Customer Reviews

Men's Health TNT Diet: The Explosive New Plan to Blast Fat, Build Muscle, and Get Healthy in 12 Weeks

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Worked for me,

I have been struggling with weight problems my whole life and have family history of heart problems so was very reluctant to try a low carb lifestyle.
Living in a ski resort, most people I know are very fit and active. As a 35 year old man over 320 pounds I would still tell you that I was more active then most (skiing over 50 day per season, biking to work most days in summer, ect..) but I was still packing on the pounds. Men's Health has been my bible for the last 10 years trying to eat `clean' meals. I no longer buy things that come in a box or a can no fast food, but still gaining weight. I had come to accept that I will always be big and it will always be a struggle to keep weight under control.
June 19th 2007 I started the TNT plan A my weight was over 320 the last time I was in the gym and my pants were pushing 48. Today, January 4h the scale says 270 and pants size is well.. 40 is a bit big and 38 still a bit snug.. I'm close to about the halfway point and feel great, ski better, look better then I can remember.
I owe Adam more then the few dollars it costs to buy this book, it has been life changing for the better.
The workout plan is easy to get though.. sorry its not easy, but you can get it done fast. Your results after a short time are very noticeable, but don't weight yourself often. Use your cloths as a measure and in no time you will have everyone you know asking what you have done.
I'm not a fan of the `it's to good to be true' message, but if you're struggling with weight and you have tried to eat better to no avail like me give this plan a try. Stick with it, be honest with yourself and I'll bet you will have results that you can be proud of in just a month.

Thank you so much Adam

Jeff Volek is one of the foremost authorities on carbohydrate restriction in obesity and cardiovascular disease. I have had the privilege of collaborating with him and I naturally support his dietary approaches which are grounded in the biochemistry that is the basis of our collaborations.

On exercise, where both Jeff and co-author Adam Campbell are experts, I am an (amateur) end-user and can recommend that part of his book from that perspective. The book describes ideas such as total-body training (as opposed to supposed isolation of muscle groups) which I had to learn myself by trial and (mostly) error.

The book provides highly structured programs in both diet and training for those people who like the approach. I personally find it most valuable in the way chefs use cookbooks. They rarely cook from recipes but just absorb the ideas and then apply them as part of their own style. On the other hand, a couple of exercises are new to me and I Xerox the pages and take them to the gym. (If you can get beyond the name, the fire-hydrant is effective).

The real value of TNT is that it comes from Jeff's research and you're learning from somebody who is bringing out scientific information not just on body composition but cardiovascular health as well.

I was luckey enough hear about TNT and its advantages for a better body and life. I am amazed at how easy it is to follow. Adam and Jeff may just have hit on the plan to turn your life around, it did mine. Their writing style is like talking with an old friend that has always been there. If you have bounced around or want to make a change for the better get this book/plan you won't regret it!!

If I eat any sugar at all I don't lose fat. I've logged my body fat for years and only lo-carb/ketogenic diets work for me.

I ride my bike to work (20 miles round trip at 160bpm on the heart rate monitor) and do weights 3 - 5 times per week and not eating carbs makes me run down after a few weeks to a about a month.

Recently I started learning about cyclical ketogenic diets and tried that and my bodyfat went from 23% to 15% in 8 weeks after being plateaued for about 1.5 years.

I picked up tricks from here and there at the gym and on the web but wanted more numbers and quantifiable information not just theory and anecdotal advice.

So I bought the TNT diet and must say it is a thing of beauty and it works.

For the first time in my life I'm on track to having a six pack. The key is carb timing and amount.

I feel great and can control my body fat levels predictably and learned a ton that I didn't know about mixing ketogenic diets with a brutal workout schedule.

Atkins is geared for sedentary type people. The key to working out intensely on a ketogenic diet is knowing when and how much carbs to eat and still burn fat and keep muscle. Eating less doesn't work me. Timing carbs and controlled amounts of carbs does.

Depending on how insulin resistant you are (hopefully not at all) you don't need very much sugar to have explosive workouts and cardio but timing and amounts are key.

And this book goes above and beyond the call of duty with practical use of the ketogenic diet to burn the blubber down and keep your muscle.

Thanks Men's Health for actually helping this man have health.

Highly recommend.

Well, I guess this is the week for exercise books. (Sorry, the reference to "dynamite" in my title was a natural, given the book acronym).
I was already familiar with the TNT diet and exercise protocols before I bought the book, since it was introduced awhile back in Men's Health magazine. Readers of the mag will want to purchase the book, as it goes into more detail and has many additions.

