I have finally found a weight loss book that is simple to understand and easy to follow. What I found to be extremely helpful was the Meal Planner Conversion Chart. It's all figured out for you. You choose the plan that suits you best. Since I have been on this diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www. S o y c o f f e e.c om. It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this. I lost 9 pounds in three weeks. Went from a size 18 jeans to a size 16. This is the only way to go!!!

My doctor started me on this book in June 2004. I am 5'6" and was hitting the scales at my highest ever - 200 lbs. I was having trouble fitting in my size 14/16s and couldn't stand the thought of buying new, bigger clothes. I have always been a woman that "knew" what was good and bad in my refrigerator (I've read just about every article about dieting written), and had trouble fitting in exercise - especially after having two kids. The Zone was outrageously complicated, and so many other diets had huge restrictions on fruit and most veggies, and just didn't seem to make sense from a nutritional standpoint - I couldn't stick with them for long. My cravings, weird rules and the heavy restrictions on almost everything I loved was always a bomb ticking away inside. Then I found 40-30-30.

It is now six months later, I've lost 40 pounds and counting. I have a new way to eat for life! I lost 14 pounds the first month, then seven, then six and the rest has been consistently coming off ever since and - get this - I haven't managed to fit exercise in yet (still trying). I was very religious the first three months, then fell in to more of a settled routine where I am comfortable with the general parameters without refering to the book or my notes very often. And the beauty is, since you are changing the way you build your meals, I can "cheat" - I really consider it more like living your life, not cheating. I had chocolate cake at my son's & daughter's birthday parties one month in to the diet, had a glass of wine WITH my dinner during the second month but it was no big deal! My new way of eating wasn't disrupted, weight loss continued, and I very rarely have any cravings - I find that most of them are psychological anyway (a habitual reaction to stressful situations, etc.). Odd thing is that most of the things that I used to REALLY love (all carbs), don't return the same old satisfaction anymore - just not the same response from my body - that's definitely not something I expected.

I even managed to stay "even" during the difficult holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's). I thought for sure that my excesses would tip the scale since I seemed to indulge in so much! But here I am, right on track! Looking back, I seem to make enough slightly different choices at all of these events to still maintain some balance (like eating shrimp cocktail along with some chip & dip instead of a plate of straight carbs).

Some of the key things for me were:
1) The ability to substitute my ZonePerfect bars (Fudge Graham are best) for up to two meals a day - really a lifesaver when you're on the go at work and with the family and it's critical that you not skip your meals.
2) There are really quick & easy meals that fit in to a life that was used to all of the convenience foods.
3) Please, those of you reading those "the cost of good food is so high!" reviews... have you added up the cost of all of your sodas, chips, ice cream, etc., lately? Even with the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats, I'm still spending less.
4) New, clear approaches to fast food and restaurant eating is outlined - I even check the websites of different companies to makes sure my picks keep my carbs, protein & fat in balance - it would surprise you what some of the "healthy" items add up to!
5) I have almost completely eliminated hydrogenated oil and aspartame from my diet - not easy considering they're in darn near everything these days! (I'm not sure if that came from my doctor or the book.)
6) First meal within one hour of getting up, last one four hours before bed.

Good luck! It's a great book, clearly and simply written, and it's been a lifesaver for me!

This diet is one of the only ones that has ever worked for me and I actually ENJOYED doing it! I have tried all of the diets out there. I have bought many of the books and tried most of them. But the 40 30 30 system is the most realistic and healthy system to use. The most difficult thing I had to do was to create menus at first. It was hard at first to come up with exactly the right combinations of food to give me the right grams of each nutrient for each meal. The book provides some sample menus which are great but I wanted to incorporate foods I really loved. What I did was create note cards with meals I enjoyed with the proper balance and once that was done all I had to do was pull out my card and make my breakfast, lunch or dinner. This diet is great and I think anyone who is battling the bulge should give it a try. It even gives you a low carb option if that is your preference. But if you follow the system correctly you can still have potatoes, pasta rice and bread and lose weight effectively. Like I said..I love this diet! I am 11 pounds down and going!

I bought this book in December 1998, at the recommendation of the womens gym where I had been exercising. I followed the "Fat Flush" sample meal planner and lost 16 pounds. Now it's April 2004, I am 5 months post pardum, and have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks, using the same meal plan. I've lost the carbohydrate cravings and truely feel great! The sample meal planners are satisfying examples. Chapter 8 "Putting it all together" provides all the tools you need to creat your own 40-30-30 meals in the portions right for your weight and activity level. Chapter 4 "The Glycemic Index" is an excellent resource for good-better-best carbohydrate choices.

This was the first book I read on the subject of weightloss by combining macro-nutrients in the right percentage. I chose this over "The Zone" as it seemed more user-friendly, and I was right. The system can be complicated at first, until you get used to it, and the Zone's "blocks" are an additional complication.

The authors do a great job at explaining why it is so important to balance the right amounts of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and how to choose wisely. It could very well be the first health/fitness book a person reeds and the reader would not feel overwhelmed, as the information is given in a way that it can be easily understood without any previous experience or background in the field of nutrition. The data is complete but you don't feel you need to be a biochemist to understand it, like in some other health books.
The book also offers one week of menus, in different variations: the regular ones, the vegetarian and the "fat flush", for those who want a more rapid weight loss. The meal plans are furtherly taylored to your individual needs by establishing which type of 4 (A-D) you fall in, depending on your weight and activity level, and therefore being able to establish the right quantity of each food contained in the daily menus.

There is also advice on what to choose when dining out and nutritional info on common commercial products, as well as a food value guide (how much protein is in 4oz of chicken breast?) to help the reader make the right choices and design his menus following the 40-30-30 regimen.

Overall, a very good guide, which doesn't get 5 stars just because at an attentive eye (from someone who has a background in nutrition/health/fitness), the plan would be even better if it was lighter on the sodium and dairy, but still, it's a great improvement over the current nutrition of most people.
I would suggest it to anyone who wants to lose weight but also to anyone who wishes to improve his/her fitness performance and energy levels.