My struggle with weight appears a lot of my blog. I battle daily with issues of food addiction and emotional eating. I am a work in progress. At the beginning of 2015, I vowed to change my eating habits and exercise more.
I succeeded to a degree this year, but in August, injury and pain knocked me off my track. My sciatica flared, causing pain to shoot down my left leg. I have not been able to exercise, and I am losing ground on my weight loss initiative. I am not throwing in the towel, however. I am determined to get back on track which is why I signed up for the latest iRead Book Tour by Laura Fabiani for the book Stop the Diet: I Want to Get Off. (Affiliate link: if you click and purchase, I receive a small percentage of sale.)
Written by Los Angeles-based registered dietitian Lisa Tillinger Johansen, this book is not a quick-fix plan or fad diet. In fact, in the book, Lisa examines numerous quick-fix fad diets in an often witty and humorous way and debunks each diet with reliable scientific, medical facts. She explains why they don’t work and details the danger of following them.
Lisa really examines some weird diets such as the O2 diet and the Cotton Ball diet which she tagged, “Cotton Ball Baloney.”
After debunking numerous diets, she then proceeds to establish ground rules for common sense dieting including limiting fat in-take, replacing bad carbs with healthier ones, and drinking more water and cutting back on soda and high-sugar drinks. Exercise is also stressed. She also fills the remaining pages with quick tips, that I had not thought of such as, when eating out, ordering an appetizer as your main entree. She qualifies that with making sure you order a healthy appetizer like garlic shrimp with a small vegetable salad, remembering to ask for the dressing on the side.
She also gives detailed exercise information. Did you know that it would take 60 minutes of non-stop walking at 8 mph to burn of an 800 calorie shake from the Jack-in-the-Box? Compare that to just 11 minutes of walking at 3 mph to burn the calories in a small apple!
I enjoyed reading the funny facts about fad diets and also found the ending chapters encyclopedic in their coverage of nutrition and exercise data. The only thing I wish the book included was specific recommendation for meal planning. I believe the book should have included sample menus for up to a week of healthy eating. To make up for this lack, however, Lisa did include a detailed resource list at the end of the book complete with high quality websites on which to find recipes and meal plans.
For more info about the book, check out Lisa’s promo video below.
You can also find even more tips at Lisa’s websites: fastfoodvindication.com and stopthediet.com, Lisa answers nutritional questions, gives helpful tips, and creates exclusive videos designed to promote a fun and more healthy lifestyle. Also be sure to check out her on her Website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page.
Lisa is also a special guest of Literacy Musing Mondays this week. Be sure to check out her guest post!
Lisa Tillinger Johansen bio : A Los Angeles-based registered dietitian who counsels her clients on how to eat healthy for life, she is also the author of award-winning FAST FOOD VINDICATION and STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF!. With a background that includes teaching posts at Southern California’s largest hospital network, federal grant programs, and community outreach endeavors, Johansen applies her years of clinical and health education experience toward helping others achieve their nutrition goals.
Also be sure to check out our giveaway! You could win 1 of 10 copies of Stop the Diet. One winner will also win a $25 Amazon gift card (open to USA & Canada).
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Linking up with these hops this week: Literacy Musing Mondays, #LifeGivingLinkup; Inspire Me Mondays at Create with Joy, Inspire Me Monday at Angie Ryg,Mama Moments Monday, Motivation Mondays, Good Morning Mondays, Inspire Me Mondays at Table for 7, Mommy Monday Blog Hop, Tell Me a True Story Blog Party, #Words with Winter Linkup, The Book Nook – Blog Party For Book Lovers!, Totally Terrific Tuesdays, Women with Intention Wednesdays, What to Read Wednesdays, Mom’s Library, A Little R &R Wednesday’s linkup, Kid Lit Blog Hop, Booknificent Thursdays, Cozy Reading Spot, and TGI Saturdays.
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I always really appreciate your transparency and vulnerability in your posts, and this one is no exception. Thanks for sharing how you are growing in this area. I’m so glad this book has been a help to you. I have struggled and do struggle in this area as well, but I am terrible about sharing about it. I have found some real freedom in the past several months following the Trim Healthy Mama plan. I am daring to believe that it will be sustainable. Thanks for being a part of Booknificent Thursday this week!
Tina
Don’t be discouraged, Mary! I’ve been there too, I lost a lot of weight during college, but it can be hard to stay where you want.
It sounds like a lot of the advice in this book is good old common sense, we just don’t want to follow it! One thing that has helped me to stay healthy is avoiding processed foods and instead replacing them with real food that actually keeps me full and feeling great!
Have you ever checked out http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/? She has some great (and easy!) recipes that you might enjoy!
Hannah@SeeingtheLovely recently posted…Showing Your Family Thanks during the Holidays
I would like to win this book because I can use all the help I can get! thx
Would love to win this because I lost 75 pounds but went back up 15 pounds and would like to be healthier. I know diets don’t work its all about eating right.
Oh boy. This is me. I lost so much weight from exercise and being intentional with eating…I have fallen off the wagon hard. 🙁
Brianna recently posted…Why you (and your spouse) should attend a Marriage Encounter Weekend
OH, me too! What a struggle it is to stay focused on healthy eating and exercise. I’ll add this to my prayers for you, as I know from experience that it is not an easy road.
Michele Morin recently posted…Blessed Are You
Mary,
Thank you for taking the time to read and review my book. I appreciate it! I know how hard it can be to stick to a healthy eating and/or exercise plan when life’s obstacles get in the way. But it sounds like you’re hanging in there. I know you’ll succeed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I’m always happy to help.
Lisa