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A good foundation for building physical fitness Aug 14, 2000 (443 of 451 found this helpful)
"Body for Life" is an excellent book if you're a fitness beginner who's trying to figure out how to get in shape and stay in shape or, perhaps, someone who's been working out and/or dieting for a while and doesn't seem to be making much headway towards losing weight and getting in shape. Phillips does a good job of explaining the basic building blocks of fitness and of debunking a lot of the more prevalent fitness myths. He covers the proper way to exercise, both aerobics and weight training, proper diet, not some fad diet but rather how to eat real food in a healthy way, and how to motivate yourself and keep yourself motivated to stick to your goals.
There are a few caveats, however.
This is a very basic book. Don't think you're going to read this book and then know everything you need to know about fitness. It gives you a good foundation to build on but it doesn't go much beyond that. In my opinion that's a good thing given the book's target audience of fitness beginners. It gives you enough information to get started but it doesn't overwhelm you with data. Be aware that once you get into the program and have a better feel for your specific needs, you may find yourself seeking other books for more information but with the information you get from "Body for Life", you'll be able to make better selections of what type of books to look for. If you're already in good shape, chances are you already know everything that's in this book and if there is something you don't know, it won't be worth the price to find out.
Phillips owns a company which manufactures nutritional supplements. Not surprisingly he pushes the use of supplements in this book. There's nothing wrong with using supplements but they're expensive and not really necessary. They may accelerate the process but you'll still get into shape following the program without them.
Fitness is a lifelong commitment. Don't look at the title of the book and think you're going to get into perfect shape in only 12 weeks. Phillips' program is about using those 12 weeks to develop a fitness program you can stick to for the rest of your life. Ideally, when you finish one 12 week program you'll immediately begin another 12 week program and so on until it's not a 12 week program but a way of life.
If you're a fitness beginner and not certain where to begin or someone who's been working out for a little while but doesn't seem to be making any headway towards your fitness goals, this is the book for you. It offers good solid information on the basics of fitness and how to set and achieve your goals. I highly recommend this book.
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Believe me, it works! Apr 17, 2000 (368 of 381 found this helpful)
This is NOT a "quick-fix" program, it is meant to be a new way of life. If you do not have the motivation or the willpower, it won't work. But for me, it has made me a new person. I have so much more confidence in myself and am so proud of myself that I have the discipline to do this and I am seeing such fantastic results. I have gone from 22% body fat to 16% in 5 weeks. My cellulite on my legs is GONE.
It is also not a "low-carb" diet. You get plenty of food, and yes, the supplements are expensive, but you don't have to use them. I usually choose to because I don't want to fix 6 meals a day, but there are times when money is tight and I don't buy them for a while. You can also use nutritional bars for people whose work schedule makes it difficult to have a shake or a meal every time. The thing is, this is how you SHOULD eat, whether you like it or not. And I have saved money, even with the cost of the supplements, by not buying any junk food and not going out to eat as often. You can have delicious meals--it's not like you are deprived at all. Just no 2nd or 3rd helpings, which you shouldn't be eating anyway if you are trying to get into shape! It has truly changed my life as I start my 6th week on the program and I could not give this book any higher recommendation. It makes the whole thing so easy to follow the way it is explained--I call it my "bible" now! The book tells you exactly what to do and will motivate you to no end. And for the people who say the pictures are fake, they are not. I have my own "before" pictures as proof compared to what I look like now. Buy this book--if you are ready to do it, it will change your life. I cannot imagine sitting on the couch and eating a bag of potato chips ever again. I don't even have any desire to. For the people who are complaining that you have to belong to a gym or buy a lot of equipment--the fact is, if you don't incorporate weight training along with aerobic activity, it is not going to work. You might lose weight, but at the expense of your muscle mass, which you will also be losing. But actually, all you really need is a few sets of dumbbells and a barbell with some weight plates. You don't have to go out and buy a treadmill and a universal gym. I have tried every diet known to man, and I used to run 3 miles every day without fail, and I have never seen results like I have with this. It is wonderful to feel the same way after doing 20 minutes of intense cardio as I did after slaving for an hour at it like I used to. 20 minutes is nothing! No, it's not really *easy* to do, but who are all these people that expect getting in shape to be easy? Although for me, it is much easier than anything else I have ever tried because for the first time in my life, I actually look forward to working out. The nutritional plan is not difficult for me because I know at the end of the week I get a "free day" when I can eat whatever I want to eat. I have not cheated one time--not even a jelly bean--and I feel perfectly satisfied. Like I said, I don't want to eat junk anymore. And I had a sweet tooth that wouldn't quit before. As a matter of fact, I don't even look forward to my free day as much as I used to because I feel so much better eating healthy the rest of the week. I also have 10 times more energy than I used to. I highly recommend this book, and this way of life, to anyone who is ready to totally commit themselves to being fit. You will not believe the results and you will be glad you did it.
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Seven weeks down, hundreds to go Feb 25, 2000 (170 of 173 found this helpful)
I have been on the program for seven weeks now and results are good; 10 pounds lost, body fat down from 22.5% to 19%. The beer barrel is on its way to becoming a six pack. That was my primary motivation.
