Years ago, Suzanne Somers lost the chance to appear on a hit television series because she was "too chunky." That missed opportunity started her on a "diet roller coaster," trying all kinds of diets. Now Somers believes that diets and deprivation do not help people lose weight in the long-term. In Eat Great, Lose Weight, she explains the food-combining plan she calls "Somersizing": eliminate "funky foods" such as sugar ("my body's greatest enemy") and white flour; eat fruits alone on an empty stomach; eat proteins and fats with vegetables and without carbohydrates; eat carbohydrates with vegetables and without fat. Sommers presents 113 recipes that certainly don't resemble a traditional diet and might make a weight-loss expert's hair curl, such as Crispy Fried Eggplant and Mozzarella Finger Sandwiches, Flourless Cheese Souffle (with butter, eggs, cream cheese, and Gruyère cheese), and Grilled Pepper Steak with Herb Butter (trim the fat from the meat, but add both butter and olive oil). There's no nutritional breakdown, so you can't count fat or calories. Somers admits that "many experts will argue that food combining is a myth," but she says it works for her, and she credits it with trimming her down to 116 pounds, even though she eats "more than ever."


From Library Journal
It has been argued that one can lose weight and still eat large amounts of foods if they are in the proper combination and proportion and are eaten in conjunction with an exercise program. These two books explore this concept with slightly different interpretations. In addition to recommending larger amounts of complex carbohydrates with little or no fat and sugar, actress Somers (Wednesday's Child, LJ 8/92) emphasizes that eating the right combinations (and avoiding the wrong ones) promotes efficient digestion. Vedral, the author of a number of exercise books (e.g., Top Shape, Warner, 1995), proposes a simple modification of the USDA's Food Pyramid, recommending that low-calorie/high-density foods be eaten frequently to avoid the hunger pangs that sabotage many diets. Both books include extensive menus, recipes, and basic workout plans. Either or both would be a good purchase for public libraries. [Somers's book was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/96.]?Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohi.-?Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OhioCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"Life's best memories come from around the table. This is why I love Suzanne's book. If people follow her suggestions, they will learn to enjoy food again, which is a great gift."                              
--Pino Luongo, author of A Tuscan in the Kitchen

"There are lots of great-tasting, healthful dishes to which you can treat yourself."        
--Palm Beach Post


Review
"Life's best memories come from around the table. This is why I love Suzanne's book. If people follow her suggestions, they will learn to enjoy food again, which is a great gift."                              
--Pino Luongo, author of A Tuscan in the Kitchen

"There are lots of great-tasting, healthful dishes to which you can treat yourself."        
--Palm Beach Post


Book Description
No one knows the self-denial--and the failure rate--of dieting better than Suzanne Somers. The Three's Company and Step-by-Step star struggled with her weight for twenty years. But now, after years of experimentation and consultation with more than one hundred nutritionists and dietitians, Suzanne has developed a weight-loss plan that truly succeeds.

With over a hundred recipes for great-tasting creative and traditional dishes, Eat Great, Lose Weight will help you free yourself from food cravings, get off the diet roller coaster, and learn to love food again. You won't believe how easy it is to look and feel your best!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

No one know the self-denial — and the failure rate — of dieting better than Suzanne Somers. Under constant make-or-break career pressure from thinness-obsessed Hollywood, she has tried every diet imaginable. Now, after years of experimentation and consultation with experts, she has developed a weight-loss plan that truly succeeds. The secret to gaining control over your weight, Suzanne reveals, lies not in how much you eat, but in what you eat, and in what combinations. On her breakthrough program, you'll eat foods in "Somersize" combinations to reprogram your metabolism, shed pounds for good, and gain more energy than ever before! The deliciously satisfying Somersize program allows you to eat incredible meals — with cheeses, sauces, dressings — without worrying about portions! Imagine being able to enjoy, for example, Roasted Chicken with Mushroom-Sausage Stuffing and Tarragon Gravy. When combined with Zucchini Carpaccio and followed by Sugarless Cheesecake, you'll have a perfect Somersize meal that's easily digestible. And these are just a few of Suzanne's more than one hundred recipes in Eat Great, Lose Weight. Somersizing is not a diet, but an eating plan for life. You'll learn how to free yourself from food cravings, how to get off the diet roller-coaster, and how to make movement and fitness an enjoyable part of every day.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal