Being a part of the internet generation, I'm sceptical about most things I see and read on the web.
However, this book has changed my life. Not in the way that I woke up one day and way mysteriously transformed from head to toe, but in my understanding of how your body works.
After the first year of college I was stuck with the dreaded 'Freshman 15'. Only it was more something along the lines of 25.
I wasn't really overweight, just very bulky. I enjoy sports a lot and had field hockey practice, swimming sessions and jogging sessions during the week. However, none of this worked due to my lack of understanding of how your body processes food, and how to build muscle effectively in order to destroy fat. The pounds didn't go away, I was merely working on my physical condition and endurance. This book changed my whole view on that.
Your college years are by no means easy years in terms of weight management. Irregular hours and even more irregular sleeping patterns. Unhealthy food and midnight snacks all around. Let all of that sip in the most alcohol-infused time of your life and you've probably got one of the most unhealthiest regimes in the world. So I decided to grab this book.
The key to the success of this book is that it doesn't say like other diets 'Do this, eat that.' It explains you WHY you SHOULD eat this, and not that. It tells you what happens when you eat this, it tells you what happens when you eat that. I believe the success of the whole diet is in that. After reading all of the facts and studies David presents you with, it makes a mental click. You are going to WANT to follow his instructions, just for your physical wellbeing. Unline other diets, you won't be looking at the diet like a teenager looking at homework. You won't try to find every single chore just to procrastinate and avoid starting it. You are just going to get to work.
The book doesn't do magic. It isn't packed with magical formulas, and you're not going to wake up one day transformed. What it does however, is provide you with a HUGE list of healthy foods, their nutritional aspects and what they do to your body, and why they're good for you. If you're like me and almost never ate breakfast due to a lack of time and/or envy, the powershake recipes are going to be a game-changer.
One of the biggest critiques I read in other reviews about this diet is that it doesn't define a 4-6-10-52 week meal and exercise plan and therefor isn't really a diet. Once again, I believe therein lies the success of it. It doesn't obligate you to follow a fixed set of food rules, nor a meal plan. It educates your mind about what you're eating and what you should eat. It lets you make conscious choices out of a list of foods that are good for you, and that will constitute a healthy meal. Therefor it doesn't feel like you're following a diet, it feels like you're bettering yourself and therefore you'll never feel like you're on a diet. This leads in the fact that you won't have the urge (like when you're on other diets) to go 'off' the diet. In the long run, you'll incorporate his advise in your everyday life and that'll bring balance.
Off course, there are examples of 6-week meal plans you could follow if you really want to, so you're set if that's what you're after.
The 6-week plan to see your abs might be a little liberal. After 6 weeks I didn't see mine, but that's allright. What it did however, was lose 4,5" of my waistline, I dropped 23 pounds, and my body fat percentage dropped from 22% to 14%. I combined the plan with regular exercise, which led to increased speed results. This has been a revolution for me. As I said before, you'll just keep working towards the ab-revealing-goal, because if you're like me, you're never want to go 'off' the diet, since it allows you to make your food choices, and therefor you'll never feel like you're on one.
The first couple of days are the toughest because you eat 6 times a day which is counter-intuitive, but after the 4th day I started noticing changes in my body. I usually had bowel movements every 3-4 days but after the 4th day I had daily movements which lead to a light feeling, and a general increase in energy. The more your body flushes away, the more you're burning away fat because your metabolism has increased. It's the first sign that the fat-burning-furnace has been ignited.
I bought the 2004 and 2010 versions of this book. The 2010 'New Abs Diet' claims to have more research and stuff, but I'd skip this version and buy the 2004 version. All the 2010 version adds are a few recipes and some research, but nothing really important. With the couple of bucks I saved I bought the New Abs Diet Cookbook (or what it's called) which is far more useful and jampacked with healthy recipes.
All in all I can say this book changed my life. I didn't wake up one day transformed, but I now know what I eat. I know how to eat. I know what to eat. The 12 powerfoods section is fantastic. I lost a hell of a lot of weight and never felt on a diet.
Mad props David, mad props!
