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Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting
From New York Times bestselling author Bethenny Frankel, the book that started it Naturally Thin. Bethenny Frankel, reality TV star, “Queen of Cocktails,” and “Mommy Mogul” has always had a passion for preparing and enjoying healthful, natural foods and sharing that love.The New York Times bestseller Naturally Thin shows how anyone can banish their Heavy Habits, embrace Thin Thoughts, and enjoy satisfying meals, snacks, and drinks without the guilt. Armed with Bethenny’s rules, you will -I know when I am really hungry -When I’m really hungry, I look for high-volume, fiber-rich foods -I can have any food I want -I love the taste of real food With more than thirty simple, delicious recipes (including her famous SkinnyGirl Margarita), a one-week program to jump-start readers on the Naturally Thin lifestyle, and warm, witty encouragement on every page, Frankel serves up a book for a healthier and thinner life.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2009
348 people are currently reading
1055 people want to read
About the author
Bethenny Frankel
20 books248 followersBethenny Frankel has a knack for making healthy food taste delicious. That knack, which started out as a hobby and was enhanced with formal training, has elevated her to national prominence as a celebrated natural food chef, the creator of the phenomenal new Skinnygirl Margarita, and The New York Times best selling author of Naturally Thin.
Frankel, who calls herself a "health foodie” and attended the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, focuses on sharing with others her knowledge and passion for healthy living. In addition to her monthly column in Health Magazine, she is regularly featured in national publications from The New York Times to the weekly entertainment magazines. She’s also a sought-after guest on national news and entertainment television, where she brings her expertise and irresistibly candid and funny take not only to food segments but to any conversation about living healthy and living well.
Frankel’s wit, wisdom and humor came to national attention when she was named first runner-up on NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Network executives saw a personality they couldn’t ignore and put her center stage weekly on Bravo’s hit series “The Real Housewives of New York,” now in its third season. Though technically not a “wife,” she has emerged as the star of the series, with a huge network of fans, a job as national spokesperson for Pepperidge Farm's Baked Naturals® and Deli Flats(trademark), and her own spin-off series now in production.
Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting debuted this year on The New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed for an astonishing for 18 consecutive weeks. Frankel’s second book, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life will be released January 5, 2010, just in time to support “new year, new me” resolutions with delicious, practical, effective recipes and lifestyle tweaks. Skinnygirl Dish showcases Frankel’s renowned “fix-ology” . . . her ability to take calorie-rich foods and revamp them to create healthier versions without compromising flavor.
Her skill as a fixologist applies to cocktails too . . . she has just this fall launched The Skinnygirl Margarita, a bottled, pre-mixed beverage made with clear tequila, lime juice and only a splash of citrus liqueur, which drastically reduces the calories of the traditional cocktail. All natural and lightly sweetened with agave nectar, it has only 100 calories in a full 4 oz. serving.
As the go-to blogger for all things reality and lifestyle, Frankel wields her pen like a sword, ensuring that readers will get the unvarnished truth along with common sense, expertise and a healthy – always healthy – dose of humor. She is on a mission to democratize healthy living, making information available to everyone she can reach through her appearances, books, columns and blogs.
Frankel lives in Manhattan with her dog Cookie. She will be marrying her other love, Jason Hoppy, this spring and they will welcome their first child in early summer.
From her website
Frankel, who calls herself a "health foodie” and attended the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, focuses on sharing with others her knowledge and passion for healthy living. In addition to her monthly column in Health Magazine, she is regularly featured in national publications from The New York Times to the weekly entertainment magazines. She’s also a sought-after guest on national news and entertainment television, where she brings her expertise and irresistibly candid and funny take not only to food segments but to any conversation about living healthy and living well.
Frankel’s wit, wisdom and humor came to national attention when she was named first runner-up on NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Network executives saw a personality they couldn’t ignore and put her center stage weekly on Bravo’s hit series “The Real Housewives of New York,” now in its third season. Though technically not a “wife,” she has emerged as the star of the series, with a huge network of fans, a job as national spokesperson for Pepperidge Farm's Baked Naturals® and Deli Flats(trademark), and her own spin-off series now in production.
Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting debuted this year on The New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed for an astonishing for 18 consecutive weeks. Frankel’s second book, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life will be released January 5, 2010, just in time to support “new year, new me” resolutions with delicious, practical, effective recipes and lifestyle tweaks. Skinnygirl Dish showcases Frankel’s renowned “fix-ology” . . . her ability to take calorie-rich foods and revamp them to create healthier versions without compromising flavor.
Her skill as a fixologist applies to cocktails too . . . she has just this fall launched The Skinnygirl Margarita, a bottled, pre-mixed beverage made with clear tequila, lime juice and only a splash of citrus liqueur, which drastically reduces the calories of the traditional cocktail. All natural and lightly sweetened with agave nectar, it has only 100 calories in a full 4 oz. serving.
As the go-to blogger for all things reality and lifestyle, Frankel wields her pen like a sword, ensuring that readers will get the unvarnished truth along with common sense, expertise and a healthy – always healthy – dose of humor. She is on a mission to democratize healthy living, making information available to everyone she can reach through her appearances, books, columns and blogs.
