The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy (A DASH Diet Book)

First off, I am an almost 30 y/o that has suffered from weight loss for as long as I can remember. My metabolism is as slow as a snail and I am one of those persons that loves salty stuff, so needless to say, my house and office drawers were full with Dorito's, Cheeto's, peanuts, you name it, and since I am turning 30 soon, I remembered my mom's words that said our metabolism changes every 5 years. God, if it was slow as is, how about after 30? So I started the Dash Weight loss solution. I've tried the Blood Type diet, The Genome Diet, The Big Breakfast Diet, The Zone Diet, Only Shakes diet, Weight Watchers, Amino Acid shots, massages, rubbed on multiple fat burning creams, Atkins Diet, Weight Watchers region 4 version. I tried being vegetarian, avoiding carbs, avoiding fats, avoiding proteins, fruits & / or vegetables, eating only apples for 3 days, custom diets made at the gym and many, many others I can't remember right now. My intention is not to dismiss any of the above. Each and everyone of them have taught me individual things very important for my current weight loss journey, and have also worked but for short periods of time. And like everything, not all are a match for the same person, right? I bought the book back in December, but didn't start the program until 01/13/2014. The book is basically divided in 2: 14 day plan for quick body reset and results, during which carbs and fruits are completely removed, and another 14 days where both of them are slowly reintroduced. The purpose of the first 14 days is to stabilize blood sugar and get rid of cravings, and does it work! I've been in the movies, and not eat popcorn. I sat 2 days ago with my nephew while he ate doritos and popcorn while watching a movie back home and I didn't even blink. On the first 7 days I lost 3.3 lb, my swollen (fat) belly has reduced a great deal, my hands are starting to look more like an adult's and not a baby's. I haven't really been hungry since I eat every 3 hours or so, but smaller portions, and I get full with a lot less on every meal. This program is great. The only downside is due to the nature of the diet you need to do a lot of home cooking which could also be a plus cause you spend a lot less eating out. Oh not sure about the whole diet, cause I'm not there yet, but these first 14 days require a lot of coleslaw eating,.. and I am not a fan of cabbage so I just replace it with a hearty lettuce salad. All in all, it's not a difficult program to follow, it keeps you very satisfied, and it keeps you interested. Highly recommended. Will continue to provide updates as time goes on.

Love this book! The DASH DIET - Weight Loss Solutions was the perfect way for me to start the New Year. In fact, the diet is so easy and so pleasant to follow, I was able to start it in mid December - before the holidays - and to stick with it throughout the holidays and right into the New Year without feeling that I had missed out on a thing! The initial two weeks of the diet help to set a common-sense pattern for eating and enjoying healthful meals in adulthood; and, the following weeks of the diet help you continue that pattern by showing you how to balance and eat reasonable quantities of foods that you enjoy and also foods that will contribute to your health. There's nothing "faddish" in this approach - and, there's no real austerity in the plan - just common sense eating; proper balancing of food groups and quantities; modest exercise; and, enjoying treats from time to time, and only treats that are worth it to you. There's a lot of tempting and caloric stuff out there that just isn't worth the calories! The book has some terrific "get you started" menus that are easy to follow and to prepare. The good practices it reminded me to follow in my own eating that were helpful to me were: measure and limit the amount of canola and olive oil that I was used to using in my cooking; use Stevia or a no-calorie sweetener of choice where I had used sugar before; when you are having them, prepare proper sized portions of grains and pastas and proper sized portions of lean meats for meals; and, be reasonable in my intake of carbs - not so many, and not so often. I am a small person and knew I would feel better if I lost a few pounds and exercised moderately, but regularly. In the first two weeks of the DASH DIET plan, I lost between 10 - 11 pounds; and, I am hoping to lose that much again in the weeks that follow to reach a healthier weight for me. Balancing my foods and meals in the ways suggested by this book helped me to increase my metabolism, gave me more energy, started taking off the weight I wanted to lose, and (knock on wood) eliminated the acid reflux I had experienced pretty consistently at night for many months. It's a terrific guide to eating well and to losing and keeping off unwanted weight.

