Most Popular Books by Melissa Roberson

In a book that ties into the television show''s ninth season, the cast and experts of "The Biggest Loser" discuss the importance of understanding one''s health, potential risk for disease, and ways to implement preventative lifestyle changes.

The road to a healthier lifestyle starts with small decisions and better choices. Now, with The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps, you can get healthy by simply swapping your old food, habit, and lifestyle choices for healthier versions every day. With 100 simple swaps that cut calories, save money, and provide better nutrition as well as more than 30 mouthwatering recipes that put these swaps into action, getting fit and healthy has never been easier. Learn how to: - Swap lasagna noodles for veggies. Pasta used to be a guilty pleasure for many Biggest Losers-until they learned to make a healthy version. Try replacing lasagna noodles in your favorite recipe with slices of grilled zucchini or eggplant. Better yet, try the Veggie Lasagna recipe in Chapter 4! - Swap traditional yogurt for Greek-style yogurt. Greek-style fat-free yogurt contains the same number of calories as regular fat-free yogurt but has twice the protein and half the carbs. It''s a great base for dips, too. Try using it in the French Onion Dip in Chapter 5! - Swap sugary cereals for whole grains. The slow release of energy from complex carbs will help you feel full and keep your blood sugar steady and your energy revved. Or turn to Chapter 5 to make your own Hi-Pro Vanilla Breakfast Grains! Throughout the book, you''ll also find advice and tips from The Biggest Loser experts, trainers, and the contestants themselves, who understand the challenges of fitting lifestyle changes into a busy schedule. These simple, budget-friendly swaps can make a major difference in your health and weight loss efforts. Start swapping-and losing-today!

As grocery costs continue to rise, many family cooks are finding themselves in a tough predicament: How can they feed their families healthy, satisfying meals without breaking the bank? In The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, New York Times bestselling author Devin Alexander shows families that eating on a budget can be easy, nutritious-and delicious! With more than 125 recipes that will satisfy every member of the family, Chef Alexander provides complete, affordable options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with mix-and-match side dishes, healthy snacks, and desserts. From Broccoli & Cheddar Frittatas to Steak Fajita Quesadillas, Family Sized Meatball Parmesan to Peanut Butter Fudge Sundaes, these wholesome, satisfying dishes will become an essential part of every family cook''s repertoire. In addition to an overview of the Biggest Loser eating plan and Chef Alexander''s recipes, readers will find helpful cooking and cost-saving tips from favorite Biggest Loser contestants and online club members. They will also find simple ways to get kids involved in the kitchen and fun ideas for family mealtimes. Designed to make healthy eating accessible for everyone, The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook will help pad wallets--not waistlines.

Over the last six seasons of The Biggest Loser, you''ve watched as contestants shed pounds, got healthy, and dramatically changed their lives for the better. In fact, you may have been so inspired by the show''s remarkable success stories that you''ve considered embarking on your own weight loss journey. If you''re looking to get healthy now, there''s good news: You don''t have to spend time at the ranch to benefit from The Biggest Loser magic. The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start brings all of the secrets of the ranch right into your own home. The Biggest Loser experts—the same ones who advise the contestants—are here to walk you through a 30-day plan that will kick off your weight loss and help you build new, healthy habits. In this book you''ll find easy-to-follow menus, recipes, exercise plans, and motivation for each day of the week. You''ll also find helpful tips and advice from past Biggest Losers who have been in your shoes, including the nine contestants from Season 7 who left the ranch early to follow this very plan at home. So far, the Biggest Losers have lost more than a combined 10,000 pounds. But for each of them, the journey started with a commitment: to health, to weight loss, and to themselves. The first steps toward a healthier future are in this book—what are you waiting for? Make the commitment, take the leap—and begin your 30 day jump start today!

Each season on The Biggest Loser, we watch the contestants sweat their way to a healthier body and a brand new lease on life. But the dramatic changes that unfold on our television screens are only part of the story. To be successful at home, the contestants have to develop strategies and sustainable habits they can maintain for the long haul. And that includes learning how to satisfy sweet cravings—and keep deprivation at bay. In The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook, bestselling author Chef Devin Alexander shows you how to indulge sensibly with more than 80 guilt-free recipes made from wholesome, all-natural ingredients. • Rediscover your passion for fruit with desserts like the Naked Apple Tart, Cherry-Vanilla Almond Parfait, and Strawberry Cloud Soufflés • Cool down your cravings with frozen treats such as the Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich, Mango-Peach Key Lime Sorbet Popsicles, and Pumpkin Ice Cream • Share your sweets with a crowd with bake-sale favorites like Fudge Swirl Peanut Butter Cupcakes, Go Blue-Berry Cobbler Mini Loaves, and Pecan Praline Cookie Thins • Sip your way to satisfaction with the Mango Lassi Milkshake, Peach No-Belly Bellini, and Icy Chai Shake Losing weight is all about making smarter choices—not giving up the foods you love. Turn your guilty pleasures into healthy indulgences today!

Pizza. Huevos Rancheros. Pad Thai. Enchiladas. Some of America''s most-craved foods aren''t "American" in the traditional sense—they''re the international foods we love to order at restaurants or have delivered to our homes. But most renditions of these beloved ethnic dishes are full of fat and calories. How can dieters get the flavor they crave, without buying one of those reduced-calorie frozen meals that are full of salt and other preservatives? Now, with The Biggest Loser Flavors of the World Cookbook, you can have your lasagna and eat it too! With more than 75 recipes for favorite ethnic staples as well as legendary regional American cuisine created by Chef Devin Alexander and The Biggest Loser contestants, healthy eating has never been more exciting. Discover how former contestants reinvented favorite dishes from their own cultures and regions to fit into their healthy new lifestyle, and how to cut the calories and fat from America''s most-loved ethnic foods. And Chef Devin Alexander''s reliably decadent creations save both money and calories, as any of these dishes can be made at home for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant or take-out meal. The book will include recipes for meals, snacks, dinners, and desserts, and will cover a wide range of cuisines, from the down-home Southern classics to delicious Asian dishes, Mexican favorites, hearty Italian meals, and many others. The book also includes cooking tips from Chef Devin, weight loss advice from the contestants and trainers, and an overview of the Biggest Loser food plan. The Biggest Loser Flavors of the World Cookbook shows you how to expand your culinary horizons—without expanding your waistlines!

In my project, I examine liminal configurations of processual identity as they are influenced by the Middle Passage of the Atlantic Slave Trade. I do this by analyzing the role of liminality and transitional space in literature that reflects Haiti’s cultural climate following the end of the US Occupation in 1934, including Katherine Dunham’s haunting memoir and Marie Vieux-Chauvet’s “Love” of Love, Anger, Madness. These examples represent clear and identifiable reactions against colonial domination that can be traced on an individual level. They show that the traumatic origins and liminal qualities of Haitian diasporic identity can be better understood when examined over time. In an attempt to reconceptualize dispossession through a celebration of hybridity, I argue that in Dunham and Vieux-Chauvet’s 20th century Haitian settings, we can see the remnants of a transition of identity that occurred during enslavement, where the Old World and the New were forcefully intermingled.