There are a few things you should know about me that are relevant to this review. I have never, to my recollection, made it through any other diet book. Oh, I’ve bought a couple, like The Whole 30, but I realized that I am philosophically opposed to cutting out entire food groups from my diet unless there is a medical reason (like an allergy). God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1Tim. 6:17). And I believe that, contrary to the teaching of the “paleo” diets out there, humans were originally vegetarians, not meat-eaters. That came after the Fall, and was clearly sanctioned by God after the Flood in Genesis 9:3. So most of the diets out there were out for me.
But I knew something had to change in my eating habits. Five pregnancies have taken their toll (it was certainly a toll worth paying 🙂 ) and I wasn’t losing the weight. I actually picked up a copy of The No S Diet last January, at Mystie’s recommendation, but didn’t start reading it for almost a year. When I finally got into it, though, I realized it was just what I needed. When you are writing quotes from a diet book in your commonplace book, you know it’s good. Quotes like this one:
A sense of responsibility is a powerful, ennobling thing. To cast that off for the sake of indulging gluttony is even worse than the gluttony itself.
People don’t mention gluttony anymore – it’s almost like it’s a bad word. You might hurt someone’s feelings. But I know that’s my problem – eating too much! I can excuse it by thinking, “Oh, it’s been a rough day. I need some chocolate.” But frankly, there are more rough days than not around here, and eating chocolate every day adds up! And then there’s those seconds that just end up making me feel stuffed. Engles’ and Kallen’s boldness in getting to the root of the problem was refreshing.
The book’s tagline is “No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds… Except on days that start with S.” Simple and doable – but if you are like me, you’ll have questions, which this book and the free website address. One of the best things about this diet is those “S days”: weekends, birthdays, holidays, when you are free to have snacks, seconds and/or sweets. It puts those sweets and “feasting” back in their proper place of occasional treats, rather than something we indulge in every day to our own detriment.
I do want to say that if you don’t feel the need for a diet, or are just not in a place to start one right now, please don’t feel pressured by this review. I wasn’t ready until recently, and won’t judge anyone for eating sweets on a Wednesday. 😉 And some people just naturally eat in a similar way and stay thin, so they don’t need a diet. But if you are feeling the need for a change in your eating habits, and want to strengthen your self-control, I highly recommend The No S Diet.