About 8 years ago my doctor gave me a hand out that was a DASH diet guide. It was an easy to use pamphlet. I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure at a pretty young age due to unhealthy life style choices. I used DASH and it was really effective. My numbers plummeted to the recommended range for blood pressure. I was actually in the 121-123 over 84 range for 2 months straight. Then life happened and I became complacent and lazy. I stopped DASH - and told myself I could just modify it and be alright. Flash forward to now. My blood pressure is high and my doctor is on the verge of increasing medicine dosage if I don't get it under control through my lifestyle. I had forgotten the basics of DASH so I purchased this book to refresh my memory. This book is really great in that it's an absolute easy read. I have not tried the 14 day reset, because I only purchased the book as a refresher on DASH diet basics/ theory. If I do try it I may update this review. I say it's worth it for anyone looking for a guide to DASH. It really does work for Lowering blood pressure and other issues. Here are my pros & cons to the book: Pros: The book lists a great deal of ingredients that are essential to the DASH diet lifestyle Pros: It is not a "starve yourself, restrictive diet". This diet focuses on food choice with the overall goal being decreased blood pressure (and other benefits) Pros: The book explains the science behind how it works in lay mans terms. (If you need a more technical breakdown , then this may not be for you) Pros: The book contains a whole section of recipes - recipes that are easy and use regular - average person ingredients (Nothing crazy that the average person wouldnt have in their cupboard/spice rack/freezer Pros: The books contains an easy to understand "Daily guide" that generalizes the types of foods you should eat for Breakfast meals/Snacks/Lunch Meals/Dinner Meals. The daily guide breaks down the food group types for each meal time Cons: At the times the books makes references to things without explaining in full detail what those references mean. (The author lists "Non-Starchy Vegetables", but she fails to list in detail what those are. She does list them, but not in detail. A simple google search filled in the mystery for me) Cons: The author is impartial to artificial sweetener, but she does recommend foods that contain them. (For anyone worried, its only one meal recommendation, but for folks that are concerned about them - just stay clear of it) Cons: The books is mainly recipes and ingredients. A large portion of the books is dedicated to this. It is recommended that you read the ENTIRE BOOK before starting DASH. It's tempting to start after chapter 4, but the ENTIRE BOOKS contents are needed to understand the diet. Its an extremely LIGHT & EASY READ.

I bought this book along with a few of my friends. Everyone who followed, lowered blood pressure and lost weight. I found it easy to follow and loved the recipes.

I have lost six pounds on a diet based on the DASH diet so I was eager to read a more official book. This is however not the original DASH diet it is modified with less starch. This diet promises faster metabolism, lower body fat and in general less processed foods. Except for the processed cheese and artificially sweetened foods. I'm ok with light yogurt but can't see myself eating so much sugar-free jello. Also you can drink diet sodas on this diet. So lots of artificial sweeteners. Hopefully you can find a light yogurt without aspartame. This book gave me a few more ideas for what I should be eating on my modified diet I'm already on. I want to add things like more salmon, string cheese, raspberries, sardines, sweet potato, lobster and shrimp. So for getting ideas on what to eat it was useful to me in a small way. I also liked the ideas on how to avoid pasta or potatoes. I do however have to question recommending canola oil and margarine. But saying to eat spaghetti squash instead of pasta was helpful. In many diet books there seem to be contradictions. To eat peas or not eat peas is the question. This book is not clear as in one instance it seems to be saying don't eat peas and the next eat peas. What I did learn from this book is that the DASH diet does not work without calcium and vitamin D which is in dairy. So that was enlightening. I will keep eating my yogurt, cheese and milk. So there were some useful things I learned but I won't be going on this diet fully on its own. To me it seemed overly complex in some ways, however it doesn't seem boring. It just wasn't the diet I was expecting. It is based on the DASH diet but not the original. ~The Rebecca Review

I recently read this book, and we started following the "diet"-I hate that word-but we've really found this to be an easy way to eat healthier, and we're seeing results and feeling great! There are 2 phases in this program. In Phase 1, you cut out all sugar, except those found in non starchy veggies, no fruit, and also milk. So that means no breads or pasta, but we've found that it hasn't been too bad! It's only 2 weeks! Focus on protein and veggies. I like that I can still have my coffee! Phase 2 reintroduces grains etc. This plan isn't reinventing the wheel by any means, but when you are trying to eat healthier, it's nice to follow an easy plan. I have read some people complain about the fact that it promotes eating sugar free Jello, and some other things that aren't "exactly" considered healthy or natural, but if you are addicted to sugar like I have been for so long, and you want to have a little treat, Jello in the grand scheme of things isn't so bad. I'm sorry, but eating 5-10 calories of that is way better than a candy bar! I rec this book/plan for everyone. I've read a ton of diet books, and they all can get monotonous, and a lot are hard to even get through. This is straight forward, and lays everything out in a way that doesn't make you feel like you are about to start depriving yourself. I'll write an update after we've followed the plan longer. I did not weigh myself (I forgot) when I started, but I knew approx how much I weighed, and after 3 weeks, I can tell that my clothes are fitting a lot looser, and all of the hard work I put in working out is paying off! I can finally see my toned muscles starting to show more. I'm not considered "overweight", but I am not where I want to be. I also rec the DASH Diet Cookbook! I'm not the best in the kitchen, and I've really stepped up my game in the kitchen!

