Review of "Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss : The Visual Program f" by Howard M. Shapiro

This is an amazing book for those who want to really understand the keys to a successful diet. Howard Shapiro tells us that a picture can be worth a thousand calories! The opening pages inform you that it's not a sin to eat, and after you read through some basic information about food and calories the reader is presented with what the author calls a "Picture Perfect Weight Loss Program." Once I got to this section I was lost in the appealing pages that show food comparisons. The pictures are in color and all look good enough to eat. You are shown what variety of foods that match a certain amount of calories. For example, there might be a nice picture of ½ of a dry bagel with a notation that this is 200 calories. Below that picture is a color photo of two light waffles with two tablespoons of light syrup and some berries. This dish also adds up to 200 calories. Now that's a lesson! If you put cream cheese and both sides of a bagel it adds up to the same number of calories as four light pancakes, four vegetarian links, 2 tablespoons of light syrup - Plus! you also can have sliced starfruit and persimmon with that. This all adds up to the same 650 calories as your bagel and cream cheese.

This is a dieter's post-rebound education that will be of great help to all of us calorie counters.