If the creator of a diet and weight loss program can be called compassionate, Bob Greene may qualify for that adjective. Understanding human nature and the complex reasons that people develop weight problems or food addictions, Greene has worked out a program that is decidedly not a quick-fix program of the sort that leads to regaining lost weight on the return to bad habits. Instead, this is a gradual shift of habits into lifestyle eating. Greene's approach has been eminently successful and, when originally published, the book was a NY Times Best seller. Revising to incorporate the newest scientific discoveries, Greene has updated the book and added both new recipes with detailed nutrition analysis, and a two-week 'speedy' meal plan that complements our time-pressured life styles.
We call Greene compassionate, because he understands the tyranny of habit that grips us all in everyday activities. Accepting that habits are difficult to break, Greene starts with phase one which focuses primarily on "moving your body more, changing your eating patterns, and eliminating six problem foods from your diet." This phase lasts four weeks. It begins with a weigh-in on the scale, but then the scale is banished for four weeks. This phase is to learn to be comfortable with new habits.
Phase two is more rigorous and includes modifications such as portion control. This phase also lasts four weeks. Though a weekly weigh-in is allowed, the goal is to judge success at week four.
With good habits replacing the bad ones, phase three transitions into the life style diet based on healthy new habits. Just as the defeated bad habits once dominated life, now the good ones hold sway. Unlike the four-week phases, this phase is for the rest of a healthy life. The emphasis here is on healthy eating as a life plan.
Throughout these pages, Greene offers information on foodstuffs, on nutrition in general and on the psychology of eating, a critical factor for anyone who wonders why they just can't stop eating their favorite taboo foods.
The second part of the book gives meal plans (including speedy plans) that are based on three meals a day with a snack and sometimes a 'treat.'
Quite simply, this is one of the most intelligent plan we've seen. And Mr. Greene has a companion book of recipes to satisfy, instruct and inspire. click here
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