Frankel lives in Manhattan with her dog Cookie. She will be marrying her other love, Jason Hoppy, this spring and they will welcome their first child in early summer.
From her website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
February 9, 2016
Maybe when a lot of people see the cover of this book, their first instinct is something like Emmett’s concerns from that conversation in the awesome movie that encouraged so many of us girls to go to law school, Legally Blonde:
Emmett: She seems completely untrustworthy to me.
Elle: Why?
Emmett: This is a person who's made her living . . . by telling women that they're too fat.
Elle: Brooke would never tell a woman she was too fat.
Emmett: And she seems like she's hiding something.
Elle: Maybe it's not what you think.
Emmett: Maybe it's exactly what I think.
Elle: You're really being a butthead.
Emmett: A butthead? Why would you call me that?
Elle: You need to have a little more faith in people. You might be surprised.
Emmett: I can't believe you called me a butthead. No one's called me that since the ninth grade.
Elle: Maybe not to your face.
There is a lot of stigma against talking about the possibility of women being fat or ugly. Unless, of course, they are on TV, in which case almost all we talk about is whether they are fat or ugly, too skinny or have bad hair. Except, not fat – we instead use euphemisms, like, “She looks unhealthy,” or, “It seems like she hasn’t been eating as well as she used to,” or even, “Muffin top!” But, it’s kind of weird because I always end up feeling like treating it as terrible to suggest a woman might be fat makes it even more shameful for a woman who just factually knows she is overweight to acknowledge it.
And I do think this comes from how often we hear men say things like that douchey guy on the Bachelorette last week. What was it he said? . . . Something like, “God made you to be beautiful, so if you get fat, I might still love you, but I won’t love on you.” And when men talk about women being overweight at all, it is usually that, with no thought that anyone could ever legitimately love someone who is fat. Even though we all objectively know that people love, and love on, fat people all the time. So, it’s never just a description, just something about a person that is human and beautiful for its humanity, in those circumstances. Instead, it carries with it all this baggage of women being told since we were born that fat means unlovable. So, guys, that is why women react to things you say about our appearances – because sometimes it just sounds douchey, like the Bachelorette dude, and other times it might be fine on its own, but it is loaded with all of the douchiness of the Bachelorette dudes we have known.
Anyway, I think that the fear of naming fat also turns into a judgment about girls who talk about wanting to lose weight. I think it is common for other girls to feel like weight-loss girls have bought into the pressure on women to be vacant bodies, and so there is a tendency to feel nervous around weight-loss girls because they might reprimand you for actually inhabiting your body. But, I think there’s just a small step of vocabulary from talking about dieting to talking about health, so it strikes me as often more of a style judgment to shun dieting girls than a substantive disagreement. In general. On the other hand, I'm sure anyone who has a personality, or does what she wants, or doesn't look like a model has felt reprimanded for it, and probably by other girls as much as guys.
And for all of this there is the exception for the annoying person, gender neutral, who has found some magical health plan and wants to tell you about it all the time. Woof.
Weight and health are complicated.
So, this is a pretty cool book. I think it is marketed towards girls who habitually diet and are really stressed out by the idea of being unlovable because they inhabit their bodies and don’t look like Heidi Klum. And probably most of us have at least had thoughts about that, even those who do look like Heidi Klum – because no one ever looks enough like Heidi Klum, not even Heidi Klum.
The main point of this book is that you should listen to your own body, and it will tell you the way it feels best. It advocates a lot for not thinking your body is bad and not thinking food is bad because, while those things are often part of dieting, they ultimately usually lead to unhealthiness and feeling crappy. And I thought it was cool how the book acknowledged that everyone’s bodies are different, but it still gave some good guidelines for if a person’s body has been so messed up by dieting that they’re in a perpetual binge-and-fast state.
Also, there are some crazy cool recipes in here and ideas about making healthier versions of things. For example, there is a whole section at the end of cocktail ideas she has. They all sound pretty legit. Also, there is a recipe for a brown rice oatmeal type of breakfast, and I am pretty excited about that.
I did not love A Place of Yes, and I will admit that I don’t think Bethenny’s speaking ability translates incredibly smoothly to writing in this book either, but I feel like Bethenny really loves and cares about food and you can see her passion for women’s health and strength in this book. It has a lot of purpose, and it is really great. Like Brooke Taylor Windham, she wouldn’t call a woman fat, but she will tell you to get off your ass and start taking care of yourself. And I think we can all use that kind of encouragement.
She is sweet in this picture:
________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but I didn't promise to like it.
Emmett: She seems completely untrustworthy to me.
Elle: Why?
Emmett: This is a person who's made her living . . . by telling women that they're too fat.
Elle: Brooke would never tell a woman she was too fat.
Emmett: And she seems like she's hiding something.
Elle: Maybe it's not what you think.
Emmett: Maybe it's exactly what I think.
Elle: You're really being a butthead.
Emmett: A butthead? Why would you call me that?
Elle: You need to have a little more faith in people. You might be surprised.
Emmett: I can't believe you called me a butthead. No one's called me that since the ninth grade.
Elle: Maybe not to your face.
