A Revolutionary (and Simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy

I purchased this book after viewing the author on TV. I expected a 30 day weight loss program that had practical , simple steps. I did some research but not enough because I did not know that the author is a vegan. The diet stresses meat free items to the absurd. For example, multivitamins are OK to take but be careful because some use animal products in the tablet coating. Also, many if not most of the author's dietary benefit claims are unsubstantiated. No references, footnotes or bibliography. I ended up doing a couple of the diet recommendations and ignoring most. I enjoy eating meat.

I listened to The Lean on tape first, then bought the book. I can still hear Kathy Freston saying, "So, what are going to do today? Drink lots of water, eat a hearty breakfast, eat an apple..." There are 30 days worth of tips - backed up by hard science - and she repeats this after every tip with all the previous tips included.

What I love about Kathy Freston is her gentle, encouraging, non-judgemental way of explaining how to 'lean in to' healthy eating. It's very easy to listen to her because she makes me feel like I can certainly do this, and even a bad food decision is not so much a bad thing as a normal part of the process of leaning toward making good food decisions. I've lost 40+ pounds and reversed diabetes in six months on the Eat To Live diet, which is basically vegan and obviously good for me, but for some reason I feel more tense about it. I'm continuing to consult both, but I sure like how I feel listening to Kathy Freston. It's deep stuff, but it's presented so well.

There is no magic secret to weight loss. Eat less, eat better and exercise. Although life in reality is not that simple as there are too many pressures on the average person and we are being pulled every which way and all those goals about keeping in trim and eating good and in moderation tend to slide.

In this book author Kathy Freston sets out to give her own take on the problem and its solution. Like so many similar books out there, things are invariably a variation on a theme, but the winning formula can be so personal to the reader and depend on their own determination, methodology and the inspiration received to lose weight and work towards keeping it off permanently.

Freston's programme seeks to change the learning process, believing that should it be mastered then even within one month you could begin to see a transformed lifestyle and health changes along with a head-start to a longer weight-loss regime.

Essentially you set an achievable intention or goal and then put yourself on that path, working to gently push yourself towards it through sensible choices and lifestyle changes that do not feel overly onerous or complex. The author is at pains to point out that you need not give up your favourite dish entirely and that setting achievable goals without significant sacrifice or risk of failure and demotivation are key. You make a new kind of friendship with food, rather than making it a sworn enemy.

Broken into a daily journal entry, the reader is given a new thing to do and something to amend in their routine. This is accompanied by inspirational text and details about how other people's experiences with weight loss and lifestyle changes have fared. No religiously counting points or calories, no living on a diet of powdered supplements and the occasional booster bar. What is more you build upon what you have learned so by the end of the month there are 30 new habits and 30 lifestyle amendments that have hopefully been achieved without fuss. Perhaps you haven't noticed the changes or have not been bothered by them. If so, that is the rq eal sign of change!

Reasoning is also given for the proposed daily changes so you can get a bit of understanding to what you are doing. Of course, you can skip that if you'd rather not know that level of detail but it might be enlightening nonetheless. It is interesting to note that for a program that requires inner discipline there are so few rules. Two in fact. To have the willingness to take one step at a time and to eat the new foods that have been introduced before the older ones. It does sound simple, doesn't it.

YUM's reviewer has not been able to follow the diet through its 30 days and beyond (it is not possible to try every diet!) but the steps suggested do seem more achievable than many "sacrifices" suggested in other weight loss books.

This book should be called "A guide to becoming a vegan in 30 days". If you are interested in becoming a vegan then this book is for you. However for the other 98% of humans on the planet, this book will be a bit of a disappointment. It seems that my search for a book that simply provides healthier eating habits will have to continue. "The Lean" is almost a sneaky attempt to remove every bit of animal products from your diet.

This book is more fluff than actual information on how to lean into vegetarianism or veganism...I was highly dissappointed by the lack of actual guidelines on how to change your eating lifestyle...too much fluff without any actual guts to making changes in eating and lifestyle. I would not recommend this book instead I got more useful informtion from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet.

I was already a fan of Kathy Freston after reading Veganist so I was definitely looking forward to what she had to say in "The Lean". In The Lean, she offers a tip a day for 30 days. Every tip is doable so it's not overwhelming to people who need a full overhaul of their lifestyle. The tips include drinking water, using flax, taking vitamins, and cutting down on oil. Each tip is only a few pages long and full of encouragement. The end of the book offers recipes for putting these tips into practice.

Although some tips in the book are common sense - such as drinking water - she offers a rationale for each tip and it serves as a good reminder to do things we know we should be doing but may occasionally slack on. She also offers a whole body mindset, including the importance of mental health and taking time for yourself as an approach to a balanced lifestyle.

The recipes in the appendix are a practical help to getting started with a new food plan - especially when there were only a few ingredients. But others, such as the Fantastic Fajita Salad will never happen in my household due to the 20 ingredients required. The thing I love about her style is that being healthy is never about dieting. Whether you have the worst eating habits in the world or are just seeking a few tweaks, you'll find something in the book you can use to change your lifestyle.

Disclaimer: I received this book from FSB Associates in exchange for an honest review.

