3.79

4

Jan 31, 2013

This is a different type of "diet" book. The author, Lyn-Genet Recitas, is a nutritionist. Her "plan" calls for a 3 day cleanse where you eat only low reactive food. For the remainder of the 20 day plan you add one new food a day and record whether or not the food is reactive for your unique body chemistry. Her premise is that different foods are reactive for different people & each of us must find out what foods are reactive for us. She says eliminating reactive foods will reduce This is a different type of "diet" book. The author, Lyn-Genet Recitas, is a nutritionist. Her "plan" calls for a 3 day cleanse where you eat only low reactive food. For the remainder of the 20 day plan you add one new food a day and record whether or not the food is reactive for your unique body chemistry. Her premise is that different foods are reactive for different people & each of us must find out what foods are reactive for us. She says eliminating reactive foods will reduce inflammation in the body and help you lose weight.

I have not tried the plan yet - but I do believe there is something to what she is saying. I'm looking forward to doing the plan and will update my review once I have completed it.

One thing that impressed me - while reading the book I sent a tweet twice to Lyn-Genet asking her a question. She responded both times the same day!!!

UPDATE after doing the 3 day cleanse - I lost 4 pounds! After doing it for one week I lost 6 pounds! I have never lost this much weight in one week on any diet plan & I never was hungry - you eat a lot of healthy food.

ADDITIONAL UPDATE FOR JULY 2013 - I signed up for a 20 day program - to work directly with the author, Lyn-Genet. I lost an additional 10 pounds (AMAZING weight loss for me!!!). I had daily email communication with her guiding me through the program & answering my questions. She is extremely knowledgeable & has done a great deal of research on weight loss. What I learned from the experience of working with her for 20 days was the following (1) I learned which foods help me lose weight & which ones make me gain weight (it's unique for each person) (2) I learned that if I exercise LESS that I actually lose more weight. Exercising too much was increasing inflammation in my body. Less inflammation for me led to greater weight loss. Exercising 30 minutes a day was optimal in helping me personally lose weight (3) I learned that I can use my BBT (basal body temperature) measured first thing in the morning along with my weight on the scale - to measure how my body was reacting to food/exercise. ...more

2

Sep 11, 2018

I did not learn anything new, this is all old stuff, a bit confusing and too restrictive and difficult to follow for most people.

I prefer The 2 Week Diet plan by Brian Flatt because of it actually a legit and effective way of losing weight. It is quite easy to follow and I have just completed the first two phases, which is just 7 day and have lost 7lbs so far which I am thrilled about.

5

Mar 25, 2013

***9/25/2013: After having followed The Plan for 6 months, I am changing my rating from a 4 to a 5. I've easily kept the weight off, I've lost more, and I still feel better than ever. I continue to drink dandelion tea daily, and continue to take MSM once a week. I have joint issues and these help keep the pain away without pain relievers. I would also note a change to one thing I said below. My husband HAS noticed improvement with his specific health issues. He just didn't realize it until the ***9/25/2013: After having followed The Plan for 6 months, I am changing my rating from a 4 to a 5. I've easily kept the weight off, I've lost more, and I still feel better than ever. I continue to drink dandelion tea daily, and continue to take MSM once a week. I have joint issues and these help keep the pain away without pain relievers. I would also note a change to one thing I said below. My husband HAS noticed improvement with his specific health issues. He just didn't realize it until the 20 days were over and he went "off-Plan". Then he felt horrible and finally realized how much of an improvement it had actually made. I have been recommending this book to everyone!***

This is not a normal "diet" book. The author is a nutritionist. Her plan calls for a 3 day cleanse where you eat only low reactive food. For the remainder of the 20 day plan you add one new food a day and record whether or not the food is reactive for your unique body chemistry. Her premise is that different foods are reactive for different people & each of us must find out what foods are reactive for us. She says eliminating reactive foods will reduce inflammation in the body and help you lose weight.

I am on Day 17 of The Plan. I have NEVER done a fad diet before. Not Weight Watchers; not South Beach; not Adkins; or even a strict "diet". And I'm not her target audience as I don't fall into the "If you eat well and exercise but can't lose weight" category. Granted, I eat fairly healthy and have still kept on a few pounds, but I also don't exercise; so that really doesn't apply to me. The reason The Plan intrigued me is because of what she says about inflammation in the body (which I've read about in the news over the past few years) and because of how well a friend of mine did with it. I decided to do this not specifically to lose weight, but in the hopes of addressing certain health issues that have developed recently. Though I'm still young and healthy by all the doctors' charts, I keep noticing new health issues that develop out of nowhere. I was tired of feeling exhausted and old at 34. I figured something had to be wrong and that I might as well see if this was it.


