Great read. Very mind opening!

1 star
O.M.G.!!
What in the world did I just read???

15 years ago I read Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking and I haven't lit a cigarette since July 28th 2003. I still celebrate that every year with a small dinner party.
So, after I gained weight after, well, shit happened in life, medication etc, weight which I can't seem to lose, I thought, maybe Carr can help me. But man, was I wrong.
While reading I kept a list of all the brainwashing bs in this book, thinking I would use that for my review, but I don't even know where that list is anymore and I really don't feel like going over those points again. They all come down to fallacies, unfounded arguments, ridiculous comparisons (of course your car is not going to get bigger or thinner depending on how much gas you put in it or how much you drive around/how much gas you use up, a car is not an organic, living being!!!) and downright brainwashing, something he complains society is doing to us....the pot calling the kettle black.

I've read some reviews, most are negative, but some are really positive because it helped those people lose weight and feel better/healthier. I'm sincerely glad for all of them and so I truly believe that if you think this book will help you, then you should definitely read it, because I believe in doing whatever it is that helps you reach your goal. Because of this I thought about giving it an additional half star, so 1.5 stars. ...... But I can't......I just can't....

I purchased this book because my mum read Allen's book Easyway to Stop Smoking. After smoking for over 40 years and trying to give up many times, that book got her to stop smoking... and never re-start, that was 15 years ago.
I was hoping it would have the same impact about dieting with me. Alas, not yet.
I understand what he is saying, I believe in the truth of a lot of things, but somehow the inspiration to stop eating too much has just not settled in me.
I looked at chocolate and tried to imagine it was dog poo in a crispy coating, but nah, that didn't work for me.
However, I have this feeling that I just need to read it again. So, I've determined that each Jan (until I am no longer eating the wrong things) I will re-read.
I believe in theory behind the chapters, I just don't have the mindset to change just yet.
I have moved onto fresh fruit smooties for breakfast though, so I have taken the first step :)

I think some of the ideas in this book are ok, but some you might have to take with a pinch of salt (no pun intended).

I get where he is going with the main ideas and am interested to keep reading and see where this leads me, but im not expecting miracles. An ok read so far, am nearly finished.

This year I decided to not waste any more time on books that don't resonate with me. I feel like Allen Carr should stick with his easy way to stop smoking, which actually worked back when I was in my 20s. That one I recommend 100%.

I read more than 50% of his book on weight loss, and grasped the main idea and strategy behind the concepts, however, he lost me at "we're not designed to eat meat, eggs, milk, we should eat only veggies and fruits". My goal was not to become a vegan by reading this book, so I'll just stop wasting my time reading it. DNF - gave it 2 stars because I'll put into practice some of the learnings I gained.

Perskaitęs knygą, išeidavau iš parduotuvės beveik nieko nenusipirkęs. Beveik viskas buvo nesveikia ir nenaudinga. Tokiame kosmomse buvau apie mėnesį.. Įdomų minčių prirašė apie žmonių, gyvūnų maitinimąsi ir maisto evoliuciją.

Thoughts are well constructed, however, when I picked up this book, I didn't know the crux of achieving the weight loss would hinge on being a vegan, which is not something I am interested in doing.

Well, it’s not really scientific. He has points, that work, but the reasons for them working are based on argument “mother nature has made you to do so”.

But as I started the book, I had a goal: to lose weight without suffering. Three years ago an other book of Allen Carr helped me to stop smoking. It was not the only step, but the first move to the right direction. So, i read it, and started to eat e cucumber every day. And berries.

Then I turned to Dr. Greger, aded salad, beans and so on. I don’t plan to become vegan. I just want to have informational environment, that helps my brain to choose, what I want it to choose. And for that Allen Carr was a good start.

It still could be better though. Without the goal, wich helped me to ignore nonsense, I would throw it away after the first 40 pages.

Started this book just for curiosity. I’ve heard for years about the author’s book on how to quit smoking that truly helped lots of people, but since I don’t smoke I read this one instead thinking it could be helpful and informative. It reminded me when you talk to a friend about an issue and he starts making with a general, vague speech about a topic giving you an advice. It’s not a medical essay for sure, not an informative book, just a general writing that I didn’t find useful.

I found the book helpful, in that he coaches the reader through how to think more objectively/critically of patterns and/or beliefs that may be habitual from childhood.

A lot of the material is repetitive but this is what’s needed to really change thought loop patterns and beliefs, so I completely understand why he says ‘read the book from start to finish, no cheating.’ You need all of those repetitions to stand a chance at changing your behavior.

The book is not flawless, and it IS brainwashing, but obviously its intention is pro-health and in your best interests.

Example of one flaw: we now understand that fruit isn’t that great for you, as your body can’t process fructose very well without raising insulin levels and converting it to fat stores.

I did appreciate the commentary about dairy: no other animal would consume dairy from another species… that’s just weird, and all other animals accept that they grow out of eating dairy once they mature into adolescence/adulthood. Intuitively this does make sense to me; eating dairy into adulthood probably DOES do something weird to us hormonally. (I know this is a common argument from vegan doctors like Neal Barnard and John McDougall).

What I do disagree with were suggestions like people are always triggered to eat junk food from advertisements. This is not always the case; I don’t even watch TV or read much that would give me exposure to advertising. The fact is that I know I have a sugar addiction, and guess what? I think sugary things taste awesome and they sure light up my brain, and that makes it irresistible. Yes, it’s a willpower issue, but there is no convincing me that sugar tastes bad, because we know it tastes good and our brains are wired to chemically release happy hormones when we eat sugar, fruit, etc. It’s an evolutionary protective mechanism that doesn’t serve us now… knowing that, it’s hard for me to agree with some of his arguments.

