Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You [Hardcover]

Jillian Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 10, 2007

Are you in good shape but struggling with those last ten to twenty pounds that stand between looking perfectly okay and looking knock-their-eyes-out great? Do you have an event on the calendar where you’d love to make jaws drop? Or do you just want to see for yourself what it would be like to have the best body you’ve ever had in your life? Then you need this book.

Making the Cut is a unique, intense thirty-day program from TV’s toughest fitness guru, Jillian Michaels. It has one purpose: to maximize your diet and fitness potential so you’ll get dramatic results at an accelerated pace. The program trains you in three essential ways—mentally, nutritionally, and physically. Making the Cut enables you to:

• identify your unique body type and metabolic makeup (are you a fast, slow, or balanced oxidizer?) and customize a diet plan that is perfect for you
• learn mental techniques that greatly enhance your self-confidence and sharpen your focus on success
• develop your strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance to levels that exceed anything you ever previously attained—or would have thought possible

Making the Cut takes you further faster than any other fitness program. Ever wonder what secret techniques models and celebrities learn from their high-priced personal trainers when they need to look their absolute best for a shoot or a scene? Jillian shares invaluable info about “peaking”—temporary short cuts you can employ when you have just a few days to get ready for your close-up. And she gets you hip to safe but effective supplements (break out the white willow bark and green tea extract) and tells you how to shed the last drops of excess water weight to put the ultimate finishing touch on the new you.

Other plans get you in shape; this one delivers ripped-up perfection. You supply the commitment and determination . . . Jillian Michaels supplies the astonishing results. Visit www.JillianMichaels.com for more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Michaels, who gained recognition as a trainer on NBC's The Biggest Loser, pushes to get you in "the best shape of your life." Assuming you are already in fairly decent shape, if you have 20 or less pounds to shed and are willing to make the commitment, Michaels promises to have readers "feeling comfortable running in a bikini." Determining body fat percentage and taking a "fit test" is par for the course in this sort of book. What separates Michaels' program is that she bases the diet on whether a person is a "slow oxidizer, balanced oxidizer, or fast oxidizer." The idea is that slow oxidizers require more carbs, while fast oxidizers need higher percentages of protein. Michaels provides three different sets of menus and recipes (she claims that there is sound science behind this, but don't expect to see helpful footnotes quoting clinical studies). The majority of the book is list-like and not invigorating to read. A glut of trainer-driven fitness books seem to be hitting stands lately; this one only stands out if you accept her notion of oxidizing.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Making the Cut by fitness trainer Jillian Michaels is the perfect book to get you in the best shape of your life.”
–Complete Woman


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1 edition (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307382508
• ISBN-13: 978-0307382504
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (267 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JILLIAN MICHAELS, best known as a strength trainer and life coach for the NBC hit series The Biggest Loser, is the author of the bestselling Making the Cut and Winning by Losing.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#90 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#90 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

310 of 313 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome the challenge! April 17, 2007

By Tracey Calvin

Format:Hardcover

I just got the book 3 days ago. I am only on day three, but the information in this book is eye opening. Jillian covers everything from hormones and metabolism, supplements like hoodia, even the master cleanse.

I saw the review below and can't help but wonder if that person actually read the book. There ARE in fact 3 separate 30 day menu plans. One for each oxidizer type (slow, balanced, and fast). For that reason, 1 plan will ask for non-fat cottage cheese and another will ask for low fat. Those two ingredients are not on the same meal plan and they are also on separate grocery lists (of which there are 3, one for fast, balanced, and slow).

Jillian goes on to explain that the recipes make up to 10 - 12 servings for the following reasons: Most women don't want to make separate meals for their families. Also, the book allots each reader with and individualized calorie allowance. As some of the recipes are very low calorie, some people doing the plan will require up to 5 servings of each recipe. Last, if you are like me, always on the run and finding it difficult to cook every night this book will solve your problem. This way you will have healthy food prepared when you are pressed for time. All that said, she specifically mentions in the book that if you want to make less food you can simply cut the ingredients in half and the meal will still come out perfectly making half the servings.