There is some useful information in this book but I certainly would not call it: "revolutionary". ;-)

Some of the suggestions included:

-drinking more water

-scheduling time to have fun

-going vegetarian or vegan (check, I'm already a vegetarian wannabe vegan!)

-add some exercise...

and many similar, well-known tips for being a healthier person.

I have no issues with the author's slant promoting a vegan lifestyle. I have nothing but respect for people who are totally vegan. But as far as the tips in this book, there wasn't anything included that I didn't already know about and many, I'm already using.

OK but not for me.

Geraldine Helen Hartman author of the Groovy Green Kitchen series.

I was expecting a wellness book for all users. But this seems very much geared to vegans. I couldn't find a single recipe that could be made from what I already had in the pantry. I guess the "simple" in the title doesn't refer to the recipes, which is half the reason I bought this book. In any case, this carnivore was disappointed.

I've recommended this book to SO many friends who find making dietary changes difficult. Kathy Freston offers up simple, everyday tips for changing your habits. If you are already eating a healthy diet, this book will validate your choices. If you're starting to shift your diet toward better choices, this book is definitely for you!

This is again an amazingly helpful guide from Kathy Freston on feeling good through most healthy and delicious eating. I read 'Veganist' after seeing her interview on Charlie Rose. I recommend everyone to watch that interview who is considering a more healthy and environment friendly lifestyle (it's available online). Veganist turned me into a Vegan over night. Kathy Freston has a very clear and easy to follow writing style. She concentrates on the really essential information and leaves out anything not necessary to understand the approach. Her concept of 'Leaning in" is super effective but at the same time very easy to follow. You will see and feel the results faster than any other program I have heard of. I most strongly recommend 'Lean' if you are interested in a more healthy but at the same time fun lifestyle!

This book helped me a lot with the nutrition information of different type foods. it teaches you what to eat and how much of it which is important for someone that is trying to lose weight. It also has great recipes in that back of her book that I have tried and loved all 3 so far. It a good book to read and revisit the information every once in a while.

The Lean: A Revolutionary (and Simple) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Last Weight Loss is a spin-off of the Veganist, both by Kathy Freston. (I reviewed that book as well.) As in her other books, she takes a rounded approach and discusses the body mind soul connection to losing weight.

For 30 days, Freston has you do one new thing a day. Day one is about drinking more water...then she has you eating a hearty breakfast. Adding flax to food, eliminating sugar, meat, dairy...adding nuts. By adding new "good" foods, you "crowd out" the bad stuff, as you can't eat both your old diet and new.

The "lean" is you do each new thing one day at a time--not all at once. Sounds easy, but this depends on your commitment and your present diet. (Note: I eat about 80% of what Freston advises; I do, however, eat some lean grass-fed, anti-biotic free meat, and some raw dairy and free range eggs. Obviously this is a personal choice.)

No question, eating nutrient-dense and fiber rich foods is a very healthy way to eat and will encourage weight loss. Her belief is when you eat in this healthy way, you never feel hungry and stop getting food cravings.

A nice addition are the recipes and guideline on what to eat for 30 days. I tried the pumpkin flapjacks--good. The noodle salad with peanut dressing was just OK and the lentil soup was boring. Many recipes are very basic, like pesto and guacamole.

If you decide to embrace veganism, you will need more than Freston's recipes. Try 1000 VEGAN RECIPES. Finally, as I recommended in VEGANIST, if you are looking to get rid of all the toxins in your life--not just your diet--(and make your home a beautiful sanctuary) read: the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET.

Recommend

The Lean is definitely worth reading and has a lot of good ideas. Much of the book is really focused on generally healthy living and nutrition, rather than specifically weight loss. The books puts some emphasis on going vegan.

The concept behind the book is that you're given a new rule to follow every day. The rules accumulate, so each day you follow the new rule, plus all the rules you've been given previously. So by the end you have a long list of 30 things you are supposed to be doing on a daily basis. Obviously that's not very practical, especially since the rules vary a lot in complexity. For example, the first day's rule is "drink more water" ... (pretty easy). Day 20's rule is take up weight training... (tougher, especially when combined with the other 19 things you've been hit with previously).

Again, the book is well-written and a good source of ideas. I just think the title is a bit misleading and someone who is really looking for a "30 day plan to lose weight" will probably be a little disappointed. A better title might be "The Lean: 30 Good Ideas for Healthy Living and Weight Loss."

At first I was quite enthusiastic about this book. I liked the idea of changing one simple thing a day, and repeating the changes to make them a habit. Good, scientifically based rationale supported each change and the proposed changes were so easy, like "eat an apple".

Then an agenda emerged. I could -- and I would have listened to sound advice about how reducing meat intake in a diet is better for you and supports a more lean lifestyle. However, spare me the suffering animal rhetoric. I live near Salisbury, Md, too, and I can tell you that not everything described in her passionate appeal for save suffering animals is accurate. This is where she lost me entirely. What does the PETA platform have to do with a lean lifestyle? My husband lost 80 lbs. on Atkins, so this may be A way, but certainly is not THE way.

Nevertheless, I tried to give the book a fair shake and read it in its entirety, but I was not able to trust the reliability of the facts after the true agenda emerged. I respect people who love animals and I wholeheartedly agree with animal rescues, but I resent propaganda platforms misrepresenting animal food processing disguised as a self-help read.