If you're looking to lose weight, a weight loss book or cookbook can be a great place to start. However, knowing which book to buy can be challenging. While many books promise quick results by drastically cutting calories or restricting entire food groups, these diet plans are difficult to maintain and can foster negative relationships with food and your body. Instead, focus on sustainable and realistic approaches to weight loss. This guide explores some of the best weight loss books available, each offering unique strategies for achieving your health goals.
Choosing the Right Weight Loss Book
When shopping for a weight loss book, first consider your goals and preferences. For instance, a cookbook may be an excellent choice if you’re looking for tips on cooking healthy meals at home. Or, if you learn best by doing, a workbook might be the best fit. Some of these books may complement each other as well.
Criteria for Selection
The books in this guide were selected based on the following criteria:
- Expert authors and contributors: Books written by experts in their fields, including registered dietitians, medical doctors, and personal trainers, were prioritized.
- Realistic approaches to weight loss: The focus was on books that offer realistic, sustainable approaches rather than recommending drastic measures for weight loss and healthy eating.
- Reviews: Books with mostly positive customer reviews were favored.
- Vetting: The books included have been vetted to ensure they align with health and well-being standards.
Top Weight Loss Books: A Detailed Look
Best Overall Weight Loss Book: Embrace You
- Price: \$\$
- Author: Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, MD
Dr. Gonsahn-Bollie shares her own story of overcoming emotional eating, making “Embrace You” a relatable read. She also acknowledges that everyone is different, which is why she believes weight loss strategies need to be individualized. The author’s approach to weight loss involves compassion, self-love, and acceptance, as well as realistic tips and education on how to lose weight sustainably. Each chapter has two main subtitles, “Release” and “Embrace,” that are designed to help you to let go of negative habits and thoughts and open yourself up to healthier behaviors and a positive mindset. While the book is relatively new, reviews are positive overall, with readers appreciating the book’s practical and behavior-changing approach to wellness.
Best Weight Loss Cookbook: Fit Men Cook
- Price: \$
- Author: Kevin Curry
It provides more than 100 recipes with nutrition information, many of which you can cook fast. Kevin Curry is a personal trainer and fitness influencer. The book’s tagline says that all the recipes are meant to be “#HealthyAF, Never Boring,” proving that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor to eat more healthfully. The cookbook has more than 2,000 mostly 5-star reviews online, with readers noting that they enjoy Curry’s fun and conversational tone. Reviewers not only love the recipes but also appreciate that the book makes living a healthier lifestyle feel doable.
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Best Weight Loss Cookbook for Athletes: Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.
- Price: \$\$
- Author: Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky
While this cookbook isn’t specifically for weight loss, it does offer sound advice for fueling for exercise along with delicious, nutrient-dense recipes, all of which may help support weight management. Written by Shalane Flanagan, an Olympic silver medalist, and Elyse Kopecky, a chef and nutrition coach, “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow” is loved by many. In fact, the cookbook has over 2,000 reviews, most with 5 stars. The authors first wrote “Run Fast, Eat Slow,” which was also well reviewed, but many customers prefer this second cookbook because it includes easier, less time consuming recipes. In particular, the book’s recipe for Superhero Muffins and its many variations are popular with cookbook fans. In addition to recipes, you’ll find useful tips from both Flanagan and Kopecky on what to eat before, during, and after a workout. The authors chose not to include nutrition information for these recipes because they prefer to keep the focus on fueling your body with whole, nutrient-dense foods rather than on counting calories.