Anyway, so what is the hoopla over this TNT (TM) diet and exercise program? Read no further than Dr. Richard Feinman's review here on Amazon; Feinman is a research collaborator with author Jeff Volek and both have clinically slashed through the medical community's ridiculous low-fat/high-carb dietary advice like samurai Musashi Miyamoto slashing through twenty bad guys, without blinking an eye. If this were a samurai movie, those severed, bloodied bodies you see all over the ground would be the standard medical community.

But this isn't a samurai movie, alas, so back to less-bloody thoughts. In all seriousness, if anyone bothers to read the clinical studies done by Volek and Feinman and their findings on the superiority of low-carb diets over the typical advice (not to mention numerous other studies, plus older clinical literature comparing higher-mono-fat diets vs. the typical high-carb low-fat AHA diets), one simply cannot avoid the conclusion our medical communities are clueless on worthwhile dietary advice. I knew that already. Many others were aware of that too. Now all of you know it too.

Dr. Volek distills a lot of his research here in TNT for getting folks started on a prudent low-carb baseline diet, and then ratcheting up certain carbs from there, depending on the *timing*. The strong point of this book is showing exactly when one can add carbs without killing the fat-burning effects of a low-carb baseline diet- i.e., primarily after exercise, when the glucose load can be shunted into receptive muscle tissue. If someone has read my other reviews, I'm kind of partial to a low-glycemic-load concept on carbohydrates in general. This book goes one further- it gives the optimal time to add in some low-glycemic carbs like legumes, dairy, fruits, high-fiber cereal etc., which is right after the workout...NOT during a regular meal. This isn't really new news; bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts have targeted carb intake around workouts for many years...such as the so-called "targeted ketogenic" diet. So what's unique about this particular book, you ask? It's problably the dietary spectrum that the authors give that sets this book apart. Readers can choose from a variety of dietary strategies along a baseline low-carb spectrum. Depending on whether rapid fat-loss or muscle-replenishing is the goal, one can choose a starting point that targets one of these goals specifically, or opt for a modified less-extreme point in the middle of the carbohydrate re-loading spectrum. The dietary options will be especially appreciated by (middle-aged or otherwise) readers who are watching their blood glucose levels and need some solid exercise advice to lose fat and build some lean muscle tissue.

The exercise section is also very good. Three whole-body workouts a week, with optional high-intensity cardio on off-days. Truly the best of both worlds. Body re-composition needs weight training to accomplish, hence the emphasis on weights(although a good full-body workout produces ample cardio benefits in it's own right). Co-author Adam Campbell of Men's Health undoubtedly had a lot of expert input into the exercise section, which is well-balanced and sensible. What's not to like here?

Finally, a word about saturated fat, as I know Dr. Volek considers this a key finding in his research. We've been told by the "experts" for many years that saturated fats are very bad for one's health. It's almost a mantra in the medical community. To be sure, there have been vocal opponents to this status-quo thinking (lipid expert Mary Enig being one), but by-and-large, most advice given out currently sees saturated fat as an enemy. Well, no more. Volek and Feinman, among others, have shown conclusively in the research that saturated fat in the diet is only harmful when the CARB CONTENT is also high; if one eliminates the carbs, saturated fats are not harmful. Studies which show negative results on high saturated-fat diets invariably also included ample carbohydrate content, which means some of the researchers didn't do a particularly good job isolating the variables. And some types of saturated fat are actually good for you (as would be expected, given our cave-man genes...Fred Flintstone didn't eat only salmon). Yes, I know this flies in the face of what many readers are expecting, but the research is there on saturated fats, despite what many in the medical community still believe. (Old, outdated health advice dies hard).

Let's sum up. Buy the book, get rolling on the workouts, and get the damn sugar and starches out of your non-workout meals. You'll be healthier, your cholesterol and blood sugar will thank you, and Dr. Volek and Mr. Campbell will be happy authors. Everybody wins.

The diet works-15 lbs in 4 weeks- You must work out on the diet but that is something I have been doing since I turned 40-The diet works by dumping your bodies glycogen. After the glycogen tank is empty your body looks to burn somthing for energy. Not having the easy source of fuel, the glycogen, it turns to your fat stores and starts burning it. The diet is not a portion control deal so you eat normal meals and never starve. Meats,Cheese,Green vegetables are all fine to eat, and to eat enough of. Starches, sugars, pastas, fruit, are all avoided for at least a month in order to drain the glycogen and kick start your body to start burning all that belly fat.

