Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life [Hardcover]

Cassandra Forsythe MS (Author), Kristina M. Johnson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007

Let’s face it—women simply do not shed pounds or build muscle as easily as men do. Drawing on fascinating recent research that has shed new light on the gender differences in food metabolism and the effect of exercise, the editors of Women’s Health, the healthy lifestyle magazine for today’s active woman on the go, have devised a weight-loss plan that works especially well for women who would like to lose 5-25 pounds.

Key features of Women’s Health Perfect Body Plan include:

• Glucomannan, a soluble fiber that helps dieters feel full faster—and therefore eat less throughout the day

• Meal plans that contain at least 40 grams of fiber per day

• An adjustment for the impact of female hormones on weight loss (women need a higher protein diet than men to increase lean body tissue and decrease body fat)

• Dieting techniques that revolve around psychological needs and personal goals and lifestyle

• Two diet plans to choose from—one higher in fats and lower in carbs; the other higher in carbs and lower in fats (simple food tests help women choose the type they need)

In addition to the customized eating plan—complete with 75 easy-to-prepare recipes—there is a vigorous customized fitness program consisting of 50 exercises that brings results in just three weeks.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This excellent addition to the literature on women's health and weight loss will help veterans of the dieting roller-coaster overcome hunger, build lean muscle mass, burn fat and maintain energy and mood levels. Developed by the editors of Women's Health magazine, the eight-week program consists of two eating plans, with each of the five-to-six daily meals containing a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate. After determining body shape, calculating ideal weight and doing a simple test for carbohydrate tolerance, readers will know which plan to follow. Both plans pivot around hunger-banishing fiber, particularly glucomannan, a soluble fiber that stimulates satiety, helps burn fat and is featured in many of the plan recipes. Although daily meals for the entire program are charted, readers will learn enough about perfect and not-so-perfect proteins, fats and carbohydrates for their type to create meals that are low in sugar, high in nutrients and efficiently metabolized by the body. The exercise portion of the plan is rigorous: at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day of the week (three days each, strength training and cardio workouts; one day of general physical activity), but even those with no gym experience will be able to follow the detailed daily routines. In fact, this convincing presentation of the benefits of calorie-burning exercise may cause many to dive in with enthusiasm, knowing that they can eat well and maintain their weight. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This excellent addition to the literature on women's health and weight loss will help veterans of the dieting roller-coaster overcome hunger, build lean muscle mass, burn fat and maintain energy and mood levels. Developed by the editors of Women's Health magazine, the eight-week program consists of two eating plans, with each of the five-to-six daily meals containing a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate. After determining body shape, calculating ideal weight and doing a simple test for carbohydrate tolerance, readers will know which plan to follow. Both plans pivot around hunger-banishing fiber, particularly glucomannan, a soluble fiber that stimulates satiety, helps burn fat and is featured in many of the plan recipes. Although daily meals for the entire program are charted, readers will learn enough about "perfect" and "not-so-perfect" proteins, fats and carbohydrates for their type to create meals that are low in sugar, high in nutrients and efficiently metabolized by the body. The exercise portion of the plan is rigorous: at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day of the week (three days each, strength training and cardio workouts; one day of general physical activity), but even those with no gym experience will be able to follow the detailed daily routines. In fact, this convincing presentation of the benefits of calorie-burning exercise may cause many to dive in with enthusiasm, knowing that they can eat well and maintain their weight." -Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; First Edition edition (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594867909
• ISBN-13: 978-1594867903
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cassandra Forsythe is a PhD graduate from the #1 Kinesiology doctoral program in the US at the University of Connecticut. Originating from Northern British Columbia, Canada, she received her MS in Human Nutrition and Metabolism in 2004, and her BS in Nutrition and Food Science with distinction in 2002 from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. She is certified as a Registered Dietitian (RD) through the ADA. Her research interests are low-carbohydrate nutrition, dietary fatty acids, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight-loss, female-specific nutrition and training, and the female athlete triad. She enjoys weight-training, teaching boot camps for women and helping people attain a happier, healthier life.
You can learn more about her at www.cassandraforsythe.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Plan for Me, January 18, 2008

By 

Becky Wilhoit (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life (Hardcover)

As a long-time exerciser and dieter, I have been all over the spectrum, from underweight, to "just right," to overweight. This diet really gathers all the things that put me in that "just right" zone and makes it easy to see why those practices worked so well for me.