PROS:
As of today, I have lost 8 lbs, which is a big deal for my size. And that was with ZERO exercise.
I've noticed that my eczema has cleared up; my circulation has improved (i.e., I no longer have to wait 2 full minutes while stretching my ankles before I can walk after kneeling for 10 minutes); and I have more energy. Lately I had been experiencing severe head, neck and shoulder pain every night right before bed; but now those are gone. Other health issues I won't get into here have also shown dramatic improvement.

In addition to the food part of it, she also teaches you the proper way to drink water. Yes, I typed that correctly. I began following her instructions on water 3 weeks prior to actually beginning The Plan, and it helped my digestion tremendously from the start.

I also believe the detox helped me with some of my health symptoms. I did do the dandelion tea and the MSM supplements (something I'd never heard of before this) and I just might make them a yearly thing.

I was rarely hungry (only once, and that was due to a difficulty with menu planning--see below).

I discovered new dishes that I thought I would HATE that I actually LOVE! And I one of them is actually cheap!


CONS:
I do believe there is something to what she is saying, but since I am already fairly small, it's been a little bit of guesswork for me, since one indication of a "reactive food" is losing less than half a pound. For me, I believe losing anything at all, "even" less than half a pound is still good; but since I don't have her for my personal consultant, I have no way of knowing for certain.

It is complicated, and expensive. We ended up following a modified version of her menu, both to save time and money. We also did not stick to a strictly Organic selection. My husband is doing The Plan with me, and we are both reactive to different foods, which also adds to the complexity and stress of menu planning.

A lot of this approach makes a lot of sense to me; and in general I thought this was an interesting concept. I’m sold on it, but I can understand why some people might not buy into all of it. It's not a very scientific approach. First, some days add more than one food. Second, the menu heavily relies on certain foods early on THAT YOU DON'T TEST, so if you are reactive to any of those foods (A) it's difficult to determine; and (B) it screws up your meal planning (including all the food you already bought for it). This happened to both me and my husband. He is reactive to zucchini and pears (neither of which are actually tested--he was just aware enough of his body responses after eating them to figure it out); I am reactive to almonds and chicken. Every day has those 4 foods! And trying to substitute is difficult b/c you need to find the right amount of protein and good fats to balance out the diet properly.

Scheduling food/water intake throughout the day requires you to pay strict attention at all times. There have been a couple days where I screwed up a test b/c I drank my water too late--usually b/c we had events that night and I was distracted.

S T R E S S. I was so stressed out that first week! It might have been the complexity of everything; it might have been the extra work involved with all the food prep and the extra dirty dishes all over the place as a result; it might have been residual effects of the detox. But that first week was not pretty. I stuck with it because I kept noticing little physical improvements here and there, but it was hard.


FINAL OPINION: I couldn't decide between a 3- and a 4-star rating. One could argue that "of course anyone would lose weight if you eat mostly fruits, vegetables and seeds"; and that is definitely true. And I don't know that I won't gain the weight back, as we can't afford to continue eating like this. However, I FEEL so much better having done this that regardless of all the cons, for me, it has definitely been worth it. I will continue to monitor my water intake, and will continue to eat as many "friendly" foods as possible and avoid as many reactive foods as possible, while hopefully testing new foods on an ongoing basis. I just won't have the quantity of fruits and veggies as I've had while on the plan. Maybe I'll just eat lots of dark chocolate to fill up (lol).

My husband also feels better, generally; but he has not noticed any improvements with his specific health issues. He also did not use the detox supplements or tea, so I don't know if that affected that result or not.

Both of us had wanted to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet for some time now; but the expense kept us from being able to do it. I think the best benefit to all of this is that my husband (who does the budget and grocery planning) now has a more positive view toward being financially able to make small changes to add more of those things to our diet, and plans to continue to look into finding more ways, as well.

FOLLOW-UP: The first weekend after finishing the strict 20 day menu, we decided to “go off Plan” for the weekend. We had several family functions going on and decided it’d be easier to just eat what was available. The first day, I ate stuff I knew I had tested poorly on. I not only gained weight but also experienced a headache. The next day, I ate zero foods I had tested negatively with, several Plan “friendly” foods, and lots of stuff I had not tested yet. I lost weight (essentially adding several foods to my list of food-friendly menu items—including carrot cake). We both also noticed a huge difference between how we felt each day depending on whether or not we ate stuff we were reactive to. So we are going to try to continue to stick with it as much as possible.


TIP:
DON'T eat the flax granola WITH the rice or coconut milk. It turns slimy and gross. Instead, drink the milk separately or add it to your morning coffee.
DO begin on a Saturday (or whenver your particular 2-day weekend begins), because you WILL have detox symptoms, and you will not feel great for at least one day. ...more

1

Feb 19, 2013

I read this book. In a quest to curb some serious auto-immune and inflammatory processes in my own body, I have started to follow the diet. I am not doing it for weight loss.

It looks like good, healthy food and a reasonable eating plan that does not deprive you, once you get past the first three days.

My question about this plan include how the author introduces new foods into the diet to see if they are reactive.

