Customer Reviews

The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution: Create the Brain Chemistry of Health, Happiness, and Lasting Romance

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

"Without a nutritious diet, we don't have the fuel to make more endophins." ~ pg. 102

If any book can be frustrating and enlightening at the same time it is "The Mars & Venus Diet and Exercise Solution." This book is filled to the brim with interesting information on dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and endorphins. You will learn about the top forty serotonin-producing foods and how to get endorphins to release into your body. There is also a good amount of information on how to make your relationships work. There seems to be a biological basis for everything John Gray has been teaching for years. He explains why women are obsessed with giving too much and how to get men to give more. It is logical and makes complete sense. He also gives some of the real reasons marriages fail. I thought some of the information was very interesting, especially about why men may become workaholics:

"By increasing mental stress by taking on too much work (deadlines and long hours), men in particular stimulate the production of endorphins to reduce mental distress and anxieties temporarily." ~ pg. 103

While this is very helpful and intellectually exciting, I think the actual diet can be confusing. In the section on following the Mars & Venus diet I came across many frustrating things. Each morning you are supposed to drink a glass of water enriched with lemon juice, honey, trace minerals and aloe vera juice. This drink is also taken after you exercise in the morning. That means you are taking minerals twice. The problem I see with this is that you are also taking trace minerals with your morning health shake. (This drink is also recommended for fasting - should you take that many minerals in a day?)

My main question really is: "Is it necessary to take so many trace minerals?" The morning shake is made with a number of ingredients that can also be found in the Mars & Venus Superfoods Shake. In fact, you can skip mixing up the shake from scratch and just purchase the shake online. My problem with the shake is that it contains blanched almond meal and I'm allergic to nuts in general.

I looked up the Isagenix products and read the lists of ingredients. There are three products you could buy even though John Gray also says you can find other brands (he doesn't mention which ones so I'll give you that information).

The products you can buy (at the Isagenix website) include the Mars & Venus Superfoods Shake ($45), the Super Cleanse ($30) and the Super Minerals (also contains lithium - $30). So you can get the entire program for under $105.

Some options for the same types of products (Total is $131 with the optional cleanse) include "Nature's Plus Spiru-tein Tangerine Dream (Nature's Plus - Tangerine Dream Spirutein Shake 1Lb - $18)" which I've taken for years (compare ingredients to the Mars & Venus Superfoods shake) and the addition of Omega 3 Fatty Acid capsules (Nordic Naturals - Complete Omega/Lemon, 1000 mg, 60 softgels - $17). If you want to add in Yucca try Solaray - Yucca - 100 Capsule - 490 mg - $6.

This is easier than making the shake and adding in flax seeds, protein powder, yucca, enzymes etc. If price is a factor then you can see the difference in price. However, I read the ingredients on the Mars & Venus Super Cleanse and found it is not as good a product as Dr. Natura's Cleansing Product Colonix - Internal Cleansing Program (Liver, Kidney, Colon, And Parasite Cleanse) - FREE UPGRADE TO EXPEDITED SHIPPING - $90). The thing to note about the Dr. Natura program is that the "Paranil" product has wormwood. This is not good to take for an extended period of time. The "Colonix" is a good cleanse on its own.

Once you read the book you can then use these ideas to your advantage. The ingredients recommended will optimize brain chemistry and this will make you feel better. I've been taking a shake with amino acids for years now and it does make you feel more healthy. The Nature's Plus Spiru-tein Tangerine Dream (or other flavors) is an excellent product that contains most of the ingredients (just take Yucca and Omega 3 capsules as well) in the Mars & Venus Shake.

To finish the book, John Gray also briefly discusses the benefits of aromatherapy. He also talks about spirituality and how dietary changes can even cause cancer to go into remission.

Overall I think this book is very enlightening. The frustrating part can be easily solved by buying the shakes in powder form. There just doesn't seem to be enough information to make the program work when mixing up the drink at home. I found that section to be very frustrating because no exact measurements were given.

~The Rebecca Review

I read the book, thought "why not try one more that will fail," and tried it. The first week I just did the cleansing drink and morning shake and my lifetime of depression was "gone" and my energy was great! This was enough motivation to start the diet. I have lost 20 lbs in 40 days, I am not hungry or feeling deprived, and not working out to exhaustion. The last time I was able to lose weight was 6 years ago through starving and working out 3 hours a day--I knew at 54, I was NOT going to do that again. But, I have a lot of questions (which as he assures you in his book he is available to answer) that aren't being answered (could be a new book, John!). Also, a cookbook of recipes with the right amounts of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats would be GREAT! Ingredient amounts for Venus and alt. amounts for Mars for dishes : ) This book has FINALLLLY given me answers! Thank you!