There is a lot of stigma against talking about the possibility of women being fat or ugly. Unless, of course, they are on TV, in which case almost all we talk about is whether they are fat or ugly, too skinny or have bad hair. Except, not fat – we instead use euphemisms, like, “She looks unhealthy,” or, “It seems like she hasn’t been eating as well as she used to,” or even, “Muffin top!” But, it’s kind of weird because I always end up feeling like treating it as terrible to suggest a woman might be fat makes it even more shameful for a woman who just factually knows she is overweight to acknowledge it.
And I do think this comes from how often we hear men say things like that douchey guy on the Bachelorette last week. What was it he said? . . . Something like, “God made you to be beautiful, so if you get fat, I might still love you, but I won’t love on you.” And when men talk about women being overweight at all, it is usually that, with no thought that anyone could ever legitimately love someone who is fat. Even though we all objectively know that people love, and love on, fat people all the time. So, it’s never just a description, just something about a person that is human and beautiful for its humanity, in those circumstances. Instead, it carries with it all this baggage of women being told since we were born that fat means unlovable. So, guys, that is why women react to things you say about our appearances – because sometimes it just sounds douchey, like the Bachelorette dude, and other times it might be fine on its own, but it is loaded with all of the douchiness of the Bachelorette dudes we have known.
Anyway, I think that the fear of naming fat also turns into a judgment about girls who talk about wanting to lose weight. I think it is common for other girls to feel like weight-loss girls have bought into the pressure on women to be vacant bodies, and so there is a tendency to feel nervous around weight-loss girls because they might reprimand you for actually inhabiting your body. But, I think there’s just a small step of vocabulary from talking about dieting to talking about health, so it strikes me as often more of a style judgment to shun dieting girls than a substantive disagreement. In general. On the other hand, I'm sure anyone who has a personality, or does what she wants, or doesn't look like a model has felt reprimanded for it, and probably by other girls as much as guys.
And for all of this there is the exception for the annoying person, gender neutral, who has found some magical health plan and wants to tell you about it all the time. Woof.
Weight and health are complicated.
So, this is a pretty cool book. I think it is marketed towards girls who habitually diet and are really stressed out by the idea of being unlovable because they inhabit their bodies and don’t look like Heidi Klum. And probably most of us have at least had thoughts about that, even those who do look like Heidi Klum – because no one ever looks enough like Heidi Klum, not even Heidi Klum.
The main point of this book is that you should listen to your own body, and it will tell you the way it feels best. It advocates a lot for not thinking your body is bad and not thinking food is bad because, while those things are often part of dieting, they ultimately usually lead to unhealthiness and feeling crappy. And I thought it was cool how the book acknowledged that everyone’s bodies are different, but it still gave some good guidelines for if a person’s body has been so messed up by dieting that they’re in a perpetual binge-and-fast state.
Also, there are some crazy cool recipes in here and ideas about making healthier versions of things. For example, there is a whole section at the end of cocktail ideas she has. They all sound pretty legit. Also, there is a recipe for a brown rice oatmeal type of breakfast, and I am pretty excited about that.
I did not love A Place of Yes, and I will admit that I don’t think Bethenny’s speaking ability translates incredibly smoothly to writing in this book either, but I feel like Bethenny really loves and cares about food and you can see her passion for women’s health and strength in this book. It has a lot of purpose, and it is really great. Like Brooke Taylor Windham, she wouldn’t call a woman fat, but she will tell you to get off your ass and start taking care of yourself. And I think we can all use that kind of encouragement.
She is sweet in this picture:
________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but I didn't promise to like it.
February 10, 2022
I'm working on being naturally thin and this book gives reasonable advice: eat less. Be balanced in the types of food. Eat as naturally as you can. But some of the specific advice felt like it tip-toed on unhealthy. Only order small plates. Always offer the people at your table food off your plate before you eat. Only order one drink and sip it slowly, letting the ice melt so you're drinking more water and fewer calories. Only have bites until the food doesn't taste as good as it did in the first bites. Throw away what you don't want to consume It's a quick easy read and it's truly how skinny people are skinny.
October 5, 2011
I found this book an interesting read. On the one hand, a lot of what Bethenny says makes sense - stop eating when you're full. Listen to your body's hunger signals. Eat more vegetables and less refined sugar. Make the best choice possible. Two of her eating tips in particular resonated with me - treating your diet like a bank balance - if you have a huge lunch, don't have a huge dinner - and you can have it all, just not at once - so don't have a big dinner, wine AND dessert, pick the one you want the most and have that.
On the other, a lot of this book reads like it was written by someone who has an incredibly problematic relationship with food and who lives in a place that is very far removed from real life. Bethenny is constantly eating half of something or taking two bites and throwing the rest out. I wanted to reach into the book and save all of the food being wasted! It was like leaving some food behind proved that she had won her battle and the food had lost. Why not just put less on your plate and then eat it all? The back section of the book outlines everything Bethenny eats in a week and it disturbed me. It was not a healthy plan.
Also, Bethenny, if I went out to dinner and ordered a $12 entree while my friend ordered a $38 eye fillet and then I ended up eating a quarter of their meal, no matter how many times I offered them a bite of my crab cakes, I'd never get invited out to dinner again. If you want the steak, order the damn steak!
