Best Weight Loss Books ! Best Weight Loss Books for You!

What are the best weight loss books for you? First you have to start with a good diet book. The book has to describe a diet that works, not a diet that is just fun or popular. Most people that read a diet book do not actually try the diet and then stay with it for an extended time. When you read the reviews, the good reviews may be from someone who enjoyed the book, or found the book easy or fun.

All effective weight loss books are based on fewer calories being absorbed than being used by the body. Even though it may be effective, I will not consider books that encourage throwing up or diarrhea as the solution. I will only consider diet books that encourage healthy eating habits.

In the past as I finished reading a book that I did not feel worthy of a review, I did nothing. Now I have a page of not the best weight loss books.

The Pritikin Principle
         the calorie density solution

By Robert Pritikin

This is a really simple weight loss plan.  I am using it now and it seems to be working.  I do not worry about how much  I eat, I just choose foods that are low in density or combine them in such a way that they average below 400 calories per pound in the meal.  For instance, last night I was served mashed potatoes and english peas and by mixing these two with lots of peas I was good to go.  This book should be called: density of calories needed to lose weight, (on this page I have a link to a calorie chart from USDA which calculates the calories per pound of 16 pages of food and puts them into decending order.)

Fit2Fat2Fit
The UNEXPLAINED LESSONS from GAINING and LOSING 75 LBS on PURPOSE

By Drew Manning (with Brad Pierce)

This was a really fun book to read. Do not get me wrong, I do not want to gain 75 pounds in 6 months on purpose like the author, but I did find it amazing how fast I could gain weight if I tried. The rapidity with which Drew gained weight also serves as a lesson to me to make sure that I try to be healthier when I am not on a diet. So, I know that you are wondering: How did he lose the weight in 6 months?  I hate to disappoint you, but mostly he cut back on his calories. Only later did he start back to exercising.  The book did offer a few good really simple recipes including his recipe for Spinach Shake which he had every morning for breakfast when he was losing weight. He also had pictures of a few of his favorite exercises which I found helpful. I mostly suggest this book for its fun read and motivation.

You on a Diet

By Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

What a great book.  This is not a weight loss plan per say, but it gives so much information on the biology and biochemistry of weight loss. It ties in all the major organs of the body and tell you what roles the pituitary gland, the liver, the small intestines, the thyroid and stomach etc play in the battle of losing weight. This book puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of eating healthy and being healthy so as not to stress the body which signals the body to defend itself by putting on weight.  I highly recommend this book as being part of your weight loss library.

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Just Tell Me What to Eat

By Timothy S Harlan

To be specific this book should be called just tell me what to eat to lose weight.  This is a 6 week weight loss plan which tells you day by day and meal by meal what to eat. The Book is full of charts and schedules that list the foods. All of the Dinners come with recipes for that day.  Don’t have time to cook; there is also a backup restaurant plan and a backup precooked meal, but Dr Harlan strongly suggests that you cook your own meals. Although he suggests that you get in a routine for breakfast and Lunch he devotes a lot of time on what some of these meals might look like.

read more about what to eat....

Easy Weight Loss Journal with Calorie Cash™

By The Weight Loss Engineer

This is an easy to use weight loss journal and an easy to use calorie chart. This book is not only easy to use but it is also fun, if limiting calories and dieting could ever be thought of as fun. 

The Weight Loss is so easy because you just need to answer Y or N to a few simple questions each day. 

The Calorie Chart is easy because it uses shading to suggest which foods to eat. The darker the shading the worse the food is going to be for you while you are on a diet trying to lose weight. 

Calorie Cash™ is an easy way to keep up with how many calories you have eaten each day. All calories are rounded off to the nearest 25 which equates to 25 cents. A Calorie dollar is about 100 calories. You use play money to keep up with how much calorie cash™ you have spent that day. When you run out of calorie cash™ it is time to quit eating.  

Oh! Did I mention that I wrote this book. Please check it out.

Read more about calorie cash™.

The Amen Solution
The brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep it off

By Daniel G. Amen, MD

The best way to describe this book is to quote from the cover:

“The #1 secret is that most weight problems occur between your ears, not in your stomach. If you want a better body, the first place to always start is by having a better brain.  Read more….(Secret #2)

The Dukan Diet

By Dr. Pierre Dukan

I have not tried this diet yet, but I plan to start it for my traditional New Years Resolution Diet.  In many ways it reminds me of the Atkins diet, but it does not allow you to eat fatty meats, and it adds some fiber, and it emphazizes vegetables after the Attack Phase (Dunkan Diet Phase 1).  I do not know about you, but I lost weight during the first couple of weeks that I was on the Atkins Diet, but then I started to slowly gain the weight back. I think that part of the problem may have been that Atkins at the time did not restrict you from eating fatty meat. That fat may have been what was putting the weight back on me.

To sum it up, I like this book. I learned a lot.  With 4 phases it takes you from the extreme to a more healthy sustainable way of eating. Why not get started by reading more about The Dukan Diet Phase 1.

Cinch!

By Cynthia SASS

Simple food plans based on five food groups is the best way to describe this diet.  I have not put the ideas in this book to the test yet, but it seems that it is based on good nutritional ideas. 

I particularly liked what she had to say about how to stop emotional eating.

I knew this had to be a good book when I saw that cynthia was a coauthor of "Flat Belly Diet", and a contributing editor of  Shape.

