Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The One Day Way Book Review

The following is a review of The One Day Way by Chantel Hobbs. I read and reviewed the book to keep my readers informed on available choices. I received the book free and would appreciate ratings on the review. (See the ratings box after the review.) If you received this post by email, click on the title of the post to go to the website. 

As with many self-help books, I found some practical tidbits in The One Day Way. For example, the sixth commandment in “The One Day Way Food Rules” is to “Be aware of portion size” (p. 116). Good reminder. But overall, I found the book flat.

The author admonishes us to “change the way we measure success” (p. 16). The title and foundation of the book are summed up on page 17. “You will achieve success only by doing it today . . . one good decision at a time, one pound at a time, one day at a time as you meet one bite size goal at a time.” Basically, we should concentrate on today only, finding one positive triumph to celebrate at the end of each day. Her theory breaks down when she talks about having a plan and preparing for the start of your diet. It’s no longer about today. Additionally, she does not mention how to handle a day in which you have setbacks (no successes to celebrate).

My biggest disappointment lies in the section on faith. Ms. Hobbs believes our faith should be in ourselves—an “I can do it” mentality. In the list of ten “One-Day Ways to challenge you in the area of faith,” on page 72 she never mentions God or His word. I believe relying solely on yourself is a detriment to a rich, spiritual life. Therefore, other areas of your life, including eating and exercising, will suffer. For this reason, I do not recommend The One Day Way. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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