Customer Reviews

The No-Beach, No-Zone, No-Nonsense Weight-Loss Plan: A Pocket Guide to What Works

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No-nonsense style, very concise (except for various calculation examples, which might be good, as math literacy is alien concept for most).

About myself: 12 years ago I was 160 lbs. (I am 5'9"). Once I hit 230 lbs a few weeks back, I got myself a stack of books, including this one, to avoid previous failures (210 lbs to 190 lbs 2 years ago and gaining it all back and some more).

Jim Johnson's advice was instrumental in setting up my diet and stopping systemic overeating. So now I am under 218 lbs and feeling great on 1500 calories a day. Even more importantly, now I know there is no quick fix - one has to change a lifestyle. It is all about patience, perseverance and will to treat your body right.

The only suggestion: to count calories use software, not paper. I use FitDay.com - it's free.

Jim Johnson a physical therapist has done extensive research to find what does and does not work for weight loss. He recaps his findings in this book, "The No-Beach, No-Zone, No-Nonsense Weight Loss Plan: A Pocket Guide to What Works".

Using the studies Jim explains that bottomline weight loss is dependent on calories consumed and exercise helps. To lose weight you simply eat less and your body will gradually use up it's fat stores. Jim clearly explains how to figure out your caloric needs, basal energy expenditure, the truth about cellulite (yep you can be skinny with cellulite)and more.

One big surprise was Jim's information on exercise. According to the studies Jim used, overweight women who exercise do not lose weight by exercising alone. In one study Jim shares a group of overweight women walked for 45 minutes 5 days a week and did not lose weight. This doesn't seem right to me. If you weigh around 155 you will burn about 250 calories in a brisk 30 minute walk. If calories are the bottomline in weight loss as Jim says, then you would lose weight - about 26 pounds a year. I also know women who have lost weight just by walking (albeit slowly) so I do have to question Jim on this one.

What Jim does do is point to the facts that regardless of the type of diet you are on ...weight loss will result if calories in are lower that what you had been consuming.

Another area of concern is Jim's comment that one day he stumbled across the "National Weight Control Registry". Most people in the weight loss arena are fully aware of this organization which tracks winners at weight loss. Jim's lack of knowledge of this makes me realize that though he may have written the book to help others he may not have a solid grounding in the weight loss arena. Which leads me to ask what studies he missed that may contradict some of his work.

Jim has an easy breezy writing style, and is very clear in his explanations.

His book is a good primer for weight loss. Though the 138 page paperback is slim it contains a wealth of information. You will learn how to figure out if you are fat, how many calories you need to consume to stay fat or lose weight, how to count calories, how to fit in exercise without doing it formally, and more. Most importantly you will learn that regardless of what you do, The Zone, The South Beach, The Apple Diet, Weight Watchers etc. If you are losing its cus you are eating fewer calories!

One good inclusion is how to get motivated. As Jim says most of us do know what to do, but don't do it. Jim has good suggestions on how to rethink things so you are motivated.

All in all a good little resource if you need some help figuring out weight loss basics. And an excellent book to read if you are confused by the conflicting information on the market today.

Once again Jim has done the research for the consumer and simplified the search for a succesful weight loss program. He examines the popular myths and plainly states, in his straight-forward way, how to get on track in a manner that anyone could follow. If you are truly interested in losing weight and particularly are confused about the many weight loss programs which abound, I highly recommend that you read this book. It will be worth your while!

I have lost 25 lbs in the last 15 weeks essentially using the strategies given in this book. I had tried Atkins, South Beach diets etc. etc. and then stumbled upon the "Calorie Deficit" based weight reduction strategy on the Internet. So I actually started following this even before reading this book - but I think this book encapsulates the simplicity of this strategy extremely well without any of the hype. After having tried all sorts of stuff, I would say that diet is about 75% of weight loss but diet + exercise and slow weight loss (about 1.5 LBS/week) is the best and most sustainable way of losing weight. Of course, I have to keep it off for the rest of my life - but the knowledge of calories in every food that I consume makes this a lifestyle choice and I am hopeful will help with keeping the weight off. Good luck to everyone!

there's nothing fake about this book. Just the facts! If your skeptical about fad diets, or if your program will really help you lose weight AND keep it off, then this book is for you!!

Johnson has definitely done his research and sites many, many, MANY case studies to prove what works, what doesn't, and what doesn't make a difference which way you do it.

One of the best things about this book is each chapter has a summary. This is GREAT after you've read it, and you just want a quick refresher, or a boost of motivation or inspiration.

I also bought Johnson's 60 second motivator. The 2 go nicely together, but if i had to pick one, it would be this book. Besides which, there is a chapter in this book that reads very similar to the 60 second motivator anyway!

Excellent book and an easy read. Just received it yesterday afternoon and already finished it. It is straight and to the point and not filled with a lot of extra fluff. Looking forward to putting the information into practice.

In addition to the Johnson book, people might want to look at the book 'The China Study', a 35 year study of the way various groups in China eat and the affect on their health. It shows that a low-fat whole food diet is absolutely the best for health and healing various diseases.

This is a quick and interesting read that is worth buying because it's well researched and has some valuable insights. On the other hand, the author is a good researcher, but he's not a nutrition specialist, so he doesn't address some finer points that would increase success. I suggest also reading The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan, written by a nutrition researcher, for additional information.

This book is a very quick read and made some of the connections between diet and exercise very clear. I have loaned it to a lot of friends and they like it too.

After having read many books on weight loss/nutrition/dieting, I finally arrived on the best one. It is best for the person who does not know where to start when it comes to losing weight. It is big-picture oriented, so don't expect details, such as recipes, exercises, equipment, etc.

The author covers everything you need to know about losing weight today and backs up everything he states with reliable scientific studies. If you're only going to get one book on the topic, make sure it's this one.