The diet simply works. I didn't get it to lose weight but because I was having trouble controlling my blood sugar. I'd get so hungry, I'd feel faint just hours after eating. It really helps stabilize blood sugar so you don't feel hungry all the time. Great if you want to lose weight but also great if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia. I'm not a big recipe person though and was disappointed to find 1/3 of the book was recipes I'll never use. I should have just bought the basic GU Guide" if I simply wanted a list of green foods.

I also like that many of the switches are really easy. It's not no carb. Have basmati rice instead of plain rice. Fettuccine is fine as are bananas. Knowing the green foods is not something you can guess at. I was surprised at a number of things. I never felt the least bit deprived. My Dad started it and lost 13 lbs. One friend lost 40 lbs on is and another just started it this week. It's way easier to follow and stick to than I would have guessed.

My 11 year old loves this book. He's read it from cover to cover several times. Dr. Dobson knows how to speak to kids and how to relate to their issues. I was hesitant because I disagree Dobson on some fundamental issues but this book was really good. It walks with kids through some of the emotional land minds of adolecence. My son kept saying he never knew so many people felt this way and he felt so understood after reading the examples. I also appreciated how Dobson shared openly about some of his own mistakes he made and what he wishes he'd done differently. He didn't come across as a know-it-all adult but as someone who has walked that road and wants to guide others on it along the way.

The only thing this book did for me was to solidify all the things I wouldn't do in raising my pre-teens and teens. This book is the antithesis of grace based parenting. It works by 'not trusting' your kids as protecting them from everything possible. I was so shocked at some of the suggested made that I kept reading it aloud to my husband who was just as shocked. If you want resentful kids, go this route. It's very legalistic for those who like that sort of thing. I'd rather go with trust and respect as the default unless they prove they can't be trusted.