This week in USA Today, they posted some new books hitting the shelves. These are big books. Big money too. I looked over them and wonder what it could be that they write so much about.
I have lost weight and I don't think I would need much more than a chapter or two to go over what my silver-bullet secret is in depth. My "secret" was learned at H3.
I like to refer to Bob Wright at Hilton Head Health when I think about how to navigate all of the sure-fire solutions and diets out there. I call it my "Wright Wradar". In short, it just means to use a good common sense filter when considering some of these books and strategies out there.
I scanned the article from USA Today but it just did not turn out good, however that is not stopping me from posting them for some filler on this blog ;-)
Looking them over, the synopsis of each gives me some direction on which books I find to be a complete waste of money and which books might be just a long read with some OK information in them. The only one I would buy straight out is the book on the Volumetrics Diet. I prefer to not call it a diet because it is what I practice everyday at home. This is basically the concept of taking everyday meals and making the portions bigger by using other, low calorie ingredients (usually veggies) to bulk them up. In a nutshell, don't eat like a bird when you feel like you need to cut calories.
My thoughts based on the synopsis of each book is below. DISCLAIMER - I am truly judging these books by their cover and 2 sentence synopsis:
- S.A.S.S. Yourself Thin - 4 meals a day with whole foods, and mandatory dark chocolate. Hmmmm....sounds like a long book to tell you to eat good veggies and treat yourself a little.
- The Dash Diet - Pick foods you enjoy, don't set unrealistic goals, blah, blah, blah. Same book, different title. I have actually read the concept of this (Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension). It was wordy and complex. Just long enough and complex enough for people to say 'Forget it!". It does not need to be. Save your time and money.
- The Starch Solution - Eat rice, starches, rice, corn, etc. Avoid fats and oils. This is a new one....the opposite of the Atkins essentially. I would be curious to see what the calories on this thing suggests. Either way, it is NOT sustainable long term much like Atkins and therefore just another gimmick diet, not a lifestyle change.
- Ultimate Volumetrics Diet - Again, I prefer this one but just call it 'How to cook with volumetrics' and leave it at that!
- The Blood Sugar Solution - A six week plan to reverse Type II Diabetes and obesity renamed as Diabesity avoiding processed food, blah, blah, blah regurgitated. Brilliant. Then what the heck are you supposed to eat after the 6 weeks? This guy says one of the the biggest mistake dieters make is counting calories. Uh, really? This guy is a chip off of the PT Barnum block!
- Weight Loss Boss - Written by the CEO of Weight Watchers (intriguing). This does focus on habits you can maintain for life and not just 2 month period of deprivation. Did we need a book to tell us that?
Don't get suckered in here folks. Follow these rules at no charge and you still have the rest of the night to read a good book.
- Know what your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) is. You can calculate this at the Hilton Head Health daily blog under nutrition.
- Track your meals. Eat what you want, but be accountable for every calorie. I think the need to eat bigger meals will win out over just eating what you want.
- Get 50 minutes of exercise 4-5 times a week doing exercises you enjoy. Exercise means 'increased heart rate'.
- Wash, rinse, repeat.
There you have it! The SECRET IS OUT and I am not going to make a dime of that $671 billion. Oh well, maybe Al will give me a loan (had to do it....been a long time since he got a mention).
Sorry for the bad scans....you can probably find this article out on USA Today if you want to read it for yourself.
1 comment:
Thanks for the mention. I thought you'd forgot me. :)
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