Brief Reviews of Current Diet Books

Disclaimer: These reviews were written by my sister and may not completely reflect Dave and my thoughts. We've provided them mainly to assist in finding a book that suits your chosen diet profile, and of course we both hope you'll read Dave's book, Your Body Revival, before fine-tuning your diet more completely if you find it necessary.

In terms of popularity among IronOnline visitors, after Your Body Revival, the most popular are, first, Rob's Natural Hormonal Enhancement, then Mauro's The Metabolic Diet, followed by Lyle's e-book, The Ketogenic Diet. Faigin has followed up NHE with his new book, Hormonally Intelligent Exercise, and Mauro trimmed down TMD for athletes in Anabolic Solution for Bodybuilders and Anabolic Solution for Powerlifters. Finally, Lyle has compiled his research and Dan Duchaine's Body Opus into a new e-book, Ultimate Diet 2.

Natural Hormonal Enhancement
Rob Faigin, J.D.
Extique Publishing, PO Box 694 Cedar Mtn, NC 28718 copyright 2000
ISBN 0-9675605-0-0
351 pages
$29.97
Appearance and readability: good, some print too small point size, but otherwise fine with good graphics
Well-written, but technical

A very technical and succinct book, Natural Hormone Enhancement asserts that while aging, health and body composition are more closely interrelated, hormones are the unifying factor. This book claims “one grand strategy to attack all three simultaneously – to arrest aging, while achieving ‘super health,’ while at the same time enhancing lean body mass and permanently eliminating excess bodyfat.”

The premise is that there are two separate types of aging, chronological (the number of years a body has been alive) and biological (the state of the body, regardless of its age). Chronological aging cannot be controlled; however biological aging can be sped up, slowed down or even reversed, depending on the hormones that regulate degeneration and regeneration of the body at a cellular level. This book delves deeply into all of the body’s hormones, natural hormone replacement therapy and the benefits.

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The Metabolic Diet
Mauro Di Pasquale, B.Sc., M.D.
AllPro Training Books Publishers, 11612 Bee Caves Rd., Suite 165, Austin, TX 78733
copyright 2000
ISBN 0-9679-8960-4
485 pages
$39.95
Appearance and readability: fair
Written: technical

This author declares the Metabolic Diet will help to 1) lose weight and bodyfat and keep it off, 2) get a shaped and toned body, 3) increase energy levels and 4) look, feel and be healthier. “The metabolic diet works by switching your metabolism to burn fat instead of carbohydrates and protein, so you increase bodyfat loss including cellulite [and] decrease muscle breakdown.”

This book says that this diet is the first that understands each individual has a different genetic make-up and as such needs a personalized diet. This plan intends to find each person’s optimum carbohydrate, protein and fat level – “a one-stop solution to the age-old dieting dilemma.” Based on scientific principles and medical research, this plan is designed for using dietary fat and carb levels to “manipulate the body’s natural hormone to not only burn fat, but shape and tone the body.”

The author explains the metabolic diet, discusses that dietary fat is not an enemy, lists the benefits of the metabolic diet, compares other diets, has a weight loss plan, clarifies good and bad fats, goes into the mental edge and the metabolic diet exercise program, diet pills, and, finally, individual lifestyles and creating an individual diet.

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The Ketogenic Diet
Lyle McDonald
Morris Publishing, 3212 E. Highway 30, Kearney, NE 68847, 800-650-7888
copyright 1998
No ISBN listed
323 pages
$39.95
Appearance and readability: good, clean, very little graphics
Well-written, but dry and technical

This book “serves as a reference for the dieter who has questions regarding the physiology, adaptations and effects of a ketogenic diet.” In most general terms, the ketogenic diet causes ketone bodies to be produced by the liver – shifting metabolism away from glucose and towards fat utilization. It restricts carbohydrates below a level of 100 grams per day which causes a “series of adaptation to take place.” The “ultimate determination of whether a diet is ketogenic or not is the presence (or absence) of carbohydrates.”

