Body for Life for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation (Hardcover)

~ Pam Peeke (Author), Cindy Crawford (Foreword) "We met on a fine autumn day in 2001..." (more)
Key Phrases: toxic stress, global motivations, mini chill, The Exercise, Starting Position, Women Training Method (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's not all about the jeans; flattening the tummy helps fight "Toxic Fat"--the disease-inducing weight Dr. Pamela Peeke teaches women how to conquer in Body-for-LIFE for Women. Her firm belief is, most women already know what they're supposed to do: eat a balanced diet, ditch junk food, exercise, think positively. Peeke strives to show her "girlfriends" how to accomplish these tasks, customizing plans for young and old. Clients' stories (including a 95-year-old who worked herself out of a wheelchair and into a martial arts class, and a 14-year old who replaced 90 lbs. of fat with a healthy load of self-confidence) lend credence to Peeke's 12-week weight reduction plan; so do the wowsie before-and-after pictures. Gender-specific scientific evidence supports Peeke's premise that women's bodies require different care than men's. But she doesn't stop there.

Amazon.com Interview Read our interview with Pam Peeke.

Peeke digs deeper for her audience, defining four hormonal milestones of a woman's life (menarche to beyond menopause) and customizing a physical and mental transformation plan to suit each. Easing off on strict calorie and weight guidelines, she focuses instead on serious fat reduction, muscle improvement, and practical suggestions for self-care. A handful of charts and formulae help readers assess their progress; sample exercises and fitness logs help, too. But for Peeke, weight reduction pales to bolstering a woman's self-worth through nurturing healthier habits. The only rough pill to swallow is Peeke's two-page list of smart foods: it lacks suggestions for turning acceptable proteins, carbohydrates and fats into palatable daily meals.--Liane Thomas

From Publishers Weekly

According to Peeke, the unique hormonal and life challenges that all women go through over the course of their lives dramatically affect their ability to "remove" or maintain weight. In this adaptation of the popular Body-for-Life Program, Peeke (Fight Fat After Forty) offers sound nutritional advice and discusses how physiology and genetics influence metabolism. Although she describes how daily stressors and destructive habits can have life-threatening consequences, Peeke primarily aims to remove what she identifies as the greatest obstacle to weight loss--a woman's reluctance to focus on her own needs. While Peeke stresses her program's holistic nature, exercise, she says, is paramount. Photographs and instructions for cardio and resistance training and flexibility exercises will help women develop fitness plans that suit their abilities. But the emphasis on weight training, which Peeke says is essential to weight loss and maintenance, could intimidate readers unaccustomed to much physical activity. Others may have difficulty with the limited food choices in the weight-loss segment of the program, or the amount of time required to make use of its copious tools (journals, checklists, progress reports, etc.). Despite her book's drawbacks, Peeke's style, a mix of cheeky humor and not-so-gentle cajoling, as well as individual success stories, will likely motivate many readers to take the Peeke Challenge and become "Peeke Performers." (Apr.)
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Product Details

a letter from the author; Pam Peeke. [29kb PDF]

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579546013
• ISBN-13: 978-1579546014
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,461 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

276 of 289 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not at all like the Original, April 11, 2005

By	drariadne (Earth) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for a great effective easy to follow program like in Body For Life, this isn't it. She doesn't outline a whole plan like Bill Phillips does. Pamela gives plenty of information, and many recommendations, but does not write up a complete easy to follow plan like Bill. To be honest, that is what I expect from a book named Body for Life for Women, so I had to take a star away from what is otherwise an outstanding book.

Overall, I find Bill's original plan too limited for a lifetime, so in this way, Pamela's book is better. But, his is so detailed that all you have to do is decide to commit and follow through. BFL for Women requires more input than that. You will need to research, figure out what exercise you prefer and plan accordingly. Determine what cardio you like and the level, etc. Weight work is also not all spelled out like his plan. She discusses yoga and Pilates, but again, doesn't make it easy to fit all this in.

It's a great book, but not what I had want in a BFL for Women. I want a plan of the same quality as the original BFL plan, that is guaranteed to work if followed. Not just a book full of great advice. Something I know will be worth the time because it has been proven by 100's of people who have followed the same plan and have great results to show for it. This is closer to all the common sense advice we've all ignored time and time again. Wonderful book, but not at all like the BFL concept.

I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about fitness for women. But, not for anyone who loved the original BFL plan and wants one for women. Nor for anyone who wants a quick, easy to follow plan to blast their body into shape. This is a great book for the long haul.

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not at all what I was looking for ... Confusing and complicated, July 8, 2006

By	Carrie (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

I lost 48 lbs with the first Body for Life book that was written by Bill Phillips. The only thing I didn't love about that book was all of the 'manly' exercise routines and instructions in the exercise and weight-lifting chapters. Although I loved the diet while I was on it, eventually I fell off the wagon and was inspired when I saw this book, thinking ah, this must be a woman's approach to the same effective program.
It wasn't.
There are several things that bother me about this book, the first being that it seems like this book was just an afterthought, a way to put a woman on the cover of a book to reach all of the dieters who didn't pick up the Bill Phillips version because there was a big hunky man on the front.

This book had a lot of general information and advice we've all heard before. I thought the assembly of information was just kind of general - not pin-pointing - and it was confusing. I also felt like I was reading way too much 'filler' information when really all I wanted was the health plan. We all watch the news and hear the statistics, I was bored seeing them again.

Also, there are a few contradictions between this book and the original Body for Life book. If this is a different plan, why call it Body for Life? One small example is that in Bill Phillip's book, low-fat yogurt is clearly explained as a carbohydrate. (And I lost almost 50 lbs eating it as one.) But in BFL for Women, it's listed as a protein! This is confusing. Also, in this book it suggests you can follow the plan for a few days, then have a free day. In the original BFL, you had to go 6 days on the plan, with only one free day each week. I would have liked these changes (or differences perhaps for women) to be explained. Why was it one way in the first book, but a different way in the second? Dieter's rules are like gospel when you're following a particular plan, and I was left wondering what was what!

Body for Life publishing people, if you read this, there are other BFL'ers like myself who are looking for a part II to Bill's first book (not just a recipe book like Eating for Life) but a continuation of the same inspiration, encouragement and enthusiasm, and a further in-depth explanation of the original program with new tips and tricks to help follow it. I'd also like to see an 'extended Body for Life' plan - one that tells you what to do after you've reached your goal weight and that goes into detail with a specific plan for how to maintain your weight loss.

I was really inspired by the first book, and would recommend anyone to get that one instead of this one. I just didn't get the connection with the author that I got with the first. In Bill's book, I felt like he actually wanted me to get healthy, like it was his vision to see people be well. I felt like this book was like all the other diet books I've read before.

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many excuses not to do it!, March 17, 2006

By	S. Altieri - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered both the original Body for Life (which I love) and this other "for Women" version when I was deciding to make a change in my life. While the original is short, succinct and very well organized, the "for women" version is too long, too involved and seems to list tons of reasons why women won't be able to succeed at this plan! This is one time when simple is best - man or woman, go with the original Body for Life instead of this knockoff that tells us we'll never really look that good and probably won't get through the program because we're too emotional, but all that's ok because WE ARE WOMEN. It's poopy!