Just Eat: One Reporter's Quest for a Weight-Loss Regimen that Works

by Barry Estabrook

The  New York Times  bestselling author of  Tomatoland  test drives the most popular diets of our time, investigating the diet gurus, contradictory advice, and science behind the programs to reveal how we should—and shouldn’t—be dieting.
 
“Essential reading . . . This will completely change your ideas about what you should be eating.”—Ruth Reichl, author of  Save Me the Plums

Investigative journalist Barry Estabrook was often on the receiving end of his doctor’s scowl. Realizing he had two options—take more medication or lose weight—Estabrook chose the latter, but was paralyzed by the options. Which diet would keep the weight off? What program could he maintain over time? What diet works best—or even at all?

Over the course of three years, Estabrook tried the regimens behind the most popular diets of the past forty years—from paleo, keto, gluten-free, and veganism to the Master Cleanse, Whole30, Atkins, Weight Watchers—examining the people, claims, and science behind the fads, all while recording his mental and physical experience of following each one. Along the way, he discovered that all the branded programs are derived from just three diets. There  are  effective, scientifically valid takeaways to be cherry-picked . . . and the rest is just marketing. Perhaps most alarming, Estabrook uncovered how short-term weight loss can do long-term health damage that may go undetected for years. Estabrook contextualizes his reporting with an analysis of our culture’s bizarre dieting history, dating back to the late 1800s, to create a thorough—and thoroughly entertaining—look at what specific diets do to our bodies, why some are more effective than others, and why our relationship with food is so fraught.

Estabrook’s account is a relatable, pragmatic look into the ways we try to improve our health through dieting, revealing the answer may be to just eat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Food, Memoir, Diets, Audiobook, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

The author of Tomatoland and Pig Tales and a three-time James Beard Award winner, Barry Estabrook is a former contributing editor at Gourmet. He blogs at politicsoftheplate.com and lives in Vermont.

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, even though it fell short for me in a few areas. The author is a journalist who had health and weight problems that led him to try a variety of popular diets and interview the "experts" in most of them. He starts with a fascinating look at the early diet books, which were sometimes comical and often cringe-worthy. Then he talks about the fact that almost all diets basically drastically lower either fat or carbs. From there he devotes a chapter each to all the dietary rabbit trails he went down, with very in depth information on most. I was very disappointed in the low carb chapter since he lumped paleo, Atkins, South Beach, keto and others all together with most of the focus on Atkins and South Beach. He didn't try paleo or keto, and just opted to do SB. He complained often about how much chopping he had to do for that one, which struck me as odd. We chop a ton of veggies for dinner every night and it's just part of the prep (hubby is usually my sous chef and I do the cooking). If you're going to cook with fresh veggies, you have to chop them or buy them pre-chopped (it's not as healthy and costs more, but it's an option if otherwise produce is a deal breaker). And as someone who's been on a healthy keto diet for several months and had remarkable health and weight results, I was really disappointed that he just wrote that off and then basically ruled that low carb diets don't work and are unhealthy. People who follow a paleo diet could bring up similar issues.

He does take us on a really fascinating trip though, even traveling to one Mediterranean cook's Greek island home to eat her food and listen to her advice, along with visiting the homes and offices of many of our current gurus and experts. We go along with him as he tries everything from Whole 30 (he is not a fan) to Weight Watchers to vegan and more. He ends up taking a bit of the best advice from all of them and gets healthy by tailoring his eating to his own needs and the best bits from them all.

It's a great read, though not one I'd actually read for advice on any of the diets.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

[Leith Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book fascinating in some places and boring in others. The author was personally motivated to lose weight. He tried just about every diet yesterday can think of, with various degrees of success.
It was an enlightening read, but keep in mind that we all react differently to diets, and what works for one person may not work for you. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of— pardon the pun— food for thought here. Having tried a great deal of the diets and eating plans Estabrook researches here, it is interesting to see the tidbits we pick up from each that lead to a more healthful way of life.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley, Barry Estabrook and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

Is this yet another typical 'diet' book where the author swears that 'this' diet in particular is the cure all? No. Instead this book goes over a whole heap of different diets that are out there and it has the authors personally experience with them. The pros and cons. He goes from one to the next to the next. The end result? Well, I won't say but I can say that I'm not at all surprised. I am extremely familiar with food and the mind/body connection has.

