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The Thin Commandments: The Ten No-Fail Strategies for Permanent Weight Loss 1st (first) by Gullo, Stephen (2004) Hardcover

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Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

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Stephen Gullo

8 books1 follower

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5 stars
17 (17%)
4 stars
43 (43%)
3 stars
20 (20%)
2 stars
12 (12%)
1 star
6 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Shannon.
74 reviews
August 1, 2013
Some interesting tips but he pushes mostly no-fat, diet crap food.
p.s. Dick P. lost 47lbs following this book:)
Profile Image for Matthew.
208 reviews18 followers
April 29, 2019
"The most effective Prozac in the world is to take charge of your weight." -- Dr. Stephen Gullo

"...the process is the goal..."

Why do we eat so much? Technology has made food more abundant, as well better looking, smelling, tasting, feeling, and even sounding. It is packaged in a special way. It is advertised everywhere. You see people eating everywhere. You have a house filled with it.

We are also stressed out, fearful, anxious, depressed, angry, lonely, and bored. We are deeply alienated in the modern world, so that the same technology that makes food more attractive is also helping us become psychologically warped to want to fall for it more.

Secularization has also made us feel like there is no life beyond the grave -- where we would not be eating. We define ourselves completely by a temporary existence that runs on physical fuel. As a result, we fill the void spirituality used to meet with material things. Our spiritual longings are now met by food, food, and food. Foodie = druggie.

1. Packaging
2. Advertisements
3. Gluttons you know.
4. Gluttons you don't know.
5. Extreme portions
6. Extreme plates
7. Eating; the more we eat, the more we want to eat.
8. Aroma: if food is not behind closed cupboards, you'll want it.
9. Sight: if food is not behind closed cupboards, you'll want it.
10. Texture (psychophysics)
11. Sound (psychophysics)
12. Stress: almost nobody responds by eating healthy.
13. Lonely
14. Angry / Resentment
15. Anxious
16. Depressed
17. Boredom
18. Curiosity: want to try everything from around the world... or the latest, newest things in the grocery store.


"trigger foods": ramen, cheese,
"trigger behaviors": skipping a meal then eating triple
"trigger situations": sporting events, TV time, etc.
"trigger times": mid to late afternoon

Profile Image for Dr Ariel Rainey.
1,310 reviews6 followers
May 22, 2018
I don't care a fig about the diet and recipes at the end, but the ten commandments are pretty much the most accurate and brilliant commentary on dieting I've ever read. I've already recommended this a lot.
86 reviews
June 29, 2022
This book provides strategies that help in changing your food habits to achieve a fulfilling and rich experience. Eating habits are a lifelong process so enjoy cultivating healthy habits and sticking to them.
Profile Image for Kewannah "Health Kick Chick".
26 reviews2 followers
February 16, 2011
This book is great. I love Dr. Gullo's approach to weight loss as it's a no-nonsense scientific approach. It's all mental so focus on your strategy and less about building will power. The first few lines of the book are key "dieting is about losing weight. Food strategy is about ending the problem." Gullo says your struggle with weight is less about your calories but your history with certain foods. Do you polish off every spoonful of ice cream? Then don't assume that you can live with it in your house. Yes, you may go months without a taste but the day *will* come when you can't resist it.

Of course, like every "diet" book he has an eating plan that he ascribes to. I'm not a fan of it and would've given more stars if he'd focused more on nutrition and less on lowering calories by eating Frankenfoods. Honestly, a doctor telling you to choose sucralose over honey or high fiber white bread over whole wheat to cut calories is counterintuitive.

What Gullo lost in his eating plan, he gained in his stellar section on maintenance, an area of weight control I struggled with. Anyone who's lost a significant amount of weight can share the frustration in not having enough resources dedicated to maintenance. I loved this section so much I actually bought the book (I had borrowed it from the library) just so I could refer to it. I've printed out several quotes for my vision board. My favorite is "being thin will not make you happy but being fat will make you unhappy."
Profile Image for Kay.
1,018 reviews217 followers
September 7, 2011
Meh. It was just okay. The author had nothing really that new to tell me, though he kept insisting that his approach was novel. I already keep a food diary and am familiar with my trigger foods. And I think he overstates the claims for dairy and other foods that are helpful while dieting.

While it was useful to hear Gullo's advice in audio form, as it can never hurt having to focus on what we all need to do, he made a big mistake reading this book himself. A motivational book needs a motivating reader, and he isn't one. His delivery was almost comically stilted and labored, with pauses in the strangest places. All in all, I'm not sure if it's worth the time to listen to this book.
Profile Image for Jenna.
24 reviews
March 20, 2013
The strength of the Thin Commandments is in strategies for handling difficult situations. I think the meal plan was kind of funky & could never really get into it. However, the concept of making a plan to deal with foods that you have a history of abusing is smart. One of the ideas that I especially liked was "box it in, box it out" - set occasions or locations for eating certain foods - apple pie only at Thanksgiving dinner would be an example. Read this years ago & skimmed it last week.
Profile Image for Patti Dunegan.
3 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2013
Very good psychological strategies to keep you armed with what you need to do to stay on track. Don't agree with his suggestions to consume anything labeled "lite" or "non fat" because I've read the science that supports good healthy fats. Other than that, it's right in the mark!!
Profile Image for Susan Bybee.
Author 1 book14 followers
October 20, 2013
A little repetitious, but I appreciated how Gullo deals with the mindsets that go along with dieting. Instead of willpower, he recommends having strategies to avoid temptations. He details when the trouble times are most likely to occur, and offers strategies to help.
Profile Image for Terri Richardson.
4 reviews2 followers
August 14, 2015
Some excellent suggestions for those wanting to lose weight. the book sheds new light on why we fail at dieting and gives a host of strategies to combat the difficulties often experienced by those who try to lose weight.
Profile Image for Abby Mountain.
9 reviews14 followers
August 29, 2007
Everything in this book should be common sense, but somehow I didn't really understand it. I have passed it on to several people and they also felt that it had valuable knowledge.
Profile Image for Erin.
Author 8 books1,064 followers
September 26, 2017
Cheesy clever way to present the idea of: eat less, exercise more...lose weight.
Profile Image for Marie.
1,001 reviews79 followers
April 12, 2008
Interesting ideas about changing the way you look at food and dieting
Profile Image for Susan.
60 reviews6 followers
October 20, 2008
Deals with more of the psychology of why we choose to overeat than most "diet" books. It's a manual for lifestyle change. Heads and shoulders above fad diet books.
5 reviews
Read
November 19, 2009
good book to read to lose the weight
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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