Flip the Switch [Hardcover]

Robert K. Cooper (Author), Leslie L. Cooper (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1579549799 | ISBN-13: 978-1579549794 | Edition: 1

ASIN: 1579549799

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: MPS; 1 edition (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579549799
• ISBN-13: 978-1579549794
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

330 of 347 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make your garbage smell like a meal, November 19, 2005

By 

Robert Farley (Fairborn, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flip the Switch (Hardcover)

I obsessed for a couple of weeks before buying this book. I already had the "Low Fat Living" volume and had found it okay. It seemed to espouse a lot of the ideas promised in the advertisements for "Flip the Switch," so maybe I could save $35 and still eat better.

However, I did go ahead and try it out, which turned out to be a good decision. "Flip" has new science, starting out with a few lessons on hormones and how they control the body's chemical processes and why. With the recommendations for doing little things to turn on your metabolic thermostat (the Meta-Stat, they call it), you can keep yourself burning calories.

I found that when I understood what was going on with the body chemistry, it was easier to get myself to do the exercises, almost all of which are easy to work into even a busy daily schedule.

Most of the recipes are accessible, too. My favorites include anything to do with pistachios and chicken, as well as something called "peanut butter bursts," a delicious protein-filled, low but complex carb dessert that even my four-year-old loves.

Even the act of making the recipes is a sort of calorie-burner in itself, and it's fun. Most of the meals don't take that much time to make, especially after you get used to the process. It's not as easy as opening a carton, venting a plastic seal, and punching in a series of numbers on a keypad, but neither is it like building a piano.

One thing that did take some time was finding some of the ingredients. I'd never looked in some of the places I had to look now. Things like unsalted butter, toasted sesame oil, garlic and herb flavored goat cheese are not items I was in the habit of dropping into my cart. Besides the search time, I was afraid buying the ingredients would break the food budget, and for a while I did spend about three times as much as I did for salty, chemical-laden microwave meals, but after a couple of weeks, that expense plateaued and now I have most of the items I need for most of the recipes. All I have to do is buy the meat and I'm there.

Take a look at the salt and preservatives on the back of a box of a meal of shrimp. You're likely getting half a day's worth of salt. Then calculate the cost of buying a pound of fresh or frozen shrimp (about $4 in my area) and you'll find yourself singing the praises of this book, just like me.

And when you clean up, the stuff you wipe and throw away will make your garbage can smell like a gourmet meal.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day, October 21, 2006

By 

Lenore Hirsch (Novato, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flip the Switch (Hardcover)

This is the most common sense approach to health and weight loss I have come across in years of reading, dieting, Weight Watchers, etc. The tips for boosting metabolism with simple body movements are easy to follow. The scientific explanations are understandable and logical. My big "aha" moment was using their recommendations to figure the percent of my daily calories I should be getting from protein, carbs, fat and fiber and realizing I was getting way too little protein (and too many carbs.) I have now been counting calories and balancing the nutrients correctly for about 6 weeks. I am eating smaller meals and several snacks every day. I have lost 8 pounds so far and feel great because I am in control of this program. I don't need to pay someone to tell me what to eat and to applaud me when I succeed! I haven't used the recipes, except for the protein shakes (yummy) and the recommended snacks.

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, July 9, 2006

By 

Sandra Wilkes "Future Artist" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flip the Switch (Hardcover)

My journey to "better eating and exercise" is one baby step at a time. This book moves in that same manner. You are not overwhelmed with all the things you SHOULD do. It's written in simple steps. You can choose any one at a time until you're ready for the next. There is not too much new under the sun but this book documents the latest in simple terms.

Sandra Wilkes