Synopses & Reviews
If you are sick of yo-yo dieting and overly restrictive diets that limit carbs, or if you're stuck in a diet plateau,
Eating Free can give you back the food and the life you love--while still helping you to lose weight. To date, 2,000 men and women have transformed themselves on the Eating Free program--with an 84% success rate of weight loss maintenance. Other diets, on average, have an 85% failure rate.
Eating Free reveals why a little-known hormone, ghrelin, is wreaking havoc on your waistline; why almost everything you think you know about weight loss is wrong; and why what most Americans do in earnest to lose weight actually creates the Perfect Storm for them to gain weight!
Eating Free is a refreshing change from diets that leave many Americans depressed, exhausted, and malnourished while stalling their motivation and metabolism. With Eating Free, you can lose the guilt, the misconceptions, and the weight--for good!
Eating Free sets the record straight on these common myths, and many, many more.
Myth 1: Exercise Is Critical for Success. Exercise is important for health, but not as critical for weight loss. You don't need to spend hours at the gym. Eating Free offers a realistic alternative to the gym-rat mantra by proving that weight loss is 80% nutrition and only 20% exercise. What's more, since exercise causes ghrelin levels to spike, hitting the gym may be more detrimental than hitting your snooze button. You'll learn how to shop, not sweat your way to being lean, and focus on preparing delicious food instead of exercising excessively.
Myth #2: You Need to Cut Out Carbs. With Villacorta's formula for optimal weight loss--45% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 25% fat--you will satiate your appetite by controlling the hunger hormone ghrelin and green-light a wide variety of delicious 'forbidden' foods (pasta, potato, rice, and chocolate) so you don't feel deprived. This formula prevents muscle breakdown and keeps you energized while losing weight.
Myth #3: You Need to Track Your Weight Progress Daily. Instead of obsessing over what the scale reads each morning, you'll learn why it's more effective to gauge your body's needs in weekly increments. With a free online tool, The Free Q, you can score every lifestyle element that impacts your weight loss, including lots of stress and little sleep. This tool helps you live wisely for weight loss each week. No other program demonstrates how these elements play a critical role in weight loss with a free practical tool.
Review
Weighing the Options: Diet and Fitness 2011 (November 28 issue):
"Also encouraging a new look at the carb-denial strategy is Eating Free: The Carb-Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger, and Keep Weight Off for Good (HCI, May), in which nutritionist Manuel Villacorta shares the advice that has already helped more than 2,000 people lose weight and keep it off. The book will be featured in Fitness magazine as part of a story on a bride who used the plan to shed 15 pounds for her wedding; several other promotional efforts are in the works."
--Publishers Weekly NetGalley
Review
"I have read dozens, dare I say thousands of diet book, covering everything from Fasting for losing weight, to eating no carbs, to adding protein supplements, to exercising it away. All seem to have gimmicks of one kind or another, yet I've seen little to no results. Eating Free is different. It is not a gimmick, just a smart sensible weight lose plan that can work. You cannot eat yourself thin, believe me I have tried. Successful weight loss contains three S's, in my opinion. It is a Slow, a Smart, and a Steady process that needs to be adapted for a life time, not just for the weightless period. I feel
Eating Free does this. It puts forth a plan that is livable, not ridiculous, doable, not far-fetched, simple, not complex. I like the way it was laid out and how everything was explained. I highly recommend this book if a livable, permanent solution is what you are seeking. If you want to crash it off (and most-likely gain it all back) then pass on this book."
--Sherry Gammon Sherry Gammon
Review
Eating Free: The Carb-Friendly Approach to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger, and Keep the Weight Off for GoodManuel Villacorta HCI, $15.95 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-0-7573-1635-7
Villacorta, a registered dietician, starts his book off with some shocking statistics: in American today, "47 percent of people are trying to lose weight." Women will spend an average of 32 years dieting, while men will log 28 years before their number is called. Nevertheless, 64% of dieters gain the weight back. But here, Villacorta insists that "Weight loss is much more than just numbers and calories," and offers readers a "carb-friendly" approach to keeping the pounds off. Though he claims his strategy is revolutionary, there's really nothing new or unusual in this book; the same fundamental principles apply--Villacorta covers portion control, healthy foods, smart choices when eating out, and knowing your triggers. Some bizarrely complicated acronyms (e.g., FreeQ, which means "Food, REST [another acronym], Energy Expenditure Quotient"), an online progress measurement tool, and four daily calorie food plans will help readers incorporate Villacorta's strategies into an array of lifestyles. In addition, 25+ pages worth of healthy recipes (including vegetarian chili, pork adobo, and a Cajun jambalaya) and a suggested shopping list ensure readers will be fully equipped to follow Villacorta's program. (May 14)--Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly - Publishers Weekly
Review
"All in all, this was one of the better diet books I've read lately . . . if you have weight to lose (and who doesn't?), this is a good one to look at. It's clear, concise, and well-laid out and seems to make a lot more sense than 'give this up for the rest of your life' types of books."
--Vicky Burkholder , Bookseller Publishers Weekly - Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
If you are sick of yo-yo dieting, overly restrictive diets that limit carbs or are impossible to maintain, or if you're stuck in a diet plateau,
Eating Free can give you back the food and the life you love--and still lose weight. To date, 2,000 men and women have transformed themselves on the Eating Free program--with an 84% success rate. Other diets, on average, have an 85% failure rate.
Developed by nationally recognized, award-winning dietitian Manuel Villacorta, Eating Free works because it's a scientific solution which targets a complete set of lifestyle factors, not just calories and exercise. What's more, Eating Free will show you why a little-known hormone, gherlin, can wreak havoc on your waistline and sabotage your efforts, and why almost everything you think you know about weight loss is wrong!
Myth 1: Exercise Is Critical for Success. Over 70% of Americans hate the gym or don't have time to go and according to the Canadian Community Health Service, almost half of Canadians over the age of 12 are considered inactive or don't exercise regularly. Guess what? You don't need to spend hours at the gym. Eating Free proves that weight loss is 80% nutrition and only 20% exercise. You'll learn how to shop, not sweat your way to being lean, and focus on preparing delicious food instead of exercising excessively.
Myth #2: You Need to Cut Down on Carbs. With Villacorta's formula for optimal weight loss--45% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 25% fat--you will satiate your appetite by controlling the hunger hormone ghrelin and prevent muscle breakdown.
Myth #3: You Need to Track Your Progress Daily. Instead of obsessing over what the scale reads each morning, you'll learn why it's more effective to gauge your body's needs in weekly increments. With a free online tool, The Free Q, you can score every lifestyle element that impacts your weight loss, including lots of stress and little sleep. This tool helps you live wisely for weight loss each week. No other program demonstrates how these elements play a critical role in weight loss with a free practical tool.
About the Author
Manuel Villacorta, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., (San Francisco, CA) is one of the leading weight loss and nutrition experts in the country. He is a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, health blog contributor for The Huffington Post, on-air contributor for Univision, and health and lifestyle contributor for Fox News Latino. Manuel's practice, MV Nutrition, has served thousands of people and received three consecutive "Best Bay Area Dietitian" awards from the San Francisco Chronicle and Citysearch. To learn more about Manuel please visit <"">.