Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Skinny Rules

Title:  The Skinny Rules
Author:  Bob Harper
Publication Information:  Ballantine Books, Random House Inc. 2012. 278 pages.

Book Source:  I picked this book because it is a genre I am interested in.

Favorite Quote:  "If you want to lose weight and stay thin, you've got to change your life, and that means changing some basic behaviors. I call them defaults - the behaviors that you have instinctively fallen back on when pressured."

The Skinny Rules as the name implies is a diet book. A diet book by a big name celebrity of the diet industry. Bob Harper of The Biggest Loser. The book presents a set of twenty rules to change eating habits and lead to a healthier lifestyle. The rest of the book is a set of menus and recipes to support the eating rules.

My reaction to the book is based partially on my reaction to the rules presented. Some are basic common sense - water, vegetables. portion size. Those you can find across any such book. Some I don't agree with. For example, the idea of a splurge meal to me promotes a diet mentality rather than a lifestyle change.

My reaction to the book is also based on what is not in the book. The book provides these rules but not much guidance on how to implement them. Also, the rules focus on food and do not address physical activity which to me is an equally important part of this journey.

Finally, I did find some inconsistencies in the book. For example, one rule says to avoid sweeteners. Yet, recipes in the book call for agave nectar, which is a sweetener.

So, overall, a set of rules is a straightforward approach. I like some of the rules as they are common sense. My advice would be to take what you find of value, question the science of what seems not based on common sense, and most of all, take responsibility for your own health lifestyle. The rules can help you along the way, but only if you make the change.

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