booths at restaurants and in movie theater seats, constantly feeling sick and tired, and so many more daily inconveniences I could keep sharing until next year comes, you cannot even begin to know how transforming weight loss can be. Havey most definitely hits the nail on the head when she describes how your life will be turned upside down by shedding the pounds!

So how do you lose weight? Sounds like a simple question to ask, right? I get posed that question a lot myself ever since my weight loss and I'm sure Havey has heard it a million times herself in the past decade. She clearly outlines the necessary changes you must make to begin losing weight for good and urges people to seriously commit themselves to her 12-week program to begin moving in the right direction. No, it's not like the 12-step programs where you have to show up for meetings and confess your soul to the whole world about your life. It's sooo much better than that!

In fact, Havey is so convinced you will LOVE her program and start overcoming your diet vices that she GUARANTEES you one thing that is worth more than the cost of the book -- you will never be alone as you go through this. That's right, anytime you need an advocate on your side during your weight loss, she has vowed to make herself available to anyone who purchases her book to "help you keep moving forward" in your progress towards better health. How about that?

She assures you over and over again in her book that "you are not alone" in this battle and that there are many of us "loser" on your side who WANT to see you become a weight loss winner. I offer the same guarantee to anyone who needs to find hope in the midst of that hopeless feeling that you'll be "that fat person" forever. It doesn't have to be that way and Havey understands this! She's showing her authenticity about this subject that is near and dear to her heart. Do you get the feeling she's not like all of the "other" diet book writers yet?

Havey says if you begin replacing your old habits or vices with these new ones that she suggests, then you will be well on your way to becoming that thinner and healthier person you have always dreamed about. She arms you with power-packed advice and practical suggestions about the specific foods you should eat, prepare you for the mental challenges, outlines why you need to incorporate physical activity into your life, and so much more. If you take the "The Vice-Busting Diet" plan seriously, then there is NO reason whatsoever why you can't become the same weight loss miracles that Havey and I have been privileged to have happen in our lives.

What would a weight loss book be without yummy recipes, fitness tips, and resources to help you continue on this journey long after you've read the book from cover to cover? Well, you get all of those, too, at the back of the book.

In case you haven't noticed, Julia Havey is a very special woman who sincerely cares about helping people overcome the vices that stand in their way of success in weight loss and in life. It is obvious by the way she writes that this isn't just a fly-by-night writing gig that she hopes to "get rich quick" off of. Nope, not hardly!

Behind all those words of motivation and encouragement is a beautiful woman inside and out who has been there before and knows the pain and hurt of living inside the shell of an obese woman scared half to death that she will keel over and die at any moment. Just seeing others go through that same struggle is very painful for her to watch and is undoubtedly what drives Havey to do what she is doing today. I'm so glad that she is.

Take it from this former 410-pound slob of a man who was on the verge of an early death due to morbid obesity, weight loss is indeed a lifechanging experience. You cannot even begin to imagine the changes that will occur because they really are too many to count. Julia Havey has hit on something here that really works with her book "The Vice-Busting Diet" and I encourage everyone who feels stuck in their weight loss efforts to read this book. Havey knows firsthand what it takes to do this and stands ready to help you, too.

Julia has succeeded when most have failed.

Julia Havey has written a practical guide to shedding those lethal pounds. The dirty little un-secret is that diets don't work, lifestyle change works. She has not written a tome --- don't criticize her for what she leaves out. She has included enough information to accomplish the purpose, which so many other diet books have attempted and failed. She has left out the heavy counting and calculating. The rewards are along the way: for the person who honestly and sincerely starts to follow the lead, they start from the very first week.

It's true that there are volumes written on aspects of the problem, particularly the psychological and spiritual aspects that Julia only covers lightly, but I believe Julia meets the chronically obese where they're at, gives them what they need to begin on the road to better health, and helps them replace bad habits with good habits. This book is a must-read for every obese person, every future obese person, and every friend of an obese person.

I have long followed Julia Havey and her teachings. Her simple, common sense message allowed me to lose over 75 pounds and keep it off now for over 6 years.

Lead where Julia follows and you will lose your weight, bust your vices and live healthfully ever after!

All of the years that I spent dieting, I would go "on a diet" and soon fall off of it. What made the most sense to me is that she addressed my 3 liter soft drink a day habit when others simply put me on a diet. Now, Coke free and I am healthier and happier than ever before! Thank you thank you Julia for this great book. I hope that others find it and find health and happiness for life.

I was recommended this book by Oxygen Magazine, my trusted source for fitness and weightlifting info. I was sorely disappointed at the generic, dumbed down advice here. Julia's advice on the vices to break are all valid, but she assumes we aren't already drinking lots of water, avoiding fast food, excercising, and not veging in front of the tv. Not surprisingly, Julia mentions the small percentage of people who may do most of these things already, but still fail to see results because their vices are less common than the norm.

