Customer Reviews

Strong Women Stay Slim

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As a nearly life-long dieter and minimal exerciser, I can't tell you how impressed I am with the results I've got from using this book, compared with others I've tried. I'd followed Strong Women Stay Young (which I also highly recommend for us 50-plussers) for about 10 weeks, so maybe that gave me a head start, at least in terms of getting me into a consistent exercising regime, but the food plan in SWSS is what really got me losing weight & trimming down in size. I've lost 3 kg/6.6 pounds, gone from tight slacks/jeans in Australian size 14 (U.S. 16, I think), to where my Aussie size 12s are too big - in about 10-12 weeks. I'm rarely hungry and have stopped craving or being satisfied with junk food. The book is enjoyable to read, the authors' credentials seem impeccable, and the food plan is nutritionally sound and so wonderfully flexible that even to say I'm on a diet feels somehow dishonest. With its "no-fad," "no frills" approach, SWSS has made me really believe I'll never be fat/flabby/weak again. I reckon Dr Nelson & colleagues have given me the tools to stay slim/toned/strong for a long time to come.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to lose weight and/or feel stronger and healthier. The plan is not fancy or elaborate. The book is an easy, enjoyable read. Regardless of how much you want to lose, this book is for you. Strength training is a major key to increasing your metabolism, so if this is something you've left out of your fitness routine, this book can help you lose those last few stubborn pounds. I also think it's written with sensitivity to people who are very overweight. She lets you determine the amount of calories you take in and she teaches you the basics of nutrition, helping you add variety to balance out your diet and fiber to help you feel full.

She also stresses the benefit of slow weight loss--only 1-2 pounds a week, which is much healthier, easier to stick with, and less likely to be gained back after you're finished.

This is a book about changing your whole attitude about health and fitness and about changing your habits for the rest of your life. I think it's really beneficial. Personally I would give it five stars. The reason I gave it four is because it is pretty basic information. There was nothing in the book that I hadn't heard before or didn't already know. I really did, however, like how plainly it was stated and how easy the plan is to follow.

If you're a fitness freak or on a stable weight you are happy with, find another book. This one isn't for you. Ditto if you are looking for super fast weight gain or have a penchant for fad diets. Ditto if you are looking for a full-on gung-ho weights program.

BUT!

If you are struggling to lose weight, have ever lost weight and bounced back up again, are happy with your weight but not your shape, have tried all the diets, or even haven't tried them, or don't know where to start - then this is the book for you.... regardless of age (or even gender!).

Dr Nelson's book focuses on strength training as a fundamental element of healthy weight loss, particularly for its role in maintaining bone density (and toning!) - as opposed to the diet/aerobic exercise route which can lead to loss of bone density and/or loss of muscle (rather than fat). That said, she also covers the role of good nutrition (focusing on the long term, not the faddish) and aerobic exercise.

The result is not "dieting" as such, but healthier living. If you want to lose 30lbs in 3 months this isn't the book to read - but if you want to lose 30lbs steadily and KEEP IT OFF, then dive in. Generally I would say the focus is on inches, tone and well-being rather than pounds anyway.

The discussion of studies, science etc could have been heavy, but wasn't - it was very readable and even extremely motivating. It meant everything in the book made sense, which for me, made it easier to take on the recommendations of this book as a lifestyle not a fad.

The exercises are very easy, but if you are just starting out, that's not a bad thing - better than throwing you in with stuff you can't do, and they will give you plenty to build on. This book will give you a great, balanced foundation to a healthier lifestyle.

There's plenty of checks along the way to keep you on track and getting results - have you chosen a good goal weight (and do you need one?), are you working out at the right intensity, are you eating well, are there warning signs that you are coming off the rails?

You're also supported with checks to track your exercise and eating - backed by research showing that those who keep track, stay on track and get better results.

What makes Strong Women Stay Slim so exciting is that it is based on recent scientific research and actual clinical trials with ordinary people at Tufts University's prestigious School of Nutrition.

I've tried lots of ways to lose weight, keep exercising and stay energetic and healthy. Last year I managed to lose 27 pounds. I put together my own program, after so many others had failed, with a trilogy of strategies. 1. a "count and record every calorie and gram of fat that goes into your mouth" diet, 2. enforced strength training through 3x per week physical therapy for my bad knees and shoulder, and 3. daily moderately brisk aerobic walking. I discovered that it takes this "trilogy" (Diet, Strength Training, and Aerobic Exercise) to really lose weight, keep it off, and feel healthy and energetic. I've never had satisfactory results trying just one of these and ignoring the others.

I recently picked up Strong Women Stay Slim and realized that M. Nelson had put together the three elements that had worked for me last summer in a very sensible, postitive, easy to follow accessible format which I now swear by. In the SWSS diet system you choose one of three claorie levels (1200, 1600, or 2000)and track certain numbers of fixed portion sizes for the various categories of food in the official food pyramid (insuring a well-balanced diet). This is MUCH easier and accomplishes the same thing as my laborious system. The strengthening exercises are simple and don't take much time (I no longer need PT!) And the aerobic exercise discussion may be simplisitic to avid atheletes, but is just right for the rest of us. The logs to keep track of your progress on all three fronts are well designed and easy to use. The book also speaks to the motivational issues that seem to plague us all. SWSS proves you don't need rocket science or bizarre fads to stay slim, fit, and healthy but rather a tad of will power and a common sense approach.

My own suggestion: 1. Copy, then cut and paste the logs onto an 8 1/2 x 11" paper to create a quick and easy way to keep track of your health trilogy progress on one piece of paper weekly.

