Weight Loss for African-American Women: An Eight-Week Guide to Better Health [Paperback]

George Edmond Smith MD MEd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

Offering a new approach to weight loss tailored specifically to black women, this guide empowers women to develop skills for weight management and healthy living. Providing simple nutritional information and exercises, it addresses the common misconceptions of many so-called diets—almost all of which overlook or ignore the ethnicity component so essential to black women—and replaces them with a sound, culturally sensitive plan for black women to lose weight and stay healthy. An appendix of health-care resources includes advice on finding a physician, alternative health clinics, fitness centers, and public health facilities, and a glossary explains common medical and nutrition terms.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many African American women are overweight and particularly at risk for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain types of cancers. At the expense of their health, they put the needs of others ahead of their own. Here, Smith (family medicine, Hahnemann Sch. of Medicine) presents the results of her eight-week weight loss program in eight chapters. The participants, four overweight black women, were shown how to put themselves first and improve their overall health and self-esteem through food choices, exercise, meditation, and motivational techniques. The author details the weekly group meetings with the women and gives readers the fundamentals they need to follow the program themselves. Though "before and after" photos of the participants would have been helpful, there are illustrated exercises, recipes, meal planners, food and activity diaries, and resources for more guidance. Hopefully, the index (not seen) will direct women to the sections on specific concerns, such as high cholesterol and osteoporosis, since they are buried within the weekly synopsis chapters. Although this contains lots of helpful information, it could have been better organized. Roniece Weaver and others' Slim Down Sister (Dutton, 1999) is a more solid choice. Recommended with reservations for public libraries. Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Edmond Smith, MD, MEd, is the director of research for the Nelson Medical Group and the author of More than Sex: Reinventing the Black Male Image. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hilton Publishing; 1 edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967525853
• ISBN-13: 978-0967525853
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #739,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WELLNESS FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN, October 31, 2002

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weight Loss for African-American Women: An Eight-Week Guide to Better Health (Paperback)

Weight Loss For African American Women is a comprehensive guide to good health and wellness aimed at Black Women. Dr. Smith explains his treatment approach in clear, honest terms that are both encouraging and reasonable. He describes a holistic approach that takes into account all aspects of women including the emotional, mental, physical, sexual, intellectual, social, and spiritual.

Using an example of four women at different places in their lives, Dr. Smith shows readers the work required to lose weight and keep it off. The uniqueness of this book is its ethnic slant. Dr. Smith spends time in the beginning of the book discussing the historical ramifications of the bad eating
habits of African Americans. He also takes great care in explaining the language of the weight loss industry and gives in depth definitions of calories, metabolism, fat, etc. This book will help women whether they are on the threshold of a weight loss journey or in the midst of a program. Undoubtedly, readers will be able to identify with some of the stories shared in the text and readers will also enjoy all of the supplementary material included at the end of the book including a number of delicious recipes.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury