Book Review: Why Your Last Diet Failed You, by Charlie Hills

When I picked up the book by Charlie Hills, Why Your Last Diet Failed You, I thought, Great, yet another book on dieting. Then I read the subtitle of the book: "And How This Book Won't Help You on Your Next One". My thought on that was, Huh, well, at least he's honest.

The reason I wanted to read this book wasn't because it was yet another book on dieting, but rather because of the humor displayed on the cover. In a world where authors try hard to impress their readers with their accolades, Charlie Hills bills himself on the front cover of Why Your Last Diet Failed You as, "Author of Two Other Books You've Never Heard Of", while the back cover touts, "Combined praise from eight of the author's relatives."

Not only did I find the cover of Why Your Last Diet Failed You amusing, but I also found it honest, and that's what you're going to find inside the book. That is, essentially, what the very foundation of this book, yet another book on dieting, is all about: honesty, with a dash of humor, and it's calorie free.

One thing that stood out when reading the book is that Mr. Hills makes it clear upfront his isn't a miraculous weight loss story. He's never weighed 400 pounds, had a near death experience, or any of the other amazing and heartwarming stories we see in late night infomercials from people with whom we cannot relate. Instead, he's just a normal American human being, who, like the majority of Americans, has been battling the bulge and the "trampoline" weight loss and gain, and he found himself loosing the war.

Mr. Hills documents his own ups and downs, valleys and peaks, while also tackling many of the common diets on the market today, all of which he highly recommends. The point he makes is that any diet when used properly as a tool in weight loss and maintenance, is going to be as successful as you make it. Mr. Hills reiterates what we all know: the only way to successfully loose weight and keep it off is to eat less and healthier and move more. It's not really rocket science, and he doesn't really tell us anything that we don't on some level already know, but he makes it clear from the beginning he isn't going to do so.

Unlike many of the popular diet plan books, you won't find a lot of science and facts and figures here, although behind Why Your Last Diet Failed You there is plenty of evidence, research and facts. The difference here is the personal anecdotes, the humor and the human struggle that let's you share the journey with the author. On the downside, sometimes I felt Mr. Hills' spent too much time sharing is own personal journey, so that it read in places more like a personal journal than I had expected. On the upside, I enjoyed the book as a whole, and there were places in the book where I myself nodded my head in a knowing manner and other places where I literally laughed at loud.

If you're looking for a book that is going to provide you some sort of magic weight loss formula, Charlie Hills' 210-page, glossy cover, perfect bound paperback from Lockshire Press isn't going to do it. If, however, you're serious about losing weight, keeping it off, and laughing with Mr. Hills and at yourself a little bit along the way, this book can make the journey funnier, while letting you know you're not alone in your experiences.

Pros: Humorous, realistic, practical… this book will make you laugh, might even motivate you to lose weight, and even if it doesn't, provides enough entertainment value to make it worth the read.

Con: The book is a bit pricey with a retail listing of US $22.95, and an Amazon.com listing of $14.95.

Charlie, I assure you, if I ever find the secret crispy pepperoni pizza weight loss diet, you will be the first person I call. I truly enjoyed Why Your Last Diet Failed You, by Charlie Hills, but then my results might not be typical! (You'll have to read the book to understand that one.)

To read Michelle Devon's interview with Charlie Hills, author of Why Your Last Diet Failed You, click here.