The Eat-Clean Diet: Fast Fat-Loss That Lasts Forever! sounded to me like a perfect diet book. Before I even saw the book I googled author Tosca Reno, who at 46 is a fitness model, writes a column for Oxygen magazine, has written several books, and looks fabulous. Reno's story is remarkable.
Born in Ontario, Reno was raised in a healthy eating home. Lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables - very little sugar and processed foods. She was fine through high school, but found in college that the more that was going on in her life the worse her eating habits became, and they stayed that way through the birth of her three daughters. Suddenly at 40 Reno weighed over 200 pounds and needed to get her life back under control. So she began Eating Clean and exercising, lost the weight, and as she puts it, "I got the body I thought only "Hard Bodies" could own."
This sounds good so far, and the claims on the book's cover sound even better: "Fast FAT LOSS that lasts forever!" "Never go hungry." "Eat the foods you LOVE!" And my personal favorite, "The ONLY sure way to FAST HEALTHY FAT LOSS!"
Laid out like a magazine with lots of bright color, sidebars, and photos, I found The Eat-Clean Diet very appealing until I really started reading. I am of the opinion that restrictive diets do not work, since most of us do not have the wherewithal to stick with such programs long term. I also believe that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat what we love in reasonable portions with a bit more balance. In other words, eat less!
Article comments
1 - Kelly Jad'on
Ms. Lippin,
I too reviewed The Eat-Clean Diet. I found it to be an affordable book which teaches the under-informed how to get into shape. The photos are dynamic and charts helpful.
Great work!
2 - Lynda Lippin
Thanks Kelly! I am not convinced that this book really does the work of teaching people how to get in shape as the plan is very difficult to follow and restrictive for most people. While the book is certainly dynamic and easy to read, and the plan obviously worked for Reno, it is not a plan that I would want to follow.
3 - burning calories
I have read this book before few weeks and I really liked it! This book is easy to read and I agree with Kelly that it teaches how to get in shape! I strongly recommend to buy and read this book for everyone!
4 - Lynda Lippin
I actually looked at this book again as it's been a couple of years since this review and I still hold by my statements. It's restrictive diet and a huge amount of life changing. Now, this may be exactly what some folks need to get their butt in gear, but for me it's a bit much and I don't know many people who could maintain this plan.