Lost Boy Lost Girl: A Novel

Book Description

A woman commits suicide for no apparent reason. A week later, her son– fifteen-year-old Mark Underhill–vanishes. His uncle, novelist Timothy Underhill, searches his hometown of Millhaven for clues that might help unravel this horrible dual mystery. He soon learns that a pedophilic murderer is on the loose in the vicinity, and that shortly before his mother’s suicide, Mark had become obsessed with an abandoned house where he imagined the killer might have taken refuge. No mere empty building, the house whispers from attic to basement with the echoes of a long-hidden true-life horror story, and Tim Underhill comes to fear that in investigating its unspeakable history, Mark stumbled across its last and greatest secret: a ghostly lost girl who may have coaxed the needy, suggestible boy into her mysterious domain.

Customer Reviews:

According to a quote from.................2007-03-25

........Stephen King, this may be Straub's best novel so far. Really? I found it 70% boring, 30% enjoyable. Enjoyable because the sentence structure is nice.

Not My Fave By Him.......2007-01-04

I have read many of Peter Straub's other books,Ghost Story, Mr. X, The Hellfire Club to name a few. I am used to his convoluted and complex plots. On many occassins I have to go back and re-read passages to recognize what is going on in the story. Usually this focus is rewarded with an OMIGOSH ending. This one was more of a HUH?. I ordered this used one from Amazon while on a cruise ship. I bought it first @ Borders to read on the boat, I left it on my deck chair and someone took it. I was desparate to find out how the story ended so i got online while on the ship and ordered it so that it would be waiting for me when i got home from my trip. Had I known how it ended the person who stole it from me could have just asked me for it.

Peter Straub Takes Another Stab At Creepiness.......2006-05-09

The first question we have to ask is this: Is Peter Straub an acquired taste? I think the answer is yes. I've been reading Straub on and off for the past few decades, my first taste being The Talisman which he co-wrote with buddy Stephen King. From there I trudged through Ghost Story and Shadowland and Floating Dragon. Straub seemed to me to be an author struggling with his sense of diction and eloquence. A writer that was working in the horror/supernatural genre that was trying way too damn hard to be brilliant and literate and smarter than many of his readers. Well...that doesn't make for a good career when you alienate the masses, especially in his line of work. So...I fell off the Straub bandwagon for quite some time. I remember buying his novel Mystery when it first came out in hardcover and trying to read it, only to put it down time after time. It was nearly a decade later when I finally read it. Koko was the novel that brought me back into the fold. Peter Straub seemed to have gotten the hint and took his fiction down a few levels so that the common reader, the casual reader could manage his prose. Did his work become dumber. Absolutey not. He just wasn't trying to write in the style of Hawthorne anymore. One of the main characters in Koko is Tim Underhill. He's Straub's favorite main character. Along with Millhaven resident recluse and crime-solver Tom Pasmore. Mystery. The Throat. All Millhaven stories. Lost Boy Lost Girl is another. Stephen King proclaims it to be Straub's best novel...we shall see.

Tom Underhill, writer, New York resident, gets distrubing news. His sister in law is dead. She has committed suicide for no apparent reason. He goes back to his hometown of Millhaven for the funeral and to comfort his nephew Mark and his prick of a brother Phillip. Fifteen days later, Mark disappears off the face of the planet and Tim once more returns to Millhaven to see if he can unravel the disappearance of his nephew. The Sherman Park Killer must have claimed him... That's what his father thinks, but uncle Tim isn't so sure. Just before his disappearance and just after his mother's unexplained suicide, Mark becomes fascinated with a creepy abandoned house directly behind his own. On the street over, 3323 Michigan Street sits deserted, its windows clouded with grim, its front porch showing the signs of where some weary neighbor tried in vain to burn it down. What lies within? Mark has to know, because whatever is in there is responsible for his mother's death. The house belonged to infamous serial killer and relative of Mark's deceased mother Joseph Kalender. Filled with secret passages and horrible memories and relics of the attrocities committed there twenty years before, 3323 Michigan Street takes over Mark's attention completely. But what else in in there?

You'll soon see.