On the other, a lot of this book reads like it was written by someone who has an incredibly problematic relationship with food and who lives in a place that is very far removed from real life. Bethenny is constantly eating half of something or taking two bites and throwing the rest out. I wanted to reach into the book and save all of the food being wasted! It was like leaving some food behind proved that she had won her battle and the food had lost. Why not just put less on your plate and then eat it all? The back section of the book outlines everything Bethenny eats in a week and it disturbed me. It was not a healthy plan.
Also, Bethenny, if I went out to dinner and ordered a $12 entree while my friend ordered a $38 eye fillet and then I ended up eating a quarter of their meal, no matter how many times I offered them a bite of my crab cakes, I'd never get invited out to dinner again. If you want the steak, order the damn steak!
Read
May 27, 2009This book changed my life! I got rid of Weight Watchers, got rid of the baggage, and got rid of 12 lbs in the first 6 weeks I started following the book's advice. It may have come at the right time for me, but it did what no other diet book did - it worked, and it was (for the most part) painless. The author tells it like it is, and its like getting advice from a friend that understands where you're coming from, not a doctor or scientist with some ideal way of eating.
September 10, 2011
This book was kind of a mixed bag. The first half, in which Bethenny talks about her 10 rules for living naturally thin, was great. I think her rules make a lot of sense and are some great tennents to live by. They're all about keeping your food choices in balancing, watching your portion sizes, and not eating just for the sake of eating. Made a lot of sense.
The second half of the book, in which she takes you through a week of eating to be naturally thin, I didn't love as much. The sections in which she talks about what she actually ate during the week would be great for a person who has already met their weight loss goals and is looking for a way to maintain and live a healthy and full lifestyle without obsessing -- but it's not a way to lose weight in the first place. For starters, she never once mentions doing any kind of exercise. She says that she runs around a lot all week and keeps busy and that's how she gets her exercise. Which might be fine for some people, but for anyone who has real weight to lose, exercise is going to be key. And just for getting healthy -- you can't just start taking small bites of everything and expect to do your heart any favors.
As I was reading the second half, I kept thinking that what she really means by eating naturally thin is just not eating all that much. Though she did eat things like egg white omelets with veggies and salads and so on, a lot of what she says she ate during that week was just a lot of small bites of crap -- a bit of someone elses decadent dessert, a couple of bites of a fried appetizer. I just don't think that they way she actually eats, compared with the otherwise smart rules she touts in the book, is any kind of example to follow if you're trying to get in shape and healthy and stay that way. It's more for girls who are already thin. Because really, if you've got a lot of weight to lose and some bad habits to break, the amount of will power that this book assumes you have to just, basically, not eat as much any more, is going to be a big stumbling block.
Once I got to the appendix, where there was a table of three weeks' worth of her eating habits, what she ate did seem rather more healthy than at first glance in the disjointed sidebars throughout the book. But, it was still a lot of just not eating very much, so, I still think that, while everyone should take the 10 rules she lists to heart and apply them to their weight loss efforts, don't pay any attention to or try to follow how Bethenny claims to actually eat.
In fairness, she never says you should, but I think that she could have chosen better examples to show her program in action than having half a candy bar for a snack and talking about how fruit is kind of a crap snack because it's not going to be what you really want and you'll only be hungry again later. C'mon, Bethenny.
The second half of the book, in which she takes you through a week of eating to be naturally thin, I didn't love as much. The sections in which she talks about what she actually ate during the week would be great for a person who has already met their weight loss goals and is looking for a way to maintain and live a healthy and full lifestyle without obsessing -- but it's not a way to lose weight in the first place. For starters, she never once mentions doing any kind of exercise. She says that she runs around a lot all week and keeps busy and that's how she gets her exercise. Which might be fine for some people, but for anyone who has real weight to lose, exercise is going to be key. And just for getting healthy -- you can't just start taking small bites of everything and expect to do your heart any favors.
As I was reading the second half, I kept thinking that what she really means by eating naturally thin is just not eating all that much. Though she did eat things like egg white omelets with veggies and salads and so on, a lot of what she says she ate during that week was just a lot of small bites of crap -- a bit of someone elses decadent dessert, a couple of bites of a fried appetizer. I just don't think that they way she actually eats, compared with the otherwise smart rules she touts in the book, is any kind of example to follow if you're trying to get in shape and healthy and stay that way. It's more for girls who are already thin. Because really, if you've got a lot of weight to lose and some bad habits to break, the amount of will power that this book assumes you have to just, basically, not eat as much any more, is going to be a big stumbling block.
Once I got to the appendix, where there was a table of three weeks' worth of her eating habits, what she ate did seem rather more healthy than at first glance in the disjointed sidebars throughout the book. But, it was still a lot of just not eating very much, so, I still think that, while everyone should take the 10 rules she lists to heart and apply them to their weight loss efforts, don't pay any attention to or try to follow how Bethenny claims to actually eat.
In fairness, she never says you should, but I think that she could have chosen better examples to show her program in action than having half a candy bar for a snack and talking about how fruit is kind of a crap snack because it's not going to be what you really want and you'll only be hungry again later. C'mon, Bethenny.
