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Water With Lemon: An Inspiring Story of Diet-free, Guilt-free Weight Loss!
Water with Lemon is a new weight-loss novel arriving in bookstores January 2007 – but it is not a diet. You don’t have to do any math. And there’s nothing to give up so there’s no guilt. The best thing about Water with Lemon is that it delivers a compelling story with characters we can all relate to. Unlike preachy diet books filled with structured plans, this book models the emotional challenge of turning knowing into doing. It’s good common sense, not new fad nonsense. It’s the story of diet-free, guilt-free weight loss.INTRODUCING A NEW GENRE -- THE HEALTH NOVEL -- WATER WITH LEMON IS THE FIRST IN THE “POWER OF ONE GOOD HABIT” SERIES This is the result of a dynamic partnership between America’s Nutrition Leader, Zonya Foco, RD, and America’s Health Novelist, Stephen Moss. Stephen’s compelling story and well-crafted characters will keep you turning the pages while you learn Zonya’s surprisingly simple approach to gaining health and mastering weight control. Look for future health novels in the “Power of One Good Habit” series.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2007
11 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 6, 2016
A novel about principals of a possible lifestyle to affect weight loss is an interesting idea. This book has characters that were developed in a likable way, yet I disliked the predictability and type-casting that went along with the story line. Karen, an overweight woman with self esteem issues and a young child, is married to an overweight, angry husband, who is controlling and doesn't like her new friends, an older man who has maintained a healthy weight for many years, his handicapped daughter, and a dog named Courage. Of course, by learning the habits Fowler teaches her and applying them to her life, by the epilogue she has successfully lost some weight and her husband has agreed to marriage counseling.
In my opinion, the story successfully attempts to address some of the emotional issues with being overweight. It provides the author's approach to the diet side of weight loss in the form of a feel-good story. It reads like a training manual designed to keep your attention, often annoying and full of cliches, statistics meant to teach, and recognizable sound bites. Q&A conversations between the characters are obviously designed to teach specific information. Yet I found myself wanting to find out what happens to Karen precisely because it was as well-written as "an inspiring story of diet-free, guilt-free weight loss" can be.
The story line advances as the protagonist learns eight habits to change the way that she interacts with food as a lifestyle. She is allowed to fail, talk about her emotions in a safe environment, and choose again throughout the story. She is continuously and lovingly guided by her too-good-to-be-true guru and confidante and encouraged by his deep thinking daughter, whose situation is so much worse than being overweight.
The novel has a recognizable "sales chapter" where a cookbook is discussed. The name of the cookbook author is not mentioned, but, duh! The chapter refers to a meal being prepared and the Names of the Dishes capitalized, so when one Purchases Said Cookbook one can Easily Find the Recipes.
I didn't read every word, the book had too many references to "low fat". But I read at least 90% in a single sitting.
Who would benefit from this book? If you are health clueless, stuck in the great american diet, and female so you can identify with the emotional Karen, this book may be helpful in identifying ways to change to a healthier way of living. The book is repetitious in the information presented as Karen learns, fails, and attempts to apply the habits to her life; yet repetition is often how we learn. The author suggests that you re-read the book at least twice a year to reinforce the good habits taught by the story. I would find it difficult to read again, yet the story is strangely compelling and much easier to get through than a diet manual. But there is no index and so no way to look up a section. Interestingly enough, there is also not a listing anywhere that gives the eight habits as bullet points. In order to know what they are you must read the book.
I gave this book just two stars because of the Q&A conversations that feel contrived to teach the subject, plot predictability, obvious repetition for teaching purposes within the story line, and lack of an index and list of the eight habits. The book achieves its goal, which is to present sufficient information to thoroughly teach the premises of the author's blueprint for health, but I gained five pounds just reading the saccharine saturated pages.
In my opinion, the story successfully attempts to address some of the emotional issues with being overweight. It provides the author's approach to the diet side of weight loss in the form of a feel-good story. It reads like a training manual designed to keep your attention, often annoying and full of cliches, statistics meant to teach, and recognizable sound bites. Q&A conversations between the characters are obviously designed to teach specific information. Yet I found myself wanting to find out what happens to Karen precisely because it was as well-written as "an inspiring story of diet-free, guilt-free weight loss" can be.
The story line advances as the protagonist learns eight habits to change the way that she interacts with food as a lifestyle. She is allowed to fail, talk about her emotions in a safe environment, and choose again throughout the story. She is continuously and lovingly guided by her too-good-to-be-true guru and confidante and encouraged by his deep thinking daughter, whose situation is so much worse than being overweight.
The novel has a recognizable "sales chapter" where a cookbook is discussed. The name of the cookbook author is not mentioned, but, duh! The chapter refers to a meal being prepared and the Names of the Dishes capitalized, so when one Purchases Said Cookbook one can Easily Find the Recipes.