Definitely on par with Mystery or The Throat or Mrs. X or The Hellfire Club, Lost Boy Lost Girl is easy to sink into and hard to put down. Genuinely creepy. I've read tons and tons of scary books and this one gave me the willies when reading it at night. One of Staub's finer moments. The only drawback here are the inconsistencies with the plot. Nancy Underhill's suicide is explained, but not that well. Mark's infatuation with the derelict house borders on insanity and yet his best friend Jimbo does little to dissuade his interest. I have to disagree with Mr. King whe he said it was perhaps Staub's best novel. I think Koko still holds that place. But Lost Boy Lost Girl is worth the time and the gooseflesh.

Dig it!

Great Read.......2006-03-17

This book had all the ingrediants for a great read. Horror, suspense,and love. When I first opened the book, I thought O.K. I am only going to be able to read the first chapter, and be able to put it down pretty easy. But to my surprise I was wrong. As I read on I felt like I was being pulled into the small town of Millhaven. It felt like I was a visitor going to each location and actually watching the whole thing play out in front of me. Most books do not grab my attention like that. So, I do consider this book an awesome find. It was definately one of those books that you just can't put down. Which led to many late nights. I can't wait to read more of Peter Straub's books.

Interesting, but falls short............2006-01-18

I have to say I did like the pacing of this book. It pulled me in and I was very anxious to finish and I take that as a sure sign of a decent read. It also very much creeped me out in a few places which is what I am looking for in a horror novel. However, I only gave it three stars because it certainly didn't give me the shivers that much.

I also was unsure of the ending. I suppose it could go either way, but I tend to like a resolution one way or another.

I am not fond of authors redescribing a scene from different viewpoints either. I don't mind it once in a book, but more than that really puts me off and I feel it is just lazy writing.

In conclusion, I have read this book and also Ghost Story by this Author and would only rate him mediocre.

Book Description

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It Happened at the Ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It Happened in the Garden…

When Marcus shockingly -- and dangerously-swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed…thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It Happened One Autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable…as his bride?

Customer Reviews:

...a thin line between love and hate.......2007-09-24

This is the second in the Wallflower quartet and in my opinion is much better than the first (Summer).

This is Lillian and Marcus's story. I was intriqued to see what their story would be like after meeting them in Secrets of a Summer Night. Let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed. Lillan is a real treat of a heroine. She swears, plays "baseball" with the boys, and has a temper on her. I loved it!

Marcus is a straight-laced, serious, by the book hero. Lillian storms in to his life and literally "rocks" his world. He does his very best to reason around why the two of them would never work, but is really is futile! Throughout the book we come to understand why Marcus is the way he is, and after meeting his hateful mother we only love Marcus even more.

The love scenes are scorching so be prepared!!! The end of the book features the Viscount St. Vincent and my only question is how I'll ever be able to buy into him as the hero in the next book. He really does despicable things....I hope that the saying "Reformed rakes make the best husbands" rings true.

Enjoy It Happened One Autumn..it's worth the read.

American Girl takes on British Nobility.......2007-09-11

Lillian Bowman, an American heiress, is one of the four young women who call themselves the wallflowers. In this second installment of the series, headstrong, spirited Lillian, her sister Daisy and her parents are attending a month long party held at Lord Westman's estate. Marcus, Lord Westman, is the ultimate in uptight, superior English snobbiness and Lillian cannot stand him. Lillian and her sister need a sponsor to help them gain a husband from the English nobility and that sponsor comes in the form of Marcus's mother, a cold hearted woman who thinks preserving their bloodline is the most important thing her family can do. After sneaking out to cause some mischief, Lillian runs into Marcus who loses his head and kisses her passionately. Believing Marcus is bewitched by a secret ingredient in a perfume made just for her, Lillian enlists the other wallflowers to help in an experiment to see if the perfume has the same effect on all women. Soon Lillian discovers there is more to Marcus than the facade he presents to the public and she wishes more than anything that she can have him, but she knows he will never marry an American no matter how rich. Marcus is stunned to find himself so strongly affected by Miss Lillian Bowman, even in his affairs he has always been able to maintain a dignified presence but everytime he sees Lillian he loses all control....maybe even considering marriage.

This was an amusing, fast paced sweet romance and I have hopes that the last two stories will compare to the first two in the series. Marcus mother is the ultimate in cold hearted witches, and St. Vincent sufficiently wicked in his competition for Lillian. St. Vincent will be featured in Evie's story which is the third and next book in this series.

