Women's Health Perfect Body Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss and Workout Plan to Drop Stubborn Pounds and Get Fit for Life

"I didn't buy this book because I wanted to look through it first so I stopped in the bookstore to read it before buying it. It was 24.95 in B&N for the hardcover so the price on Amazon really is good.
The first thing I did was read through the way she figures out if you are supposed to be on a low carb diet or a high carb/low fat diet. I knew that I would be of the low carb type so I then looked up that diet. For breakfast every day I would make a smoothie of laxative, fruit, peanut butter, yogurt and cottage cheese. Some mornings the recipe is different, for example, a pumpkin smoothie. I don't enjoy smoothies and don't drink them normally and would NEVER take a laxative first thing in the morning, what a terrible idea! No wonder you'd lose weight on this diet! "
~ Written on 2008-09-02

"This was a gift for someone, I didn't use it but it seemed like it was a great book."
~ Written on 2008-08-29

"I bought this book after seeing an advertisement. I was really excited to start...I bought groceries for the recipes that are suggested along with the Glucomannan. I tried the glucomannan in my cottage cheese and had to throw it out. The smoothies were not very appealing and I threw out my lunch on the first day. The dieting part of the book was not helpful whatsoever! The exercise part seems to be ok."
~ Written on 2008-07-17

"If you have read The TNT Diet by Dr. Jeff Volek and Adam Campbell and wished there was a female version of that book, then this is it! In fact, the author Cassandra Forsythe works with Dr. Volek, a world-renowned low-carb diet researcher from The University of Connecticut, and has her name appearing on many of the latest low-carb research studies over the past few years. She believes in low-carb nutrition and was asked by Women's Health magazine to write a book about weight loss and fitness. Some have been critical of this book because they claim it focuses too much on low-fat and not enough on low-carb. But I think it does a good job of having people avoid the culprit carbs that pack on the pounds which is most important when you are looking for a diet plan that will actually work. The "secret weapon" behind this program is the glucomannan fiber that you sprinkle on your foods to make you fuller faster, take away your hunger, and to slow down the absorption of the food into your body. Again, critics say this is gimmicky, but it could be just what is needed to help someone struggling with their weight to get their body into shape. Forsythe is an avid weight trainer and provides specific exercises for women to get that "perfect body" they desire."
~ Written on 2008-06-30

"The good:

This book has a fast and easy way to determine what you should be weighing. The recipes are healthy (with a caveat), and the "Active-Dynamic" warm-up sequence is great either done once through as a warm-up, or several times for an exercise session.

The bad:

This book essentially promotes taking a "bulk-forming laxative" (i.e., the glucomannan) just about every time you eat. Its primary use is as a laxative, look it up for yourself. It is added to every recipe in the book (hence the caveat), and what's more, you're encouraged to add it to food every time you are eating out as well.

The book goes to great lengths telling you how much liquid the glucomannan absorbs and how it can make your portion sizes seem bigger because it expands up to 100 times its own water weight (as in, sit back and watch your food expand). You'd be much better off eating the recipes without it, or adding a healthful source of fiber such as flaxseed occasionally, instead. Slow down when eating, If you're not hungry, don't eat. If you think you're hungry, drink some water first.

Bottom line: the recipes, diet, and workout are fine--ignore the glucomannan part."
~ Written on 2008-02-25