This book was sent to me by my sister, who saw Zonya Foco, one of the authors, give a presentation in NY. I love Zonya's show on PBS, but I didn't even know she'd written a book. Though my sister and her husband couldn't stop raving about Water with Lemon, and have changed the way they eat because of it, between kids and work it still took me a month before I found the time to read it. All I knew of it then was that it was a different kind of diet book, though truthfully, at the time, I really didn't think that was possible. I mean, aren't all diet books really the same? Boy, was I ever wrong!
Once I began reading, I finished the book, cover to cover, in two days! For me that's a miracle in itself. This is the first time I couldn't put down a diet book, and that's because this diet book is written in the form of a page-turning story! Since then I've read it a second time, and now I keep it on my bedside table so I can pick it up every once in a while just to flip through and soak up the motivation it gives me.
What the authors did is put you into the mind and heart of a woman who has to lose 60 pounds, and just like the rest of us, not only can't she do it, but she can hardly even think about doing it, because just the thought of going on a diet is so painful. Then by coincidence she meets her neighbors, two of the most endearing characters you'll ever meet, who take her by the hand and show her how they lost their weight.
Unlike every other diet book I've read, and I've read plenty, these authors don't tell you what to do. Instead, they show you how it's done, so that you sit back and watch the story. The concept is unique and they do it very very well, and it completely changes how you look at what they're saying.
What they do is move you from one step or habit, to another, all while keeping you in the mind of the main character. While doing this they very cleverly do two things. First, they show you how simple the eight habits are. And second, they describe how just because these habits are simple, they can also be emotionally difficult to incorporate into your life. About a quarter of the way through the book it hit me that this was all part of a well designed plan, because this is how the authors ultimately motivate and inspire you.
What happened with me, was I began, in my mind, to yell at the character, saying, come on, what your neighbors are saying to you is so simple, how can you still not be able to do it! And then I fell into the trap the authors set for me. Because at that point I began to say to myself, wait a minute! If I'm yelling at her to do it, telling her it's so easy, then why can't I do it? And that's when this book began to change my life.
Is there anything new here? Yes! Not the eight habits, as important as they are, we already all know them, but the way these authors show you how to incorporate those habits into your life is completely different. That, for me, was an absolute eye-opener! It completely took the "dieting" out of losing weight, which was exactly what I needed, because I'm a person who just can't follow diet rules.
The best part is that it's all done in a fun way, through fascinating characters. While reading the book there were times when I had to laugh out loud at the situations, and other times when I got all teary, because the story is so emotionally strong and realistic.
Bottom line, it's been nine weeks since I read the book the first time, and I've already lost 14 pounds, and I can truly say that not once have I ever felt as though I was dieting. All I'm doing is following the simple, and I mean, really simple habits, in the way they showed. Like an earlier reviewer said, we already all know the "what," now we have Water with Lemon to also teach us the "how." And that's exactly what I needed.
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Water With Lemon: An Inspiring Story of Diet-free, Guilt-free Weight Loss! (Paperback)
I feel this fabulous book should have had a different title to include men, as most of the recommendations would work equally well for men, as well as women. I also feel the title should have mentioned something about natural solutions for depression, insomnia, etc. because millions of people are using drugs with nasty side-effects and horrific withdrawals for these problems and are therefore needlessly suffering immeasurably.
