Leslie Sansone's Eat Smart, Walk Strong

This perky little lesson offers a six-week diet and exercise program that provides a workable framework for implementing better eating and exercise habits. Avoiding hype and na•ve optimism, the author does a fabulous job of selling the ideas of conscious eating, conscious living, and continuous improvement in all areas of life. She makes her ideas sound attainable by affirming the primordial urge we have to become more fully functional people. More than anything, her plan is flexible, respectful of individual differences, and forgiving. You can try and fail with various parts of this plan without feeling like a failure. The enhanced CD contains a printable plan for busting old habits and a nice selection of recipes. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

November 14, 2005
The "secrets" revealed in this friendly volume won't surprise many readers: losing weight requires burning more calories and consuming fewer. But given that the obesity epidemic is getting, well, bigger, the helpful tips and ideas are needed, even if they aren't particularly newsworthy. Sansone, creator of the Walk Away the Pounds
book and video series, begins by explaining healthy dieting habits, highlighting typical stumbling blocks and outlining her PERFECT support system (an acronym for plan, educate, repeat, flex, exercise, celebrate and transform) that details steps she believes are key to straightforward weight loss. Then she introduces a six-week plan, complete with workbook pages for each day, designed to eradicate bad habits and promote good ones. She also includes dozens of reasonably tempting recipes (e.g., Apricot Lentil Stew, Chicken Mole, and Oatmeal-Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies) to make in conjunction with the plan. Except for the depressing suggestion that "people do best if they spend most of their exercise time on indoor walking... walking in place... in complete privacy," this is an uplifting diet guide that can help anyone currently in the nonactive population segment—as long as they stick to it. Photos.