Let me first say that this is an interesting book with many new ideas. It is well worth reading.
For instance, the author introduced the idea of nutrients (such as protein, vitamins) per calorie as a way of evaluating food choices. This concept would lower the value of nuts, for instance, compared to arugula since arugula contains many fewer calories per pound and much more nutrition than a comparable weight of nuts. Although this is a simple observation, it never previously occurred to me. He also lists beans as a carbohydrate since that is mostly what they are, even though we often think of them as a protein source. These unique ways of viewing food data made the book interesting for me.
Much of the book contains good information that is not new unless you are new to this type of book. If you are, you should also read Fuhrman’s “Eat To Live” and/or “Four Hour Body” by Ferris to mention a few. The essential takeaway is that sugar, flour, white rice and white potatoes should be avoided like the plague if you want to maintain a reasonable weight. You should also exercise more and concentrate on consuming protein, fiber and water to lose weight.
Practically everybody agrees that traditional calorie counting doesn’t work. Ferris explained it most clearly by explaining that calorie ratings are derived by analysts by burning substances and measuring their calorie release. With that measure you could gain a huge amount of weight by eating fireplace logs, clearly ridiculous. This author carries the calorie concept further by explaining that different foods/composition have different effects on the body, which is why we will gain more weight eating a 1,000 calories of donuts compared to 1,000 calories of meat or vegetables. It’s not just the calories but the different way our bodies process carbohydrates, proteins fiber and fats. So far everybody I have been reading and my own common sense agree.
Fuhrman, however, an avid vegetarian, presents a convincing chart which purports to show a higher death rate from consumption of protein from any source. Pesticides, hormones, anyone? Ferris encourages beans, yogurt, nuts, and other substitutes for meat. Your choice.
My general criticism with the book is that the author overstates what’s known. His exercise regimen involving tension and eccentric movements were somewhat new to me. In general I agree that most experts overemphasize the amount of exercise needed. Plus, I don’t have time to hang around the gym all day. An hour every day is too much for me. Have you ever seen a lion doing pushups? They’re mostly landscape potatoes who run around and hunt once in a while to keep in shape.
His modified form of Charles Atlas inside out dynamic tension also just doesn’t cut it for me. Regular vigorous exercise seems to clear out my system by raising my metabolism as well as burning more calories. Three or four hours a week is plenty.
His claim that serious dieting leads to reduced muscle strength has not been my experience. If I diet and work out I do not lose muscle or stamina. His additional claim that working your legs will independently build your arms has not gained any traction in my scheme. This is an old idea introduced by Ken Cooper in “Aerobics” published I think I the 80’s. It might be true to some small extent and under some circumstances, but I wouldn’t bet on leg presses to build up my arms. Do marathon runners have big muscles or not? Common sense, folks. For many years I went for physical evaluations at the Cooper Clinic and no one seriously recommended this form of exercise.
The author also believes in set points, although he is careful not to use the more classical term of homeostasis. In homeostasis, the body maintains 98.6 degrees among other metrics. Under set points, the body keeps your weight at a certain level unless you violate certain rules, such as consistently eating too much sugar and other unhealthy foods. In my opinion this is a simplistic notion that falls apart under closer examination. How many donuts equals how much set point change? No mention here. If you took a tiny microscope and traveled with it through my arteries to the appropriate data storage site you would find my set point listed as “blob.” Careful consumption keeps me in check.
Another theme the author frequently returns to is what our distant ancestors ate. These people supposedly set the golden rule for fitness and never got fat. They are the same people who didn’t use toilet paper, wear shoes, cooked with wood fires in their unvented caves and tents, etc. Are you really sure you want to do what they did? If the bodies they developed and left us with in our genes are so good, why do these same bodies automatically conclude that donuts taste so good even after our storage needs are clearly satisfied? And if our bodies are so well designed, why is it that some of the holes are too close together? The logic in the book is obviously flawed here and there.
Since the author is trying to generate a following and create sales beyond the purchase of the book, he is careful not to offend. He says that dieting doesn’t work and that exercise leads to more eating. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I dramatically reduce my consumption while eating more fruits and vegetables, my stomach shrinks and the hunger goes away. Also if I exercise while hungry, the hunger goes away and my muscle strength increases. My weight increases from time to time because I get careless and lose focus. It is also true that I have changed my food preferences through habit. Coffee with cream and sugar no longer holds an appeal over drinking it black. The exact relationships between these factors and their timing has yet to be fully understood by anyone. That’s why we’re willing to read books like this rather than just rely on the FDA and their “experts.”
Want to try something fun not mentioned in this book? Get a bushel basket full of celery and the other items needed to follow the principles listed in this book. Then follow the scheme religiously for a week. After a week, go for a huge pigout for one day. How about some cognac and donuts for breakfast? Then back to the celery for another week. The net effect of the pigout will actually cause you to lose more weight than you would on two weeks of the straight program. This is a Tim Ferris idea. I like my bread and cognac.
My guess is that the same people who fail at dieting will also wither under the strain of eating 10 servings of vegetables every day as recommended here. The first time you chug 60 asparagus spears or 80 baby carrots or 40 slices of onion or some combination of these and other choices listed in the book, that fireplace log will look better and better. You might even start thinking about donuts. The concepts work, but there are psychological hurdles that might get in the way, particularly when you are hanging from a pole in your bathroom doorway as recommended. The theory of weight loss is advancing slowly. The author pushes it forward a little bit. But the program outlined by any of my favorite authors is a work in progress.
And then, of course, there are ideas that are good that need further development. If fiber cleans out your digestive system and makes you feel full and therefore less inclined to overeat, why not eat as much fiber as is healthy. And just what sort of things can we put in our pie holes other than ground up psyllium husks that will constitute beneficial fiber without making us sick, not to mention using up all of our toilet paper. Independent of this author, I discovered shirataki noodles (brushed over briefly in the book) which are fiber without calories. They’re not exactly like spaghetti, but if you can take a slight textural deviation, they are a very good product. Or how about some konjac powder—same basic stuff. Maybe I can make donuts out of it with a stevia stuffing of some sort!
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Brian Gibb
I can attest that you can't train yourself out of a bad diet, especially as you get older
Reviewed in Canada on September 12, 2014Mr. L. Smeaton
This simply works, I cant overstate the importance of this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2014