I felt that it was also written in a way that made it rather interesting to read. It wasn't boring like so many books like that can be, so I can say I was pleasantly surprised by that.

I think people can learn alot from this book and if they really read it, it could hopefully, change their lives. Chronic dieters who are stuck in the cycle of losing weight and then gaining it all back, then losing it again, only to, yet again, gain it back. Once you understand the very basics as to why this happens, then you can make the right changes and be done with the neverending and very damaging cycle. Highly recommended this.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a dietitian, I was very interested in reading this book. It is written by a reporter who was told by his physician to lose weight. He explored several different weight loss programs, trying them out to see if any worked for him. It was well-written with a lot of good information. Both scientific and cultural ways of eating are covered. Unfortunately, I disagree with his conclusion. Still, it’s a good book for people who are interested in learning about various ways of eating. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Ashleigh Spicy Geek · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some part that I found very interesting while others I just wanted to skim through because of being repetitive and boring. I did really enjoy the parts about his own health and weight loss journey and how different cultures eat.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried, I commiserated. Probably my favorite book about diets ever, and I have read many.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re interested in diets, nutrition and food, this is a great read. Fascinating, fun and liberating.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew a book about diets could be so engaging. Barry Estabrook captured my attention with not just his subject matter, but his wit that accompanied it. Reading about any topic is always enhanced for me if it contains some humor, especially one of the drier topics like dieting.

Estabrook covers many of the top diets unleashed upon us in the last several decades. He also talks about the origins of these diets which I found quite interesting. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Whole30, Weight Watchers and the Loma Linda crowd (forget the name of that one).

I love this quote at the very beginning by Samuel Beckett: "Probably nothing in the world arouses more false hopes than the first four hours of a diet." How true, how true!

The book was inspiring and my biggest takeaway was this: the best diet plan for me is going to be the one that I can live with on a daily basis. For me this means I cannot live with a diet that prohibits meat or dairy. Ain't happening'!!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being told by his doctor that he needed to lose forty pounds, the author tries several diets and eventually figures out what works for him.

This was a quick, easy read with some interesting history of dieting and nutrition. Estabrook realizes that today's diets can be summed as belonging to either (1) decrease carbohydrates (2) decrease fat or (3) decrease calories. This makes it easier to understand the endless options out there of Paleo, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Mediterranean, etc. etc. I would have liked to have more pages of Estabrook's attempts at these diets and how they went for him rather than the couple page summary of each. What did I learn? I'm screwed because I am well and truly addicted to sugar. But maybe I can occasionally do smaller servings.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you enjoy "Fast Food Nation?" Well, this is the other side of the coin. Intrepid - and pudgy - reporter thoroughly researches weight reduction, goes back in history for Paleo and Kellogg, travels to Greece and Loma Linda, interviews popular diet gurus, and eats his way through a top 10 of popular diets, including South Beach, WW, and more. Told by his doctor to lose weight or face debilitating disease, Estabrook, an admitted gourmand and fan of the liberal at-home cocktail pour, flits from diet to diet and, gasp, finally realizes that he needs to choose joy over comfort, eliminate sugar, processed carbs, and alcohol while he enjoys less meat, more veggies and beans, fat from olive oil (not meat as is typical for Americans), daily exercise, and smaller amounts of higher quality ingredients.

I have cycled through many diets myself, although not as many as Estabrook flew through in a couple of years, and I share his hard-won wisdom. I finally got there after 25+ years at Weight Watchers (now WW) when I shifted to Noom last summer and shed 28 pounds that I'm finding pretty easy to keep off now that I've changed my habits. This book was a gift from another Noomer - she told me it underscored what we have learned from the app. She was right.

