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| Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World | 
 enlarge | Author: Lisa Lillien
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.79
You Save: $7.16 (40%)
New (50) Used (15) from $9.72
Avg. Customer Rating:  259 reviews
Sales Rank: 211
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.4 x 1
ISBN: 0312377428
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5635
EAN: 9780312377427
ASIN: 0312377428
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 You have to understand the Hungry Girl philosophy May 28, 2008
40 out of 43 found this review helpful
In my years of subscribing to the HG Web site and now using this book, it has occurred to me that there are many different philosophies of dieting and weight loss/maintenance. There are WAY more than two, but for the purposes of this review I am going to boil it down:
1. Eat super healthy, nonprocessed, preferably organic foods. Make whole grains, fruits and veggies the mainstays of your diet. Severely curtail fats, oils and sugar. When you want to indulge, enjoy one small portion of something "real" -- i.e. one sliver of chocolate cake, one square of dark chocolate, one cookie, or the like. [And exercise.] People who follow this approach are probably more likely to never snack between meals (or eat only fruits and veggies as snacks), avoid "100-calorie-packs," eschew artificial sweeteners and diet sodas, etc.
2. Follow the above philosophy to the extent that your time and lifestyle allow, but lean on processed low-cal foods to (a) save cooking/prep time and (b) enjoy modified versions of the "junky" foods you feel deprived of when you are dieting or have to eat low-cal in order to maintain your weight. [And exercise.] People who take this approach are probably the lion's share of 100-calorie-pack purchasers, more likely to use artificial sweeteners, drink diet sodas, and so on.
What you have to understand about HG author Lillen is that her Web site and book are tools for those who adopt approach #2. She states repeatedly that she isn't a nutritionist or a dietitian, and she makes no claim for the "healthfulness" of her recipes. They do lean on processed ingredients and tend to contain a lot of sodium, artificial sweetener and chemical ingredients. What they offer is a similar flavor experience to the very high-cal foods lots of people like, with much lower calorie and fat counts (and often more fiber as well).
But for those who would knock this approach (while you certainly retain the moral high ground as organic eating becomes something akin to spiritual cleanliness in more and more people's minds), please bear in mind that for some of us, our eating is always going to be a trade-off in terms of risk. I speak from experience as someone who has maintained a 100-lb. weight loss for over 10 years. For whatever reason, my body processes food in such a way that I gain weight exceptionally easily. I have to be CONSTANTLY vigilant about what I am putting in my mouth and how I am counterbalancing it with exercise. If I relax my vigilance for even a couple of days, it shows up on my body. As a (reformed) compulsive overeater I struggle with eating just one cookie, tiny sliver of cake, etc., every couple of weeks. (Yes, it is true, I would often rather have a larger portion of something that actually isn't AS good as the real thing.) And if you think that this behavior is not incredibly challenging to sustain for a lifetime, you just don't know whereof you speak.
So personally, while I certainly do my best to eat truly healthy, skip sugar, keep fat and meat intake to a minimum, and eat lots of whole grains and fruits/veggies, I salute HG for giving me recipes that allow me to "let my hair down" and enjoy some fun foods along with the rest of the world, without having to lie awake at night and worry about what I ate for lunch.
For the record, among my favorite HG recipes are the butternut squash fries, the turkey reuben and the fettucine "girl-fredo."
a creative cookbook that falls short of expectations May 5, 2008
25 out of 29 found this review helpful
This cookbook is unlike any other - it is creative and very fun to look through... However, the majority of the recipes in this book are made from processed foods and not enough clean ingredients.. the recipes also frequently use artifical sweeteners, which have been proven to actually stimulate appetites..
There are a lot of smart and easy to make recipes like Lord of the Onion Rings, and brownie muffins made with pumpkin puree - that will save you tons of calories!! I admit, the onion rings tasted strangely too sweet and looked nothing like the picture, but I loved the brownie muffins made with Pumpkin. I did do a serch online and saw that substitute oil and egg with pumpkin is not uncommon for people who want to eat healthier -- sorry HG, can't give you credit for that one. There are a lot of no brainer "recipes" such as the hamburger recipe which is essentially a boca burger slapped with lettuce, pickles, fat free cheese and an english muffin that consists of light bread, egg beaters, fat free cheese and low cal bacon ---I mean cmon now, is that really even a recipe?
