Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat

by H. Leighton Steward, Morrison C. Bethea, Luis A. Balart

When SUGAR BUSTERS! hit the shelves almost five years ago, it quickly became a diet and lifestyle phenomenon, soaring to the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list and embraced by millions of people across the country. Those satisfied individuals on the SUGAR BUSTERS! plan discovered that by simply choosing the correct carbohydrates and lowering their sugar intake, they could shed the pounds they failed to lose with other diets. Now the weight-loss program that swept the nation has been completely revised and updated–incorporating all the newest nutritional findings, health statistics, and scientific studies, including the latest on glycemic levels.

Based on sound dietary principles, SUGAR BUSTERS! remains a highly effective program that shows you how to reduce the sugar in your life (without feeling deprived) through easy-to-follow recipes and meal plans. In this new edition, you will discover

• A discussion on prevention, still the best medicine
• Amazing testimonials from men and women who are still losing weight and feeling fit the SUGAR BUSTERS! way
• Frequently asked questions–direct from the SUGAR BUSTERS! Web site– along with helpful answers
• A special section on childhood obesity–how to measure it and what to do about it
• Hard facts on soft drinks
• The latest on diabetes–and how SUGAR BUSTERS! can help prevent it
• A Body Mass Index (BMI) chart and Calculation Formula to determine if you are obese or merely overweight
• An expanded discussion of our ancestor’s diet, which was whole-grain, high-fiber, and low-glycemic–just like SUGAR BUSTERS!
• Essential facts on women, weight loss, and nutrition
• New tips, updated charts, new recipes, and practical exercise suggestions
• Handy information on how SUGAR BUSTERS! compares with other diet plans, from Atkins to Ornish

So arm yourself with the facts and get the figure you’ve always wanted. When it comes to optimal wellness on the SUGAR BUSTERS! program, it’s survival of the fittest–a way of life in which everybody wins!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Diets, Nutrition, Cookbooks, Food

270 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book ten years ago and have remembered it's easy advice for cutting sugar to trim fat. My husband lost 80 lbs and I lost 20. We've kept it off by maintaining the sugar buster way of eating. I don't like to call it a diet, it's just the way we eat.

[Melissa Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As of 2021, some info is outdated; otherwise, there are some good nuggets in here.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dated and clear as mud. I think the basic ideas in this book are valid and understandable, but it's not written in a way that makes for fun leisure reading- it's more of an academic type of text. I'll look for another book on the topic that's newer.

I enjoyed the documentary That Sugar Film while reading this, and I got much more useful content from that.

[Marni Tagami · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who are pre-diabetic or diabetic, this book is easy to read and very practical. It gives the information needed about these conditions and what to do to control them or to not let them progress. Good foods are quite numerous; The bad foods list isn't that bad. Recipes are given for 14 days of meals that are easy to prepare. I think when I finally come to the point where I am totally ready to get off of sugar, this will be my-go text book.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the rationale behind this book made a lot of sense. I however did not follow through with the plan. This is a book I plan to re-read and maybe incorporate some of the principals within my diet. I do eat too many processed foods and sugars. Not good for my particular health needs. This book has been out a while. I do recommend it.

[Booketeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrated finishing this book today by a serving of French toast with genuine maple syrup. But I do plan to (and already do) use it's better ideas. I suspect the authors are still too anti-fat in diet, but they make strides.

[Richard Crater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been around for decades and since I LOVE sugar I steered away from it every time I saw it. But for $.25 I couldn't pass it up. It was very enlightening and the concepts were simple. Following the eating habits is simple also. I may give it a white-knuckle try in January 2024!

[Dave Brewer]

I really have no idea how many years ago I read this but I can’t help thinking my mom recommended it a few years after release. I also don’t remember too much about the book except thinking “ugh … yeah, I’d prob believe most of that”. Over the years, I started cutting out sodas, then high fructose syrup, red # something, and finally “added sugar” which has been huge game changer for overall health and mental well-being.

Curious if the refreshed version is worth a reread? 🤔

[Rashema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sugar Busters helped me get prepared for a lifestyle change. My appetite changed from simple carbohydrates to complex carbohydrates and I lowered my cholesterol. When I first read it I was not ready to pursue this challenge but my parents helped me with it.

[Ace P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its an ok 👌🏾 book, it does get a bit medically confusing with the glycemic, insulin and pancreas stuff, but that could also be due to my interest in only one chapter; the cardiovascular system. If you’re looking to lose weight, this book 📖 is definitely a good start.

[Jerry Wall · Rating 1 out of 5]

refined sugar is bad for you.
Do whole grains and avoid carbs that are easily converted to sugar like potatoes and corn.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on audio. Quite good. Cutting out extra sugars isn’t a bad thing! And, limiting too many carbs (not full-blown keto) is helpful for me, too. Working on it!

[Jenny Petticord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot of repeat information

[Aleksander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadaljevanje oz. nadgradnja Montignacovega koncepta glikemicnega indeksa. Iz lastnih izkusenj preverjeno in v kar absolutno verjamem. Zelo dobro razlozi kako zadeve "res" delujejo in pomece s stereotipi ki se jih na zalost oklepajo tradicinalni nutricionisti in je zakoreninjeno v naso miselnost in vsakdan.

