Customer Reviews

The Wine and Food Lover's Diet: 28 Days of Delicious Weight Loss

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I started Dr. Tirman's weight loss plan in January. Following the rapid weight loss plan of eating a protein + 2 super low glycemic foods (such as roasted chicken with butter sauteed mushrooms and grilled asparagus with grated parmesan cheese) AND wine, I lost 10 lbs in the first 2 weeks. Even after the rapid weight loss weeks when I was doing the maintenance plan, I shed 8 more lbs by following the book's principles, and am still losing weight. I worked out every once in awhile during the first 2 months and only recently started exercising more regularly. I even occasionally eat high glycemic foods such as bread and rice (because I would NOT be able to give up sushi), and still have not gained any weight. Just pair your higher glycemic foods with low glycemic foods or make sure your next meal falls well within the plan's guidelines.

This is a great, easy to follow plan. The recipes are simple and delicious, and if you know the underlying principles, you can make dishes that aren't in the book, and eat out anywhere. This weight loss and maintenance plan is definitley a lifestyle change and not a fad "diet."

The big drawback to TWAFLD is the fact that you actually have to be willing to cook to get any good out of it- and you have to take the time and expense to secure ingredients like seafood filets and fresh herbs (which aren't cheap). I have to admit that the first time I looked at this book (over a year ago), I thought the recipes and ingredient lists were way over my head, and so I put it back on the shelf for later consideration...in anticipation of a time when I had a better developed culinary skill set.

I worked on aimple, easy recipes in Lanzalotta's "The "Diet Code". I watched lots of episodes of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" on the Food Network. I picked up several volumes from America's Test Kitchen. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to lay out the money for decent knives, pans, pots, and useful appliances. I gritted my teeth even harder and forced myself to spend real money on real cuts of meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, dried mushrooms, spices and pantry supplies and found reliable source for some of the more exotic ingredients like saffron and cornichons. And I worked my way through Jacques Pepin's "Fast Food My Way" and improved and expanded my knife/prep skills, my ability to create healthy, decent meals in a short amount of time, and my perceptions of what a good meal can be.

And behold - about 18 months later, I came back and looked at TWAFLD and the shelves of my local bookstore, and realized that I was ready for it.

And my conclusion: this is a great cookbook, not just for those who want to lose weight. (The process of learning to cook also taught me the art of portion control, so I lost the weight and fat I wanted to lose just by eating real food instead of fast/convenience food and eating the amounts of food designated as "1 portion" by the authors instead of the portion sizes I was accustomed to.) The opening chapters on basic nutrition concepts are very well written, giving the essence of nutrition and metabolism with nice punchy concepts like "Storage Cascade" and "Echo Hunger syndrome" that any layman can quickly use to get a good handle on what can be a confusing, mysterious subject. And the short chapter on wine(and alcohol's role in nutrition, disease prevention and good cooking) is perhaps the best layman's presentation I've ever read on the subject.

Also this is a gorgeous book. The photography is appealing and intriguing, the design is appealing, the layouts are clean and simple and easy to follow. And the recipes, of course, are well thought out and create tasty appealing dishes...IF you already know how to cook. I was especially impressed by the way the author improved the glycemic load of risotto and paella dishes by using barley instead of rice. That's an innovation I haven't seen before, one I probably would not have thought of, and the variations in here are utterly satisfying and delicious, especially as small side dishes.

So I like this book a lot, and am very glad to finally have grown enough as a cook to appreciate it. Even if weight and fat loss isn't a primary concern, you will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of it.

Very similiar in principle to the Sonoma diet, this diet focuses on a lifestyle change rather than a diet in the true sense of the work. Basing his menu plan on science, the author provides a simple means for making a lifestyle change for weight loss. The dishes were tasty and filling. There is prep here with the recipes, but many can be frozen, combinations switched around to make the best use of groceries and time.

Dr. Tirman
You have managed to successfully combine basic data of human metaolism with a diet which is creative and innovative. Your down to earth and in depth presentation of human fuel and it's fate in our bodies is interestingly presented and informative in a non pedantic format.

THe recipes are appealing in appearance and innovative . Case in point, taking a simple omelet and transforming it into a breakfast muffin.

Love the use of forbidden diet foods such as nuts. You have also found the Holy Grail of diets , chocolate desserts.

This book is not only great for feeling good about the way you eat or "dieting" if you insist. For me it is such a nice change from the status quoe meals giving you gourmet alternatives for quick meals. Plus the bonus that you are being healthy yet feeling decadent! I have tried probably over half of the recipes and they have all turned out so well that a few are now family favorites made all the time.

If you just enjoy food and wine I think you will enjoy this book. I got it as a gift and have given as a gift and we all love it!

This diet is unbelievable. I tried it because I was bored with other diets and was having trouble staying on them. This one was definitely different. It allowed me to eat healthy while exploring the many possibilities that cooking tasty cuisine has to offer. Well... with the added benefit of wine! The author does not take too much time explaining his philosophy and he made complete sense. I didn't find myself questioning whether or not his concepts were truly healthy. I just knew that they were. The recipes are delicious and adapting our own menu needs to the this diet was beyond simple. Just as an FYI: After about 9 weeks and I had shed 15-20 lbs we learned I was 3 weeks pregnant. Eating this way has many healthy benefits beyond just weight loss! I have had to adapt some of my eating habits to make sure the baby gets everything it needs; however, once the little one arrives I will be back on this diet (wine or not)!

This book changed my life!!! Not only were the recipes easy to make, but I lost weight and the whole family loved the food...even my picky 5 year-old!!! I recommend this book to anyone who cooks or wants to start cooking for themselves or their family with healthy, delicious food.

Losing weight has been the subject of more books, heartache and sheer expenditure than most people care to think about.
Rarely does one find a sensible approach to weight loss that does not entail near-starvation, eating unpalatable food, painful deprivation or yo-yoing.
Using his vast knowledge of athletes' needs, a common sense approach and science, mixed with personal "trialling", Dr. Tirman's book achieves a difficult objective: a diet that works, does not entail deprivation and allows enjoyment of food and wine. It is important to understand the principles which underpin the science behind this approach. Tirman explains it well. It makes sense and should outdo any "fad" diet out there.
Read it carefully, approach it sensibly, and success will come.

The food tastes luscious and the recipes are easy to follow. The science behind the diet makes a lot of sense. Thank you, Dr. Tirman!

While this book is labelled as a diet, its the recipes in this book that make it truly shine. I tagged 41 recipes as "must try" on first read!

The diet can be summarised as combining a high protein main with one or two "savvy", low GI carb dishes and a glass of wine with dinner.

The first section (one third of the book) explains the diet, backs it up with science and is an entertaining read. It's followed by a 7 page meal planning section which initially I skipped as I like to pick my own meals. But I reread it and it has useful menu building and wine selection advice.

The second section is what I bought the book for - the recipes. Highlights for me were:
- interesting side dishes. Not difficult but the sort of sides you'd get at a good modern restaurant (like saffron braised leeks)
- well laid out recipes with a nice introduction and good photos (1 page per recipe, with around 1 in 10 having photos)
- techniques you can apply to normal recipes, like removing carbs from souffles and roux's

The only things I dislike about this book is the lack of nutritional info on the recipes and not having photos for all recipes - minor quibbles I can figure out for myself.

This book is unashamedly written for foodies like me. I love it and hope they bring out a second with more recipes.