Turn Off the Fat Genes The Revolutionary Guide to Losing Weight

Breakthrough genetic research indicates that genes are not just on/off switches for characteristics we can’t control (like gender or eye color). Some genes, including those that shape our bodies, actually adapt to outside influences. In Turn Off the Fat Genes, Dr. Neal Barnard draws on this cutting-edge research to create a revolutionary new program to help your body sculpt away excess pounds by activating thin genes and suppressing fat ones. The heart of Dr. Barnard’s book is a three-week gene-control program specifically designed to help you identify your gene types by asking questions like:

What’s your genetic taste type?
Do you strongly dislike Brussels sprouts? Are some desserts too sweet to eat?
Is black coffee undrinkable?

If you answered yes to all three questions you’re a genetic bitter “taster” or
“supertaster” (as opposed to a “nontaster”). On page 24 you’ll find out how to work with your genetic taste type.

Is your appetite becoming harder to control?
Have diets made your appetite unpredictable? If so, your hunger-suppressing leptin gene might need a tune-up. (See page 59.)

Do you gain weight more easily than your friends?
Do you have difficulty losing weight no matter what you do? If so, the genes that set your metabolism might need a boost. (See page 71.)

Do you hate exercise?
If so, your genes may have overloaded you with sluggish Type II muscle cells. Learn how to change them on page 100.

Once we understand how the genes that control shape can be influenced, we can enjoy virtually the same effortless weight control as naturally thin people and reveal the healthy, vital body that nature intended us to have.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Science we need to know and FAT
TURN OFF THE FAT GENE is such an effective book, I sent a copy to my son who has a wonderful figure so doesn’t need the advice to turn off the fat gene. It’s a really great book from which one can learn lots about what carbohydrates to eat and those to control, and what makes the fat, and what is stored in the body. Stored in the body. That’s the best. I was almost a vegan when I read it, and now I am a vegan. Yes, my hand still hovers over the meat products, but I feel great. I’m not a holy vegan. I had clam chowder when I went to dinner at a restaurant a few days ago. Try this book and pass on the good word. It’s terrific.

1 Star Think twice before wasting money on this book
Do not buy this book unless you believe all dairy, meats, and nuts are evil and should be banned! This man is an extreme vegan and for those who do not know what that is, it is a person that believes milk, eggs, nuts, fish, and meats will kill you. Feeding chicken to a child is the cause of obesity in America today! Even breastmilk is demonized. Now that I have that out of my system, the greastest disappointment with this book is the utter lack of theory and the studies to back it up. On virtually every page of all his books (yes, I have suffered through them) are wild opinions with no references whatsoever. For example, he states that in an uncontrolled study (or, in otherwords, unscientific) carbohydrates do not cause obesity but then just a few pages later states that carbohydrates may cause weight or fat gain. Now which is it? I was the most shocked on his recommendation that diets with no fats and just vegetables and grains provide enough fat. His idea of turning off the fat gene is not eating fat all together and if you eat enough vegetables and pasta you will no longer crave it. Oh please, if dieting were that easy we would all be thin. His idea of controling food cravings is stuffing yourself with pasta or cold cereal but please no butter or milk. He says that all nuts are bad because of the fat level but for those of you interested Cooking Light has reported a double-blind study of women eating nuts for a period of time and reported no weight gain. Nuts are also full of vitamins and antioxidants. I find difficulty in his continual statements that if a person does not agree with him and his medical cohorts they are confused and do not understand the greater knowledge. I wanted to find evidence that low-carbohydrate diets are bad and wanted legitimate data to back his assertions but the studies are just not there. So the bottom line is if you want a vegan life, go for it! You can look as gaunt and sickly as the author himself in just six weeks and be just as fanatical!

2 Stars Nothing new. Not for health knowledgeable readers
I picked up this book, thinking it had something new on healthy eating. Big error! Barnard presents nothing new. Eat whole grains, don’t skip meals, eat several small meals, fruits, vegetables and the other lingo that any health conscious reader already knows.

I was expecting to read about how food xyz sparks gene abc and causes weight gain or loss. Instead, I got a lot of theory without intelligent analysis of the data.

His blasting of fat is a joke!! He postulates fat-free eating?! That I would say be careful, fat is good, it is just the type of fat. Cut down on the saturated. He even says no to Olive oil!! Now that totally put me off.

