28 Days Lighter Diet: Your Monthly Plan to Lose Weight, End PMS, and Achieve Physical and Emotional Wellness

by Ellen Barrett, Kate Hanley

Most women who are dieting do not realize that PMS and weight gain are connected—and that to really lose weight, increase energy, and feel better they need to consider their monthly cycle. Now The 28 Days Lighter Diet teaches women how to embrace their monthly cycle and follow its guidance so that they know when to push themselves, when to treat themselves to some well-earned rest, and how to keep their hormones in balance. It explains what to do during every week of the month to shed excess weight, ease PMS, and do it by working with your body instead of beating it into submission. The female body changes from week to week, and traditional diet and workout programs never acknowledge this phenomenon. This easy-to-follow 28-day plan is an innovative combination of modern research and ancient traditions. It outlines a core program of dietary suggestions, fitness guidelines, specific exercises, and lifestyle recommendations for each of the phases of the menstrual cycle and how to take care of yourself throughout the month. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2013

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow Amazon sent me this book that I had pre-ordered well before the release date so I was lucky enough to read it this weekend. What a great book! I have always enjoyed Ellen's workouts so I was looking forward to this book. It is written in a very casual, friendly way which is very readable. It starts out by giving you an overview of PMS/period programs among women, moves on to a history of menstruation, and then gives overview of the reproductive system. Then the book moves into the three distinct phases of menstruation, giving ideas on exercise, eating, and mindset for those times that will keep your cycle in tune and help your body be more in sync, therefore helping you feel better physically and mentally. What I really like is that the book doesn't present the ideas as an all or nothing thing. You can use what feels right to you and not do the things that don't feel right. I will definitely be giving the ideas in this book a try and recommending it to others.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I originally picked up this book because I love Ellen Barrett, not because I was particularly interested in the subject material. I'm pleased to report that Ellen is just as fun and inspirational in book form as she is in her Pilates DVDs. The book includes a wealth of information, including a basic biology refresher course to meal suggestions and helpful Yoga poses for each phase of the cycle. I especially like that it isn't a rigid "all or nothing" system, rather we are encouraged to incorporate what we can into our lives. I only wish that the title of the book didn't include the word "diet"...I think the word has a negative connotation for many of us (I agree with Garfield the Cat when he wisely said "Diet is Die with a T"). In any case, I found this to be very thought-provoking and can prove to be a useful book for pre-menopausal women.

[Karen JEC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating exploration of everything to do with lady parts. This should be required reading for girls in high school. It gets a little woo-woo near the end but I think the rest of the book more than makes up for those few pages.

Favourite Quotes

"Remembering that we just aren’t built to be the same from day to day is completely validating and comforting — especially on those inevitable days when we feel like a square peg in a round hole."

"All artists know that solitude is necessary for creativity... Solitude elicits a sense of tranquility, accessing an inner richness from which we draw sustenance."

"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." ~ Ann Wigmore

[Rachel Vryhof · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this after enjoying some of Ellen Barrett's workout DVDs with her easy to follow cues and upbeat manner. The book was no different! I don't have any female health problems per se, but I was hoping to learn to leverage my energy cycles during the month to help lose weight. It has that, and I learned lots of good things, but the exercise sections focused on only a few yoga moves and I was hoping for more varied fitness advice given that Ellen is a long time fitness instructor of many forms. I feel like it's a good companion book to Toni Wechsler's Taking Charge of Your Fertility, so I don't regret buying it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are new to tracking your cycle, this book is a great starting place. If you have already done some work around your cycle and diet, activities, etc. this has some helpful reminders but not a ton of new information. There are a few things I will try such as thinking about the timing of my cycle when planning my schedule and exercise choices. I think listening to your body is extremely important and this book does a nice job of connecting the reader to that goal in an accessible way.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fundamental core of this book, listening to your body and working with the natural ups and downs in your energy, was very good. There is some diet advice mixed in, but it feels almost incidental to the other material. A good read for any woman!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of book I want to hand to my daughters one day. So informative and a nurturing way to treat yourself through your monthly cycle. I just wish it wasn't called a 'diet' book. For me- this book was about so much more then loosing weight.

