Book Review: LOVE FOOD & LIVE WELL

I was excited when I was asked to review "LOVE FOOD & LIVE WELL". I was intrigued by the idea of being able to eat foods you enjoy and still be healthy. I really dislike diets that focus on deprivation.

The author of this book, Chantel Hobbs, lost 200 pounds and has kept if off for years. She has two previous books out ("The Never Say Diet" and "The One-Day Way") and in September of this year she's coming out with another book, "Walk Strong, Look Up". In "LOVE FOOD & LIVE WELL" she shares some advice that has helped her not only change what she looks like, but how she feels about herself and food.

Chantel has an 80/20 rule that she discusses in the book. She suggests that 20% of the time you splurge on foods you love (like birthday cake and other celebration foods). The other 80% of the time you choose foods that will deliver maximum fuel to your body. I love the idea of focusing on foods that will help your body be healthy and give you energy. It seems to me that anytime you try to avoid foods, you end up eating more of the foods that are off limits. This idea of finding the best fuel for your body helps you focus on positive changes.

Chantel educates the reader about calories, basal metabolic rate, carbs, protein and fat. After discussing foods and nutrition she moves on to discuss the importance of exercise and interval training. The book has a few recipes and great exercise information and pictures of how to correctly do the exercises.

I really enjoyed Chantel's writing style. She's very down to earth and knows what she's talking about. Her stories through out the book were engaging. She talks about a conversation she had at the gym with an attractive, thin woman. The woman told her she ate a piece of chocolate a day. Chantel was surprised and asked how she had the will power to only eat one and not the whole bag. The lady seemed surprised by the question and responded that if she ate them all there wouldn't be any for tomorrow. That idea of moderation and not deprivation is the theme of this book.

You can find this book at amazon for $13.59 or check it out at your local library.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Way too long...

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted anything. Here are some fun pictures my brother Jeff took while he was in town.




Jeff told us to act silly for this one. Bret lost his balance and really did fall backwards. I was impressed my brother was able to get the shot.


We didn't get around to getting pictures of the youngest two. I guess they'll get to go first next time. My brother definitely has an eye for photography. These were all taken in my parent's backyard when we were together for a picnic. Like for Jenna's picture, he just had her stand close to the house. I would have never thought of that.