6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is the WORST book I have ever paid money for!, 9 Dec 2002
By "labranger" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Metabolic Magic: The Short Course to a Super Slim Physique (Paperback)
Don't waste your time on this one. This "book", and that's a stretch, has only 48 pages and 46 of them are dominated by photos of ego-maniac body builders in their most "cut" poses. The text font is large and the word content is small, like trying to stretch a 5 page term paper to 10 pages! Most people will never, ever, EVER come close to looking anything like these photos.
I bought this book because I was interested in books similar to Atkins style, low-carb diet and fitness. This title was "highly recommended" by someone. THIS BOOK IS USELESS! It's non-specific about anything. The two page appendix is the only useful information. The rest could have been written by a fifth-grader.
I wasted my money...you don't have to.
-GL
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Practical & Sound Advice, 9 Sep 2002
By Leftcoasterman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Metabolic Magic: The Short Course to a Super Slim Physique (Paperback)
The authors have packed a lot of info into this slim book. Their four-part strategy: 1. Lift weights to lose weight; 2. Cut back on the (simple) carbohydrates; 3. Exchange fiber for fat; and 4. Extended fat burning from cardio training. I've read extensively on fitness and diet topics and I couldn't find any bad advice in the book. Just ignore the 40 photos of pumped-up steroid freaks and women with breast implants. If the authors had found some normal models I would have given the book five stars. For the price of (roughly) of two body-building magazines, this book is worth the price.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic. Went from 240 lbs to 185 lbs following simple advice, 6 Jun 2007
By James Kurien - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Metabolic Magic: The Short Course to a Super Slim Physique (Paperback)
This book is short and comprehensible by a 5th grader because it's simple and it works. There's no magic formula or fads. These simple ideas and some discipline transformed my eating habits and my body.
I bought this book because it was on sale, and I figured what the heck.
That was at 240 pounds, 38-40" pants, and probably 30-40% body fat on my 5'11" frame. I felt very unhealthy and sent out a big signal "I don't take care of myself" everywhere I went.
I now wear 30-32" pants and am trim but muscular at 187 lbs and 17% body fat. My cholesterol plummeted and I even ran a 7 mile race just because I could for the first time in my life.
It's not a diet. It helped me develop a completely different set of eating habits, that I enjoy, and gave me a body I love.
It took 6-8 months to lose over 50 pounds, and I'm actually still losing because I just don't have the same fat guy lifestyle I used to. Following the healthy habits in the book 90% of the time also lets me go out for wings and a sundae every week or so and not even worry about it ;-)
Now that I'm down 50 pounds, even if I go on vacation and go wild for a week and put on a pound or two, I go back to my regular lifestyle and it comes right back off. So continually dropping until I level off at the weight I want doesn't seem to be an issue. I love what I eat and the exercise I do, so I don't see the weight coming back.
The book lays out simple principles (e.g. substitute fiber for fat) and briefly discusses how to do it. You don't need a huge number of pages to explain what to do, you just need to do it and you'll be in control of your weight.
Just buying this book won't help, but if you are ready to change how you relate to food, buying this book, following it, and believing in your ability to transform yourself will set you on your way.
Good luck!