[.ca] Suzanne Somers' Get Skinny on Fabulous Food (ISBN 0609802372)

From Amazon.com:
"I got skinny on fat," claims Suzanne Somers. It sounds too good to be true--a weight-loss program that lets you "eat incredible, rich foods in abundant portions while the unwanted pounds effortlessly melt away." Most nutritionists would cringe at the idea that people trying to lose weight don't need to restrict their dietary fat, but Suzanne Somers and her "Somercizers" insist it works. Fat (even saturated fat) isn't the enemy, she claims--it's "products loaded with sugar, white flour, hydrogenated oils, and chemicals and preservatives that replace real fats." Get Skinny on Fabulous Food follows Somers's Eat Great, Lose Weight with a recap of the Somersize program, which involves eliminating "funky foods" like sugar and starch and using a type of food combining. Also included are grateful letters from followers of the program, menu suggestions, and 150 new recipes. Recipes include such fat-filled dishes as Leslie's Mushroom Broccoli and Egg Cupcakes (with butter, oil, Swiss cheese, and nine large eggs), Beef Stroganoff (with butter, oil, and two cups of heavy cream), Ginger Creme Brûlée (with butter, heavy cream, nine large egg yolks, and even the enemy: sugar), Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake (with cream cheese, eggs, chocolate, sour cream, and--yup--sugar). No calorie counts or nutritional breakdowns are included. --Joan Price

Not good for the long run!:
I am an American living abroad and like many other people I loved this book initially. I dropped all the pounds I wanted to in about 2 weeks, around 15 pounds. I loved feeling thin and felt justified arguing with my husband over whether or not this was a healthy plan. Things went great for almost 4 years. In the beginning I ate cereals for breakfast with no problem. Then as the years went on I found myself having to eat fewer and fewer pasts, toast, cereals and so forth, in order to maintain my weight. Even if eatten exactly as Somer's recommended (which I had done for 4 years very effectively) I began gaining weight. It would take over 4 weeks to lose one pound of a four pound weight gain from one meal of truely whole grain pasta with no other added fats of any sort. At first I thought I was not following the plan properly because it had worked so well in the past. So I was careful not to cheat in any way. My food was properly combined. Still I was gaining weight. Why? I really believe that my body became unable to process any carbos after following this plan for so many years. Healthy? This plan? I think not!!! I would not recommend it to anyone interested in long term health or weight control. It is a short term solution and a very dangerous one in the long run. I had all the negative symptoms of being obsessed with food, watching the time of when I could eat again, my hands would shake from hunger along with other physical problems and literally gorging on 3 eggs with 5 pieces of bacon and still not feeling full, and slowly gaining weight. This plan wants you to eat all proteins because it is the only way it works in the long run. When I read other reviews of this book all I want to say to them is give me your review in 5 years and I highly doubt it will be so positive. I would rather live with my 10 pounds than do this diet again. And I love having fruit with my yogurt and not watching the time of when I can eat again. It makes me sick to think that so many people are still falling victim to the quick promise of losing weight and eatting what you want. If I could I would put my face on an advertisment and shout to everyone, "don't do this diet!!!" If you want to lose weight fast (all muscle and important parts for your body) and eat beef jerky all day than by all means do this diet. But if you want a long term solution, eat a low fat diet with lots of fruits and veggies. It is much more healthy. Please, do not do this diet!! Your body deserves better!!

Suzanne or Marilu--who will be your guru?:
I have just read this book as well as Marilu Henner's book. In some ways they are similar: both feature beautiful, healthy, glamourous, rich, 70s-sitcom-starring celebrities. Both claim to have discovered the secrets to health and vitality and slimness. Both are enjoyable to read and seem like someone you'd like to have as a friend. But the food...there's the big difference. Being an aficionado of the famous Eat Right 4 Your Type way of eating I have discovered that as a type O+ I feel much better on a protein/veggies/fruits regimen versus an almost vegetarian (fishaterian?) grains and veggies approach. I spent 6 years basically doing the Henner approach but found a much higher energy level and ability to maintain a healthy weight AFTER I quit eating so much starch and started eating meat again. As I read this book I couldn't help but notice that it is very close to what Dr. D'adamo recommends for Blood Type As in his book; lots of soy, grains and legumes, avoiding dairy and meat and keeping fat intake low. I am convinced that this is the best approach for some people, probably the Type As! Suzanne Somers' book which allows meats, dairy and fat (properly combined of course) works really well for me and probably other type Os who really do need protein to maintain their health and energy. Speaking strictly as a cook and an enthusiastic eater, the Somers book is much more fun. I found recipes in this book that I will definitely use. Therefore, my advice to these readers is: If you are a type O, then check out Suzanne's (and Peter D'adamo's ER4YT of course!) book and enjoy a tasty dinner!!! An aside--I saw Ms Sommers in person in Palm springs two years ago and she looks absolutely lovely. She must be doing something right!

Just plain delicious!:
Whether or not you follow the somersize program, you will love the recipes from Suzanne Somers! They are very tasty! And for anyone looking to find delicious ways to include more vegetables in your diet you'll find lots of ways to incorporate them.

Get Skinny by Suzanne Somer:
The work explores the positive and negative aspects of dieting. The author explores ways to reprogram the metabolism. The first important food group is pro/fats consisting of meats/ poultry, fish and eggs. Next is the low starch veggie group followed by carbs which consist of pasta, cereal, bread and non-fat dairy. The author recommends eliminating all kinds of junk food; such as, sugars, starch, caffeine , alcohol and processed foods in general. She tells us to eat fruit on an empty stomach. Foods should be eaten in combinations. For instance fats are to be eaten with veggies or carbs should be combined with veggies. The objective is to promote hormonal balance. Meals should never be skipped. In fact, the protocol calls for 3 meals each day. Stage 1 aims at losing weight while the subsequent stages are weight maintenance. The author recommends utilizing generous portions of herbs; such as, ginger and extra virgin olive oil in place of heavier oils. Many sample recipes are supplied. Finally, the author speaks of a glycemic index and provides sample food statistics. For instance, high glycemic foods are in the 60-110 range. These foods consist of beer, white bread, potato, jam, popcorn, pasta and brown rice. These foods should be avoided or minimized. Dairy (non-fat), fresh fruit, soy and green vegetables are in the 15-35 or low glycemic category. This book is a good purchase. It will assist in formulating and maintaining a diet which is manageable over the long term.

Easy, Easy , Easy:
When I find that I have put on a few extra pounds, this is the diet I return to again and again. I have never needed to stay on the diet strictly (Level one) for more than a couple of months because I get to my optimum weight within that time. Unfortunately, I give myself permission to sample too many starches and then the weight comes back. Now when I see the scale go up, I jump right back on this diet and I don't have to continue the neverending cycle of going up and down. The food is delicious, the recipes are like simplified versions of classic cuisine. I don't agree with the criticism about this diet making you eat too much saturated fat. I've gone for days on this diet without having eaten meat or butter. Fish, seafood and lean poultry dishes are perfectly acceptable on this diet and healthy olive oil is the main "fat" in many recipes included in this book. In addition, the carb recipes give the dieter much needed fiber and nutrition from whole grains and beans. I think this balance is lost on many of the ultra-restrictive "carbs will kill you" diets. And the bottom line is that it works!