The Reality Diet: Lose the Pounds for Good with a Cardiologist's Simple, Healthy, Proven Plan

By Steven A. Schnur

Book Overview

Now available in paperback, The Reality Diet is the foolproof solution to weight loss that has people all over the country dropping pounds and spreading the word about their success. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1583332502
• ISBN13: 9781583332504
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Avery
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.4" x 6.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

great way to lose weight without thinking about dieting!

I have been on diets all of my adult life and never thought that i could lose weight until Dr. Schnur published this book. I have only been on the diet for exactly one week now and have lost 3 1/4 lbs this first week. I have eaten more than i would normally eat. I have not been hungry. I have enjoyed learning about sensible eating by reading food labels and looking for the foods that are better for you containing more fiber, but best of all, i like the simplicity of being able to eat well, eat foods that i like, eat all kinds of food, and not feel that i am so restricted with part one, then part two, then maintenance to keep the weight off. Dr. Schnur has come up with a manageable way of life that makes so much sense! I recommend this book wholeheartedly and without reservation. I am going to buy it to send to my friends who are always complaining that there is no such thing as an easy diet....THIS IS SO EASY THAT YOU DON'T FEEL THAT YOU ARE ON A DIET......THIS IS ONE WAY OF EATING THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE WITHOUT DEPRIVING MYSELF OF ANYTHING! THANK YOU DR. SCHNUR!

Loved it!! Dr Schnur makes being healthy and fit ..simple and fun!

I love this plan!! I am so relieved to finally read and learn about a health plan that includes all of the food groups, since I love all types of food. I have tried a few low carb diets and they have only given me short term success and I have always been concerned about the vitamins and nutrients I was missing by cutting out so many foods like grains and potatoes and corn etc. For me it was just was not realistic to never eat some of these foods again. With the Reality Diet I learned about the importance of fiber and the 2:90 rule is such an easy and realistic measure to follow. I have already started following the diet and I am thrilled to say that the suggested meals are delicious, filling, and I have so much energy throughout the day that I am actually motivated to go for a jog after work!

Thank Heavens for "The Reality Diet"!!

If you're looking for a diet that you can live on look no further! As a woman in my forties my metabolism has began to slow and that's the scariest thing. I thought I might have had a thyroid problem but a series of blood tests have proven otherwise. The weight loss methods that I used when I was younger simply don't work for me anymore. I struggled to find a program that was balanced, healthy and practical. "The Reality Diet" is the most enjoyable diet I have ever tried. Whether I'm cooking at home or more so enjoying meals on the go or at a restaurant, this book has taught me to make healthful, yet delicious choices. I don't feel as if I'm being deprived at all. Staying on the "Reality Diet" is insurance for me. "The Reality Diet" has become a part of my life and is the new blueprint for my eating habits. The best example I can think of is Corn-Meal Crusted Sole, it's delicious!!! When I picked up the stone ground corn-meal in the supermarket as listed in the recipe provided, I was excited to learn that the corn-meal coating contains 5 grams if fiber in it. Try looking for that in breadcrumbs! I also love the Parmesan Chicken and can't forget the Raspberry Breakfast Smoothie. Each week I'm anxious to trying some of the new recipes and seeing the results. The great thing about it is that you are not obligated to cook all the food and can simply stick to the meal plan and guidelines, which could not be any easier. My food shopping trips have become less stressful. Who would ever imagine that food shopping could be a breeze! Thanks to the "Shopping with Shirley" section of this wonderful book I now understand what I need to look for rather than doing the guesswork myself. Anyone who wants to live a healthy and enjoyable life should pick up this book today. Dr. Schnur's diet has become my reality and I'm thankful for that.

If you really want to lose weight (in a healthy way) this is the book!

