REVIEW: "The No S Diet" by Reinhard Engels

Title: "The No S Diet"
Author: Reinhard Engels
Pages: 182
Diety?: yes and no
Promotes IE?: not really
My Rating: 4****


Edited to Note: I have now actually READ this book (not just the website), so I've updated my review to reflect that change. :)


I first heard about this diet from the Women's World magazine article, featured on April 14, 2008. I picked up a copy of said magazine at the local grocery store, because the cover story was about this diet, and I was intrigued.

Much as I'm not a huge fan of "diets" any more, this one seems to be a "diet" and an "anti-diet" all at the same time. While the author encourages you to eat 3 meals a day, and doesn't really buy into the "eat only when hungry" logic, he also encourages you NOT to snack between meals.

There are no recipes, no meal-plans, and you don't have to "count" or track anything. So, in that sense, it's NOT a diet (by my standards, anyway). There ARE some *restrictions* -- the "No S" parts -- but even those come with "exceptions", so this still doesn't seem like a "diet" --in the typical sense of the word-- to me. ;)

The really cool thing is that the author has given the entire "plan" of his diet for FREE on his website! You can read all the FAQs (frequently asked questions) there, as well as join the discussion boards, or use his personalized "habit tracker" (created specifically to work with this diet -- but not limited to use with the NoS plan! You can use it for anything, really, and it's FREE!).

Basically, the premise is just 14 words long... you eat:

- no sweets
- no snacks
- no seconds
... except (sometimes) on days
that start with "S".

It's not as simple as it sounds, though, as people here in the West have a penchant (it seems) for snacking (on sweets, no less!), and taking second helpings.

The author proposes that eating these things ONLY on days that start with "S" (Saturdays, Sundays, and Special occasions) will help to greatly reduce your calorie intake, thereby leading to weight loss.

He doesn't claim that your weight loss will be quick... it's a gradual --but more lasting-- change. And, he says that it offers more structure than the typical diet.

I liked that he made so much fuss about how the usual "diets" do NOT work (not in the long-run anyway).

I wasn't originally going to read the book, given that you can find all of the information you need for free on the website. But, after reading messages on the NoS Bulletin Boards, I realized that the book is a little more "fluffed-out" than the website, and there's a bit more in the way of answers to questions NoS "followers" usually have.

The book was very good. Yes, most of it was a repeat of what's on the website, but the bulletin-board people were right in that there is more to the book, too. I found it helpful to have the book, and it's nice to have that "portable" information... I don't have to keep running to my computer to look up an answer to my questions. It's also cool that the book is just slightly bigger than a mass-market paperback, so it fits in your bag (or whatever), and the price was right (I got mine for $10.60 CDN)

So, overall, I'd say that this book -- and the plan, itself -- are great. I'd definitely recommend both! I'm trying out the NoS principles, myself, and am really liking the freedom "with boundaries" that they give me. Having those "S" days to eat without guilt is definitely a bonus. ;)