The Glucomannan, contrary to a previous post, is really not a "gimicky" thing. It's a suggested supplement that truly helps aid me in feeling more satisfied and, um, regular (if ya know what I mean). It does make your food thicker - the book is clear on this. It doesn't make food grainy, though - at least not in my experience. Again, you have to experiment and find out which foods you like with the Gluocomannan, and then try to work those foods into your diet as often as possible.

With the low-carb or moderate-carb plans available to choose from, I think there's something reasonable for every woman out there with this plan. And really...don't we all know how we react to carbohydrates already? Despite the establishment which repeats the silly "Food Triangle" plan which centers upon carbohydrates as a blanket policy, that 9-11 servings a day of grains/starch doesn't work for everyone. And many woman process carbs differently...I know I do. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome in 2007, and this diet has allowed me to lose about 3 lbs. already (and I've only been on it 2 weeks). And I haven't been hungry.

As for the workouts, I think they are great. I love to go in the gym and lift hard, and this plan (I'm a pear) allows me to satisfy that with my upper body workouts, while still giving me the right guidance on how to train my lower body and how to structure my cardio plan.

I am happy to give this book a great recommendation. Like with any plan...if you want it to work, you have to give it two things: 1) 100% of your effort, and 2) a little time.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Right in time for New Years Resolutions :-0, December 28, 2007

By 

Little Miss Cutey (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life (Hardcover)

Every year when we make the resolution to lose weight and stick to sensible eating plans and do more exercise, we face the hard reality that it isn't always easy. This book is yet another way to help you out. We know diets don't work, but what this book is here for is to customising and setting realistic goals that work for you personally. It's written by the editors at Womens Health, so they have quite an extensive knowledge about what's fact and fiction.
In the book they help you to figure out certain things about yourself and from there you know where to go with things such as exercise and things like whether or not you are a carb sensitive person (ie. after eating a bagel, some people are fine while other peoples energy levels drag). Working out where you fall on these kinds of scales will help you proceed with certain things to eat and things to avoid and what types of exercise are going to be right for you when maybe they aren't as good for other people.
They talk about a soluble fibre called glucomannan which will make you feel full and include recipes in here that have that fibre in them. It helps control hunger by slowing your digestion to keep you full.
Overall this is an interesting book with some new information here and some info that we've read over and over again. Ultimately, the book is helpful if you are going to give it a good try. I usually read these kinds of books and then forget them, but I think this one makes great sense and is helpful when you are really ready to try something that's easy to stick with. Some of the recipes I've tried so far are tasty and yes, filling and if you make these recipes and do the exercise and really stick to it, then that's where the results will kick in.

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A laxative with every meal, February 25, 2008

By 

ReadNReVu - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life (Hardcover)

The good:

This book has a fast and easy way to determine what you should be weighing. The recipes are healthy (with a caveat), and the "Active-Dynamic" warm-up sequence is great either done once through as a warm-up, or several times for an exercise session.

The bad:

This book essentially promotes taking a "bulk-forming laxative" (i.e., the glucomannan) just about every time you eat. Its primary use is as a laxative, look it up for yourself. It is added to every recipe in the book (hence the caveat), and what's more, you're encouraged to add it to food every time you are eating out as well.

The book goes to great lengths telling you how much liquid the glucomannan absorbs and how it can make your portion sizes seem bigger because it expands up to 100 times its own water weight (as in, sit back and watch your food expand). You'd be much better off eating the recipes without it, or adding a healthful source of fiber such as flaxseed occasionally, instead. Slow down when eating, If you're not hungry, don't eat. If you think you're hungry, drink some water first.

Bottom line: the recipes, diet, and workout are fine--ignore the glucomannan part.