The History Book Club discussion

Here is a thread which will relate to all of us. There is the history of all of our failed diets and dieting attempts and then there is probably less of a history of all of our successful dieting forays.

This is always a good topic for conversation whether we are talking about the glass being half full or half empty.

And since this is a new year...we are certain to have all of those wonderful New Year's resolutions yet to come to fulfillment.

Possibly this thread may give us some ideas to help us along. Maybe this will be our year of success.

Bentley

One dieting and nutrition book which has garnered a lot of attention is the following:

by Jorge Cruise


Well guess who is going to try this one in 2010.

This is called a non diet which focuses on a couple of things: sugar intake and carbs. You are supposed to have no more than 15 grams of sugar a day and no more than six servings of carbs - each serving equates to no more than 20 grams of carbs. If something that you have eaten has 40 grams - then this counts as two servings of your daily carb intake.

I have to say that it is mind boggling the amount of sugar that is in our food and even what is considered fat free foods...we are certainly being fed sugar whether we know it or not.

I will post and let folks know how I am doing on this attempt. I figured we could focus on those books, tapes, etc. which have spurred us on to successful eating patterns or not.

Bentley

These books may be of interest to some group members - mentioning this because a video was forwarded regarding this doctor - here are her books.

Christiane Northrup

Here is the forwarded video for anyone interested:

http://jorgecruise.com/freeemailclub/...

Here is another popular plan:



Arthur Agatston

Who can remember the famous Atkins diet; a diet that really started everyone thinking about carbs and sugar?

Robert C. Atkins

Now we have everyone getting into the act:

by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz

Also, books by Mehmet C. Oz on his own:

[image error] Mehmet C. Oz

and Nicholas Perricone:

Nicholas Perricone

Dr. Oz's site:

http://www.doctoroz.com/

http://health.discovery.com/fansites/...

http://www.realage.com/

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_d...

Nicholas Perricone:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-nich...

And then there is the prolific Dr. Weil:

Andrew Weil M.D.

Dr. Weil's site:

http://www.drweil.com/

Today's quote for dieters is:

When health is absent wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless

~Herophilies, 300 B.C.~

Who was Herophilies?

He was the physician to Alexander the Great.

Here's my suggestion:

Forget about the diet books. Save the money and buy history books instead.

Eat what you want when you really want it. Don't just eat chips while watching tv or read while munching the burger. Enjoy your food - because when it's good that's what food is for - to enjoy the taste, the quality.
Good chocolate, good cookies/tartes etc. with good ingredients will help you savor and appreciate the product and its quality. F.e. a good piece of chocolate can give you more and longer satisfaction than lets say a sugary Mars bar.

If possible find a liking to eating fruit and vegetables. If this sounds horrible, check friends or books/newspapers for recipes that appeal to you.

Find a sport or anything that forces you to move using your body and nothing else. It can be running or walking, bicycling or swimming, climbing - whatever, whenever.

Go outdoors, breath in that fresh air - as often as you can. It's good for your heart and lungs - and helps your brain and frees your soul too.

Well if it works for you Andre...go for it.

Thanks Bentley - it does. And has done so for over 20 years

That is great.

You should see me when I enter a Belgian or French bakery - ahh, those fruit tartes, croissants, hmmmm

A good cappuccino with a croissant in the morning, what a splendid start in the day!

You are making me laugh...goodness knows I avoid these like the plague when I am on a diet.

A good cappucino of course - that is a wonderful experience. Sans the croissant.

I just don't do diets (one good croissant can't hurt). I run - because I like it, the woods, the animals, the fresh air.

André wrote: "You should see me when I enter a Belgian or French bakery - ahh, those fruit tartes, croissants, hmmmm

A good cappuccino with a croissant in the morning, what a splendid start in the day!"

We are starting a diet similar to yours in that we are concentrating on watching carbs. It is so hard not to go to the bakery around the corner for a fresh baguette.

Patricrk wrote: "it's so hard not to go to the bakery around the corner for a fresh baguette..."

Patricrk, carbs, hmmm. I have problems with wholegrain bread. It's all over the place here in Germany. When I eat it I stay put for two hours afterwards. It's too heavy for me. So I don't mind the baguettes.
Since I'm a vegetarian I think /hope I get enough carbs through my fruit/vegetables.
To the croissants: I just have one. It's so good I really don't want more in the morning. But maybe that's also because I'm a rather light eater, especially in the morning. Eggs and what not make me run for the door.

I work next to a french bakery, certainly not helpful. I think it is a matter of control, and getting rewards at the end of the week. What I do, is that I only eat the carbs with my lunch, the rest are pure cereals, fruits and vegetables. And by the weekend I reward myself with a dessert from the french bakery, a piece of cake or something similar.

Sounds good, Ivonne. I guess I'm rewarding myself each morning - for getting up.

Good for you - everyone and Andre. I guess some of us just need to watch our diets and I am one of them. I think everybody's metabolism is set different. Don't get me wrong I would love that baguette but unfortunately my waist line would not.

Does anybody have other diets that they have tried or books about diets that have worked that we can add to this thread. The thread is really about dieting not the lack thereof (lol).

