I am very impressed by this book. As usual, the plan is laid out very well. It's made easy to understand, and the most up-to-date medical information supporting Suzanne's plan is included. But best of all, the recipes are MUCH better than her last books. In her last books, the recipes were more gourmet and "haute cuisine". They were good, for the most part, but my husband really didn't want to eat chicken stuffed with goat cheese no matter how elegant the presentation and my budget didn't allow for the expensive ingredients in most of her previous books.
These are recipes that families can enjoy, and she's tried to make most of them fast & easy to prepare. I am soooo happy!
She's included fabulously "somersized" recipes for a shake & bake type mix, ketchup, barbecue sauce, tartar sauce, chicken nuggets, "fries" made from zucchini and "tater" tots made from cauliflower. She's got chili, ribs and even a recipe for "Green Eggs & Ham." She's got boston cream pie, "pink kiddie" ice cream and chocolate cupcakes. (my toddler is in heaven already!) There's even cinnamon bread with an orange icing so I can make cinnamon buns!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Suzanne! This really is food families can eat!
Wouldn't you love to have a thick porkchop smothered in mushrooms with creamy sauce? Or how about fried chicken wings with bleu cheese dip?
But no you can't eat any of this because you are (pick one or two or more) counting calories, counting points, drinking weight loss shakes or whatever.
Well guess what? You can eat rich fatty foods. (Fat is your best friend on this diet!) You can drink wine. You can eat chocolate, cheese, and other foods you may have given up in order to lose weight. You really CAN have your steak and eat it too!
The secret is Somersizing. Somersizing is a method of eating foods in certain combinations so your insulin levels stay on an even keel and fat is not stored. When you eat this way, you can enjoy creamy sauces, steak, and cheese and not gain weight.
"Suzanne Somers Fast & Easy" is a book by Suzanne Somers that explains this weight loss method and how it works. This book like her previous books explains in detail how to "Somersize". And like her previous books it continues to refine and develop the program. I feel that many of Suzanne's original ideas were based on the work of French weight loss guru, "Montignac". There are so many similarities in his diet and hers. But many diets are based on others and Suzanne has greatly developed the plan.
In this book Suzanne recaps the weight loss method and then gives information on how to make the program work faster and easier! To make the weight loss faster, Suzanne suggests eating fewer meals with carbohydrates. To make meal planning simpler, Suzanne includes a number of family friendly foods that are quick to prepare that everyone will enjoy. There are over 100 new Somersized recipes in the book.
"Suzanne Somers' Fast & Easy" also includes information on supplements to take to enhance health and weight loss. The book has an extended question and answer section.
Her books are carefully written with a lot of detail. The photographs are lavish. She makes the "diet" a sensuous pleasure.
"Fast and Easy" begins with an introduction by Michael Galitzer MD praising Suzanne's work. He discusses why he thinks her plan is safe and effective.
Next the book gets into Somersizing information. With Somersizing you don't have to worry about counting points or calories, you just combine correctly. Suzanne explains all the combinations. Exactly what you need to do to lose weight. She also tells you how to "cheat" once you have lost your weight.
When I started on the program it was like manna from heaven.
I never dreamed I could nibble on cheese, eat full fat dressings and suck down mousse and lose weight! But I did and so can you, if you follow the Somersize rules.
Most of the weight loss information is a repeat from her other books with some surprising updates. She now says a potato a few times a week is ok for level 2 (the level after weight loss). She also covers in detail, healthy habits to develop as a family.
The section on health supplements is written by Paul Schulick. Schulick is President of a company that will be making supplements for Suzanne. Some of the ingredients in her supplements like green tea and cola nut contain caffeine (a no no for Somersizing) so I am not sure how they will fit these in with the Somersize program.
The next chapter deals with frequently asked questions. Most of the questions deal with the nitty gritty of Somersizing, if certain foods are allowed, differences between level one and level two etc.
Suzanne has a lot of products she sells at her website and at a home shopping site.
Suzanne's products include salad dressing mixes, a bread maker, jam, creme brulee (my favorite) chocolate truffles, pasta sauces and more! These are all available as a convenience to the avid Somersizer. And Suzanne refers to their availability frequently throughout her book.
Another section in the book is the extensive recipe section. A lot of family favorites here. Mac and Cheese, Fish and Chips, Pinwheels, Chicken Nuggets and Taco Salad. More sophisticated fare is also included. Scallop Kabobs, Chilantro Lime Grilled Tuna and Raspberry Meringue Cake.
She also includes recipes for her Somersize secret sauce, ketchup and tartar sauce. These are items she sells at her website. I have been buying the delicious secret and tartar sauce and now can make them for much less.
The last section of her book includes a summary of the program for quick reference. An index is included so you can easily find information or a recipe.
