Down came the rain by Brook Shields

Title:Down Came the Rain: A Mother's Story of Depression and Recovery
Rating:****
I first heard about this book on oprah. I thought Brook Shields was honest and heartfelt. And that is the overwhelming feeling that I get from this book. It's what she went through during and after her pregnancy. It is a truly heartfelt book. She does mention the special issues she has to deal with because she is a celebrity but there is no self pity. She comes across as a mature woman who had to go through hell for a specific period in her life.

It is an excellent book. Speaking as someone who has suffered post natal depression, it was eerily accurate. And it is not even a little bit self indulgent.  Absolute must read for someone who has suffered from post-natal depression. An excellent read for pregnant women. A very good book for all the other women.

"Body for life" by Bill Philips

Body for life by Bill Philips 
This book came to my attention in the year 2001 when I was sitting in Borders in Chicago drinking coffee loaded with sugar and cake on the side while looking through the book. The first thing that struck me on this book that I have not come across in other nutrition and fitness publications was the amount of space dedicated to the images and stories of people who transformed their health and bodies by the eating and exercise plans described here, which were really inspirational and pulled me right into the book. While this program is designed for 12 weeks (used by some brave ones to compete for a prize based on amount of progress and physical transformation), in reality it is meant to encourage a life time commitment to yourself and your well-being.
    The basis of the exercise plan is only 20 min of aerobic first thing in the morning for 3 days and weight training 3 times per week. The instructions for the exercises are very clear and mostly could be done with variety of dumbbells in the comfort of your own home especially for beginners and ladies who would not need to work with heavy weights in the beginning. The eating plan is very simple and clearly described with "all you want to eat Sundays". Over the years I have read many books on fitness and nutrition but the "Body for Life" stands the test of time with its common sense approach, clarity in the description on plans and instructions and the sheer motivational power it conveys through the true stories of people that actually executed the program with great results.
    My only issue with Body for Life at the time was the outright advertisement of the nutritional supplement products by the author's company - At another time I would like to review various supplements including the products advertised in this book - so stay tuned!

O.S.

Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Overall rating:***

I have mixed feelings about this book.The style of writing is great. The crisp,no-nonsense way of talking about food and nutrition is spot-on.It's snappy and clever. Until you come to a chapter named"The dead, rotting, decomposing flesh diet".Ooookaay. They write about animal cruelty and abuse. In all the gory detail. So they are trying to sell veganism.Very hard. Alright. I'm on board. But you know what's a shocker? The cookbook they came up with "Skinny bitch in the kitch" has recipes with beef, chicken and pork. Not good, girls. You have to walk the talk. This is definitely a letdown.

The next chapter is entitled "The dairy disaster". This describes how milk, butter and cheese are as bad for us as meat. If not worse. This is again well-written and descriptive. This is more impressive because their cookbook has no dairy ingredients in them and they come off as consistent dairy-haters.

It's one of the books people feel strongly about. I think that is sort of the idea behind the book. So they achieve their goal. Do I think that "Skinny Bitch" changed my life? Not so much. But "A" for effort.

Rosmary Conley's low fat cookbook

Rosmary Conley's low fat cookbook
Overall rating: ****1/2
I like Rosmary Conley. She usually has practical and easy to implement ideas about fitness and weight loss.But recipes are a different genre altogether. So I was cautious and hopeful before i opened this book. After reading the book, I think she nailed it. Almost all the recipes in this book are so doable. And they taste fantastic.From soups to main courses to desserts. You can actually cook all of the dishes! This book actually exceeded all my expectations. Ms. Conley writes that she had a chef (Dean Simpole-Clarke) working with her on this book.And believe me, it shows. Some of the recipes are so simple and elegant that it has to be a good chef who created them.


The only thing I would change about this book is have a picture of the finished product next to each dish.I like to see what the finished product would look like before i make it.About 2/3rd of the recipes do not have a picture of  the finished product. That's about the only thing that's missing.Also the section on food groups, nutrition etc at the beginning of the book is informative and well-written. The "secrets of successful dieting" chapter is full of useful information.

I just saw that its on sale on Amazon for about 12 pounds. It's total value for money and more. Go for it.