I've been trying to stick with the Ayurveda diet. It's a diet as well as a lifestyle that has been practiced in India for well over 5,000 years. I came upon this diet after I started taking yoga, the yoga instructor was also an Ayurvedic consultant. I've been trying to stick with the diet off and on for 5 years. I did very well on it for a year...then I really got tired of curry among other stuff I had to follow lol. But, I do enjoy a lot of the books and home remedies.
here's a link to check out Ayurveda.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ay...


I really enjoy having this book on hand, remedies for the smallest things can be found in this book.

by Vasant Lad (no picture for Vasant Lad)

Anyone remember the '80's when the Scarsdale Diet was all the rage? The creator, Dr. Herman Tarnower, met an untimely end at the hand of his mistress, but the diet still lives on.
byHerman, M. D. & Baker, Samm Sinclair Tarnower

I have not read any of these yet (in the to-read pile) but I believe much of the premise of Michael Pollan's work is not about diets per se but that awareness of what goes on in the food chain will result in healthier eating habits.
all by Michael Pollan

Interesting books Alisa; what was the basic premise of the Scarsdale Diet?

Jennifer wrote: "I've been trying to stick with the Ayurveda diet. It's a diet as well as a lifestyle that has been practiced in India for well over 5,000 years. I came upon this diet after I started taking yoga, t..."

I love curry but maybe having it every day might not be so good (smile). Although curry is supposed to be very good for you.

Bentley wrote: "Interesting books Alisa; what was the basic premise of the Scarsdale Diet?"

Nothing terribly revolutionary, if I recall it was controlled portions of lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruit, no booze or soda, limited starch, three meals a day, rabbit food for snacks (carrots and celery sticks.) He had little menus for the first two weeks and then a type of maintenance plan after that. Just the basic healthy eating plan. I think it was popular because of his marketing, and because it works.

Thanks for the update; sounds like every other diet (smile)

Sensible eating works, imagine that? I think he became more famous after he was offed by his mistress.

He probably became more famous then for sure. Maybe the diet made her irritable. I am only joking.

In fact, wasn't there an SNL skit about him, "Scarsdale Surprise" rings a bell. I'll have to see if I can find it.

Love to see it.

While I thought many of today's fad diets were ludicrous, in
by Harvey Levenstein

the author discusses some of the even crazier fad diets that started surfacing in the 1920s. Fletcherism was quite a bit earlier, of course, and is covered in Levenstein's earlier work, Revolution at the Table,
by Harvey Levenstein

but I'm up to the 1960s and 1970s in Paradox, and the start of Adkins and I almost have to say that the current nonsensical diets are at least LESS crazy. If you can believe such a thing. :)

Thanks Toni, it looks like everything is A-OK now.

Eating Right in America: The Cultural Politics of Food and Health

by Charlotte Biltekoff (no photo)

Synopsis
Eating Right in America chronicles the dietary reform movements that have shaped ideas about good nutrition and public health in the United States for more than a century. Charlotte Biltekoff's narrative begins in the late nineteenth century and culminates in accounts of two early-twenty-first-century phenomena, the alternative food movement and the campaign against obesity. Analyzing the history that she relates, Biltekoff contends that despite their scientific origins, dietary ideals are also cultural, subjective, and political. The primary aim of teaching people to "eat right" may be to improve health, but the process inevitably involves shaping certain kinds of subjects and citizens, a dynamic that is often overlooked because of our focus on the scientific aspects of dietary advice.

Think Suzanne Sommers or Marie Osmond!!

Fad Diets Exposed

by Laurie Sharp (no photo)

Synopsis:

Amazingly, there are thousands of fad diets available today with new ones being introduced regularly. They are usually endorsed by a celebrity, backed by a multimillion dollar TV advertising campaign; and promise to be the amazing new way for you to lose weight. These alluring fad diets are captivating and we all dream of looking like a celebrity at some point in our life. This dream is generating millions of dollars in revenue annually for these fad diet companies.

This Kindle book exposes the truth about fad diets and offers the following:

Why Fad Diets may be Wrong for You
How to Identify if a Weight Loss Program is a Fad Diet
The Dangers of Fad Dieting
How to Spot a Fad Diet
Extensive Fad Diets List by Type
Bonus Chapter: First Phase to Successfully Losing Weight

"Fad Diets Exposed" will arm you with the critical information necessary to see if going on a fad diet is right for you.

A refreshing look at dieting, the facts and fallacies.

Rethinking This: The New Scdience of Weight Loss - And the Myths and Realities of Dieting

by Gina Kolata

Synopsis:

In this eye-opening book, "New York Times "science writer Gina Kolata shows that our society's obsession with dieting and weight loss is less about keeping trim and staying healthy than about money, power, trends, and impossible ideals.
"Rethinking Thin "is at once an account of the place of diets in American society and a provocative critique of the weight-loss industry. Kolata's account of four determined dieters' progress through a study comparing the Atkins diet to a conventional low-calorie one becomes a broad tale of science and society, of social mores and social sanctions, and of politics and power.
"Rethinking Thin "asks whether words like "willpower "are really applicable when it comes to eating and body weight. It dramatizes what it feels like to spend a lifetime struggling with one's weight and fantasizing about finally, at long last, getting thin. It tells the little-known story of the science of obesity and the history of diets and dieting--scientific and social phenomena that made some people rich and thin and left others fat and miserable. And it offers commonsense answers to questions about weight, eating habits, and obesity--giving us a better understanding of the weight that is right for our bodies.

Thanks Jill