Diets can be seriously confusing. They all have different rules, different foods are good and bad, and different results should be expected. How do you know if your diet will work for you, or if you need to cut out some more carbs? And are you allowed pasta on a Thursday morning? I’ve started looking at diet books, which clear up the confusion, but some are really complicated too! Here are my favourites.

1. ‘How Not To Get Fat’

Price: $12 at amazon.com

This isn’t really a diet. It simply shows you how to have a healthy relationship with food, which enables you to be able to cut your portions and your dress size accordingly. It’s full of common sense, about regular meals and calories, but it’s also full of how to enjoy food, and see it as a friend, rather then an enemy. It’s this that makes it world-class…women have forgotten how to love food, and once you’ve got that passion back, eating is much healthier, and easier!

2. ‘100 Foods You Should Be Eating’

Price: $13 at amazon.com

I’m used to diet books telling me what I can’t have, rather then what I should, so this was a pleasant surprise. Foods from chocolate to vegetables to duck are listed, and alongside them are all the health benefits, and some great recipes which contain that ingredient. It’ll make you feel passionate about eating, and enjoy your meals.

3. ‘The Nordic Diet’

Price: $14 at amazon.com

Scandinavian food is always talked about for being healthy yet tasty, and this book explains the lifestyles and recipes. It has some amazing recipes using classic Scandinavian foods such as rye bread and seasonal vegetables, and also talks about the way of life, and exercise, which will inspire you to take long walks and enjoy nature. As well as being a great diet book, it’s also inspiring and informative!

4. ‘Mindless Eating’

Price: $9 at amazon.com

This was the book of 2010. Written by a scientist, it shows the results of his studies on eating, and how we manage to eat much more then we think we do. It then shows how many extra calories can be consumed this way, and helps us to stop. It is a fantastically written book, and its unbeatable.

5. ‘The I Diet’

Price: $14 at amazon.com

Gino rose to fame in the I’m A Celebrity camp, and this book shows off all his culinary genius! The book aims to show how we can enjoy large, tasty Italian meals without allowing our waistbands to expand. Gino’s book contains amazing Italian recipes that are full of flavour and goodness without being full of calories, too.

6. ‘Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body’

Price: $14 at amazon.com

Bikini Boot Camp creators Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg know that the secret to losing weight and getting fit is not another diet or endless hours at the gym. Now, this book gives you everything you need to recreate the Bikini Boot Camp experience at home—from the signature workouts to the low-cal, Latin-flavored dishes—and achieve the same incredible results.

7. ‘Look Better Naked’

Price: $16 at amazon.com

Look Better Naked is a diet, exercise, beauty, and self-confidence plan from the editor-in chief of Women’s Health, the magazine that knows how to speak to women in a smart, inspiring way. The book offers expert tips and simple plans for reshaping a woman’s body quickly and easily. It reveals the powerfoods a woman should put on her plate every day and has a workout plan that delivers results in just 15 minutes a day.

8. ‘Hypnodiet’

Price: $12 at amazon.com

Written by one of the best known hypnotists, this great book contains no calorie counting, and no exercise plans. What it does do is contain information and tips on challenging your attitude to food, and contains hypno-sessions recorded which you listen too when instructed. It’s even credited with helping Lily Allen lose weight…it’s a great book which reprogrammes your mind for the better!

9. ‘Perfect Body Diet’

Price: $6 at amazon.com

This excellent addition to the literature on women’s health and weight loss will help veterans of the dieting roller-coaster overcome hunger, build lean muscle mass, burn fat and maintain energy and mood levels. Developed by the editors of Women’s Health magazine, the eight-week program consists of two eating plans, with each of the five-to-six daily meals containing a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate. After determining body shape, calculating ideal weight and doing a simple test for carbohydrate tolerance, readers will know which plan to follow.

10. ‘New You Boot Camp’

Price: $14 at amazon.com

Have you heard about the weight loss bootcamps? Well, this book is written by the women who own one. It gives you all the workouts you’ll need, and an eating plan. Follow it correctly and you’ll drop a dress size in two weeks…impressive! It does take a lot of determination to stick too, but it will keep its promise, and increase your overall fitness!

I keep all of these books on my bookcase, as they are great to lend to friends or re-read when I’m forgetting the best parts of each diet. I don’t like to diet properly, but stealing healthy eating tips has kept me slim for now! Have you read a diet book you’d recommend, or a really rubbish one? Please tell me your thoughts!

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