May 16, 2023
I am always interested in health, nutrition and fitness so I wanted to read this book and see what concepts were inside. I read "French Women Don't Get Fat" and thought it had some great concepts so I wanted to compare. Out of the two books, I thought that "French Women Don't Get Fat" was better written. There were some typos in this book that annoyed me (for example: spelling sugar "sguar"---hello editor!) Overall, there were some concepts that I thought were interesting but nothing that was revolutionary. She said the same thing over and over again in the book until I felt like I was reading the same sentence a million times. I get that she was trying to drill her point in but please don't insult my intelligence. The writing made me drift away sometimes and not stay focused and then have to go back and read it again. I didn't like some of "rules" and didn't agree with some of them. I don't care what she says about wasting food being OK and not being able to finish meals because a few bites add up. I understand that portions are larger in today's society but I also don't agree that you shouldn't finish something if you are hungry...and if you don't finish something when you are hungry, how are you not deprived? You have to adapt what is good for you from the book and then walk away from it and do what is best in your life. Also, the recipes in the "french" book are much better. I got a bunch of good recipes for fruit and veggies in that book but a lot of the ingredients that are in the recipes for this book are not readily available in my pantry. I don't stock up on vegan ingredients or soy cheese so for me that just doesn't work. Not a bad book to read to get ideas to better your health, but use your own discreation of what is good for you. Not a terrible read but surely not one of my favorites either.
May 15, 2016
This book sucks. It's all common sense written in a way to make you feel like you have no common sense. She says everyone is naturally thin, but the book is written from a perspective of someone who is really naturally thin and thinks that everyone who is fat chooses to be (in some ways that's true), and is written in a very condescending way. The point of diminishing taste, or whatever it is: take only 3 bites of the steak because that's when it'll stop tasting as good? What if my whole dam steak tastes amazing from start to finish. Her example of a binge eating session made me laugh. That's something a naturally skinny girl would consider a binge. You do not need to read this book to understand common sense about eating. The book also repeats itself over and over. The rules are basically the same advice rewritten. This book would have been easier to read had it only been 100 pages, including recipes. And the recipes are not delicious; interesting and pretty, but lack a depth of flavor. I borrowed this book because I like watching her on tv, but she is not a writer, and I feel this book was half hazardly put together to capitalize on her name and make money. It worked! and for that reason alone I still like her. But do not buy this book.
June 26, 2010
I'm pretty embarrassed to admit I've read this. But, alas, I have. I've never had a weight problem but I do love Bethenny and her show (blushing hard now) and wanted to see what the buzz is about. Many of the things she said to practice I already do. I'm definitely of the "nothing is off limits, just eat in moderation" camp and the whole concept of just getting a small cup of soup/salad and then sharing with others is something I do all the time (I'm famous for making my kids get fries so I can have a couple!) Also none of the "heavy habits" she listed apply to me. But I did get some things out of the book. I am very guilty of eating on the run, in front of my computer, standing up. I don't have the food "noise" she discusses in her book but I have my own kind... food annoys me because it takes time to prepare and consume (and I'm so not a fast food person). I wish I was in a Jetson's kind of world where a whole meal comes in a capsule! I don't enjoy eating unless it's out to dinner with friends/family and that is just more for the social aspect. This book did help me see food in a different light and I will try to slow down and enjoy it and appreciate it more. I've vowed no more computer eating! We'll see how that stands up.
Overall I enjoyed Bethenny's take on food and her emphasis not to be obsessive about it. Her humorous approach also makes a "diet book" a lot more palatable (so to speak). A lot of it was very repetitive but I guess that's to be expected from this type of tome. Also she uses "absurd" and "as big as your head" one gazillion times. All in, glad I read it. I think it's a great read for anyone who struggles with their weight or even people who want to be healthier.
Overall I enjoyed Bethenny's take on food and her emphasis not to be obsessive about it. Her humorous approach also makes a "diet book" a lot more palatable (so to speak). A lot of it was very repetitive but I guess that's to be expected from this type of tome. Also she uses "absurd" and "as big as your head" one gazillion times. All in, glad I read it. I think it's a great read for anyone who struggles with their weight or even people who want to be healthier.
April 26, 2009
I finished this book in a day -- obviously a cry for help on my part. My first response was "wow, I just spent $16 on a book that says eat less". Duh! However, as I got on with it, some of Frankel's tips are really good -- mostly the one that encourages you to pay attention to what you are doing with your eating. She also trivializes food -- "it is just food" which, in my case is good -- puts things into perspective. I haven't committed to memory all of her rules but two or three that I find very helpful. Upon reading her rules, I realized that my mother who was definitely naturally thin, did many of the same things that Frankel suggests and she didn't read it in a book. I think the book has some sounds, common sense advice which we have all heard other places. I think some of the recipes are really good and I think the scenarios she spells out are really "real life". However, I don't care for a lot of the food that she has on her plan, I don't drink and I do cook for a diabetic husband but I have eaten out for the last two or three days, applying some of her principals and I have felt better, lighter and I have lost a couple of pounds. So, all in all, it wasn't a waste of $16.
