Book Review: Joy's Life Diet

Time for another book review! This book was written by one of my favorite dietitians...Joy Bauer! I actually had the opportunity to see Joy speak in Michigan during my dietetic internship. She's definitely someone I look up to professionally. You can watch her on the Today Show and see previous clips here! (click on Joy Bauer on the left hand side under "contributors")

 

Let's get into the book review shall we?

 

 

Joy's Life Diet book is centered around "four steps to thin forever." It walks you through how to change your lifestyle and eating habits for good. This isn't a fad diet but rather a lifestyle change that promotes "reprogramming" your appetite and the way you eat.

 

Some takeaways I liked from this book include:

 

Drink plenty of water

 

Eat 3 meals per day plus a snack

 

Incorporate lean protein, fruits/vegetables, whole grains and reduced fat dairy

 

Get off that couch and move!

 

I also enjoyed the inspiring weight loss success stories shared throughout the book!

 

 

 Like most diet books, this one included meal plans (6 weeks worth!) as well as tons of recipes!

 

 

 What I didn't care for in this book was the "foods allowed" versus those not as part of the first few steps of the plan. I think having the mindset of forbidden foods only increases people's desire for them.  You need to learn to acknowledge cravings with a bite or two and move on. Don't let food control or define you.

 

Overall, this book would put many people on the path towards success. The stories leave you inspired and the meal plans are straight forward. Bottom line, eating healthy is a way of life...how are you living yours?

Buy this book and others written by Joy Bauer here


? Do you have any diet book suggestions for my next book review? ?

 



Banish the word "Diet"

If there's one thing I wish I could drill into people's heads it would be:

 "STOP THINKING YOU'RE ON A DIET!!!"

I wish we could just banish the word "diet" altogether. To me, the word "diet" implies something that's temporary. It means I'll eat this way for a few days/weeks/months and then I'll go back to doing what I always did. How messed up is that?!

Why on Earth would someone work so hard to lose weight, get healthy and change their eating habits only to revert back to doing what made them miserable in the first place?!

Let me change your thinking process....lifestyle change. As a dietitian I use that phrase on a daily basis. Don't think of your changed eating habits as a temporary "diet", think of them as a lifestyle change and something you'll continue to do everyday.

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Eating healthy shouldn't be temporary.

You. Should. Do. It. All. The. Time.

Not only will you look and feel great, but you'll never have those feelings associated with the word "diet" again.  You know the ones I'm talking about...guilt, shame, hunger, disappointment, stress, deprivation, frustration...I could go on forever!!!

Stop viewing healthy eating as a "diet" and view it as a way of life. I promise you'll see results and be soooo much happier!



Detox Debunked

Detox...Cleanse...Lose 10 lbs in 2 days...

Sound familiar?

I really dislike companies that promise consumers a "quick fix" when it comes to weight loss. Cleansing/Detox is just that.

Here's the real scoop:

1. Our bodies are amazing machines. They DO NOT need to be detoxed or cleansed. They are capable of doing that all on their own. You can thank your kidneys, liver, colon, etc. 

2. Any weight that you lose I can almost guarantee will come back and then some. Sure, eating/drinking 500-800 calories a day will promote weight loss, but the moment you go back to eating how you always did the weight comes back too. 

3. Interested in losing muscle? I didn't think so. When we deprive our bodies of adequate calories and protein by cleansing, it looks to other sources for energy...aka our muscles. 

4. Potential health complications and serious side effects. Yup, that's a risk you're taking when you sign up for a detox/cleanse.

Now, ready for the real solution?

1. Eat lots of whole fruits and vegetables. Think apples, broccoli, spinach, berries, etc. 

2. Drink water

3. Incorporate lean protein. Salmon, chicken, tilapia, pork tenderloin, etc.

4. Don't forget fiber, low-fat dairy and whole grains. 

5. Get moving. Even 10 minutes/day is better then no minutes/day.

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?   Have you ever tried a detox or cleanse? What were your results?  ?