113 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A complete health plan that works for everyone, December 12, 2004
This review is from: The Fat Burning Diet: Accessing Unlimited Energy for a Lifetime (Paperback)
Jay Robb's the FBD has succeeded where all the nutritionists, doctors, body-builders, weight trainers and fitness experts failed--He has perfectly detailed a health AND fitness plan that will help everyone at any level of wellness. The only very minor quibble I have with Mr Robb is that he should change the name of his book to--"The Fat Burning NUTRITION" rather than 'Diet'. The 'diet' word has connotations of deprivation whereas the plan is full of excellent and appealing menus. I strongly recommend this life-changing book as a beacon of light offering practical wisdom in a landscape which full of experts offering a few results from their own limited perspective and no useful plan. Jay Robb sees the whole elephant and delivers this mega-health plan in perfect working condition, holding nothing back!
Himself a professional personal-trainer, nutritionist and serious spiritualist, Mr. Robb writes in a non-fanatic, helpful and directly disarming way, tracing the reasons for fat-gain and what is needed for losing the fat. The narrative of his disabling pivotal experience with a hypoglycemic prelude to diabetes is chillingly shocking. His subsequent research leading to his complete recovery resulting in this diet plan is perfect for just about everybody. The current revised edition book gives a very useful section for managing diabetes through his diet plan.
The FBD incorporates sufficient scientific information in clear-cut simple terms that one can relate to without being overawed by it--Sometimes I found myself saying, 'Wow! My body can do all that?!' It gave me a new appreciation and respect for the amazing instrument the human body is, which can manage its wellbeing better if we follow a few very simple rules.
The key point of the FBD program are:
The body needs a high carbohydrate with low protein meal in alternation with low carb with moderate protein meal. In other words, alternate high-carb-low protein with low-carb-moderate protein on alternate days--Eating only 3 solid meals a day. (Once you've got your body's metabolism rolling, you can do alternate meals this way also). This is the core of the program.
The other two points are--Mild exercise (aerobics--walking, and some weight-training to boost metabolism and increase muscle strength) is recommended, as is very simple meditation time--here basically understood to spend time with ourselves without distractions. Each of these three make eminent good sense and are very do-able as encouragingly and confidently coached by Jay Robb.
After reading this book I got a number of insights into my own morbid overweight problem---the most important find was confirmation of my nagging feeling over the years that I felt better when I fasted frome cereals. I tried the simple diet test suggested in FBD--you fast completely (and honestly!) from cereals and their products for 3 days, then eat some on the 4th day and see if you feel hazy/ dozy/ fatigued/ gassy/ unwell!). This test confirmed that I was seriously allergic to gluten--I also experienced that the grains were also heavily contributing to my weight gain. (My personal observational note to those who are gluten allergic--you may also be egg-allergic so avoid eggs on the test days--add the eggs back to your diet a couple of days before trying the cereals--if there is no reaction then add the cereal and see if you have any symptoms.)
Another interesting find--The FBD has a requirement for a lot of fat-free yoghurt and I was hesitant because eating a lot of yoghurt in the past gave me uncomfortable bodyaches. I found that eliminating the cereals while having the yoghurt created no problems whatsoever and that all the symptoms I had attributed to yoghurt were in fact cereal-allergy symptoms--possibly compunded by the yoghurt. Without the cereals in the diet, yoghurt is great any time of day or night.
Years of yo-yo dieting had made my metabolism slow while I kept gaining weight and feeling more ill as each season went by and turned into years and kilos of weight gain. (I am now in my fifties agewise.) I started the Jay Robb plan about 6 weeks ago. Upto that point I had been following bodybuilder Tom Venuto's 'Burn-the-fat' plan quite sincerely for almost 2 months and although I lost some weight, it was patchy; the greatest turn-offs were the need to eat 6 meals a day Caccording to a specific ratio of protein- carbohydrate- fat and to exercise and weight train fairly aggressively. Towards the end of it I found I gained about 1% body fat while losing about 3 kilos of weight overall--not good! With this plan my basal temperature was still at 97.2 degrees after 2 months--very low. In addition, the whole day was spent in anxiety worrying about havinf the 'balanced' meal every 3-1/2 hours--really a problem as the whole day one is meditating about food and balancing calories.
With the FBD there is no such problem and by following a few simple guidelines one can create a low-carb-moderate protein meal or high-carb-low protein meal anywhere and even in the restaurant.
Three days after starting the Jay Robb plan my basal temperature went up to 98 degrees, my body fluids pH levels started to become alkaline (very good!) and within a week my body teperature was upto an excellent fat-burning ideal 98.6 degrees! I have also lost almost four kilos of weight overall in the 6 weeks I have been on the FBD, as well as over 3% body fat (adding solid muscle gains)--which is super excellent.