We start with 3-day "cleanse" using foods that do not cause a reaction in most I read this book. In a quest to curb some serious auto-immune and inflammatory processes in my own body, I have started to follow the diet. I am not doing it for weight loss.

It looks like good, healthy food and a reasonable eating plan that does not deprive you, once you get past the first three days.

My question about this plan include how the author introduces new foods into the diet to see if they are reactive.

We start with 3-day "cleanse" using foods that do not cause a reaction in most people...flax, carrots, lettuce, coconut milk, broccoli, chick peas, chicken and zucchini. Logic tells me that someone is going to react to one of these foods, but introducing them all at once will not help a reactive person know what they are reacting to.

On day five you are instructed to eat a rye cracker. As someone with celiac, this is a no-no anyway, but for most people who do not think twice about rye, the author should mention that most rye crackers have wheat in them, so when you test the rye cracker to see if you have a reaction, you truly will not know if you are reacting to the rye, or the wheat in the cracker. Readers who do this diet need to find 100% rye crackers, if they exist, and this should be stated in the book.

Also, unless I read like an idiot, on day four, you are adding goat cheese and dark chocolate and whipped cream on the same day. If you have a reaction, you will not know which of these three caused it. This is dairy from two different animals *plus chocolate*, which cause problems for many people.

I suppose this book is fine for people who want to lose weight and are new to the idea of food intolerances, not for people who are in serious medical need of sleuthing out their food intolerance issues. Likely, these folks have already been through ringer and will know to take this diet very slowly, logically stretching out the number of days and introducing one food at a time, though this might mess with the food combination methods that the author uses.

I do agree that when you maintain a spell of clean eating of non-reactive foods, it is easy to see when you do have a reaction. I forgot and "cheated" today, on day four, with a five ingredient "primal/paleo" cookie that I make for my children, and within twenty minutes I was ready to fall asleep and had a bright red rash on both my cheeks. I put all of the ingredients on my "test list" and will get to them in due time. Egg and pumpkin and chocolate were in there (uh-oh), as well as almonds, which I have already been eating these past few days without a problem. We'll see. I have suspected eggs and chocolate for a while now, anyway, long before I read this book.

I do think this is a good book, but I think the author is misinformed about wheat and gluten issues, and possibly dairy introductions as well. She labels some foods as high-gluten bread, and calls refers to whole wheat pasta as "higher gluten." For people who cannot tolerate gluten, there is no high or low gluten bread or pasta. Most will react to any amount of gluten. It might be nice to see GF alternatives to food combinations when you are testing, because anyone with celiac or gluten intolerance would rather eat a live beetle than a rye cracker. And this is not even addressing that some of these grain products have yeast in them, which some people might react to. It might be nice to have some guidance about substitutions.

Also, the author says that "Spices are your best friend when it comes to cooking," but I do not see where she has built in a way to test for spices, which can cause reactions in some people. Some people cannot tolerate any spice that comes from a nightshade (paprika, peppers, etc...) And she does recommend, when testing for egg and bread combination, that it would be good for those who love Eggs Benedict. As far as I know, there was no way to test for the *other* ingredients in Eggs Benedict before she mentions that. I have a feeling that the ingredients in cured ham or bacon, and perhaps the cayenne pepper or lemon juice or butter in the hollandaise sauce might set some people off.

Overall, interesting book, but author seems clueless to dealing with real food intolerance and elimination diets. ...more

4

Jan 10, 2013

I'll admit this sounds like a bunch of hippie, hippie nonsense when I explain it out loud. However, more and more health care professionals are saying low level inflammation is to blame for many of our health issues. What caught my eye was "If you eat well and exercise but can't lose weight." That's me. Now this may not be for everyone like the woman who ranted about how horribly awful the food is in all caps. If you subsist on fast food, yes it'll w a shock to your system. Does it seem kind of I'll admit this sounds like a bunch of hippie, hippie nonsense when I explain it out loud. However, more and more health care professionals are saying low level inflammation is to blame for many of our health issues. What caught my eye was "If you eat well and exercise but can't lose weight." That's me. Now this may not be for everyone like the woman who ranted about how horribly awful the food is in all caps. If you subsist on fast food, yes it'll w a shock to your system. Does it seem kind of bland? Some of it, until you get past the first three days and start to realize your tastes change and you've probably been eating too much salt. Those first three days, suck it up and take it like a woman. Quit your pansy whining about how the carrot soup isn't salt-laden. I'm on day 11 and for the first time in my adult life I feel like I'm making progress without killing myself at the gym. I don't feel guilty for eating bread or rice or cookies. I know why my weight fluctuates. I've even tried to mess with it on purpose to see what happens. It's a good feeling. This probably isn't for everyone though so if it doesn't work for you, that sucks. I would recommend giving it a shot though. ...more

4

Jan 15, 2013

The most amazing discovery my family and I have made on health thus far. All of us have struggled with weight gain/loss and many of us have immune deficiencies/health issues. The Plan has helped dramatically change the health course of each of us...losing weight and turning our bodies around into healing powerhouses. All of us feel great too. Finished our 20days and my family and I will continue to live "The Plan" for the rest of our lives!

