Suzanne Somers' Slim and Sexy Forever: The Hormone Solution for Permanent Weight Loss and Optimal Living

As a follower of the Sommersize lifestyle for several months now, I have reaped the rewards of smaller clothing sizes, a better night's sleep, more energy, and confidence in the kitchen. The health benefits of this program have allowed me to free myself of the long lines at the drug store. The recipies alone are worth the purchase of the book even if you are not following the program.

As a cancer survivor, but on strong prevention drugs, I really needed this information of alternative health solutions.

I bought this book a few months ago and Suzanne made a lot of sense to me. Her diet looked a lot like the South Beach Diet--which my husband and I both love--and lose weight on whenever we can get up enough energy to cook. :) I have not tried any of her recipes yet and the only exercise I get is walking the dog every day--so can't tell if I would lose weight or not. I did go in to my regular doctor and he had the lab run all the blood tests for hormones on me and I was pretty low. Also had the Dexscan and I had lost bone in my hip. Although he did not know much about the natural extract hormones--we do have a compounding pharmacy in town--so he sent over the blood tests--and the pharmacist made up the hormones. The first month--the dose was all the same and too strong--but the second month--he cut back on the overall dose--and rotated the hormones to give me a cycle. Here has what has happened so far. My body temperature has stabilized and I feel normal temperature again. Before--I was cold all the time. My husband tells me that he sees more muscle tone--especially in my face. I had a small period for a few days--but no PMS or cramps I feel slightly younger and even bought a pair of high heels and have been wearing them. I don't seem to be having any negative side effects. About ten years ago when I went through menopause--I tried synthetic hormones for about six months--but went off of them because they made my skin and hair coarse and made me feel really odd. Suzanne's book explained very carefully how to go about getting the natural hormones, gave names and addresses of specialists, and told you how to get them if you had a supportive general doctor or compounding pharmacy in the area. I was not even aware that this was available before I read her book. Not many folks can afford to go to top of the line specialists and learn how to get and use these hormones--but obviously Suzanne Somers has the time and money--and she certainly has got good results. I think this book is a bargain and gives the rest of us that do not have this kind of access to good information a chance without having to spend the thousands of dollars to experiment. I'm thankful that she is sharing this information with us. Older women get very little real information of value when it comes to aging. I'm even inspired to try and exercise more and go back on the South Beach Diet--if I could lose ten pounds before Christmas--I could look really good for my children when they come home for the holidays. They are pleased when I make the effort. :) A Secret Life Of Banjo Banjo Dreamin' Suwannee Nights Walkin' That Banjo Home Vintage Banjo

Suzanne Somers has done it again! This book states what I have been telling my patients for the last 8 years, which is that bio-identical hormones do work. Women feel better, look better and are more able to control their lives. Suzanne's book is very readable, and as usual, Ms. Somers is very honest and exceedingly helpful for the menopausal woman. Jerrold H. Weinberg, MD. Farmington Hills, Michigan

The most important message in this book will be found in the introduction by Mrs. Somers and her physician David Allen, MD. That message refutes a common mistruth still taught to medical students every day. Now (after finding it impossible to control her weight doing all the things in her early books that previously worked for her), Mrs. Somers has found that without proper hormone balance it becomes impossible to feel energetic and control weight consistenly within a healthy range. So, the first chapter of this book explains modern strategies of hormone replacement. Then the remainder of the book explains diet and exercise. The tragedy (and the mistruth): Physicians are taught that only about 1% of people with obesity have abnormal hormones as part of the reason for thier obesity. When looking at adults over the age of 40, I find a much higher percentage of people with one or more hormone abnormalaties (all discussed in this book): growth hormone, thyroid (T3 or T4), testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, or cortisol. This book should be helpful for both men and women for the introduction and the first chapter alone. I know from my research and patient care that she speaks the truth. As for her diet recommendations, the Abs Diet, Eat Right Every Time would work better as guiding tool. Supplement the foods there with recommendations by Mrs. Sommers (which tend to be more involved...with three sons and many patients when I cook it better be very fast most of the time and still the right kind of food). As for the exercise part of the book: I'm sorry, but of several thousand patients, I've yet to meet ONE who lost weight and kept it off using any machine they bought from an info-mertial. Walking works. When you're walking 20 miles a week (the amount that recent research shows would keep most Americans at normal weigh WITH NO CHANGE IN DIET), if you still have extra time after walking 20 miles a week, then play with any of Mrs. Somers' toys and reap the polishing effects. Don't ice the cake with exercise toys until you've cooked the cake of normal weight with walking. Mrs. Somers honestly admits that her exercise products are not necessary but offer an extra boost for those who can afford them. The importatnt exercise problem identified by the book is that if your hormones are unbalanced and an anchor to you, you will not likely ever reach the 20-mile mark because exercise makes you feel like you were in a bar-room fight. Instead of recovering from exercise with more energy and less fat, you will feel more fatigue, plant yourself in a chair or bed to recover, and keep gaining weight. As for finding a physician by contacting the organizations she lists in the back of the book, just be careful. These organizations will provide a useful list; but, speaking as someone who's been a member of all of these organizations at various times and attended their conferences, there can be a wide range of abilities and philosophies withi