37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope for the hopeless..., November 5, 2011
This review is from: The Smarter Science of Slim: What the Actual Experts Have Proven About Weight Loss, Dieting, & Exercise, Plus, The Harvard Medical School Endorsed Program To Burn Fat Permanently (Paperback)
There are probably 50 trillion diet books on the market, so my hat is off to Mr. Bailor for jumping into the fray and getting his message out about the how and why of fat loss and keeping it off.
I am not a fat person; I am a flabby person. I am 5 feet 7 inches and weighed about 145 and I had been trying to lose the same 15 pounds literally for 15 years. A couple of years ago I had some weird GI problems that made it almost impossible to eat or drink and I went from 155 to 145, but since then I have been stuck.
I have read so many diet books I can't even name them all, but this year at age 45 (sigh...) I realized that my weight problem is three-fold -- self hatred toward my body led to a fear of food which led to disordered eating patterns. I also have several food allergies/sensitivities which have turned me into a picky eater. So through the years I have read diet books and done the low-fat/high-grain/walk-5-miles-a-day/starve-yourself-Saturday/everything-in-moderation programs that were so big in the 90s and early 00s. Heck, I'm not even religious, but I tried the Hallelujah Diet! Yet the flab remained, and the older I get, the more tired I am of treadmills to nowhere.
So when Mr. Bailor sent me an advance look at his Science of Slim book I was eager to take a look. It takes awhile to get through as it is pretty thick and crammed with studies (you will feel a new level of compassion for rats after you see what scientists put these poor creatures through) that show our girth is not as easily related to our sedentary/high-fat lifestyles as the latest Health and Nutrition news program would have you believe. Heck, I walk at least 60 minutes a day with my siberian huskies and my diet was basically bread, peanut butter, tofu, and fruit.
The nitty gritty of the book of course is the regimen Mr. Bailor encourages us to take up. There are S.A.N.E foods (satiety, aggression, nutrition, efficiency) and there are inS.A.N.E. foods, and it turns out that I happen to LOVE inSANE foods. I love yams and potatoes, and sugar, and flour, and Dove dark chocolate, and brownie batter (but not brownies...go figure), and pizza, and...and...and...In other words, I love all the foods that are clogging my system and making me a flabby, tired, swollen hausfrau. I had to change my bad habits and start stuffing the old pie hole with non-starchy veg, lean protein, some legumes, eggs, and fruit. As Mr. Bailor says, "the easiest way to eat the most S.A.N.E. foods as possible is to eat as much as you want, whenever you want, from foods you could hunt or gather." Perhaps in heaven there are Pop-Tart trees, but not here on earth, so veggies and eggs it is.
I went through and copied the charts in the book about which foods are more S.A.N.E. and made it a priority to eat those as much as possible and, God help me, stay off the Dove bars. I confess that I tended to take the easy way out and made smoothies most of the time with whey protein powder, milled flax seeds, spinach, berries, and half a banana. The smoothies, which only filled a coffee cup, were so filling I almost felt nauseated for a couple of hours after having one. Those would be breakfast and lunch and for dinner I had steamed or roasted vegetables and cottage cheese and water since I don't eat meat or seafood. For dessert I had an apple with a slice of cheddar cheese, which tastes better than it sounds.
As I said, I was feeling so full I felt almost sick to my stomach. I was not used to eating so much at one time, and I actually felt anxiety doing it. I was going to balloon!! I would become obese!! I was freaking out with each meal.
Well, here it is 5 weeks later and except for the expected PMS-related cookie binge I have been eating very S.A.N.E. and am down from a 10 to an 8. I don't have a scale anymore, so I can't say how much I weigh now, but I have more energy and I am starting to have a healthier relationship with food. The chart of S.A.N.E foods is on my fridge and is my go-to list for whatever I put in my mouth. I am eating way more berries and veggies than before and no more Doritos (precious, precious Doritos)or pretzels or peanut M&Ms. At first I thought I would go crazy without these, but surprisingly, I have survived intact and no psych ward was needed for the detox period.
In this era of Biggest Loser, where the idea is that you have to work yourself half to death at the gym 5 hours a day and practically starve yourself to lose the chub, it is thrilling to find a plan that lets me eat enough I feel stuffed for hours afterward and can still lose weight. And this is something I can do until I am toothless in a nursing home.
For exercise the plan is to "exercise forcefully. Not too often. Mostly eccentric." For me that means lifting some dumbbells and a kettle ball I've had sitting around. I hate lifting heavy things. HATE it, but I can suck it up and do 15 minutes while watching The Vampire Diaries or 19 Kids and Counting, right? And I must admit that I can actually see a little ab definition and my arms look less bony and more muscular, so it must be working. I still walk 6o min a day because of the dogs so I get the cardio work that makes my heart stronger as well.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a healthier way of eating who wants the science behind the plan.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Why but not the How, December 19, 2011
This review is from: The Smarter Science of Slim: What the Actual Experts Have Proven About Weight Loss, Dieting, & Exercise, Plus, The Harvard Medical School Endorsed Program To Burn Fat Permanently (Paperback)
I was sent a free copy of this book by the author to review.