His write off on meats, chicken etc is another joke. Argentina main food is meat yet less than 2 in 10 people are overweight. Studies have shown that the bad rap for meat is misplaced and I agree. I think we should examine what we feed our meat. All that genetic modification is the culprit!

In all, save your money. Nothing new, trust me…unless your are a beginner, even then, be careful.

5 Stars Amazingly Delicious Recipes!
It is not to be believed how wonderful these recipes are! It even got me to eat eggplant (which I hate!), but now I buy it almost every week just to make the delectable “Eggplant Manicotti” recipe. Other favorite recipes from this book include, “Potato Enchiladas”, “Polenta Pizza” and “Lasagne Roll-Ups”. All the recipes are simple to prepare and I haven’t run across a single hard to find, strange or exotic ingredient I couldn’t find at my neighborhood grocery store. I have tried several of these 100% vegan (strict vegetarian) recipe’s and they have infused my daily meals with the flavor I never knew was missing.
This is now, officially my favorite cookbook.

To top it all off, every non-vegetarian who has tried the recipes I’ve made from this book have wanted the recipe for the dish afterwards.

I would also highly suggest you try, “Melody of India cuisine : tasteful new vegetarian recipes celebrating soy and tofu in traditional Indian foods” by Laxmi Jain, “The Uncheese Book”, “Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure” and my second favorite vegetarian cookbook of all times, “How it all Vegan”.

4 Stars Lots of theory masking a simple concept
This could have been a much shorter book; on dozens of occasions, I found myself thinking, “Oh, come on; skip the theory, and let’s cut to the chase! Enough obscure biochemistry already, just tell me what to eat, and we’ll be all done!”

Well, OK; I’m impatient. And too much theory is always preferable to too little. The diet recommendations are basically the sound, healthy diet recommendations we’ve been getting for years: eat whole grains, more fruit, more vegetables, less fat, less sugar, and exercise more. The presentation is unique, in that Dr. Barnard suggests that this diet will somehow ‘trick’ our genes into making us slim. Well, this diet would make anyone slim, regardless of their genetic structure. Perhaps the book sheds light on why what happens, happens; but the actual recommendations are nothing new. I deducted one point for this reason alone; taking the same, tired old idea and putting a new wrapper on it doesn’t make it a new idea. This book is not about do it yourself gene therapy, despite the sexy title; it’s a vegetarian diet, and that’s it.

One thing that I did like was the included meal planner; Similarly, I also appreciated the many, many recipes that make up the last half of the book. It’s nice to start a diet with much of the hard work - the diet planning - already done for you. There’s also a sourcing guide, if some of the raw materials prove hard to find. Something that is absent, is a discussion of vitamin and mineral supplements (although Dr. Barnard does mention the importance of B12). Multivitamins are a contentious issue; many feel that ‘you can get all the nutrition you need with a knife and fork’, while still others feel that concentrated multivitamins are not well absorbed, and tend to pass through the system without providing benefit. Personally, I believe high quality multivitamins are important; but aside from suggesting the consumption of any common, inexpensive multivitamin, Dr. Barnard makes no suggestions, one way or the other.

Dr. Barnard also does not mention alcohol consumption in his book; nor does he mention artificial sweetener use. However, on websites that he has participated in creating, he warns against alcohol consumption (cancer risk). I guess that, after making the major change to a vegetarian diet, Dr. Barnard felt we might need a drink. He might well be right.

The diet does not include specific portions; indeed, Dr. Barnard suggests that you let hunger be your guide. He does provide a ‘rule of thumb’ that you should consume 10 calories daily for each pound of your target weight; that is, if you want to wind up at 150 pounds, you should consume 1,500 calories daily. But this is only a guide, not an absolute. Indeed, he warns against eating too little, and suggests that we should eat second helpings if we want them. There’s no reason to go hungry on this diet.

The diet is largely a subset of a vegetarian diet in nature, but Dr. Barnard does not present it as such; his presentation seems to be coming entirely from a ‘whats best for you’ approach, which winds up being essentially a vegetarian diet (minus high fat items, like nuts). The motivation seems to be based purely on health, not ethics. However, it is difficult to determine to what degree his health beliefs have been influenced by his moral stance; Dr. Barnard is a strong supporter of a strict vegetarian diet, which means no consumption of animal flesh or animal products such as eggs, milk, or butter. He is also an outspoken critic of using animals for medical testing purposes.