Fit for Life

By Harvey and Marilyn Diamond

This was an eye opening diet and health book that I read years ago. The things that I read have really stuck with me.  As time goes on what I learned in this book seems more and more important. Whether you are overweight  or not, everyone should read this book.

The New Glucose Revolution

By Jennie Brand-Miller

I have not read this the new version yet, but the original was great so expect this book to be even better.  The quick reference to the glycemic Index is by itself worth the price.

In Defence of Food

By Michael Pollan

I enjoyed it and found it useful and had good advice. It is always better to eat real food and to eat fresh food.  To paraphrase Michael: If your grandmother would not have recognized it as food, you are better off not eating it.

The 17 Day Diet

By Mike Moreno

If you are looking for a quick diet that works fast, then look no further. Let me just quote the first paragraph of the book:

" I can personally sum up the 17 Day Diet  in two words: fast results.

Depending on your weight  when you start out and your metabolism, you might expect  to lose up to 10 to 12 pounds the first 17 days.....read more

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Healthy Weight Loss

By Lucy Beale, Sandy G. Couvillon, MS, LDN, RD, and Joan Clark, MS, RD, CDE

Before I buy a book, I always thumb through the pages. At first glance I almost did not read this book.  I did not see any unifying themes, nor any easy to follow weight loss charts.  Nothing inside seemed groundbreaking, but since I try to read all the major weight loss books I got it and started reading anyway.  By page 5 it was already getting interesting.  It stated: “ The proportion of the population that is overweight or obese has increased from 24.4 percent in 1960 to 67 percent in 2004.” Here is the chart…read more...

Beat Diabetes with Picture Perfect Weight Loss

By Dr. Howard M. Shapiro and Chef Franklin Becker 

If you have diabetes or pre diabetes, get this book.  It is not really a diet book, but rather a guide to eating healthy combined with recipes to make eating healthy a pleasure.  This book is a bit like the series “Eat This Not This.”   The previous book, “Picture Perfect Weight Loss” was on the New York Times Bestsellers list so you know it is good. 

This book tends to push foods that are naturally high in fiber and Phytonutrients. It encourages one to eat soy protein, and small amounts or healthy fats.

Low Carb 1-2-3

By Rozanne Gold

To be specific, this low carb diet book is a low carb cookbook.   When one thinks of a low carb diet they may be thinking of any number of diets, so let me quote this from the introduction:  
“Low Carb 1-2-3 addresses the needs of everyone following today’s profusion of low carb diets.  This uniquely versatile

read more...

The Full Plate Diet

By Stuart Seale,M.D., Teresa Sherard, M.D. and Diana Fleming,Ph.D.,LDN

 This book should be called: All About Hight Fibre Diet Foods. The basic premis is similar to the Glycemic Index Diet, Foods that are slower to digest keep you full longer and therefore it easier to diet, but thiy do not stop there.  They go on to show all the other health benefits of high fibre foods. Here is what they say about  their book:

"Slim Down, Look Great, Be Healthy. “Strange as it may sound most people are not eating enough to lose weight.  That's right you probably need to eat more to lose weight.  The key is eating more foods that have 

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The Life You Want 

By Bob Greene

 This book tells you how to change for life so that you can live the life you want. It is the kind of diet book that talks about motivation. Bob Greene starts off by describing the major road blocks to weight loss then he goes about giving you a plan to either destroy or go around those road blocks.  Bob aleready has many great best selling get fit and weight loss books.

read more...

Get Fit for Free & Ditch the Gym 

By Scott Tudge

 
This also is not a good diet book, but it is great for those who want to learn how to get fit fast at home.  This book is simple to use and it's split design is set up to take with you as you exercise.  There is nothing earth shaking in this book, but it describes in detail about 47 basic exercises that one can do at home. By using variations of these exercises it comes up with  120 different routines.........

read more...

Food for Fitness 

By Chris Carmichael

 
This is not a good diet book, but it is great for those who are into competitive sports.  This book is dense and one can learn a lot. It talks a good bit about “periodization.” It is a way of having rest days, strength days, or aerobic days… Each day is also supported by a different diet.  

read more...

What are the Best Calorie Counter Chart Books?

I just came across two calorie counter chart books: 

They were the “The Diet Detectives Count Down” and “The Biggest Loser - Complete Calorie Counter.” 

The calorie counter books that I own are much older (20 to 40 yrs old), but they are not out of date. Apples, oranges, celery all still have about read more.......

The Mayo Clinic Diet Book Review

The mayo clinic diet book is a great way to lose weight. This is the only diet that has come from the weight loss experts of the Mayo Clinic. Bogus "Mayo Clinic Diets" have been been circulating for decades. These weight loss programs have been based on everything from grapefruit to cabbage soup, but they have no connection to the Mayo Clinic. read more...

I Can Make You Thin

I read this book and listened to the CD. It was not bad. It can not hurt, but I did not get much out of this book. When it comes to motivation Tom Venuto can not be beat.

More Weight Loss Books that I suggest:

Use the scroll bar above to scroll to the right and see your Amazon Wish List; search for other products; or see product reviews. You can also click on the "Books" and then "DVD" categories if interested in them.

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Use the scroll bar above to scroll to the right and see your Amazon Wish List; search for other products; or see product reviews. You can also click on the "Books" and then "DVD" categories if interested in them.

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I also read other books which for one reason or another I do not think are as good of weight loss books as those found on this page. Here are:

More Weight Loss Books