Holly (holly-berry) reviewed Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss on
Helpful Score: 3
One of my favorite inspirational weight loss books! I love to eat and it's so encouraging to see that I CAN eat a good quantity of food if I make better choices. The only downside is that Dr. Shapiro relies on many foods made of overly processed and condensed soy food products. I actually like the taste of soy food products but worry about the amount of estrogenic foods I eat. Soy as a vegetable, as tofu or tempeh is fine but I think men and women would do best to avoid any highly processed, highly condensed soy products.
Laura E. (lauramsellis) reviewed Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss on + 331 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A New York-based physician specializing in weight control, Shapiro will no doubt startle many lifelong dieters and experts with his approach to eating. There are no "correct" portions and there are no bad foods. Instead, he insists that people must become aware of what they're consuming. To illustrate this principle, the book is filled with color photographs of different foods. For example, one page shows a handful of mixed nuts, potato chips and vegetable crisps: these three portions have 400 calories each, but 10 cups of popcorn has the same number of calories as the rest. A one-cup serving of Quaker Natural Cereal has 540 calories, but that same number of calories is found in 16 low-cal Fudgsicles. Shapiro uses real-life examples of people with weight problems and includes practical advice, albeit in brief chapters, on exercise and the psychological reasons why people become overweight. However, the power of this book is clearly the illustrations showing the "right" and "wrong" food choices. Shapiro walks readers through ethnic menus (Chinese, Greek, etc.), explaining which choices make the most sense healthwise. This is a smart approach to dieting from which everyone, regardless of their weight, will benefit.
