The Skinny Rules Rule

I am always attracted to new diet books.  When you struggle with your weight, it seems you are always looking for new advise that will make a difference.  At least I am.  I picked up The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper at Costco a couple weeks ago. It was worth the $16 I spent on it!

Link to Book on Amazon

I read the book in one afternoon. The first 110 pages are the rules and tips for implementing them.  The rest of the 260 pages are menus and recipes. Which I love!


I started implementing these rules the day after I read the book.  I have to admit, most of them I was doing already.  The few that were new have really helped me fine tune my diet plan.  These rules are simple, but not all are easy.  Here are the rules that I have been implementing that are new to me.

• DRINK A LARGE GLASS OF WATER BEFORE EACH MEAL.  This means snacks as well.  Now, I drink a lot of water, but not this much.  So I have been drinking a 16 oz. glass before each meal and my water intake is up to 10 to 12, 8 oz. glasses a day!

• EAT APPLES & BERRIES EVERYDAY.  This I was not doing at all! I ate fruit only occasionally, thinking the sugar would inhibit my weight loss. Not so, I learned!

• NO CARBS AFTER LUNCH. What???  When I read this my heart sank. No pasta or rice with dinner! I have been following this rule and it has not been so bad. However, the last rule is what makes this rule livable for me.

• MAKE ONE DAY A WEEK MEATLESS. Ok, no biggy for me. I love beans & eggs.

• GO TO BED HUNGRY. This basically means stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed.  I don't like this one either. I love to have a small snack & usually some herbal tea about an hour before bed.  But I have been having just the tea & I am surviving.  I wake up VERY hungry now too! I eat breakfast as soon as I get up, instead of an hour or two later.  I am sure this is boosting my metabolism. 

• PLAN ONE SLURGE MEAL A WEEK. Alright, now this I can do!! I can walk away from any temptation during the week if I know I can have it at a planned time.  Look at me, learning delayed gratification!

So, the bottom line is, how does it work.  Well, in the first week I lost 5 pounds, which is huge for me.  I am not the type who loses that much easily!  Before this, my top weekly loss was 3.5 pounds!  Now I am half way through week 2.  I am very hopeful for this week.  This way of eating has got me over a month long plateau.   

The menus and recipes are simple and tasty. My daughter however, is not happy with them.  They don't exactly appeal to an 11-year-old’s pallet.   Oh, well! She needs to learn to eat something besides mac and cheese & fried chicken.

If you have been thinking about this book, I can recommend it! It’s working for me!