Some readers of a certain age may remember body builder and author Christine Lakatos from the 1989 season of TV's American Gladiators. Now an author and personal trainer, Lakatos has produced an informative weight loss guide for women.
My Diva Diet tries to grab the reader's attention from the cover, which resembles a bright pink comic book with the Dieting Superhero Ms. Diva in the center (yes, she even has a sidekick lioness, Paw) and lots of bright headlines ("Expose & Defeat Your Diet Villains," "Lose Fat, Gain Health," and "Not a quick fix..."). The book is written in a cute, female-oriented voice and is a workbook with tons of quizzes, checklists, and graphics. At base, the program consists of a food program and exercise program for a weight loss phase and a maintenance phase.
While there is nothing bad about Lakatos' book, I have to say that the weight loss advice is not new and different, recommending 1200-1600 calories spread over four meals per day, lots of water and produce, lots of fiber and lean protein, low sodium, low chemicals and preservatives, and of course added exercise. This has been part of every single diet book I have reviewed here at Blogcritics.
There are some elements that turned me off, such as Lakatos' claim that her method is partially based on "the centuries-old Judeo-Christian traditions of selecting pure and wholesome foods." Yes, Lakotos claims that only kosher foods as outlined in the Old Testament are fit to eat (funny, foie gras is kosher yet is about as ethically questionable and unhealthy as food can get). I am Jewish and understand the laws of kashrut and keeping kosher, but just because pork tenderloin isn't kosher doesn't mean that it is not a quality source of lean protein for those who eat pork.
In the end, this is a great diet and exercise guide for women that is packed with good information. However, there is to my mind nothing intrinsically new or different in what My Diva Diet presents, and those who wish to have their weight loss information separate from religious doctrine may have some issues with this book.
Article comments
1 - Dr. David Robinson
Being a published author myself on the NonDiet approach to total health, I sincerely wish we would rid ourselves of the terms "Diet" and "weight loss" and focus, instead on healthy lifestyles. Thank you, Dr. David Robinson
2 - Lynda Lippin
Thank you for your comments! I agree that healthy lifestyle is the way to go, but I did chuckle when I saw that the subtitle of your book uses the word "NonDiet", which still references diets.