Don't be a wallflower- jump in and read this series!.......2007-08-08

You could see it coming in Secrets Of A Summer Night when Marcus found Lillian playing rounders in her underwear (shocking!)... The lovely, lively American Lillian Bowman up against the stiff English formality of Marcus, Lord Westcliff! Poor Marcus was taught never to show emotion. His parents were uncaring, stiff and cruel. Every time Marcus became fond of a nanny or another staff member, his father dismissed them. He had limited time with his sisters. He was scared of his father's huge dogs, so he was locked into a room with them when he was five, for three long terrified hours - to `get over it'. Poor little kid. He was beaten and bullied and abused until he was a stiff aristocrat who thought emotions were unwanted and stupid, especially something like (shudder) love! Independent, bold American heiress Lillian Bowman comes into his life like a gale-force wind, blowing all his rigid, stuffy morals and manners to hell. She challenges him on every decision, probably the only woman in England to do so. The shaken Marcus topples from his lofty perch like a ninepin, totally unhinged and mad with lust - and love - for this passionate free spirit. Gosh, the scene where he kicks his mother's door down and nearly strangles her with her pearls is - thrillingly primal. (He has a reason for it, rest assured. He is our hero, after all.) Go, Marcus! We can only look forward to the rest of this stunning `Wallflower' series. Big sigh!

Positively spectacular!.......2007-07-28

Most definitely the best romance novel I've ever read! I think I loved this one so much more than the first because I was able to identify with the main character, Lillian Bowman, much more than any of the other wallflowers. I found myself laughing out loud hyserically at some of her antics...she was such a well developed character! I loved the chemistry between Lillian and Marcus...it was most definitely a fabulous read. It was passionate, but not too smutty, and I was never bored with this book! And I loved meeting Lord St. Vincent (one the main characters for the next novel to this quartet), he was absolutely a riot and even though I didn't get to see an image of him, I still found myself with a little crush.

This is a must read...I have never laughed so hard from a book and been so absorbed by one book... one word to describe it is....SPECTACTULAR! Thank you Lisa Kleypas!

The Best of the Wallflower Series.......2007-07-27

With the exception of her more modern placed romance novels, I've read all of Lisa Kleypas' books. I've also read all of Ms. Julia Quinn, Ms. Suzanne Enoch, Ms. Eloisa James, Ms. Nicole Jordan, Ms. Kathleen Woodiwiss (RIP and God Bless Ms. Woodiwiss...your novels are awesome), most of Ms. Jude Devereux and Ms. Samantha James. For me, this book ranks number 2 overall after Dreaming of You (Sara and Derek's love story), but number 1 in the Wallflower series.

Lily and Marcus remained to true to themselves and each other. When does that happen in a romance novel? They weren't "dumbed down" and they didn't do the "180" to fit the author's predetermined story line.

It seemed that Marcus and Lilian's characters were so out of character in this novel yet that was best part! Two strong people of opposite attitudes and upbringing, whose seemingly out of character behavior only revealed their true characters to each other!

Some examples: 1) staid, proper, straightlaced Marcus getting caught by Simon Hunt (as in Anabelle's hubby of "Secrets of a Summer Night" fame, book 1 of Wallflowers series) making out and rolling about the floor in his study with Lilian, and 2) emotionally controlled, posed, unruffled Marcus breaking down the door of his mother's suite and practically throttling her 'cause of her involvement with Lilian's disappearance!

And Lilian who is usually making a point to be scandalous almost for the sake of being so and she is not one to lose her wits, is nervous and tongue tied while being coached by Marcus in a game of rounders and bemused when Marcus kisses her senseless while they hid in a hedge. She later gets her finger stuck in a bottle of booze when she drunkenly insists on eating the peach inside...and this is the same women who picks her way out of handcuffs and a locked room after spending most of the day knocked out in a coach!

Its a book filled with character contradictions that only seemed to strengthed and reveal more of the characters. This is a great and fun read.

Average customer rating:

It Happened One Autumn

It Happened One Autumn
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Devil in Winter (The Wallflowers)
Secrets of a Summer Night
Lady Sophia's Lover
Where Dreams Begin
Worth Any Price

ASIN: 0739459422

Product Description

four young ladies enter london society with one neccessary goal:they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband.so they band together,and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born...

Customer Reviews:

It Happened One Autumn.......2007-01-18

I love Lisa Kleypas's books! This is one of her Wallflower series and I loved it! I enjoyed the whole series. Lisa'a books usually end up on my "keeper" shelf!