[Andrea Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t read every paragraph but it has some interesting ideas about food and exercise over the 28 days in a cycle.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets an extra star for being so data-handy! :) There is SO much information about what foods and activities are most nourishing during each phase of women's constantly-in-flux physiology, that it's just amazing. It could also be a tad overwhelming at times, simply because even considering what our bodies are actually doing in the context of "regular life" means a pretty radical change in thinking.

This information is written out nicely in the earlier sections, but there are charts, charts, and more charts that make the information easier to remember, digest, and reference.

The book is written in a fun, fast-reading style with a sense of humor - the phrase, "microwave crap," made me literally LOL - and the authors present a lot of the "why and how" with the "what" to do. Also, there are no outlandish, "fix all your life's problems forever, look 22 again, and ride unicorns!" promises; just a simple acknowledgment that when the principles are followed, it helps. Individual experiences vary, of course, but the personal stories shared show real examples of improved quality of life, for individuals and their families. Awesome, right?

This book is easy to scan and find what applies to you, currently; and yes - one of the charts even has sample days and menus, to help envision what incorporating this knowledge in one's life could actually look like. I really value that connection from concept to concrete practice.

And I really recommend this book, right alongside Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet by Katy Bowman. IMO, it's really kind of important to know how our bodies work! :)

[Wayne Reinagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband won this book (at my request) in a Goodreads giveaway, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve read Ellen Barrett’s previous three books (Zodiaction, Sexy Yoga, and Weights for Weight Loss) and found them very informative and interesting. Her fourth and newest book is equally helpful, in explaining how excess weight, hormone imbalances, and poor diet can contribute to bad health. By offering detailed, easy-to-follow guidelines, her 28-day plan offers advice in daily exercise, proper dietary intake, and even lifestyle recommendations. This book also offers a combination of modern research and ancient traditions relating to monthly cycles and how to survive them with grace and ease, instead of dread. This book gets my highest recommendation.

I want to wish Ellen & Kate much luck with this great health book.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is poorly titled. Its really not a diet book, or even really about weight loss. It is more accurately a plan to help women tune into and live a holistically healthful life by their natural biological cycles. The guide includes advice on activity (and rest!), as well as nutrition, but also a variety of other topics that relate to women's health. The authors furthermore stress that this about adding healthful and helpful lifestyle choices, not about restriction and limitation. The text is a tad repetitive, but the personalities of the authors are delightful and relatable; I appreciated their level of personal honesty, woman to woman. I look forward to implementing the guide into my life!

[Linda Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely something I had never encountered before. First - it is very poorly named. It is not a diet book. What it is is a book about the different phases of your cycle and ideas for lifestyle choices to do in each one. There is information on exercise, yoga, diet (specifically what your nutritional needs are in each one) and other areas. There are some simple recipes as well. I found it very interesting and I am hoping to implement some of what I learned. I would recommend this to any woman searching for a bit more balance throughout the month :).

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a devoted fan of Ellen for at least a decade and picked this up after reading about it on her website. I read it through twice. The first month I was implementing changes as I read, and the second I followed most of the guidelines as I used the book for reference. I got pregnant the 2nd month, after trying for over a year after MC. I don't credit the book 100%, but I know paying more attention to specific elements of my diet and my energy levels was a key component. I definitely go back to it after the baby is born.

[Christina Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your average diet book... it's much better because it is a lifestyle manual. The ideas about understanding and embracing my monthly cycle resonated with me. Although I'm not ready to trash my microwave, I plan on adding lots of their suggestions to my daily life.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading...this turned out to be so much more than a diet book. I was drawn to this book as a way to naturally alleviate PMS and cramps. The authors have some strong opinions but they give the research to back up their thoughts.

[Kj · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book to make me think about how I spend my energy. This isn't really a diet book - but more a book on typical moods and menstrual cycle and chi (all the Chinese medicine references are a kick) and how your food intake can help or hinder the above. Nice work.

[Sarah Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got some good insight while reading this book. I tend to be super emotional and *crazy* during certain times of the month and this book helped me see it for what it is. I'm still working on implementing things I learned. I really enjoyed the book.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information that I really want to implement but in reality it probably won't happen. I like the yoga and rest ideas and the tracking of your emotional, physical and mental well-being during your 28 day cycle. I'll really try to do that.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book with all the information it gives on getting healthier.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

good information, plan to include some of the ideas into my life

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of great information.