May 1, 2009
Such a waste except for a few decent recipes and a couple of tips. Basically, the message is "Don't eat". Hello. No new news here. But seriously, one thing I did get out of it (which is common sense but I don't always think about it) is that if you eat a carb based breakfast like a bagel, then don't do a sandwich for lunch. Balance what you eat. So Frankel does have some wisdom to share; however, reading her 3-week daily food intake at the back of the book kills any credibility when you see that she eats about 500 calories per day.
March 29, 2024
This was basically a ripoff of Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. It was written after Mindless Eating and references NO studies yet uses almost all of the same practices/tools. Some of the principles are rooted in Mindless Eating, others are basically "this is how I do it, and so should you" mentality. I think Frankel is coming from a good place but I think it would be difficult in application without some basic knowledge in nutrition.
November 18, 2025
This book does not help, especially if you have a thyroid disease that prevents you from losing weight. Honestly I felt miserable following it more than anything. It feels like reading and learning disordered thoughts. This can trigger an ed in someone. I can’t recommend it
March 21, 2017
This is my second time reading this book and it is still amazing! What a great point of view and added support in the journey to having a better relationship with food.
August 16, 2011
For those of you searching for your next diet plan book, turn back, because you won't find it here! However, if you are intrigued by Bethenny Frankel as a personality or by her attitudes and philosophies regarding food and health, that's what you'll get with this book. I decided to read this one because I've been a fan of Bethenny since she first appeared on the Real Housewives of New York on Bravo, and I also wanted to find out if she had some sort of 'miracle mindset' when it came to eating and nutrition. Bethenny does make some interesting observations and sets forth clear (albeit pretty commonsense) guidelines for being naturally thin. She outlines her ten rules for a naturally thin lifestyle, among them reducing portion size, thinking of your diet as a bank account, and limiting the amount of processed food you eat. While there was nothing revelatory here, I actually kind of enjoyed reading Bethenny's take on nutrition and healthy eating. What I did not like about the book was that it claimed to contain a week-long jump-start plan for starting with the Naturally Thin lifestyle, and it really didn't. The second part of the book did have some guidelines to get you started for one week, but not a full and well-thought out week-long health plan. I also could have done without the celebrity name dropping, but maybe that's just me. I have already tried a couple of the recipes contained within the book; Bethenny's Faux Cheesecake was yummy and definitely satisfies a sweet tooth, and the Ultra-Healthy Mexican Chili was tasty, but needed to be doctored up with a lot more spice! I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a healthful lifestyle advice book, or for those who admire Bethenny or are fans of her personality.
June 20, 2013
Life is just too short.
Let me start at the beginning....I ashamedly enjoy Bethenny Frankel on TV. I love her pushy ways and her way of observing life, but she should NOT be a writer NOR....should she be known as a whiz at "skinny plans".
This book was so badly written...and the 10 steps were so lame, I found myself rolling my eyes more than noting good ideas. I ended up (after reading more than 3/4 of the book) throwing it onto my floor and yelling "ENOUGH ALREADY".....the book could have been a lot shorter...and really, if her steps were that simple, all people would be skinnygirls.
I am happy to report I do not need her insight to be happy, healthy...or real.
I do not recommend this book..not to anyone. It is rare I feel that way about a book, and I gave it a fair chance, but there was nothing redeemable about the book. I'm just happy to no longer have the book on my shelf.
Ugh.
Let me start at the beginning....I ashamedly enjoy Bethenny Frankel on TV. I love her pushy ways and her way of observing life, but she should NOT be a writer NOR....should she be known as a whiz at "skinny plans".
This book was so badly written...and the 10 steps were so lame, I found myself rolling my eyes more than noting good ideas. I ended up (after reading more than 3/4 of the book) throwing it onto my floor and yelling "ENOUGH ALREADY".....the book could have been a lot shorter...and really, if her steps were that simple, all people would be skinnygirls.
I am happy to report I do not need her insight to be happy, healthy...or real.
I do not recommend this book..not to anyone. It is rare I feel that way about a book, and I gave it a fair chance, but there was nothing redeemable about the book. I'm just happy to no longer have the book on my shelf.
Ugh.
March 19, 2009
Quite frankly, this book gives much of the same advice as French Women Don't Get Fat just with a different voice and a less keen copy editor. I know that editing a book is tough work, but failing to include a day's meal and allowing "turn the television of" and "sguar" to slip made it difficult for me to see this as anything other than a rush-job book to capitalize on the Frankel's popularity courtesy of the Real Housewives of New York City.
Frankel's book is in the same chatty vein as Skinny Bitch and How to Eat Like a Hot Chick without the overt bitchiness or the overt pandering to the Sex & the City lover.
Ultimately, Frankel's book has some solid advice about changing your mindset about food and dieting, and it contains a nice amount of recipes. Quite frankly, save your money. Review her 10 guidelines at the bookstore, and then find her recipes online.
Frankel's book is in the same chatty vein as Skinny Bitch and How to Eat Like a Hot Chick without the overt bitchiness or the overt pandering to the Sex & the City lover.
Ultimately, Frankel's book has some solid advice about changing your mindset about food and dieting, and it contains a nice amount of recipes. Quite frankly, save your money. Review her 10 guidelines at the bookstore, and then find her recipes online.