The Wallflowers Series: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring (Set of 4)

Average customer rating:

The Wallflowers Series: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring (Set of 4)
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NEA52Q

4 PBs by Lisa Kleypas: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring

Average customer rating:

4 PBs by Lisa Kleypas: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring
Lisa Kleypas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VHLABU

Product Description

Paperbacks

Average customer rating:

IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN

Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I66E2O

Average customer rating:

It Happened One Autumn
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NW6IK6

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflower Quartet)

Average customer rating:

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflower Quartet)
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEX6IU

Customer Reviews:

Damn Good Work.......2003-03-23

Stellar art, intrigueing plotting, and a story that isn't mired in too much continuity made for an excellent read. Both characters are handled extremely well. Perfect examples being the first story's use of Doom's obsession with his mother and the second's forcing of Iron man to reluctantly use magic.The book also made excellent use of playing two characters with many intrigueing parallels off one another.
The second story suffers slightly because it comes of as a slightly more light hearted sequel of the first, but the encounters between the Doom, Iron Man and their respective counterparts in the future more than make up for it.

Past and Future!.......2001-10-11

Hey -- if David Michelinie and Bob Layton are doing Iron Man, you can rarely go wrong! This TPB features IM and Doc Doom being transported to the past -- King Arthur's time -- and then to the future of the year 2093. (The original comics were Iron Man #149-150, and then #249-250.) The tales are wonderfully woven, script and art both.

You may also want to check out a Marvel "What If?" that detailed Iron Man's adventures if he was *stuck* in the King Arthur past.

Book Description

While many American's have found temporary success with low-carbohydrate dieting, few maintain their weight loss. Drawing on proven medical research and years of successful clinical use, Your Fat Can Make You Thin clearly explains how to regulate the body's serotonin levels to maintain energy and health while burning excess fat--and keeping it off for good.

Customer Reviews:

Low Fat Low Carb as recommended by Author of 8 Week Cholesterol Cure .......2007-09-11

I have both this book and The Type 2 Diabetes book, 3rd edition which was written by this author and co-written by the author of The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure. Both authors recommend a low Carb diet to bring your weight down. Both recommend a LOW FAT Low-Carb regimen. I had concerns about a low-diet affecting brain function but, Larry McCleary's book, The Brain Trust put my mind at ease there. The recipes are good. Lot's of chicken and fish.

The Type II Diabetes Diet Book by Calvin Ezrin.......2002-09-30

I was diagnosed with diabetes around 3 or 4 years ago. I have floundered around trying to find out the right way to eat etc. The nutrition class I went to was led by a very heavy nutritionist. The class really became a turn-off for me. I kept having to increase my diabetic medicine until I was taking 4 and 1/2 pills per day. Then I ran across "The Type II" book--fantastic! Dr. Ezrin not only explains everything but gives you an eating plan as well as recipes. I went on this program February 15 of this year..and today, September 29, 2002, I have lost a total of 116 lbs. (which was my goal set with my Doctor) and I am completely off all my diabetic medicine, my blood pressure is normal. I try to tell anyone who wants to hear--about this book. I am now going in to the stabilization and then on to maintenance. I look at food a lot differently. I have lost weight many times before, but never had a maintenance plan that would help keep it off. Needless to say, I am very excited and happy! Thank you Dr. Ezrin!!! Note: You do have to make up your mind to be faithful to this program!

Comme ci, comme ca.......2002-05-02

This book is a pretty good source of low carb info but not informative enough for the reader who wants to know the ins and outs. I would recommend Life Without Bread over this book if you want to read one excellent low carb diet book.

More than just weight loss!.......2002-04-09

I won't repeat the praise (which I do feel is warranted) for Dr. Ezrin's treatment of insulin-resistance and weight loss. I want to point out another vital issue addressed in this book: seratonin depletion.

Depleted level of seratonin (which can't be measured on any test) cause a wide variety of health problems, often misdiagnosed as thyroid problems, Chronic Fatigue, etc. (See the article about it on my website...).

Read this to understand the problem - and the solution. It's totally curable, with a simple treatment. And "Your Fat Can Make You Thin" even has a chapter addressed to your doctor to help explain things from a medical point of view.

You have nothing to lose, and your life to regain!