I am a 67 year old, diabetic for twenty-five years, over-weight, woman with hypertension who recently found I had four blockages in two main arteries, and subsequently needed four stents inserted to combat an immediate heart attack. I have attempted to lose weight on everything that has come down the pike over the last fifty years including the Stillman Diet, Nutri System, Atkins, Weight Watchers (four times!), Mayo Clinic (?) Diet, Hard-Boiled Egg and Grapefruit Diet, a diet doctor who gave me thryoid meds and told me to eat chicken and broccoli once a day (which gave me numerous medical problems in the long-run), every powdered diet drink available, well- known packaged meal plans, etc. I finally just gave up. Fear of imminent death from more blockages and the high blood pressure caused me to do a little research and I came up with the Dash Diet being voted best diet plan three years in a row. I ordered Marla Heller's book, The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution, and when I tell you that this is the first diet I ever saw that actually had my favorite food - cheese - on it, I wanted to dance. I did the Phase I Section and lost over ten pounds. I am now in Phase II, and have lost a total of eighteen pounds, adding some carbs which scared me as my blood sugar readings have been in the 90's and very low 100's, but they have remained low because I am eating the right carbs in the right amounts! Have not had my HbA1C done since I was on it, but am very excited for the next three month lab test. I am full and satisfied, and love the choice of foods and snacks. This isn't a diet where you need to chart everything. The menus are clear and you pick and choose what you want. It's a win-win situation and I thank God I found this. My blood pressure is excellent, I have a hundred times more energy, and walk like I did when I was younger - I have two knee replacements and I find steps and walking are not agony anymore. I feel great and would recommend this diet to anyone who struggles with weight, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Thank you, Marla Heller for a clear, concise, life-saving book.

When my husband was diagnosed with high blood pressure, I started researching diets. DASH was the first thing to pop up, and I found this book. Both of us are currently overweight (I started at 5'7", 180 pounds), so I decided to try Heller's menus. My idea of cooking has always been pouring milk over a heaping bowl of cereal. I always look for convenience more than anything else when choosing foods. This book is just my speed. I loved following the meal plans and found all of the food delicious and SIMPLE. I'm the kind of person who needs a prescription for what to eat, and this provided just that. I never really ventured off script but did swap meals from different days depending on what was most convenient or what we had in the fridge. Other healthy meal plans I've followed in the past have been expensive. With these DASH menus, I spend less than $100/week for the two of us to eat by shopping at Aldi (where I can purchase almost everything). I lost 10 pounds during Phase 1 of the diet. I'm currently in Phase 2 and still shedding weight. The best part, though? I can feel my mentality toward food shifting. I no longer am as tempted by unhealthy foods and find myself making better choices when out to eat or away from home. We'll see if that lasts (I've been successful in the past only to trip up and give in), but I'm reassured by the fact that I can always turn back to Phase 1 of this book to get back on track.

I’m super happy with this book. It’s delivering what it said it would. My BP is going down and I’ve lost 7lbs in one week. My brain feels better, I have more energy - I’m just feeling great in general. The diet is kind of boring in itself, so far, but the results are worth it. I’m still in phase one, so I’ve just kept it very simple and repetitive while I get the hang of it. I’ve followed the plan rigidly and it’s working!! I find the snacks easy to follow, and the meals are not too bad. It would be easier if I didn’t have 5 small kids at home that don’t want to eat like this :) but I’m making it work!

This book is horrible. It reads like a game show, or one of those TV shows selling kitchen appliances or miracle diet products. I purchased the book for deeper reading on the benefits of following the Dash diet and some guidance on how to get started with creating meals that follow the diet principles. The first section of the book is full of exclamation points and cliches. Eventually I decided to skip to the diet plan. Right away the first meal advocates for Canadian Bacon, later in the day sugar free flavored yogurt, and the days following; lunch meat. I have the impression this book is for people who don’t like to cook and who are used to eating heavily processed foods, and the author just makes that a “bit” healthier. I was looking for recipes with real, unprocessed foods - and if you look online there are LOADS of easy recipes to be found with real ingredients, that make delicious meals. In my mind, trying to follow a heart healthy diet is not really compatible with these foods. Unfortunately I creased the book cover otherwise I would return it. I don’t recommend this book, I don’t understand how so many people have given it good reviews - unless you want to keep eating processed foods and artificial sweeteners I have ZERO idea how anyone could see this as a heart healthy way of eating.

This book was the best and most important purchase of my life. Following this plan has brought my blood pressure under control, helped me lose two dress sizes and taken away the need for medication. And it took 2 months! Move over fad diets. This is a lifestyle and one that can easily be maintained. No cheating, no bad days, no feeling guilty. Just the right information and support to help you change behaviours and alter bad habits at a pace for you and without breaking the bank or buying special foods.

Lose weight really fast with easy to prepare foods but yearn for the foods you like and I don’t mean chips and chocolate. It’s very American.

This is the one and only book I know of that uses science and experimentation to cover the topic of "eating" in order to get to a better way of living. Marla tells a lot without getting a nuisance. She tells you WHY should eat things and WHY you want to avoid things. Already at page 22 you get a list of wanted, unwanted and avoidable foods. And, at page 22 already, you also know WHY you need to know it. The DASH is built on simple rules and it is easy to follow. I'm at day 4 now of the first two weeks and have lost 5 pounds without effort. And I can predict which foods to eat and which to leave.