Calorie Queens: Living Thin in a Fat World

Easy reading, funny and makes so much sense. So glad I have finally found a solution to my weight problems. Get a copy for a friend so you can keep your copy for reference.

Jackie & Diane asked themselves why diets failed THEM in the past and what it would take for THEM to succeed. It just so happens that I had the same issue. The recipes are very simple and easy to follow. I am a non-cook so, this is important to me. With this book, you can fix meals that are not "diet" and can still lose weight. If you would like books that are good companion volumes to this book are: Uncle Sam's Diet & The Step Diet (The Step Diet comes with a pedometer and is based on the data gathered by the National Weight Control Registry). No book can be everything to everybody. I read this and had my "AHA" moment. Jackie & Diane point out that you need to take care of yourself because no one else will

Thoroughly enjoyable, readable, funny and serious at the same time. The concept makes sense and gives confidence that once the weight is lost, you are ready to keep it off. I like the been-there-done-that stories, makes their success all that more remarkable. The recipes are very good - not diet food but meals the whole family can enjoy.

I really love this book--the concept of Eucalorics really makes sense to me! I have tried several of the recipes and they are delish! I think this is a whole new way to look at calorie coounting and I am extremely excited about meeting my weight and health goals. Finally a reasonable way to gain control over eating!!

I just finished reading "Calorie Queens", but I have been living it for the past year. Let me explain - In March 2004, I heard Jackie Scott speak at a conference reception I attended in Lexington, KY. At the time I was carrying about 185 pounds on my 51-year-old, 5' 1" frame (I didn't have a bathroom scale, but weighed 188 with clothes at an October 2003 doctor's appointment). I had, however, maintained that weight for about 5 years. I was deathly afraid of the word "diet" -- yo yo dieting was the way I had "grown" from an average healthy nonpregnant weight of 110 pounds in my young adult life (from age 15 to age 30) to an average obese weight of 185 in my forties and now fifties. Jackie's story of "learning how to eat normally" made so much sense to me -- but I procrastinated 8 months more before actually doing anything about it. I didn't even buy the book (self-published edition) at the time, but the concept stuck. In December of 2004 I began keeping a food journal and discovered to my great surprise that I was actually eating far more calories than I would have estimated. On January 2005, I weighed in at 180 pounds sans clothes. Between January and August, I dropped about 5 pounds per month following Jackie and Diane's program of "normal Calories" (40 pounds total) -- due to my active lifestyle I ate an average of 1900 calories per day! Since August to the current date of November 16, I have dropped about 5 more pounds. At 135 pounds, I am within 4 pounds of a magic "healthy" weight on the bmi chart of 131 pounds!! The best part of this highly nutritious, common-sense approach is that you only have ONE PLAN for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. No stage one stage two stage three then maintenance. You are starting on maintenance. I still keep my food journal. As to exercise, while hauling around those 45 extra pounds made me breathe hard climbing one flight of steps, I now walk regularly, always take the stairs instead of the elevator, dance and play volleyball on the weekends. And my 1900 calorie lifestyle is completely workable with celebrations, eating out, in other words -- normal life! I have learned to "eat thin in a fat world" :-) I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to pursue a healthy lifestyle.