In reviewing the reviews of his earlier works, people tend to fall into three categories: Those who felt Dr. Barnard was trying to trick them into vegetarianism, and were very angry as a result; those who were confused, because the philosophy of this book runs counter to high protein/low carbo books, such as Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution; and those who had actually tried the diet, and experienced dramatic weight loss. It is worthwhile noting that, while there have been many criticisms of Dr. Barnard, there have been NO reviews in which someone actually followed the diet, and failed to lose weight. Say what you will of it; the diet does appear to deliver the goods, while providing good nutrition from a solid scientific base.

(Yes, it’s vegetarian. Get over it.)

While I lack the medical background to either validate or challenge his statements, I can tell you that the actual recommendations are largely in keeping with what you’ve been getting from everyone from the National Institute of Health to your local physician. (By comparison, high protein/low carbohydrate diets are pretty much universally condemned by government health agencies, universities, local health boards, and both doctors and dietitians around the world.) Whole grain foods, less processed food, less fat, less salt, less sugar, more fruits and vegetables, more exercise… sure it’ll work. It’s even safe. If you’re looking for a sensible, sane, balanced approach to weight loss that is both informative and supportive, you might want to check this book out.

After all, it’s gotta be better than eating a hundred grapefruit.

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The Fat Fallacy The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss

Fat is not the enemy!

Croissants. Brioche. Brie. To the American palate, these foods are fattening and oftentimes “forbidden.” Yet they are the regular staples of the French diet. And though almost half of all Americans are overweight, France’s obesity rate is at a low eight percent, while the French also boast fewer cases of stroke and heart disease. It’s clear that America’s obsession with low-fat and fat-free foods has ultimately failed.
In The Fat Fallacy, neuroscientist Will Clower explains precisely why the American diet sabotages weight-loss efforts and discusses how French eating habits can lead to better health and trimmer physiques. In this revolutionary work, Dr. Clower explains:

• How highly processed “fake foods” are the real culprit in the American diet
• Why it’s not just what you eat but how you eat that makes a difference
• Easy ways to adopt the habits of the French to melt the pounds away, including
complete dinner recipes—with dessert!

Finally, here’s a plan that cuts through the high-protein/low-fat debate. It’s not a gimmicky diet program but a way of life that will invite Americans to enjoy food like never before—while being healthier and trimmer than they ever could have imagined.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars OKAY…………. But save your money, check it at the library first, I wish I had!
Goodness he stretches this book out. I prefer my information boiled down to essentials, clearly laid out and easy to use.

When it’s a diet book you really use, it’s necessary to find the information fast, not wade thru tons of personal stories and details.

That said, it’s a good book with much the same as the usual french diet book weight loss secrets. Portion control, sensible natural food aka “whole foods”, not fake plastic food. Food that has flavour and some fat to give a feeling of satiety.

But he drags it out far too long.

One the other hand the personal stories bring the diet tips into context so it’s really good in terms of inspiration.

I’ve read better books, more useful books in the “french diet paradox” genre.

SO WHAT DO I SUGGEST? In order of preference (mine).

Get Anne Barone’s Chic and Slim, C+S Encore, and or C+S Techniques from her website. Online sellers are selling them at hugely inflated prices, but she still sells from her own supply, you can find her website by googling.

She boils it all down to the “readers digest version”.

I like her books enough to own them, even if ordering from her website was a bit extra bother. They are well worth it in my opinion.

Next is Gin Sanders Martini Diet. Gin does seem to have a caviar budget and isn’t afraid to use it in the pursuit of a good figure and plenty of joie de vivre. Those on a budget need to read with an open mind taking it for inspiration and ready to substitute where necessary. Frugality IS a french tradition too.

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano is a fun light read and like this book, inspiring, but better to get from the library first to see if it has what you need. As with ANY diet book really.

Next I would get this one by Will Clower, and maybe a Michel Montignac book for a rounded out look at the whole French diet paradox. Library first, then buy your own copy to mark up and highlight and dog ear the corners as any well used how to book should be.

Those will give you a broad range of ideas for designing your own “french diet”.

