Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Diet 2.0

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lyle McDonald has come out with yet another facinating body of work. The Ultimate Diet 2.0, based on McDonald's acknowledgements is an update and/or revised dietary/physiological approach of the original Ultimate Diet and Bodyopus written by Duchaine and Zumpano. Based more on the original 1982 Ultimate Diet approach, McDonald has taken us to another level with the UD2 with the great amount of intensive research he has conducted on the subject.
This book has a lot of emphasis placed on one: how the human body metabolizes fat and two: how it synthesises muscle mass. Though technical in nature, if one is patient and reads throughly you will come away with a very good understanding of the mechanics. Thereby, not only increasing your knowledge, but also enhancing your success with this approach.
The ultimate goal of this book is to educate the reader on how to burn/lose fat with minimal loss of muscle mass. McDonald takes a very honest approach explaining in understandable detail the human conditions reaction and the dietary/physiological munipulations that must be accomplished to make this process occur. He by no means paints any of this work looking through rose colored glasses. His brutal honesty along with some humorous tid bits thrown in warns the reader that this regimen is not for everyone or the weak at heart.
I have found this book to be very helpful to my understanding of the whole fat loss/muscle loss problem in dieting and exercise. Extremely well written, honest and scientifically technical this book is a masterful source of information regarding this subject matter. There is no other study I have found anywhere else with this much of a cutting edge on the market today. Another added bonus is that one can refer to McDonald's website: http//www.bodyrecomposition.com and dig into more articles, information and member forums and discover the Motherload on this subject.

The UD2 isn't for couch potatoes looking to turn back years of neglecting their body. It's aimed at men and women who are already relatively fit and lean - which is not the typical diet book audience. Because of this, Lyle's book isn't likely to be more than a niche publication, which is a... shame, because it deserves much better.

The UD2 is an integrated program of diet and training (and some judicious use of nutritional supplements) that is remarkably effective at shedding body fat while preserving lean body mass. The program is laid out in simple terms and well-explained: in fact, the program itself takes up less space in the book than the physiological reasoning behind the program. This is not Atkins-style pseudo-science; Lyle knows his stuff. In fact, in my opinion the physiology section is worth buying the book for, even if you never use the program itself.

The scientific background shows why this stuff works; the anecdotal evidence shows that it does work. In roughly six weeks on the diet, I lost eight pounds of fat and gained strength. Drug free.

That said, the UD2 is not for everyone. As I mentioned earlier, it's aimed at folks who are already in pretty good shape. It also requires a fairly [strict] approach to training and diet - be prepared to plan your workouts and to count your calories. Also be prepared for extreme hunger, boring and unpleasant workouts, mood swings, et cetera and so forth. This is not a fun diet. But if you can handle the above, it's [very] effective, and worth every penny. Highly recommended.

This diet is intended for people that are at 15% bodyfat or below. If you're not 15% or below...then only buy this book if you're simply curious. If you ARE 15% or below then this diet is a great resource to get even leaner while maintaining or gaining muscle.

The first thing that I'd like to point out is that every reviewer that has tried this diet gave it at least 4 stars. If you don't try it then you have no right to review it. I finished my 4th week with a steady loss of 1.5lbs a week and a drop of 3% BF while strength and levels have increased.

The plan is laid out in an easy to follow manner. You count calories and macros while cycling both. He tells you when and how to workout (and when not to). Everything that you need to know is strait forward and black and white. "Do this" and if you do then you suceed. Don't, and you don't. It really is that simple.

Due to the cycling this is the first "diet" that I've ever stuck to for an extended period of time. Days of hard dieting are soon to be followed with a break. That goes a long way to maintaining willpower. It's also the first time that my numbers in the gym have steadily improved even though the scale was dropping.

It's a fantastic resource that holds the highest recommendation for the people that qualify for it.