Other highly recommended books that pair nicely with The most amazing discovery my family and I have made on health thus far. All of us have struggled with weight gain/loss and many of us have immune deficiencies/health issues. The Plan has helped dramatically change the health course of each of us...losing weight and turning our bodies around into healing powerhouses. All of us feel great too. Finished our 20days and my family and I will continue to live "The Plan" for the rest of our lives!

Other highly recommended books that pair nicely with this are... "The Spectrum" by Dean Ornish and anything by Andrew Weil (who are also a believers in the anti-inflammatory principles)

Read it, do it, live it, and be the best that you can be! :-)

~Westfall ...more

2

Jan 29, 2013

I followed the 3 day detox to the letter, and gained weight. I hated the carrot soup, it was nausiating sweet but I gagged some down each day, and even adding herbs could not change it. The flax garnola turns "mucusy" in coconut milk, and "Silk" Almond milk was thick. I've not added any salt to the diet yet I can't remove my rings. I tried to get an answer concerning this on lyn-genet's blog but have not had anyone respond. I really don't think one should gain weight on a "low reaction" detox I followed the 3 day detox to the letter, and gained weight. I hated the carrot soup, it was nausiating sweet but I gagged some down each day, and even adding herbs could not change it. The flax garnola turns "mucusy" in coconut milk, and "Silk" Almond milk was thick. I've not added any salt to the diet yet I can't remove my rings. I tried to get an answer concerning this on lyn-genet's blog but have not had anyone respond. I really don't think one should gain weight on a "low reaction" detox diet. ...more

5

Dec 20, 2013

The idea of each person having some level of inflammation in their body makes sense to me. I have had 4-8 migraines per month for most of my adult life. About three years ago I developed an eczema type rash on hairline and palms. On May 1 I started the plan and by August 10 I had lost 25 pound, all but 1-2 migraines per month and the rash is completely gone. I continue to maintain the weight and eating habits. It is not easy but the benefits are huge! It means reduced animal protein, dairy and The idea of each person having some level of inflammation in their body makes sense to me. I have had 4-8 migraines per month for most of my adult life. About three years ago I developed an eczema type rash on hairline and palms. On May 1 I started the plan and by August 10 I had lost 25 pound, all but 1-2 migraines per month and the rash is completely gone. I continue to maintain the weight and eating habits. It is not easy but the benefits are huge! It means reduced animal protein, dairy and most of all SALT!! Restaurant eating can be difficult because salt is very high, but the next day I eat well and my weight recovers. If you have stubborn health issues and weight that is impossible to shed, give it a try! ...more

4

May 10, 2013

Although I enjoyed the book and have had great results on "The Plan" I think that without the online supplementation to the book, it lacks a little. That is not to say that if you have tried everything and it has not worked that you shouldn't try this one! I have done them all, and this one is the most manageable and one that is sustainable for your whole life. The book becomes a handbook for life.

I just found that I thought the book could have been a little better given just a little more Although I enjoyed the book and have had great results on "The Plan" I think that without the online supplementation to the book, it lacks a little. That is not to say that if you have tried everything and it has not worked that you shouldn't try this one! I have done them all, and this one is the most manageable and one that is sustainable for your whole life. The book becomes a handbook for life.

I just found that I thought the book could have been a little better given just a little more thought in the publishing process. That is not the writer's fault as such.

All that aside, the book makes a lot of sense and her suggestions work because they fit into a normal lifestyle. The best part is that she encourages you to listen to your own body and she does not just leave it there, but gives you the tools to move forward.

If you have lost hope of being healthier and leaner, this one is for you!


...more

4

Jan 11, 2014

I carry this book with me everywhere, as I am a little over a month into The Plan. I was the typical person targeted by TP...ate low-fat foods, exercised daily, ate 1200 calories a day and the weight would not budge. Since I'm not technically overweight, the advice I received from well-meaning friends and family was that now that I'm in my 50's, it's to be expected that I might gain a few pounds. I decided not to go down without a fight! I have lost 7.2 pounds and would like to lose another 4-5, I carry this book with me everywhere, as I am a little over a month into The Plan. I was the typical person targeted by TP...ate low-fat foods, exercised daily, ate 1200 calories a day and the weight would not budge. Since I'm not technically overweight, the advice I received from well-meaning friends and family was that now that I'm in my 50's, it's to be expected that I might gain a few pounds. I decided not to go down without a fight! I have lost 7.2 pounds and would like to lose another 4-5, but 7 pounds in a month for me is unbelievable.