5 Stars The Fat Fallacy
It’s a wonderful book, I’ve lost 10 lbs so far, by learning new eating habits, eating normal foods, cheese, bread, butter, chocolate, etc. It’s amazing, Dr. Clower’s French Diet works! Eating slower, smaller portions, but good oils, olive oil, butter, half-half in my coffee, etc. This book is worth every penny and more! I challenge you to read this book, not only to lose weight, but to slow down and enjoy life with your family and friends.

4 Stars Lovely way to look at food.
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend; I read French Women Don’t Get Fat a couple of years ago and liked it, but found it a little too nit-picky (and even condescending at times) for my taste. This author, on the other hand, clearly addresses the most potent difficulty (to me) of following their diet: we have been trained, and trained, and trained to avoid fats. I’ve been doing this for two days only so far, and I’ve just gone four hours since breakfast without thinking about food for the first time I can remember, ever. It’s amazing after losing weight and looking great before, but feeling enslaved to what I could and could not have.

As you can see I “talk too much” when I write, so the author’s style didn’t bother me; however, he did take awhile to get to certain points. On the other hand, every time a concern would rise in my mind, he would answer it later on (for example, his sidenote on eggs). Due to this neat little coincidence, I wouldn’t complain.

The reason the book is so effective is that it is so holistic. If you took out his chunks of familial chatter you’d have a much different, harder-to-trust book.

Finally, I do wish the title was different, as well. I was eager to talk about what I was learning with other people, but embarrassed for them to see the cover of the book because it makes it sound like another quick-fix scheme instead of a satisfying lifestyle change.

As someone else said, the hardest part is to ignore the conflicting voices around you–whether they are nutrition experts or your own family members (”What?! You’re not HUNGRY for seconds?!”). So let’s stand strong together. This is worth it :-).

4 Stars good philosophy… just don’t take it out of context
This definitely works and is sustainable, but I feel like it can easily be taken out of context. I’ve always gained weight pretty easily and since I was like 13 (I’m 22 now) was on and off diets, usually low-calorie ones with cardio 4x/wk. They always worked ok (I’d lose a few pounds), but they were hard to stay on. And I’d cheat a lot cause they were no fun. I did a school program in a big city and without even trying managed to get rid of about 10 pounds. I was never “fat” per se, but out of nowhere I got really slim by eating in the way described by this book. I didn’t know why I lost the weight, but this book explains it to me.

I started walking everywhere because I had no car. I did cardio maybe once a week for 30 minutes. That was it for exercise. I drank lots of red wine. I quit drinking skim and started drinking 2% milk because I really liked the taste. I used tons of olive oil and sometimes I used butter. I won’t touch margarine and I’d rather go hungry than eat anything “low fat”. I made cream sauces w/ half and half (but never used much because they were so rich and yummy). I rarely ate processed foods and started going to the farmer’s market and buying lots of fresh fruit and veggies. I rarely ate red meat. The only thing I did do was I drank regular soda (which is terrible for you). I definitely did eat refined grains and milk chocolate, which is supposedly a no-no, but I think the whole “healthy relationship with food” thing was what got me to lose weight. I ate very little fried and processed foods, cooked gourmet meals even if I didn’t get home until 8 or 9 at night. I drank hot chocolate (with whipped cream) and alcohol. I literally ate whatever I wanted, which seemed like a ton of food, but really wasn’t because I was always satisfied. I became one of those annoying people who eats whatever they want and stays slim.

I think the thing that you have to be careful about with a philosophy like this is that everything has to be in moderation. I still typically use half and half instead of heavy cream in sauces or soups or I reduce the amount. You can’t use tons of butter or drink lots and lots of whole milk. You can’t drink a bottle of red wine every night or drown your food in rich sauces. But if you remember that everything has to be in moderation, this way of thinking about food makes you happier, healthier, slimmer and is a much more enjoyable way of thinking about food. Beats the heck out of counting every single calorie.

5 Stars Excellent read…
Being a Neurophysiology which is a part of physiology as a science, which is concerned with the study of the nervous system. It is closely connected with psychology, neurology, clinical neurophysiology, electrophysiology, ethology, higher nervous activity and other schools of science makes the author more than qualified to write a book on how food effects the human body. And anyone who has lived in France for two years and has shut up and listened and observed, should be qualified in some way to discuss how the French eat and why they are so healthy compared to most Americans.

