Title: One Day Way
Author: Chantel Hobbs
Rating: This is the first book I have read like this, so it's hard for me to rate it, as it might compare to others. I am tempted, though, to give it somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. Why don't we go with 3.84.
.84
Who Should Read It: People looking for motivation to finally lose the weight they want to lose, although the tips in it could also be great for anyone trying to get something done.
What I Have to Say: So, I agreed to review this book NOT because I need to lose weight (if anything I need to gain weight), but because I need to learn how to exercise. And I find that often weight loss books have great tips on exercise and motivation.
That said, I thought this book was great! At first, I kind of thought it was repetitive. She seemed to just be saying over and over again - if you want to lose weight, you have to change your mindset. Think about things one day at a time. As I continued reading, though, I realized just how important it was for her to be repetitive like that. If you say something to yourself over and over again, it eventually begins to feel true. As I read over and over again, in slightly different words, it eventually began to REALLY sink in. In the beginning, I understood what she was saying - by the end, I felt and knew with all of my being what she what she was saying. Knowing that Chantel herself lost 200 pounds with this very method made the words sink in that much more.
More than that, IT MADE ME FEEL MOTIVATED! And I think that, for an exercise/weight loss book, motivating someone has to be up there as one of the most important necessities.
Another positive was that she was able to constantly bring in examples from her own life that not only made it easy to visualize what she was saying but that also made it interesting and easy to read as a book and not just a weight-loss guide.
She also gave some great exercises that one can do, which is something else I think is a necessity in a weight loss book. Unfortunately, most of her exercises involved a medicine ball. The fact is, a lot of people don't like exercising. So while working with a medicine ball is great for those of you that don't mind exercising, for me it just makes me feel like I'm actually exercising. I need to be tricked into breaking a sweat (which is why my martial arts classes are perfect for me), and, even one day at a time, it's hard for me to force myself to do something that I HATE to do (exercise). Still, her exercises were simple and doable.
There were a couple things, though, that I didn't really love about the book. She mentions at some point that you CAN be vegetarian while following her method, but she really doesn't give any tips how. She also says that, if you are vegetarian, you need to eat lots of cheese and dairy. This seems counter-intuitive to me, since ALL the studies show how unhealthy and free-radical forming dairy products are. I'm a vegan, and there was not a SINGLE meal in her recipe section that could have been eaten by a vegan.
Lastly, she asks us to start with a fast. I personally wouldn't have trouble doing this, but I know people that have tried to fast, even for a day, and ended up sick, passed out, at the hospital. Fasting isn't for everyone.
So there we have it. I unfortunately didn't receive the book early enough to have had a chance to put her method to work, though I do think the idea of taking things one day at a time, never thinking of the future, is quite a good one. And I'm looking forward to trying it out!
Summary (from Waterbrook Multnomah): Lose All the Weight You Want, One Meal, One Pound, One Day At a Time!
I've got great news for you: You are about to feel better and look better beginning today! Today is truly a new opportunity for you to reach your weight loss goals. No, you won't fit into your "skinny jeans" today, but I'm going to show you how each day will get you closer to that goal.
Yesterday's mistakes are gone so let them go. You can't control tomorrow, so stop worrying about it. Today is your opportunity to lose weight, get strong, and look great. It won't happen overnight, but you can build a new life by changing your actions immediately and I'm here to show you how to make the changes that will create the new lifestyle you dream of: body, mind, and spirit. Best of all, you will start celebrating right away!
Come on, my friend. Let's get started! By opening this book, I'll show you how to unlock every tool you need to lose weight and get fit —and stay that way for the rest of your life. Success can be yours, what are you waiting for?
-ChantelTo learn more about this book or purchase it, check it out
here.
Now, thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah, I've got one copy of this book to give away to one lucky winner.
RULES:
-open internationally
-ends January 18, 2009 at midnight in France
-I'm asking for your address now so that I can send the book immediately
-the usual for extra entries: tweet, sidebar, comment
-just fill out the form below!
Disclosure: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
If you click on my amazon links then buy something, I will make a small profit that will go back into the blog.
- donated by 
- donated by 
(to be sent after its release on November 2)
(in case you somehow haven't yet gotten your hands on a copy)
(yeah, even though I won a copy of Fallen and the person never sent it so I still haven't read it; this can be replaced by Fallen if you want)
(old, but I've still been dying to read it)
(also old, but I love it, and it was made into a Japanese anime, and I wanted something Japanesy on the list)
(my favorite recent comic!)
This will be the second of my giveaways!
and 
by Jonathan Stroud
+ TONS OF SURPRISES!!!!