The Ultimate Diet 2.0 is, quite simply, the best thing to happen to dieters since the discovery of sympathomimetics. The training techniques, human physiology, and dieting advice Lyle presents are all top notch and indisputably cutting edge. What the UD 2.0 represents is not a 'cookie-cutter' how-to on dieting; it does not a book that 'feels sorry' for you, and it does not just 'give you all the answers.' But what it does do, is show you a way to alter your physique and maximize your genetic potential in ways that would seem impossible to the 'average' individual. After reading Lyle's other books "Bromocriptine" and "The Ketogenic Diet," I attained a preview copy of the UD 2.0 at a time where I'd nearly given up on dieting. I was already lean, I already had the muscles, but I always felt I could look even better. Still, no matter how severely I cut calories, or how intensely I trained, or what supplements I took, I could never quite 'break through' to the plateau I'd always yearned for. The UD 2.0 changed all that. Normally, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But this book/program is/are the exception. The UD 2.0 is legit. In 8 weeks, I went from 11% bodyfat to 7% bodyfat, while maintaining nearly all of my muscle (I also actually gained strength for the first 5 weeks of the diet), without the use of any performance-enhancing drugs. Results like that don't lie, and I'm not the only one. I know countless bodybuilders, fitness enthusiants, and dedicated athletes who have used the UD 2.0 to reach new levels of physique recomposition. The UD 2.0 is not easy, it is not a 'cake-walk,' but it works-- better, in fact, than anything else I have tried or discovered in my years as a weight-trainer and athlete. If you're 'for real' about dieting, this book will take you there, and perhaps, beyond.

Last time I counted, there were about 5,788,324 dieting books out there, give or take. There's the 'Grapefruit' diet, the 'Southbeach' diet, the 'Pritikin' diet, 'Protein Power', the 'Atkins' diet, and so forth. Some of them even work, believe it or not. In fact, most of them do. Restrict calories far enough (and/or increase you activity level enough) and even the most lame-brained, piece of crap diet will result in weight loss. It's pretty simple actually, burn more calories than you're taking in, and you WILL lose weight. Now if you're like most people that's all that matters. Muscle or fat, it's all the same, just so long as the scale is moving downwards.

Most of these diets seem, at first glance, entirely dissimilar from one another. They have some very basic commonalities, however. With a very few exceptions, they are based on a piss-poor understanding of the actual physiology of what goes on while dieting. Generally, they either dispense with science entirely, instead contenting themselves merely to tell you what to eat (which often results in rigid and idiotic guidelines). Or they give partially correct, pseudo-scientific gibberish twisted to support the author's contentions about dieting. Again, as long as somehow the author somehow tricks you into eating less, most folks (read: those not already fairly lean) WILL lose weight.

And for your average couch potato, that's probably good enough. The UD2 isn't really meant for those looking merely to shed a few pounds and go from overweight to 'normal'. It's for those who want to go from normal (or lean) to super lean and who are concerned not merely with the 'how-to's, but who are concerned with the 'whys' as well. For the latter, Lyle McDonald's UD2.0 simply has no equal. The diet itself is quite simple. But it cannot be stated often enough, it's not for Joe Shmoe. It requires real discipline, a TREMENDOUS amount of hard work in the gym and, the worst of all, requires thought.

Lyle has examined the literature and distills it to some very important basic guidelines. He explains why your body reacts so negatively to dieting, and how (to some degree at least) to circumvent the problem. Best of all, Lyle does this all in a breezy, informal (and often very humorous) writing style that makes reading the book a joy rather than a chore. So, rather than coming away from the book with a rigid, disposable diet, instead you'll have a framework with which you can evaluate any diet and know why it will fail or succeed.

And as great as Lyle's explanation of dieting is, the diet itself is even better. Follow Lyle's advice and you'll see amazing results : quick fat loss, minimal muscle loss (you might even gain a bit of muscle), and, best of all, it only really involves dieting 4 days out of every seven.