Best Cookbook for Meal Prep: Skinnytaste Meal Prep
- Price: \$\$
- Author: Gina Homolka
This book provides healthy twists on classic recipes and encourages you to prep meals and snacks ahead of time. The recipe creator behind Skinnytaste, Gina Homolka, is a James Beard Award finalist and International Association of Culinary Professionals award finalist known for creating healthy twists on classic recipes. “Skinnytaste Meal Prep” is one of several cookbooks written by Homolka. It also features nutritional information provided by registered dietitian Heather K. Jones. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply eat healthier, this cookbook aims to set you up for success by helping you prepare meals and snacks ahead of time. In addition to general meal-prepping tips, the cookbook contains recipes for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and even freezer-friendly meal prep ideas for anyone who is looking to really plan ahead. Recipes are labeled vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, quick (meaning 30 minutes or fewer), freezer-friendly, Instant Pot, slow cooker, or air fryer as appropriate, making it easy to find your perfect meal. With mostly 5-star reviews and more than 8,000 reviews, the cookbook is clearly a fan favorite. Reviewers comment on the convenience of prepping ahead, and many also find the recipes to be family-friendly.
Best Intuitive Eating Book: Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach
- Price: \$
- Author: Evelyn Tribole, RD, and Elyse Resch, RDN
Intuitive Eating helps you get in touch with your hunger and fullness cues and is less structured than traditional diets. Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch are registered dietitians and the founders of Intuitive Eating. First published in 1995, “Intuitive Eating” is now in its fourth edition and continues to be the go-to book on the subject. Intuitive Eating is a style of eating that focuses on following your hunger and fullness cues rather than a structured diet. It has also been shown to help improve psychological health and reduce the risk of eating disorders (1). Throughout the book, you’ll read about diet culture and learn realistic tools for changing your approach to eating. The goal of the book, according to its authors, is to help readers rebuild a healthy body image and make peace with food by following ten principles of Intuitive Eating. There’s also a workbook sold separately for readers who are looking for a more interactive experience. “Intuitive Eating” is highly rated, with many readers sharing that the book helped them drop their dieting mentality and feel at peace with their bodies.
Best Book for Healing Your Relationship with Food: Anti-Diet
- Price: \$
- Author: Christy Harrison, RD
This book provides an alternative to dieting that could be a good choice for those with body image or disordered eating tendencies. Christy Harrison is a registered dietitian, a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and the host of the podcast “Food Psych.” In “Anti-Diet,” Harrison uses her professional experience along with scientific research to provide an alternative approach to dieting. It’s a good read if you are managing body image and disordered eating. Using an Intuitive Eating approach, Harrison encourages her readers to escape the endless cycle of dieting and ultimately reclaim their lives. She also discusses what to do next, once you’ve decided you’re done with traditional dieting. Satisfied readers call the book compassionate and inclusive. Many mention that the book helped them foster a healthier relationship with both food and their body. However, some reviewers are disappointed that the book isn’t written in a “how-to” style like they were hoping for. Keep in mind that while this book can be useful for people experiencing disordered eating, it doesn’t replace the help of a qualified healthcare professional.
Best Book for Mindful Eating: The Mindful Eating Workbook
- Price: \$
- Author: Vincci Tsui, RD
Mindful eating falls under the Intuitive Eating umbrella and focuses on helping you enjoy your food. Considered a part of Intuitive Eating, mindful eating helps people slow down and enjoy their food, which can ultimately lead to better eating habits and even fewer instances of overeating (2, 3). Written by Vincci Tsui, a registered dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, “The Mindful Eating Workbook” is useful for anyone interested in developing mindful eating skills. Before jumping into the meat of the book, Tsui shares how mindful eating helped her break free from dieting and unhealthy eating habits. Designed for people who learn best by doing, the book teaches you how to become a mindful eater and provides opportunities to practice and record your experiences. Several reviewers claim the book is a “game-changer,” and many mention that it’s appropriate for anyone looking to become a more mindful eater.
