Review of 'Eat Carbs, Lose Weight'
Over the last few years everyone has been talking about the evils of carbohydrates, but in 'Eat Carbs, Lose Weight,' Denise Austin dispels the idea that low-carb diets are the only way to drop pounds and offers a new diet in which half of your daily intake is carbohydrates. The author explains why we need to eat carbs; our bodies' metabolical reactions to various foods; and lays out a 12-minute-a-day exercise plan as well as a meal plan accompanied by recipes. By following her diet and the 12-minutes exercise routine, Austin says you can lose up to 2 pounds per week and drop a dress size in a month.
When you cut out carbs, explains the fitness guru, you wind up craving more, making a low-carb diet unsustainable. In addition, carbohydrates are necessary for one's metabolism. She suggests replacing carbohydrates high in refined sugar with carbohydrates that are high in fiber and whole grains (such as white bread with whole wheat bread). Yet Austin also allows you to indulge in your favorite dessert, as long as it is in moderation. In her 50-25-25 meal plan, 50 percent of your daily intake will come from carbs, 25 percent from fat and another 25 percent from protein.
Be warned: the diet isn't “all you can eat as long as you maintain these ratios.” Once you are well into the book you will learn that a person on Austin’s plan is restricted to a 1,300 calories a day. In addition, the first 28 days of menus are fairly strict (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). She accompanies the menus with recipes. Keep in mind that some of them take some time to cook. While the exercise plan is a mere 12 minutes a day -- a blessing for those with a full plate -- you need to allot some time for cooking.
Testimonies in the book give a realistic idea of how dieters felt on the plan. Reading through them, you won't find a testimony where a dieter lost 30 pounds in a month, but people who dropped 11 pounds in four weeks and feel great about it because they are still losing weight and don’t feel deprived.
This book is best for those who are not looking for a quick fix, who have some time to prepare Austin’s recipes, and who want to lose weight without giving up bread, potatoes and desserts.
