Make Shift Happen: Change How You Look by Changing How You Think [Paperback]

Dean Dwyer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 10, 2012

Being vegetarian for nineteen years and working out intensely four to five days per week was supposed to yield results. However, the "bagel" of fat that Dean Dwyer clutched with both hands told a very different tale.

At the ripe old age of 45, unemployed and facing a very uncertain future, Dwyer found himself at a rather disturbing crossroads, asking a rather counterintuitive question:

"What if eating healthy is making me fat?"

And with that one simple question, a paradigm shift like no other was unleashed. Suddenly, nothing was sacred ground. Everything was open for debate.

Is cardio important? Hell, is it even necessary?

Is diet and exercise secondary to the battle with our personal demons?

Is it possible that most of us are over-CARB-onating ourselves with the crappy food we eat?

Would we be healthier with NO grains in our diet whatsoever?

Could we lose fat by eating more fat?

In an honest and at times humorous portrayal of his own personal journey, Dwyer takes us on a coming-of-age tale about weight loss and it's intersection with truth. What he discovers leads to an evolution of 12 EPIC shifts that resulted in an incredible body, mind, and soul transformation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean Dwyer is a former teacher, who quit his job to accept a more ambitious mission: Could he actually make MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN in his own life? It has taken almost 13 years, with a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but he now knows the answer to that question. He spends the bulk of his time teaching others how do just that. www.MakeShiftHappen.org

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing; Original edition (May 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936608707
• ISBN-13: 978-1936608706
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dean Dwyer is the author of the book, blog (www.makeshifthappen.org) and the podcast all of the same name...Make Shift Happen. A former educator, he now spends his time teaching others how they can make shift happen in their own lives to change how they look, work and live.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let Dean Help You "Make Shift Happen" In Your Own Life April 10, 2012

By Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Primal blogger, weight loss success and first-time author Dean Dwyer from the "Being Primal" blog is one of the most special human beings you will ever meet. This Toronto, Ontario native is a newcomer on the Paleo/primal/low-carb scene and is a fascinatingly interesting man I have been privileged to befriend and know. But his words transcends barriers regardless of what your chosen nutritional path is. Dean is more about helping you change the way you look at every aspect of your life in his book MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN.

Dean burst on to the online health scene in 2011 with his trademark oddball sense of humor that he has used early and often on his active Twitter page and blog. It quickly became apparent that Dean wasn't like most bloggers who enter the health blogosphere-there's some genuine depth and meaning to the work he is doing. He was able to literally transform his body and his life from a path leading nowhere into one with meaning, purpose and an end goal in mind. Now he's seeking to pass along the lessons he has learned along the way.

But Dean would be the first to admit that the change he experienced-or "shift" as he so aptly puts it in the title of his book-began in that space between his ears. And that's what his book is really all about. This book reveals the struggles people go through losing weight, the mind changes that must happen in order to go forward in your health pursuits, and so much more. Check out more about how you can "make shift happen" with this quick recap of the main points from the book:

- His struggle with his weight that he "couldn't figure out"
- He thought he could diet and exercise his way out of the problem
- His vegetarian experience until his November 2010 "moment of clarity"
- The influence of Mark Sisson on him finding Paleo
- The people in the health community who want to "tear others down"
- What the deal with the "make shi(f)t happen" phrase is about
- It's always important to "stay who we are" and be ourselves
- The origin of the book was about the "shifts" he was making
- He journaled what he has been learning and wanted to share those
- His frustration that nobody was addressing the issues he dealt with
- Diet books are all virtually the same and lacking understanding
- People need "a different model" to look at things from another standpoint
- He wrote the book that he wanted to read to help others
- His basic philosophy that "nobody knows you better than you"
- He decided to "become the expert on me" to change his life
- He always expected "someone else to solve my problems"
- The embracement of n=1 testing to see what's right for the individual
- People have a "fear of failure" that prevents them from trying anything
- This is not a "journey of perfection" but it's actually the reverse
- Taking n=1 to the next level by getting "real time data" online
- Wile E. Coyote is the "perfect example" of perseverance despite failure
- Putting failures behind you quickly and moving forward is critical
- We beat ourselves up pretty good and can be our own worst enemy
- When you want ice cream, think about the root cause of why you want it
- The stereotype that being overweight means you have a "character flaw"
- His great plan for going backwards with the chapters of the book
- How Gary Taubes influenced his thinking on people with obesity
- Maybe weight gain and lack of energy are symptoms, not character flaws
- "Willpower" isn't something you can pick up and set down
- How his body didn't look the part even when he was eating vegetarian
- Maybe we're not to blame and there are other things to consider
- How long will people do something that isn't working (failed diet plan)
- It doesn't make sense to keep doing something that doesn't get results
- Details about his "lean thinking" concept in our entire lives
- Why he reads a lot of business books to learn about change
- Figuring out how to manage every facet of your life is important
- He's tried to "cut back" on the clutter in his life
- To become an expert takes about 10,000 hours of investment
- It's a 10-year journey to truly learn everything you need to know
- Being an expert doesn't necessarily mean "perfection"
- Experts have all the answers (NOPE!) and never struggle (YES THEY DO!)
- People need to be more honest about their health and weight struggles
- Failure is something we should invite to learn from our mistakes
- The fear of being vulnerable and inviting ridicule from others
- Even guys can deal with "emotional eating" just like women
- Who he found to be the perfect author of the foreword for his book

If you want to FINALLY read a "diet book" that won't preach to you about the do's and don'ts of how you eat, exercise or live your life and instead walk alongside of you encouraging you to stay engaged in the process, then MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN is the book for you!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Shi(f)t is for real! May 6, 2012

By Tony FED

Format:Kindle Edition

I am a fitness professional who in the past 6 years has trained over 1,000 clients ranging from professional athletes to the elderly. I initially read "Make Shi(f)t Happen" with the intention of getting ideas that I could use to, "Help other people", but it soon became apparent, however, that I was in need of some shi(f)t myself. Quickly, I re-read the book with a more introspective eye and I am proud to say that I am now into my second week of "Logging like Captain Kirk", "Being Brutally Honest", and developing my own "911" service!

There are books that you read to "get information", but this is a book designed to help you "take action". Not all of the shi(f)ts described by the author will apply to everyone, but that is by design. By implementing even one or two small changes, you can create momentum that ultimately leads to "seismic", life-transforming change.

If you are on the fence about whether or not you should pick up this book, I encourage you to go for it. By drawing from a diverse set of resources, the author gives you the practical benefit several books all in once neat package. I have already loaned my copy to a friend who saw me reading it and wanted to learn about how she could start changing her lifestyle. BUT, I only agreed on the condition that she would give it back within the week!

You could probably read "Make Shi(f)t Happen" in an afternoon, but implementing the ideas presented could literally change your life!

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Your 'I can' is greater than your 'I can't' April 18, 2012

By John Kruse

Format:Paperback

I got a copy of Dean's book today at 9 AM and finished at 3 PM while I was seeing patients in my neurosurgery clinic. I could not put it down it was so good. This is the finest paleo book I have read, and I have bought and read them all. As a clinician, getting people to change is my toughest task. But in Dean's book I found the easy to read recipe for true transformational change. This is the secret sauce of personal success. The book is awesome for any one interested in transformational change and this topic is sorely missing in Paleosphere and in modern life......it is a book that I can now hand to my patients when they tell me they 'can't' do something.......I don't care about their thoughts of "I cant".......I just care about their "I can".......and Dean's book opens their mind to "I can" big time. Dean has raised the bar for Paleo lifestyle and for modern thinking.

Jack Kruse DMD, MD
Nashville Neurosurgery CEO