I think the reviewer from Indianapolis is on the money with the review. It cannot be put any better than that. I personally was lucky enough to have the diet available to me before the printing of the book and I must say that it works and you don't. What I mean by that is not that you don't have to try to lose weight on this diet but it does seem that way as you dig deeper into it. Some diets seem to require you to "make this" and "buy this" ... or prepare this meal the night before. You end up losing weight because of all the running around you are doing to prepare your different meals. Other diets say "you can't have this". OOOHHHHH, let's think about this one. When do you really want something the most? When you can't have it! And you will want it because the thought has been planted in your mind that you can't have it. Those of you who have been on diets, don't you get sick of going out with friends and saying "Oh I can't eat that because I'm on a diet" and then you chuckle while thinking ... "Man I wish I could have that dessert or that glass of wine". What I am getting at while making light of the situation so many people go through is that this diet is just as the name implies. This is "REALITY" and depriving yourself of things you like is not reality folks. "REALITY" is enjoying your favorite foods, being able to go out and enjoy your food while eating healthy, improving your health with healthy eating and exercise ... not starving yourself! "I am going to eat one meal today..." and "I've only eaten ..." are phrases that you all have probably heard or used yourself. Not the case with the "Reality Diet". I could sit here and write glorious things about the diet all day but they would truly just be words to you unless you try it. I urge you to buy the book. You will find that it will be the best money you've ever spent to accomplish a lifetime of pleasure for you and your loved ones. Let's be real about it. If you improve your health, others around you want to do the same and you increase your chances of living a longer more rewarding life (mentally and physically). And I would just like to add that if you are saying, "well I am 40, 50, 60 years old and it is too late ..." again I am going to use the phrase "let's be real" or in this case "get real". It is never too late to live a healthier lifestyle. Enjoy the book and enjoy your life! It is truly the best and easiest "diet plan" (I almost feel bad calling it a diet because it really is much more) I have ever come across in my entire life.

A balance of carbs (the right kind), sensible eating and BALANCE

With 60% of Americans currently overweight, something is still missing when it comes to finding that optimal eating plan and Dr. Schnur may have the key to what that is. Imagine eating Spanish couscous, Ham and cheese egg muffins, chicken pasta salad and STILL managing to achieve a nice, steady weight loss. I'm sure this will be a shocker to low carb devotees but, speaking as a former low carber, I've lost MORE weight on the Reality Diet, feel better and don't crave carbs as I used to. Committed as I was to "low carb" diets, I didn't exactly have high hopes for this one but was shocked to see the pounds coming off. Besides, I'd gotten bored with counting every carb and I missed some of my old favorites So I was opening to trying something new and discovered that this is a truly sensible diet, with an emphasis on just enough fiber to keep your body operating at maximum metabolic efficiency. What a difference that makes! Here was my experience on this diet (and yes, I WAS skeptical when I saw how many grams of carbs most of these recipes contained): 1. A steady weight loss of about 7 -8 pounds a month which adds up to 30 pounds in about 3-4 months. Sound too slow? Not if the weight STAYS off. 2. Feeling fuller than ever and actually having to struggle to eat ENOUGH calories, quite a novelty for a diet! 3. More energy. 4. More efficient and regular digestion. 5. No dark circles under my eyes - maybe because of increased circulation or a missing nutritional ingredient? 6 Reduction of wrinkles, perhaps from drinking more water or having better circulation. This book has the strength of being written by a cardiologist, one who can give plenty of examples of how dangerous those other diets can be, based on people he's seen in the emergency room after they've lost something like 30 pounds in a month. The weight may come off quickly, true...but that isn't necessarily a good thing, as he indicates by the patients he's seen who've seriously impacted their cardiovascular health, their energy and their nutritional requirements. Based on his experiences, Dr. Schnur advocates steady, realistic weight loss. This doesn't mean losing TOO slowly, however but at a pace of about 7 to 8 pounds a month - a loss that is not only sustainable but can be healthy. And yes, there is a major GUIDELINE, a formula for following "The Reality Diet" which is a very easy guideline to learn. It involvesl learning how much fiber you need daily (and what types of fiber) to keep you feeling full, the kind of fiber that occurs naturally in food. By using this very simple rule, you can look at ANY food label and know if the food is appropriate for the plan. This means that carbohydrates no no longer off limit, as long as they follow the guidelines established here. I won't give the secret away because I really think you need to learn it in context with the rest of the book..and also because Dr. Schnur explains why you need the