Having said that, I find the book full of wisdom that should a reader use even a small amount their life and health should improve alot. Sure the author drives home common sense things like stop eating faux foods, or eat small servings and he notes on page 122 ‘This diet is about giving up quantity for quality, about eating richer, better food and loving it more. Eating fewer calories falls out naturally from that…. You aren’t losing weight, you are developing a healthy relationship with your food. Weight loss just happens.’

Going back to page 3 the author shows that in the United States 13,000 new fat free products invented in the last 15 years whereas in France you wont find such products. That the % of fat in the diet is lower in the US, 30-35% but 10% higher in France where obesity is almost unheard of. That in the US at least 30% of Americans are obese (this doesn’t count those who are overweight or morbidly obese wheras in France the number is 8% and holding. Heart disease in the US is 3 times higher whereas in France it is 3 times lower. French women live years longer and French men 2 years longer than your average American.

And the author is 100% correct when he shares that people he has known (same with me) who have been in France for even a few weeks who have eaten in a total French way, are amazed that they lose weight and haven’t really tried. And he shared on page 33 that ‘Paul Rozin a scientist who explores the psychology of food, recently surveyed dietary viewpoints from many cultures. He pointed out that the French see food in terms of what it can do for you. Americans, on the other hand, view it in terms of the harm it can inflict’.

The author also shows keenly that Americans cheat when it comes to food whereas the French savour what they do eat which means that unlike the American cheater who eats fast in order to hide their mistake, the French not only can tell you what they ate and why they loved it, but can do so while eating 75% less than the average American.

The author also wisely reminds the reader that its their responsibility to stop making excuses and start making wiser choices. So what if when eating out the serving size is enough for three or four meals, grow up and learn to eat less and leave the leftovers or take them home for two more meals. Or better yet pick better places to eat where the serving sizes are more European in size.

The only complaint I have about the book is the title which I would have preferred to be The French Lifestyle Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss since studies show that only around 20% of people who diet succeed, whereas those who make lifestyle changes which are more permanent, have a much higher success rate.

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Fire Up Your Metabolism 9 Proven Principles for Burning Fat and Losing Weight Forever

“I can’t loose weight because I have a terrible metabolism”

You may not realize it, but you can take control of your metabolism.

Identical twins and registered dietitians, Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames embarked on a twin study to determine precisely what does — and doesn’t — increase the rate at which our bodies burn calories and fat.

Their findings? Small changes have big results.

The nine weight-loss principles — and the 200 tips that help you incorporate them into your lifestyle — in Fire Up Your Metabolism are surprisingly simple: Eat breakfast before you get to work. Learn which sugary snacks trump others (peanut M&Ms boost metabolism, but Twizzlers don’t). Drink water, which is essential to burning calories. Always eat dinner, even if it’s late. Focus on muscle building, not cardiovascular workouts.

With Fire Up Your Metabolism, you won’t have to avoid restaurants or follow a diet (though one is included if you like regimentation). The fatigue and distracting hunger that derail most dieters won’t affect you because revving your metabolism is all about eating. You will enjoy breads and other carbohydrates. You will boost your metabolism with power proteins, including hamburgers, and avoid other proteins that bog you down. You will indulge in snacks you thought a dieter could never touch.

Lyssie and Tammy’s clients have experienced not only dramatic weight loss but also the thrill of having more energy than ever before. Now you, too, can rewire your metabolism to lose weight fast and forever.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars the very Best information by qualified nutritionists!!!
I can honestly say that this book has finally given me an END to the search for the correct diet and exercise and metabolism information.

They are RIGHT ON with every “discovery”

and recommendation that they make. My health is much better for their expertise…and I will be writing to the authors to thank them for a great resource.

5 Stars Best Book Out There
Listen, we all know the basics…eat less, exercise more…BUT this book tells you how to do this simply and compactly. The book is worth the money for the tips alone but it also offers great lists showing what a real portion is (something we all need to be reminded of), what foods you should have all the time, some occasionally and some rarely. They don’t cut any food out of your diet, just explain to you how often you should eat it. Wonderful book for those of you who aren’t looking for that miracle, wonder diet and just looking for something that makes sense. My husband and I now tell people we are on a new “food program” not a diet. We are losing without being hungry or frustrated and losing at a responsible rate.

