i think diana explains her points well. i think she knows what she's talking about and that she is careful to protect her patients, and help them from destroying their health.

i can see from personal experience that she's right about healthy fats and dietary cholesterol being necessary. before i heard about that, the first time as part of her forward in suzanne somers' book, i had tried all the natural remedies for depression and rage, but none of them worked all the time. turns out, my problem was that i wasn't getting what i needed from my diet; i wasn't eating enough healthy fats and cholesterol! once i beefed up on those, my depression melted away! i realised after a few months that i hadn't had a rage since i had changed the way i ate. my heart is just as healthy, my cholesterol level is just fine, and now i'm emotionally healthy as well!

i think she may be going overboard about never eating sugar again (don't worry, she doesn't say 'get off everything harmful right now!'). i think she's overly prejudiced about it, and you'll understand that after reading her story. but i definitely think she's right about cutting out white sugar, white flour, and damaged fats. i believe her conclusion that we must eat a healthy balance, every time we eat, is the right stuff. it's not how much you eat, it's what you eat. if the "what" is healthy, the "how much" will adjust to the right amount for you. you can eat too little, but if you stay balanced, you can't eat too much!

Easy to read, easy to follow advice. Really did help with some of my perimenopausal symptoms including lack of energy, depression, night anxiety. In fact, once I started following this style of eating, period became regular again. Only problem is that more recipes would be helpful but those are in the cookbook.

I borrowed this book from a friend of mine who said I might find it interesting.

First Sentence:
"We are all going to age and die, because it is impossible to stop normal aging."

What is normal aging? Already this lady is making unfounded claims that any true health seeker would be wise to question. It's been proven many times over that the aging process can be slowed down and even reversed.

Schawarzbein seems to believe that to build adequate hormones a person needs massive amounts of animal fat and protein. This is never proven nor demonstrated.

"Chapter Six : Why you must eat Cholesterol"
Pure propaganda. Completely false. Makes me wonder if she owns some slaughterhouses or something. There are millions thruout the world (vegans) who will never eat any cholesterol for the rest of our lives and I'd be willing to bet that most of us (in the 1st world anyway) will live longer than this lady. Here's one for example : http://www.thegardendiet.com/storm.html

This book is not science, it's not intelligent and it does not hold water. If you must satisfy your curiosity, borrow it and read it and use your own critical thinking. But don't waste your money, I'm glad I didn't!

Schwarzbein Principle-The Program is the first book of the three that I picked up and I later found that it is a summation of both books one and two. I believe that, although this is her third book, it was for the best that I read this one first since I was then able to decide whether the approach as a whole suited me. I decided that I very much want to change my lifestyle including my eating habits, exercise, stress and hormone levels.

This was not a new decision; I have tried several diets over the last 21 years (low fat and calorie, high protein and low carb, and variations of the two, as well as just eating when I feel hungry). On two I lost more than 25 pounds and on two I lost more than 50 pounds but none kept the weight off for more than 2 to 6 years. I gained back the weight plus more when I went off the diet because I could not sustain the diet. During the diets I had cravings, felt tired, felt deprived and depressed and kept it up anyway until it was obvious (contrary to what professionals said) that it was not getting better. I have several health problems that did not change when I lost weight including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism. The doctors said that they would improve significantly with exercise and weight loss but they did not.

I went through bariatric surgery five years ago and slowly lost 60 pounds over one year. My body was resistant at first, which the doctor said was rare and so I was told that I would need to exercise and try to eat protein more. I was very tired at first but kept up with walking and stretching and eventually the endorphin rush that I had never heard of before felt good and I thought, "Wow, I must be doing it right this time!" But I had to exercise more and more to reach my goal weight because it wasn't coming off anymore. The weight didn't go down and neither did my dress sizes. I was still overweight but an average size 14 and pretty content with that. So a trainer started me on weight lifting (with the reason that more muscle means more energy your body burns) and it was cool, felt achy at first then the burn was good and my weight shifted to muscle and dress size to 12 then stopped. However, I had to exercise more and lift more to keep getting that endorphin rush until I hit a plateau and couldn't figure out how to turn it around. Then I started falling down the hill; no more energetic feeling, just more tired feelings.

