I'm sure that many people (like myself) are always on the lookout for an "easy" diet that will make losing weight easy and magical. I've come to accept that there isn't such a diet. So despite the book's touting of the "Fit to the Finish Weight Loss Plan," readers should know going in that there is no magic bullet to be found in this book. Like all good books about losing weight, Ms. Carbonell is proposing the same basic things as everyone else and there is no real mystery to it: you need to exercise and watch what you eat.

Her specific plan has three components:

1. Watching the percentage of fat you eat (she recommends keeping it to 30% of the calories you eat and provides a formula for calculating this number)

2. Watching portion size

3. Exercising.

As you can see, there is nothing new or controversial here. It is good old fashioned "watching what you eat and exercising." However, what does make this book useful and better than some of the others I've come across is how she shares her personal experiences in losing and keeping off a tremendous amount of weight. Her advice on topics such as dealing with plateaus (that horrible time in every diet when you stop losing weight despite needing to lose additional weight) was extremely helpful and beneficial and provides a host of advice for dealing with and circumventing this common weight loss obstacle.

She also addresses and deals with the emotional aspects of losing weight and eating -- which is a critical but often overlooked part of the weight loss equation. She has been in that place where food was serving a purpose other than nourishment or providing fuel for the body. She has experienced the emotional distress and comfort that comes from food. By sharing her personal story (and many photos), Ms. Carbonell makes her weight loss journey relatable and feel achievable. You truly do feel that if she can do it, you can too.

The book is filled with numerous "Your Turn" worksheets, where readers are invited to write down their answers to various weight loss questions and concerns. I think this is a critical part of the weight loss journey, and readers who take the time to complete these sections and really use this book as a companion to their weight loss journey are likely to find success.

The book does include some recipes and exercises, as well as charts to assist with calculating fat percentage and figuring out your BMI and so forth. As helpful as that is, the main reason to read this book is to get the real-world, practical advice from someone who has successfully lost weight and kept it off. This kind of insight and help is invaluable and is the single best reason to buy this book. ( )

This is an Inspiring self-help book. The author is brutally honest about her own issues with food and her struggles to lose weight and shares many painful stories from her life as a "fat woman." She joined and then dropped out of Weight Watchers 82 times! She was over 300 pounds when she came up with this --- well, it's not a diet. It is a lifestyle really. Ms. Carbonell focuses on portion control, fat content, exercise, and mindset. I thought her coping strategies were particularly helpful. For example, with regard to exercising, she has the five-minute rule. Tell yourself you only have to do it for five minutes. If you feel worse after five minutes, then you can stop. If you don't, then you will want to keep exercising. Another good tip is, once you've lost weight, to get rid of your "just in case" wardrobe. You know, the just-in-case-I-gain-the-weight-back clothes. That is not where you want your mind to be. She also has very helpful suggestions about identifying your food triggers and ways to deal with those situations. I don't need to lose 150 pounds, but 30 would be nice. I've started using some of the things I've learned from the book and have lost 7 pounds so far and already feel better. I would recommend this book to anyone (man or woman) looking for a realistic way to lose weight in the real world and keep it off. ( )

Meh. While most of the book had good information - no fad diets, no strict rules, healthy balanced eating, encouraged exercise, small slow changes - I found her negative attitude about her weight issues off-putting. She lacked compassion, often referring to herself as a whale or to waddling, for instance. I felt as if we met face-to-face, she would feel as disgusted with me as she once obviously felt for herself. ( )

Diane Carbonell once weighed over 300 pounds. She lost half her size, and she did it without resorting to surgery.
I liked seeing that this book had a lot of content...it's not cheerleading without help. She let's you know a lot of it is mindset, and she's realistic about how she felt when she was at her largest (and those of us who need to lose more than a few pounds can identify with her.) She comes across as a "real" person....
Diane has nutritional information, exercise and information you'll need in your real life for the journey...and it is a journey you'll have to be aware of for the rest of your life.
This is THE weight loss book I would recommend... ( )

I haven't read a lot of diet books, but this one seems better than the ones I have read. The author is all about life-style changes and losing the weight slowly. She is a beautiful woman who made the changes in her diet and exercise routine so that she could be healthier. She writes about how losing weight for appearance sake was the original goal, but becoming healthier and more fit took over as her goal sometime along the way.
Very well done. ( )