The Secret to Skinny Book Review

"The Secret to Skinny, by Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., and Tammy Lakatos Shames, R.D., also known as “The Nutrition Twins”, explain in their new book that even though many people exercise and eat right, the trigger that keeps people from losing weight is their sodium intake. In their four-week plan, if you drop the salt, the twins promise that you will drop a size—or more! What could be better than that? The book shows simple alternatives and food swaps that subtract pounds and make you feel fuller faster. Starting with light foods such as whole wheat tortillas and fresh vegetables, the twins show you how to build your new diets and avoid high-salt foods with their Jumpstart Plan, an outline of fast and slimming meals, which will get you the quick results you want. You’ll discover new foods that blast the fat and bloat and ways to keep it off. Each chapter gives you hints and motivation tips to keep you on track while at home, at the grocery store and at restaurants, along with favorite recipes from the twins to try.

The average American consumes between 3,000 and 5,000 milligrams of sodium per day. The adequate intake of sodium for people 19 to 50 years old should be 1,500 milligrams per day. With this book, you’ll learn how to incorporate salt into your diet in an easy and healthy way with charts that list foods and their sodium levels, to show how much salt you’re really eating without even realizing it. And yes, you can have dessert and still lose weight. Choosing one of the book’s 100-calorie desserts, such as Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches, Cones & Ice Cream Bars, 4 Hershey’s kisses, and ½ cup of nonfat frozen yogurt or ice cream will keep you feeling satisfied. And the plan is not just for women—men can take part in it too! The book identifies the most common sodium-laden foods, including fried foods and refined carbohydrates, and how to replace them with healthier alternatives; not only will you be saving your waistline, but your body will thank you later.

In addition to foods, the book outlines activities to get your heart rate pumping in addition to the treadmill and the elliptical. Even simply walking your dog out for a walk around the block will get you moving. Plus, the twins share their favorite healthy recipes for you to try at home, such as White Bean and Rosemary Chicken and Mushroom Barley Risotto, along with nutrition facts and easy-to-follow instructions."

"The Secret to Skinny, by Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames, takes a new approach towards weight-loss and healthy living. In their book Tammy and Lyssie explain the role that salt plays in your diet and how it can act as a preventative when working to lose weight. Their four-week program, featured in the book, carefully discusses and explains the different factors that can make or break your diet.

The majority of weight-loss guides always seem to fall short in one way or another. Often they make claims about the diet they are supporting and how it can promote weight-loss without exercise. But what is so great about The Secret to Skinny is that the approach it takes is realistic and scientifically proven to show results. The book clearly explains the power of salt in causing you to retain weight. Then it offers healthy sodium alternatives that you can eat without suffering the side-effects brought on by salt. Tammy and Lyssie also express the importance of exercise when trying to lose weight. Their book offers readers several workout plans that are sure to show results.

My favorite part of The Secret to Skinny is the list of recipes that can be found towards the end of the book. This list of “Skinny Recipes” is full of delicious and healthy meals that can be made at home. Each recipe, in addition to sounding amazing, is full of nutritional foods. For example, the Farmer’s Market Omelet, on page 206, is full of red peppers, squash, mushrooms, zucchini, basil and Parmesan cheese! Also, the Fudgy Brownies, on page 227, which are made with crushed nuts and some applesauce, sound like the perfect healthy fix for any sweet tooth!"

"Before reading this book I recognized that salt is not that great for you, but I didn't realize the full effect to which it can damage your health... and your waistline. The book is nicely divided into chapters that explain how salt and weight are related, how to recognize salt content in everyday foods, what the worst foods are to derail your diet and so much more. There are also sections that provide different menus and meal suggestions for the various phases of the 4-week diet plan. I like this feature because it takes a lot of the guesswork out of maintaining a low-sodium diet. There are also several appendices at the end of the book with charts outlining what the book calls "Green Light Foods," "Yellow Light Foods" and "Red Light Foods," which is to say the foods you can eat on this diet plan and those that you should avoid. These are really detailed charts that even include brand names, so you know when you eat Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal not only that it's considered a "Green Light Food," but also how many calories, how much fiber and most importantly how much sodium is in each serving. When you have a book that lays everything all out for you like this, it just makes it that much easier to follow the rules and stay on track with your diet (and we all know how hard that is!). So whether you're curious why salt has gotten such a bad rap or whether you want to drop a few pounds by controlling one simple ingredient in your diet, this book appeals to readers on multiple levels."

"The Secret to Skinny cookbook by Tammy Shames and Lyssie Lakatos is loaded with useful and helpful dieting tips for anyone who's struggling as to how to get started eating right. I love how it jumps right into what you need to avoid in your diet (salt) and the foods you should target. I found the information and lists of foods that work as slimmers, anti-bloaters and flushers especially helpful. The cookbook is also packed with tons of simple and delicious sounding recipes that help you cut out the salt, but not lose the flavor. I love the simplicity of many of the recipes, yet they sound so amazing, like Aromatic Rice on page 214 - by just adding cinnamon and cardamom pods it turns boring brown rice into an interesting, flavorful creation! The Mushroom Barley Risotto on page 216 sounds especially delicious and but not at all complicated to make. I'd suggest The Secret to Skinny to anyone who's looking for a solid plan to get you eating healthy with easy, tasty recipes and loads of helpful eating tips."