FYI, if you found out about this book through the Hungry Girl website, please note that this book is not a full color cookbook like you would assume from visiting the HG site. There are about 10 pages of pictures in the middle. Weight Watchers points arent included - you'll have to go to the website for that.. But that's better than nothing right?
If you like Hungry Girl but want more recipes made with clean ingredients, be sure to check out the Biggest Loser Cookbook (very simple and clean recipes -- majority of them are low calorie but some are not!!) and the Weight Watchers Cookbook and the Decadent Diet cookbook. I happen to have all 3 of these cookbooks and think they complement each other well =) Sorry HG but your book is going back to the store.
HAPPY (HEALTY) EATING!
 Supportive, Humorous, Just Right! April 29, 2008
22 out of 25 found this review helpful
This is an absolutely charming, informative and imaginative book for anybody, female or otherwise, looking to eat better. Hungry Girl started out as a helpful website and just exploded from there and the excitement of having a new book to reach and assist wider audiences is present throughout the work.
The usual standards of recipes - soups, salads, entrees, party foods, desserts, etc. - are there, most with information on just why this is better for you than the standard recipe. There are also plenty of tasty vegetarian recipes available for those who can appreciate the endless appeal of butternut squash. Along with the recipes are also tips and helpful guidelines for lots of situations - eating at work, going to a party, taking a cruise, in line for fast food, etc. - many of which really made me stop and think about what I've been eating and how I've been eating it. She's got a lot of really great tips that I honestly had never considered before. There are selections of color photographs but most of the recipes have small drawings along with them. I really enjoyed this because it allowed the book to be packed with information rather than tantalizing pictures. And in the end, it's the ingredients that are important, not how it looks.
Hungry Girl is also endorsed by Weight Watchers and so all the recipes have their points value available online.
Lastly, and most importantly for a lot of people, none of the recipes in this book are overly complex or require lots of crazy ingredients. I'm just learning to be confident in the kitchen and I haven't come across a recipe yet that seems out of my skill range. Her enthusiasm throughout the book gives a fun feeling to the recipes, like you're not cooking but embarking on an adventure to eat better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the obvious effort put into it. There's something for everyone it its pages.
Weight Watcher member or not...this is a must for those living healthier! May 1, 2008
20 out of 28 found this review helpful
Although this cookbook is geared toward Weight Watcher members, it truly is a must for all of those looking to reduce the fats and calories from their food and lose weight.
The recipes are made from items readily availiabe in your store. Sometimes brand names are mentioned (when HG says no other brand will do), but mostly a generic item is mentioned with the nutritional information listed so you can find an equivialent your market.
I've looked at each page and some of the receipes just look too good to be low calorie.
The chapters are:
1. Rise & Dine (Breakfast)
2. Chop 'til ya Drop (salads)
3. Souper Douper (Soups, many 0-1 points)
4. Let's do lunch (lots of sandwhich/lunch ideas)
5. Junk Food Junkie (things you would usually have at a fast food)
6. Manly Meals (chili's, pizzas, etc)
7. Party Time (appetizers, party ideas)
8. Chocolate 911 (need I say more)
9. Fruity Call (lots of good low-cal fruit based receipes)
10. Oven Lovin (baked goods)
11. Zappuccino (coffee based)
12. Happy Hour (cocktails)
13. Fun With...(different foods made with specific items)
14. Survival Guides (hints on how to survive your weight loss journey.)
If you are on Weight Watchers (as I am) you can go the website and find the point values of the receipe.
The hints, shopping lists, and swap lists and cooking hints are worth the $10 bucks.
This is a keeper!
I heart HG! April 29, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
These recipes rock! This book is especially good if you are on weight watchers and want to indulge in your favorite foods without sacrificing all of your points. It is also a good book for anyone who wants to find a healthier version of a favorite recipe. And they actually TASTE GOOD!
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