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

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.

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.

This book is well written and very informative. The eating plan was presented in a simple way and easy to understand and follow. I had fantastic results the 1st week. 4.8 lbs but then it slowed down the 2nd week. My total weight loss for Phase One was 7.0 lbs and I was thrilled! Since moving into Phase 2 so far I haven't lost any additional weight but I feel like I have. So I do think I have continued to lose inches and I feel much better. Phase 1 did reset my metabolism in that I no longer crave carbs as I did before. Now, I am just following a healthy balanced diet including all the DASH foods, as recommended and I am enjoying it. Super easy and you just know you are eating more nutritious foods and improving your health. I am pre-menopausal and all the things I used to do to lose weight are no longer working for me. So, the fact that I am down 7 lbs, continuing to keep it off, and I feel great = WIN for me!

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!

While this diet seems to be working (down 12 lbs in 11 days), it is very lacking in information. It needs a complete list of serving sizes and a list of Veggies sorted by starchy/non starchy. The reader is forced to find that information elsewhere on the web. At times, this book contradicts itself, especially in Phase 2. This leaves the reader wondering which is their correct number of daily servings (it is listed in 3 places with different servings sizes given in each). To confuse further, sometimes it's written in "serving size" and sometimes it's listed in "ounces" per day. This book uses the DASH Eating Plan from The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (a free pdf) as it's guidelines but the author has revised it to create a weight loss plan as the original DASH Eating Plan was not created for weight loss, it was created to lower Hypertension. I think this fact has many people confused and I really don't feel the author has done enough to make that point clear. This makes me think she is making money off this confusion. When your doctor says you need to follow the DASH Diet, they are usually referring to the original DASH Eating Plan that is free. As stated, this book uses the DASH principals but shows you how to lose weight using the DASH Eating Plan as well. Nothing wrong with that. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth that no effort is made to let people know the difference. An example is that her website takes credit for the US & World News Report that ranked the DASH DIET as the #1 Best Diet Overall but if you read further into the ranking details, you will find they are referring to the FREE DASH Eating plan, not her book. Though she is taking credit for it. It would have been much less confusing to be called Weight Loss Solution USING the DASH Diet (as DASH Diet is interchanged with DASH Eating Plan all over the web--see the confusion?). So, 3 stars for a good weight loss plan BASED on the DASH Eating Plan by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute but only 3 stars because the book is lacking information and sometimes confusing and contradicting at times. Also, no replies from the author when questions are posted to her website or Facebook Group. The Facebook group questions are answered by other members of the group and many times they are not using this book (again, confusion on which plan they are on--the author has another book that lists things differently than this one just to add more confusion to the mix) or misunderstood what they are supposed to be doing. That leaves a lot of confusion and wrong information that the author does not correct because she only pops in once in a while.

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.

I purchased this book and started the DASH Diet in January 2018. By July 2018, I had lost 48 lbs. I did no exercise during this time. (I am female, 5 ft. 7, and weighed in at 223 lbs., got down to 175 lbs.. I went from a size 18 to a size 12, although kind of snug and tight). I don't have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes or anything like that. I am a person who let everything in my life take importance over myself (the usual stuff most of us have husband, kids, home, elderly parents, full-time office job). The way I did the diet was I did Phase 1 for 2 weeks and then Phase 2 for 2 weeks and back to Phase 1 for 2 weeks, and Phase 2 for 2 weeks and so on. Unfortunately, I let old habits creep back in when in September 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. I pretty much didn't care about eating healthy anymore. So, now I am post double mastectomy, doing chemo right now and I gained back 15 lbs. of the 48 lbs. I lost. So, here we are January 2019 and I am back on track and on the Dash Diet. I have a second lease on life and I am going to continue to get down to a nice 145 lbs. I am looking forward to working out with weights (once I am fully recovered from chemo). Life is too short to not take time out for yourself and take care of yourself. The DASH Diet is realistic plan that allows all foods, fruit, whole grains, dairy, meat). I highly recommend. Now, I am off to purchase a FitBit smart watch and start some walking! :)

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.