Low carb explained with authority.......2001-10-06

I've been overweight all my life but this book has me well on my way to better things. I've tried low fat and it never worked. This book spoke to me with authority and intelligence explaining the connection between carbs, insulin, water and fat retention and seretonin levels. I see now why I and so many of my family members are carb junkies. Within a few days I saw unexpectedly rapid results. There's a "wall" you go through after a day or two but once on the other side, low carb eating feels normal and the results are great both physically and emotionally. Give this book an honest try and you will know within a week whether it's right for you!

The Type II Diabetes Diet Book: The Insulin Control Diet : Your Fat Can Make You Thin

Average customer rating:

Get your life back with this book!!!
Worked for me!
Your Figures for My Figure Just Don't Figure
It Really Works
Diabetes Type 2 Diet Control Book

The Type II Diabetes Diet Book: The Insulin Control Diet : Your Fat Can Make You Thin
Calvin Ezrin MD , and Robert E. Kowalski
Manufacturer: Lowell House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Diabetic & Sugar-Free | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Eating Disorders | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Your Fat Can Make You Thin
Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Diabetes (Tell Me What to Eat)
The Type 2 Diabetes Cookbook : Simple & Delicious Low-Sugar, Low-Fat, & Low-Cholesterol Recipes
The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The)
The Good News Eating Plan for Type II Diabetes

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1565658078

Book Description

Proved to be remarkably effective for both Type II diabetics and nondiabetic people with chronic weight problems, the Insulin Control Diet--based on low-carbohydrate and low-caloric intake--allows patients to decrease insulin production and convert stored fat into fuel. In this new edition, Dr. Calvin Ezrin provides updated ADA recommendations and a complete section of revised recipes and meal plans.

Customer Reviews:

Get your life back with this book!!!.......2007-08-23

This book is changing my life. After watching my weight creep up, up, up for the past 8 years and dealing with the usual results...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, clothes not fitting, depression, and most recently, mild type-2 diabetes, I got my hands on this book and I now have a clear understanding of what I've been doing to my body and what foods I need to really watch. By following the book's guidelines I've been able to lose 14 pounds in about 5 weeks. I still have a ways to go but I'm confident that I'll be able to accomplish my goal. And, without hunger. Even if you're not (yet) diabetic but need to lose some unwanted pounds, I guarantee you'll be able to quickly do it with these guidelines. After my fantastic results so far, my doctor is ordering a copy and will be recommending it to other patients. One of the biggest things I learned..."Sugar is the #1 poison!"...which it states throughout.

Worked for me!.......2005-04-11

When I first looked at this book, I thought there's no way - how can I go without bread, rice, pasta, etc. After thinking about it for a couple of weeks I decided to give it a try. I loved it. I truly never missed the processed foods and surprisingly was never hungry. I feel like my diet is much more nutritionally sound than what I had been eating, and after the first couple of weeks I had pretty much trained myself what and how much to eat. I've lost 18 pounds so far and a lot of it has been the "stubborn belly fat". Couldn't be happier and feel great. I think that as much as following the diet you need to include the exercise, which is talked about in the book. This diet may not be for everyone, but as someone who has been unsuccessful with weight loss, even with exercise, it's been a Godsend.

Your Figures for My Figure Just Don't Figure.......2005-01-06

I was initially very excited to read this book, based upon most of the reviews as well as the preliminary information I read. However, after carefully reading the information, I'm afraid I cannot recommend this book to anyone else in good conscience, due to the issues I point out in the following note, which was e-mailed to the author at the address given in the book (and subsequently returned as "undeliverable," as the e-mail listed in the book is apparently incorrect or no longer working).

Not only didn't the figures from the book's Daily Meal Plans add up (which as you can see from my note below, were WELL beyond their stated limit of 40g of carbohydrates per day, even for a partial list of items from their very own recipes), but the e-mail itself was returned as undeliverable at the address listed on page 149 of the book (ezrin-ctrs@aol.com).

If the daily menus contained in the book don't even conform to the author's very own stated requirements and even the author's e-mail address is incorrectly listed, why in the world would a reader ever entrust their own health and well being to this dietary program?

I assure you I am in no way connected to any other dietary program of any kind, nor do I have any ax to grind against either the authors or their Insulin Control Diet program. I'm just a guy very recently diagnosed with a condition of "Type II Diabetes" whose doctor recommended weight loss as a solution and who turned first to this book in order to try to find it.