This is a very dry and technical book meant for readers who are interested in scientific facts rather than a fun-to-read diet instruction. It covers physiology, the diets and exercise with guidelines and programs to follow. It does not include any worksheets, graphics, diagrams or photos of exercises. The Ketogenic Diet is considered the encyclopedia of low-carb diets. Also available in e-book format.

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The Fat Burning Diet
Jay Robb
Loving Health Publication in conjunction with Jay Robb Enterprises, Inc., 5670 El Camino Real, Suite C, Carlsbad, CA 92008, www.jayrobb.com
copyright 1991
ISBN 0-9620608-3-6
255 pages
$12.95
Appearance and readability: excellent, clean, good graphics, nice font and point size
Written: fair – religious, curt and to the point – not much chatty stuff

The Fat Burning Diet declares its own definition as: “a time-proven revolutionary way of eating high-carb meals offset by low-carb meals to lose weight without the typical discomforts of dieting.”

A low-carb diet only works for a day or two until the body runs out of stored glycogen, then it switches to burning ketones. A high-carb diet works great for a day or two until glycogen levels are filled to capacity – at which time all excess glucose (blood sugar) can be converted to fat.

Burning fat consistently while maintaining high energy and physical power requires one day of low-carb eating followed by one day of high-carb eating. Then simply repeat the cycle each week with Sunday allowing for both types of eating. This book includes a full eating plan, table of food composition and recipes.

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The Maker’s Diet
Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D., Ph.D.
Siloam, A Strang Company, 600 Rinehart Rd., Lake Mary, FL 32746, www.siloam.com
copyright 2004
ISBN 0-88419-948-7
304 pages
$19.99
Appearance and readability: excellent, clean
Well-written, religious

“Biblically based and scientifically proven,” states The Maker’s Diet. “Using a truly holistic approach to health, this groundbreaking [plan] leads you on a journey that will change your life.”

The Maker’s Diet also claims to 1) boost immune system, 2) attain and maintain ideal weight, 3) achieve abundant energy, 4) improve physical appearance, 5) reduce stress, and 6) improve digestion.

This is the author’s “faith-based journey from near death to vital health [that] led him to uncover the timeless principles of the worlds healthiest people.” This is an extremely religious book with faith, prayer and belief throughout. The Maker’s Diet is based on natural foods God created for people to eat.

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The Schwarzbein Principle II: The Transition
Diane Schwarzbein, M.D., with Marilyn Brown
Health Communications, Inc. Publishers, copyright 2002
ISBN 1-55874-964-0
507 pages
$14.95
Appearance and readability: good
Written: fairly medical and technical, harder to read than others

“A regenerative process to prevent and reverse accelerated aging.” How to be healthier with the five-step transition program.

“Before long, you’ll enjoy renewed energy and achieve optimum health by preventing or reversing common ailments such as asthma, headaches, arthritis and heartburn, as well as the chronic diseases of aging, including type II diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and heart disease.”

Learn:

Why low-fat and low-calorie diets are HARMFUL to health
Why sleep deprivation and other stresses can cause weight gain
What medications – including birth-control pills – are slowly destroying metabolism and causing illness
How to successfully taper off refined sugars, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine
Why cardiovascular programs might actually be ruining health
The facts versus the scare tactics about hormone replacement therapy

This plan includes two parts: general program and individual programs by current metabolism type. The five steps for SPII regeneration are: 1) healthy nutrition 2) stress management and enough sleep 3) taper off toxic chemicals 4) cross-training exercises 5) hormone replacement therapy, if needed

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Strong Women Stay Slim
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D. with Sarah Wernick, Ph.D.
Batam Books, Division of Random House, Inc., copyright 1998
ISBN 0-553-37945-3
317 pages
$12.95
Appearance and readability: very good, clean pages, big print, lots of graphics and drawings
Written fairly well

Strong Women Stay Slim claims to have “everything you need to shape up and feel great – no matter what your age or fitness level: fully illustrated exercises especially designed for weight-loss, up-to-the-minute information about weight, appetite, nutrition, and fitness – explaining why this system works, a hunger-free food plan, including menus and delicious recipes from award-winning cookbook author, Steve Raichien, progress logs and extra guidelines for the first 10 weeks, with motivational secrets and more.”