A worthwhile read for all of my fellow yo-yo-ers and diet followers. There is a lot of good, actionable information to be gleaned from the author's journey.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who has been on many diets outlined in this book (Weight Watchers when liver was required eating once a week, Dr. Pritiken, Dr. Ornish, South Beach, to name a few but never tried the KETO and won't after reading the author's description), I identified with the author's issues of not only sticking to the eating structure but also keeping off the weight after going off the diet. His method of giving the history of the diet and details on foods allowed and methods of preparation were helpful along with his own experiences of trying the plans.

For the most part, this was interesting although I think it could have been a bit more succinct in some areas but his information is solid and an informative read for anyone considering going on any of these diets.

I wasn't sure how I felt about how he resolved his weight issues as it seems all he needed to do was stop drinking alcohol and eat a little less, and the weight started falling off. For most of us who rarely drink anything except water and eat a fairly balanced diet yet still can't lose weight, this isn't very helpful, nor is it very fair. :-)

Also, those who can't read books with small print may want to get this in an e-book format as the book uses a horrible font that was difficult for these aging eyes to read.

[Kai Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

CW: fatphobia, body shaming, casual ableism

1.5/5☆~ the information regarding the history of diets & the founders of them is extremely interesting. unfortunately, this book continues to feed into diet culture and fatphobia and I would completely recommend that if you have a history of disordered eating or struggle with body shaming and self image to avoid this book.

this may not exactly be a diet book specifically, but it does continue to perpetuate the idea that you have to lose weight/be skinny/not be fat to be healthy. no thank you.

[Bruin Mccon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book about one reporter’s quest to examine diets and figure out which one works best. As anyone who has dramatically changed their diet knows, someone else’s plan usually doesn’t work for you. The conclusion he reaches is that bits and pieces of each major diet (Whole 30, WW, South Beach, etc.) holds some useful nuggets, but forget trying to follow every single rule.

I also appreciated his graphic story of being on a cleanse because it was well suited to a book skeptical of diet plans. I will say that this book is for well off folks. One of the diets he couldn’t follow because it was adding hours each week to prepare. There are many, many people who can’t spare extra hours like that; certainly most of us don’t have the ability to find an extra few hours every week, given child care responsibilities and work hours.

[Karianne Giard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the writing and the general message: diets are a scam and even the scientific community can’t agree on the best way to eat. Trigger warning: if you have some eating disorders or recovering from ED, this might not be the book for you since it presents a lot of diet culture theme and point of view.

[Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the article in Eating Well magazine that basically encapsulates this book. Depending on what you want to get from it, you may not need to read it - the article gives all the salient points. But the history of dieting and where the many diets come from was very interesting here. I didn't put this in my update feed because I don't want to trigger anyone, and I wouldn't recommend this book if diets and eating trigger you. I definitely have some disordered eating in my past, but for me, this book helped sort out the facts about the different diets and gave me some ideas to prioritize. It doesn't cover the emotional trauma brought by the many diets or by dieting in general, but it sticks to the facts and brings back some good data about what to eat and how to enjoy eating.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book is mostly just common sense about healthy eating. But it is nicely researched and gives a lot of factual information on the main types of diet, which would be low carb, low fat, and reduced calorie. And the valuable part is the author's personal experience of the different weight loss systems. He lists pitfalls, problems, and effectiveness. Many of us have gone through this, but he synthesizes and summarizes it all and ends up listing the common sense eating philosophy that guides him and led to a significant weight loss.

Thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really engaging book. Driven by his own health concerns, Estabrook researches and tries several major diets. He has incredible access, meeting with Dean Ornish and several other luminaries. The book is well-researched, and I think he tries to be fair - diet is very personal, and some things he can't tolerate, you might be able to. And the conclusion that he comes to is kind of obvious, but at least educated.

