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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morris's Victory Is a Triumph for Us All, March 7, 2008
This review is from: A Life Unburdened: Getting Over Weight and Getting ON With My Life (Paperback)
As a licensed nutritionist (who has never had a weight problem, despite my moniker), I was heartened to read Richard Morris's exceedingly well-written, witty and inspiring book.
This is more than a book about a fat man. It is a book that chronicles the lives of Richard and his wife, Mary. As descendants of poor African American slaves they both grew up on whole food diets common to all of our ancestors, all raised within a few miles, always without harmful chemical pesticides or hormones and never cooked in a microwave. As children they both enjoyed vibrant health, but as adults they find themselves statistics in the current obesity epidemic, wondering how each generation of their families grew sicker earlier in life than the previous one.
The Morrises have clearly been around the block, having tried every variation of popular starvation diet that assumes fat people are "overnourished" and therefore focuses solely on dramatically cutting calories. From Atkins to vegetarianism, the Morrises tried many diets to lose weight. But dieting always led to some kind of rebound effect, which is to be expected when you deprive yourself of nutrients. Then one day the Morrises had a revelation - perhaps returning to their culinary roots held the answer.
In his book, Morris provides us with his (and Mary's) 10 steps for success. But to make these 10 steps work, he debunks the many myths he clung to for over a decade. Myths which undoubtedly lead to his battle with obesity. Amongst my favorites are: we have no time to cook; we can exercise off any unhealthy foods that we eat; changing what we eat is hard; and we need to take baby steps if we're going to make any lasting dietary changes.
One feature I like is that he shows the difference in approach he and his wife take to their newfound way of eating. While he is a computer techie, who loves to track his progress on gadgets, Mary can't be bothered, yet they have the same results -- improved health and reduced weight.
We all can learn a lot from Richard Morris whether we've faced a weight problem or not. Morris shares a very human story which begins with humiliation, mires in frustrations, finds hope and ends in victory. Morris demonstrates the power we all have within us to change the course of our lives when we quiet our minds long enough to listen to what our bodies are telling us all the time. A Life Unburdened is a must read for anyone seeking inspiration to turn their lives around once and for all. It is absolutely brilliant!
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get healthy!, February 6, 2008
This review is from: A Life Unburdened: Getting Over Weight and Getting ON With My Life (Paperback)
This is an excellent book for several reasons. First, from the very beginning of the book, the author quickly engages the reader with a vivid description of what it is like to be morbidly overweight. Since I do not struggle with obesity, Mr. Morris' description helped me to understand the daily difficulties of someone who is overweight. Every minute of his life, every decision made, was adversely affected by his weight. Second, the author stresses that each person must recognize that he/she is overweight and take responsibility for making postive changes. The author spent much time researching nutrition and diet and then applied all that he learned to himself. Third, the ideas that Mr. Morris presents can be applied by anyone wanting to eat healthy and be healthy, whether overweight or not.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Life Unburdened, March 8, 2008
This review is from: A Life Unburdened: Getting Over Weight and Getting ON With My Life (Paperback)
This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to lose weight the correct way and keep it off - no matter how many pounds one wanted to lose. I found this book to be informative and encouraging, and appreciated the honesty he gave about the struggles in his life. His personal insight into the difficulties of being extremely overweight gave me a better understanding of what others in the same situation are going through. The mental decision to take control of his life, to do the research on true healthy eating and exercise would be encouraging to anyone. Not only does he give the steps to unburden his life from the extra weight, but in the process shows how he brought balance to other areas of his life (i.e., family, work, etc.).
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