After two years of regular exercise I was just as tired, if not more so than before I started exercising. Various health pros advised me to exercise more (I was finally up to 2 hours a day of cardio and weight lifting) but I became more tired and mentally foggy. Other pros said to cut back on exercise, so I did but my body did not recover. Various health professionals advised me to eat more protein, drink more water, take some anti-depressants, take some stimulants, and take anti-anxiety meds and sleeping pills to help with coming down. It did not help. Over a 6 month period I gave up again on what I thought was my most successful attempt (this was two years ago) because I was somewhat toned and an average size after a lifetime of morbid obesity. I was in more pain and self-medicated with alcohol and prescription drugs that did not help. I gained 50 pounds in the next 4 months, an unprecedented experience for me. I was so disappointed and no one could explain it to me.

Seven months ago I went to try another diet, a popular, somewhat balanced "calories in have to equal calories out" plan to lose weight because the weight gain scared me. But for the first time in my life, I did not lose anything at all (during 6 weeks on the plan) even with the gastric bypass surgery. My body had apparently become so imbalanced or immune or something that I could not seem to lose weight and continued to gain it. Last month I weighed 20 pounds more than before my surgery. Now, I just try to eat balanced meals and I am looking to return my health to me. Doctors still cannot seem to help my fatigue, fibromyalgia, flare up of arthritis, flare-up of asthma or my mental fog. Nothing works and they cannot even explain why.

Then the other day I picked up Schwarzbein's Program and it explained how dieting damages your metabolism. It proposed an explanation for why my body reacted the way it did and continues to do. I knew that dieting damages your metabolism but I did not know that it could potentially account for all of my other health problems. (I also had no idea how to fix it and neither did any health professional I've come into contact with, they all seem to be advising me to continue to damage it.) The Schwarzbein Principle offers a plan to repair my metabolism and hormonal imbalances. This is more important to me right now than weight loss. This plan does not promise quick and easy weight loss, it promises to promote overall health. Any weight loss is secondary but very possible if the body needs this to become healthy.

At this point, if being healthy and feeling good or just normal physically means gaining a few pounds first, I would gladly bear it. I would rather be morbidly obese than continue to feel like a zombie that has constant low-level pain and irritability. My concern is wasting hundreds to thousands of dollars yet again and returning to worse health than before, but I feel I have to keep trying because I want to feel good. I am not doing this to look like a model but to feel healthy and really live like a normal person---sleep through the night, feel enough energy to easily get out of bed, eat because I like food, feel excited about the day ahead of me, have enough energy and optimism to meet the challenges of my work and be able to walk around without aches in my joints, pain in my fingers, and so much more.

I do not want to leap into another diet without believing in it and believing that it will work. I have trusted health professionals too many times because I wanted to believe that they were right. However, it turned out that they did not know what they were talking about. They do not seem to know how to have a healthy body and lose weight through food. The U.S. guidelines for eating just changed again, you know.

But I do want to be healthy and so I will take a chance but I want it to be a calculated risk and be a good consumer. That means reading up on a plan and seeing if it makes sense, which is difficult to do even if you are a health professional because, overall, they still don't know how to lose weight or live a healthy lifestyle. I have decided do my best and so I started investigating Schwarzbein's plan by reading her third book first, The Program.

Schwarzbein's plan has five steps for a healthy life and does NOT focus on quick weight loss. You may not lose weight at all on this diet, may even gain it, especially if you are the body composition you should be. If, however, your hormones are imbalanced then some weight gain is likely to occur (i.e. with thinner chronic dieters) but it will be followed by loss if your body needs it. Schwarzbein feels that quick weight loss is dangerous and will not support it (I admire her for not selling out her patients for money when the general public thinks thin means healthy and it does not). She advocates a five step plan for overall health and wellness:

1) Addresses nutrition in the form of balanced meals
2) Manages stress and sleep
3) Avoiding toxic chemicals (e.g. nicotine and sugar and additives)
4) Sensible exercise
5) Hormone replacement therapy (to help repair damaged metabolism)

This book (The Schwarzbein Principle: The Program) condenses what is in books two and three and offers the materials together here. Book one (The Schwarzbein Principle) explains more in detail about the carbohydrate-insulin connection and the rationale underlying a diet balancing protein first, followed by complex carbohydrates, non-starchy vegetables and good fats. I have been overexposed to this, personally, and so this book added little to my knowledge in that regard. I felt I had heard enough about insulin and carbohydrates, especially since my family has diabetics who have shared this information with me. Book two (The Transition) goes into more details about the 5-step plan itself and the connection between hormones and metabolism. This is the reason I decided to buy book two but not book one. This information, this theory for explaining my health problems, is what I have been looking for, hoping to find for years.