When it comes to dieting, there is simply no one else out there as knowledgeable as Lyle and no better book than the UD2. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

First off, this guy has written this book in an easy to follow and read way. Its as if he's talking to you directly.

Now, I've been on atkins for 4 months and have gone from being 180lbs to 145lbs, and a corresponding 25% to a 13% bodyfat. Its been a month and I've stalled, and just cant get my bodyfat to single digits, so I can see where the authors coming from, his book was written for people like me, and he lets buyers know in the first page of his book.

If you're overweight, this isn't for you.....yet. Lose the pounds first the normal easy (it is, very much so compared to this) way, then pick this up after you hit a the required bodyfat %.

The book has helped me, and I think its worth the money if you're one of the few readers that this book was actually designed for.

I don't review a lot of books on Amazon, but I felt the need to respond to a few of the critics who gave the diet a bad rating, and to elucidate on some points.

Firstly, those berating the diet as 'nothing new' aren't necessarily correct. While the diet is based off of an earlier version authored by Dan Duchaine (which gives rise to the '2' in the name), Lyle is quick to present not only the physiological reasons behind the diet's structure, but a diet that is simply different than any other diet around. While it does adhere to general 'cyclical' dieting principles like carbohydrate loading and refeeds, it is a work all its own, and one would only have to read the book to see it.

Also, as critics have stated, the diet is not for everyone. Lyle says as much in the book. In fact, it is targeted to a very specific demographic- those under a specific bodyfat percentage looking to further reduce bodyfat while maintaining (or gaining) muscle tissue. If you don't fit into this narrow range of individuals, then the diet isn't for you. And, Lyle is quicer than anyone else to point that out. Lyle is very honest about who the diet is for, and with the rigorous nature of the diet itself. He pulls no punches, and his honesty reverberates throughout the book.

I've used the UD myself, and while it takes a bit of getting used to, it is probably the only diet that I've managed to stick to on a long-term basis. As other reviewers have noted, however, the diet does involve a large degree of planning and quite a time commitment. The depletion workouts are not fun (although you get used to them), and it's sometimes tough to reconcile everyday living with the rigors that the diet requires. However, the results are really great (yes, they are mostly anecdotal, but so are the results of every other commercially available diet), and I've yet to read a negative opinion of someone who's used the diet for an extended period.

The book goes into the inner workings of genetic disposition, partitioning, fat loss, and muscle gain before treking into the actual nature of the diet itself. Like I said above, the diet seems somewhat odd at first, but it becomes much, much easier the longer you do it, and to be honest, it's even something I've come to 'miss' when I'm not on it. I've personally had great results on this diet, and would recommend it to anyone looking to strip away some fat, or to just learn what all the fuss is about.

There are tons of diet-books available, so you might ask what makes this one so special? Well, basically it works. If you follow the guidelines this book describes, you will be able to get very lean without sacrificing a lot of muscle (if you`re lucky, you will even be able to gain some).

However, if you are not into weight training and unable to count calories or have the will-power of a alcoholic gamble-addict, UD2 will do nothing for you (nothing will).

Great book. It covers the messy physiological effects of weight loss in a concise manner, then gives a diet/training routine to effectively deal with these problems.

The UD2 is effective - I lost 1.5lbs of fat weekly with minimal actual dieting.

Lyle's greatest strength is his honesty. The book emphasizes what to expect while on the UD2... Lyle bluntly tells you about the highs and inevitable lows of the diet. Knowing what to expect (and why to expect it) day-by-day made it easy to stick to the diet and obtain positive results.

Essential for the informed dieter.

An excellent program, yet prepare to invest some time.
The diet and the adjoined workout program are no doubt effective.
However, at the higher range (more demanding variant) you will invest some serious time in the gym.
If you're familiar with Body Opus, this will be a natural transition.
I do highly recommend this book: even if to try the program for experience and a taste of cycling dieting.
This book is no fluff... just right to the point.