Burn, Rachael, Burn!

If you read the Flat Belly Diet post, then you know that I like to watch the Rachael Ray show. Those who know me might find that a bit odd since I am not much of a cook.

That's what the show is all about. Rachael simplifies recipes and makes cooking seem so easy and fun that even a not-so-hot cook like myself feels that she can do it, too. Having interesting products, books,celebrities and animals on the show goes a long way as far as holding my attention as well.


Samuel L. Jackson made a guest appearance the other day. He's one of my all time favorite actors! Yeah, baby! He makes you believe that he is whatever character he is playing.


Back to Rachael... her show is light-hearted,informative and gives daily options for what to make for dinner. I haven't actually tried any of the recipes but I'll bet I could make a mean whatever whenever I decided to do it.

You all know that I write poetry when I'm inspired. Rachael, this one's for you.


Burn, Rachael, Burn

Endowed with a penchant to cook
She can truly say that she wrote the book
Actually, she wrote several and has done numerous television shows
The pint-sized cheerleader for food draws a crowd wherever she goes

Hot with talent, Chef Rachael Ray can really burn in the kitchen
To sample her culinary delights, her fans are always itchin’
Chez Ray, other chefs have nothing on you!
In addition to learning to cook, your audience can meet celebrities
and a strange animal or two

Down to earth and lovable, never stiff or aloof
You love your fans and what you do. Your passion and enthusiasm
provide daily proof
As long as you serve it up, fans will continue to dine
Enjoy the well deserved success, Rach! It’s your time to shine.


Sunida E. York ©2008 All Rights Reserved

Flat Belly Diet

Last week on the Rachael Ray show, Rachael had two guests who co-authored a book titled Flat Belly Diet,Liz Vacariello and Cynthia Sass. According to the authors, a person can loose weight just by following their formula for flattening the tummy without having to exercise. The book is said to be about "food and attitude". There is also the assertion that diet participants never go hungry while using this method of weight loss.

The thing that I like about Rachael Ray is that she gets people to try out the products she introduces on her show. True to form, she had two women try the diet. One participant lost 2 lbs while the other lost 7 lbs in four days, with no exercise.

The authors work for Prevention, the health company that produces the magazine of the same name as well as numerous books and special reports. So, the book can be ordered from the Prevention website. Of course, Prevention states that the book is based on findings from their research.
There is also a Flat Belly Diet website where the book can be ordered and participants may sign up for online services as well. The book is not yet available through Amazon but can be preordered (unless you are willing to pay someone $116.00 for a book that has been reduced from $24.95 to $16.95... not!).

I plan to try it as soon as I get my hot little hands on a book.

Happy dieting!

Infomercial Ratings (dot com)

There are infomercials that sell everything... books, cures, exercise equipment. You name it, and someone is selling it via an infomercial. Some infomercials last only a minute or two. Some of them last as long as thirty minutes.

No matter the product being offered, it's always taunted as something you just cannot buy anywhere else with the same quality for such a low price.

I must admit, I've bought into the infomercials a few times and ordered the book or exercise equipment. It didn't take long to realize that I had been mislead. The exercise equipment that seemed so easy to use and so portable was large, extremely heavy, required some assembly which I was unable to do and it did not easily fit into a corner or under my bed. I only ever met one other person who had paid as much as I had for the equipment. Everyone else thought that I was a liar or crazy when I talked about the price. Well, I am neither. I did feel quite silly for being so gullible. I wasn't about to try to ship it back for a refund. It weighed entirely too much and I would have been gouged again on the shipping charge.

The book that I bought was supposed to have the cures for fibromyalgia, diabetes and a myriad of other illnesses. Of course, doctors did not want you to know about these cures but the author was bucking the system to help all of us who suffer from chronic illness (said the author). I was very skeptical but had been urged repeatedly to at least give the book a try by some well-meaning folks. The book wasn't worth the paper it contained. It held no useful information whatsoever. It only contained teaser lines that were designed to make you want to go to the author's website to get the actual information(if indeed any exists), for a monthly subscription fee. Did I mention that he charged nearly $22.00 just for shipping and handling? So, the book cost more than $40.00 at that point. He is on a new infomercial offering cures for our debts.

Being the curious person that I am, I decided to Google a product a few months ago. Up popped a link to a website called Infomercial Ratings. I love this site! Ordinary people like you and I who have bought a product that they saw on TV infomercials give their opinions on the products. Those who bought the current book on curing debt felt the same as I did about the book on curing illness... it's worthless. However, they give their opinions in much more passionate and sometimes colorful language (nothing really bad).

Before you buy anything, take a minute to go to www.infomercialratings.com to see what others are saying about the product. Ultimately, the final decision to buy or not is yours. However, it doesn't hurt to arm yourself with a little information first.

Shop smart!