Roni’s Weight Watchen Page(s) - Take 2 (the rebuild)

It’s been a long time since I posted a book review so when Lindsey from Da Capo Lifelong Books asked me to take a look at Sexy in 6, I agreed.  To be honest, I never expect much from fitness books. Call me strange I don’t find much enjoyment reading about how to do exercises, I’d much rather read about diet/food or new recipes. It’s just where my interests are.

Anyway, I received the book about a week ago.  It sat in my kitchen for a few days, moving from counter to counter. Finally I peeked at it on Thursday and I’ve been reading bits here and there every chance I get! The book has a little bit of everything! Success stories, workouts, nutrition, recipes, shopping lists, snack ideas, even a chapter on (SHhhh) sex. Everything is organized nicely, it’s easy to read and it even has a DVD with 6 minute workouts! Perfect for busy people and we all know we are ALL too busy.

Seriously, I don’t think I’ve every seen a more comprehensive book with great resources on overall fitness and weight loss. To top it off it’s very affordable, I believe on Amazon right now you can get it for under $20.  

If I have to say anything negative at all, it would be that the images are black and white, but that is hardly a show stopper.

So if you are looking for some new workout moves, want to brush up on some nutritional concepts, pick up some new recipes all with a sprinkle if inspirational stories this is the book for you. I’m super psyched because some of her workouts involve a exercise ball and I’m looking for some new ball moves.

Does anyone already have the book? Want to share your opinion?

Labels: BookReviews

I have wanted to post this for weeks but life been getting in the way.  

This book may be the epitome of my food philosophy.  I never hid the fact that I like to eat. I mean I enjoy the process of eating, whether I’m hungry or not.  It’s probably the main reason I carried extra weight for a majority of my life. 

My last attempt (and consequently the most successful one) to lose that extra weight (and believe me there were many) I tried Weight Watchers.  Their flex plan taught me how to balance my meals. I consider the Weight Watchers Flex concept much like a money system for your food.  I get, say, 24 points a day.  I can spend those 24 points anyway I like as long as I don’t go over (there is more to flex plan – this is just my overview).  Think of it like teaching money management.  Some of us need our hands held when it comes to eating, some need guidance when learning how to balance their checkbook.

Anyway, I learned very fast how to get more bang for my buck on the eating front.  After a few weeks on the Flex plan, I started to notice I could eat more “good food” then bad, much like the image to the right from the Volumetrics Eating Plan book.  To capitalize on this fact I started to do things like bulking up my chili with zucchini, adding fresh fruit to my cereal and my burgers looked more like a salad then anything else. 

Why am I telling you all this? Well for people who like to eat (as I do) The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories is a must read.  It will change the way you approach food options all together whether you are following another weight loss plan or not.

I found volumetrics because of this article about consumer reports raking the top diet plans. Notice who else is close to the top. ;~)

Labels: BookReviews, review

Let’s start with the book reviews. They are easier to face then my confession. :~)

First I want to talk about 1/2 is More written by Jay Jacobs, the master mind behind myPetFat. MyPetFat is a replica of a human fat to either motivate you to lose weight or remind what you have lost. It’s pretty ingenious I think. Anyway, Jay wrote an e-book to motivate others to lose weight. He has straightforward advice (similar to my own, **patting myself on the back** **wink** **wink**) and it’s wrapped up nicely in a fun quick motivating read. I highly recommend it.

I told Jay I would be linking to his book and he provided the following coupon codes for my readers.

$10.00 OFF a mini mypetfat enter FIT [case sensitive] into the coupon box after selecting a mini mypetfat and then hit APPLY COUPON

$10.00 OFF the "1/2 is more" ebook enter DIET [case sensitive] into the coupon box after selecting a "1/2 is more" and then hit APPLY COUPON

Changing gears, the second book I recently read is more about nutrition then weight loss. This book as taught me so much about what I should be eating I just had to share. SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life written by Steven Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews discusses foods you literally can’t live without. They give you the scientific breakdown on why you should eat those foods and some neat ways on how to include them in your diet.

The book sas a great introduction, discusses each superfood and there “sidekicks” (foods that contain similar nutrients) in great detail and then wraps it up with recipes and a shopping list. So if you noticed my recipes and daily menus had included more of these foods, now you know why!

• All Beans
• Blueberries, purple grapes and other berries
• Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower
• Oats, wheat Germ and Flaxseed
• Oranges pretty much all citrus
• Pumpkin, Butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers
• Wild Salmon, canned Albacore Tuna
• Soy
• Spinach
• Tea
• Tomatoes, watermelon
• Turkey
• Walnuts and mist nuts and seeds
• Yogurt

I guess I have to confess now don’t I? OK OK I went to a child’s birthday party today. I was planning to have a SMALL piece of cake. I WASN’T planning on eating a small piece of cake, 1/2 of the toddlers cake, a bit of ice cream, too many handfuls of pretzels to count and corn chips with salsa. Remind me next time NOT to go hungry. I was even eyeing up a doughnut they had on the counter. Bad I know. My flex are gone for the week, At least tomorrow is the last day.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Man I had a lot to say tonight!

Labels: BookReviews, journal, review

A few weeks ago, a Publicist contacted me and asked if I would review a book to include on my site. First, this FLOORED me! Who am I to review a book? Especially considering I’m not the workout queen and the book is about exercise routines.

I used it as a sign. I need to incorporate more exercise and structured workouts into my life and who can’t do some work on their arms, belly and bottom? Oh! Did I mention the name of the books is Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom: Tighten And Tone Your Body In As Little As 10 Minutes A Day?

The book is organized into three different workouts for different skill levels. Three weeks ago, I started the novice routine. I normally do a 10-15 minute routine right before bed (not sure this is recommended but it’s about the only time I have time). The book has taught me some new moves and I’ve actually been enjoying the workouts.

I haven’t seen any results yet but I feel stronger. A few days last week I was a bit sore, always a good sign you are using muscles you haven’t in awhile!

As for the book itself, it’s easy to read. A majority of it is devoted to describing and illustrating the moves. Towards the back, the author puts together routines that allow you to vary your workouts from day to day. I love the fact that the workouts don’t require much more then some hand weights. They are all basic moves concentrating on those “certain areas” mentioned in the title.

I had one small problem (besides the awkward title.) The routine section of the book does not reference the page numbers of the moves. Therefore, until you are comfortable with the workout you are constantly thumbing through. I found it easier to write down the page numbers on the routine page incase I have to look something up quick.

Overall I would recommend it if you are looking for some new moves. It really does give you some quick routines that are easy to incorporate into your daily life.

There you have it, my first book review! Anyone else have the book?

Labels: BookReviews, review