Nelson and Wernick list the seven mental secrets of successful weight-loss as: 1) believe that you can do it, 2) take responsibility, 3) set realistic goals, 4) make a firm commitment now, 5) plan for success, 6) keep records, 7) rebound – and learn – from mistakes.

Essentially, these authors state that scientific research has shown that strength training increases metabolism – a key to permanent weight-loss – by as much as 15 percent. Strength training is the answer to fighting weight-gain, metabolism, aging and health.

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Everything You Need To Know About Fat Loss
Chris Aceto
Club Creavalle Inc., Publishers with Fundco Printers, copyright 1997
ISBN 0-9669168-2-4
144 pages
$19.95
Appearance and readability: Very good – large print, good graphics, easy to read
Fairly well-written, could have used a better editor

This book goes through calories, weight loss, the role of exercise in weight loss, varying caloric intake (“metabolic trickery”), alternative diet strategies, rights and wrongs of eating, low carbs for the obese, heat production for fat loss, genetics and bodyfat, supplements & drinking to thinness and drugs and weight loss.

Chris Aceto is a bodybuilder with a degree in health sciences. He discusses the various types of diets, what works and what does not. He goes through how many calories each body needs, the roles of exercise on fat and alternative diet strategies. He also suggests that people should not change more than one variable at a time – as in cutting calories while simultaneously increasing exercise workouts. His main point seems to be not varying caloric intake (metabolic trickery) which causes the body to store fat, rather than burn it, to prepare for a lower calorie day. Select a “base” caloric intake and stick to it.

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Enter The Zone
Barry Sears, Ph,D. with Bill Lawrence
HarperCollins Publishers, first edition, copyright 1995
ISBN 0-06-039150-2
286 pages
$23.00
Appearance and readability: good
Well-written

“Maintain a beneficial ratio of protein to carbohydrate every time you eat.” This one simple rule is the foundation for conducting a Zone-favorable diet. The evolution of man’s digestive system has been based on a diet of low-fat proteins and low-density carbohydrate fruits and fiber-rich vegetables. Bodies will not only burn fat, but fight heart disease, diabetes, PMS, chronic fatigue, depression and cancer, as well as alleviate the painful symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and HIV.

Eat high in protein and low in carbs, add fat back to diet to cause the release of a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) from the stomach, which tells the brain that the body is satisfied so that eating ends.

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Body For Life
Bill Phillips and Michael D’Orso
HarperCollins Publishers, first edition, copyright 1999
ISBN 0-06-019339-5
201 pages
$26.00
Appearance and readability: good
Well-written

(12 weeks to mental and physical strength.)

The promise: “No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change.” With testimonials and photos of real people who have used Bill Phillips’ and Micheal D’Orso’s method, Body-For-LIFE-Program, lowers cholesterol, reduces risk of heart disease, turns back the hands of time, possibly even erases years of fitness neglect – all in a mere 12 weeks.

Bill Phillips also made a video, “Body of Work,” which he gives out free with a request of a donation of $15.00 to Make A Wish Foundation, if after watching the video you’ve gotten something out of it.

They claim:
How to lose fat and increase strength by exercising less, not more
How to tap into an endless source of energy
How to create more time for everything meaningful in your life
How to trade hours of aerobics for minutes of weight training w/dramatic results
How to make continual progress
How to feed your muscles while starving fat
How thousand of ordinary people have become extraordinary
How to gain control of your life once and for all
How to exercise with weights
How to eat – what to eat and what not to eat

This book also offers a free 800 number to call for the Body of Life support group.

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