I even gave the authors the benefit of the doubt by trying to contact them based upon the information they gave in the book to obtain clarification on the apparent inconsistencies in the text, in case my observations were incorrect. But as I mentioned, I was unable to receive a response, due to the apparently inaccurate listing of the e-mail address for the author.

I am extremely disappointed in the book, not only due to its incomplete or inconsistent information, but also due to its extremely haphazard presentation.

My note to the author (returned as undeliverable) is included below.

R. McGowan
Los Angeles, CA

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 11:44 AM
To: 'ezrin-ctrs@aol.com'
Subject: Figures for the Figure don't Figure
Importance: High

Dr. Ezrin,

I am a 46-year-old male recently diagnosed with Type-II Diabetes and was excited to discover your "Type 2 Diabetes Diet Book," since it was written from the perspective of an endocrinologist. While the program does seem to make sense overall, what is most perplexing to me is how you arrive at a daily carbohydrate intake limit of 40g for your meal plans (which you say the daily meal plans maintain).

You mention several times throughout the book that a standard serving of fruit consists of 15g of carbohydrate (also referenced in the Appendix on pp. 303- 304). Since each of the meal plans consist of 2 standard servings of fruit (or even 2 ½, such as in the example I give below), this means that fruit alone counts for a full 75% - 94% (30g - 37.5g) of the daily carbohydrate intake amount, leaving only 10g carbohydrate for all the rest of the foods combined throughout the day.

As an example, following is the carbohydrate breakdown for Day Two of the Insulin Diet Meal Plan (from p. 135), based entirely upon the carbohydrate figures referenced in the Appendix:

Breakfast

Decaffeinated coffee- (not in Appendix)- 0g?
1 soft-cooked egg- 0.6g
1 cup chicken bouillon (not in Appendix, but listed separately on p. 243)- 1g
1 peach- 15g

Lunch

Iced coffee (not in Appendix)- 0g?
Salmon Salad Sandwich- 5oz (1tbs chopped onion- 0.6g; mayonnaise- 1g; lettuce- 1g)
Salad (not defined) with Low-Cal Vinaigrette (iceberg lettuce- 2.9g; Vinaigrette dressing- 6.6g)
Gelatin (why not specifically state "sugar-free" here??? I'm assuming it is...) with D-Zerta topping- 0g?

Snack (afternoon or evening)

1 ¼ cup watermelon cubes- 15g

Dinner

Decaffeinated coffee- 0?
Chinese Fish Steaks- (1/2 cup chicken bouillon- .5g; mushrooms- NOT EVEN LISTED ON THE VEGETABLES LIST IN THE APPENDIX!- 0.5G?; soy sauce- NOT LISTED IN THE APPENDIX- 0.5G?)
Beans with Basil (It doesn't specify the KIND of beans. However, based upon the Appendix under "Vegetables," `1/2 cup of cooked beans shows 15g carbohydrate)
Salad (not defined) with Low-Cal Vinaigrette (iceberg lettuce- 2.9g; Vinaigrette dressing- 6.6g)
1 cup beef bouillon- 1g
Gelatin & Fruit (again, it doesn't specify "sugar-free," but I'm assuming so. However, even ¼ cup of fruit is still 7.5g carbohydrate, no matter how you slice it)

You separately caution to allocate fruit portions sparingly, and yet even in this ONE DAY of the meal plan, the fruit portions alone that you specify already account for a full 37.5g of carbohydrates of the 40g maximum daily intake of carbohydrate that you recommend (in fact, you even state a recommended limit of between only 20 - 35 grams of carbohydrate in any 24-hour period elsewhere in the book).

The total amount of carbohydrate of all the other ingredients combined for this one-day's meal plan alone (the carb amounts for which are all pulled from the book's Appendix) which even then only constitute a partial list, based upon what the recipes call for, comes to 46.7g (already over your 24-hour maximum limit). When added to the amount of fruit indicated, this makes a carbohydrate consumption of 84.2g for this one-day's meal plan alone- well over TWICE the daily carbohydrate intake you recommend throughout the book (FOUR-TIMES the amount, if you go by your lower recommendation of 20g carbs per day).

