Laura I says:

I felt very conflicted by this book. A lot of the advice was the sound advice that you’ve already read in all those women’s magazine and seen on TV. You know, things like “calories in need to equal calories out”, and try to eat a balanced diet, etc. Then the rest of the book teaches you neurotic, eating disordered behaviors.

Bethenny talks about how you shouldn’t have to settle for a filling, healthy meal, when what you really want is a steak. Go ahead and order the steak, BUT you can only have 3 bites. Yep, 3 bites, she repeats that over and over again through the book. I don’t know how you’re supposed to live off of 3 bites. I can just imagine how concerned my friends and family would be if they saw me ordering food and then only have 3 bites. So what do you do with the rest of your food? You either A) throw it away B) pawn it off on your dinner companions or C) take it home and make your kids eat it. Frankly, I know a woman like this and I dread being around her whenever food is involved. She’s constantly trying to pass off her food on everyone, including drinks (which Bethenny recommends). It’s one thing if I’m like, “wow, that looks good”, but I’ve never shown any interest in her meal. If I wanted to eat it, I would have ordered it! Then, if she does try to get some bland healthy meal, she stares at what I ordered, and begs for some. It’s rude, annoying, and I hate going out to eat with her.

Next, Bethenny talks alot how when you’re on a “diet” you act neurotic about food and obsess. Then she gives tips like, never eat a whole bagel, take half a bagel and then pull the bread out of it and eat only the crust. Same goes for english muffins. It also annoys me that she says repeatedly that she learned these eating habits from living in Italy. I’m a thin Italian woman and I EAT food.

Well, I guess if you ever wondered how these celebrities stay so thin, this book is the harsh reality. She gives a list of what she ate for 3 weeks as an example of how she lives. Here’s one of the days: breakfast was 1/2 cup of coffee (couldn’t possibly drink a whole cup!) and half of a egg white veggie omelet. Lunch was miso soup, glass of chardonnay, 2 prawns, and arugula salad with mushrooms. Dinner was a medium greek salad, a “skinnygirl” margarita, a couple chips with a small scoop of guacamole and roasted vegetables. Snack was a small handful of blueberry granola and almonds. I added that up to about 778 calories, and it’s probably less than that since she never actually finishes food. Keep in mind she also exercises quite a bit.

While some of the advice in this book is solid, like “sit down to eat, eat slowly”, the rest is actually quite unhealthy and eating disordered. Maybe Bethenny is confusing “naturally thin girls” with anorexics.
Rating: 2 / 5

Sheebeest says:

I LOVED this book and have already lost 10 pounds (in 2 mos) by heeding her advice. I found it witty and engrossing, like talking to a funny girlfriend who totally has your back and wants you to succeed. Something clicked for me when the author wrote “It’s just food” in the very enlightening section on “Food Noise”. I realized how much power we (women) give food. I found much of the book psychologically liberating – food (i.e. obsessing over calories, fat grams, my body,etc) was ruling over so much of my time and thoughts, time I could spend LIVING. This book is different in that respect – it addresses what is going on in your mind, not just the factual stuff like calories in vs. calories burned, which, yes, IS in this and ALL other diet books, as the negative reviewers keep repeating as if this makes the book invalid. An author cannot assume knowledge on the part of the reader. I didn’t mind being reminded of this simple fact – it helped me feel in control of my weight, being re-armed with this basic but crucial information.

The author talks about training yourself to be satisfied with smaller amounts of food. Her “Law of Diminishing Returns” was worth the price of the book alone — Genius! I also loved her “Cancel Your Membership in the Clean Plate Club”. How many of us raised in the 50′s and 60′s were shamed into overeating because of the “starving children in India/Africa”? (How is my eating too much going to help them?) She is right about how ridiculous portions have become in America – a bagel used to be tiny – now they are as big as your head. BTW, I have ALWAYS pulled out the insides of bagels & French bread – (empty calories) – and the crust is the best part – so I thought it amusing that other reviewers were so offended by this advice.

I have to say I am appalled at the negative reviews on this site warning of “eating disorder” promotion – no wonder men call women hysterical. Some of you admit you haven’t even read the book. This site is for book reviews, not personal vendettas. Clearly many of you are RH of NY viewers who dislike the author, Bethenny Frankel, and so dash to your computers, furiously typing misleading, uninformed “reviews”. Naturally Thin is best seller for a reason. Those of you who are “grateful” to the hysterical eating-disorder-obsessed “reviewers” for saving you from spending $9.60 on this book: I suggest you hurry to your local library and check out “Naturally Thin”. Read it with an open mind and you might be surprised at the refreshing feeling of freedom when you next sit down at a restaurant and open a menu. No more fear, no more obsessions over your fat thighs – “It’s just food”! The book felt a big pep talk with a ton of practical, helpful insights, such as navigating a party buffet.

