Rachel Beller - Eat to Lose, Eat to Win: Your Grab-n-Go Action Plan for a Slimmer, Healthier You

To my parents,
the loving forces of my life;

my four kids,
for putting a smile on my face
each and every day;

and my husband,
who is my best friend

Contents

Heres why I absolutely love Rachel Beller and why Im so excited that her book, Eat to Lose, Eat to Win, is finally out. (Its about time, Rachel!)

This is not just another diet book, and Rachel is not just another dietitian. Rachel is so much more. Her advice isnt just for people trying to lose weight, its also for people like me who want to eat defensively. Its life-changing adviceliterally. And she actually makes it fun.

My story certainly didnt begin in a fun way. Far from it. I can still hear the three words from my oncologist that completely altered my life: You have cancer.

When I heard that, I sat in disbelief. But Im super-fit. Im only forty-two. Im a good person. At that moment I knew Id never look at life the same way again.

That was February 2006. I had gone in for a routine mammogram, which showed some suspect calcifications. Those arent unusual for someone my age, so I was told to come back in six months. But my obstetrician urged me to have a needle biopsy right away, just to make sure the calcifications werent anything to worry about. The odds of it being cancer were only 5 percent, but the look on the face of my surgical oncologist, Dr. Kristi Funk, told me that my cancer was invasive.

The early days of my diagnosis are a strange kind of wash in my mind. I did what I always do when facing a challenge: I got down to fixing it. I met a recommended oncologist, Philomena McAndrew, and began schooling myself on cancer, as if it were a course I could master. I surrounded myself with friends and family, creating a fortress in which I could feel scared and sad and confused and exhausted. But mostly I felt profoundly changed. I was convinced that there must be a reason for my cancer, and that I needed to address the way I live, not only to beat it but to fortify my body for life.

Now Ive long advocated bodywork, meditation, and the benefits of Eastern medicine, so in addition to my Western treatment of a lumpectomy and six weeks of radiation, I had regular acupuncture and drank the stinky teas from the Tao of Wellness in Santa Monica. But my most life-changing discovery came two weeks after I was diagnosed, when my oncologist introduced me to Rachel, who surprised me with something I had never really thought about: What you eat matters immensely. And what I had been eating couldnt have been more wrong.

As I mentioned, I was very fit when I was diagnosedI had just biked up Alpe dHuez, one of the most famous climbs in the world. But since I had this impression of myself as healthy and invulnerable, I ate like a forty-year-old on the go, with most of my meals coming from hotel menus. That meant lots of pasta, club sandwiches, French fries, and Diet Coke. I didnt think that what I ate had any effect other than feeding my hunger and keeping me going.

Then I met Rachel, just before beginning my course of radiation. The sight was unforgettable: She walked into my house with a big bag of food and an even bigger bag of information that would forever transform the way I looked at what I put into my body. She taught me the inside story of nutrition, food by food, brand by brand, one tip and trick at a time. Rachel stressed the importance of antioxidants, omega-3s, high-fiber food, cancer-fighting components in spices, and eating seasonally and organically. Her ideas were all new to me. Even more important, her upbeat energy was contagious. For the first time, I felt empowered, as if I could now take a proactive stance in beating my breast cancerand in fighting its return.

Rachel and I met frequently, and each time she taught me something eye-opening about how to eat defensively. At the same time, she didnt teach me anything crazy or extreme that would be hard to remember or follow. Everything made sense and seemed so easy. In fact, what makes Rachels words really sink in arent just the great ideas or her expertiseits the way she delivers her advice. She doesnt lecture or go on and on about chemistry and biology. Instead, Rachel is all about getting realwe all live busy lives, so she keeps things easy, gets you into action doing what works, and teaches you not to wait to start living and feeling better. Even with her science and research background, she keeps it interesting and fun. Thats what really made me want to share this amazing knowledge with all my friends. In fact, one of the first things I did after meeting Rachel was organize a party so she could inspire all my friends the way she inspired me. Just as I predicted, they loved hearing from Rachel as much as I didand as I still do.

Thats why Im happy to see Rachels expertise featured in this book. Its not just for cancer survivorsits for everyone who wants to look better and feel better. It contains surprising info that even a busy person like me can use every single day, whether Im hanging out at home or on the road. I bet youll enjoy it too, and feel thoroughly empowered to take charge of your life. Even now, I can still hear Rachels upbeat voice, saying, Sheryl, this is your winning formula! It really is.

Ready to get skinny and healthy now? Youve come to the right place!

The book youre reading right now is not your traditional diet book. The world doesnt need another dry, boring book about broccoli! What you do have is a realistic, cut-to-the-chase guide that translates nutrition and weight-loss science into your shopping cart. In minutes, you can be on your way to the market. Youll know what to get and how to put it all together so the pounds come off and the health benefits come on.

Patients tell me every day that they know what to do to lose weight. You probably do too! But its not about knowingits about doing. So Im cutting out all the stuff that could trip you upthe long lectures on weight loss and healthy eating, the confusing nutrition science, the complicated phasesand giving you just what you need to know to leap right into action mode !

Yes, I can make you thinner so you look better in a three-way mirror. Thats the easy part! My real goal, however, is the synergistic effect of getting you thin and healthy. For life.

As a preventative nutrition researcher at medical centers, Ive learned what works on both fronts. And it didnt include unnatural diets or food deprivation schemes. I started the Beller Nutritional Institute in Beverly Hills to give patients real, no-bull plans based on science. To help them understand and stick to those plans, I also provide lots of fun, easy-to-use tools they can get at a glancefrom my trademark Food Autopsy analyses to visual shopping guides, all featuring pages and pages of photos. (Of food! What could be better?)

Its an approach thats helped Hollywood celebs, Biggest Loser and other reality show contestants, corporate execs, small-town homemakers, respected doctors, and countless others finally realize a winning formula they can own for life!

You are next.

All this ready-to-use- now advice Ill give you is dished out in four parts that go hand in hand:

Part 1 begins with jaw-dropping details on so-called healthy meals, which I call Food Autopsy analyses. (Sound scary? They are!) Then Ill show you how to build your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to help you look your best while never feeling like youre ugh... on a diet. My bottom line is to make the weight-loss process so simple that you cant fail !