I read book two to find out more about the premises underlying the plan regarding repairing the metabolism because I believe this is the cornerstone of her program. (And it is obvious to me that mine is damaged.) Yes, as another reviewer complained, the details can become technical and confusing for anyone without a basic familiarity with the physiology of the human body, particularly the endocrine system. I have that basic knowledge from classes completed during my education, working toward a doctorate in psychology. However, even if you find it difficult, I do believe it is important to slog through it. It also helps that summaries are provided at the end of each chapter. It is of paramount importance that consumers have access to this information so that fitness gurus like Schwarzbein can be held accountable for offering diet plans and lifestyle plans that actually going to promote health to the public. It is also important that people like you and me can make informed decisions about which health plan to follow. It often seems to me like it's about choosing the lesser of certain evils since I haven't met a single plan that worked long-term for health or weight loss. Maybe this one will.

So, with that in mind...book 2 goes into detail about how hormones regulate the metabolic system and how those hormones are made from protein and "good" fats. (Remember, complex carbohydrates ARE necessary in this diet, but in balance as they are needed to energize the body and brain). Therefore, proteins, certain fats and complex carbs are necessary (not a certain number of calories) for the production of hormones, which affect processes including thinking, using up/building fats, building/breaking down muscle, sleeping, moods and much more. They mediate the immune system too. Reading this book is building my confidence in the validity and integrity of the Schwarzbein plan as a whole and the nutrition plan in particular. However, it seems that the hormones and vitamins are expensive and that they may require seeing a health professional who is knowledgeable about such things. An endocrinologist who is open to new ideas would be good.

Schwarzbein's web site is set up and seems pretty good. However, the test offered for checking some hormone levels is apparently not available now or in the foreseeable future. That's lame! However, you can guess based on your symptoms which of four metabolism styles you have and this indicates which vitamins you should take to help repair your metabolism/hormonal imbalance. If you suspect that you have any other deficiencies such as thyroid problems, sex hormone imbalances or similar conditions that require prescriptions then you should see an endocrinologist or gynecologist who is patient-friendly, I plan to do this. Schwarzbein's site offers referrals to health professionals who are familiar with her program but do not endorse any of these persons. I contacted a nutritionist who wanted to charge me $3 per minute for a four hour phone call where he would provide me with advice about nutrition and supplements. (Isn't that what I read in the book?) I would still need to pay for vitamins and see one of the above doctors anyway. I was at once irate and amazed that he actually thought I would pay for such a service. It sounds like a rip-off to me! I think that Schwarzbein's people should be more careful about the providers they promote/refer and they should offer patients the opportunity to give feedback about the providers.

I would love to visit a bulletin, chat room or listserv on the Schwarzbein Principle. I feel I need support, answers to questions and more feedback about the pitfalls and successes. I like hearing about other people's stories toward becoming more healthy (some of these are in book 2), both successes and setbacks. I would like a forum for advice. For instance, I don't like to cook and I miss carbs. Any ideas out there for such a thing?

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend reading the Schwarzbein Principle: The Program first to get the basics. If you want to find out more and believe you have an insulin-carbohydrate problem such as diabetes or sugar addictions then read book one entitled, Schwarzbein Principle, to find out more about this component. If, like me, you want to find out more about the premises underlying the claims that this plan repairs your endocrine system and related metabolism, read book two entitled, The Schwarzbein Principle II: The Transition. The first half shares such information and the second half shares more details about how to change your habits gradually through the five step program. In one section she offers 4 general plans which correspond with four different types of metabolic systems (This is dependent upon the amount of damage you have already done to your body.) and breaks down the five steps (e.g. nutrition, stress, exercise, toxins and hormones) further.

Balance in life sounds logical to me and so does this plan so far. I am crossing my fingers that this plan will truly repair my damaged metabolism and endocrine system overall. Luck to you! I hope this information helps someone with his or her decision. Also, I would love to hear stories about successes or setbacks from people on this program so please, send me an e-mail.

mcfynnan@aol.com

Someone recommended this book to me. The book is an absolute eye-opener. I have pushed everyone around me to read this book. So much so, it should be a recommended reading in High Schools to ensure that the next generations are healthy ones with no misconceptions about diet and nutrition. A must-read. I haven't found any other book written so well and supported so adequately with research and real-life trials. A well done job.