4 Stars Trainers in a Book
In the introduction there is a quiz which reveals if your metabolism is slowing. Your score is an indicator on how many percentage points you should follow in the book. But there is so much information just what constitutes a percentage?

Throughout the book there are tips on certain food groups and/or individual brands of food. It also includes Myth busters which reviews certain myths about food with updated info. Chapter 5 Favoring Fabulous Fats provides plenty of information that will help manage fat intake and power up metabolism. Additionally, I like the self dietary experiments that the two presented ie What happens to your body when you skip breakfast? Lack of sleep? Not enough water?

5 Stars Interesting book, very different approach but similar recommendations compared to other books
If you are struggling to lose weight this book takes a very interesting approach. The authors are twins and they use themselves as human guinea pigs to show the reader what difference their recommendations will make on the human body. From a scientific perspective I found this approach to be fascinating.

The book is subdivided as follows:

1. Get Ready, Get Set, Get Fired Up

2. Mixing Nutrients to Maximize Metabolism

3. Choosing Carbohydrates Carefully

4. Power Proteins versus Problem Proteins

5. Favoring Fabulous Fats

6. Banishing Breakfast, Beware

7. Missing Meals: Misdemeanor or Manslaughter

8. Where there is a Will there is Water

9. Sleep Satiated versus Sleep Starved

10. Fidgeting, Frolicking and Keeping Fit

11. Muscles Make Magic

12. Sample Daily Menus

The authors provide sound nutritional and exercise advice for those that are motivated to get themselves into better shape. I do not find the authors advice to be overly difficult to follow, but I might be in the minority. I recently switched to a mostly vegan lifestyle for health reasons. It is amazing what all of us can do or accomplish when we are properly motivated.

I have summarized my observations regarding the books content below.

Pros:

1. Sound recommendations that all of us have read before backed up by personal experience

2. Easy to read and understand

3. Detail adequate for the general audience

4. Provides exercises for both the home and the gym

5. Specific recommendations in terms of food consumption

6. Target Heart rate given for optimum exercise efficiency

Cons:

1. I would have liked to see pictures or drawing for the exercises so that people knew that they were performing the exercises correctly.

2. I would also have liked to see a summary of their recommendations

3. Cutesy chapter titles are annoying

Overall, I feel the authors did a credible job covering the topic of health from a nutrition and exercise standpoint. If you are ready to make some changes to your life, and are looking for a kick to get you started this might just be the book for you.

1 Star it sucks
A really disliked this book. I only lost 5 pounds in a month! Yes, I was following the procedure. Just keep this in mind when looking for this book.

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12 Day Body Shaping Miracle Change Your Shape Transform Problem Areas and Beat Fat for Good

Wonder why all those hours spent on the treadmill or lifting weights aren’t getting you the results you want? According to Thurmond, if you’re not working out in a way that’s just right for your individual body type, you’re wasting time and energy. In 12-DAY BODY SHAPING MIRACLE, Michael Thurmond presents his breakthrough exercise program for getting your body into a better proportional balance. Using Thurmond’s exclusive “blueprinting system”, you’ll identify your unique metabolism and body type. You’ll then discover a personalized exercise plan to quickly target your specific problem areas and transform your body shape in just 12 days. For example, if you are bottom heavy, you learn how to trim your thighs and hips while building up your shoulders and back, giving your body that trimmer, more hourglass-like shape. Thurmond’s unique program focuses on sculpting muscles through select, easy-to-do weight training techniques with cardiovascular activity. And, no matter what your starting weight, level of fitness or shape is, Thurmond guarantees rapid results.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Our Kindle Review
Our initial preview of the Kindle is that it is absolutely great! The print quality is outstanding, as are the features on the device. It took only a few moments to figure out how to utilize the scrolling and other controlling functions.

We love the dictionary feature and its ease of use. The font size selection is a real plus for us. The ability to upload books to our computer is a nice touch. It will allow us to save books per chance we begin to reach the saturation point on our Kindle.

Our Kindle only arrived yesterday, so we’ve not yet checked out the book “library” at Amazon. We do expect to do so shortly.