I must clear up untruths in many of the negative reviews: yes, the author says she takes “just 3 bites” of her personal favorite, “FATTY steak”, but she also says she FILLS UP on salads, veggies, healthier appetizers like crab cakes, etc. The point is, allow yourself permission to eat anything you want (versus denying yourself something forever – I mean who could live without chocolate cake?) – but savor just a small amount of it, and fill up on fiber-rich, healthy choices. (I love onion rings and used to split an order with my husband. Now I have just three, every time. I really enjoy those 3 onion rings, and feel really good about myself for being in control.)

Frankel states many times that she is NOT telling you to eat like her, but to follow your own Food Voice. I love that she printed an honest food diary – she made some bad choices, as we all do. None of this, “I eat 1 oz of turkey for my midday snack every single day” crap you often read in celebrity diet plans. I admire that she is truthful, even admitting what she ate the morning of a hangover – SHOCKING!

Another untruth stated by “reviewers” who wrote that Frankel exercises constantly to keep thin: She specifically says she does NOT exercise much anymore (due to her very busy career). And as for the criticisms of her alcohol intake, if I were in my 30′s, with a hot career, living in NYC where NO ONE DRIVES, I most certainly would have cocktails a few nights a week!

I can’t wait to get my copy back from a friend I loaned it to so I can read it again. Naturally Thin is a must read for any women serious about getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. You will never think of food the same again.

Rating: 5 / 5

BKgirl says:

Let me start with the positives- I read this entire book in 2 days, so I admit it’s interesting/easy to digest. And the 10 ‘rules’ are generally good things to live by e.g. pay attention- meaning to not be distracted while eating and being aware of what your body wants/needs instead of your cravings. And the whole concept of not letting food set the tone for your life and activities is very true.

On the flip side, I think the book repeatedly talks about how this is not a diet, but a way of life… fine that’s been said a million times before. But don’t say this isn’t a diet when you constantly have to obsess over whether you can add a little cheese to your salad at dinner because you had a little feta on your egg white omelette at breakfast. And does a salad and soup with a few noodles really qualify a carb meal?! According to Bethenny it is… and you know what that means, no bread with dinner because she consumed a few spoonfuls of noodles (and let me add that she made a point to not even finish the noodles. That’s obsessive and in my opinion worst than a diet. Don’t reiterate that this is such a great plan because no foods are off limits, but then say that you can’t eat more than a few bites of a steak or dessert. I can understand limiting portions of things, especially sweets and fatty things, but I think I’m allowed to have a decent size portion of something occasionally. And I can’t even eat a normal portion of whole wheat pasta or brown rice? I know you shouldn’t eat it at every meal, but I think I’m allowed to fill up on something other than vegetables or salad (which she says to eat before every meal so you basically don’t have room for anything else). And even on occassion I think I can break the ‘taste everything, eat nothing’ rule and have more than a couple ‘tastes’ of dessert before giving it away (which she says to do every chance you get). I’m sorry, when I go out to dinner with friends I’m not going to eat a salad, order a steak or pasta, have a few bites then pass it away while picking at other people’s food. That just looks ridiculous and models eating disordered behavior. Seriously, this three bite thing might as well be an eleventh rule.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying that people shouldn’t make lifestyle changes by limiting portions, eating when they’re hungry, etc… But I don’t think she should tell me or you how much of everything to eat. Her message should be that you need to be able to figure out for YOURSELF when you’ve had enough… that’s a lifestyle and how to be naturally thin. She says throughout the book that you should ‘know yourself’ and make choices that are right for you, not base your choices on what she does, but still finds a way to constantly tell you how much you should eat and behave. Saying that you don’t count calories but knowing you don’t need to since you clearly aren’t eating nearly enough (just look in the appendix at her daily diet and I’m sure any nutritionist or doctor could tell you that’s not healthy- but then again even I can tell you that). Either way, personally I won’t be full for 6 hours after eating a grapefruit and 1/2 of a cup of coffee… only to then eat a salad or vegetables with a ‘few bites of steak’ for my dinner. Or another one of her days- eating ’1/2 of a chocolate bar, a handful of pretzels’ and calling that lunch.

So all in all, the book gave me some good things to think about in terms of how I should approach eating and food, but in terms of her perceptions of how to eat and live, NO thanks.
Rating: 2 / 5