Examples from the text, for reference:

p. 109, paragraph 2: "For the duration of your weight loss period, we ask that you limit your total carbohydrate intake to 20 to 35 grams." (while it doesn't specify "per day" here, elsewhere you do indicate no more than 40 grams during any 24-hour period).

p. 109, paragraph 3: "In other words, more than 40 grams of carbohydrate in any form will trigger your overproduction of insulin and return you to the weight gain cycle you know so well." (again, based upon other references, this indicates "per-day").

p.111, paragraph 3: "Be advised, however, that regardless of total calories consumed, carbohydrate intake for the day should never exceed 40 grams."

Which begs the following question: "How can any reader reasonably trust the advice given, when the numbers for your own daily meal plans don't even come close to remaining within your stated limitations for daily carbohydrate intake?

Secondly, it took me over an hour-and-a-half to determine the actual carbohydrate amounts listed for this one day's meal plan listed above alone, since it required me to constantly flip back-and-forth between the meal plan listing (which DOESN'T indicate any carbohydrate/protein/fat information), the recipes (which are also difficult to track down and which also don't list any carbohydrate/protein/fat information for any of the ingredients) and the Appendix (which doesn't include information on all the items in the recipes and, even if it does, does not give information equivalent to the amounts the recipes call for).

It would be a FAR more usable resource if the information was:

a. more comprehensive, including carb/protein/fat amounts listed right along-side meal plan and recipe ingredients;

b. more logically presented, so that a reader doesn't have to shift back-and-forth between the meal plans, the recipes (which are also hard to locate), and random information sprinkled throughout the text itself (such as the information on boullion, which is not in the index, but only in a separate section I was able to locate) and

c. constructed to stay within it's own set of stated parameter guidelines.

For example, the appendix lists "1 celery stalk" as having 2g carbohydrates, but the recipe for "Salmon Salad Sandwich" calls for "1 tbsp of chopped celery." How are you supposed to make the conversion between "1 celery stalk" and "1 tbsp of chopped celery?," in order to evaluate that "all-important" carb-per-day total? And while "1 tbsp of "chopped chives" is listed in the Appendix, "1 tbsp of onion" called for in the recipe is not and "green pepper," which is also called for in the recipe, is not even on the Appendix under vegetables at all! (nor, by the way, are mushrooms, which are called for in a separate recipe).

The fundamental question is this: If "more than 40 grams of carbohydrate in any form will trigger your overproduction of insulin and return you to the weight gain cycle you know so well," as you state on page 109 and your own meal plan doesn't even maintain those guidelines, then how on Earth can the Insulin Diet program that you recommend possibly accomplish the weight loss goals that you claim? The figures simply don't add up. Either your statements regarding a daily limit of 40g carbohydrate are incorrect, or else your meal plans simply do not work, according to the parameters you yourself have indicated.

I'd love to receive clarification on this issue at your earliest convenience, since I do want to get a handle on the effects of added weight on the symptoms for Type II Diabetes. However, I can only do that if I have complete confidence in the logic of the information that's being presented. As it is, my confidence in the program is shaky, since the figures on how to improve my figure just don't figure.

I look forward to your reply.

Best,
R. McGowan

It Really Works.......2004-10-07

OK, this is less about the book than it is about the diet. It works. I have tried everything including Atkins and Weight Watchers. I had 15 pounds to lose. When my doctor said elevated blood sugar was the only thing he could find to explain why I wasn't losing the weight, I bought this book. Now, it is NOT an 'eat all you want of certain foods' diet. And sometimes I've been hungry. But it is easy to follow, not the least complicated and there's no measuring (aside from knowing what 3-4 ounces of meat/chicken/fish looks like, and 1/2 cup of fruit/vegetable.) I'm down 14 1/2 pounds. One caviat: since I didn't have a lot of weight to lose (I'm guessing this is the reason) it's taken me awhile. But it's the only thing that has worked. Right now I'm slowly re-introducing grains (bread, brown rice) and the loss continues (this was a problem with Atkins - the minute I ate a dinner roll, the weight came back). It really works.

Diabetes Type 2 Diet Control Book.......2004-01-30

I per chance picked up this book as I thought I was heading for Diabetes Type 2. I am in the Medical Profession this book is sound and well researched. I started on the diet 3 weeks ago lost 6 kilo's and don't feel hungry. I don't use all the menus and adapted my own. The book is incredibly informative and once you have this knowledge you realise how other diets and pills and potions cannot work.
I just have a problem with the email address I cannot contact either author on the email printed in the book.
Well done for this valuable information

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