I didn't read every word, the book had too many references to "low fat". But I read at least 90% in a single sitting.
Who would benefit from this book? If you are health clueless, stuck in the great american diet, and female so you can identify with the emotional Karen, this book may be helpful in identifying ways to change to a healthier way of living. The book is repetitious in the information presented as Karen learns, fails, and attempts to apply the habits to her life; yet repetition is often how we learn. The author suggests that you re-read the book at least twice a year to reinforce the good habits taught by the story. I would find it difficult to read again, yet the story is strangely compelling and much easier to get through than a diet manual. But there is no index and so no way to look up a section. Interestingly enough, there is also not a listing anywhere that gives the eight habits as bullet points. In order to know what they are you must read the book.
I gave this book just two stars because of the Q&A conversations that feel contrived to teach the subject, plot predictability, obvious repetition for teaching purposes within the story line, and lack of an index and list of the eight habits. The book achieves its goal, which is to present sufficient information to thoroughly teach the premises of the author's blueprint for health, but I gained five pounds just reading the saccharine saturated pages.
January 2, 2010
I got this book, hoping it would get me stoked for the new year.
As a novel, I felt this book was pretty poor. For me, the story distracted me more than helped me with the 8 habits.
The 8 habits seem great & I'm excited to incorporate the ones I think will help me and my family the most.
I am a HUGE Zonya fan. I love her cookbook. I love her tips. I love her show.
I just didn't buy the story or the characters and didn't really like the "health novel" format. Also, I know they address this at the end, but for me, you can't talk about nutrition without talking more about exercise. For me, this is key.
As a novel, I felt this book was pretty poor. For me, the story distracted me more than helped me with the 8 habits.
The 8 habits seem great & I'm excited to incorporate the ones I think will help me and my family the most.
I am a HUGE Zonya fan. I love her cookbook. I love her tips. I love her show.
I just didn't buy the story or the characters and didn't really like the "health novel" format. Also, I know they address this at the end, but for me, you can't talk about nutrition without talking more about exercise. For me, this is key.
February 4, 2009
I like the cookbook, Lickety split meals, and I thought all the ideas presented for healthy eating were excellent in this book. But the authors tried to put the info in a story as part of dialogue, and I couldn't stand the characters. The storyline was completely unbelievable to me, and distracted from what I really wanted--How to make healthy eating become habits that are easy to live with. I like Zonya, and her website, motivational tv segments, etc. But this book was a disappointment.
November 5, 2017
I had to read this book as part of a course for a reduction in my insurance rates at work. The principles in the book are sound, but in order to include all of the principles the writers had to use a crowbar of unbelievability. I would not recommend this book to you unless you get a reward for reading it as I did.
January 18, 2014
This is the story of how you can make powerful changes in your nutritional health beginning with one good habit.
September 27, 2020
I definitely feel that I learned a few things that I can apply to my own eating habits, but I felt like the storyline touched upon so many other challenges that the main characters are going through that the book is not a fun light reading book on how to lose weight. The story includes somebody who's not comfortable with their weight, somebody who is verbally abusive, somebody who is not comfortable with her disabilities, and a marriage that is falling apart. Takes a long time in the story to be told what the eight habits are so if you're wanting to get started right away skip to the back before you read the story.
January 15, 2021
Hard copy.
My employer offered us the Diet Free program and this came as part of the kit.
This is a book about nutrition, yes, but it is written as a novel, so it's much more interesting than just reading a book about nutrition.
The tips in it are absolutely doable and can easily fit into everyday life without being stressful or causing anxiety.
Great information and a good story, too.
My employer offered us the Diet Free program and this came as part of the kit.
This is a book about nutrition, yes, but it is written as a novel, so it's much more interesting than just reading a book about nutrition.
The tips in it are absolutely doable and can easily fit into everyday life without being stressful or causing anxiety.
Great information and a good story, too.
September 14, 2021
Good fast relatable read goes well to support the diet free program.
June 28, 2022
Excellent. Common sense approach to health.
March 22, 2024
This book was written in 2006 and although it has some great suggestions, some of the science is outdated. The storyline was cheesy.
April 29, 2012
Billed as being an inspiring story of diet-free, guilt-free weight loss, this is yet another book that suggests that you might just find a way of shedding a bit of weight by following its good advice.
But short of holding a gun to your head, taking away all those tasty unhealthy foods and making you exercise, none else can physically help you. They can mentally prepare you and support you but you have to take the lion's share of responsibility. Studies show that many people start a dietary regime with good intentions but mostly give up mid way. And even those who have success and reach the end, many will be locked into a cycle of yo-yo dieting.