As someone who has looked into several of these diets herself, I found this book to be entertaining and informative. If you're interested in nutrition, or the weight loss process, this is a good book to check out.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food writer Barry Estabrook takes a look at the most popular current diet trends, and links them to historical diet fads, i.e. Atkins and South Beach are recycled ideas. Estabrook experiments himself with the different "lifestyles" only to come to the conclusion that participants lose weight while following regimes, then regain weight after returning to normal habits. Interesting historical perspective on food industry. Overall advice, modify your food habits to see what works for you, pick individualized tweaks you know you can maintain.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot say I learnt anything new but it was a great review of all the crazy and made eating habits. As a professional fat person who always has pounds to lose I am heartened by his conclusion as I have been following my own plan for about 3 years and have slowly lost weight. Exercises is extremely important even though every day I gym it is an effort. Eating and then waiting for my brain to register I have eaten is helpful. I liked his tone and his ability to poke fun at himself and dieters in general

[Barbara Lohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Registered Licensed Dietitian and was very interested in reading Just Eat. As a journalist, he reviews many diets, listing their pros and cons for himself and their reported long term success for others. I agree with his conclusion; it was my goal with each of my clients to discover what worked for them to achieve a healthy happy body. We are all wired differently and need to approach weight loss with a plan that we can live with and it is possible!

[Leslie Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

While wordy, this "not diet" book takes a good look at the diet world and how to lose weight without dieting. I particularly liked that he whittled the myriad of diets down to three basic ones and then described how you'd lose weight on all of them but are most likely to gain the weight back when you go off the diet. Instead, be mindful about what you eat and how you treat your body. I'm glad that I read this book.

[Terri T · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a person that wonders which of the diet approaches (in a sea of them) is the best for you, this is a very good read. There is lots to learn here and it's worth your time. The author tends to find reasons why none of the diet approaches work for him which I found slightly off putting, but in the end he puts a hybrid of all approaches together to do what works for him and does realize some results in his weight battle and that is good. Just don't expect any hard answers here.

[Beth Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not often read non-fiction, and, especially not diet books. However, I very much enjoyed this quick, engaging, tour of the history and evolution of popular and fad diets. I learned quite a few interesting tidbits on both absurd diets as well as differing cultural attitudes on food and how to eat for wellness.

This is not a diet book or a how-to book for weight loss. It was an interesting foray into the competing ideas around eating and health.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative, this book does not provide a diet plan, but instead is a general history of dieting, with the author taking a few experimental forays into popular approaches. I enjoyed reading it, and appreciated the general conclusion that people should adapt plans to fit themselves, rather than adapt themselves to fit a plan. It seems that Michael Pollan's advice still holds pretty well - 'eat food, not too much, mostly plants'.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Estabrook is a writer with the rare talent of making whatever subject he addresses more interesting than you’d ever thought possible, and this book is no exception. This clear-eyed, thoughtful, and very personal reportage about the history of the diet industrial complex in the US, and its impact on anyone who has considered following a specific plan for weight loss, is fascinating.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to start with the fact that I hate the typeface of this book.

Despite that, the content is very solid. I am not trying to lose weight, but to have a healthy diet and I have investigated many of the plans that are covered in this book, but I still found a lot of valuable info and a reminder of how I need to get back to my healthy eating habits.

[Jimbritt75 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I diet-skeptic’s breakdown of why basically every diet fails. The biggest takeaways for me are to target and eliminate my usual suspects, the bad actors (like sugar) that ruin my ability to lose weight; and I need to learn to take *joy* from eating, instead of *comfort.* Opt for the best ingredients, enjoy and savor mindfully. Don’t just consume food.

[James Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for an unbiased view

Estabrook has done what I only wish I could do, try firsthand a number of different diets guided by the people that developed them. His conclusion confirms what I have thought for a long time, yet I still get caught up in the smorgasbord of diets that are constantly being served. Thanks, Barry, for giving me permission to go ala carte.

[Lori Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good review of all the diets that have hit the media, both recently and back in Kellogg’s day. Unsurprising, the author concluded with a moderation diet, slowly losing weight that took a long time to put on. Changing habits one at a time is not glamorous or quick, but it is effective and sustaining.