I also found it annoying that every chapter begins by telling the reader to drink lots of water, substitute healthy food for your vice, exercise before any tv, and so on. Rather than reitterate everything in past chapters, it would have been more helpful for her to give actual ways to bust food vices, and not just say you have to do it in order to welcome optimal health into your life. We know that; but HOW??

I'd recommend borrowing this one from the library for some positive motivation, but that's about it.

I love that this book advises you to take time to break food habits. It is well organized and the author gives step by step sugguestions that are easy to follow.

This is probably the best diet book I have ever read. Julia Havey makes it all so simple. It is such a realistic concept that everyone can do it!
Thanks Julia Havey.

I picked up this book from the public library after reading all the glowing reviews here at Amazon and I have to say that I'm disappointed with the content! It's just another diet book saying the same things over and over. There's nothing new here, and there's the familiar emphasis on eating correctly and exercising which every fat person knows by heart! And, the "vices" listed are nothing new either as again, every fat person knows that eating cookies, chips, pizza, ice cream, and drinking sodas will put weight on you IF you don't eat these things in moderation and exercise consistently! It disturbed me that foods are labled "vices" as we all know that if you eliminate foods while trying to lose weight, these are the very foods you'll pick up once you're finished dieting! The recipies at the end of the book are the same ones you'll find in any low fat, low carb book...blah, blah! Most overweight people are not fat because we don't know how or what to cook! Believe me, we know what to cook and how to cook it!

The exercise regimens are the same as you'll find anywhere and most people know to start with small steps then build up as you go along. The thing that I hated about this book is that it just promotes walking and weight lifting. These activities are great, but I think anything that gets you moving will do in the beginning! Some people will want to do other things like dance, aerobics, swimming, tennis, bowling, surfing, etc...!! The real secret is to do activities that you love! No new tips on how to really motivate yourself were given, and the reasons listed for dieting and exercising were the same old, tired reasons that people have used over and over, but never seem to stick! If you want motivation for eating and moving well try the book, The Zen of Eating!

What was really missing from this book (for me) was some insight into the reasons why fat people stuff and stuff themselves with high caloric foods and the steps you and I can take to stop. I don't think the author is aware that food is really not the issue, but it's what's irritating or aggravating the person to eat comforting junk foods! I finally figured out the the reason I put on over 100lbs was because of the loss of a much wanted relationship and the stress of teaching disabled students in an educational system that can not meet even a few of their needs! OK, so now I need/wanted a book that would give practical tips on how to deal with eating when I'm frustrated with my job and self, angry at situations/people/students I can't change or influence and when I'm wanting sexual touch, intimacy and comforting!! And, I need some good info on how to stay motivated when I'm dead tired from telling a 17 year old student that 7x8 is not 40 over and over, when I've written 50 educational plans in 4 months and attended so many unnecessary school/faculty/parent meetings that I'm blue in the face!

Again, if food were the main issue, then fat people would eat carrots, cabbage and string beans by the bushels! Fat people are overeating to comfort themselves from situations that make them feel powerless, irritated, aggravated and stressed! Hello!! From this book, I also would have liked some information on the diffent types of overeating that exist. Yep, we don't all eat the same way! Some of us gorge on sweets, some of us like salty foods, some like a combination of both and some of us just love huge amounts of non-sugar foods! Additionally, some of us are compulsive/obsessive eaters, emotional eaters, stress eaters, and binge eaters just to name a few of the terms. And, I'm sure there are even more types out there. Ok, there can't be a "one shoe fits all sizes" approach to these different eaters/issues, right????

Overall, I think this book is great for people who suddenly find themselves fat and don't have a clue as to what to do, but if you've been fat for a while and you've tried dieting, exercising, pills, surgery, liquids, potions and angel dust...this book really won't give you anymore insight into how to deal with what's eating you and how to stop! For me, eliminating foods is just not a long-term solution! So, save your money and give diet authors Geneen Roth or Victoria Moran a try...at least they've come close to figuring out how to deal with the non-food issues that drive people to eat to excess and how to find the motivation to correct the problem while learning how to live a more fulfilled life at any size!

A very sensible approach to change your way of eating.I like how it teaches you to slowly change bad habits while incorporating new ones.Taking your time to change and not try to do it all overnight,if the change is too drastic you won't stick with it.I would recommend this book to anyone who has tried and failed at other diets.

I scanned over the book, but didnt really apply to me. I really dont have some of the vices needed to succeed. I really didnt care for recipes. I sold the book to a co-worker. For someone that has a soda habit or something that would cause you to really lose weight if you quit, it would be good. I have already given up most of my vice's, so it was hard to chose something.