A Bite at a Time: From the Heart to the Mind, Inspiration and Motivation for Weight Loss
November 12th, 2009
A Bite at a Time is a book with a simple philosophy. It is not about revealing any miracle weight loss secrets, techniques, methodologies, recipes or plans. It is not a how-to manual or someone’s recounting of what worked for them. On its pages you will find motivational quotations from some of the world’s most influential people, and one man’s interpretation and examination of their words in relation to weight loss, perseverance, and personal transformation. Having once been several hundred pounds overweight, Morris Katzoff understands the pain and torment of being an obese person trying to survive in a world full of stairs, glares, and stereotypes. He knows what it means to search within oneself and f… More >>
$10.03
4.5
A Bite at a Time: From the Heart to the Mind, Inspiration and Motivation for Weight Loss
Posted in Fat Loss Library | 
Tags: Bite, from, Heart, Inspiration, Loss, Mind, Motivation, Time, Weight
There are no easy paths to practical weight loss.
Author Morris Katzoff – who has lost more than 200 pounds and has kept it off – delves into the oftentimes overlooked facets of motivation and inspiration for the long haul to understand the mind, body and soul.
With the focus on a true personal transformation, Katzoff is not just counting calories, but showing how one can lace up the shoes for a trek to holistic health, not just a race to weight loss without a long-term plan, which typically ends frustratingly right back at the starting line.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a great gift to all who are in need. The need is, of course, loosing weight, but more than bodily weight, it is the heavy weight of the soul and heart. Physical health is addressed, but this book also offers an outstretched hand, a real rescue, from a human being who has been through some of the toughest moments -in the continuing struggle many of us are all too familiar with- and overcame. An important message of this book is that the help we need is to heal ourselves; and then the author shows us how.
One can pick up this book, open it to any page and receive a clear and simple message, some advice from a friend, if you will, on how to proceed daily on the path to a life of healthy weight, healthy heart, soul and mind. It is all covered there. The author is a friend encouraging you, advising you, helping you see that all you need to shed that old and burdensome weight, and keep it off, is already in you; all the courage, the stamina, the strength, and the will. You will feel free of shame and guilt. Just take that step, that first step to say “enough!,” this book will help you take care of the rest. It is written in the style of a letter to you, so you will never feel alone.
The chapters are brief, and there are small paragraphs dividing the morsels of wisdom and knowledge, all of which you can take “a bite at a time”. The format is easygoing, one can even read paragraph by paragraph, effortlessly understanding all that is given, and the author truly gives with an open heart. (The book also offers resources on group support, health and nutrition, via websites, and a recommended reading list.)
This book is a staff of courage, the help we need to get up, dust ourselves off, and keep going, “A Bit at a Time.”
Thank you Mr. Katzoff.
Rating: 5 / 5
I wish I could find a magic formula for quick, healthy weight loss that does not purport diet or exercise. A Bite At A Time does not promise the miracle that we all know does not exist.
I have a friend that was obese. Notice the past tense. He was so large he could only wear flip flops. He could no longer walk but short distances. His doctor told him he would be dead within two years because of the damage his weight was doing to his heart. This man had two young children. The youngest said, “Daddy I don’t want you to die.” With tears in his eyes he when back to his doctor and asked for help. He stuck to the diet his doctor gave him. He is almost 300 pounds lighter. He did not have bypass surgery. He watched what he ate and began to walk each day a few steps farther. His family and friends offered encouragement.
A Bite At A time is not a weight loss or exercise program. A Bite at a Time is a book of encouragement. Morris Katzoff has assembled quotes from prominent people. He scrutinizes and interprets each quote. The reader will find encouragement to help them stick to their goal and boost their self esteem.
Katzoff successfully lost over 200 pounds and has kept it off. He experienced the pain that comes with obesity. He experienced the stares, smirks, and glares from people. He struggled with stairs, too small chairs, and other inconveniences. It is because of those experiences that he offers encouragement to others facing the same situation.
Rating: 4 / 5
A Bite at a Time was written by a man who has experienced the struggles of losing weight since he was a young kid and who wants to share some of his lifelong lessons with the reader. Most diet books include recipes, calorie counting logs, exercise recommendations, and the like. But A Bite at a Time is different. It doesn’t include any of the usual dieting book anecdotes. Rather than offer the usual tips on diet and exercise, A Bite at a Time relies on inspiration. Each of the books sections begins with a quotation relating to the main topic in that section. Following the quote are the authors own words for dieting success. The author has been there and done that, and he seems very sincere in his efforts to spread the message and help others succeed at achieving their dieting goals.
Inspirational, self- motivational books like this one are difficult to dislike because their intentions are to help the reader improve his/her life for the better. But I have some definite reservations with A Bite at a Time. My greatest problem with this book will be obvious to anyone who reads it: The writing is weak. I can tolerate a typo here and there, but A Bite at a Time has something wrong on almost every page of the book. Whether it’s a typo, run- on sentences, wordy sentence, fragment, or bad grammar, this book will leave your head spinning. I don’t know why the author didn’t hire an editor to look over his work before publishing. A small investment would have resulted in a book that was polished and easily readable.
Aside from the faulty writing, I have other problems with A Bite at a Time that cannot go unmentioned. First, I think it would have been a good idea to include chapters and then group the dozens of small sections into chapters that follow a common theme. This would provide the book with some much- needed organization. As it is written, there is no meaningful organization to the sections. The topics jump all over the place, and there isn’t even an index to help the reader lookup a topic of interest.
Another problem I have with this book is its repetitive nature. Yes, it is nice that the author wants to help others lose weight and keep it off and it’s nice that he includes so many positive words of encouragement. But the problem is that he continues to say pretty much the same thing over and over again. Part of the reason for this is the very large number of individual “sections” in the book- about 75 of them- many of which are very similar to one another. With this many sections, it is no wonder that the author has to repeat himself so many times. Don’t Give Up, Never Say Die, Stay Focused, Don’t Give in to Negative Thinking, and so on are the inspirational words stated over and over again, only in slightly different ways.
On a positive note, I do like the way this book was written in a generic way. It is intended for inspiring people to lose weight, but most of its words of advice could actually be used to inspire other actions as well. Anyone who is having trouble reaching a difficult goal could benefit from the words of wisdom in this book because the words could apply to many different people and to many different situations. I also like the genuineness on the part of the author. He has struggled with weight his entire life and he sincerely wants to do whatever he can to help others avoid the same fate.
Overall, however, A Bite at a Time is a book that cannot be recommended due to its repetitive nature, lack of organization, and poor writing. If the author would have at least hired an editor, there might be enough good here to justify a three- star rating and a recommendation. But with writing like this, the book is painful to read and I recommend it only to those in the most serious need of motivational assistance.
Rating: 2 / 5
Not everyone is the same physically. “A Bite at a Time: From Your Heart to Your Mind, Weight loss Motivation & Inspiration” realizes this, and thus does not try to encourage readers to follow some method that may not work for them. It is instead something that will work across many minds – inspiration to keep trying to lose that weight and keep it off through inspiration and compassionate stories to help pushing one to lose the weight in whatever method they can, and manage to keep it off. “A Bite at a Time” is a unique approach to weight loss, and may be just what some people need to keep themselves going.
Rating: 5 / 5