All Diets Work...

Raise your hand if you have said this phrase once or twice in your lifetime, "I am going on a diet." Or how about this one, " I will start tomorrow." Now keep your hand raised if you've said this, "I hope I enjoy this meal, it's my last supper." I am pretty sure your hand is in the air. Most women, and men, have uttered these words, and most of us have started, failed, and started again. What is wrong with us? Nothing.

Jen Brewer, RD and author of All Diets Work: that's the problem, lays out simply 25 tools to help you get healthy. Well, she actually says, "25 tools to help you stop dieting and start losing weight for good." Simple book. Easy read. Only 132 pages and that includes some recipes, and credits.

I am a mommy of four. I have been married for 10.5 years. I did not look the way I look now when I married my Mr. Four babies, all of them delivered via c-section, did some damage on my girlie figure. Of course, I am ever grateful for these miracles we have together, but sometimes, I shudder when I look at myself. Yuck!!! Nothing a good pair of "spanx" can't cover up, but sometimes I just want to be able to slide right into a great pair of jeans and strut like no one is watching; when really, a lot of people are.

In February of this year, I got a great job at a gym. I work two hours a week, and with that my whole family gets free membership. JACKPOT!! The answer to my prayers. I needed motivation and tools to help me get healthy. I was a whopping 234 pounds. OUCH that even hurts to type and let you readers know that. I started going full force. I was running. I have never been a runner, but I was running. A month later, I stepped on the scale. What the heck?! I weighed the same. Not possible right? Yes, it was. I was only doing half of the equation. My "diet" was the same. Nothing changed there. I still snacked on chocolate, unhealthy snacks and my children's plates. I had to stop doing that. That was and still is the hard part of my body makeover.

I am going to be turning 30 in few weeks. I can say, I am happy with where I am, but I still need some work. I am enjoying the process and that makes it doable. This book, All Diets Work, was my lightbulb. She writes of things I already kind of knew, but she puts it so simply. In English. No doctor talk. Plain words for one struggling with weight. It's a book with structure. It is beautifully laid out to flip through, skim, and learn. I read the book cover to cover, but now I can just go to the Table of Contents, scroll to a page, read that, and be satisfied. The book is broken down into four sections: The Diet Dilema, Principles, Tools, and What's in YOUR toolbox. In section 3: Tools, she has the 25 ways to jumpstart your lifestyle change and stick with it. My favorite part, the testimonials of people she has helped. We even get checklists, recipes, meal planning tools, and a STOP sign that we can copy and put places so we know when to stop. I am a visual person, so this is a tool that I will use. My kitchen just might turn into a construction site!!

Since that second date with the scale in March, the one where I saw no results, I have changed. I have lost 20 pounds, and kept it off. I have gone from a size 18-20 to a comfortable 14-16. Not huge results, but I know this weight is never coming back. I didn't gain it over night, so I know I am not going to lose it overnight. Slow and steady. Now, after reading this book, I can pick new tools to help me continue my journey. I especially like tool #3,9,10,13, and 20. Grab the book and find out what those are!!! Happy Reading.... Heidi Durant

here's the link to purchase your own copy: http://www.amazon.com/All-Diets-Work-Thats-Problem/dp/0983514070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313871011&sr=8-1