Summary: A weight-loss book. No, I take that back – a “fat-loss” book.

So…not sure what to say about this book. I saw it come through the library system and decided to try it out. It was advertised as having a lot more information about how hormones affect weight loss, and how different people process food in different ways. Indeed, it did talk about these things – it was rather funny reading about exactly why Jason and I are completely opposite in nutritional needs, in fact – but the book didn’t live up to my expectations.

The good:

• It confirmed what I already knew about my own nutritional needs, namely that I have an easier time losing weight when I’m eating higher amounts of protein and fewer carbs. This is not necessarily the case for all people (my husband, for instance, needs less protein and more carbs, and this book would say so as well), but it is for me.
• The information given about the different hormones involved in weight loss was interesting.
• I really liked learning about the different types of ways people burn energy, and to see how I fit into the plan, as well as Jason. It helped me to understand better a few things about him that I didn’t understand as well before.
• The book advocated interval training and weight training, both of which I agree are essential for healthy weight loss.
• The book also advocated going on a walk every day, considering this a necessity rather than an exercise, because our bodies were designed for movement. This is something I’m very passionate about, and I was very happy to see this in here.

The not-so-good:

• There didn’t seem to be a lot of scientific evidence for any of what they said. Even the stuff I knew to be true already, I know from other books or from personal experience, not from this book. There’s a large bibliography and resource section, so maybe that’s where all the science is, but very little of it was referenced in the book itself, and left me wondering what was and wasn’t based on scientific evidence.
• The food plan seems to be a watered down version of a low-carb diet, with major stripping out of any foods that cross into more than one nutrient category, and with nods to other pieces of health science that I consider to be completely bogus (low-fat versions of food like eating mostly egg whites instead of just eggs, cutting out dairy, etc). It also seemed to try to go the whole “natural” route while simultaneously advocating use of whey protein shakes and protein bars. Very contradictory, like they were trying to take pieces of all the current fad trends while saying they were going with none.
• The food plan is not sustainable longterm. It’s stripped down so bare, I know I would feel completely deprived all the time, even if I wasn’t physically hungry. I know I’m not the only one who would feel this way.
• The book states that their plan – both exercise and food – must be followed perfectly if you’re going to see any results at all. As no one can be 100% perfect all the time, that makes the whole thing hopeless before you even start…
• A lot of the information in the book is outdated, especially when they talk about how their plan differs from modern-day calorie-counting plans. For example, they state that calorie-counting plans discourage snacking and want people to eat three meals a day. In reality, most calorie-counting plans these days recommend 5-6 small meals (or 3 meals and 2-3 snacks) a day, just like this plan.
• There was a lot of new age psychobabble…that just turns me off.
• Some of the editing was really bad, like saying a person exercises “1 hours a day,” or a nutrition label in an example with the following numbers: Calories – 90, Fat – 3 grams, Carbs – 3 grams, Fiber – 3 grams, Sugar – 3 grams, Protein – 3 grams. Um…if you’re going to have a visual example, at least have the numbers add up properly, k?
• Essentially, there was nothing new in this book. Perhaps if you were reading about weight loss for the first time, it would be helpful, but the basic, boiled-down message of the book was “eat fewer refined carbs and more protein, walk a lot, and strength train to build muscle a couple times per week.”

Now I don’t want to sound like I’m completely down on the book. It did have some useful and interesting stuff in it. It just didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know – not about weight loss, nor about my own personal metabolism and dietary/exercise needs. So in the end, it was a fun, interesting, but sadly pointless read for me.