And the Next Weight Loss Book Review Is...

The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet by Ann Louise Gittleman.

The cover of the book states "Boost metabolism, get rid of fattening toxins, safely lose up to 8 pounds overnight and keep them off for good." Gosh, that really sounds good, doesn't it?

There's only one tiny problem with this statement. All this takes 11 days, not 1 day. I feel that the front cover of the book is quite misleading.

Now it is true that the actual detox diet itself is 1 day, but you have to prepare your body for 7 days before, and ease your body back into safe foods for three days after. I'm not the best person when it comes to math, but by my count, that is 11 days (1 + 7 + 3).

However, the book states that the weight loss it claims (and in the book it's 3 to 8 pounds) is due to the 1 day diet. You are supposed to weigh yourself the morning you start it, and then again the next morning -- the weight is gone.

Okay, enough about that -- is the book any good?

I found that the basic premise is sound. A periodic (maybe twice a year) detox is good for the body -- cleans out the sludge, so to speak. And losing weight in the process isn't a bad side-effect.

Let me give you a quick background as to why I think detox is good. A few years ago, my husband was having all kinds of gallbladder pain. The doctors couldn't do much aside from say "hey we should take it out". Since my husband didn't want to part with any of his organs, he looked for another solution. He found a recipe for a liver flush. It did take 7 days to prepare for it, and the actual detox flush was one day. It was excellent -- he hasn't had gallbladder pain since.

So, I find the premise sound. I understand the need for a 7-day preparation. And a 3-day easing back into regular foods isn't a bad idea either.

With the 7-day preparation, you have to eat what Dr. Gittleman (PhD not MD) calls liver and colon loving foods. You do have choices (pick one from list one, another from list two, etc.) and I think that if you follow the 7-day prep, you will probably drop another pound or so from it alone, not counting what you lose on the 1-day detox. The lists aren't too bad. Nothing to make me jump up and down and say "goodie, goodie", but certainly palatable.

And of course if you can't handle all the foods on the list (as in you hate everthing in one or two categories), you are invited to take a special supplement instead. Naturally, Dr. Gittleman sells that supplement. But you can do either -- follow the list or take the supplement. Your choice.

Will I follow the one-day (also known as 11-day) detox diet? Yes, I likely will sometime this month. So stay tuned as to my results.

I give this book one thumb up. I would have given it two, but the cover is misleading and Dr. Gittleman pushes her websites just a wee bit too much (and they are very hard to navigate -- I tried).