1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Think Different Diet, January 13, 2011
This review is from: Lose Fat with Fat Balance: How to Lose Fat, Lose Pounds, and Lose Inches with a Simple 10 Step Fat Loss Plan (Paperback)
This diet book provides the reader with a step-by-step approach to eating, losing weight and keeping it off. I enjoyed the new take on motivation and its importance for a success diet and exerise routine, though I believed this section (the first 5 chapters of the book) was bogged down. I did like the way he introduced a character to represent each chapter and a separate step key to weight loss. The best information in this book is the realistic approach he offers. The author Kevin Jones shows the reader common mistakes such as living in fantasy weightloss land and the slippery slope advertisement of instant gratification weightloss. I found the formulas Jones provides to be unapplicable for lack of a better word because I don't want the complication of formulas when working out. I just want a directed and individualized system that will work. Overall I believe this book is good for someone who wants a complete weightloss approach.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get motivated to lose weight, then lose it, January 12, 2011
This review is from: Lose Fat with Fat Balance: How to Lose Fat, Lose Pounds, and Lose Inches with a Simple 10 Step Fat Loss Plan (Paperback)
Sure its another diet book, but its not just a diet book. I usually hate diet books, I just would rather have a more hands on approach (perhaps that is why I am suckered into all of the workout DVDs) but this book has changed my mind. So I probably will still not like the majority of diet/weighloss books but I definitely like this one. I didn't think motivation for dieting was important. Boy was I wrong. The author Kevin Jones takes his time making the reader understand why a good foundational motivation is necessary if you expect to loss weight and keep it off. I'm sure I'm like the majority of people who make a new years resolution to lose weight and keep it off. But with Kevin's tools it seems possible. He not only preaches why being motivated is important but gives the reader questions/exercises to determine if they are motivated or ready to commit, etc. If your resolution was to lose weight, once again, I recommend you pick up Kevin Jone's book, it can help you acheive your goals.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Motivating, comprehensive approach to life-long weight loss, November 25, 2009
This review is from: Lose Fat with Fat Balance: How to Lose Fat, Lose Pounds, and Lose Inches with a Simple 10 Step Fat Loss Plan (Paperback)
NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book directly from the author.
Don't let the title of this book fool you--this is not a "diet" book. Rather, author Kevin Jones presents a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to weight loss which incorporates changes to both diet AND exercise. The "F.A.T." in the title of the book is actually an acronym which refers to Frequency, Amount, and Type. Again, this is applied to both diet (e.g., frequency of food intake, amount of portions, and types of foods consumed) and exercise (frequency of working out, amount or length of each exercise session, and types of activities included in the fitness program). Throughout the book, Jones emphasizes the concept of achieving FAT Balance in order to attain the desired results.
The first five chapters, or Steps 1-5 of the program, focus mainly on motivational issues. Jones talks about identifying your key motivations for weight loss, avoiding the promises of instant weight loss gratification (or what he calls "weight loss fantasies"), recognizing the basic rules of weight loss, and finally, taking charge of and making a commitment to your weight loss. To be honest, I found much of this information to be a bit redundant, but that may be because 1) I am not actively trying to lose weight myself, and 2) I was already very familiar with the basic nutritional and fitness concepts presented (e.g., Body Mass Index, Resting Heart Rate, etc.).
Step 6 is where Jones finally begins to get into the heart of his theory. This is where he first talks about the FAT Balance technique in greater depth, applying this strategy to making dietary changes. Although some of the information which Jones provides appears in other diet books, such as his healthy substitutions chart, it is his emphasis on striking a balance between frequency of eating, amount of food, and type of food that is unique. In the following chapter, Step 7, Jones applies the FAT Balance theory to exercise as well. He makes a distinction between Primary Exercise--natural physical activity that everyone does each day--and Supplemental Exercise, which usually means specific cardio and strength training work. Altering either of these in your routine accounts for the "T" in the FAT Balance; Jones provides five total combinations of FAT that are considered effective physical activity. In Step 8, Jones explains how to use the Fat Balance program in three Phases: Launch, Connect, and Cruise. Although there is some very helpful information in this chapter, such as the Hunger Scale, I think that readers might find the various formulas for determining their Connect Weight, RMR, and more to be unnecessarily complicated. The final two steps/chapters center around enjoying and maintaining your weight loss by personalizing the program to meet your own needs.
To better explain the ideas presented in each chapter, Jones introduces 10 fictional characters. Each of these characters represents one of the steps on the path to weight management. For example, Gina is Step 1, Get Motivated; twins Isobel and Iris come later, to illustrate Improve Diet and Increase Activity, respectively; and finally, Mary is presented in the last chapter as an example of how to Maintain Your Weight Loss. In general, the use of these characters is fairly effective, as it allows Jones to provide personalized examples and makes for more engaging reading. I did think that Jones took the idea a bit too far, however, in that he included a 12-page Epilogue with "where are they now?" stories for each character--this seemed somewhat ridiculous to me given that their stories were entirely made up. Similarly, I thought it made little sense to have the included recipes (about 50 total) organized by character; I would have much preferred to have ALL the recipes organized by type. On the other hand, I did have the opportunity to try one of the recipes, for "Mouth Watering Oven Fried Fish," and it was quite good, even meeting with my husband's approval.
Overall, this book is definitely a worthwhile read for someone wanting a comprehensive approach to weight loss. The FAT Balance concept is a solid, easy-to-apply strategy which will assist the reader with making the necessary life-long changes in the areas of both diet and exercise in order to achieve permanent weight loss. Although I did find the author's use of fictional characters to be a bit over-the-top at times, they do help to make the book easier to read and to add interest. If you want to lose weight and need a motivational boost, then I would recommend this book.
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