Book Review: Naturally Thin

Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of DietingBy Bethenny Frankel
I read this book coming off of The 17 Day Diet by Mike Moreno. I had made it to day sixteen and couldn't stand the limited menu any longer. I lost eight pounds on it.

I liked Ms. Frankel's common sense real world take on the whole diet conundrum. She eats like a skinny person eats. Whatever she wants, but just a little bit. She insists that the first two or three bites of a delicious food are the most satisfying, after that, you really don't have the same 'high'. So why bother?

She usually gets a salad and an appetizer at a restaurant and always offers to share her food with her dining companions. This gets rid of some of it. Sometimes she takes half home. She always leaves two bites. Two uneaten bites from every meal really add up in saved calories over the course of a week.

I always ask to have half of my food split and boxed up in the kitchen before it is brought out to me. This way I'm not tempted to have just a couple more bites before I ask for a containter to take it home. A couple more bites sometimes means I end up eating all of it. And I don't eat it at another meal. I give it to my skinny daughter who is happy to have the good food even though she missed the lunch.

Ms. Frankel also admits that she sometimes skips a meal like breakfast even though so many experts insist Americans are obese because they don't eat breakfast then gorge themselves at the next meal. If she isn't hungry, why eat?

She also admits to having convenice store junk food like a Snickers bar or pretzels, but she makes up for it at the next meal. And she encourages her dining companion to order things she really wants, like fries, and then she'll have a couple. Eat everything you want, just not all at the same time.

I've been following her advice for a week now and have not put any weight back on. I haven't lost any, but that's okay. I'm finally at a healthy BMI. I'll try to lose a little bit more after vacation and my birthday cake. My favorite food in the whole world is birthday cake. Just like Janet Evanovich's heroine Stephanie Plum. I am determined not to deprive myself on my upcoming trip to Disney World AND not to gain weight. I'll eat what I want, but just a little.