2. Read Nelson's equally sensible book Strong Women Stay Young on strength training to give you a wider selection and discussion of strengthening exercises (which we women don't usually know much about)to supplement or substitute for the ones in SWSS.

By the way, check out the interview below with Nelson under "author's interviews".

This book is written for those who are sedentary to at most
moderately active, and want to change their behavior so as to
accomplish long-term weight loss. It is a good motivator for
getting started with strength training and keeping track of
what you eat. It is definitely not intended for athletes,
but rather the 75% of American women (so it says) that don't
get regular exercise 3 days per week.

The strength training part focuses on 6 exercises, most of
which usedumbbells. This is not a whole lot, but for the
intended audience it is helpful in keeping the program from
being overwhelming. For more intense exercise, you will have
to look elsewhere. There are a few illustrations; it would be
better if they showed the exercises step-by-step, but the
written directions are acceptable and it's easy enough to
figure things out by just trying it. One nice touch is that
a variety of people are shown doing the exercises -- they
don't all look like young fitness instructors. This section
also explains the importance of strength training for
strengthening bones, raising basal metabolism, and making
other exercise easier.

The book discusses a variety of different aerobic exercises,
but points out that the most important thing is to find
something convenient enough that you can do it several times
a week, and to make sure it's intense enough to get results
-- it describes how to tell when this is happening.

The food plan part is probably the most complex and largest
section, but it is based just on the food pyramid. It's
nothing new, but it provides a good way of keeping track of
how balanced your diet really is. This food plan allows 25%
fat, which is probably going to feel low to anyone who's been
eating a Western diet and not thought about fat much.

If you want a short-term diet, this is not the book for you.
If you're not active and want to change, this is a very
useful book. If you already do strength training, it seems
likely that you're already doing much of what this book says,
so try to borrow it and have a look before you decide to buy.

I read this book after my doctor recommended it for the second time. I was at a point of desperation as far as my health and weight loss were concerned. The book starts out giving documentation for a healthy lifestyle as well as specific test groups who used the program and succeeded. By the time I got to the chapters dealing with food and exercise, I was quite motivated to begin the program. The weight exercises are so simple that almost anyone can do them.

I made my own versions of the food and exercise charts, and began my logs 3 1/2 months ago. I have dropped about 30 lbs and continue to be motivated to get strong. I am now using 8 and 10 lb weights and have added additional exercises to my routine as well as regular aerobic exercise.

My focus has changed from losing weight to getting strong. I also am encouraged that the food chart is a positive tool. I am "filling up" the categories on the chart instead of feeling like "I can't have any more to eat." I use the chart loosely, because I want the changes I have made to be permanent.

This book is full of practical advice, from how to "eye" portion amounts, to low-fat, low-calorie recipes, to what vitamins you should be using to supplement your food intake.

I bought this book after some period of inactivity when I just didn't feel like doing anything at all athletic. But this book was definitely a catalyst for changing my life for the better. Through careful research, Dr. Nelson shows that just lifting weights a few times a week helps women increase their metabolism and start losing weight. Well, I didn't follow her diet plan and just started doing some of the arm exercises. But that was enough to motivate me to start working out with videos (by The Firm) at home, and now five months later, I'm working out 5-6 days a week. I've lost weight, but more importantly, I feel stronger and healthier. The diet plan that she describes in this book seems very sound as well. This book is clear, easy to understand, and is not spouting some crazy fad diet which avoids particular food groups. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to start feeling better and more active and needs an easy to follow plan.

...a little disappointing. For women who are 50+, very obese, or who have never done any serious exercise before, this book is very good. If you're moderately active or fit, though, it's probably too basic for you already.

While the information on diet is valuable for women (without any of the hype or junk science found in many books targeted toward men), the exercise program is very, very basic and is unlikely to challenge advanced beginners and beyond. Even as a beginner, if you follow it regularly, you may find yourself outgrowing it quickly.

I'd recommend borrowing this book from a friend or from your library, and definitely read the nutrition information. But for exercise, I'd suggest one of the books by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent ("Fitness for Dummies" or "Weight Training for Dummies") instead.

Six months ago I was 20 pounds overweight and felt lousy. I was browsing in a bookstore and this book caught my eye. I was looking for a motivator to lose weight and I found it. This is not a weight training manual but if you follow the guidelines, you will lose weight. The most revealing thing was food intake. Before, I was focusing on cutting out fat, but the author made it clear that it's calories that count. I tried the exercises in the book and then took advantage of my Y membership. Since July, I've lost 17 pounds and I feel great. I don't have to worry so much about what I eat but I am diligent about my weight training. I am much happier with my appearance and my clothes fit. In fact, I'm a size smaller. If you want to lose weight, buy this book!

I wish I had read this book when I was 30--at that age, I had absolutely no trouble losing all the weight I wanted quickly--and I did it over & over --until I "hit the wall" approaching menopause at 50, packing on pounds (& rolls) over my mid-section that didn't budge even eating 500 calories a day, always tired, struggling to walk up stairs etc.--all because of the loss of muscle that comes with age. The happy news I learned from this book is that with strength training that can all be reversed--and in my case, it was, in less than two months of following this program. It was simple, enjoyable, I could do it any time, at home, with no special equipment but a few pairs of dumbells. Without dieting (but following better eating principles outlined in the book)I lost 20 pounds, doubled the amount of weight I could lift, run up flights of stairs, and no longer need to take a nap in the middle of the day to get through to normal bedtime. My quality of life is so much improved, it's amazing, and I've passed this book to many friends. Highly recommended for every women, but especially those over 40!