The downside is the amount of planning, work and money that goes into this. I am an organized, planning kind of girl, so I was able to make it work, particularly during the "slow" months of January and February. I'm not sure how it will be in my crazy, busy spring, summer, fall and holidays! But it feels great to be eating healthier and losing weight. I expect the next few pounds will come off slowly, but that's ok. I have learned new ways to prepare new foods, like kale and shiitake mushrooms, homemade hummus and other foods I normally would not have tried.

Oh...you get to have a glass of red wine and an ounce of dark chocolate every night. Pure bliss! ...more

2

Feb 16, 2018

I found this an interesting read and DO plan to try this diet (it IS one, despite what the author says) but I have SO many questions about it that I'm very skeptical. The author stresses that she writes The Plan so that one food is tested at a time, but this rule is broken the very first day, on The Cleanse, no less. For an author that "has been studying holistic medicine for over thirty years" she cites very few studies while the book refers to countless "many sources" to shore up the reasons I found this an interesting read and DO plan to try this diet (it IS one, despite what the author says) but I have SO many questions about it that I'm very skeptical. The author stresses that she writes The Plan so that one food is tested at a time, but this rule is broken the very first day, on The Cleanse, no less. For an author that "has been studying holistic medicine for over thirty years" she cites very few studies while the book refers to countless "many sources" to shore up the reasons why these methods work. She says that she's "not big on supplements" (p 37) but she goes on to recommend several throughout the book. She does "personally like to cycle in and out of difference nutritional or herbal remedies" (p 37-38) as needed. The big thing that gets me is her daily water requirements. She says you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces, daily. So, if you're 180 pounds, you should be drinking 90 OUNCES DAILY, before 7:30 pm, no less. That sounds close to water intoxication to me. So, next up for me is reading her follow book to this one... I'm curious how much has changed. ...more

5

Jan 13, 2013

Very interesting and easy to read. In the first 72 hours following the plan, I went from having rings too tight to comfortably wear to rings that were so loose, I was afraid they would fall off. Six lbs gone in five days. No pill, injections, insane workouts or exotic foods. Just the right healthy organic foods in the proper times and learning to listen to my body.

4

Jan 09, 2013

The approach to this weight control program makes a lot of sense to me. I bought both the Kindle and hard cover versions because although there are links in the Kindle version that work very well, tables and some fractions are very small. Also it is better to have the book in the kitchen. I did not track errors in this book because I use highlighting to do that and wanted to highlight important to me passages instead. I noted very few in any case. We had to go and do some special food shopping The approach to this weight control program makes a lot of sense to me. I bought both the Kindle and hard cover versions because although there are links in the Kindle version that work very well, tables and some fractions are very small. Also it is better to have the book in the kitchen. I did not track errors in this book because I use highlighting to do that and wanted to highlight important to me passages instead. I noted very few in any case. We had to go and do some special food shopping before starting this program. The really appealing thing about this program for me is that each person personalizes his/her own foods to suit themselves. The idea is to identify those foods that cause inflammation in the body which causes weight gain. Once these trigger foods are eliminated, the body settles down onto its ideal weight at about a half pound per day until it levels off and stays there. She also covers how to handle restaurants and a special section for those that have thyroid problems.

I am now up to day 6 out of 20 of the plan. The book leaves a lot to be desired. It badly needs a good editor, one that can pick up on all the out of place instructions. She tells you after the fact to do something for example. Recipes are incomplete and confusing. Tables are not complete either, for example the Table of Reactive foods lists "raw onions" as being low reacting but then never mentions them again, meanwhile her menus contain cooked onions. Her table of spices, inserted in a random place, does not contain Sriracha but she uses that as well. She really doesn't say what to do with the foods that are found reactive other than to exclude them from one's intake, that leaves some recipes rather bare if one reacted to say dairy and rye both. I totally missed the aside that one can use lemon juice and olive oil dressing on the salads until the third day. The dressing is not in the menu. And finally I didn't find out until the 7th day that I was supposed to insert a "safe day" after every reaction, so now I need to go back and test for the later ones that were detected the day after another. Bummer. Finally my mate got so frustrated trying to keep up with the bizarre menus that she said to hell with it and went back to eating normally. She flat out told me to write down the daily menu and give it to her and she would fix it for me.

For anyone that eats strictly in restaurants and has no cooking facilities I don't think this plan would work for them. One would almost have to take a vacation for at least a week to get started on this thing, it is very time consuming. We are retired and still had a difficult time. A lot of good food is going to be tossed out. ...more

4

Oct 17, 2014

A friend recommended this book and I'm glad she did. It has not only helped me lose weight, but helped me to focus on what foods work and don't work for my body. It makes so much sense. My overall health is better and, best of all, I can still eat a lot of my favorite 'junk' foods and know my body can digest them without weight gain - guilt-free!

4

Sep 07, 2013

Rather than counting servings, calories, or weighing food, The Plan encourages one to record what one eats and how one's body reacts (including weight gain). She argues that a handful of food that reacts with your body can cause you to gain multiple pounds.