An additional observation--the lipomas (fat-lumps) under the skin are vanishing and the skin and muscle -tone has improved dramatically.
I recommended this diet plan to a friend who had a diagnosed hypothyroid problem and suffered palpitations, severe bodyaches on eating yoghurt, chronic indigestions, acidity and diahrreas--diagnosed by the best gastro-entologists as infections for years and treated as such. Within ten days ALL palpitations, bodyaches, diahrreas vanished completely. They return only if wheat or rice is taken--millet and buckwheat is no problem; in 3 weeks the body temperature is now 98.4 degrees up from 97 degrees with major health gains. In addition to the FBD program I added to the diet virgin coconut oil (1-2 tablespoons)--I estimate that this helped to boost the metabolic rate more rapidly.
Two diabetics have tried this plan out with the approval of their physician and are doing extremely well in the few weeks they have been on it. Their medication has reduced significantly and their energy levels are boosted.
If you are frustrated with or resigned to your weight and health condition--get this book now. Following the FBD plan will change your life as surely it changed mine.
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60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get A Perfect Six Pack!, August 12, 2007
This review is from: The Fat Burning Diet: Accessing Unlimited Energy for a Lifetime (Paperback)
If you want to build a perfectly toned physique or are just interested in healthy eating, this book is for you. I have been following the "diet" for a little over a month now and the results are truly amazing. I will break this review into different segments to allow for easy reading.
WHAT IS THIS DIET?
The term "diet" is really a misnomer here. People conjure up all sorts of negative images when they think of dieting. Most people immediately assume they are going to have to count calories and make all sorts of rigorous calculations. Other people think of a diet consisting of various "phases" or "point systems".
Thankfully, this diet is like nothing you have experienced before. The core concept behind this diet is carbohydrate cycling. Some days will be "Low-Carb Days", in which you limit your consumption of carbohydrates while focusing on proteins and fats. Other days are "High-Carb Days" in which you will focus on foods rich in carbs, such as bread, fruit, and pasta. A lot of people know that the overconsumption of carbs can lead to weight gain, yet few people know that carbs are actually very important and must be consumed at the right times. The timing and amount of carbs to consume is the focus of this book.
WHY DOES IT WORK?
It constantly keeps your glycogen levels in check, which in turn forces your body to burn fat rather than carbs. Glycogen is just a fancy term for stored carbs, and once the stores are full, all excess carbs turn to fat. Also, once carbs are in your system, your body will tend to use those carbs as energy first because it is an immediate energy source. However, if your glycogen is depleted or very low, the carbs you are consuming will be solely used to fill those glycogen stores back up instead of using those carbs as energy. Thus, you can still burn fat even though you are consuming lots of carbs on your "high-carb days". It should be mentioned that these are the same techniques that professional bodybuilders use to become absolutely shredded and drop their body-fat into the low single digits!
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THIS DIET?
Increased energy, rapid fat loss, improved digestion, and a fast metabolism just to name a few. When your body starts to use fat as energy, amazing changes happen in your body which I will describe below.
MY PREFERRED FOODS:
It should be noted that while Jay Robb does recommend eating organic foods, I have noticed that I can essentially consume any foods I want and as long as it follows the carbohydrate guidelines, I burn fat. Thus, while these foods are not necessarily recommended in the book, you can actually eat them and still lose weight without even having to exercise.
Low-Carb Days: Tyson Buffalo Style Hot Wings with Ranch Dressing, Grilled Chicken Salad with Ranch, Steak, Protein Shakes, Veggies, Danon Light and Fit Yogurt (Limited intake due to some carbs), and Frozen Pizza (I cook the pizza whole then use a fork to scrape off all the toppings, leaving behind the crust for a low-carb treat). Virtually any meat is fair game on a low-carb day. Don't worry about fat intake, either.
High-Carb Days: Any kind of fruit, Toast with Butter spray (0 Carbs, 0 Calories), potatoes with Butter Spray, Old-Fashioned Oatmeal with blue-berries or bananas, Fat-Free popcorn, and Danon Light and Fit Smoothies, and Muscle Milk. The important thing to remember is to focus mainly on carbs - protein and fat shouldn't really be consumed. Particularly avoid fat intake because High Carbs + High Fat is a surefire formula for packing on pounds of fat.
WHY I LIKE THIS DIET:
It is very simple to follow and I still get to eat a lot of great foods that I would eat normally anyways. The only thing that has changed is the timing, really. It doesn't even feel like I am on a diet at all!
Also, it is very easy to eat out at restaurants using this system. There is almost always something appetizing on the menu that will still enable you to stick to your plan.