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Best Plant-Based Diet Book: The Plant-Based Weight Loss Solution: A 28-Day Plan and Cookbook to Lose Weight the Healthy Way
- Price: \$
- Author: Marina Savelyeva, RD, and Viktoria Waite, DTR
This book covers plant-based foods and how to flavor them with herbs rather than salt or sugar. Written by registered dietitian Marina Savelyeva and Viktoria Waite, an expert in food manufacturing and nutrition, “The Plant-Based Weight Loss Solution” features a 28-day plan to help you lose weight. The book discusses the basics of plant-based eating, including health benefits and tips for getting started. It also includes a 28-day meal plan and 75 recipes. Not only are the recipes vegan and whole food-based, but they also focus on flavoring foods with spices and herbs rather than large amounts of salt and sugar. Additionally, the book includes a portion control guide that uses the size of your hand to help you estimate appropriate serving sizes. Positive reviews mention that the recipes and meal plan are useful and simple to follow. Readers also appreciate that the meal plan includes tips for incorporating leftovers. However, the recipes and meal plan may be too low in calories for some people.
Best Weight Loss Book for Positive Affirmations: 365 Days of Positive Self-Talk for Weight-Loss
- Price: \$
- Author: Shad Helmstetter, PhD
The affirmations in this book can help with your mindset and mood during your weight loss journey. If you’re trying to lose weight, having a positive mindset can help. Written by Shad Helmstetter, PhD, author of 19 books on the topic of self-talk and personal growth, this book provides an affirmation for each day of a year. It also includes tips and background information to help you understand how positive self-talk could be useful in your weight loss journey. The affirmations are specific to weight loss and are meant to inspire and boost motivation. According to the author, “The thoughts you think and the words you say physically and chemically change your brain. Your self-talk literally wires your brain to succeed or fail.” Affirmations can be a perfect complement to any healthy eating or weight loss plan and are particularly helpful when you’re having difficulty getting out of a mental funk (4, 5). Many reviewers comment on how easy the book is to read because you need to read only one affirmation each day. Several readers also mention that they feel using positive self-talk as directed in the book helped boost their confidence and motivation to lose weight.
Best Weight Loss Book for Women: Fit Gurl: The Total-Body Turnaround Program
- Price: \$\$
- Author: Melissa Alcantara
This book provides realistic and simple strategies from a personal trainer and athlete who works with celebrities to help you lose weight and keep it off. “Fit Gurl” was written by Melissa Alcantara, a personal trainer and athlete who is best known for training Kim Kardashian. Alcantara approaches weight loss with realistic and simple strategies that stem from her own experiences with losing weight and keeping it off. While most of the book focuses on a fitness plan with detailed descriptions and images of each exercise, you’ll also find 40 tasty recipes and the author’s motivational story of how she reached her weight loss goals. Alcantara doesn’t believe in quick fixes like skinny teas or detoxes. Instead, she focuses on setting specific goals with actionable steps and staying consistent over time. It’s important to note that the fitness plan does include gym equipment, so you’ll want to make sure you have your own equipment or access to a gym. The book has more than 1,300 mostly 5-star reviews, with readers finding the message inspirational and the plan realistic.
Best Weight Loss Book for Women with PCOS: The PCOS Workbook: Your Guide to Complete Physical and Emotional Health
- Price: \$\$\$
- Author: Angela Grassi, RDN, and Stephanie Mattei, PsyD
This book is for women with PCOS and was written by two experts in the area. It provides tips beyond just your diet that are designed to help you improve lifestyle habits, too. “The PCOS Workbook” is an interactive book designed for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that affects the ovaries and can cause weight gain (6). The book was written by two PCOS experts: Angela Grassi, RDN, an award-winning PCOS dietitian, and Stephanie Mattei, PsyD, a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders and PCOS. The book provides an overview of PCOS, including the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and more. It also reviews dietary recommendations for PCOS and provides tips for improving lifestyle habits such as sleep, stress, and exercise. As a bonus, you’ll find prompts and places throughout the book to keep track of your journey. Reviewers note that in addition to making PCOS easier to understand, the book helped them feel empowered in navigating their diagnosis. Others comment that the workbook helped them improve both their symptoms and their relationship with food.
Beyond Books: Additional Weight Loss Programs and Approaches
The Mayo Clinic Diet
The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official weight-loss program developed by Mayo Clinic experts. The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity. It emphasizes that the best way to keep weight off for good is to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits that you enjoy and can stick with.
