Suzanne Somers' Eat Great, Lose Weight (Paperback)

~ (Author), Barbara M. Dixon (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Years ago, Suzanne Somers lost the chance to appear on a hit television series because she was "too chunky." That missed opportunity started her on a "diet roller coaster," trying all kinds of diets. Now Somers believes that diets and deprivation do not help people lose weight in the long-term. In Eat Great, Lose Weight, she explains the food-combining plan she calls "Somersizing": eliminate "funky foods" such as sugar ("my body's greatest enemy") and white flour; eat fruits alone on an empty stomach; eat proteins and fats with vegetables and without carbohydrates; eat carbohydrates with vegetables and without fat.

Sommers presents 113 recipes that certainly don't resemble a traditional diet and might make a weight-loss expert's hair curl, such as Crispy Fried Eggplant and Mozzarella Finger Sandwiches, Flourless Cheese Souffle (with butter, eggs, cream cheese, and Gruyère cheese), and Grilled Pepper Steak with Herb Butter (trim the fat from the meat, but add both butter and olive oil). There's no nutritional breakdown, so you can't count fat or calories. Somers admits that "many experts will argue that food combining is a myth," but she says it works for her, and she credits it with trimming her down to 116 pounds, even though she eats "more than ever." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

It has been argued that one can lose weight and still eat large amounts of foods if they are in the proper combination and proportion and are eaten in conjunction with an exercise program. These two books explore this concept with slightly different interpretations. In addition to recommending larger amounts of complex carbohydrates with little or no fat and sugar, actress Somers (Wednesday's Child, LJ 8/92) emphasizes that eating the right combinations (and avoiding the wrong ones) promotes efficient digestion. Vedral, the author of a number of exercise books (e.g., Top Shape, Warner, 1995), proposes a simple modification of the USDA's Food Pyramid, recommending that low-calorie/high-density foods be eaten frequently to avoid the hunger pangs that sabotage many diets. Both books include extensive menus, recipes, and basic workout plans. Either or both would be a good purchase for public libraries. [Somers's book was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/96.]?Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohi.
-?Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609800582
• ISBN-13: 978-0609800584
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (289 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

230 of 231 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to live with and it works!, March 13, 1999

By A Customer

I bought the book 11/98 for my 39th birthday. I decided to set a goal of losing weight by my next birthday and after following her plan I know I will reach my goal. Since November '98, I have lost 62 pounds and have so much energy! I follow level one and occasionally go to level two. The holidays were super easy. I am a busy career woman and I have no trouble cooking her recipes. Before Somersizing I was buying "convenience" foods loaded with hidden sugars and white flour. Thanks to Somersizing, I know what to look for on the food labels and as a result I am no longer addicted to sugar and caffeine and am eating whole, nutritious foods. I don't have "gastric distress" and no bloating after eating. The inches are melting away and I have lost four clothing sizes in almost 5 months. I have tried other diets like Fit for Life and Protein Power and they made me lethargic and uncomfortable. This is the easiest way of eating that I have ever found to lose weight and I know I can follow it the rest of my life and never feel hungry or deprived!

111 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has changed my life!, November 6, 2000

By	southern gothic "Jenn" (NC United States) - See all my reviews

I've been fighting a losing battle with my weight my entire life. But I've been on this program for about 8 days, and already I feel like a different person! I'm doing Weight Watchers (counting points) as well as Somersizing, and when I weighed in I had lost 7.6 lbs. And the food is wonderful and good for you! Unbelievable! I wish I could tell everyone about this way of eating. I want to go up to people in the grocery store and say "Don't buy that fat-free junk, there's a better way!" The public has been sold a load of BS by the diet industry. I don't know where the idea came from that fat is bad for you and fat-free processed junk food is good for you, but this book will change your way of thinking!

I think what worked for me is that I cut everything out at once... caffeine, sugar, white flour, and basically anything refined or processed. I'm not really sure whether my success is due to Suzanne's food combining theory, or that I just cut out carbs and sugar and started eating more veggies and lean meats. But I'm not going to mess with what seems to be working. The first few days I had a pretty bad headache, but now I feel great. I eat till I'm full and I have no sugar or carb cravings. I made it through Halloween and didn't eat a single piece of candy, which I couldn't believe, but I just didn't want it after reading about what sugar does to you! Now I have more energy than I've had in years, I sleep better at night, it's not as hard to get up in the morning, AND... here's the best part, I don't have the terrible stomach problems I used to have.

Please buy this book and follow this program if you're tired of being fat and eating diet food!

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the 2nd and 3rd books, April 3, 2002

By	audresmommy (Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This is the first of the three "Somersize" books. It explains the program in the most detail, but honestly its a very boring read and the recipes are not practicle. I found the second book "Get Skinny on Fabulous Food" to be much more interesting and the recipes are things that I actual make (the Chinese Chicken Salad is excellent). The second book also explains the basics of the plan, but in a more condensed form so you don't have to read a bunch of in depth explanation like you do in "Eat Great, Lose Weight". If you haven't read any of the books and are looking for the *best* of the three then I wouldn't recommend this one. Go with "Get Skinny" or the newer "Eat, Cheat and Melt the fat away".