7 Years Younger The Anti-Aging Breakthrough Diet: Lose 20 Pounds (Or More!)

Overall, better than I was expecting. I read the other reviews before I purchased this and was a bit hesitant. I can definitely see why some of the reviews were written the way they were. This definitely reads like a sales pitch and doesn't give you a lot of information, more like general stuff that if you have half a brain, you would already know. However, the food portion is helpful and the recipes are solid and easy. The recipe are specific though with minimal ingredients that most people wouldn't have in their house. This is definitely something you would need to commit to and shop accordingly. I didn't see anything in the recipes that required you to buy a certain product to complete like some of the reviewers mentioned. I think you could easily substitute certain things as you go.

Edit: 02/23/14 Today has been 7 weeks. My wife lost 12 pounds and I lost 4. We both count that as success. More importantly we believe we've found a new lifestyle rather than a "diet". The food has been delicious and abundant. We find ourselves hoping that there will be a full cookbook coming next. But we think that we can adapt many of our standards to the criteria of this program. Admittedly, my wife was very passionate about this and really was the driving force to our success and enjoyment of the diet. I'm very confident that if you bring the same committment to this program you will achieve similar results. Be well.(EDIT: This is what I wrote for a review of the Workbook, thinking I was writing about the book itself. Still the same opinion and I"ve commented on both in this review)Our full disclosure...we bought the book and workbooks.My wife and I have been on the diet for 4 weeks. We've just entered our 60's and, while we are in pretty good health, we wanted a plan that would help us shed extra pounds, add to our energy and feed us well as we enjoyed this next adventure in life. The 7 Years Younger Diet has, so far, been perfect. My wife has lost 9 pounds and I've lost 3 (I'm not as focused). I'm not sure we look younger yet but we sure do feel great and are really having fun with the recipes!The book covers a lot of information about what generally works for good health covering food, exercise, skin care, balance, etc. If you've been on as many diet plans as we have over the years a lot of it is not news. It's an easy and often fun read though and you will have some "ah-ha moments". Most important to us is the diet/food plan itself.We work best when there is a plan laid out to follow. The menu suggestions for each day are a real help. We are adventurous in our food choices and some of the meals are new to us. We also like to cook and so far we have enjoyed every recipe we've tried. Some just required a boost in flavor...easy to do without adding calories. Contrary to what one reviewer wrote, it's not a strict menu plan to follow. Instead it offers daily suggestions for food choices and provides recipes for many of them. Occasionally they recommend a prepared frozen food or restaurant option, but that's your choice. You can switch up the menus as you choose. The real key to success is to aim for the calorie target the've set for meals and snacks using the healthy food choices they recommend.We like the idea of going back to the good old notion of watching caloric intake and using wholesome food choices. We never had great success with point systems or focusing on one food group at the expense of others.There's one thing about this diet that really amazed (and pleased) us. Although it claims to be based on a mediterranean diet and is focused on protein, there are plenty of carbs to keep you satisfied. We've been on low carb diets and always feel deprived after a time. We're constantly surprised when the meal contains a pasta, bread or rice...and plenty of it. I keep saying to myself "I can't believe you can lose weight on this diet!". Maybe that's why I haven't lost a lot !:)Some learnings and comments.Plan your meals before your shopping list. The book offers an extensive shopping list for each week. We enthusiastically went out the first week and bought most everything on the list. We ended up with a higher food bill than we've had in a long time and more food than we could possibly eat. There are just the two of us.Be sure to include your exercise. We both walk but my wife has added yoga to her routine and I have my bike on a trainer. We enjoy the added activities.The recipe portions seem overly large to us so don't feel you have to finish everything.Do try the recipes. Some are a bit fussy but everyone, so far has been delicious, colorful and satisfying.If journaling works for you do try the Workbook. My wife is better at this than I am...so that may be another reason she's had more success :) Even if you don't write in it there are some very good tips and motivational messages.If you are gluten free, you can most likely make this work for you by substituting the GF breads and pastas you use now.Honestly, we think we've found a diet plan that we can follow well into the future. Except for the learning curve, it's not difficult and we have never once felt deprived of foods we enjoy. The recipes are delicious and are a good pointer to creating or adapting your own recipes. We recommend it.

I went back and forth with wanting to rate it a 4 or a 5 but decided on a 5 since I realized I use this book and the recipes all the time. I read the book on a very long flight from Florida back home to CA in March and was ready to implement the diet when I got home. It is a very informative, easy to read book. I love how it not only deals with what to eat but also the emotional side of eating and binging and falling off the wagon, offering helpful hints on how to combat these issues.I have enjoyed almost all of the breakfast and lunch menus, the dinner ones are a little more hit and miss for my family. I would love it if they would come out with a supplement of other menus for dinner, but after doing the diet for a while, you get the idea of what to eat and how much so you really can craft your own meals. I have bought other "diet" books in the past, the difference with this one is how easy it is to use, they lay out your meal plan week by week, and how "normal" the food is, well, normal by my standards. It also contains foods I already like to eat, others may be put off by having toast with ricotta and tomato or hummus on pitas with pine nuts, sundried tomatoes and olives (a fave of mine). But these recipes really are tasty. And if something is tasty, you want to stick to it. Some other favorites are the banana oatmeal bowl for breakfast and the turkey, spinach, tomato sandwich on 2, yes two, slice of bread with mayo and 10 sun chips. Now, doesn't that sound like a lunch you can sink your teeth into. AND if you don't like a lunch, you swap it out for a different lunch. Today I am having the cold soba noodle peanut salad, so delish.I have noticed a difference in how I feel by eating really good food, not just foods that are good for my weight but also for my skin and health. I definitely have more energy! I am grateful to have some new breakfast and lunch recipes, that really are good. I have told myself that I need to try each recipe and there were some that I thought, "Hmmm, not sure I will like that," and lo and behold I did and added a new meal to my healthy eating. The only thing I had to be careful of was spending too much money, so I grouped my meals based on what the ingredients were so I was able to use up what I had bought. I am only cooking for two now so if I buy a package of something and only need a little bit, I don't want it to go to waste.I had read about this diet in the magazine and am glad I have bought the book. I have ordered for friends too and we are all hoping to lose some weight and feel younger. Hey editors, if you are reading this, I am ready for some new recipes, since this really isn't a diet but a new way of life, gotta get some more recipes in the rotation!! :-) PS I am a life long dieter, have read and done almost every diet, that is why I am glad to find this one that really tells you what to do so I don't have to think, and lets me eat good, healthy food.

I was extremely disappointed with this book especially after waiting for it to come out and all the hype. I do not need to lose weight but was really interested in the health aspect since this is something I gravitate to. I eat a lot of organic foods and healthy foods in general (I am no saint I love my good dark chocolate). I felt this book was the same old, same old, just a little different format and maybe some information for those who do not know much about healthy eating. In my opinion it really has aspects of the Mediterranean style diet with a bit of Dr Perricone thrown in. I hope it will help people who really need the education but for those who already are into a healthy diet I think it is a waste of time and money. If I had spent full price $25.95 for it I would have been a bit pissed off as well as disappointed.

A good reference book

All the recipes and food are American book no use in the UK!