While there certainly is truth in what she says, there are non-scientific claims in the book. What I do like (besides the loss of 10 lbs in 2 weeks) is that applying The Plan results in a list of foods that are healthy *for you*.

3

Sep 13, 2016

I'm currently on my third try of this diet. It's great for people who exercise, eat right, and still don't lose weight. I've always been that way. The only thing I have a problem with in this book is making the recipes taste good. This time I decided to get the cookbook that had better and updated recipes. I'm glad I did. The Author also has print outs of menus, extra recipes, shopping lists, and meal prep. If you've tried all kinds of diets and still haven't lost the weight that you'd like to I'm currently on my third try of this diet. It's great for people who exercise, eat right, and still don't lose weight. I've always been that way. The only thing I have a problem with in this book is making the recipes taste good. This time I decided to get the cookbook that had better and updated recipes. I'm glad I did. The Author also has print outs of menus, extra recipes, shopping lists, and meal prep. If you've tried all kinds of diets and still haven't lost the weight that you'd like to I'd recommend this diet. ...more

5

Feb 09, 2013

I have read A LOT of books on nutrition, health, anti-aging, and longevity, and I have taken many classes in nutrition.

This book pulls it all together and fills in the blanks and unexplained issues, especially on why even if one follows a healthy diet, one still has what seems like unexplained issues or why what worked for one in the past for years no longer works.

For anyone looking to improve their health and lose weight, I recommend reading just a few books: (1) The Plan, (2) Yoga as Medicine, I have read A LOT of books on nutrition, health, anti-aging, and longevity, and I have taken many classes in nutrition.

This book pulls it all together and fills in the blanks and unexplained issues, especially on why even if one follows a healthy diet, one still has what seems like unexplained issues or why what worked for one in the past for years no longer works.

For anyone looking to improve their health and lose weight, I recommend reading just a few books: (1) The Plan, (2) Yoga as Medicine, and (3) The_Omega_Diet, The Lifesaving Nutritional Program Based on the Diet of the Island of Crete. ...more

3

Oct 26, 2017

I’m not a diet person but I am interested in eating wholesome foods and the idea that I can find a specific sets of foods that work/don’t work for me is appealing.

But on day two I’m already overwhelmed by the amount of prep (and I work from home, thus have some flexibility) and am finding inconsistencies in the book. For example, I’m following the vegetarian/pescatarian menus, and for the broccoli soup which I prepared today for tomorrow’s lunch, the recipe calls for 3 TBSP butter. Done. Then I I’m not a diet person but I am interested in eating wholesome foods and the idea that I can find a specific sets of foods that work/don’t work for me is appealing.

But on day two I’m already overwhelmed by the amount of prep (and I work from home, thus have some flexibility) and am finding inconsistencies in the book. For example, I’m following the vegetarian/pescatarian menus, and for the broccoli soup which I prepared today for tomorrow’s lunch, the recipe calls for 3 TBSP butter. Done. Then I had to look something else up in the book after I made a vat of broccoli soup and it says not to have butter the first 3 days.

I will update as I move along... interesting concept. Maybe a little heavy on the testimonials. ...more

5

Jul 10, 2013

In two months, since I started this book and took the plunge to change the way I eat I have lost more than 15 pounds. I have never felt healthier... I could go on and on. It's also done with learning what my body actually likes, versus what a dietician or anyone else thinks I SHOULD like (or be good for me). I never in a million years would have known that cherries and tuna were problems for me. On the other hand, the author is very practical, and has you incorporating wine and chocolate early In two months, since I started this book and took the plunge to change the way I eat I have lost more than 15 pounds. I have never felt healthier... I could go on and on. It's also done with learning what my body actually likes, versus what a dietician or anyone else thinks I SHOULD like (or be good for me). I never in a million years would have known that cherries and tuna were problems for me. On the other hand, the author is very practical, and has you incorporating wine and chocolate early on, not to mention eating fruit with real, rich whipped cream. Did I mention I've lost weight doing this?

While there are a couple of issues I have with the book, such as frequently being ambiguous on amounts to use in recipes, on the whole the book is a worthy read. It certainly has changed my life! ...more

5

Sep 13, 2013

My husband's cousin highly recommended The Plan. Diligent with exercising and careful about her diet, she couldn't budge undesirable weight. Following The Plan's menu, she lost 10 pounds in less than two weeks. I was skeptical but decided to give it a shot. The morning after Day 1, I had lost 2.5 pounds, water weight obviously. However, I continued to lose half a pound a day, just as Recitas predicts. The recipes are relatively easy and generally good. I'm addicted to the flax seed granola, My husband's cousin highly recommended The Plan. Diligent with exercising and careful about her diet, she couldn't budge undesirable weight. Following The Plan's menu, she lost 10 pounds in less than two weeks. I was skeptical but decided to give it a shot. The morning after Day 1, I had lost 2.5 pounds, water weight obviously. However, I continued to lose half a pound a day, just as Recitas predicts. The recipes are relatively easy and generally good. I'm addicted to the flax seed granola, actually. Due to my busy schedule, I didn't get beyond the first week's menu and never tested foods. But I was losing weight, so why mess with what works? I do plan to test, at some point, for I have noticed foods the author labels as "Devil's Food" effects me negatively (you'll be surprised what those are). I pay the price the following morning of my indulgence, putting on 1 to 2 pounds of water weight. ...more