The book has changed my life and perspective on health and nutrition. I'm sixty now. I plan to continue with the daily workouts and small (but frequent) well balanced meals for the rest of my life. I don't see any point in stopping when 12 weeks are up. I don't think I'm going to win any prize from the EAS folk, but I have won already. I don't cringe when I look in the mirror anymore.
When I hear people lament about their lack of success with diets, I want to tell them to drop the "diet" stuff. Change your eating habits and exercise pattern ala Bill Phillips advice and you will lose weight. But more importantly, you'll just plain feel better.
By the way, Myoplex is not expensive. It can be purchased at nutrition stores (brick & morter and on-line) for approximately 60% of what EAS charges. That makes it about $1.50 per serving. I challenge you to show me where you can get 42 grams of protein, 24 grams of Carbohydrates and only 2 grams of fat for only $1.50. I think it's the cheapest way to get that amount of nutrition.
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Less is More! Aug 9, 2000 (152 of 155 found this helpful)
Let's be honest. Every one of us wants to look like somebody else. But seasons of failed programs, both diet and exercise regimens, have convinced most of us that we'll never do it--and we'll never hang on to whatever meager results we get.
So, I, like most of you will, approached this book and program with a healthy dose of skepticism--which was about the only healthy thing left in my life after thirty years or so of alternating between overeating and starving myself, between laying around all day, and frenetic exercise activity which wore me out.
One thing made me a believer, encountering a guy in my home town who had won a grand prize as a result of just twelve weeks of working the Body for Life regimen. So, I tried it. And here's what it did for me.
Transformed my cholesterol level in eight weeks from 200 to 133. Changed my body fat level in eight weeks from about 24% to 14.5%. Gave me an exercise program that is safe, not time-consuming, and that can be done at home with minimal equipment. And that exercise program has given me a body that is materially different from the one I started with.
Yeh, I know. All I've talked about is the plan--not the book. But the book is the plan, and the plan is the book. The book is well-written for the most part. (A few too many "you see" phrases in there for me)The exercise illustrations and the "tips" are absolutely excellent. Worth the price of the book by themselves. The stories of the changed lives are good too, though they all begin to sound alike after awhile. Read them and you'll find yourself in there somewhere.
A great read, a simple program (though certainly not easy) and tremendous results are in store for everyone who picks up the book, picks up themselves, and picks up the weights and gets to work.
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It's fast, it's effective, it works. What more do you want? Jul 20, 2000 (114 of 116 found this helpful)
I'm on the 11th week of this program and while I'm not in two weeks going to look like the photos inside the book--those are the champions of the Body-for-LIFE challenge--it will probably only take me a month or so more to get there. This is not bad considering prior to this I had more-or-less given up on being much more than thin, since muscle-building programs always seem to take hours. And I have built more muscle working with weights for 45-minutes a day, three times a week, than I have in any previous program I've tried, no matter how lengthy.
The thing to keep in mind, if you use Mr. Philips' system, is that you will be gaining weight as well as losing it. I've only netted about a pound a week weight loss--but I've lost much more than that in fat, since I've gained considerable muscle mass. This is a good thing unless you're obsessed with the numbers on the scale.
The system for eating isn't a diet in the traditional crash-weight-loss sense. You don't measure stuff out with scales and tape-measures; you do have to maintain your integrity when picking portions for yourself. (There's a simple guideline.) You eat six meals a day from a simple menu. (Philips recommends a powdered drink mix but I don't care for those, and the program still works for me.)
This is the real genius of the diet though: One day a week, you can eat whatever you want, however much you want. In the book, Mr. Philips says that you'll be happy to get back to your regular eating pattern after your "free day", even after only six days on the diet. I didn't believe it when I read it; I was astounded to experience it for myself. (I'm a binge eater, normally: I eat one or two huge meals a day, easily go 15 to 24 hours without food, enjoy fasting. This program changed that, quickly and rather easily.) I've enjoyed my free days, and some weeks I've looked forward to them more than others, but I'm glad to go back to (my new) normal diet afterward, every time.
This really =is= something you can do for the rest of your life without completely organizing your life around exercise and diet. The exercise routines are quick and remarkably effective. The diet is flexible enough to where you never have to cheat. What more do you want?
Well, if Amazon would let me, I would knock a half-a-star out for a few annoying things: The graphic design of the book is not helpful. (Even the typesetting of the title is obnoxious.) The graphics for the workouts communicate the concept, but don't really help you if you're sweataing through one. And why is it that the three groups of foods (proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables) have exactly the same number of entries in the table? Seems like the list could be expanded a bit.
And, let's be honest: the number one source of philosophers in America are diet/exercise gurus. This book is no exception, being filled with insights and philosophies of how to live and take control of our lives and so on. I don't have a problem with this (and Mr. Philips' philosophy is fairly workable) but the sheer amount of it can make it difficult to just =find= the meat of the program (the exercise and diet patterns).
I also always get a chuckle out of specious analogies like "grazers are horses" where "bingers are bears", so which do you want to look like? Oh yeah? How about cows (they graze) and lions (who binge)?
But these are minor points. (Like the editorial review that thinks it's weird that carbohydrates and vegetables are listed separately--well, the vegetables are all of the low-cal variety and it wouldn't do to replace lettuce with a plate of pasta, would it?) The major point is that it works, and is manageable.