The research here is impeccable. It is a proven fact that our current obesity epidemic us caused by eating too much carbohydrates, specifically sugars and starches, and NOT by eating too much fat or protein, too much meat, or simply too much. These facts have been available since the days of the original Atkins diet, and this book does an excellent job of pulling together all the scientific research to prove that eating fewer starches and more fat, protein, and leafy greens is the road to permanent weight loss. The theory that all calories are created equal is clearly disproven.
The emphasis on lots of exercise is also shown to be the wrong approach, as most of us can attest to: the more you exercise, the more you eat, and no one can burn off enough calories to lose weight.
So in terms of the Why and What of weight loss, this book is a clear winner.
Where it is lacking is in the How, and it's for this reason that I give it only 4 stars. Take the question of cultures that are rice-based. This book brings up that question and basically says, Never mind, don't worry about those people. But maybe you ARE one of those people. Maybe you are Asian-American, or Hispanic, or even Italian-American, and for you, a meal is built around rice or pasta. Well, the author has nothing to say to you except, Change how you eat. But how? How do you commit to a lifetime of eating in a way that is really different from the way your entire family eats? What does a meal look like in this new approach to eating?
The helpful suggestions were not helpful to me--eat whey powder? buy a freezer? Shop at Costco? These are not useful to me, as a person who enjoys eating, who is part of a cultural context in which eating is important, as a person who has never exercised in the manner described here.
A more detailed look at how to incorporate low starch, non-sugar, eccentric exercise, and lots of vegetables and meat into a lifestyle that is not built around weight-loss and exercise would have helped me tremendously. How do I eat at a restaurant? What do I do at the holidays? How can I plan meals for my family (which includes a person who expects to build meals around rice) would have made this book a real hit with me.
But the facts are indisputable--eating a corn-based diet is killing us! Fat is not the problem, starch is.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Significant Work for Those Who Want to Lose or HAVE LOST (like me) and Need to Heal and Lose More in a SMART way!, November 9, 2011
This review is from: The Smarter Science of Slim: What the Actual Experts Have Proven About Weight Loss, Dieting, & Exercise, Plus, The Harvard Medical School Endorsed Program To Burn Fat Permanently (Paperback)
Do you believe science supports that..?
~~You can eat more if you eat SANE foods--and be satisfied and lose weight.
~~You can exercise less if you exercise smarter--and get fitter than with hours of gym work.
~~You may be metabolically totally screwed after "starvation" deficit dieting
~~A calorie is not just a calorie
~~Your body works to hold onto particular set points--and that set points can be altered
Are you skeptical that...
~~Big business is not your diet friend.
~~And neither are government guidelines.
I can tell you that I wish, oh, I wish, this book had been around 4 years ago when I was in a quandary about dieting/weight loss surgery, stuck in that "starving obese person" mode. I had to experiment on myself over years to hit upon a formula that worked, and ended up very similar to what Mr. Bailor's science-round-up recommends.
I envy those on the weight loss journey who have this book as a guide. No stumbling. Just some science and good advice, right off the bat.
I've been reading this book slowly since a couple weeks back. I have a notebook full of notes on the research/research facilities/researcher names/conclusions/highlights. This is totally a serious matter for me. I was 300 lbs. I'm now, as of this writing, 177 lbs, and I want to be 160 lbs or less. I'm middle-aged, post-menopausal, hypothyroid, auto-immune afflicted, have osteoarthritis (in joints from years of morbid obesity), a torn ligament in one knee, and totally was terrified of what this book might say about exercise.
Well, there are two main issues addressed in the book for getting slim in the smart way. The eating. The movement.
First, the eating is actually a snap. No one should be hungry or deprived unduly on this program.
It's not that different than the formula for eating that made me finally, after more than 2 decades of obesity, be able to drop big poundage. Except I'm allergic to seafood, so one of the priority comestibles on this plan (yes, seafood), I cannot have at all. Sucks. Still, I have at points eaten very similarly to how Bailor sets up in the book, although since spring, I ditched the whey protein and most green tea in favor of, respectively, animal or animal-source proteins (eggs, cheese, yogurt) and gourmet coffee. HOwever, I did do the strict dieting version: 1200 calories for six months+, then more like 1300 to 1400 for most of the summer/early fall. Now, I'm up to 1500.
The reason this was an important analysis and round-up of research (well, that alone, the round-up aspect is cool) is that I stalled and I burn way fewer calories than calorie calculators say I ought to for activity level/age/gender. I noticed that last year when I began tracking nutrients and calories. I burn slow. My metabolism is effed up. From obesity. From yo-yo dieting (all short term with swift regains plus).
