aren't you looking for a "fovever" kind of solution?
I've actually rarely followed traditonal diet books that dictated exactly what to eat when. I learned early of the idea of de-criminalizing food and of the difference between hunger and the desire to eat. However, I still ate too much and gained weight. I couldn't find a way to be disciplined about how much and when to eat. I also spent a few years trying to follow the eat-5-to-6 times a day advice of the bodybuilder crowd, assuming that they were THE experts in fat loss, and that fat loss was the holy grail of weight loss. Trouble was, my real goal was not to get to an extremely low bodyfat-a dubious goal, in my opinion- but to learn to eat in accordance with my body's real needs AND live in the real world. In short, to make peace with food, my body, and my work/social life .
Reinhard is the first to say that even this "diet" program is a work in progress, but, for me, 55 and counting, this is the best of many worlds when it comes to trying to live peaceably with food and reach a healthy weight.
No one said that you don't need a calorie deficit to lose weight. What is said is that there are other ways to limit calories and that psychological elements combined with greater attunement with the body's true needs are what really help people make long-term changes in their eating habits. Many people who maintain their weight and have very good health profiles eat three meals a day. Naturally slim people never count calories. How is it that they maintain the same weight, often for years, without figuring out their intake and expenditures? The answer is that the body already knows! What has to be removed are the screens that cover up the body's feedback and the impetus to eat according to its needs. The fact that this has been hard to do for many overeaters doesn't mean it isn't true. It also doesn't mean you become a slave to your hunger, as many of the programs that advocate eating only when hungry and stopping before you are full make you, any more than you want to remain a slave to your impulses to overeat. Over a period of time, the "diet" is giving me a chance to learn how to balance this eating machine within the parameters of human culture, i.e., to eat reasonably and moderately and still enjoy the social and entertainment aspects of food. I thought at first that free eating on the weekends would carry over into the week, but it's been true that the five days in a row of three meals a day without a lot of restrictions besides no sweets, as well as the liberating sense that I have not failed by eating a little too much on the weekends, has really helped dull the desire to keep going on the chocolate after Sunday.
If you have real health problems that absolutely dictate that you eliminate certain foods and eat at more frequent intervals, Reinhard would be the first to tell you to listen to your doctor and do what she says! But most overweight people are not in that category. Do yourself a favor, give up the belief that some diet that recommends many restrictions to start--promoting speed at the expense of a real solution--, get this book, and commit to ending the cycle of optimistic curtailment, failure, and discouragement. It doesn't mean you will get this first try, but you when you do, you'll feel that it really will get easier and that you can do this...forever.
Common sense....FINALLY....
This is not a weigh-everything, count-everything, avoid-favorite foods kinda diet. It is a plan for permanently changing your eating habits for the rest of your life. The problem with so many diets is that they are unsustainable for long. This plan teaches you how to change your whole outlook on eating from the inside out. I'm never going back to any other diet...this is brilliant.
COMMON SENSE
I was curious about this newly-popular book since it is based more on when you eat than what you eat, which makes it somewhat similar to The 3:00 PM Secret. The No S Diet is simple and elegant, having just 3 rules - No Snacks - No Sweets - No Second helpings. These rules apply except on days that start with "S", namely, Saturdays, Sundays, and Special days, where "Special" days are defined as birthdays, holidays, and sick days. The key rule as described by the author is "no snacks", and he defines snacks as anything you eat between meals. In other words, don't eat between meals - period - except on S days.
The author tries to distinguish himself by criticizing other diet books. He says, for example, forbidden-foods diets are "patent nonsense" and "pseudoscientific"; calorie-counting diets "require you to be a full time calorie accountant"; and "...funny that these diets masquerade as scientific..." and so on. Then, he tells you why his diet so much better: "Because it is simple, sustainable, and you aren't really depriving yourself of anything." He says we are fat because of "excess" - we simply eat too much!
The author advocates eating healthy meals and making them count (nutritionally). He is convinced that snacking is what makes Americans fat, suggesting that obesity rates correlate with the number of calories consumed through snacking. He supports this idea by citing that the French snack on average less than once a day compared to Americans three times per day, and that the Chinese barely snack at all. He also says obesity has increased with the increased rate of snacking. While snacking may be a factor in why Americans are obese, it's not likely that it is the only cause.
He does not provide food lists, recipes, or exercises, and says his diet can be used in conjunction with other diets. He does not, however, appear to be a fan of low-carb diets.
Contents:
1. It's That Simple
2. No Snacks
3. No Sweets
4. No Seconds
5. Days That Start with S
6. Building the No S Habit
7. Beyond the No S Diet
Endnotes
This is an interesting book with some research and stats. It has a common-sense approach that should resonate with many readers. I agree with the author about the problems of following diets with draconian meal plans. We are all adults and should be able to determine whether we are overeating during meals by watching the scale. This approach should be an effective method for many people and the book is worth reading. I also recommend [[ASIN:097974590X THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams]], The Alternate-Day Diet, and The 2007 Second Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.
The No S Diet
Absolutely wonderful, unrestrictive, and practical information that is easy to apply. I think it was needlessly repetitive in some areas and could have used more proofing for grammatical errors and flow, prior to publishing. I am passing around the book and telling all of my friends and family that will listen. I have moved down to my first of three levels of "skinny (ier) clothes" in a short period of times, due to the ease of following the precepts of this lifestyle change. It's truly a change that's livable.
My "No S Diet" Review
I would like to tell everyone that this little book was the best investment I could have possibly made. Forget about counting calories,
carbs, fats or anything else. If you follow these simple instructions you will definitely loose weight and you will wonder how anything so simple could be so easy and practical. You will be able to loose weight regardless of what else is going on in your life because the tools you need will be ingrained into your everyday habits and you will not even have to think about what you should do! I could not be more pleased, and I have already lost 8 lbs. after following this program for only 4 weeks! I don't think you will be sorry if you try this!
