[.ca] The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program: Break ... (ISBN 0345426126)

From Amazon.com:
The authors acknowledge that this book is not for everybody. It is not for the healthy eater who may enjoy second helpings of pasta but isn't compulsive or excessive about eating carbs. It is for the true carbohydrate addict who intensely craves sweets and starches and has a hormonal imbalance that can lead to heart disease if untreated. The aim of this program is to "help balance insulin levels and reduce the insulin resistance that leads to carbohydrate cravings, easy weight gain, high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, adult-onset diabetes, and heart disease." The program involves three basic steps: (1) reducing the high-carbohydrate foods that you eat and increasing their quality; (2) choosing supplements that balance insulin levels; and (3) choosing insulin-regulating physical activities. The writing is clear and inviting. The authors explain medical concepts such as Insulin Resistance Syndrome simply and clearly. They also narrate their own health and weight-loss struggles, adding a personal touch. About 60 recipes are included. This program, while it does emphasize eating more protein and fewer starchy foods, does not raise the fat and protein intake to unhealthy levels, like many low-carbohydrate diets. You are encouraged to eat one "Reward Meal" that is one-third high-carbohydrate (preferably a high-fiber rather than sugary choice); the other meals include "low-carbohydrate vegetables" that are fibrous but not starchy. An appendix explains how to make this program compatible with the dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association and other health organizations. --Joan Price

Good ideas..just not all for me:
My wife picked this book up for me, and I am thankful for it. My father and his side of the family have a history of high blood pressure and heart disease. Within the coming weeks, my dad will be under the knife for bypass surgery. I don't want to follow in his footsteps, if I can help it. This book shows me how I can reverse any damage done, and how I may well avoid the surgeon's blade when I'm older. As I said, the book puts forth some interesting ideas, and I was intrigued. I have been on the plan for a little over a week, and I can say that I don't crave the way I used to. Also, since being in the gym 5 days a week, I've noticed weight loss too. All well and good...but... My wife is a diabetic (juvenile), and after 12 years, she knows a thing or two about a balanced diet. When she heard me say what I could and could not eat and when, she looked at me more than a little funny. As a person who NEEDS carbs at her meals, I've had to adjust a little to accomodate her needs with those of this meal plan of mine. After a week, here's what I've noticed: -veggies offer only moderate amounts of fibre compared to whole grains, and the amounts I would have to consume in a day to bring my totals up is bonkers. For desert at my reward meal, I've taken to eating very-high fiber cereal (with psyllium) mixed with yogurt, just to keep properly regular. -I miss my morning orange juice, and I'm not convinced that taking pills to supplement my vitamin C intake is necessarily the right thing to do. -I've lost weight all right, about 4 pounds in the first week, but I'm not convinced that it's the diet that's doing it. The fact that I am eating so much less has more to do with it than anything else. -I'm not a huge guy. At 5'9" and 200 pounds, I know I can stand to lose about 25lbs. But when I think about it, the weight has come on in the last couple of years - in that time, I have become much more sedentary than I was before, and my diet has gone down the tubes. A balanced, reasonable diet and proper exercise is more than likely what I need to reach my weight and health goals. With that in mind, here's what I plan to do: I'm sticking with the no-carb breakfast (if I have breakfast at all) and no-carb lunch, with a reward meal in the evening, but only during the week. On weekends, if we plan on waffles or pancakes for breakfast, I'm going to have them. My wife is more than a little purturbed when she suggests something, and before I can answer she says "oh right, you're not allowed to have that". I will continue to go to the gym for cardio and muscle work, and I am sure that I will continue to see my weight drop and my health improve. After all that, you may suspect that I don't think much of the book. If fact, as I said before, it's a very good book. However, following the guidelines to the letter is just simply not for me.

I Don't Usually Do Diets:
OK...so over the age of 50 I noticed that perhaps I had put on a few pounds. I still run and skate and workout. But I also eat. Many years ago I used the Scarsdale Diet if I needed to lose a few. Today it does nothing. So...I started to try Atkins. I saw the damn thing on the best seller list every week so I figured it had to have some credibility. No way. I was starving by the end of the first week. So I tried South Beach. Same thing. I'll never stay with it if I'm dying to sneak ice cream by 9 pm. And...being a jerk for these things I then went to Carbo Addicts. Incredible. Follow it and you are not hungry. I have lost 15 pounds in less than 2 months. I get to eat one meal a day of anything I want and I feel great. This is the one. Forget Weight Watchers and all the others. Just stick to this and you'll lose with no effort. Trust me.

Not quite understanding.:
I have read this book and am extremely impressed with everything in it except there are some parts that I don't understand. One is dressings on salads I cannot find a dressing out there that has no sugar or msg and also when you say sugar does that mean fructose and corn syrup too?I lost about 10 pounds in 4 days and I have felt great but now that it's been about one week since I have been on it I feel dragged so I don't know if I did something wrong or what. It would be nice to talk with someone about it, but I love the book!! I just want to understand.

Great for people with diabetes:
I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. I followed the program this book advises. My blood sugar levels have dropped to normal ranges, 85 to 110. My blood pressure is back to a normal range also. I have even had to quit taking Amaryl because my blood sugar levels were getting too low. I have also lost 22 pounds in about five weeks. The program helps you from giving up because you may eat a reward meal with a high carb food once a day. I'm telling you it works!

A New Life!:
Although this book can be a little heavy with the medical jargon, the information provided has completely changed the lives of my mother and myself. In 6 months, our energy levels are up and our blood fat levels are down, along with all of the excess weight! All cholesterol reducing medications, except niacin have been discontinued. I have also tried to influence the lives of 2 of my children, who are carbhydrate addicted. They are teens and hopefully will not have to go through the years of poor physical health that I did. It is a wonderful feeling to enjoy each day, not driven by the cravings and released from the worry of premature heart disease! Thank you for our new lease on life!