MY PERSONAL RESULTS:
TIME - I have been following the diet for a little over a month.
FAT-LOSS - I started around 17% and am currently around 13%. The results came very quick at first, and now have somewhat leveled off. Each day, however, I get leaner and leaner. My favorite part of the day is the morning - I rush to the bathroom and look into the mirror and flex my stomach. My abs are starting to show, for once! If my results continue, which they will, I will have a perfect six pack in the next two months.
ENERGY - Very stable throughout the day. I never yawn anymore.
STRENGTH - I am lifting the same, if not more, than when I first started this diet, despite losing weight.
ATTITUDE - Mood improved at first and I felt great about life, probably because I was finally seeing results so quickly which has always been my fantasy. Lately, I have been going through some rough events in my life and stress at work as I prepare to move back to my college apartment, so I have been a little less peachy than usual. I really don't think this has anything to do with the diet, however.
INTERESTING FACTS I LEARNED:
EXERCISE IS A POOR WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT - Most people have this notion that if they work like a horse in the gym or on the treadmill, they can eat whatever they want because all that hard exercise counter-balances their poor diet. WRONG WRONG WRONG! The calories you burn through exercise are very small and will NOT have much of an effect on your fat loss. Diet is really the only way to lose that weight. In fact, I strongly believe that diet is 90 - 95% of the equation in fat-loss. Don't get me wrong, exercise has its place and I do recommend it. But if you believe you can just eat what you want and burn it all off in the gym, you are in for a surprise. No amount of exercise can correct a poor diet. But if your diet is right, you can melt away pounds of fat without lifting a finger!
BODY TEMPERATURE - Your Body temperature is actually a good way to check your metabolism. If it isn't around 98.6 degrees, you may need to stoke the furnace!
FAT IS THE PREFERRED SOURCE OF ENERGY - Your body likes to burn fat over carbs. Carbs are only good for quick movements, such as sprinting or lifting weights. Fat is a much more dependable energy source for long events that require continuous effort, like a marathon.
GLYCOGEN STORES ARE RATHER LARGE - Glycogen stores can hold around 400 grams of carbohydrates for the average active individual! "That is the equivalent of approximately 16 bowls of oatmeal, 50 rice cakes, 40 pancakes, 36 slices of wheat bread, 40 cups of steamed green beans, 10 cups of cooked corn, 50 cups of steamed zucchini, or 19 medium-sized apples." On this diet, your glycogen stores are never full so you never risk gaining fat if you stick with the program. QUOTE TAKEN FROM JAY ROBB, PAGE 32.
CARBS SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM - Going without carbs forever would be stupid. This is exactly what I tried to do once with a diet known as, "The Anabolic Diet". I just stuck to eating high fat and high protein and went for as long as I could without eating carbs - sometimes a week or more. I lost a lot of fat at first, then my results came to a screeching halt. Why? My metabolism had shut down! It had caught on to my trick and wouldn't let me win that game. When you have been going without carbs for a day or two, your glycogen is low. That next "high-carb day" is critical to your success because it boosts your metabolism and keeps your body on edge!
FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY - Eating a lot of fat actually liberates body-fat. Most people think fat is the reason America is so obese, but it is not. HIGH FAT + HIGH CARBS = Disaster. But fat by itself or with protein is actually fat-burning.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - Eating healthy foods will make your body work with you and not against you. My thoughts are clearer and I am just physically living a better life at this point. I am excited about my diet and the results just keep coming. I have never been happier with respect to my body, and that confidence is going to show in other parts of my life, too.
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT:
Exercise - On Low-Carb Days, stick to cardiovascular exercise for even more fat burning. My favorites are jogging and swimming. My reasoning is that during Low-Carb Days your glycogen will be low and your body will be burning fat primarily. Cardio will deplete your carbs even further and may help you burn even more fat. On High-Carb days, lift weights. When you lift weights, all those carbs will rush to your muscles and give you an incredible pump. I am still toying with when to do my cardio and weights, but as of now I think this would be the best system.
Meal Frequency - A lot of people recommend eating 6 small meals a day, while Jay Robb recommends eating 3 solid meals a day. My take is that either way will produce results as long as you stick to the carb guidelines and follow the system. Personally, I eat whenever I am hungry throughout the day because I hate having to time my meals. That requires way too much planning for me, especially if I mess up and get hungry before I am due to eat again.
The Free-Meal - Once a week, Jay Robb encourages you to totally splurge and during one of your meals, eat whatever you want. So you may have a typical high-carb breakfast and lunch, but when dinner rolls around anything is fair game, including cookies, pasta, chips, ice cream, etc. He maintains that the meal must be limited to 60 minutes. I think this is a great idea but you may...
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