Na nek nacin zelo preprosto in prav neverjetno kako se o tem govori ze kar nekaj casa (nekaj desetletij), vendar nikakor ne dobi bolj splosne veljave. Avtorji sami to razlagajo s tem, da Montinaca niso jemali resno ker se pac s tem ni poklicno ukvarjal. Upam da se bo to zdaj spremenilo (trije od stirih avtorjev so zdravniki - kirurgi in specialisti). Veliko pa verjetno pripomore ves sistem, ekonomija, lobiji, ...

Kakorkoli, zelo dobra knjiga, ki preuredi gledanje na prehrano in kako zadeve delujejo. Ce se niste prebrali Montignaca, pa tudi ce ste ze, priporocam v branje (kot nekaj novega, ali pa potrditev in razsiritev obstojecega). Na hrano (ne samo sladkor) boste gledali drugace...

[Kristen MacGregor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll confess, I only read the Intro, first chapter, chapter 9 and peeked at the recipes. Had I realized what this book really was, I would have never borrowed it from the library! This book is a completely fallacy- any "diet" that tells you you can eat all the "steak, lamb chops, cheese, eggs and so on" but completely cut out potatoes, corn, beets & carrots is not going to be a healthy diet. Yes, eliminating your sugar intake does help- but that doesn't mean you can eat anything you want that doesn't have sugar in it [horrible meats that are not good for you for so many other reasons!] Imagine how much weight the authors- and their readers- would have lost if they'd been on a better whole-foods, plant-based diet! Imagine the health they would have received in addition to cutting sugars. I am not going to read the rest of this book because it's a waste of my time- please don't read it, and find something better!

[Michael Hentrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written a little while ago, in 1995. Many of the topics in here about the damaging effects of sugar are becoming mainstream knowledge now, but I'm sure it was more novel at the time.

This book is a simple and quick read, basically focusing on the effects of sugar on the body and making a plan to eat foods that are void of or low in sugar as well as to avoid foods that are high on the glycemic index. The type is big, the margins wide, the pages small, and almost half of the book is taken up by recipes, meal plans, etc. In the end, I didn't feel like I had read much, which is fine because I feel more confident that I can write my own book someday.

In the end, even though a lot of the information in this book wasn't new to me, I still gained some tidbits of knowledge and it was a valuable quick read.

[Chrystal Mahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book years ago when it first came out. After being diagnosed with PCOS last year and realizing I have been suffering from it, along with the insulin resistance it brings, my docs and I knew I had to change my way of eating. I had been struggling for years to lose weight with no luck. Since going low carb I have finally been able to shed weight. I saw this book in a thrift shop for a $1 and decided to read it again. It's not my plan of eating , but there is a bit of useful information for those needing to break their sugar (carb) addiction. I am very interested in the recipe section. I love using recipes as a base to come up with my own low carb meals.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I just wanted to read a book about sugar and why not to eat it. On accident, this book turned out to be a diet book popular in New Orleans in the mid 90's. And lots of the nutritional information in it was wrong. Some parts were interesting. I even persevered to the final end.

But really, unless you have unlimited amounts of time to waste reading old diet books, there are so many more valuable, correct, and up to date books out there. Dumb library for letting me check this out. They wasted my time.

[David Schlack · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 - Sugar Busters is useful to me as a type 2 diabetic. It's observation of insulin as a creator of fat and our high American glycemic diets was enlightening. The book contains a food glycemic tables, helpful ways to eat the right foods, encourages light exercising at least four times a week, a 14 day menu plan, many low sugar recipes, list what foods which are better than others, and surprisingly, a list of desserts that are low in sugar. The book makes so much sense and offers a large variety of foods can be eaten. Enjoy!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative yer reader friendly. Premise of book logical. Have ordered the updated book and am going to eat accordingly to manage blood sugar and cholesterol.

Note the authors stress you still must watch portion sizes and only eat lean meats. They reiterate this throughout the book and eating balance plates.

[andrew mcgraw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old book (1995, I think) that I picked up at a Goodwill store over the holidays. Pretty basic stuff, but good emphasis on the fact that when it comes to weight management-insulin is THE enemy and strategies for minimizing its effects. Had some recipes in the back that looked pretty good that I may try.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives the scientific effects of sugar on the body, along with tips for reducing or eliminating sugar from the diet. Further, this book gives a meal plan. After someone recommended it to my doctor, he recommended it to ALL of his patients, whatever their health level. Along with my doctor, I recommend this book.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying to sort through this book for hypoglycemia was a mess. It's chapter listing foods by glycemic index was most helpful. The rest felt like a bit of filler with a few helpful suggestions here and there.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read on why we should eat a healthy, balanced diet and what that consists of. And what they say about increased energy and weight loss is true. I am already feeling the benefit of cutting sugar out of my diet.

[Janet Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for over a year, but finally got serious about "my addiction!" I've actually starting living by its recommendations. I've read about 5 chapters so far and it makes a lot of sense.

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2nd time I have read this book. It has a lot of good info, I used it as a base for GI info to keep my sugars down, I maintained my no red meat eating, eating whole grains and the right vegetables and lost 5lbs the first week and felt great.

[Xondra Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather restrictive and didn't tell me anything that I already knew about dieting and reduced portions. I was expecting something more enlightening I guess. We all know that too much sugar isn't good for you along with refined and processed foods. The diet read like a different version of Atkins.

[Madam Claire of Whistley Woo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really well on this diet. I lost the most weight on this diet.

[Jennifer]

Pure crap.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

GrEAT about how bad sugar is for your body and how to get off of it