The How to Quit Smoking and Not Gain Weight Cookbook (Paperback)

~ (Author), Lynda Hyder Ferry (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do you want to quit smoking, but your fear of weight gain is stopping you? Or did you already quit smoking, and you're carrying unwanted pounds? True, the average smoker who quits gains 4.5 pounds. Some gain nothing, many gain 4 to 8 pounds, and very few gain up to 20 pounds. (After 10 years, however, ex-smokers weigh the same as people who have never smoked.) The How to Quit Smoking and Not Gain Weight Cookbook explains the relationship between weight changes and smoking, how your health will benefit if you quit, how to start eating better before you quit, how to replace what you get from tobacco after you quit, and how to cope with food cravings. You get a personal nutrition plan, plus practical content about exercise, snacking, restaurant eating, and motivation. The strategies are easy to put into action, with self-tests, "scripts" (how you talk to yourself), and checklists to help you personalize the program. The book presents 100 recipes with the nutritional breakdown of each recipe and "health check" notes explaining the nutritional and other benefits of the ingredients. This will be a handy resource for a new or veteran ex-smoker, and a motivating invitation to quit for someone who smokes for weight control. --Joan Price

From Library Journal

This guide, written by a nutritionist and a physician, is addressed to smokers who have been unable to give up their habit because of concern over possible weight gain. Part 1 clearly describes the physiological and psychological changes that may occur soon after smoking cessation, offering sound advice on behavior motivation, nutrition management, and temporary nicotine replacement. Anticipating withdrawal symptoms and cravings beforehand and having a plan of action ready to deal with them will help ensure that the attempt to quit smoking will be successful. Part 2 provides a variety of "quick-and-easy" low-fat recipes, each listing calories and cholesterol per serving. The recipesAsugary brownies, egg white omelets, fried pork chopsAare neither particularly nutritious nor interesting. This is an uneven book, recommended for its advice and encouragement but not so much for its recipes.AIlse Heidmann, San Marcos, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609803638
• ISBN-13: 978-0609803639
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,703,546 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource to understand and cope with food cravings., November 19, 1999

By A Customer

Are you smoking to avoid weight gain? If so, you are not alone. Forty percent of female smokers found do so as a way to manage their weight--25% would like to stop smoking but continue to do so because of fear of weight gain. In addition, 55% of female smokers report that they have little to no confidence that weight control is possible without the use of nicotine.

This book challenges conventional beliefs about smoking and weight, and is packed full of strategies for preparing to leave cigarettes in your past. The truth is, there may be a small initial rise in weight in the months immediately after quitting smoking, but in the long run, ex-smokers have NOT been proven to gain weight after quitting.

The authors of this book have created a series of self-assessments to evaluate your "smoking personality", or root reasons nicotine consumption can be a positive behavior. Is it habit? Or biochemistry? Each possibility will need a different approach. Once you know, you can use one of the many strategies provided to reduce the need for nicotine and greatly improve the chances of permanent success at quitting.

In my experience, understanding the cause for a behavior is always the starting point for changing that behavior; Donkersloot and Ferry do an outstanding job of building the foundation for kicking one of the most potent addictions known to man. And they don't stop there! The second half of the book is menus, recipes, and step-by-step strategies, so detailed and practical that if you REALLY want to quit, there is something for everyone who reads this book. There is nothing else like it currently available, which is why I highly recommend it as a must read.

Monika M. Woolsey, MS, RD

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm using their plan, and it's great, January 5, 2000

By	Kat Neumeyer (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This book has been immensely helpful in my attempt to quit smoking. It's only been 3 weeks, but I'm feeling lucky to have made it so far. Without the common sense guidelines & advice from this book, I doubt I would have made it through the first week.

It's a clear, concise, and factual approach to quitting smoking & staying smoke-free. The menu plans make sense, and are easy to follow. The recipes are great - haven't tried them all yet, but those I've had are delicious.

The information on nutritional values & supplements are also great. There's a lot to think about & take into consideration when you stop smoking, and the authors explain the rationale for managing each type of nutrient.

and as an added bonus, i've even lost 2 pounds =]

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice info; fake sympathy, June 21, 2001

By	a rose among thorns (California) - See all my reviews

This book contains good information about the science behind nicotine addition. For someone sincerly trying to quit, it's useful - if you can get past the pedantic "sure it's hard, but aren't you worth it?" tone. Recipes are good.