Customer Reviews:
 Gillian may be a strict work horse, but she delivers results! January 27, 2007
55 out of 62 found this review helpful
I first started following Gillian's nutritional guidelines around 2 years ago when I was about 10 stones overweight... and at the age of only 23.
I had tried and tried and absolutely tried every diet I had heard of since the age of 12 but I never managed to stick to any for more than about 2 months. The "forbidden" foods, the food weighing, the points and sins counting, how far into ketosis am i?!? They all got too much to bear, were too hard to stick to and with too little in terms of results.
Gillian McKeith's diet is the only diet I have been able to stick to. I haven't stuck to it every day for 2 years, I have found that I am able to take a week or 2 off for Christmas, birthdays and holidays (even though Gillian would frown at me!), and I am still able to immediately get back on the wagon straight after.
Now I know there is controversy over some of Gillian's claims and her qualifictions/background - but I still think the explanation of what different foods do to you is better than any slimming class I ever went to! I feel like I not only understand why I shouldn't eat certain foods, but I feel I thoroughly understand the benefits of why I MUST eat certain foods.
The diet involves little to no weighing, no points or sins counting, no calorie or fat counting (yes, you did read that right), instead Gillian advises what foods to combine together and the reasons for this, and also which foods you can eat - and there's a long list of great foods - and you can pretty much eat them to your heart's content!
This book contains an excellent selection of recipes - they may seem really scary (and unappetizing!) at first but if you have a good look through you'll find some that you like the sound of. The recipes should only be used as a guide; feel free to adapt them in line with Gillian's principles and the sky is the limit. Today I had a banana, mango and passion fruit smoothie for breakfast, made her Lemon & Cinammon Rice Pudding (a delicious treat for the weekend) and for dinner I made her lovely Aubergine and Chickpea Tagine with quinoa and rocket - I have tweaked this recipe by adding more tomatoes, spinach, aduki beans and mung beans to make a heartier meal.
To date I have lost almost 7 stones in weight and I thank Gillian for her guidance. I no longer have acne, my dry skin has been replaced by a great complexion, I have strong shiny hair and nails, I haven't had a headache in 2 years!! I sleep so much better, I no longer snore, and my attitude is about 1000 times more positive than it used to be. I can enjoy all the great things a 25 year old should be enjoying (minus the junk food and alcohol - it's a small sacrifice, believe me!!)
 Coming back to it... January 26, 2007
23 out of 31 found this review helpful
I bought this book when if first came out, cooked a few recipes, HATED them and eventually gave the book away to our local library.
So far so good - in the last year, I had a few health scares and moved to rural Ireland from London. Basically, my whole life has changed over the course of a year and consequently, I started working on my diet again. Before Christmas, I followed a plan of eating raw food (about 75% of my diet) for six weeks and felt phantastic with it. Skin cleared up, I lost some weight, depression lifted, great results. Of course, I'm now back on eating "normally", ie convenience food, chocolate, rubbish basically.
BUT, some things have stayed with me like sprouting my own sprouts and drinking smoothies and green vegetable juices. So now I went back to my library and borrowed the book back. Well, with a change of perspective, I see the book differently. Yes, not all the recipes are great, but her nutritional advice is sound albeit not entirely conventional. (And where has "conventional" nutritional advice gotten us except to being the second-most obese nation in the world?) So give it another try - the food we eat builds our bodies and mind. It's well worth trying different approaches and keep exploring!
 Good holistic Approach October 20, 2006
11 out of 20 found this review helpful
It's good to see a realist approach rather than a quick fix. I like the holistic approach of the author. Otherwise, we have become a drug culture and hardly think about the long-term consequences/side effects.
Other good books that follow natural holistic approach and include recipes are: "A New look at Vegetarianism" and "Health, Happiness, and Longevity" by Dr. Dhillon available on Amazon.
A good base for healthy meals! October 19, 2006
35 out of 39 found this review helpful
While I respect the fact that Gillians qualifications don't actually stand for much, I find that being someone that prepares a meal from scratch every night, this book is regulary flicked through for inspiration. What I like is the fact that all the recipes are pretty straight forward and quick, though not always that tasty. So generally, I'll pick out some recipe I like the sound of and use it as a base, add some extra herbs and spices to jazz it up, maybe add some meat! Basically, I'll customize it to my taste. This, to me, makes cooking more fun, satisfying and saves thinking too much about what to eat tonight (which I'm sure I spend too much time doing!).
So, if you want healthy clean meals, don't mind all her waffle in between and enjoy customizing recipes, then this is a handy book to have on the shelf.
OK but not fab April 29, 2006
66 out of 73 found this review helpful
I have worked with this book for a month now and tried most of the recipes.... some are awful, some are better, none are really tasty. Having said that i feel 100% better, don't suffer from headaches anymore and have lost half a stone. People at work have noticed a difference in my skin and said i look 'sparkly' and 'refreshed' so for me it has been worth it and i have just ordered one of her other books too.
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