So, reading what the studies show about the hormonal wackiness that starvation inducies (ie, low caloric intake as in dieting) and lack-of-fat-burning efficiency in the obese versus the normal/lean, it made sense. It described not just what I had been going through for decades (constant hunger, crazy appetite, while overeating and so forth). And the post-diet insanity. NO joke. I've seen way too many of my fellow blogging dieters fall prey to that crazed hunger, accompanying easy and stunningly swift regain, even on not a lot of additional calories at times. Then losing is agonizing and slow even on low calories, as if the body had, in fact, gone off the rails set-point-wise.
Seeing the studies Bailor highlights explains a lot of the body-weirdness that leads to just that post-diet nuttiness.
When I became exposed to some of the science out there last year--in THE END OF OVEREATING, in WHY WE GET FAT, in THE NEW EVOLUTION DIET, in THE PALEO SOLUTION, etc--I radically reduced starches, eliminated sugar, quit eating processed, went fresh and focused on protein and vegetables and some fruit --and yes, went to see an R.D. with the proviso that I was insulin resistant/Metabolic Syndrome and needed to eat at 1200 calories in a lower carb version. She agreed that a few years ago, she'd tow the high-carb line, but her own middle-aged reality and practice showed her lowering starches was prudent and effective. She took me down to 1 starch serving a day. Boom, started to lose GREAT. Started to get insane energy. When I got rid of the wheat/gluten, and let my starch be tubers and a bit of rice now and then, it was even better. On days/weeks with NO starch servings, losses were great. I'd read Paleo/Primal/Primarian/New Evolution/Taubes/Jaminet/etc writers on obesity and healthy eating and I find there is a lot of info that jives with Bailor's program.
So, what Bailor describes works, in my experience (even though mine is not identical, it's based on similar principles). I only really need to add the green tea, flax meal, and whey to make how I eat line up with his recommendations. I've begun doing just that recently. It broke my stall and I began losing again. I use decaf Yamamotoyama (available on amazon) and Bigelow (had that one at home already), Bob's Red Mill Golden Flax Meal (nice! also on amazon), and PaleoMeal whey concentrate (available here, as well). Let's see how it goes. I'm trusting Bailor's research. :D
The exercise portion is problematic for me, with my messed up knees, ankles, hips, shoulders. Despite 3 years with a personal trainer (and a nice result, it does alter even an old dame's physique), I cannot do squats without absolute terror. So, I may need to take Bailor's book when it comes out (I plan to get a book format one to supplement my e-book), I'll take it to my trainer and see how we can work his eccentric strength training suggestions with my damaged joints. I do not feel confident doing it on my own at home. Yes, I'm a wuss. I have incorporated some of the Paleo/Primal/New Evolution suggestions on activity since spring with nice results, and I do understand the principles behind this type of "get into the deep muscles" less-is-more approach. I just understand MY limitations. You younger, healthier folks can surely just dive in.
I do wish there were a no-bike-required "10 minutes of quality cardio". That chapter only offers exercise with an upright stationary bike. I don't own one, and a good one isn't cheap (a quality one will be upwards of 200 bucks). And I'd need to make space in my small apartment for that. My local gym only has recumbent ones. So, if there is a 10-min-high-quality cardio not involving expensive or space-taking equipment, I'd sure like to hear it. (Comment away under this review!)
I've been involved in the online blogging weight loss community for a few years. I've been recommending this book to some of the gals who have worked alongside me to lose weight/get healthier/get fitter. It will be an eye-opener for many, I suspect. We need to know what the science says. And we need to go on and research it ourselves, too, since all writers can have a bias that shows up in what studies they pick/choose to highlight. Hence my note-taking as I've read this book.
As a final note: The book is beautifully put together. I simply LOVED the "visual aids"--lots of easy to understand charts, graphs, pies, comparisons, illustrations.
Mr. Bailor done good. This book is an asset to the weight loss community, and it's something for those in the entire spectrum--trying to lose, have lost and regained, is losing, plans to lose, has lost on starvation dieting and wants to heal the metabolism that got wrecked. Or just for folks who never had weight issues but want to eat healthier and get stronger in smarter ways .
Now, to be my own guinea pig...again..to work on that set point.
Let the debate on conclusions begin. I mean that. We need debate. Are there pertinent studies left out in Bailor's round-up? It benefits everyone in this fat-saddled nation to look at the studies and begin to implement smarter solutions from kindergarden onward....although the grain producers, junk food pushers, sugar-junkies will surely hop on Bailor's back the way they've gotten on Dr. Davis of WHEAT BELLY's case and the Paleo/Primal crowd's case.
Recommended. And Google books has a significant preview of the opening and later chapters for those who are not sold. Read the previews and...get the dang book.
ETA: Saw on the FB page for this book that Mr. Bailor is offering those who preorder on amazon access to the e-book RIGHT Off, NOT HAVING TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY. Nice. Take advantage, you pre-orderers. :D (FB page is the book title)
ETA 2: I settled on Jay Robb's Whey for now. Stevia-sweetened, good protein to carb ratio, and for those who need to do the stages (wrecked metabo), 110 calories per scoop (24 grams of protein per scoop). Isolate instead of concentrate, but hey....it's suitable for now.
Be well...
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