Family Circle Eat What You Love & Lose: Quick and Easy Diet Recipes from Our Test Kitchen

I am the very definition of a foodie. I'm also health conscious. WOW! I've had this book for a few months, and I got it used figuring if I didn't like it, no big deal. This week so far I've made the chicken pot pie, sugar cookies, and pumpkin spice muffins. They all have come out wonderfully and you cannot tell they are low-cal!! Tonight I'm making the mustard dill pork chops with pumpnickel stuffing and tomorrow onion & pepper braciole! I bet you didn't think you could eat that stuff and have it come in at under 400 calories!!! I'm not even a reader of family circle, but this book is probably one of my most used cookbooks :)

I have never enjoyed diet books and have always felt that diets really only promote unhealthy eating. But this book is different. The recipes were delicious. (I have a difficult time believing that each serving falls within the calorie requirement...they're that good.) It also emphasizes portion control with food variety which actually gave me a more balanced and healthy way of eating. I don't alternate between starving and overstuffed. I even do better at restaurants. I don't know if I've lost weight yet but I feel better and that was my goal in the first place.

I got this book from the library and tried several receipes before I decided to order several copies for my family and friends. I hate to count (or even think about) calories, and this book does it for you. You do not have to be on a diet to use this book. The receipes have lots of flavor and variety.

I lost 50 pounds over a 2-year period 3 years ago, and have been struggling to maintain the weight lossever since. My biggest problem is that I don't really enjoy cooking, but I've learned that cooking your own meals is the best/only way to ensure that you're eating properly. This book came to my rescue. The recipes have all been unfailingly tasty, satisfying, and reasonably easy to make. Even my boyfriend, who normally doesn't like low fat foods, has been happily eating the meals I've made from this book. And this program has been keeping my weight on target. Agree with the previous reviewer that the 6-serving recipes are a little much (I'm a single person living alone), but I just divide the recipes if I can, or freeze the extras for later. Highly recommended!

I have had this book for 3 weeks now. I absolutely love this book! The diet plan and the story line for the 6 people who lost weight on this plan were great. But the one thing you will treasure this book for are those recipies! I have been using a similar eating plan on my own (3 meals and 2 snacks that equal about 1500 calories) but I was really struggling with great tasing dinners that didnt bump me over my calories allowed for dinner. I must admit that I primarily have used the dinner recipies, however I did enjoy every breakfast, lunch, and desert recipie I made as well. There are excellent versions of "comfort" foods, as well as new twists and alternative ways to prepare your standard 350 calorie meal or snacks. The ingredients are things that you can find in your local market as well. I havent eaten the same meal twice yet, although many are sure to be repeated. The best compliment I can give to this book is that it is teaching me new recipies that I WANT to eat. I feel like Im not on a diet - but on to a new way of preparing and enjoying what I eat. I really recommend this book to any one interested in loosing weight. I have already lost 8 pounds and I feel like its really gone for good this time. This book is definitely for people who love to cook and want to learn how to do it in a way that is healthy and satisfying. It helped me to break out of my old cooking habits that were keeping my dinners way too fattening and my portion sizes way too big. You can use the diet plan in the book as a guide and tailor it to your life, what you like, and what works for you. The only drawback was that alot of the recipies were for 6 servings so I did have to do a little math to scale it to my family. hehe But that wasnt a big price to pay when the result was a healthy and great tasting dinner that kept me on my target calories.