A diet where you can consume butter, full-fat cheese, bacon (and other pork products), beef, and eggs with yolk ... and IMPROVE your health.

This is NOT a "crash" diet or a "fad" diet, but rather a plan to eat the foods your body was designed to function on, based on hard empirical science (much of which is detailed in the book).

I think the best part about this book is that you can consume foods which taste good (read: fats) so you're not as apt to binge on things like potato chips and chocolate, since you're not really depriving yourself of tasty foods.

Regarding the Fiber issue: The book states that the vast majority of Vegetables are absolutely fine to consume (unlike the original Atkins diet, which tells you to stay away from nearly all of them). The book specifically advocates eating greater than 4 servings of vegetables per day, and tells dieters to "indulge" on them. While you will lose some fiber intake by not eating whole grains, fruits, or legumes, you can liberally consume vegetables and sunflower seeds (to a somewhat lesser extent) to make up for that.

And results: first 2-3 weeks with NO working out (the book strongly advocates a regular weight-training regiment, I just havent had the time as a full-time grad student), I've lost about 8 lbs, all from my midsection.

I have never bothered writing a review before but the quality of information in this book compelled me to finally break the seal.

The "plans" are super easy to follow and the way I felt after only a couple of days told my body this was the real deal. I was able to melt away those last, stubborn 10lbs. of "genetic belly fat" absolutely effortlessly and the funny thing is my workouts got a lot easier than prior to reading this book.

And here's the very best part...I am a migraine sufferer -- several every week...and I have been my entire adult life. In the 4+ weeks since I started on the T.N.T. Diet, I haven't had a single one. Not even the slightest twinge of a migraine coming on. I have been able to throw away all my migraine meds (one script I had cost $100 PER PILL).

I will never again eat in the "traditional" way -- for me, it's T.N.T. for life! Get this book. It WILL change how you feel almost immediately and put you on a path to true fitness with very little effort.

The book is an easy to read explanation of how your body chemistry works with the food you eat, and explains how the low-fat high-carb diets of the last generation have led to the obesity epidemic now happening in the western world. This isn't theoretical; the book backs up its claims with recent scientific studies. The concept of your body's virtual 'glycogen tank' (the combined glycogen storage capacity of your muscles) is a powerful one; essentially your body can only store so much carb before it has to start converting it to fat (your tank is overflowing). Keeping your glycogen level lower makes your body burn more fat instead.

The diet is essentially low-carb/high-protein/high-fat, with no need to take note of every calorie you consume. The TNT stands for 'Targeted Nutrition Tactics', the principle of which works with your body chemistry to determine the optimum time to eat your carbs, etc. The book isn't just about what you eat though; despite the slightly misleading 'Diet' title it's much more of a lifestyle than a diet, with great exercise programs listed within to follow. You start by going really low-carb for 4 weeks, then you re-introduce carb reloading days according to your body's needs and your own lifestyle choices.

The book is well written in a conversational style, and is easy to follow. Most important of all, it works. I've been doing TNT for about 3 months (info posted on the Men's Health website) and I've gone from having 210lbs on my 5'11" frame to my current 188 lbs, while my waist has shrunk from 35" to just under 32". All while improving my muscle tone and bulk. I look much better and I feel great. :)

Highly recommended. The best $20 I've spent in a long while.

The TNT Diet itself can be distilled into just a few pages, but the book gives you chapters upon chapters of explanation and validation for the methodology before it even instructs you on how to begin. This helped to clarify a lot of the concepts for me and provide rationales for how someone could be eating steak all the time and still lose weight. As best I can tell the dieting portion is very similar to Atkins, with a necessary induction period to prepare your body to burn fat. Other plans are provided depending on your goals (how much muscle you want to build, how much weight you want to lose) to further build a sustainable diet. A few recipes are provided, but the main benefit is clearly laying out the type of foods that are acceptable so that you can determine your own ideal meal. The exercise portion of the program uses the same muscle-confusion approach as plans like P90, but again provides and cites evidence for the methodolgy behind the approach. The exercises concentrate on lifting, and while they do only take around 30 minutes many require gym equipment which makes it nearly impossible to do from home. A large section is devoted to explaining each exercise so that you're performing it properly, but for a complete novice like myself the illustrations were too vague for some of the more complex movements. Protein shakes and Creatine supplements are encouraged so expect to be dropping some money at GNC.

As for the actual "book" item rather than the content it is of manageable size that should fit on bookshelves. It is well organized, well written, and has a helpful index in the back to quickly refresh yourself on concepts.