Not really desiring to lose weight, I was interested in John Gray's book The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution for its cleansing properties and was not disappointed. I tried John's method in the book for 9 days. Nothing much seemed to happen until just about two weeks after I began the course of treatment. I have always had a sweet tooth, but as I get older realize it is a sugar addiction. I found that I wasn't craving sweets (a common occurrence for 40 years after every meal and often between them) and I wasn't really trying. I wanted things like celery and peanut butter or carrots for a snack instead of cookies. And coming from the world's greatest candy fan, this is saying a lot!! I also found myself naturally drinking more water and feeling lighter and fresher. My skin has a great tone and after several weeks, as I look for signs of diminishing effects, I am pleased that I am still resting in a place of healthful balance. I also have lost several pounds even without trying. I will refresh my liver and remind myself of my wholeness every so often with his recommended treatment as I feel a calling to do so, but for now I feel great.

The other thing I really related to in this book was his presentation of the different chemistries of men and women and what, how and when they are activated. It was a missing piece in understanding my very male husband. Very insightful and clearly intended for more than just a fix-it diet, this book The Mars and Venus Diet & Exercise Solution offers ways to achieve and maintain balance and health within the self and also within a relationship.

Julie Hutslar
Author of Relationships:Gifts of the Spirit

This book has some excellent information on the science of brain chemistry and how it pertains to health, diet and fitness. Dr. Gray does a fine job of explaining this complex information.

What he neglects to do is outline his diet approach in a visual manner. The book lacks charts and examples for creating the all important breakfast shake. The shake he describes has so many cross references and rules that I'm afraid to even try making it. The Isagenix, which he suggests as an alternative, is expensive (over $40 for 14 shakes) and you have to be prepared to wait 2 weeks for delivery.

If Dr. Gray had added just a few examples of how to use the information he so eloquently describes, I would have given this book 5 stars and be mixing up a shake right now.

Harvey Deutschendorf (Edmonton, Alberta CANADA)
Just when you thought you had read everything there was on dieting, John Gray comes up with some fascinating new insights. Linking diet to brain chemicals, sex drive, psychological wellness and gender in a comprehensive, yet easy to understand manner; this book goes far beyond the other diet books out there. While filled with interesting material, the beauty of this book lies in making dieting as simple, or complex as the reader chooses. The author is fully aware that for most people, diets need to be simple, straightforward, easy to use, and provide results in a short period. I have been using his breakfast shake formula for 3 months now and have noticed a marked increase in my energy level, mental alertness...and yes..even my sex drive! I highly recommend this book.

I've only skimmed his other books, so I can't say I was a fan of the Mars/Venus books, but THIS book has changed my life! If you're trying to lose weight and detoxify your system and are looking for a deeper understanding of the different ways men and women need to exercise, eat, and lose weight, this is for you.

I have found that by following Gray's nutritional ideas, I have turned my health around, mentally, physically, and in my relationship with my wife. I lost 9 pounds in the first 3 days safely, never felt sick or hungry, and feel sure I'll be able to keep the weight off and maintain my health, using the simple maintenance plan in the book. My wife says I've changed for the better, too: I'm calmer, sleep great, have quit snoring, and am well on my way to losing the 30 pounds that seem to have glommed onto me out of nowhere after I hit my mid 40's. I just couldn't get rid of the weight. I haven't yet tried the Bounce & Shake exercise and plan to, but I believe it's important to do mild aerobic and weight bearing exercise to remove toxins and build lean mass. I walk and do the Five Tibetan Rites, both of which Gray endorses.

I have used the Isagenix products with great success. I feel the cost is reasonable, less than if I took the time to put it all together from scratch. They are unique in their safety, formulation, and speed. My experience with delivery was fine: It took one week to get the product to northern CA from their Phoenix plant.

Gray's personal story is compelling, as is his reasoning about brain chemistry and its link to diet, exercise, and experiences of relationship. I highly recommend the book.

However, my husband twisted my arm and I was tired of him nagging me, so what the heck. We both started the Isagenix program a couple of months ago and I just finished reading Dr. Gray's book. Neither of us really needed to lose weight, but I have a history of depression and PMDD (I've been on meds now for almost seven years). So two months later, I'm eating my words of skepticism. I am completely off one med, weaning from another and going to work on my blood pressure and cholesterol meds next. I am an entirely new person. I feel good, I have a lot more energy, my marriage is much improved and an added benefit, I've lost 10 pounds and my clothes fit much better. Our son has anger and aggression issues and so we started him on some supplements mentioned in the book and he is a brand new kid. He quit junk food, soda and is no longer craving nor asking for it. He's eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and has not had a single episode of aggression since about a week after starting the supplements. I've done a lot more research beyond just the book and find agreement with other health professionals (holistic) that back up his statements. So, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Seven years of hell with depression is enough to convince me that there must be something to it.

