Tuesday, June 13, 2006
The best books I've never read
In my weight loss and maintenance journey, I've been inspired by books I've never read. More specifically, it is the book titles, combined with the reviews I read, that end up shaping my thinking. It's possible that I'm misinterpreting these books (after all, I have not read them), so of course don't take this as a review of the books, or even necessarily an endorsement.
The first book is The Philosopher's Diet, by Richard Watson. The gist of this (I gather) is that one can can use reason to obtain weight loss. The goal is clear, the means are obvious: eat less, exercise more. One just has to just do it. In other words, don't look for any magic cure or trick. That's the bad news. But the other side of this is good news: you can do it, if you can redirect your way of thinking.
It was reading a description of this book that literally started off my 50 pound weight loss. I would have actually read the book, but at the time I was feeling too frugal to buy it, and I couldn't find it in the library. But it really got me thinking. Also, it lead me to a helpful website (see below).
The second book is Flip the Switch by Jim Kadras. The gist of this one is that everyone who sucessfully maintains a weight loss has had some kind of Turning Point moment. After that, it is easier to stay focused on the goal. Not that the actual work becomes easy, but that you have a new orientation that helps you stay on track. Inherent in this conversion idea is that you are making a permanent life change. You don't diet and exercise temporarily to lose weight, you eat an improved diet and exercise because that is the way you want to live the rest of your life.
Now for the web site I mentioned above. While I was deciding whether to buy The Philosophers Diet, I was Googling around looking for reviews, and found one on this site, The Skinny Daily Post. The two contributing authors have written many thoughtful articles concerning the mental game of weight loss/maintenance, as well on cooking, exercise, etc. Much of it is written from a women's point of view, and there's a bit of "You go girl!" attitude, but I still find it very helpful and inspiring. This is where I learned about the Gmaps Pedometer, by the way.
So, if you are seeking inspiration you may want to investigate these titles. Definitely check out the web site.
The first book is The Philosopher's Diet, by Richard Watson. The gist of this (I gather) is that one can can use reason to obtain weight loss. The goal is clear, the means are obvious: eat less, exercise more. One just has to just do it. In other words, don't look for any magic cure or trick. That's the bad news. But the other side of this is good news: you can do it, if you can redirect your way of thinking.
It was reading a description of this book that literally started off my 50 pound weight loss. I would have actually read the book, but at the time I was feeling too frugal to buy it, and I couldn't find it in the library. But it really got me thinking. Also, it lead me to a helpful website (see below).
The second book is Flip the Switch by Jim Kadras. The gist of this one is that everyone who sucessfully maintains a weight loss has had some kind of Turning Point moment. After that, it is easier to stay focused on the goal. Not that the actual work becomes easy, but that you have a new orientation that helps you stay on track. Inherent in this conversion idea is that you are making a permanent life change. You don't diet and exercise temporarily to lose weight, you eat an improved diet and exercise because that is the way you want to live the rest of your life.
Now for the web site I mentioned above. While I was deciding whether to buy The Philosophers Diet, I was Googling around looking for reviews, and found one on this site, The Skinny Daily Post. The two contributing authors have written many thoughtful articles concerning the mental game of weight loss/maintenance, as well on cooking, exercise, etc. Much of it is written from a women's point of view, and there's a bit of "You go girl!" attitude, but I still find it very helpful and inspiring. This is where I learned about the Gmaps Pedometer, by the way.
So, if you are seeking inspiration you may want to investigate these titles. Definitely check out the web site.