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The program has been updated and is designed to help you reshape your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones. It focuses on changing your daily routine by adding and breaking habits that can affect your weight. Simple habits, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, not eating while you watch TV, and moving your body for 30 minutes a day, can help you lose weight.
The Mayo Clinic Diet makes healthy eating easy by teaching you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The program doesn't require you to be precise about counting calories. Mayo Clinic experts designed the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to help you eat foods that are filling but low in calories. Each of the food groups in the pyramid emphasizes health-promoting choices.
The program recommends getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day and even more exercise for further health benefits and weight loss. It provides an exercise plan with easy-to-follow walking and resistance exercises that will help maximize fat loss and boost mental well-being. If you've been inactive or you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or health care provider before starting a new physical activity program.
The Mayo Clinic Diet provides a choice of five different eating styles at several calorie levels. You can have sweets but no more than 75 calories a day. For practicality, consider thinking of your sweets calories over the course of a week.
Phases of the Mayo Clinic Diet
- Lose It! This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss, so you may lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits that are associated with weight. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits.
- Live It! This phase is a lifelong approach to health. In this phase, you learn more about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning, physical activity, exercise and sticking to healthy habits. You may continue to see a steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight.
Safety and Considerations
The Mayo Clinic Diet is generally safe for most adults. For most people, eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a good thing - these foods provide your body with important nutrients and fiber. Also, the natural sugar in fruit does affect your carbohydrate intake - especially if you eat a lot of fruit. This may temporarily raise your blood sugar or certain blood fats. If you have diabetes or any other health conditions or concerns, work with your doctor to adjust the Mayo Clinic Diet for your situation. For example, people with diabetes should aim for more vegetables than fruits, if possible.
Most people can lose weight on almost any diet plan that restricts calories - at least in the short term.
The 20/20 Diet by Dr. Phil McGraw
The secret to weight loss isn't a secret at all. If you've tried to lose weight before, you know what you need to do, says TV celebrity and former psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw. It's not about willpower. “It’s about changing what you eat, why you eat, where you eat, when you eat, and how you eat, and doing it all in a way that is custom-designed so that it is natural for you," he says.
Ten years after his best-selling diet book, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, the TV personality wrote The 20/20 Diet. In addition to the diet plan, the book offers readers cognitive, behavioral, environmental, social and nutritional tools to help reach their weight loss goals.
Phases of the 20/20 Diet
McGraw's divides the diet into four phases:
- Phase 1 - The five-day boost: You eat only the 20 foods listed in the guideline.
- Phase 2 - Five-day sustain: You add foods outside the original 20, but all meals and snacks must have at least two of the original 20/20.
- Phase 3 - 20 Day Sustain: Again, more foods are allowed. You eat four meals, four hours apart for 20 days. A few more new foods are added. Two splurges are allowed each week.
- Phase 4 - Management Phase: Continue eating healthy foods from previous phases and make lifestyle changes to keep yourself in check like weighing and measuring and not letting a busy schedule get in the way of maintaining your goals.
If you don’t reach your goal weight by the end of Phase 3, you repeat the first three phases until you reach your goal. You are encouraged to download and use the 20/20 app (available for IPhone and Android).
Key Components of the 20/20 Diet
McGraw's food plan emphasizes 20 key power foods, including: coconut oil, green tea, mustard, olive oil, almonds, apples, chickpeas, dried plums, prunes, leafy greens, lentils, peanut butter, pistachios, raisins, yogurt, eggs, cod, rye, tofu, and whey powder. As the diet progresses, you can add things like chicken breast, tuna, oats, brown rice, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, cashews, blueberries, avocado, raspberries, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, quinoa, and black beans.
You eat four meals four hours apart. Splurges are allowed twice a week as long as they don’t exceed 100 calories. You should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily on this plan. McGraw also suggests a high-quality multiple vitamin-mineral supplement.