Though food combining is not the way most of us are used to eating, it appears that it can be very effective for weight loss. Members of the Somersize list I am on have lost hundreds of pounds! And it's obvious that the lowfat diets Americans are following today are not working as obesity rates are higher than ever. Once you get used to the Somersize method, it becomes second nature. Many people, like myself prefer to give up some starches in exchange for the rich, creamy delights we can now enjoy.
The food combining is described in detail in her book, but a summary is below.
1. Eliminate all Funky Foods.
2. Eat Fruits alone.
3. Eat Proteins/Fats with veggies.
4. Eat Carbos with Veggies and no fats.
5. Keep Proteins/Fats seperate from Carbos
6. Wait three hours between meals if switching from a Pro/Fats to a Carbos meal or vice versa.
7. Do not skip meals.
The book is nicely bound, with lovely photographs and clear typesetting. I do think the cover could have been better. On the cover Suzanne is jumping in a black bathing suit. The back of the book includes a full index and a handy reference guide.
The bottom line is if you want to decrease your "bottom line" and you are tired of low fat diets that leave you hungry and deprived, if you want to try a lifestyle plan that offers plenty of support in the form of books, her website and yahoogroups,
if you want to eat rich, healthy foods till you are satisfied and feel fit..then you should check out Somersizing and Suzanne Somers' Fast & Easy!on this program...I just sort of follow along...she has been very successful, losing 30+ pounds in a year and lowering all of the "bad fat/cholesterol" levels in her blood while raising the "good colesterol" levels, lowering blood pressure, and generally just feeling a lot better.
I watched her effortlessly lose weight...and finally thought that I'd better start doing something, too! Once I started this program I learned that it isn't truly "effortless" but it is easy enough to follow, and is the first diet program where, if you eat out often, you have a fair chance of finding a good meal that still meets your needs.
We both find it difficult to get the "carbos" meal into the daily routine...so usually have puffed wheat, shredded wheat or grape-nuts for breakfast. (The upper midwest is a poor place to live if you're looking for whole grain breads without sugar added...but there are some cracker/breads that have no added sugar or starch, so work pretty well.)
I love bacon and eggs...so this diet is right on target!
Giving up caffeine and my daily beer was hard...but I don't miss either (well, maybe the caffeine) most of the time, now that I'm "over the hump" and broken the habit.
For people new to the diet plan, remember when buying food in the store to read the ingredients list, not the nutritional panel, when determining what, if any, sugars/starches have been added. Once I got that through my thick skull I found a lot more food that fits into the program.
Since January, 2003, I've lost 24 pounds...I was wearing 36" waist pants (and kept having to pull them up because my belly sagged over the waistband)...now I'm wearing the 32" slacks that I last wore in February of 2000 (and they were TIGHT back then!)
So...nearly 60 pounds gone between us! If you're thinking of this plan, go for it. But I encourage you to commit, wholeheartedly, to following it for at least a month. And don't cheat! Read the labels of all food products...don't "just assume" (as others have pointed out, things such as pickle relish, catsup, barbecue sauces, marinades, etc. nearly always have a lot of sugar in them. And a warning flag should always go up when you see a product is advertised as "fat free" or "low fat" (such as salad dressings, etc.) because they for sure have starch and sugar added!
Good luckI purchased this book in 12/02 and followed the "Somerisize" eating plan for the past few months. For those unfamiliar with the plan, Somersizing is a hybrid of controlling carbs and food combining.
THE GOOD: The food is delicious! There are outstanding recipes for onion rings, flourless pancakes and Coq Au Vin (chicken in wine.) The food is diverse and full of flavor.
THE BAD: Cooking these fantastic dishes is not cheap. Eating fresh meat, chicken and seafood really adds up. Also, without a deep fryer, the onion rings aren't as good. The Coq Au Vin will take hours without a pressure cooker. You could make her ketchup from scratch (over an hour of cooking time) or buy two bottles from [the website] for [$$]. There are plugs all over the place for everything from Somersize marinara sauce to Somersize coffee ice cream. Without her pricey products, the cooking is not nearly as Fast and Easy. It is the book's biggest flaw.
THE UGLY: I followed the plan quite strictly for two months. I jogged four times a week. I lost less than 8 pounds. I found for myself, eating tons of eggs, heavy cream, olive oil and beef was too many calories for my body. For many people like myself, the only way to lose weight is to take in less calories than are expended. It's not as chic as Somersizing but it has been a thousand times more effective.
That said, this book has helped lots of people lose weight. I'd never say it's not for everyone. I firmly believe there's no single path to dropping pounds. If you've been thinking about cutting sugar and starch from your diet this may be for you. Just be careful, you could really put a dent in the family food budget making a lot of these treats.Suzanne Somers' latest book is the best yet, I think. The recipes are better, faster and easier and the book is full of useful information. Not to mention that this kind of diet does work and is much easier to adhere to. What I didn't like was the fact that this book is used to sell certain items at her website, such as somersweet, which cannot be found anywhere else. However, as revealed in another review, that can be rectified by using other ingredients.
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