Having dieted all of my adult life, I thought I knew it all. Then, after joining Curves for Women and not losing in weight in 3 months with 5 workouts per week the entire time, I spoke with the manager of my workout facility. She recommended this book. I have John Gray's "original" Mars & Venus book but I'm not a big reader so I've scanned it. But THIS book? I can't put it down. Goodness. How interesting. I knew when I put my husband on the South Beach and he quickly lost weight and continued to....or when I'd go to a Weight Watchers meeting and see all those guys just DROP the weight, I knew woman lost differently than men but this book puts it all out there in plain English for even the KIA (know it all) like me to grasp and understand. I thought I was an expert on "dieting" (though none have ever worked for me except to give up the carbs). Thank you, John Gray, for showing me yet another aspect that I never even would have thought existed.

John Gray's "The Mars & Venus Diet & Exercise Solution" is a remarkable achievement. That an expert in relationships has taken the time and effort to read and master esoteric research on brain chemistry and made it accessible and usable for us lay readers is amazing.

Edwards Deming, the quality guru, once said: "It's not what you don't know that's the problem; it's what you know that's NOT SO!" Gray punctures many of the myths about diet and exercise that people have been religiously following for years. The famous Pritikin and Atkins diets, for example, do not emerge unscathed.

This is not just another weight-loss book. People suffering from conditions as desparate as ADD/ADHD, addictions, brain concussions, or depression, to name a few, can find valuable new approaches to treatment. It's actually a book on how to effectively manage your own brain chemistry.

The book challenges the dominance in our culture of allopathic (that is, traditional) medicine with its overuse of powerful drugs and their side effects. It supports the use of alternative therapies such as homeopathy and aromatherapy. And it is not "one size fits all": Gray makes careful distinctions, not only by gender as one would expect from the creator of the Mars/Venus school of gender differences, but by body type as well. What works for rectangular body type mesomorphs might be all wrong for round body endomorphs.

One recurring theme that I especially appreciated was Gray's reminder that we don't have to follow his regime perfectly for it to be effective, a welcome reassurance for us perfectionists. My greatest concern about the book is that it will seem too far out for large numbers of people to follow the regimen, that the gradient will be too steep. This would be a waste of information that could bestow tremendous benefits on humankind.

I'm not sure how anyone could write anything negative about this book.

This book, without a doubt, has changed my life forever. Everything Dr. Gray wrote concerning low dopamine and serotonin felt like he was describing me and everyone else I know. I needed naps in the middle of the day (or a cup of coffee), I had sugar cravings (especially Ben and Jerry's ice cream on the weekends), I overate (even if it was healthy food, I still overate), I had night sweats, I didn't have anything left over (emotionally) to give my wife after work. All I wanted to do was veg out in front of the TV.

Now that I've been on Dr. Gray's program solidly for 1 month, my life is 180 degrees different!!! The night sweats-GONE! The sugar cravings-GONE! The overeating-GONE! The naps and low energy-GONE! I barely watch TV anymore and can listen to my wife all night long when I come home from work without wanting to interupt her or "fix" anything! My energy is through the ROOF! All this from 1 book!!!

Since I've read the book and done the program I've turned a bunch of friends on to it. They have experienced the same incredible things as I did and they've all lost weight in the process (some of them an impressive amount of weight)!

I feel like it's this huge secret that nobody knows! I honestly believe there isn't one person on this planet that couldn't benefit from his book. I know it's a bold statement but I truly feel that if everyone did Dr. Gray's program, the world would be a better place.

With so many books on diet and exercise out there, how do you know which one is the right one?! I can tell you right now. Stop looking. Dr. Gray's is it!!!!!!! Read it, do it and you can have HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND LASTING ROMANCE (plus loose some weight in the process).

Reading his book and doing his program is one of those "life defining" moments. It is so simple that people are skeptical. I was at first. We always look for the complicated answer, when, in fact, it's most often the simplest of things that are the most powerful.

A Side Note: Using the Isagenix products he recommends ([website]) is DEFINITELY the way to go. They are so convenient, taste delicious and are not expensive at all. To loose weight the products average to be only [money amount]/day and once I reached my ideal weight, the maintenance plan is only [money amount] day. Who can say that for [money amount]/day you can feel great, have better health, a better relationship, great brain chemistry, more energy, mental clarity and loose weight? No one, other than Dr. John Gray. Do it! Your life will change and you'll never want to go back!!