Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

The book has some good recipes but i feel that it is lacking in variety and a lot of the recipes are really everyday items that you would make without the cookbook. I think the recipes on the website are just as good and free

Im a big fan of this book! My favorite thing about it is the recipes are almost all designed to be one serving. I hate nothing like finding a lowfat/lowcal recipe that is only low fat because the serving is so small you need 4 to fill up. These recipes are made for real people, who are really hungry.
Im not currently on weight watchers, but its also a great book for anyone on that diet. I have been on weight watchers before and these recipes are mostly all high in fiber low in points.
The ONLY thing i would change about this book to make it better? I would add more pictures. But then again you can find them all online on the website.. and for the price you cant beat it.

Hungry Girl, based on the website of the same name, compiles common-sense approaches to cutting fat and calories through smart substitutions. Useful sidebars offer comparisons of similar commercial fast-food versions showing fat and calories.

In the beginning, Hungry Girl (Lisa Lillien) offers up a useful list of recommended products designed to save fat/calories, including light soymilks, numerous fat-free products, and light bread products. She also includes Top ATE kitchen essentials (measuring cups, blender, etc.). Beginning with breakfast, HG offers up low-fat versions of Egg McMuffins (184 cal, 2g fat), burritos (239 cal, 3g fat), French toast (195 cal, 1g fat), smoothies and oatmeal (with pumpkin and cinnamon...yum!).

Other chapters embrace salads, soups, pastas, Guy Foods, desserts, and holiday dishes. Normally gut-busting items like chili dogs (109 cal, 1g fat), onion rings (153 cal, 1g fat), spicy crispy chicken sandwich (313 cal, 4.5 g fat), eggnog (98 cal, 2g fat), mint mocha freeze (55 cal, 0.5 g fat), and more are given low-fat makeovers courtesy of secret ingredients such as Eggbeaters, Fiber One bran cereal, and fat-free swaps like fat-free cheese, fat-free sour cream, etc. Cute drawings spice up the chapters.

Generally, the recipes are nutritionally sound and easy to prepare, but a word of warning: low-fat and fat-free products are plumped up with sodium, so the sodium counts are *insanely* high for many items (upwards of a day's worth of sodium in a single recipe), and excess sodium consumption can result in water retention, bloating, and high blood pressure. Also, the numerous sugar-free products such as sweeteners and sugar-free mixes can cause a laxative effect in sensitive people.

Also, the chapter on low-cal alcoholic beverages is suspect, since a recent study showed that mixing alcohol with diet sodas actually resulted in becoming intoxicated more quickly (21 minutes for absorption of diet soda mix versus 36 minutes for regular soda and alcohol). Of course, if you do choose to drink (these recipes can be made virgin), it's always a good idea to eat something first, which slows absorption into the bloodstream.

But for stressed-out working moms (and dads), Hungry Girl offers many palatable swaps of popular food from major chains that are markedly lower in calories, fat, and sugar, including kid-friendly recipes, that may be a good way for families to eat more healthfully.

This book is great! It has practical advice for those trying to lose or maintain thier weight. I recieve the Hungry Girl newsletter and its free! There are lots of recipes and you can get the recipe photos and Weight Watchers points from her web site.

Love this book! I use it all the time and the recipies are great! I would suggest anyone who wants to eat better to get it.