Customer Reviews

The All-Pro Diet: Lose Fat, Build Muscle, and Live Like a Champion

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Tony Gonzalez, 80% Vegan NFL Player

All Pro Tony Gonzolez and the KC Chief's Nutritionist, Mitzi Dulan collaborated on The All-Pro Diet: Lose Fat, Build Muscle, and Live Like a Champion. For years, Gonzalez ate red meat, pizza, fast food, "whatever was plentiful and convenient." Concerned about his health, Gonzolez changed his diet. The book describes his experiments in creating his new life style, and describes how it improved his already sterling record in the NFL.

His diet emphasizes vegetables and grains, and limits animal protein to omega-3 rich fish, grass-fed chicken and meat, omega-3 enriched eggs, and some low-fat dairy. The authors also recommend a number of plant-based protein supplements.

As a successful adopter of the South Beach life style (loss of 40 pounds and greatly improved blood levels over the past six months), I found the book a useful checklist of healthy foods and a source of new suggestions for improving an already good thing. I've discovered that regularly reading books on nutrition keeps my interest in healthy eating alive, and very importantly helps maintain my weight.

A few of the useful ideas I found in Gonzales's book:

The Top 10 Best Foods (in no particular order); my addenda in brackets:

1. Blueberries [and blackberries]
2. Broccoli [and broccoli sprouts]
3. Legumes [and Beano!]
4. Oats [steel cut oatmeal and/or oat bran]
5. Oranges
6. Spinach [kale and especially Swiss chard]
7. Sweet potatoes
8. Tomatoes
9. Walnuts
10. Wild salmon [and lower on the food chain with less mercury, sardines]

[I would replace oranges with chia seeds on this list, a wonderfully healthy food; Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs is a useful introduction to this nutritious food. The Cleveland Clinic publishes a similar list of the 40 "Best" foods for heart health.]

All-Pro Snack Ideas

One whole wheat pita with two tablespoons of hummus
1'4 cup walnuts or almonds
Ten baby carrots [or several celery stalks] with three tablespoons of hummus
1'3 cup guacamole with 12 multi-grain or sweet potato tortilla chips

For folks who don't want to make their own snacks, Gonzales recommends several commercial snacks, including:

Raw Revolution
LÄRABAR
CLIF Nectar
YouBar
Gnu Bar
PURE Bar
Prana Bar
Zing Bar

A couple of cautions: energy bars change their ingredients from time to time; it pays to learn how to read the ingredient list on the energy bar on offer and avoid those bars with high levels of simple sugar which will quickly raise your blood sugar levels and make you hungry in a hour or so. And, as a South Beach devotee, I've been shocked at the list of ingredients on the Kraft South Beach energy bars - they are high in fiber but contain a great deal of sugar - none of them are really "permitted" according to the principles laid out in Dr. Agaston's books.

Gonzales is a believer in smoothies, and one of his favorites is a cup of hemp milk with 3'4 of a frozen banana. A fancier example is called Mizi's Berrylicious Smoothie:

1 cup hemp milk or organic 1% cow's milk
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 scoop protein powder (hemp or whey)
1 large handful fresh baby spinach
Blend well and enjoy!

Per 16 Ounce Serving: 282 calories, 29 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat

Gonzales credits Dr. T Colin Campbell and his The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health with inspiring his successful change in his diet. The "China Study" is dense and filled with facts, but a very useful read if you want to understand the science underlying the importance of eating vegan: "people who eat mostly plants have fewer deadly diseases than those who eat animals." "The Wall Street Journal" and the excellent Healthy Happy Long Life blog written by a medical librarian [links in the first comment] provide a tremendous amount of additional information.

This book won't make you one of the highest paid players in the NFL, of course, but anyone who has successfully lost weight knows that keeping that weight off is a major challenge. This is an excellent resource for helping one both lose weight and more importantly keeping it off.

Robert C; Ross 2009

I have been waiting for this book for a year now,and I was not disappointed! As a strength coach I am always looking for ways to improve the performance of my athletes on the field and on the court.This book has it.No fluff just the real stuff! Mitzi Dulan has guided me on how to have my high school athletes eat on game day and how to eat better to perform at a higher level than most high school athletes.
Coaches do your self and your team a huge favor buy the book.It takes all the guess work out of what to eat and when to eat it.Mitzi also has a DVD out that is very helpful as well.

Joe Hallman
C.B South Strength coach
Doylestown,Pa

This book is great for anyone who is serious about revamping their diet and ready to start living healthfully. This diet is appropriate for anyone- from kids, to businesswomen to Pro Athletes. It is nutritionally sound (co-written with a Registered Dietitian) and provides recipes, nutrition info, meal plans, and exercise plans.

This book advocates eating whole foods that are "as close to nature as possible." (It highly discourages fast food and highly processed foods.) It emphasizes making a lifestyle change for lifelong health, not a quick fad diet. The plan is, however, great for those wanting to lose weight. The diet is not about deprivation; in fact, you will likely feel more satisfied than ever before on this diet!

In summary, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about making a major diet and lifestyle change, now or at some point down the road, and is looking for one of the most healthy, wholesome diets possible.

I live in Kansas City and I'm a life long Chiefs fan so when I heard one of my all time favorite athletes had wrote a book on nutrition - a topic of great interest to me - I picked up a copy.

