Allen Carr's Easy Way for Women to Lose Weight: The original Easyway method

by Allen Carr

READ THIS BOOK NOW AND BE THE WEIGHT YOU WANT TO BE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFEAre you unhappy with the weight you are? In the Easy Way for Women to Lose Weight, Allen Carr addresses the difficulties that women face in trying to lose weight. Diets don't work and just lead to a feeling of deprivation, which can cause food disorders like binge-eating. By explaining why you feel the need to eat junk food and, with simple step-by-step instructions to set you free from this addiction, Carr shows you how to eat for a healthier, happier life.• A unique method that does not require willpower• Removes the psychological need to eat junk food• Banish emotional eating• Regain control of your life• Make eating a pleasure againWhat people say about Allen Carr's Easyway "The Allen Carr program was nothing short of a miracle."Anjelica Huston"I stopped smoking... I read this book by Allen Carr. It's called the Easy Way to Stop Smoking. Everyone who reads this book stops smoking!"Ellen DeGeneres"I know so many people who turned their lives around after reading Allen Carr's books."Sir Richard Branson

Genres: Health

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

Allen Carr was a British author and the founder of the global Allen Carr’s Easyway method, renowned for helping millions overcome smoking and other addictions. Born in Putney, London in 1934, Carr began smoking at 18 during National Service and struggled with the habit for over three decades. A qualified accountant, he finally quit in 1983 following a revelatory visit to a hypnotherapist. The experience didn’t directly cause him to quit, but it led to two key insights: that smoking was simply a form of nicotine addiction, and that withdrawal symptoms were minor and psychological in nature. These revelations inspired Carr to develop a revolutionary approach to quitting, one that did not rely on willpower, scare tactics, or substitution therapies.
Carr’s philosophy centered on removing the smoker’s fear of giving up. He argued that smoking merely relieves withdrawal symptoms from the previous cigarette, and that the supposed satisfaction gained is merely a return to the non-smoker’s normal state. Through live seminars, books, and multimedia resources, the Easyway method encourages smokers to continue smoking while they reframe their beliefs, ultimately extinguishing their final cigarette with clarity and confidence.
In 1985, Carr published The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which became a bestseller and was translated into more than 45 languages. The success of his London clinic led to the establishment of over 100 Easyway centers in 35 countries, offering seminars to treat smoking, alcohol dependency, sugar addiction, and even fear of flying. His method’s credibility was bolstered by independent clinical trials, including studies in Ireland and the UK which found it as effective—if not more so—than standard cessation methods. This led to its adoption by NHS-approved services in England.
A key element of the Easyway clinics is that all facilitators are former addicts who successfully quit using the method themselves. They must complete extensive training and become licensed members of the Association of Allen Carr Therapists International.
Throughout his career, Carr also co-authored a wide range of Easyway books addressing various addictions and behavioral issues, often collaborating with Robin Hayley and John C. Dicey, the current Chairman and Global CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway. Dicey, whom Carr mentored, continues to lead the organization’s development and public outreach.
Carr died of lung cancer in 2006 at age 72, though he had not smoked for 23 years. He attributed his illness to second-hand smoke exposure during seminars. Before his death, he remained committed to his mission, challenging governmental ties to nicotine replacement industries and advocating for wider access to his method.
Carr’s legacy continues through his clinics, books, and online programs, which have reached over 50 million people worldwide. His message remains consistent: quitting is not a sacrifice—it’s liberation.

Reviews

[Orsolya Toth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So hard to honestly rate this one. I was curious about it as his method for quitting smoking is so famous and seems to work. I'm not so convinced about this one though. Carr's advice is very basic, and could be summarized as 'don't eat junkfood'. And by junk he also means most dairy and meat, not just ultraprocessed or fast food. Pretty straightforward, and you wouldn't need to read a whole book about it. Does it work though? I'm not sure. It feels as though he almost wants to hypnotize you into the belief that you will only like healthy food (fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds) and will naturally not crave other stuff. Not convinced at all, but it may work for some.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hm.... I don't think so.

I was very curious to see how Allen Carr's Easy Way applied to losing weight, as one of my loved ones had success with the Easy Way in quitting smoking. Unfortunately this book was largely boring, unsophisticated, and also pushed a raw-vegan agenda. I don't have anything against this lifestyle, but I am sure you can find more eloquently written/better researched books on raw veganism!

Prospective readers are better off reading Allen Carr's original Easy Way to Quit Smoking and drawing their own parallels between that and food addiction.

For those who do want to read good books on food, nutrition and food psychology, I can happily recommend this 'better eating' bundle:

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan - who suggests you should eat what your ancestors ate in more modern times (post agriculture, pre Western colonisation). He also lives by the manifesto "Eat [real] food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Healthy As F*ck by Oonagh Duncan - she's really laugh-out-loud funny, kind, and has great tips for building healthy habits

Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth, which gently examines our often complicated and emotional relationships with food. I was recommended this book a long time ago by a loved one who recovered from an ED :)

[Liane · Rating 3 out of 5]

20 years ago I read the Easyway to Stop Smoking and quit a 40 a day habit when nothing else worked.
This book doesn’t quite have the same conviction, probably because it wasn’t written by Allen Carr. I get the concept but it’s fairly lukewarm whereas the stop smoking book punched me in the face.
Probably wouldn’t recommend this one but I do recommend the other one to every smoker I meet.

[Tashwazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only thing that helped me on my journey to lose 10 kgs

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 1 out of 5]

On page 160 Carr started talking about the Little Monster and the Big Monster. That's when he finally lost me. Up to that point his book even made sense to me, but for heaven's sake, why those two monsters?
I've read dozens and dozens of weight loss books, but not in one of them was ever any mention of a Little Monster and a Big Monster.
Is this a children's book?
Please!

[EMP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad I got this one from the library. Might be an okay supplement to reinforce a healthy eating plan, but it's simplistic and at times, condescending. The "for women" part seems to be just marketing since there was nothing gender specific about the information. As another reviewer mentioned, "don't eat junk food" is the basic premise.

[LoveAGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I don’t think everyone has to go raw vegan(suggested in this book), I do feel like this book helps a lot to combat the messages presented in advertising and marketing that can be harmful to us.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought I'd see what this was like since the quit smoking book worked so well for me over a decade ago! Not quite the same, as I expected...

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

A very interesting book to read. Gave me some some good ideas and things to consider. I will be putting these things into practice.

[Hilary German · Rating 3 out of 5]

So repetitive

[Shatanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because Allen Carr was the author of the book I read to quit smoking almost 12 years ago. This book is very similar to the easy way to quit smoking. Carr builds the argument for a weight loss and maintenance through logic. It shouldn’t have been, but it was revolutionary to think about how we have been brainwashed by society and media to believe food is entertainment or anything more than nourishment for our bodies. Carr does agree that food is enjoyable but he also puts it in its place for what it is. The first half of the book did a lot to shift my thought process around food and I believe in the long run will help me heal a very damaged relationship with food in my body. The second half of the book fell a little short for me as he is advocating for its fruit and vegetable-based diet because his claims are that is the way mother nature intended us to eat. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to change or challenge their mindset around food however maintain a balance between your own lifestyle and the one Allen Carr is advocating for