Book Publisher

Rodale Press

33 East Minor St.

Emmaus, PA  18098   (610-967-5171, 800-914-9363)

email: info@rodale.com

www.thebestlife.com

Bob Greene is an exercise physiologist and best-selling book author who helped Oprah Winfrey lose and maintain her weight. He has clearly benefited from Oprah's personal endorsement, and she even wrote the forward for his book. In addition, she endorses him on her website. According to the June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, The Best Life Diet was rated the best diet book.

Greene's first book in 1996, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was Make The Connection: Ten Steps To A Better Body--And A Better Life. It made #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers List. They wrote another: A Journey of Daily Renewal: The Companion to Make The Connection. Other books by Greene include: Get With The Program.

There is really nothing groundbreaking about this healthy diet plan, and one would not classify this as a "fad diet". It's a program designed to achieve lifestyle change, with an emphasis on regular physical activity.  The Best Life Diet plan suggests daily calorie levels ranging from 1,500 -2,500. This plan is easily customized to a wide range of lifestyles, activity levels, and food preferences. The program can be followed by purchasing his book or signing up for the online service.     

 Online Program Features (www.thebestlife.com)

• Meal Plans

• Cardio Workouts

• Strength Training

• Video Archive

• Article Archive

• Message Board

On the Best Life Diet, there is no calorie counting, points or complicated system of keeping track of foods. You do focus on making wise food choices and monitoring your portion sizes. Basically, Greene wants you to eliminate unhealthy items such as: fried foods, foods containing trans fats, white bread, soft drinks, regular pasta and high-fat dairy. These foods are replaced with: whole grains, fruits, vegetables,  and low-fat dairy.     

Many diet programs start with a very strict first phase with a long list of prohibited foods. Bob Greene really advocates a non-dieting approach. He takes a different approach by starting with a more liberal first phase:

Phase One, a maximum of four weeks, focuses on slowly increasing activity levels and changing old eating habits. Recommendations include not eating 2 hours before bed, eating three meals and one snack per day, eliminating alcohol (temporarily), staying hydrated, and taking a daily multivitamin/mineral, omega-3 fatty acid, and calcium, if needed.

Phase Two, a minimum of four weeks, promotes a more aggressive approach to losing  weight through healthier eating and more physical activity. This phase builds upon the changes made in Phase One, with an emphasis on controlling your physical and emotional hunger, removing problem foods from your diet, weekly weigh-ins, and portion control.

Phase Three is maintenance, for the long term. It focuses on eliminating more unhealthy foods and adding more wholesome foods, and introduces "anything goes" calories. These calories are similar to the "discretionary calories" found in the U.S. government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which allow you to enjoy your favorite treats in small portions. Greene gives you the OK for more "anything goes" calories when you are most active.

To its credit, this plan also tackles issues that lead to overeating, such as hunger and emotional eating. Using his "hunger tool" helps dieters stop overeating by learning how to measure real hunger. He tackles emotional eating head on by asking dieters to answer some tough questions before beginning--Why are you overweight?, Why do you want to lose weight?, and Why have you been unable to lose weight in the past?

The Best Life Diet is based on the U.S. government's 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

Costs

You can probably get Greene's books on Amazon.com for $15-20.

Online Program Fees:

3 month plan                   $49.85

6 month savings plan        $94.70

1 year best savings plan    $149.40  

You will be charged the full special plan price for the subscription term you select, not the monthly price. For example, if you chose the 3 month plan, you will be charged $49.85 for a 3 month subscription, rather than $16.62 each month.  The weekly cost come out to $4.15 on the 3 month plan, $4.50 on the 6 month term, and $2.87/week under the yearly plan.

Since The Best Life Diet is a book published by Rodale Press, there are certain disclaimers that apply if you sign up for the online service and follow the program (the same as when you join The Biggest Loser Club, also by Rodale). This is because both programs require substantial physical activity. Basically, you have to agree that...

• a doctor has never informed you that you have a heart condition.

• you've never felt chest pain when engaging in physical exercise

• you don't have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity.

• you don't currently take drugs for blood pressure or a heart condition.

• you are not allergic to nuts, eggs, dairy products or any other foods.

• you have not been diagnosed as suffering from diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart disease, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

• you are not pregnant or breastfeeding.

In BestDietForMe.com’s opinion, this diet plan is a sound one that most healthy people can live with. It is less restrictive than low-carb plans such as Atkins, is based on government guidelines, and does not go to extremes with eliminating whole classes of foods. In addition, we like the fact that it does address two of the most important factors in the weight loss equation--emotional support and regular exercise. We also like that the book is augmented with a supporting website with interactive tools and community. The price, at $4.00-4.50/week, is competitive with other diet websites such as eDiets.com and WeightWatchers.com. We guess that if it's a plan that's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for most people.

The website disclaimers may scare off some people, especially those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or those with food allergies. This may be the one weak area - the apparent lack of accommodation for people with special foods needs or with physical limitations. The plan doesn't mention anything about a vegetarian option either.