No food is really off-limits, but it's all about making better choices. Sugars and refined foods are discouraged. The App can help you in planning.
Considerations and Limitations
Allow yourself some occasional treats, so long as you keep from bingeing or returning to a pattern of “free-for-all eating,” McGraw says. You can also choose “slenderizing substitutions,” such as no-sugar ice cream for regular ice cream, and dried fruit instead of candy.
You need to plan what you're going to eat each day and stick to it. A well-planned food strategy frees you from making last-minute decisions about what to eat, he says, and prevents you from caving in to sudden impulses to overeat. In his book, he includes recipes as well as sample menus.
- Packaged foods or meals: Not required.
- In-person meetings: No.
- Exercise: Aim for at least 3 to 4 hours a week of moderate activity and at least 2 to 3 hours a week of vigorous activity.
- Vegetarians and vegans: This plan works for vegetarians. If you’re vegan, you would need to adjust the recipes that include animal products.
- Gluten-free: Carbs are on the menu every day. You can choose those without gluten, but the diet itself doesn’t ban gluten.
- Cost: No additional costs.
- Support: This is a diet you do on your own.
Does It Work?
Although there is no specific research on the success of Dr. Phil's plan, besides his own observations, the recommendations are in line with traditional weight loss programs that focus on changing behavior and unhealthy thought patterns. Weight loss is likely to occur with his low-calorie meal plans. But his recommendations are not individualized, so the calories may be too low or too high for some.
There is no evidence that vitamin, mineral, or herb supplements will aid weight loss as he suggests. And his simplistic advice regarding emotional and binge eating should not be a substitute for getting professional help.
Is It Good for Certain Conditions?
In general, this plan is fine for people with weight-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
But there are some red flags. According to an analysis done by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, his plan may be high in cholesterol and inadequate in certain nutrients like iron, potassium, and magnesium.
Check with your doctor before starting any weight loss plan, especially if you’re taking medications -- they may need to be altered as you lose weight.
The Final Word
The book's strengths include its emphasis on improving the way you think about food, which can help you manage your weight. The focus on exercise is also important for long-term success and overall health.
But some of his meal plans fall short on certain nutrients. And while he offers advice on disordered eating, Dr. Phil does not specialize in this area.
This plan may work for you if you like Dr. Phil's personality and his own unique approach that many find motivating. It is also good for you if you don’t want to cut out whole food groups or foods you enjoy.
This plan may not be a good fit if you have complicated eating issues that require additional support. And if you don't like exercise or Dr.
General Weight Loss Tips and Considerations
Losing weight is about more than just taking the pounds off. It’s about changing your lifestyle in a way that works for you so you can stay at a healthy weight. Eating healthy, being active, and creating healthy habits is an essential part of improving your health and losing weight. Losing just 5 to 10% of your weight is linked with major health benefits!
Key Strategies for Weight Loss
- Healthy Eating: Focus on a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
- Physical Activity: Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.
- Mindful Eating: Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and avoid distractions while eating.
- Positive Mindset: Cultivate a positive attitude and use affirmations to stay motivated.
- Professional Guidance: Consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalized advice.
Additional Tips
- Add protein to your breakfast.
- Read nutritional labels for nutrition and calorie content.
- Get Active:
- Stress can trick your body into feeling hungry or craving unhealthy foods.
- Your doctor or health care team can help you figure out if your weight is healthy for your age and body.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number that relates your weight to your height. Optimal BMI is less than 25. Less than 18.5 is underweight.
- Calories is how we talk about energy. They are the energy our body gets from foods and what we drink, which it uses for things like moving and breathing.
Conclusion
Embarking on a weight loss journey can be both exciting and challenging. By selecting the right resources and adopting a sustainable approach, you can achieve your goals and improve your overall well-being. Whether you prefer a structured diet plan, an intuitive eating approach, or a cookbook filled with healthy recipes, there's a wealth of information available to support you every step of the way. Remember, the key is to find a method that aligns with your lifestyle, preferences, and individual needs.