[.ca] Fight Fat After Forty (ISBN 014100181X)

From Amazon.com:
If you're a woman over 40, you are undergoing physical and emotional changes, declining metabolism, fat deposits at your waistline, decreased energy, mood swings, food cravings--do we need to continue this list? Now pile on chronic, long-term stress (which the author terms toxic stress), which hits women between 40 and 60 and leads to self-destructive eating behavior. "Uncontrolled or toxic stress keeps the refueling appetite on, thus inducing stress eating and weight gain," Peeke explains. The stress triggers are constant, so the body never gets to turn off the stress response. The weight gained from this chronic, toxic stress--toxic weight--settles inside the abdomen and is associated with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Peeke explains the association between stress and fat gain, and describes the stress/eating cycle ("the itch you can't scratch"). Then she teaches tools for "regrouping": formulating and following a contingency plan of nutrition, exercise, and self-care. Next are suggestions for a nutritional plan tied to stressful times of the day and an explanation of food needs after age 40. In the final chapters, Peeke nudges us to exercise to relieve stress, reduce body fat, and benefit overall health. Peeke is a highly regarded scientist and clinician who studies the link between stress and fat at the National Institutes of Health. She's also Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and works with Vice President Gore as the Medical Director of the National Race for the Cure for Breast Cancer. --Joan Price

Who is Nancy Lloyd?:
Reading through these reviews has left me with one question: "Who is Nancy Lloyd and what is her connection to this author?" Does it strike anyone else as just a tad bit too much of a coincidence that every fifth reviewer just happen to have her life changed by reading these two books? Use these "reviews" with caution folks. Often they are just paid sells pitches and Amazon plays along because...hey, it moves books right?

My first introduction to this subject:
There may be other and better books on this subject, but this was my first introduction to the topic and I found "Fight Fat After Forty" extremely useful and pragmatic. It addresses my number one diet and exercise struggle--the one against stress. I wasn't bothered by the "menopot" term, since Dr. Peeke outlines in some detail why it is a common problem and health risk. And she makes it clear that you don't need "six pack abs" to address the problem. All in all her suggestions and approach are very do-able and what I especially liked is that she realizes we all don't have personal trainers, unlimited discretionary time and private chefs. She gives many practical examples of how the average time-crunched woman can fit her suggestions into their lives.

not worth the money:
After having read the reviews on amazon, I decided to dare and order this book, but I'm frankly disappointed. Some of the first part was still o.k. and kind of interesting (this theory between stress and fat), but things only got worse afterwards. It boils down to another diet anyway - count calories, balance your meals, exercise. All in all, I sensed a lot of dietspeak, like all the times she mentions you're "paying" for something (if you don't exercise a lot, you can't eat a lot more calories; if you don't exercise you're not really serious in following this approach and shouldn't have to wonder why you stay fat, etc), even if she tries to counterbalance it by saying you shouldn't overdo it. The more I read on (why didn't I have the courage to just stop? I probably hoped something worthwhile would come along) the more I felt this book added stress to my already stressful life. As I already had underlined things and made some comments, I finally threw it against the wall until I felt better. Have never done that with a BOOK until now. So, how many more calories can I spend from my account now that I exercized?

I Expected Better Behavior From A Female Doctor:
"Doctor" Peeke may know her physiology, but she doesn't understand the human heart. I found her rather cold, hard and analytical, as are many doctors. She seems that way on "Cooking Thin" and it's verified in her writing. I don't think Ms. Peeke has ever experienced a binge. I don't appreciate being patronized and insulted, especially by another woman! The "menopot" remark was uncalled for. If I wanted a drill sargent, I would have joined the Marines. It mystifies me that she does not take into account that height, weight and activity level play a part in how many calories each person can burn. I expected a little bit more accurate science. This is very much a one-size-fits-all approach. The material is the same old song you've heard from everybody else. You'll end up eating something like "The Zone" diet. So save yourself the insult and just buy "The Zone Diet". Shame on you, Pamela.

YOU SIMPLY CANNOT EAT THE WAY YOU DID AT 25, 30 OR 35!:
I bought this book a week ago and have been working with this program for about 5 days. I still haven't done everything perfectly, and I've lost 3/4 of an inch around my waist! I figure out the content of the foods that I cook by using Corinne T. Netzer's The Complete Book of Food Counts, but I figured all the daily gram and calories requirements using this book. After a few weeks, I know that I won't need to look as much up because I'll just know the information, but knowing the difference in my body now, and my body when it was 25, makes a big difference in how I look at food and decide on my choices. YOU SIMPLY CANNOT EAT THE SAME WAY YOU DID WHEN YOU WERE 20, 25, 30 or even 35! YOUR METABOLISM HAS CHANGLED DRASTICALLY. Do yourself a favor and figure out WHY it changed and what to do about it and BUY THIS BOOK.