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ksoles
Jul 15, 2014ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Low fat, low carb, low sugar. Gluen-free, paleo, blood type. The number of "expert"- endorsed fad diets has become overwhelming, so much so that most struggling with their weight can no longer separate the pseudoscience from the facts. No wonder the vast majority of those who lose weight eventually put it all back on. No wonder those same people feel guilty, ashamed and desperate. Refreshingly, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a family physician with his own obesity practice, takes a different approach to eating. His popular blog, "Weighty Matters," criticizes obesity myths and writes with a knowledge of the medical literature combined with extensive experience. His new book, "The Diet Fix," advocates for the healthiest life you can enjoy: no starvation, no cleanses, no traumatic sacrifices and no miracle supplements.
Freedhoff opens his book with “Dieting’s Seven Deadly Sins”: Hunger (not sustainable), sacrifice (leads to certain failure), willpower (important but permanent resistance is futile), food restrictions (manage, not banish food groups), sweating (you can't outrun your fork), seeking perfection (need to accommodate setbacks) and denial (suffering becomes harder to both sustain and deny). Given that typical "diets" don't deliver long-term results, negative emotions and expectations run high among dieters. Freedhoff reviews and addresses the most common side-effects: guilt, shame, failure, depression, despair, binge eating and metabolic slowdown.
But at the core of the book lies what Freedhoff calls the “Ten Day Reset,” which recalibrates expectations about healthy eating. Permanent changes in weight go hand in hand with permanent changes to life; thus, each day describes a new set of skills to support behavior change. Over ten days, Freedhoff teaches how to measure food, keep a food diary, banish hunger, cook, exercise, eat out, set goals and troubleshoot. He asserts that no perfect diet exists for everyone but that these skills bear relevance for any approach to weight loss. Ultimately, if you enjoy the approach and can sustain it, you will achieve success.
"The Diet Fix" most definitely classifies as an oddity in its genre: no outlandish promises, no strict rules, no excessive exercise, and no recommendations for supplements. Unfortunately, Dr. Freedhoff won't attract followers in the same way that Dr Oz and his miracle cures have but hopefully a wide audience will still interpret his book as a science-based guide for anyone seeking credible and sustainable advice on permanent weight loss.
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The Diet Fix