Author: Doug Varrieur
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7133-0
RRP: $33.95
‘Fat to Skinny Fast and Easy!’ sounds ideal doesn’t it. I know it grabbed my attention. The tagline on the cover is ‘Eat Great, Lose Weight, and Lower Blood Sugar Without Exercise’ which is another great incentive. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like to exercise but I often find that there just aren’t enough hours in the day and that’s what gets postponed so weight loss without exercise – bring it on!
The back cover shows three happy customers with before and after shots and their testimonials. I have to admit, this turned me off a little because it struck me the same way as all of the pyramid get rich quick schemes, and the weight loss pills and all of the other scammy letters and emails you get. Because the book came across my desk for work, and I am looking for weight loss inspiration and motivation, I decided to set aside my initial reaction and have a look; besides it wasn’t going to cost me anything and what do I have to lose?
The book opens with a Foreword by David Mulholland, MD endorsing the book, not only is he a doctor but he is author Doug Varrieur’s doctor.
Doug Varrieur struggled with his weight for decades, right from the time he was a pre-teen and it wasn’t until he took control of his future and determined to discover the reasons for his struggle that he managed to lose 100 pounds – and keep it off.
The book reads relatively conversationally. You aren’t being lectured and you aren’t being bombarded with jargon words. The language is simple and easy to follow and everything has been translated into understandable terms.
On the page in black and white it’s all laid out for us, just how easy it can be to lost that unwanted weight by simply making a few dietary adjustments and most of it comes down to learning to read the nutritional labels completely and correctly.
Doug’s research and scientific evidence puts the weight of obesity at the door of hidden sugars and I tell you, it all really did make perfect sense to me. I read the labels and go low in fat – awesome, no added sugar – awesome but it’s translating the other information into what the hidden sugars are that mean a lot of what you think are the right choices aren’t necessarily so.
The most interesting, and valuable, aspect of the book is Varrieur’s explanations of the different types of sugars and which foods they can be found in. You will be surprised, it’s not just the desserts! Find out how to replace some of the worst culprits and still eat fabulous dishes like Chicken Cacciatore.
The only issue I had with this book is that it’s American so the labels were a little different. Not a huge issue but it does mean that you need to put a little more thought and some translation into the nutritional labels on the food over here. But this is still a fantastic guide and could be used as a valuable resource. I know I’m going to study it a lot more closely when I finally put my foot down with myself and decide the time has come to stop talking about it and just do it!
Fat to Skinny also contains a huge recipe section and some helpful hints for when you go out to eat, what to look for and what to avoid.
Worth taking a look at I think, I know I will be studying it much more closely very soon. Really, what have you got to lose?
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!