For anyone else who has sugar or flour issues - I’ve started reading Good Sugar Bad Sugar, and I agree with one of the early statements in the book: poppies are refined and processed to produce opiates including heroin; the coca plant is refined and processed to create cocaine; and sugar beets and sugar cane are processed and refined to create another addictive white powder, sugar. Put in that context, sugar really does look like the harmful addictive substance it is.

Aprendiendo a comer.

'Y ahí estaba yo, un miembro de la especie más inteligente del planeta, preguntándome cómo tenía la ardilla la inteligencia de no comerse todos los cacahuetes.'
'Quizá nos hayamos vuelto arrogantes, pero ¿qué hay de malo en utilizar nuestra inteligencia para mejorar a la Madre Naturaleza y así mantener nuestra superioridad sobre las otras especies? Ésa es la cuestión. Creo que ya no lo estamos haciendo. No sólo eso, sino que, de muchas maneras, entre ellas nuestros hábitos alimenticios, estamos obrando en contradicción directa con la Madre Naturaleza.'
'¿Cuántas veces has oído acusar a los hinchas de fútbol de comportarse como animales? Así de distorsionada está nuestra idea del hombre civilizado comparado con los animales salvajes. Los animales salvajes no actúan de esa manera. Sólo matan para sobrevivir y casi nunca matan a los de su propia especie.'
'¿O crees que el factor más significativo será que, en menos de cien años, la raza humana ha inventado una serie de maneras de destruir lo que tardó tres mil millones de años en crearse, y aunque la mayoría de nosotros somos plenamente conscientes de los peligros, hemos sido incapaces hasta ahora de eliminar uno solo de ellos?'
'El instinto es resultado de tres mil millones de años de experimentación, no de teorías, sino de genuinos aciertos y fracasos. Permite a los pájaros construir complicados nidos y a las arañas tejer espesas telarañas.'
'No me cabe ninguna duda de que los dinosaurios estaban igual de confiados en que sobrevivirían.'
'...siempre que tu inteligencia esté en conflicto con tu instinto, sería algo ilógico contradecir tu instinto.'
'...independientemente de cuán grandes sean los logros de la humanidad, somos menos que la hormiga más insignificante si nos comparamos con los milagros de la Madre Naturaleza.'
'Nosotros tenemos el problema de que nos han lavado el cerebro para que creamos que el hombre, y no la Madre Naturaleza, es el experto que nos dice qué debemos comer. Hemos permitido que nuestra inteligencia interfiera y domine nuestros instintos naturales.'
'... no hemos sido diseñados para comer carne.'
'El hombre es superior a los animales salvajes. Esa superioridad nos da una responsabilidad. Los animales salvajes dependen de nosotros para que los protejamos y cuidemos su entorno.'
'Una cosa es matar animales para sobrevivir, pero ¿no crees que hay algo muy malo en criar seres vivos SÓLO PARA PODER MATARLOS Y COMERLOS?'
'... el principal argumento en contra de comer carne no es sólo que dé un mínimo de beneficios, sino que es el tipo de comida más difícil de digerir y con la que más difícil resulta que se deshagan de los residuos.'
'El pánico creado por el mal de las vacas locas en Gran Bretaña es una de las muchas tragedias que pueden ocurrir cuando se obliga a los animales a comer alimentos que no son naturales para ellos.'
'...para los mamíferos es más que evidente que el alimento de los dioses es la leche materna.'
'...los humanos adultos no están diseñados para beber leche, especialmente la leche de vaca, o productos derivados de la leche.'
'Si no tienes sed, el único placer que sacas de beber café es eliminar los síntomas del síndrome de abstinencia de cafeína. Si quitas la cafeína, quitas el motivo de beber café. ¿Y nos consideramos seres inteligentes?'
'Afortunadamente, las campanas de «Si bebes no conduzcas» han hecho que las personas más sensatas desistan de esa costumbre estúpida. Es igual de estúpido considerar que es de buena educación obligar a la gente a comer demasiado, esté gorda o no.'
'Las normas para combinar correctamente los alimentos son:
1. No comas fruta con cualquier otro alimento.
2. No mezcles proteínas e hidratos de carbono en una misma comida.
3. No comas más de un alimento concentrado en cada comida. Los alimentos concentrados no son ni frutas ni verduras.
4. Las verduras sin almidón (con alto contenido en agua) se pueden digerir con jugos ácidos o alcalinos, así que pueden ser combinadas con proteínas (carne, pescado, aves y productos lácteos) o con hidratos de carbono (pan, arroz, pasta, patatas o cereales).'
'Cuando un supuesto experto ‐da igual lo prestigioso que sea‐ te da un consejo que contradiga a la Madre Naturaleza, ignóralo.'

CONCLUSIÓN: Reducir o eliminar la ingesta de lácteos y carnes, tomar alimentos naturales y olvidar los elaborados, comer fruta para desayunar, hacer ejercicio por placer, comer sólo cuando se tenga hambre y dejar de comer cuando ya no se tenga.

Its alright.... gives a very nice approach to healthy eating, but it certainly did not have the same effect on me as the Quit Smoking one. I think its a weaker book overall, on the method, but its a pretty good one to understand what is wrong with our eating habits. So, good for a jump start onto a healthier life, pr at least to have in mind what you put in your mouth and what it will cause.