Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition Paperback – January 5, 2011 by Joel Fuhrman (Little, Brown and Company) (IBRCook Books)

So here's the thing. I want to write a bad review because that is what my toxic food addicted body/brain wants me to do and I almost gave in and did it. Then I stopped, ate some toxic food and went to bed. Woke up and finished the book and then decided to write the truth without regards to my fight against the American toxic diet.

I want to keep eating poorly because it tastes good. I want to eat cheese and as much as I can and at anytime. I want to continue eating luscious breads anytime I want and as much as I want. I want to eat sweets without reserve. I love butter. Cereal and milk. And pizza.

And that is just the short list.

And I'm miserable with my weight because of my excess and eating whatever I want. Breads, sweets, dairy, meat sometimes. But my toxic body revels in it. And I am normal, unfortunately. And I want to stay normal at all costs. And yet normal is miserable, for me, at least.

So reading this book for the second time I am faced with the fact that in order to be where I want to be: healthy and fit, I can either change or stay the same or be somewhere in the middle. I usually go for the somewhere in the middle and then end up going back to the same, but I never really change.

This book is about change. It is about eating mainly vegan - no matter what the other reviewers say - it really is about veganism. I have always been jealous of vegans = because it is the hardest thing a normal eating person can be.

This book advises against all animal products - no matter what other reviewers say. Furhman states over and over that animal products are bad for the human body, toxic to the liver, great for cancer and fat, bad for humans. Yes, he does say that over and over, and then a sentence will come up here and there stating you can have a little fish if you are this kind of person or you can have some meat twice a week if you are that person, but really, he wants you to be vegan. No animals products. Sigh. NO CHEESE.

He hates cheese. Really, it really bugs him. Not once does he ever say, you can have cheese if you are that kind of person or this kind of person. I guess cheese is really bad. Uggh. My toxic body is crying - don't stop the cheese, please. I just had a cheese sandwich - luscious bread, too much cheese, swiss and cheddar, some lettuce, a bit of processed turkey, mayo, mustard, italian dressing. Sometimes I add tomato and cucumber (to appease Furhman).

He states over and over a lb of greens and a lb of vegetables per day. He does tend to mix things up and kind of says one thing then changes it a little then goes back to what he said earlier, so he goes in circles at times to where you are not really sure what you should do. That does sort of drive you crazy in trying to figure out what exactly you should do. But I do know this is what he really is trying to say: to be healthy, you must stop the bread, stop the pasta, stop the sweets, stop the cheese, stop the milk, stop the meat, stop the fish, stop oils, stop diet sodas, stop over eating - just stop.

To lose weight: eat vegetables, eat fruit, beans and nuts in smaller amounts, oatmeal is acceptable also (I think). Again, it depends upon the page.

He does sell a lot of products on his website and they are expensive. But it all looks healthy and good.

If you are strong enough this diet/way of life, can really change your life, I truly believe this. I didn't give it 5 stars because it is so restrictive - but that is not necessarily bad, I'm just kinda weak battling my food demons. And I must be jealous of Furhman, in some way, so the penalty is 4 stars when he probably, most likely, deserves 5.