Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover

I have to keep buying this book because I continuously give it out to people. I read this book after my third child was born and as I read it I became more and more bewildered regarding how the author keeps her sanity with such restriction. I am a true lover of food. I can eat an entire pizza by myself and I am no stranger to Peter Luger‘s menu. I’m not a vegetarian but I love vegetarian cuisine because vegetables created as a main dish tend to be more creative than when they are simply accoutrement to a protein main event.As the author started restricting I kept reading but with less heart. How would I ever be able to benefit from such a program when I am not willing to restrict my diet even a little?At the end of the book. ( I think it’s at the end…it’s been along time since I read it though mere weeks since I last ordered it) The author says to pick one change. I found one that I could live with. I stopped eating processed food.My life is forever changed by this absolute one change. I do not have to deny myself anything, in fact, food is so much more enjoyable now that I eat everything fresh. If I want baked goods I go to a bakery if I want soda I drink seltzer and I add my own fresh fruit juice. If I want pasta it has to be fresh pasta.Not only am I more satisfied with my food intake and the enjoyability of my meals, but my body has responded in a way that I would never have imagined. It’s happy. It feels good. I’ve always been healthy and I’ve never been overweight except for the doubling of my weight that occurred when I was pregnant (no exaggeration… I put on 110 pounds with my twins) but now my body feels like it did when I was a child. It feels new. 14 years after my first reading of this book and it still feels that way.

I admit it, I bought this book because I like Marilu Henner and saw her on tons of talk shows plugging away--I believe the American public has an obligation to support funny, perky, way-too-enthusiastic-about-everything celebs like her who have turned the once-lowly status of "talk-show-guest" into an art form. Plus, I was looking to change my diet and drop a few pounds, so I decided to give it a try (anything had to be better and easier to follow than _The Zone_). To my absolute surprise, it was not only entertaining reading, but it seemed to make sense. So I tried a few (not all--it will be a while before I can give up all sugar) of her suggestions--namely, ditching meat (not too hard) and dairy products (really hard--adios, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream. yogurt, etc.)--and suddenly I was losing weight. I had lost a few pounds before I read the book, but had hit some sort of plateau where it seemed impossible to drop any lower (even though I was exercising and watching my diet). For lack of a better phrase, it seems like Marilu's ideas sort of "jump-started" my metabolism again. I'm dropping weight gradually and safely, I always have the energy for daily exercise (even after work), it seems like a layer of fat has disappeared off my face, and my skin looks and feels pretty darn good. So if you're debating whether or not to get this book, I have to say go ahead and do it--it's not the most scientific tome in the world, but it seems to work, and I have to give it big credit just for that. Plus, rice milk--once you track it down in the nether regions of Kroger--isn't THAT bad, for heaven's sake (three words: smoothies, smoothies, and smoothies).

This is a used book - it wasn’t sold as used

An interesting way to rethink what you eat to feel and look better. It was actually a change in eating habits that I was able to stick with. Thought I would miss eating dairy products like eggs and cheese, but I really don't. Since switching to eating this way my seasonal allergies didn't bother me at all. My skin cleared up. My digestive system felt more balanced. I didn't feel hungry or feel like I was missing anything. The harder part was reducing and eliminating sugar. Some of the safer and healthier sugar substitutes she suggests using are rather expensive for my budget. This way of eating doesn't really require anything unusual or expensive to have to eat. Read through the whole book. It really is worth the information that she gives. I can't afford organic products, but by combining the foods I can afford to her method, I am still able to enjoy the benefits.

I gave the book four stars because some of the information is not new to me. I read the book on a Saturday morning. It's interesting and entertaining. I'm now going to purchase the 30 Day Make Over. I do not eat junk food or drink soft drinks but I still feel lethargic. I exercise regularly but I seem to have reached a plateau when it comes to my weight so I'm going to continue to read Marilu's book series and I'll see how it goes.

I love this book, Marilu is a great writer, and makes this book an informative as well as interesting book.I am following a few of her suggestion, like no dairy, which when you read this chapter and her reason to avoid this makes so much sense to me. Marilu was on Dancing With The Stars recently and I think she was 60 and she looked fabulous and was as flexible as someone half that age.The proof is in the pudding folks,try this book.

I think this book has a lot of information and she shares it all with you in a way that you can connect. Based on reading this book I have stopped eating dairy. Something I never thought I could or would do but she has convinced me that diary is not my friend. I already avoid cow's milk so it was easy to give up the yogurt and cheese. I now buy rice cheese which is good enough. I intend on making additional changes to my eating based on her recommendations. Great Book, happy I bought it and will most likely buy another one of her books.

An over rated book with absolute nothing helpful in it.

I found the book interesting and one that I would come back to. In looking at the bibliography it seems that a lot of the information comes from other health type books of the same nature plus the author,s own experience. I had quit eating meat myself about three months ago and am finding it beneficial to my digestive system. I have also quit drinking coffee or tea and yes I have drunk milk from a little boy and eggs that I have cut down on some, I am now 83 years old. I found very interesting her combining different foods but quite complicated such as when I combine peanut butter which has always been my staple with bread (a starch).Is it as a fat or protein. (it is 28% protein). Looked for her take on fish but did not directly see it but find it too agrees with me.Think that the milk has made me able to keep walking and am reasonably healthy without pills so will keep drinking milk. I stopped drinking alcohol several years ago but had a beer the other day and it did agree with me. There is a lot of good ideas worth studying, I noted it was published in 1998, so there might be more up to date books with other ideas.

I owned a paperback copy of this book for many years and lost it in a move. This is one of the best health books I've ever read.

This book includes recipes with meat (fish and chicken) so not for vegans or vegetarians. Also, it stresses the importance of food combining (every meal made up of different variations of one food source)which is based on "science" that is now debunked

Love this Book full of Good advice, the best being "dry brush your body every day". It makes you feel so very good and after a while your skin is like New.