2

Aug 27, 2013

my mom saw this book on the news and seemed very interested in it so i checked it out at the local library. i was highly interested during the first 50 pages. but the plan just isnt something for me. i think it might help alot of people though.. so id recommend giving it some thought.

some things that really resonated with me were:

weight gain is nothing more than my body's chemical reaction to foods. -this seriously needs to be realized by people.

which are your friendly foods and which are your my mom saw this book on the news and seemed very interested in it so i checked it out at the local library. i was highly interested during the first 50 pages. but the plan just isnt something for me. i think it might help alot of people though.. so id recommend giving it some thought.

some things that really resonated with me were:

weight gain is nothing more than my body's chemical reaction to foods. -this seriously needs to be realized by people.

which are your friendly foods and which are your reactive foods. (note that i didnt say good or bad - there are no good or bad foods, only the foods that work, and dont work for your body) -nicely said and thought out. we need to stop thinking of things as good or bad! so very true.

anytime youre not operating at your best - whether its mentally, physically, or emotionally - theres an underlying reason for it, and very often its a reactive food. -i agree 100%!

overall i think its a good read and well written. nice idea and plan. but im not willing to go through with the plan. i can say through my own personal weightloss journey i have weighed myself daily and saw the daily (and hourly sometimes) fluctuations. i have found some foods that i easily drop a pound or so the next day after eating them so i definitely see the possibilities in the friendly foods vs reactive foods. try it out! ...more

2

Feb 22, 2014

Interesting idea, but unscientific, a bit confusing and too restrictive and difficult to follow for most people. I think the idea that each person may have adverse reactions to different foods and that an elimination diet may pinpoint each individual's specific problem foods sounds good. The program outlined in this book, however is too restrictive and offers no options for substitutions and is not presented well so that it can be quite confusing and difficult to follow. For example, the plan Interesting idea, but unscientific, a bit confusing and too restrictive and difficult to follow for most people. I think the idea that each person may have adverse reactions to different foods and that an elimination diet may pinpoint each individual's specific problem foods sounds good. The program outlined in this book, however is too restrictive and offers no options for substitutions and is not presented well so that it can be quite confusing and difficult to follow. For example, the plan relies on eating "flax granola" with coconut or rice milk every day. Her "flax granola" recipe is just flax - soaked overnight with a little water and seasonings - cinnamon etc... and then baked at a low heat. So, it is just flax seeds. In the recipe section, however, it tells you to include "nuts that you have tested" along with raisins and other dried fruits. I think that this can be confusing since for the first three days you have not yet "tested" any foods. Often times, foods are listed that have not yet been "tested" and some items that are listed like rye crackers don't have a recipe or brand listed and if you go to the store and buy rye crackers, you are likely to find that they have other grains mixed in with the rye. The author also leaves no room to substitute any foods in the first part of her plan - so if you don't like flax seeds or are allergic to them - then you don't get any breakfast. I made her flax seed granola. It does not taste as horrid as I thought it would, but it is gritty and the seeds stick to your teeth and I would not want to eat it even one day for breakfast much less the entire time I am on her plan. Her recipes are fairly short and simple, but may not have enough detail for fledgling cooks.
I don't think her plan sounds like a very good one. ...more

2

May 07, 2019

I can agree with the fact that everyone’s body reacts different to different foods.
But this plan is just a low carb diet when you read between the lines. It’s not going to be accurate when testing several different foods on the same days.
I was gearing myself up mentally to start the plan ( made the carrot & ginger soup it’s not tasty). I just can’t recommend this book having a background in health & fitness.
My days are active and I can’t sustain only soups and veggies. A half an apple I can agree with the fact that everyone’s body reacts different to different foods.
But this plan is just a low carb diet when you read between the lines. It’s not going to be accurate when testing several different foods on the same days.
I was gearing myself up mentally to start the plan ( made the carrot & ginger soup it’s not tasty). I just can’t recommend this book having a background in health & fitness.
My days are active and I can’t sustain only soups and veggies. A half an apple for breakfast with flax everyday?
I need several pieces of fruit during the first part of my day to keep me going.
I will stick with the body coaches method just proper tasty meals and plenty of exercise.
I think the cleanse is good for the first 3 days if you want to give your body a break from certain foods and lose a few pounds but aside from that it’s not for someone who has an active job always moving etc ...more