A more fundamental mental change is required. Maybe this book will help. So many things will depend on how you personally gel with a given plan or approach…
However you wish to label this book, whether it be a guide to weight-loss, health, inspiration and so on, this is a book which is quite unparalleled in its form. It is not a book chock full of lists, graphs and guides. In fact it reads just like a story book. If you can get over that style and read it in its entirety as you might a story book you may find yourself being engaged and begin to take in the advice and knowledge being given as the book progresses. During review there was no direct feeling that one was being preached to, or that one was somehow having to account for one's actions against some expected timeline. Sure, it might be hard going and sometimes diversionary but many story books can fall into that category yet when one reaches the end one doesn't feel cheated.
Quite a clever format really. It runs the risk of being ignored or being dismissed as "just a story book" by someone casually flicking through it at a bookstore, but nonetheless, a gamble worth making in order to differentiate it from countless others.
It is not possible to conclusively review a book such as this. At least with a recipe book you can judge how a recipe is presented, how it turns out, how things generally feel, but it is a lot harder to comment on a book that mostly relies on it helping you form a mental connection to the "virtual" advice-giver and establishing a will to commit and succeed. However one can state that the approach and style taken by this book is a lot different to many other competing titles, so anybody who has gotten tired of the latest and greatest celebrity diet book or faddish health craze might find this book to be sufficiently different in style and approach to make you refocus on the core subject and reach your eventual goals.
Only you can find this out. This book is worthy of consideration on many counts but there is never a "one size fits all" solution. Maybe this is a good support to your plan though?
Water with Lemon, written by Zonya Foco & Stephen Moss and published by Zhi Publishing. ISBN 978-1890926106, 256 pages. Typical price: GBP10. Note that different covers of the same product exist.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
But short of holding a gun to your head, taking away all those tasty unhealthy foods and making you exercise, none else can physically help you. They can mentally prepare you and support you but you have to take the lion's share of responsibility. Studies show that many people start a dietary regime with good intentions but mostly give up mid way. And even those who have success and reach the end, many will be locked into a cycle of yo-yo dieting.
A more fundamental mental change is required. Maybe this book will help. So many things will depend on how you personally gel with a given plan or approach…
However you wish to label this book, whether it be a guide to weight-loss, health, inspiration and so on, this is a book which is quite unparalleled in its form. It is not a book chock full of lists, graphs and guides. In fact it reads just like a story book. If you can get over that style and read it in its entirety as you might a story book you may find yourself being engaged and begin to take in the advice and knowledge being given as the book progresses. During review there was no direct feeling that one was being preached to, or that one was somehow having to account for one's actions against some expected timeline. Sure, it might be hard going and sometimes diversionary but many story books can fall into that category yet when one reaches the end one doesn't feel cheated.
Quite a clever format really. It runs the risk of being ignored or being dismissed as "just a story book" by someone casually flicking through it at a bookstore, but nonetheless, a gamble worth making in order to differentiate it from countless others.
It is not possible to conclusively review a book such as this. At least with a recipe book you can judge how a recipe is presented, how it turns out, how things generally feel, but it is a lot harder to comment on a book that mostly relies on it helping you form a mental connection to the "virtual" advice-giver and establishing a will to commit and succeed. However one can state that the approach and style taken by this book is a lot different to many other competing titles, so anybody who has gotten tired of the latest and greatest celebrity diet book or faddish health craze might find this book to be sufficiently different in style and approach to make you refocus on the core subject and reach your eventual goals.
Only you can find this out. This book is worthy of consideration on many counts but there is never a "one size fits all" solution. Maybe this is a good support to your plan though?
Water with Lemon, written by Zonya Foco & Stephen Moss and published by Zhi Publishing. ISBN 978-1890926106, 256 pages. Typical price: GBP10. Note that different covers of the same product exist.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
June 24, 2009
The premise behind "Water with Lemon" is that it is a diet book told in the format of a novel. I appreciate the concept and can even say the story line had the potential to be very engaging. In a novel, however, I need a little more character development and a little less beating over the head with diet habits.
Having read my fair share of diet books, I’m confident in saying the eight habits laid out here are sound, doable actions that anyone should be able to understand and implement. And the authors come pretty close to meeting their goal of writing a different kind of diet book that is readable from cover to cover.
Karen and her young son Gabe get locked out of the house by Gary, her mean-spirited and manipulative husband. While she waits in the woods behind her house for Gary to let her back in, she meets her neighbor, Fowler, who welcomes her into his home, and begins instructing her in the eight habits he created in order to be healthy. Fowler has a daughter Janice, who is confined to a wheel chair and despite being a brilliant geneticist, has never left her home. But while the book is chock full of interesting characters, we only get a glimpse of them outside of their discussions of the eight habits.
