Interview with Lisa Tillinger Johansen, Author of Stop the Diet, I Want to Get Off!

LISA TILLINGER JOHANSEN, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian who counsels clients on a wide range of health issues. Her debut nutrition book, Fast Food Vindication, received the Discovery Award (sponsored by USA Today, Kirkus and The Huffington Post).  She lives in Southern California.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I live in Southern California and love it. Reading is one of my most favorite pastimes and has been most of my life. I joined my first book club when I was six years old. I love to entertain, from a small dinner party to a major bash. My husband and I love the arts and go to a lot of movies, plays and concerts. I would have to say that my biggest adult passion has been travel. It’s my goal to see as much of the world as I can.

When did you begin writing?

I wrote my first play when I was nine years old. It was about Native Americans and my friend and I performed it for our history class. The next year I wrote a play for my English class about Santa Claus, and I played Santa! In seventh grade I mounted my most ambitious play called Rocky and the Boys about bank robbers. I, of course, was Rocky and we performed the play on the school’s theater stage. It was very exciting.

Throughout high school and college I continued to write, but mostly essays and short stories. Then in my mid-twenties I tried writing a romance novel called The Girl With The Kelly Green Scarf. It was 86 pages from start to finish. Too funny! It was then that I realized how hard it is to write a book.

I took some time off from writing for a decade or so and then started back again several years ago with my first book FAST FOOD VINDICATION. It was well-received and won several awards. This inspired me to write my new book STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF!

What is this book about?

STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! examines the pros and cons of dozens of the most popular diets out there and ultimately provides the reader with a healthy eating plan for life.

What inspired you to write it?                                              

I’m a dietitian and I’ve counseled thousands of patients about weight loss and management. So many of them have been on numerous diets that didn’t work. Too few have tried a common-sense diet approach. My goal is to help people learn to eat healthy for life. And because there’s so much misinformation out there about what to do, I felt compelled to write a book that answers all the diet questions.

Who is your biggest supporter?

I can answer two questions here. My husband is my biggest supporter and he’s also my favorite author. He writes mystery/thriller books and sometimes collaborates with my second favorite author, my mother-in-law Iris Johansen.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Readers can get STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and local booksellers.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

I have three websites. The one that is specific to STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! is www.stopthediet.com. I also have a Q&A website at www.consultthedietitian.com and one for my first book www.fastfoodvindication.com. I’m on Facebook at Lisa Tillinger Johansen and on Twitter @LisaTJohansen.

What is up next for you?

Right now I’m busy promoting STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! as well as teaching nutrition, conducting hypertension and diabetes clinics and holding cooking classes in various senior centers. So I’m pretty busy! But I’m looking ahead to my next book and hope to get started on it soon.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you for taking the time for the interview. I appreciate it.

W...W...W...Wednesdays - July 16

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I'll easily finish this one tonight.

Have you ever been through a hard time in life? Ever wondered why bad things happen? Amber Neben has you covered. The 2x Olympic cyclist for Team USA knows a thing or two about shmack- her word for describing adversity that comes our way in life. Follow Amber's journey as she overcomes major obstacles both on and off the bike-and encourages you to join her in developing the perseverance, patience, perspective, and power than only Christ can give us. Very few people may know or understand what road cycling is, but everyone knows what it means to be an Olympian. The champion road cyclist chronicles her disappointments and failures, as well as amazing comebacks and victories-while thrilling audiences along the way with gripping stories of faith and hope. After reading When Shmack Happens, you'll feel equipped and encouraged to face life's tough moments, and find yourself cheering for Amber to get back on the bike...one more time. Learn what it means to be a spiritual champion in God's eyes.

What did you recently finish reading?

The worlds of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and other modern epics feature the Chosen One--an adolescent boy who defeats the Dark Lord and battles the sorrows of the world. Television's Buffy the Vampire Slayer represents a different kind of epic--the heroine's journey, not the hero's. This provocative study explores how Buffy blends 1990s girl power and the path of the warrior woman with the oldest of mythic traditions. It chronicles her descent into death and subsequent return like the great goddesses of antiquity. As she sacrifices her life for the helpless, Buffy experiences the classic heroine's quest, ascending to protector and queen in this timeless metaphor for growing into adulthood.

Loved this book. You can find my review at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13555516-buffy-and-the-heroine-s-journey

What do you think you’ll read next?

Lose weight, energize, and glow with over 50 recipes and complete 10 day detox plan. This whole foods cleanse includes detailed menu plan, shopping list, and bonus recipes to make after your cleanse. Renewal “Anytime” also includes pre-detox plan, daily instructions, FAQ’s, and post-detox next steps.

I'm scheduled to review this one at the end of the month.

What have you been reading?

Book Review: Fed Up with Lunch by Sarah Wu, A.K. A. Mrs. Q.

If you're interested in the topic of school lunch reform, you'll want to pick up a copy of Fed Up with Lunch: How One Anonymous Teacher Revealed the Truth About School Lunch--And How We Can Change Them! by Sarah Wu, a.k.a. Mrs. Q.

When school teacher Mrs. Q. forgets her lunch one morning, she decides to pick up lunch at the school cafeteria. Shocked by what her students are eating, and dismayed at the short amount of time they have to eat it in, she decides to eat school lunch for an entire year, chronicling her experiences on a blog that captures international attention.

Her identity revealed for the first time in this book, parents can follow Wu's journey to reform America's school lunches.

As I mentioned in my First Chapter Review of this book, I had several reasons for requesting a copy of this book. With two girls in our public school system eating school lunch on a regular basis, I figured what I didn't know could hurt them.

With a sense of humor, Wu shares her surprising finds in the school lunchroom with readers. With entrees like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and pizza offered with side dishes like tater tots or french fries, she suddenly understands why her students don't have the energy to keep going after lunch. Considering the vast majority of the students at her school receive reduced or free lunch, Wu's feeling is that school lunch might be these kids' one chance at a healthy meal a day.

While I did feel an editor could have polished the book up a bit--tightened it so it didn't ramble in places--overall, I went into this experience knowing the author was not a writer by trade.

I felt Fed Up with Lunch opened my eyes in unexpected ways. I never knew some school districts don't have recess. I can't imagine how my children would manage going through an entire day cooped up inside the school without any chance to run around and blow off steam. In addition, our school district already has the kids going to recess first and eating afterwards, which has been shown to be better for students. We also have a salad bar or at least vegetables and dressing available on a regular basis in our schools too.

The book includes photographs of Wu's lunches. There are also resources for parents, kids, and teachers who wish to get involved with school lunch reform. Perhaps everything Wu would like to see in our public school cafeterias isn't realistic, but overall, what she says makes sense. A quality lunch is important, as is teaching our children early on about healthy eating habits. I enjoyed Fed Up with Lunch and visited her blog as a result. This book proves that one person can make a difference.

Hardcover: 208 pages

Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 5, 2011)

ISBN-10: 1452102287

ISBN-13: 978-1452102283

SRP: $22.95

Also available for Kindle

I received a free hardcover of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This is the twenty-fifth book I've read for the following challenge: