Survival of the Thinnest: How to Use Your Genetic Script to Stay Thin Without Dieting

By David Hariton

Are you one of the millions of Americans who have put on weight and are feeling unhappy about it? You've tried to take control, but you found that dieting simply doesn't keep the pounds off. You mean... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 187938454X
• ISBN13: 9781879384545
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Cypress House
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

It's sound science, and it works!

Three weeks into this program, I have to admit: this works! I am a forty-year-old mom who had been yo-yo dieting and binge-eating for four years, struggling to lose the last five pounds of pregnancy weight-gain. Before, I was always one of those thin people who ate whatever I wanted without a thought about the amount of food I was eating. Now, incredibly, the pounds are coming off, and I am eating whatever I want. No more dieting. No more bingeing. By just working out aerobically for 30 minutes a day and eating only when I feel hungry, I am making my body slim down because my body thinks I need to work like this to survive. I was skeptical at first, and even fearful of losing control over my eating, but this book gave me a good dose of science and helped me take a leap of faith in my body's biology. This book explains how it is. I am immensely grateful for this book. Thank you, Mr. Hariton. Anyone who really wants to end the agony of yo-yo dieting should get and read this book. Just try the program for three weeks, and you'll be glad you did. Update on earlier review (above): It's been two months since I gave this book a rave review for having changed my life and body for the better after only three weeks on the plan. I am back to report that, yes, this plan really, really works. The results amaze me: In less than three months I have lost seven pounds, down to my pre-pregnancy weight, and I have lost 3/4 inch off my hips, down to my pre-pregnancy measurement. And I have done this just by stationary-bicycling or speed-walking for 30 minutes a day and by eating whatever I feel like whenever I am hungry. Believe me, I eat whatever and howevermuch I want -- I even overeat at times (for example, during the recent Christmas holidays!). It's just that often I find I am not all that hungry. According to Hariton's theory, this would be because the daily 30-minute workout makes my body think that it needs to work hard physically for survival and cannot afford to carry any excess weight. To be thin again now, while eating whatever I want, just as when I was younger -- this is so weird, and so wonderful! Goodness, I owe so much to this one, little gem of a book. To everyone who struggles with a weight prblem, I say this: please give this plan a sincere try. Buy this book, or just borrow it from the public library, but give it -- give yourself -- a chance.

Common sense and airtight logic -- and it works!

After reading way too many diet books, all of which seem to contradict each other, I found this book to be like a breath of fresh air. The author obviously did his research, and he combines genetic theory with basic common sense to come up with the simplest, most reasonable -- and, judging from the three weeks I've been following the book's program -- most effective advice I've ever read about how to stay fit, healthy and sane. Thanks, Mr. Hariton, for finally offering a weight-loss solution that works, and for confirming my suspicion that most diet-book authors are nothing more than the 21st-century equivalent of snake-oil salesmen.

Life-changing

I'm a pretty thin person in his early 40s, and I've never had to worry about being seriously overweight, but I've spent most of my time since college wrestling with an extra 10 or so pounds around my waist. This meant 1) pangs of guilt when I would eat a big pile of french fries, or order dessert, or have a big breakfast instead of just cereal and skim milk, and 2) trying (and usually failing) to avoid the hunger pangs I felt when I'd try to make up for it by skipping a meal, or half-heartedly going on this or that diet... I was a little cynical when I first read this book -- I'm suspicious of sales pitches that tell you how "simple" and "easy" the product they're selling will be to use/follow/etc. -- but I'm not now: I've been doing 30 mins. of aerobic exercise a day for nearly 6 weeks, and the 10 extra pounds are gone, period. The most amazing thing is it doesn't seem to matter what I eat -- I haven't changed my dining habits at all (except for the fact that I truly enjoy a meal now without all of the attendant guilt). I feel great physically because I'm getting consistent exercise, but I also feel great psychologically, because I'm not constantly reprimanding myself for trying to ignore/repress my appetite (which takes a greater toll than many people realize).The best thing about this book is it's not just about dieting or appearance -- it's about listening to your body and taking positive steps toward a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle. (The big plus is you also end up looking a lot better in the process...)

Finally, A Gimmick-Free Weight Loss Book. And It Works

I was sent "Survival of the Thinnest" by a friend after a dinner in which I noticed that he looked thinnner, had more energy, and was enjoying a rich dessert without worry. This book, he said, is how he did it.Now, there are many diet books on the market that claim you can eat virtually anything and lose weight as long as you follow their plan, which usually means no carbs or all carbs or endless grapefruit or supplements or I don't know what else."Survival of the Thinnest" does away with all those ridiculous techniques to trick your body. Instead the book takes the position that you don't need to trick yourself, you need to understand yourself. Your body is genetically programmed to put on weight as you get older because that's what served ancient mankind best. Why? Because as ancient men and women got older they led more sedentary lives (the hunting was left to the young and fit) and they also had to withstand period of little food.But you can beat your genetic code, through exercise. If you work-out everyday, the book argues, your body will think you're one of the men or women in the tribe who has to do physical labor and it will keep you thin. NO MATTER WHAT YOU EAT! It doesn't have to be a lot of exercise, but it has to be consistent, so your body understands that you need to be lean.This is the only diet book you'll ever need. It's especially geared for men and women in their 30s and older and is written clearly. Give it a few hours to read it and to think about it and then implement the program (you'll want to as soon as your done) and you will have the body you want in almost no time. How can you beat that?

Life-changing

This is a marvelous book. It teaches with water-tight reasoning that sedentary people who diet are no more likely to overcome chronic weight problems than gluttons who diet, regular exercisebeing the key to sustained good health. Widespread anxieties about food-and-weight are in this sense misplaced, or at least only take account of one part of the problem. If you suffer from those anxieties, as I do, I can heartily recommend this excellent book.