Elizabeth Taylor, an actress and sex symbol who is one of the most sought-after celebrities by the media, has published several books during her lifetime. Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-image & Self-esteem is one of them. I first picked up this book because of the words "self-image & self-esteem" in the title, rather than the "weight gain, weight loss" portion. Well, it turns out the book would be an excellent source for those who want to lose weight, but that was not what I was interested in.
Nevertheless, the book itself is highly commendable. Even if you're not planning to go on a diet - it wasn't why I bought the book - the first half of the book is still worth a read. Miss Taylor writes briefly and frankly about events that occurred in her life which affected her self image and consequently, self esteem. She writes how being a senator's wife caused her to divulge into a period of extreme inactivity and boredom which unintentionally turned her to overeating. She also mentions the dire effects of binging, nibbling, or "grapple-snapping". Unlike those strictly diet-focused books, Elizabeth Takes Off offers insightful explanations and reasons for weight gain while also presenting a dietary method which to me looks superb.
If the first half analyzes the impact of events in Miss Taylor's life, the latter half offers diet menus, recipes and exercises that could help keep your body in shape. The Taylor-made recipes mainly consist of nutritious food, notably fruits and vegetables that have low calories. Her daily menus seem reasonable, diverse and easily followable because it is not a starving course, but a replacement for your typical diet. The exercise portion contains several beneficial stretches which, again, are also simple and effective.
Overall, I found this book to be a smooth, easy read. I also found myself nodding to many of the things that Miss Taylor says in this excellent book - which needs to be more in circulation today.
