There are so many diets out there aren’t there, finding weight loss that works can be difficult. Whether it be to cut out a food group entirely or counting calories, points, syns or exercises.
The majority of these plans work in some way but whether they are successful in the long term can be another matter.
When I was asked to review a book for you about weight loss I was intrigued. Especially to discover it wasn’t a new plan but a new way of thinking about weight loss.
Weight Loss that Works is a book by Dr Linda Hodges, a weight loss physician in America that is not at all how I imagined so here I will share why.
Weight Loss That Works by Dr Linda Hodges – What is it?
This is a weight loss book with a difference. It does not preach to you that this is the plan you must follow. Dr Linda Hodges uses her medical background to share the science behind what your body needs and weight gain and loss.
She shares her experiences in that diets are not always right for you and advice on finding weight loss that works for you.
Taking the blame out of why certain weight loss plans may not work for you Dr Hodges helps you understand through the course of the book why the success or failure of a plan can actually be out of your hands.
Whilst self-discipline of course plays a part in weight gain I love how this book shares other things that make a difference and encourages you to blame yourself less. One of my favourite quotes from the book is, “People like cake because they are human and cake is delicious!”.
At no point does Dr Linda Hodges pretend you should be able to resist cake and never have it. Instead, she talks about how it is overconsumption that is the issue and we need to look at the reasons why we do this.
I have talked about boredom eating and comfort eating before as I believe that this plays a huge part in my personal weight gain.
What does Weight Loss that works aim to do?
The book, weight loss that works has one main aim and that is to help you understand your own personal issues with weight and overcome those.
Asking us to forget everything we have previously learnt about food because no one rule fits everyone. If the way you are eating is not working for you then start afresh.
By explaining the body and how it processes carbohydrates, glucose and sugars to release insulin and how too much insulin can encourage fat storage.
She explains how the content of your foods is important not just the calories because this impacts how your body responds.
So which plan is Dr Linda Hodges saying is right?
Unlike many other books, Dr Linda Hodges does not recommend one specific diet. She shares her advice on how to find the right diet to fit your lifestyle and your family to make it something you can sustain.
By breaking down the main types of diets eg plant-based, macronutrient-based, low-calorie and meal replacement Linda explains why they could be unsuccessful for you and how you can counteract this. For example, she explains which nutrients you may be missing and how this impacts your long-term success and health.
Have you ever found that cutting calories doesn’t help you to lose weight? Linda explains why this may be the case and what to look for in a plan that will work for you. She also shares when you need to speak to a doctor for advice and monitoring.
So there isn’t one plan, so what should I do?
Dr Linda Hodges has a lot of experience with weight loss and has some amazing tips from recognising overindulgence to rethinking how you define success.
When you are then ready to look again at losing weight you can use the book to calculate your daily calorie goal, your protein goal, your carbohydrate goal, and how to build these into your life.
This is all worked out based on a number of factors and even just by reading this and not calculating you can see how different we all are. Women and men are all very different, no two people are the same so our requirements are not either.
Making your weight loss plan fit your life
Don’t worry you are not left there with an idea of what you should be having and changing your views on food entirely but no plan to move forward.
There is a massive section of the book focusing on how you can plan for the unknown, work around night shifts, exercise or move the right amount and make it work for you and fit in with your current lifestyle.
With tips on how to read food labels and what to look out for this book really does cover everything. You will read tips for work, how muscle mass naturally changes with your weight and when this is important and when not to worry about it.
What about when you reach your healthy weight?
Dr Linda Hodges talks a lot too about how to adjust to your new weight and how to understand a weight loss plateau. Why it is easy to regain weight and how to prevent this the best you can.
She explains the science behind all of these things and helps you to understand the reason why you can gain weight when exercising and why this is perfectly normal.
Dr Linda Hodges makes all these things make sense and with that hopefully will become an easier way of maintaining weight. At the end of the day, weight loss is an ongoing journey that will never end completely.
My overall thoughts on the book
Before reading the book I was a little unsure of what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The book is written really well and addresses all the issues many of us have with diets. I love how it explains the science behind the way our bodies react to different things in an easy-to-understand way.
Dr Linda Hodges clearly knows what she is talking about and after reading the book I felt like I did too. It really made me realise why some diets have not worked for me and look at how I can change things in the future. It is nice to read a book that isn’t promoting a specific plan and trying to get you to spend money on unnecessary things.
A sensible approach to weight loss that I really think everyone would benefit from reading to really understand their body. If you fancy a read it is available from Amazon for £23.32 at the moment – about the price of a takeaway!
Do you prefer it on kindle? On Kindle, it is just £7.69 so a couple of drinks or a bottle of wine. It is quite an in-depth book so will take a few hours or so to get through so, in my opinion, good value for money if like me you have ongoing weight issues.
