FOREVER WEIGHT LOSS

A wellness manual aims to reengineer readers’ relationships to food.

D’Agostino had several spurs to finally get rid of 60 extra pounds: a cousin’s comment, a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and an array of health ailments (sleep apnea, knee and lower back pain) that impacted the desire to do any exercise. In this guide, the author outlines the strategies used to shed this weight and become more regularly active, a “plan where you don’t have to count calories, cook too much or shake your booty too hard.” The book’s tips include how to “Shop for Real Food” in order to implement its meal suggestions that are focused on low-carb, low-sugar, and low-fat items and creating “simple, healthy convenience foods for yourself, so you won’t be tempted by those bad processed food temptations anymore.” The manual also advises readers to make and commit to a “Shake Your Booty” list of physical activities that they like to help them move their bodies “in some way almost every day.” Mental health will also flourish as readers “Get High the Natural Way,” including making time to “share a smile or a hug.” The strength of this simple guide is the spirit of the author, who is very relatable (confessing to doughnut and ice cream addictions) and motivational (“The first important strategy is to never blame yourself. Blaming yourself is a negative emotion that will just add more stress to your life and encourage you to eat more than you need to”). Some of the advice is rather challenging, such as having a one-third measuring cup on hand. This is crucial since that is “the exact amount of grain, pasta or starchy vegetable you can eat per day if you choose to.” Still, other suggestions, such as focusing on a treat list of nonfood rewards, supports this book’s ethos that meals “shouldn’t be the only place to find comfort and gratification.”  

A practical, encouraging guide to creating mindful menus and taking other measures to improve health.