deep thoughts on Skinny *****

It's definately not the best vegan book out there, but it does have many truths. I enjoyed it, but took a lot of the info like you said "with a grain of salt".

There are better books out there about why it's a good idea to cut back or eliminate meat and dairy from your diet. My favorite one (the book that made me vegan) is The Kind Diet.

I, personally, haven't read the book, but I did cut dairy out of my life for a good five years. I'm lactose intolerant so I thought "Score! Less fat = weight loss, right?!" I won't comment about cutting out meat since I live on that stuff, especially as a weight lifter, but I know about the milk product thing.

The truth is this - when I started drinking the lactose-free milk, I noticed an instant change. Also, I learned from Dr. Oz and through personal trials that yogurt has a different kind of lactose than other dairy products, so it's safe for me to eat. Cheese, sour cream, etc. is all still unsafe so I haven't brought those into my diet. (Not unless I want to kill all the inhabitants of the room I'm in...hehe)

The change I noticed was that as soon as I incorporated milk and yogurt regularly into my diet, I have LOST weight.

Now this is my personal experience with it, but I was forty pounds larger when I didn't drink milk or eat yogurt. Granted I was making other terrible food choices, but diets NEVER worked. Plus, ever since I've been working out as hard as ever, I've needed more calories to replace the ones that I've burned. Also, the milk has great sugar, protein, and carbs that you need after a workout.

Cutting out dairy is a serious thing, especially for as long of a time as 5 weeks. Maybe consult a nutritionist or a doctor before giving it up?

It is an extreme book, but they are correct on how the animals are treated and the harm that meat (especially processed, non-organic) can do to the body. After reading that and The Kind Diet, (and various other documentaries and studies) , I have been vegetarian since January. I still eat VERY limited amounts of organic egg and cheese and hope to cut that out too gradually. But I eat mostly vegan foods.

You need to decide for yourself if cutting out meat is right for you by doing a lot of research and reading pros and cons. Don't let anyone make the decision for you. And you might want to do it gradually- experimenting and trying new non-meat products to see what you like. After I became vegetarian, I didn't force my husband to become one, but I told him I would no longer be cooking with it but he was welcome to eat whatever he wants. He started liking my veg meals so much, he decided to cut out all meat too except fish (so he's pescatarian).

I believe the original Skinny ***** book has a lot of processed food recipes for beginners starting out in the lifestyle. You might want to check out this one: Skinny *****: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod ... more whole-food recipes

I didn't read the book. From what I have heard, it's a bit vulgar and over the top for my tastes. I am an engineer and I like a more analytical approach to convince me.

If you want to understand the specifics of why meat, eggs and dairy are bad for you, watch the new documentary "Forks Over Knives". If you like reading, get "The China Study". These media approach diet from a health standpoint and (in my opinion) clearly demonstrate a link between meat/dairy consumption and nearly all of the modern illnesses we are experiencing as a wealthy society (heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and many auto-immune diseases). I don't even think the word vegan is mentioned in either the book or the movie.

Changing your diet isn't that complicated and you will notice physical benefits immediately. Osteoporosis and hip fractures are highest in the societies that consume the most dairy products. Don't believe all the hype about how important milk is for calcium. The statistics and studies show otherwise.