WIN THE WEIGHT GAME

That old reliable—the standard, well-based Weight Watchers’ weight-control plan—is enlivened by vignettes from the organization’s spokeswoman, the Duchess of York (Dining With the Duchess, not reviewed). In the first chapter, “Starting Over at Forty,— Sarah Ferguson reviews her turbulent 30s, ostensibly to explain how she came to be allied with Weight Watchers. Interestingly, she comes across as reasonable, even-tempered, and clearheaded. She and her Weight Watchers colleagues describe broad development stages and suggest what events in each may trigger weight problems: For infancy/toddlerhood it’s a disrupted hunger-eating relationship (for instance, a strict feeding schedule); in midlife, perimenopause and menopause are often culprits. In considering how family, friends, and other relationships are intertwined with weight issues, the duchess reveals that her mother was “a brilliant and complex woman. In a word, she was magic. She . . . left our family when I was entering my teens. Once Mom left life was small and the universe was food.” Ferguson offers advice on fitting healthy nutrition habits into a hectic workday, and help with stress reduction and “Managing Life’s Transitions” (moving, graduation, births, deaths). The second half of this guide is given over to a reasonable four-week diet plan (designed for a 150-pound woman), complete with 50 recipes. No surprises; the usual conservative diet fare, spiced by the Duchess’s starry presence.