Sincerely,

Vance & Joan Shannon

5 Stars Outstanding
I enjoyed this book so much I purchased a second copy for a friend at work.

5 Stars 90 pounds and counting
I’ve been on Michael Thurmand’s plan for 8 months, and lost 90 pounds. I’ll read ANYTHING he writes, and do ANTHING he says.

5 Stars suprise –suprise
i was actually suprised at how much weight i lost in the first week. i have had trouble loosing even a few pounds in weeks of watching my diet and excercising–i was extremly skeptical of the book-but was determined to stick to every day for the full 12 days! i lost 7 pounds in the first 5 days-and another pound the second week. it has definatley given me a jump start to healthier eating! I actually only needed to loose 10 pounds so only a few more and im at my goal weight!

3 Stars Great Plan, Poor Instructions
This book has a great plan for losing fat, shaping muscles and getting fit. It is all natural, not easy, but a healthy way to fitness. However the book is often missing information and seems like it was thrown together in a rush. The diet section is not very comprehensive and it is tough to figure out what exactly to eat and in what amounts. As an example, in several places it indicates to eat “1 serving” of oatmeal, however the book never says how much “1 serving” is. Also the book shows a one-day menu example, but then instructions later in the same chapter indicate eating different things. Finally at the end of the book, it says you can go to Provida.com for “information on additional tools to make over your body and stay motivated.” At this time there is nothing on the website about this book, nor are there any tools that are available to book readers. Everything is for purchasers of the 6 Week Body Makeover, which I believe this book was made to promote, rather than to be it’s own complete resource.

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Fat Land How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World

What in American society has changed so dramatically that nearly 60 percent of us are now overweight, plunging the nation into what the surgeon general calls an “epidemic of obesity”? Greg Critser engages every aspect of American life - class, politics, culture, and economics - to show how we have made ourselves the second fattest people on the planet (after South Sea Islanders).

Fat Land highlights the groundbreaking research that implicates cheap fats and sugars as the alarming new metabolic factor making our calories stick and shows how and why children are too often the chief metabolic victims of such foods. No one else writing on fat America takes as hard a line as Critser on the institutionalized lies we’ve been telling ourselves about how much we can eat and how little we can exercise. His expose of the Los Angeles schools’ opening of the nutritional floodgates in the lunchroom and his examination of the political and cultural forces that have set the bar on American fitness low and then lower, are both discerning reporting and impassioned wake-up calls.

Disarmingly funny, Fat Land leaves no diet book - including Dr. Atkins’s - unturned. Fashions, both leisure and street, and American-style religion are subject to Critser’s gimlet eye as well. Memorably, Fat Land takes on baby-boomer parenting shibboleths - that young children won’t eat past the point of being full and that the dinner table isn’t the place to talk about food rules - and gives advice many families will use to lose.

Critser’s brilliantly drawn futuristic portrait of a Fat America just around the corner and his all too contemporary foray into the diabetes ward of a major children’s hospital make Fat Land a chilling but brilliantly rendered portrait of the cost in human lives - many of them very young lives - of America’s obesity epidemic.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars A Mixed Bag
Fat Land is an interesting introduction to the topic of obesity as a public-health issue. The book, however, is very uneven and the author has no promising solutions.

At its best, Fat Land is an absorbing look at a critical issue that much of the public refuses to face. The author, Greg Critser, can make esoteric government decisions seem interesting. Some of his anecdotes - such as one about the 698-pound rap star Big Pun - are fascinating. I doubt that many people will walk away from Fat Land totally dissatisfied. At the very least, the book forces you to think about how much you’re eating and how little you exercise.

Unfortunately, Fat Land is good only in places. I thought that most of the engaging material was in Chapters 1-4. Chapter 5 descends into babble about how poor people enjoy living in the “cocoon of obesity” (p. 112); this is especially disappointing because Critser criticizes others for just such flimsy thinking. Chapter 6, on the medical impact of obesity, was too technical for my taste. Chapter 7 offers some unoriginal solutions.

At his worst, Critser seems immune to nuance. American corporations are one-dimensional villains: “…the soft drink industry alone spends upward of $600 million annually to promote its trash…” (p. 173); “…these reversals serve notice to parents that the snack food industry will stoop to anything to protect its interests in maintaining their child’s expanding belly, despites its medical consequences…” (p. 174). Isn’t it possible that business could be part of the solution? Private companies control our food supply; I think, therefore, that we must encourage these businesses to be our partners - and not our adversaries - in promoting public health. One needs to think only of the success of organic produce to realize that there is a market for some healthy foods.

