Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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98 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Putting it all together ... thank you!, January 14, 2009
I am a physician who manages a suburban metabolic and nutrition program for obese and overweight children. It amazes me how complex it is to unravel the passionate and unhealthy philosophy many people have about exercise and nutrition. So many people are struggling fruitlessly with their goals as they are overwhelmed by seemingly endless waves of misleading advertisements and contradictory information about lifestyle and nutrition. There is so much unbelievable noise out there that many people are left feeling hopeless, defeated and not knowing what to do. The Body Fat Solution is a very healthy, very welcome voice of reason among all that noise.
As I develop nutrition plans for my patients I will frequently reference the precepts outlined in Tom Venuto's brilliant e-book Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Honestly, I found this e-book to be a very approachable and comprehensive volume dealing with nutrition, exercise and hormonal physiology. (I would highly recommend this e-book for anyone who wants a more detailed explanation of macronutrients, hormonal physiology, and meal planning.) However, The Body Fat Solution is an indispensable development to this excellent work.
In my experience patients do not struggle as much with "what to do" but rather struggle with "the doing of it". In the first few consultations with a new patient I can usually disarm the passionate obsession with whatever flavor of macronutrient phobia they have and outline the physiological rational behind consistently eating a calorie based diet of lean protein, whole unprocessed foods, and essential fats. In this motivational clinical setting most patients will readily agree to begin journaling and commit to starting an exercise and nutrition program.
However, the problems arise as soon as they leave my office and are once again buffeted by their busy schedule, advertising, misleading labels, psychological defense mechanisms and emotional ties to eating. Most of the time I spend on subsequent patient visits centers on developing strategies of how to interface the program we have developed into their lifestyle. The strategies revealed in The Body Fat Solution do an excellent job addressing these issues.
The Body Fat Solution outlines all of the necessary tactics to tackle these intangible influences on our nutrition and exercise plans. The first four chapters outline the evolution of obesity and how our beliefs, attitudes and emotional ties to food play a significant role in this unhealthy homeostasis. In chapter five you are taken step-by-step through the essential process of goal setting and reprogramming your mental awareness of the beliefs and attitudes that can sabotage your plans. Then in chapters six through eight you are treated to the most insightful and logical nutrition and exercise program I have ever seen. Everything you need to know ... it's all there ... very motivational and very doable! Finally chapters nine through twelve outline all the necessary environmental and social strategies needed to start you on the way to maintaining your new and healthy self.
Quoting The Body Fat Solution, "There is no way around it - to tackle a problem like body fat, which has so many causes, you must make changes in every area of your life. You have to eat better, train consistently, manage your emotions, change your thinking, get the support you need, and put it all together in a healthy lifestyle." I couldn't agree more. In my opinion The Body Fat Solutions gives you all the necessary tools to do just that.
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69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Body Fat Solution - My Magic Pill, January 9, 2009
Once upon a time I weighed 213lbs. I am female. I am 5'5". Needless to say, I had a few pounds to lose. I lost it. And then I became a statistic - I gained it back.
In my second attempt to lose 70+ lbs I struggled with an incredibly slow rate of loss, to the tune of an (on average) a half pound a week while following two very popular commercial weight-loss/lifestyle plans.
One day I happened across a link to Tom Venuto's first book. I read the book. I did what he suggested. My life has not been the same since. Over the next five months, I lost the final 30lbs - thanks to the author's expertise! And he IS an expert, make no mistake! My rate of fat loss nearly quadrupled!! For me, it was literally a miracle!
And no, the nutrition plan is not extreme. At all. In fact I was eating more total volume of food than I had been on the aforementioned plans. The only extremes I experienced came in the form of improved health, mood and energy levels! Oh yeah, and there's the I look good naked thing!
I still follow the maintenance version today. As I will always. This is seriously magic when you consider my history and what my previous lifestyle and mindset was like! On a diet. Off a diet. Weight up. Weight down. For years. I've paid to participate in commercial diet plans on at least on 10 different occasions (that I can remember!). Finally, I'm cured!