December 14, 2011
I have mixed feelings about this book. First the good: The 10 Rules were very commonsensical and I hope to remember them. Frankel was low-key, low-stress. And the bad: The title. I don't want my granddaughters obsessing about their weight/looks--the media and the world does it way too much! "Skinny, thin, fat" are words that we talk way too much about. Although Frankel says not to be obsessive, she is. I think she has found a platform to make money and be famous. I think she is anorexic at best. Eating little bits of food is ridiculous. Here is an example: "I craved something sweet, so I chose a ramekin of soy ice cream. That wasn't quite enough, so I ate just the frosting off a BethennyBakes (promoting her product) cupcake. Perfect! I didn't need the cupcake part, so instead of worrying about "wasting" it, I threw it away. Enough said.
May 31, 2009
I've been reading this on my iPhone/Kindle and it's the perfect book for that - especially when you are waiting in the restaurant to be seated for dinner. :) The author's writing style is self-deprecating, approachable, honest and enjoyable - and she is not rabid about weight loss and health success. Her tips are reasonable and her common sensical approach is refreshing.
This book is definitely more of a "check-it-outer" than a "buy-it-nower." Borrow it from a friend - read it in a day - take the tips and move on. Don't expect your entire life to change from it, but it does have some handy recommendations.
This book is definitely more of a "check-it-outer" than a "buy-it-nower." Borrow it from a friend - read it in a day - take the tips and move on. Don't expect your entire life to change from it, but it does have some handy recommendations.
June 16, 2009
I read tons of fitness/diet books b/c that's what I studied in school and I love learning new things and it's interesting to me. This is my favorite book that I've read in a long time as far as nutritional advice goes. Why? She doesn't recommend dieting, cutting calories or food groups, or having to change your entire life to reach your goal. She gives tips and guidelines to be healthy for life while still losing weight. I love her sense of humor in the book and there are also tons of great healthy recipes too.
May 23, 2009
I actually really liked the book. It reinforced things that I already know, but forget about. The looking at food differently part helped me to lose 5 lbs very quickly. It's the way I used to look at food, but had forgotten - eat what you want, but not everything. When on my own I am pretty good about this, but I am still working on that when eating with hubby. By itself I would not say that it is an excellent plan, but as a supplement to other plans it is great.
June 19, 2009
Some great recipes in this one. I find some of Frankel's suggestions a little hard to swallow . . . likely because I love to eat so much, but several of her suggestions clicked with me. I'm eating a little bit healthier, thanks to this book. I don't expect to become "Naturally Thin," but if I improve my health one iota and feel better because of it, it'll be worth the time spent reading.
I'd recommend it.
I'll be saving this one with my recipe books.
I'd recommend it.
I'll be saving this one with my recipe books.
April 26, 2024
I am a big Bethenny fan. Therefore, I was quite excited to read this book. While there were some insightful tips and thought processes I still use to this day, the content just felt like it dragged on and was dry. Granted, I’ve never read a diet book so I’m not sure what I was expecting. As someone who has struggled with weight, I will say the one piece I feel like was missed was the emotional aspect; personally, I felt like that should have been dug into on a deeper level.
September 9, 2013
How to get thin the natural way, by not eating.
February 12, 2012
How to be an almost socially acceptable anoretic.
September 16, 2012
This book has changed the way I think about food. I've always been somewhat naturally thin, but now I eat differently because of what Bethenny shared in her book. It's a great read!
December 9, 2013
Nothing really new here that I haven't heard before.
March 19, 2016
She spells out certain things I did not know, very straight forward advice, no nonsense. This I like. Sometimes repeats herself, this is a bit annoying...
May 18, 2018
I don’t really know much about the author because I don’t drink. I do think she is a strong woman who built her brand on tv.
1. Your diet is like a bank account
2. You can have it all, just not all at once.
3. Taste everything, eat nothing. When faced with a lot of indulgent choices, just have a bite or two or three of what you really want. The sum total will equal a meal, but you won’t have gone overboard.
4. Pay attention. Notice what you are eating. When you eat, eat. Don’t eat while doing something else, because you won’t get the satisfaction out of your food and you’ll end up eating more than you realize
5. Downsize now.
6. Cancel your membership in the clean plate club.
7. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. it’s important to remember that food is not the enemy and it is not your best friend. It is just food.
8. Know thyself. Forget about what all the “experts” say and pay attention to you.
9. Get real. Eat more real food and less process stuff.
10. Good for you. Take care of yourself. Invest in yourself. Do what’s right for you, what’s healthy for you, what’s good for you. Exercise. Drink lots of water. Take a vitamin. Get enough sleep. Build a firm foundation of good health and self care and you can do anything.
1. Your diet is like a bank account
2. You can have it all, just not all at once.
3. Taste everything, eat nothing. When faced with a lot of indulgent choices, just have a bite or two or three of what you really want. The sum total will equal a meal, but you won’t have gone overboard.
4. Pay attention. Notice what you are eating. When you eat, eat. Don’t eat while doing something else, because you won’t get the satisfaction out of your food and you’ll end up eating more than you realize
5. Downsize now.
6. Cancel your membership in the clean plate club.
7. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. it’s important to remember that food is not the enemy and it is not your best friend. It is just food.