5

May 04, 2013

I wrote a detailed review and it didn't save. Anyway, I saw this book on dr. Oz and the dr. Who wrote it made a lot of sense. She's concerned with gut health and thyroid issues and gluten, with weight loss as the side effect. You do a 3 day detox (u eat 2000 cal/day) and then each day u add in a food or rest your gut for 17 days, and use the data u collected to eat better your whole life. U weigh yourself daily to see if your gut got inflamed, and those r reactive foods. Then there r neutral I wrote a detailed review and it didn't save. Anyway, I saw this book on dr. Oz and the dr. Who wrote it made a lot of sense. She's concerned with gut health and thyroid issues and gluten, with weight loss as the side effect. You do a 3 day detox (u eat 2000 cal/day) and then each day u add in a food or rest your gut for 17 days, and use the data u collected to eat better your whole life. U weigh yourself daily to see if your gut got inflamed, and those r reactive foods. Then there r neutral foods and foods that help lose weight.

I learned paprika, eggs, and fish bother my gut. I now eat duck, steak (1/week), and dark chocolate since they are not bothering my gut and they help lose weight. I lost 3 lbs day 1, 7 by the end of the week, and trying new foods week 2 was tough since weight goes up n down, but 35 days in, I lost 11 lbs and I've been on it since April 15 now. Weeks 2 and three r rough but u stick w it until u build a repertoire of healthy foods 4 ur body. My mom began it a week after me and we texted about our progress daily and helped each other learn, since some parts r confusing.

for the rest of my life I will eat sea salt instead of table salt, eat many more seeds, fewer cold foods, and plenty of unsalted butter, olive oil, orange peel, goat cheese, etc. I feel great, my allergies got better, and I love it. My mom, brother, and friends have also gotten the book now. I can even eat gluten free crepes in a cafe and lose weight.
I have had no problem slimming down every spring most of my life since my summer clothes r a size smaller (I begin each march when we change the clocks fwd), but this year this book made it easier on me, lost weight quicker w less gym time, working smarter not harder by learning about which foods affect me and how. I hope it helps me break the gaining habit I have during daylight savings time every year.

There r several YouTube videos of people doing it (they mostly cheat and eat out) and she has many updates and recipes on her website. This is the first structured diet I've tried, I guess cuz it wasn't a fad, it appealed to me to test the foods out and LearN. I'm so happy because even tho I've been gluten free 7 years, my stomach still bloated and gave me pain at times and I was considering giving up corn and or dairy.., but now I don't have to! ...more

3

Dec 31, 2012

"The Plan: Lose Weight Fast and Forever by Eating the Right Foods for Your Body" by Lyn-Genet Recitas came my way through the Goodreads giveaways. The concept of the 20 day test plan as directed in the crisp pages of the book "The Plan" appears to be a sound concept and I will admit that I did lose weight starting the 20 day test. I will also admit that my mistake while doing the program was my own as I decided to donate blood while on the testing phase. The author suggests foregoing intense "The Plan: Lose Weight Fast and Forever by Eating the Right Foods for Your Body" by Lyn-Genet Recitas came my way through the Goodreads giveaways. The concept of the 20 day test plan as directed in the crisp pages of the book "The Plan" appears to be a sound concept and I will admit that I did lose weight starting the 20 day test. I will also admit that my mistake while doing the program was my own as I decided to donate blood while on the testing phase. The author suggests foregoing intense exercise while on the program test phase so as not to redirect the reparative functions of the body so the participants can accurately read their bodies signals. Evidently, the same should be said for giving blood: it will redirect those functions. But I also believe that the program is not as safe as it suggests. Again by my own experience. I have never had a problem with blood donations, but I almost crashed several hours after this donation. I got the shakes, weak and totally drained. If I was really getting over 2000 calories per day as the author suggests the menu provides, I find it hard to believe that I would be that affected.

On one hand, "The Plan" would be a vegetable lover's dream. However I felt like a rabbit and came to dread the next installment of vegetables.

On the other hand, many of the recipes tasted much better than most recipes from different diet plans and some will continue to be incorporated into my day to day food plan. I did like that the author explained certain food preparations (like soaking flax seeds overnight to get the optimum health benefits from them) of foods that I have been unfamiliar with but wish she had continued with others (like shiitake mushrooms are only available dried in my area and I didn't know you had to, or even how to, reconstitute them). The author also suggestss brand names of supplements as what she and her crew feels is most beneficial, but then neglects to explain what it is in these supplements that is so helpful. For example the NOW Liver Detoxifier & Regenerator is touted by the author as the most effective liver support supplement. I have searched high and low in my area for this product, and it is not available. Had I any idea what this supplement might contain, I might have been able to find at least some of the ingredients that help liver function, yet this information is not listed in any detail other than this supplement or dandelion tea.

Overall, I do plan on trying the 20 day test again because if "The Plan" shows me what my body reacts poorly to, than I can improve my diet, if slowly, until I have a wider of range of foods to work with than the early days of the plan allows. ...more