As many Amazon reviewers point out, a sense of gloom pervades Fat Land; there are no easy ways out of this mess. To Critser, government action is the panacea. Critser’s answers to the problem include more P.E. classes, a national fat tax, and the return of 1930s New Deal agencies such as the Community Areas Foundation. I don’t find these ideas to be very innovative; nor do they seem sufficiently promising to end the obesity crisis. Schools struggle to teach basic math and science, many people feel that taxes are sufficiently high at present, and government agencies often achieve mixed results. Critser’s suggestions, moreover, focus on childhood obesity; he has little to say about how obese adults can improve their health.

In the end, unless we are willing to ban fatty food outright, personal responsibility must play some role in the solution. It’s hard to admit it, but Big Macs, extra-large fries, and Big Gulps are popular because a lot of people prefer food that is terrible for us. Critser gives very little attention to personal responsibility, except to scoff that one conservative “…likes to sound the personal-responsibility trumpet…” (page xv).

Fat Land, in summary, is unlikely to bore you. But you will walk with a sense of despair about our declining national health.

5 Stars an in-depth look at reasons beyond the usual
As a dietitian, this book fascinates me not only due to the food/nutrition overview of the causes/etiology of obesity, but also the whole story behind the food production in the US. The book provides a historical overview of how high fructose corny syrup became popular as well as speculation on this obesity issue in the US/world. I loved it!

5 Stars Scary
This book examines some of the various factors behind the current obesity epidemic in the United States. Critser, who formerly indulged in junk food himself, came to the realization one day that he was fat. He determined to do something about it, and put himself on a strict diet and fitness plan to get back in shape. Along the way, he also decided to investigate not only how he had managed to put on so much weight, but also how his neighbors and their kids had managed to become some of the fattest people on the planet.

Critser puts much of the blame on corn syrup and palm oil, two ingredients which have made it possible to supply more calories than ever at lower cost. Because of the low cost of these ingredients, the food industry, particularly those companies producing snacks, desserts, and fast foods, have been able to keep costs and prices low, within the budget of even the poorest of the poor. Indeed, as Critser points out, junk food and fast food is priced so low, it may be the only food poor people can afford to buy, which contributes to inordinate proportion of obesity amongst the country’s lowest economic segments. Critser also discusses factors leading to less activity for the young, such as decreased hours for physical education instruction in school, and a physical education curriculum that focuses on recognizing the already fit and physically gifted rather than helping the average or below average kid.

Overall, the book is an interesting excursus into the causes of obesity in the modern American diet. While Critser does an admirable job of examining political decisions, marketing maneuvers, parenting styles, and technological factors behind the rise of obesity in America, there are still other topics he doesn’t include in this book, such as anti-pedestrian development policies and cheap gas. (In countries where gas is much more expensive, people ride bikes and walk rather than drive cars, burning more calories than carbons.) And even if phys ed programs are required every day of the week for school children, they may not make a dent in the obesity epidemic unless they focus on developing lifelong fitness habits rather than team sport skills or simple physical activities popular with children. Nevertheless, the book is well worth reading for understanding why we are so fat as a nation and how we can begin to address the problem.

4 Stars The New Cultural Obesity
When I returned from the Peace Corps in Africa to the US the first thing that struck me was how heavy people were. I did not return from a country suffering from famine, the people there were mostly in excellent shape considering their situation and it was the first time I had really noticed with a new perspective how heavy Americans were. This struck again when I had spent some time hiking in the west and returned to the mid west to see the inactive people away from the trails of the national parks were very overweight.

In Greg Critser’s book I think the only thing that was not well explained was this problem of sedentary lifestyle. He does an excellent job otherwise in explaining the politics and culture that have created America’s obesity epidemic. This book has changed my eating habits and brought an awareness of the problem of convenience foods, high fructose corn syrup, and fast food culture to me by his explanation of how the most readily available inexpensive foods are also the cause of obesity and much of the nation’s health problems.

This is an excellent book and will probably change your outlook on food and eating for the better.

4 Stars Diet book
A good history lesson that is interesting and a fast read. A basic look at how kids and adults can get fat without knowing the makeup of the foods we consume. An eye opener.

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