Obesity Free Forever: Losing Weight from the Inside Out by Georgene Dana Collins

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Obesity Free Forever by Georgene Dana CollinsStars:

Collins Information Services, Inc. (April 2009)
Health and Wellness/Fitness
172 Pages

A Bit of Background

I received this book years ago when I wasn’t really ready to start losing weight. As such I read some of it but when I got to the part about making a journal, it just seemed like too much so I didn’t read farther.

It sat on my shelf quietly and occasionally I’d see it there and think, “Gee I should really get back to reading that book. I was supposed to review it and besides, I really need to lose weight.” Then I’d walk away and it would stay there.

Less than two weeks ago, I decided I was ready to take action and actively lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. As part of that, I remembered the book and went to take it off the shelf and give it another try. I read it in two days.

I WISH I had read it back then and acted on it as well. I might be a healthy weight today. Sadly the book doesn’t seem to be in print anymore although you may be able to find a used copy. The author has a newer book out which probably contains some of the same information in a new format but I’m not sure as I haven’t read it.

NOT a Diet

One thing I’ve known for a while even though I hadn’t done anything about it, is that to lose weight and KEEP it OFF, you can’t diet. You have to make changes to your lifestyle that you can sustain once you reach your desired weight. The author lost weight and more importantly KEPT it OFF by following a plan she designed for herself using her knowledge as a registered nurse and certified consultant in weight management.

Individual Personalized Plans

Georgene shows us her five step process that allowed her to create her own personalized plan that was just right for her needs, health and lifestyle. She shows you how to create a plan that’s right for you so you can get the results you want and that will make it easier for you to stick to.

Sharing Her Story..

..makes me more confident in her approach than a book written by a health professional who has never been overweight. The first chapter tells her story and throughout the book as she shares more, you can tell she is opening up about her REAL life and not just sharing generic statements than anyone could make. Reading about her struggle, although not the same as mine, helped me to see it IS possible to lose a lot of weight and keep it off.

The Chapters

Chapter 2 has some information on obesity discrimination, health risks and such. Some of it is interesting but it’s not the best part of the book. It quotes American stats and topics and some of it may be outdated anyways. It’s a small section. Chapter 3 is about preparing to lose weight and is important.

Chapter 4 however is all about the process. There are 5 steps to the process but each of the steps takes a little while to complete. This is fine however as it takes time to lose weight, so no one should be expecting to complete 5 simple steps and magically be smaller.

Chapter 5 covers exercise and Chapter 6 has a bunch of tips. Chapter 7 is about plateaus and setbacks while Chapter 8 covers special occasions, travelling and dining out. Chapter 9 covers maintenance.

How This Weight Loss Book is DIFFERENT

The main reason why this book is so different than other weight loss books I have read, is that she doesn’t just give you some tips on eating healthy and exercising and send you off. She has figured out what is needed to ensure success and more importantly, continued success. She has you figuring out what your goals are (other than just to lose weight), what is stopping you from getting there, what has worked and not worked in the past and what your emotions are regarding food. She then has you address these issues.

She uses journals to keep all her insights about herself in one spot. When I first read the book years ago, I was thinking something along the lines of that journaling may work for her but I don’t think it’s necessary and I don’t intend to do it. I thought about my answers but I didn’t write anything down.

I see now that it is necessary to write these things down, so you can easily look back on them whenever you need to and to have a record of where you were at, at different parts of your journey. She uses the journal in many ways and I honestly can’t wait to get started. I feel like this is what I need to keep going. That’s not just something I’m saying, I fully intend to start on my weight loss journal as soon as I’m done writing this review.

Weight Loss Mathematics

The book covers all math related topics such as calorie counting, exercise METs and all the calculations that go with them. It’s the best explanation of how calories and weight loss works I’ve ever seen.  It cleared up all the questions I had.

Tons of Helpful Information

The exercise section had some good information on types of exercise, and how it works in conjunction with lowering your caloric intake to help you lose weight. The weight loss tips were great little bite sized tips. Some I knew but a few were new to me. Most of the information was helpful to anyone who lives anywhere.

If her new book does not contain much of the same information as this book, then the author should consider reprinting the book.

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About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.