The French Don't Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps to Stay Thin for Life

I've read The Fat Fallacy, taken Dr. Clowers' PATH training, and met the man in person. This book is like sitting down and having a conversation with him. It's clarity, it's promise, it's decadence in moderation. I owe my life to Dr. Clower. In 2004 I had hit my highest weight ever, been diagnosed with chronic hypertension and Type 2 diabetes, and I could barely move or walk without pain and being out of breath. I was on the verge of submitting to weight loss surgery! I wholeheartedly adopted the principles in the book "The Fat Fallacy" and I've dropped nearly 70 pounds, reduced my hypertension, nearly reversed my diabetes AND had a happy, healthy bouncing baby boy! And, no weight loss surgery, either. And this was accomplished even without all the wonderful information I've learned in the last couple of months with the PATH training and what is in "The French Don't Diet". I realize now that I have more room for improvement and I'm eager for the changes and continued good health and weight loss. Never has eating and being active been so fun and delicious. I've never lived a 'low-fat' life, but I did overeat for decades and I ate many bad-for-me foods. Now, I don't eat it if I don't know what's in it, I don't buy it without looking at the ingredients, and I've begun to step out of my comfort zone and actually prepared foods for myself like bread, gravies, salad dressings. Things I felt inept at creating, so I bought pre-packaged and pre-prepared versions chock full of chemicals and faux foods and health-sapping components. I've tried several recipes in Dr. Clower's books and they are amazing! And easy! So easy it's crazy. I spent years avoiding creating in the kitchen out of fear. Fear and laziness. Something the food industry capitalizes on. But, not anymore! I appreciate the knowledge Dr. Clower and his books have imparted to me and my family and friends. We now know what's healthy and what's not. We enjoy our food and our lives so much more now, and we're losing weight and getting healthy in the process! The best thing you can do for your self and your family is read this book and adopt the principles contained within. This isn't a 'diet' it's a lifestyle. A French lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle. Mind, body, spirit. Once you do this there is no going back to the Standard American Diet. The SAD will kill you.

Plainspoken truth, while not always palatable, is the best advice one can wish for. Dr. Clower is blunt, although in a humorous and empathetic way - we eat too much, we eat junk, and we eat like it's a calorie per second contest. With the national attention turning to miles per gallon once again, this book forces you to confront the damage that gluttony does to our health, and that less is more. How to do less while retaining the satiety that a full belly affords is the pressing question, and Dr. Clower delivers convincingly. This book has helped me trace the root cause of the frequent cravings I endure. I had accepted these cravings to a large extent as being a normal demand of an active lifestyle and constitution, but had not recognized it for what it truly was. The substitutes and proxies that pass for food in our supermarket/fast food world leave a void that the body's systems just do not accept. Dr. Clower analyzes this most eloquently, and points to a different path - one that reinforces a healthful return to making good eating a family experience and a lifelong habit. Absolutely nothing wrong with that!! Highly recommend this book.

After reading the French DON"T DIET plan and being introduced to the concepts outlined in The Pathonline - a companion course - I enjoy eating even more than I did before, but I've also lost that elusive last 10 pounds while doing so. Dr. Clower's book and his philosophy behind The Path made it relatively painless and instead of making "food the enemy" he showed me how to make better choices in how I eat, prepare and buy food. Real food, I should say, as opposed to faux food. This is where his book scores. I've always prided myself in knowing what I was ingesting, but Dr. Clower quite specifically shattered that illusion. He has a very thorough knowledge of the chemistry of the digestive system and the food industry but deftly combines that with a profound understanding of human behavior - the tricky part in wanting to diet. What I like about his approach is that it doesn't put you in an adversarial position in relation to food - after all the book's title is headlined DON'T DIET so I don't think of it as a diet at all, just a more enjoyable and rewarding way to eat and live my life. The byproduct is I get a deeper satisfaction from my meals and don't need to eat as much, or as often. And so the flab falls away. The book feels more like a conversation with someone who has thought through it all - going into specific detail on every aspect of eating with very simple, but well thought out suggestions. His style of presentation makes it an easy read and as a result I was able to digest the information quickly and put it into action. When I enter a grocery store or restaurant I am now an educated consumer. When I sit down to eat I am no longer a consumer - I view meals as time out from the world, a special treat to be savored, a gift for my body, as opposed to ingesting fuel for a race. Not only have I lost weight, but I lost my anxiety over the whole food thing - it's not that difficult, thanks to Dr Will. I highly recommend this book.

If you're tired of trying diet after diet and ready to make a lifestyle change, this is a great book to read. While doing post-doctoral work in France, Dr. Clower noticed what seemed to be a paradox. The French were eating great food (bread, butter, cheese, chocolate) and were thin. Even better, he was eating like that and losing weight. This book will take you through the Mediterranean lifestyle and how to apply it to a hectic American lifestyle. It outlines the great foods to eat along with how to go about eating the food (i.e. eating slower). The last section of the book takes you through some ways to reduce stress and ways to stay active that you will enjoy. I highly recommend the book. It has given me great ideas that I have implemented, and I have seen the results.

I confess. I'm a fan of Dr. Will Clower's, and I enjoyed his other book "The Fat Fallacy" as well as his web site about "The PATH" that is centered around the French way of eating. In fact, my testimonial is included in this latest book by Dr. Clower. There really isn't a whole lot of new material in this book (except some more recipes) compared to "The Fat Fallacy"--it's just that Will does a better job of presenting exactly what needs to be done to adapt your eating habits to emulate the French style of eating. And as observed by another reviewer, the French are indeed losing their battle against the bulge, as is most of the world. Even the Japanese with one of the lowest obesity rates on the planet, acknowledge increased obesity rates evident in their children. So what's the answer? The sensible eating steps outlined in "The French Don't Diet Plan." Follow these simple and enjoyable steps, and you will lose weight and keep it off. This book is easy to understand, easy to follow, with a good selection of recipes in the back. For us Americans bombarded with low-fat/no-fat ads and media hype, this book is hard to accept. You will want to argue and fight against the notion that eating regular food will actually be good for you. You must read ALL of the steps that include not just what to eat, but where, how and when to eat (and drink)! Incorporate the ideas found in this book, and you will be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. I've been plagued over the years with yo-yo dieting--losing weight only to gain even more back. I have now lost and kept my weight off for over 2 years! And it's all thanks to Dr. Clower and the French lifestyle. This book is worth reading and following. I highly recommend it.