With regard to the workouts: There are over 100 separate exercises in the book and less then 10 of them require gym equipment. The workouts seem predominantly designed to utilize body weight exercises (no gym required).

The workouts do seem tough, that is for sure. However, you can easily modify the exercises to accomodate your fitness level. Jillian offers over 8 variations of plank exercise, 11 different variations of lunges, 8 variations of push ups, and 8 variations of squats just to name a few. For those that don't have a treadmill accessible she offers up over 10 different types of cardio intervals that require no equipment like mountain climbers, butt kicks, squat jacks etc.

As for not being able to tackle weeks 3 and 4 of the workouts on day 1, I think that is the whole point. In order to lose weight quickly you must progress your fitness level quickly. For example, the contestants on Biggest Loser couldn't walk around the block on day 1 and by day 7 she seems to have them running miles and doing push ups. This is why she instructs you to follow the plan religiously. I assume that by doing the workouts from week 1 and week 2 you will be ready to take on weeks 3 and 4, hence the books promise of delivering "the best shape of your life".

I love Jillian. I have been a fan of hers sine season one of Biggest Loser. I listen to her radio show religiously and trust her advice. I use her dvd's and have gotten amazing results. I love this book so far and although it's no walk in the park, I welcome the challenge.

164 of 181 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A POWERHOUSE OF A DIET/FITNESS BOOK April 18, 2007

By Jan Idlas

Format:Hardcover

True to form, Jillian comes through in a manner that is clear, concise, and no-nonsense. I lost 32 pounds utilizing her first book, "Winning by Losing." I've maintained my loss for almost a year, in part, by listening to her weekly radio show. She won my loyalty long ago, because this woman KNOWS HER STUFF! So when I heard about her new book, I decided I was ready to dive back in and go for "the cut." I've lost 5 additional pounds in 8 days. I'm so jazzed -- thank you, Jillian!

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Cut will Kick Your Butt! September 21, 2007

By Dianna Grundhauser

Format:Hardcover

I just finished the Making the Cut 30-day program and am very satisfied with the results. I joined a gym for a month to try it out (I usually work out at home), so I would have access to more equipment and machines. I found that I can probably do the routine at home with a couple of modifications. I lost 7 stubborn pounds (I was at a plateau for about 6 weeks) - discovered that counting calories does "count" when you are trying to get those last lbs off. You have to be fairly fit to do the workout at a decent intensity level; I'm pretty fit, but had to modify a few that I just could not do (yet), like a scorpion push up and a pike crunch. Her recipes are tasty and the menu has quite a variety.

That said, there are a few improvements I would make:

#1: Structure the meal plans with a little less variety so you can use up the groceries you purchase for the week. If you don't, you will have a lot of waste.
#2: Structure every recipe based on four servings, so if you are cooking for one or two you can modify them easily. Why make a salad that serves 10? Most people are doing this program by themselves or, maybe, with a partner.
#3: Alphabetize the exercises by name in the index so you can look them up easily. I have a good memory, but I needed to refer to the exercises a few times and it was frustrating trying to look them up.
#4: There seems to be a little confusion on the exercise (with # of reps, etc.) and the description of the exercise - for instance, she'll say in the exercise description: use both hands, then, in the workout schedule, it will say "single hand" and it doesn't seem to make sense.
#5: Suggestions for what to do "next" at the end of the program, and also include some inspiration in between the daily workout schedule.

Otherwise, TOUGH WORKOUT and GOOD RESULTS if you make the effort!

It's true, there's not a lot of clinical studies, etc. to prove her theories, but it is a no-nonsense approach to taking a step to the next level. The workouts are not for sissies; they are intense and heart pounding. Yes, a couple of the exercises are difficult to figure out without a picture, but I'd say that 95% are clear and concise and simple to figure out if you've had some exposure to a gym or are familiar with basic fitness moves.