Water With Lemon is a good effort, but I would rather have read a detailed article.
Having read my fair share of diet books, I’m confident in saying the eight habits laid out here are sound, doable actions that anyone should be able to understand and implement. And the authors come pretty close to meeting their goal of writing a different kind of diet book that is readable from cover to cover.
Karen and her young son Gabe get locked out of the house by Gary, her mean-spirited and manipulative husband. While she waits in the woods behind her house for Gary to let her back in, she meets her neighbor, Fowler, who welcomes her into his home, and begins instructing her in the eight habits he created in order to be healthy. Fowler has a daughter Janice, who is confined to a wheel chair and despite being a brilliant geneticist, has never left her home. But while the book is chock full of interesting characters, we only get a glimpse of them outside of their discussions of the eight habits.
Water With Lemon is a good effort, but I would rather have read a detailed article.
February 6, 2009
This was a great book to get you out of the diet-mentality while making healthy choices become habits. This is written in a novel form and is kind of cheesy but really helps us understand how we sabotage ourselves with the diet-mentallity. That part I really like. The one thing I really didn't like and found hard to relate to was the verbally abusive husband. Most of us who struggle with our weight don't have low self-esteem becasue our husbands call us names. We do it to ourselves. Can be found at the Lehi library!
October 28, 2010
I enjoyed this fun way to learn about nutrition and health. The information really stuck with me and made an impact. It has changed how I am approaching food and the preparation of it in my daily life. It lists 8 habits that you can make a part of your life in a way that works for you and becomes seamless instead of an obsession and worry. I highly recommend it if you want to gain health through nutrition.
November 4, 2007
My high rating of this book is based on the message versus the actual writing. For anyone that has long-term weight issues, it's a great way to put things in perspective and realize that little changes make huge impacts. I believe, if followed, this book truly is the guide to permanent weight loss. However, the writing is overly simple and a little repetitive.
August 22, 2008
A good book with a good message. You can definately tell you're reading an "information" book, but put in the story form makes it readable without being completely boring. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know, but some of the main character's insights while going through the learning process hit home with me.
October 2, 2008
Has a great message and very good common sense principles for living healthy and losing weight, but the plot is a little cheesy. You have to take it with a grain of salt - it's not a fantastic plot, but that's not really what you're reading it for anyway. I'm a big fan of Zonya (the author/nutritionist), so that's what made it worth it.
December 20, 2009
I have read so many weight loss books, I can't begin to name or count them all. This one is different! It is a story about weight loss. It made sense to me. I really love learning things through story telling. I tend to retain the information better because I can apply it to characters and a story, rather than just facts. I highly recommend this book. My husband even enjoyed it!
April 11, 2010
I thought this was going to be a weight loss book- and I wasn't too excited to read it, but it ended up being a great book about nutrition and health. It reviewed health and nutrition in a story, rather than in a text format, which made it more relevant and interesting.
I would suggest it to anyone- it has many good life principles. To learn more about it, go to waterwithlemon.com
I would suggest it to anyone- it has many good life principles. To learn more about it, go to waterwithlemon.com
June 20, 2010
Three stars for the story, but FIVE stars for the message this book gave to me! My eyes have been opened and I won't be eating or looking at food the same way, ever again. The power of one good habit is MINE and I will be incorporating this into my life and the lives of my entire family. BRAVO Zonya :-)
November 7, 2008
Out of all the diet books I have read (and there is many) this one is the best! What a great fictional story that ties into some great healthy tips. I had read a chapter on line and the story grabbed me.
August 8, 2010
I honestly do not even remember if I finished this book. I think I gave up half way because it was so monotonus. Had great advice about food, but basically it was drink a lot of water. Eat vegetables.
January 9, 2011
I already knew all of this stuff, but it was interesting to read anyways. Because it's so short, I'll probably try to read it once a year to remind myself of these habits. An excellent book to teach people that "diet" is a noun, not a verb!
July 9, 2011
This book is a fictional story that follows the life of someone who is struggling with their weight. I learned a lot of stuff from the book and felt it was helpful information for me at this time since I am on a quest to make changes in my health and the health of my family.
January 10, 2014
A warm-hearted novel that backs up the advice and habits of Zonya Foco's dietfree program. Worth reading if you are following the program, with good advice for adopting the 8 life-changing habits.
February 24, 2008
8 little secrets to loosing weight you can do without the "dieting." It's in a novel form. Really good.
Read
March 10, 2010i plan to pick this up and finish it eventually...
August 3, 2008
Painful to finish...
September 4, 2008
Great philosophy for a modern-day diet. It's not a DIET at all, but a change in lifestyle & eating to be healthy!
February 19, 2009
For all you dieters, here's a common sense approach to weight loss in story form. Good read, but better for the positive direction and motivation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews