Review and Giveaway – Never Say Diet

Time for another book review and giveaway.  Waterbrook Press provided me a copy of these books for reviewing and another copy to give away on my blog, so you, my readers, are the lucky recipients!!

Never Say Diet, by Chantel Hobbs, is a 2007 book about weight loss and healthy eating and exercise.  Chantel started her weight loss adventure in 2000 when she weighed 350 pounds.  By 2005, she had lost 200 pounds and had run a marathon.  Talk about inspiring!!  She makes my 50 pound goal of weight loss look downright easy.

This book is written from a Christian perspective to help people learn to eat better and exercise.  She tells her story throughout the book, which is quite motivating.  The first part of the book, “Decide”, introduces her five “Brain-Change Decisions”.  These are five commitments that we need to make for permanent change.  Part two, “Act”, gives a 16 week plan to help you gradually change your lifestyle from unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle to healthy eating and exercise.  She includes recommendations on meal planning and eating as well as an exercise plan.  Part three of the book is called “Live” and is three chapters devoted to helping you stay the course and stick with the plan for a lifetime.

While the Never Say Diet book was published in 2007, the Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer is brand new.  This book is designed to work with the eating and exercise plan in Never Day Diet.  Each week’s chapter starts with a Scripture verse and quotation.  There is some motivational writing, followed by an exercise plan with space to write in your exercise for each day of the week.  The chapters end with a new eating recommendation for the week along with space for food journaling.

As a physician, I was pleased to see that Chantel’s plan is nutritionally sound and her exercise recommendations appropriate.  From a more personal perspective, I really like how honest she is in her writing.  She never says that changing how you eat and starting an exercise plan is going to be easy.  Rather, she tells you that it will be difficult at first, but the rewards will be worth it.

I appreciate how she encourages gradual changes.  I have started to adopt this technique and am making one new change per week.  I also like her recommendation to make food boring, at least for a while.  Her idea of eating three meals of 300-400 calories and 2 snacks of 200 calories work very well for me.  I now have a list of meals and snacks so I don’t have to think about what to eat in the middle of the day.

I can very heartily recommend this book to anyone wanting to start a more healthy lifestyle.  My only negative comment is that she tends to add in prayer and spiritual activities almost as an afterthought in the book.  She does a better job of integrating the spiritual and physical in the fitness planner.

I like the Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer, but I don’t find it as useful for me as the book.  First of all, I do all my tracking of food and exercise online at SparkPeople.  Second, I go to the local health club, so I’m not using Chantel’s specific exercise program.  I would recommend that you buy the fitness planner if you don’t already have a way to track eating and exercise.

Now, here’s the cool part!  If you think this Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer look like something you’d be interested in having, just leave a comment.  Next Thursday, 1/29/2009, I will be giving away a copy of the book and fitness planner.  All you have to do is leave a comment – it’s that easy!  I’ll post the winner on Thursday or Friday!  Tell your friends and neighbors!