8. Know thyself. Forget about what all the “experts” say and pay attention to you.
9. Get real. Eat more real food and less process stuff.
10. Good for you. Take care of yourself. Invest in yourself. Do what’s right for you, what’s healthy for you, what’s good for you. Exercise. Drink lots of water. Take a vitamin. Get enough sleep. Build a firm foundation of good health and self care and you can do anything.
June 26, 2019
I'm not big on diet books.
Or self help books.
Or spiritual books.
Or new age run on sentence books.
This isn't really any of those things.
If you watch the show and are amused by the character she portrays, then you'll likely enjoy this book. If you have yo-yoed up and down for the longest- this is a great way to shake up your perception of yourself and how you eat. Some of this may be obvious for some people- but it wasn't to me. Don't diet. Eat everything you want. Just go apeshit on veggies and make your favorite junk food your snack.
I'm 5'7, a size 10, 28in waist, 32DD, and 165lbs.
I can still eat a pizza, wings, and a burger and fries in one sitting.
Easily. After reading this, I still have my pizza, burger, fries and some wings on the weekends while I game.
But I'll have 1 slice, 1/2 a burger, a couple fries, and a couple wings- spread out over the entire weekend with plenty of egg white omelets, huge salads, tofu, fish, and roasted veggies in between (and lots of whiskey lol).
Each and every one of us is naturally thin. Not skinny.
Yep. Naturally healthy. Just let your body do what it's supposed to by eating balanced, giving it the proper healthy fuel, and then eating whatever you want, to snack on as you please.
It's awesome.
Or self help books.
Or spiritual books.
Or new age run on sentence books.
This isn't really any of those things.
If you watch the show and are amused by the character she portrays, then you'll likely enjoy this book. If you have yo-yoed up and down for the longest- this is a great way to shake up your perception of yourself and how you eat. Some of this may be obvious for some people- but it wasn't to me. Don't diet. Eat everything you want. Just go apeshit on veggies and make your favorite junk food your snack.
I'm 5'7, a size 10, 28in waist, 32DD, and 165lbs.
I can still eat a pizza, wings, and a burger and fries in one sitting.
Easily. After reading this, I still have my pizza, burger, fries and some wings on the weekends while I game.
But I'll have 1 slice, 1/2 a burger, a couple fries, and a couple wings- spread out over the entire weekend with plenty of egg white omelets, huge salads, tofu, fish, and roasted veggies in between (and lots of whiskey lol).
Each and every one of us is naturally thin. Not skinny.
Yep. Naturally healthy. Just let your body do what it's supposed to by eating balanced, giving it the proper healthy fuel, and then eating whatever you want, to snack on as you please.
It's awesome.
January 25, 2018
UPDATE
: Raising my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars. It's been a week since I finished the book and I haven't had a binge session once, nor have I thought about food obsessively since. I found myself in a situation where I would've binged today, but I thought about, and followed, the rule You can have it all, just not all at once, and a couple of the other rules applied too. It's safe to say, this book has changed my life. I'm so grateful. For me, it's not about being "skinny", it's about being healthy and in control of what I eat. I'm not living to eat anymore, but eating to live.
Original review
I was so apprehensive about buying this book due to lowish ratings, but I'm so thankful I purchased it. It was very enjoyable. And I'm glad it wasn't written by a doctor that's just trying to sell me something ala John McDougall. Anyway, I plan to start incorporating the rules into my own life. I love that, even as a vegan (albeit a "junk food vegan" with a food addiction/obsession and a propensity to binge several times a month), this book is useful. Frankel mentions non vegan foods often (which isn't an issue for me) but she gives vegan alternatives or I can veganize some of the recipes if I chose.
The first part is all about the rules and explaining them, and the second part is restating said rules to plant the seed so that you can memorize them, and Frankel holds your hand through the first week of incorporating them. A lot of people complained about the repetition but they obviously didn't read the part where she said she was going to repeat everything to get it to stick in ones head and then do the hand-holding for a week.
I see myself going back and rereading bits often. I recommend this book to anyone that feels they have a weight issue. Or, like me, an unhealthy attitude towards food.
Original review
I was so apprehensive about buying this book due to lowish ratings, but I'm so thankful I purchased it. It was very enjoyable. And I'm glad it wasn't written by a doctor that's just trying to sell me something ala John McDougall. Anyway, I plan to start incorporating the rules into my own life. I love that, even as a vegan (albeit a "junk food vegan" with a food addiction/obsession and a propensity to binge several times a month), this book is useful. Frankel mentions non vegan foods often (which isn't an issue for me) but she gives vegan alternatives or I can veganize some of the recipes if I chose.
The first part is all about the rules and explaining them, and the second part is restating said rules to plant the seed so that you can memorize them, and Frankel holds your hand through the first week of incorporating them. A lot of people complained about the repetition but they obviously didn't read the part where she said she was going to repeat everything to get it to stick in ones head and then do the hand-holding for a week.
I see myself going back and rereading bits often. I recommend this book to anyone that feels they have a weight issue. Or, like me, an unhealthy attitude towards food.
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