Top 5 Diet Books of the NY Times Bestseller List

Top 5 Diet Books From the NY Times 2009 Best Seller List (In No Particular Order)

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouinwww.skinnybitch.net

www.amazon.com Paperback. Used from $3.50 and new from $10.94

These gals push a hard core vegan diet. For those who don't know what vegan means, it's no meat, no dairy, no eggs, basically nothing that is or came from an animal. They go even further, touting the evils of caffeine and sugar, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup, alcohol and smoking, and more. Basically, by the time I finished it, I felt like it would be impossible to stick to this regimen and that I would be thin, but miserable if I did. I also felt that they subliminally campaigned for PETA. The authors are funny, but definitely standing on some high soap boxes. Do not take this book seriously. It's more of a fun fictional read. It is no way based in science or any other form of reality for that matter. C

Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillienwww.hungrygirl.com

www.amazon.com Both Paperback and Hard Cover. Used from $8.25 and new from $12.21

The concept started out as a helpful website, offering up tips for dealing with dieting in the real world, and now there are a couple books in the Hungry Girl series on the best seller list. 1)Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World, and 2) Hungry Girl: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories. Both books are full of recipes for anything from breakfast to snacks to cravings and packed with helpful advice on how to handle diet-killing situations like eating out, parties and vacationing. B

Eat This, Not That! The Best (and Worst!) Foods in America!: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding www.eatthisnotthatbestandworst.com

www.amazon.com Both Paperback and Hard Cover. Used from $7.95 and new from $15.92

This is the latest addition to the series, which is all about just simply making better, and most importantly - informed, choices in what you eat. From grocery stores to fast food restaurants, you are given astonishing facts of what claims to be healthy versus what really is, complete with pictures and nutrition facts. This is a book to keep with you any time you are buying food. Fun mini quizzes and scary ingredients will make you rethink everything you've been told. A

Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting by Bethenny Frankel www.bethenny.com

www.amazon.com Paperback. Used from $7.98 and new from $10.88

Made famous by a reality TV Show "The Real Housewives of New York City", Bethenny is a natural foods chef who offers up ten rules, each with their own chapter. I found a bit of redundancy and repetitiveness and a ton of ideas already out there. I guess it needed some filler. She is witty, however, which makes it more interesting. Each chapter also offers up a few recipes correlating to the rule. C

Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes by Lifetime Television www.cookyourselfthinrecipes.com

www.amazon.com Paperback. Used from $9.90 and new from $12.99

Based on a TV reality show by the same name, this is the companion cook book. This is basically a low calorie recipe book with some diet advice on how not to diet, but change your lifestyle by eating fewer calories. This book is touted for having good recipes on simple classics like mac-n-cheese and chocolate cake and having good visuals. Complaints are that there are no nutrition facts for the recipes and that you can actually get these recipes for free from the show's lifetime site. C