Customer Reviews

The Fat-Burning Bible: 28 Days of Foods, Supplements, and Workouts that Help You Lose Weight

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book after seeing a few bad reviews along with all the good ones. Some critics where fair, there is a lot of things in this book that have been said before, but honestly, when was there a big revolution in getting healthy? The only new things in this category are fad diets and we all know they don't work. This book is very well written and it is not only written for the grossly overweight who have tried everything, but it is also written for people who are trying to help health issues such as high cholesterol and diabetes. Mr. Shilstone does a very good job explaining why things do and do not work rather than just saying it. All of the food recipes work well and he makes sure to make the point of not leaving large groups of foods off your diet, also everything he suggests is very satisfying food that tastes good too.

The supplements can be a bit overwhelming if you aren't used to taking lots of pills every day. As for the "9 foods that burn fat" that another reviewer pointed out don't exist, the actual title of that chapter is "foods that burn fat", the chapter number is 9, so that is just a misunderstanding. This book is more about fixing your matabolism so that you can lose fat and not lean muscle mass, if that is not your goal, or you are not willing to invest an hour a day to exercise, you will not fully benefit from this book. With that said, do not be scared by the full hour, this is not a "gym rat" type of workout, it is not designed to become a bodybuilder, it is set up to get your muscles into shape to burn excess calories.

I'm sick of fad diets and books that deliver what they promise but only on the short run, and leave you hanging after the initial weight loss. Mackie Shilstone knows his stuff. There are no gimmicks in this plan. He promises you'll lose up to 3% body fat and go down up to 2 dress sizes (if you're a woman) in 28 days and he delivers. I lost 15 lbs in a month and went from a size 12 to an 8 in a month! But this is no 8-minute miracle plan that will force you to forego carbs. This is the old tried and true approach: you WILL have to work out hard, and you WILL have to eat less calories than you burn. The food is much more approachable than those mad low-carb diets (you can have sausage, cheese, pita bread, etc.), and it doesn't require that you use weird, untested supplements. After the first 28 days, I've moved on to the intermediate phase and I'm still losing weight with the help of menus and detailed workout plans that Shilstone provides. I highly recommend this book. My energy level has shot up tremendously, and now that I'm in the intermediate level I can look forward to relaxing a little on the time I spend at the gym because losing fat and gaining muscle means I'm burning fat more efficiently. If you're sick of going from program to program, try this. You won't regret it.

I'm not sure why Susan Hogloch would write in the review included in the book description that this approach would appeal mostly to men. I urge you other women reading this out there to disregard that comment. The chapter on supplements which boost metabolism alone is worth the price of this book. I can say that because, to date, that's the only part of the book I've had time to put into practice. Just with the addition of the supplements over the span of about 2 months, I lost 14 pounds. That weight came off in exactly the places he writes about (reverse fat gain syndrome) that often indicates a messed-up metabolism. I can only imagine what will happen once I adjust my exercise regime to his plan and start following the nutritional guidelines. I'm a believer and have been recommending the book to my friends.

While Lose Your Love Handles, one of Shilstone's previous efforts, was a solid work, I wanted to see more specific guidance on how to work the rest of the body and incorporate his core training into a complete program.
A few years later, Shilstone delivers.
The program is extremely well-rounded, with a mix of cardio, weights, core training and intervals, plus balanced meal plans. If you're loooking for 5-minute workouts, forget it. You won't have to live in the gym (he also has a home strength training workout you can use), but you will have to invest about an hour a day, six days a week to exercise. This is definitely not a something for nothing plan, but if fat loss and getting in better shape is a priority, you can find a way to do it.
The meal plans are good. I didn't see much that appealed to my taste buds, but with a little creativity you could probably come up with some good "Mackie Meals" on your own.

This book offers nothing new on the weight loss or fat burning front. Simply pages and pages of regergitating whats already "out there". The book constist of 80% therories and 20% techniques. I was particularly frustrated with the section title 9 Foods That Burn Fat. I read and reread this section and it DOES NOT list ANY foods, let alone 9. The whole chapter consist of calorie counting and "suggested meal plans", no specfics as title indicates. My whole point was to learn WHICH foods I need to make sure to incorporate into my own meal plan.

The only benefit I got from this book was the excercise plans which included great photos/instructions. Buying an excercise video would be more beneficial. Overall if you are a health novice and have no idea that body fat is bad, starving your self doesnt work,etc. then this is a good buy.

This is such a doable program. The food suggestions are excellent-affordable-easy to prepare. The workout program is fun and offers variety for the bored exerciser. Mackie makes getting healthy easy-even in New Orleans!!

I am a licensed Chiropractor and studied Biochemistry as an undergraduate. Much of what was detailed in this book was a helpful review for me, as well as providing some new insightful information - particularly in reference to the "reverse fat pattern phenomenon" that was mentioned early on in the book. I disagree, however, with the author's recommendation of a (40% Carbohydrate + 30% Protein) diet. I would decrease the Carbohydrate % and increase the Protein %. If someone were attempting to lose weight, I would not recommend severely restricting their carbohydrate intake - as Dr. Atkins would suggest, but to restrict it to approximately 30%. This is still less than Mackie Shilstone recommends, however. I would also recommend consuming 50% of your diet as Proteins vs. only the 30% that he suggests. I believe that an individual can do so without causing their body to enter "Ketosis" and still lose weight safely at the same time. Other than that, the book is right on. There is so much conflicting information out there that it is refreshing to find a book without all the "fatty" information and just the helpful facts.

This is a good book. It is well written. It does take some work. You will not just be able to jump in and be able to do the workouts, they are simple exercises but putting them together in circuit training takes some getting used to. The recipies are good they are every day foods. I have just started working the program but I have no doubt I will lose body fat if I follow the principles set forth in this book.

I have stopped considering the number on the scale as the determinant of what should be driving my need to improve my health. I turn 45 next week and am more than 50 pounds overweight. I have had 4 kids (a set of twins in there,) I am insulin-resistant and take Glucophage for what my MD calls "Pre-Diabetes." I am also postmenopausal and on hormone therapy (having had a hysterectomy a few years back.) All of these factors change the playing field for me. Losing weight and toning up is not going to be as easy as it was when I was in my 20s or 30s. I have tried everything from Weight Watchers to Nutrisystem...and oh, the money I have spent. Mr. Shilstone writes in plain, common sense language and gets to the core of what everyone should be doing to get healthy and fit and stay that way for life. No fancy diet foods. No yucky shakes. No crazy 4-hour workouts. No equipment to buy at home. This is truly a bible as the title indicates...something you read, mark in, fully digest and go back to. You must own a copy so that you can refer back to it again and again.