I've read many "diet" and self help books in my quest to lose 75lbs twice. I can say, without hesitation, "The Body Fat Solution" is a book like no other!
I have had to learn and apply the principles Tom teaches in "The Body Fat Solution". Some of these things I had to learn on my own over the course of my weight loss struggles. Some I learned from his first book. Some of this material is new and has given me added insight that will I'm sure make maintenance a whole lost easier! Had this book been available to me in the beginning it would have saved me over a year of suffering, mentally, physically and emotionally!
Is this book a magic pill? It is if you swallow it - meaning you apply what the author teaches. Reading does nothing. Doing does.
All I can say is, it's about time someone wrote something that will actually HELP people! In my experience (and I have far too much), HEALTHY fat loss and weight maintenance begins and ends in the mind. Tom Venuto will get inside your head, and stay there - so that you may live happily ever after.
The End.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tone Up and Slim Down--5 Star Review!, January 12, 2009
From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!
Book Review: The Body Fat Solution: 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight (Avery/Penguin, 2009) by Tom Venuto
A FirstLook Feature
Tom Venuto has a fearless reputation as a man who is a fat loss expert and a natural, steroid-free bodybuilder. Since 1990, he has trained hundreds of individuals, and graduated 600 plus people from his nationally known 12-week coaching program, which was the base for his highly successful ebook Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.
The Body Fat Solution provides solutions for regular people who live with stress, a shortage of time, emotional eating habits, and who lack motivation. Venuto presents a simple five-part formula which works for millions of people and encompasses a total-life approach addressing physical, mental, emotional, and social weight loss needs. The book aims to help the reader find and address the cause of his or her obesity, then eliminate it.
Venuto offers explanations for why we believe weight loss and body fat myths:
* You can eat as much as you want and still lose weight.
* Overweight people have a slower metabolism than thin people.
* Some people are diet-resistant and can't lose weight.
* Your genetics are why you are overweight.
* Dietary fat makes you gain body fat.
* Carbs make you fat.
* Dietary changes for health and weight loss are one and the same.
* Insulin resistance causes obesity.
Venuto makes an extraordinary statement, "The real secret of success is to understand and intentionally use the power of your unconscious mind. It's the key to the body of your dreams and everything else you want in life." He backs this truth up with current research into the unconscious mind and shows the reader how to overcome negative mindsets which have prevented weight loss. As a reviewer, I believe that this is key. The best weight loss books now show the importance of the mind in relation to physical well being.
Venuto also covers nutrition, calories, the metabolic rate, various forms of exercise including the importance of weight training. Several pages of photos demonstrate proper form for exercises. An interesting chapter validates the necessity of having a positive social network of support. In "Keeping Score and Staying on Track," Venuto provides means for tracking fat loss and charting progress.
Near the end of weight loss, fat burners sometimes plateau and weight loss stops. Venuto knows the answers to these problems and lets the reader know how to kick-start it again.
The Body Fat Solution also contains an appendix of recommended foods (many) which gives the calorie count, protein, carb, fat, and fiber break down per serving. Most of these foods are natural--recipes not included--but can be located on the author's website.
Through reading and implementing The Body Fat Solution, the reader will be able to:
* Promote successful thinking
* Stop any bingeing and self-sabotaging behavior
* Lose Fat
* Increase Muscle
* Eat delicious foods
* Become motivated
* Quit dieting
* Increase metabolism
* Break the fat loss plateau and lose those last few pounds
* Develop a positive social network
The Body Fat Solution is a book written by a man who has the body to prove it. He's put his life into the writing of this book--noting important tips from the gym which do make a difference between those who lose and those who don't. Venuto is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA); he has also won several titles as a natural bodybuilder, including: Natural Mid Atlantic States and the NPC Natural Eastern Classic. Venuto has also placed as runner-up at the Mr. Natural USA and The Natural North American championships.
Unlock the power of your mind to help you lose the weight. The Body Fat Solution
5 Stars
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