The message of the book is consistent with everything else on the market today: eat whole foods, go organic when possible, limit red meat, no sugar, nothing processed, etc. The difference is the messenger: a professional athlete whose livelihood depends on his body being in top physical form. I think it gives the message a whole new credence and reaches a whole new audience that doesn't typically buy into the message.

I enjoyed the book but I'm not the right audience. I am a 40 year old, healthy female. I run for exercise and already follow a fairly healthy diet. If I ate like Tony, I'd be as big as Tony. One of his morning smoothies has over 400 calories!

I gave this book to my nephew who wants to be a professional ball player just like Tony. It's a wonderful book for kids his age. The message is so positive. The book itself is an easy read, easy to understand and follow. It's not full of complicated nutritional information or data analysis. His approach is simple and easy to understand. The lesson is equally clear: If you eat right and exercise your body will reward you by doing the things you need it to do.

I found his 17 guiding principles at the end of the book very inspiring. Tony encourages mental and emotional health as well as the physical.

I love that my nephew and young son can find someone in professional sports that uses a healthy, almost holistic approach to fitness and conditioning instead of the guy whose physique was created through steroids or other performing enhancing drugs.

Nice Job Tony! You have given us another reason to love you. We miss you, come home soon!

The All-Pro Diet is such a great book! It's really informative, and written in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. Also, you don't have to be a big athlete to benefit from the recommendations in this book; these tips can be applied to anyone! The recipes all look great: chocolate nut butter smoothie, lentil soup with apricots, acai quinoa dessert -- yum! Knowing that this information comes from an RD and a professional athlete really puts my mind to ease about following it!

I absolutely loved this book. Mitzi and Tony are a powerhouse combination filled with expertise that can be applied to anyone - from the most hardcore of athletes to moderate exercisers. This book plays on the evidence-based knowledge of a registered dietitian (the only regulated credential available for those providing nutrition advice) and an all star athlete. Both points of view - scientific background and practical application - allow for the most balanced approach to nutrition for performance out there.

My favorite addition is the 17 All Pro Diet Principles. If you turn to any one page - THIS SHOULD BE IT! The tips are available in a quick, easy to digest format that hits every topic key to losing fat, building muscle, and living like a champion.

After studying nutrition for four years, I have had to weed my way through the "junk" on the bookstore shelves from self-proclaimed nutrition experts. I can definitely recommend this book as the real deal!

Katie Hamm
Dietetic Intern, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Components of the book:
- 85% nutrition...This portion of the book is VERY comprehensive from food choices, meal plans, timing and much, much more. And the information isn't overwhelming. It's presented in a simple, step-by-step manner. It doesn't sugar-coat the changes most people need to make (mainly the types and quantities of food eaten)...it requires a life-changing experience. However, the plan is clear on how you need to get there.

Personally, after making changes to my diet that were recommended in the book, I felt a difference. Long, morning endurance sessions didn't seem to stay with me all day. Recovery came much quicker. I believe it is the clean foods that Tony recommends.

- 10% workout...While this may be the core of Tony's workout, I'm not convinced it covers all facets like the nutrition section. Basic principles are communicated that I adhere to (seeing how I maintain a more sports-related lifestyle vs. straight cardio), but more depth on workout scheduling, timing, rotation, etc. would have been useful.

- 5% worthless motivational stuff...I may have given the book 5 stars had this portion been edited out before printing. It wasn't useful or insightful.

Summary:
Read this book for help in restructuring your diet to allow your body to perform at its max and help you feel better each day.

Let me start off by saying this book is a must read for practically everyone. If you are looking for a lifestyle change for the better, this is where you need to start. This book is not a get skinny quick diet plan. This book lays out the guidance a person needs to stay fit and healthy the rest of their lives. The All-Pro Diet is an easy read and you can start a new life as soon as the book is finished. I thought I was a person who had a relatively healthy diet until I read this book. I am now a strong believer in organic foods and all the benefits that come from eating them. Honestly, after the first weekend of starting the All-Pro Diet lifestyle, I felt 10 times better and had more energy than ever to workout. Losing weight is not just about exercising. Diet is a vital part of weight loss and this book outlines the diet necessary to not only lose weight, but to live a longer, healthier life. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone and everyone. There is no doubt about it. Read the book. It is absolutely worth a weeks reading for a whole new life.

A fantastic book for everyone involved with living well. Gives you all information to eat well. As a senior citizen invovled in many sports this book will make me eat thr proper mix of foods. There also is a chapter of exercises by Tony.

The foods in the book make you feel very satisfied and is something that you should have a pretty easy time sticking to. It is mostly plant based with the emphasis on getting food from clean sources. You can eat just about anything in moderation as long it is not processed. The diet is mostly affordable, but some of the protein supplements recommended in this book are very expensive, so someone pinching pennies may struggle with that aspect. Other than that, it outlines some basic principles in which you can develop a very healthy diet by following them. I rated it four stars because he really leaves you hanging a bit on the exercise portion. He does a pretty good job explaining how to do the core exercises, but does acknowledge that the workout is not for everyone, and is not very specific as to how often you should do these exercises, and how to determine how much weight to use, so I was a little lost on that. The exercises are very useful though, you will sweat a lot, and are effective in helping you build muscle. The final section on motivation basically reinforces things you probably have already heard, but nevertheless makes some good points.