Slim For Life–Jillian Michael’s New Book Review

First I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for the love and support you have given me over my voice problems.  It means so much to me that so many of you reached out and wrote such kind words on my blog, facebook and twitter.  I’m not going to sugar coat it… I’ve had a ROUGH couple months.  But your support really brightens my day.  Thank you all!

Onward! Because I have a cool book review for you today.

Look what came in the mail!

Jillian Michael’s PR people contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in reading and reviewing her brand new book called Slim for Life.  I am a huge fan of Jillian Michael’s workout DVDs so I was pretty excited for the opportunity.

Even though I do her DVDs frequently, this is the first book of hers that I’ve read and I’m impressed.  It’s written in the same no-nonsense way that she delivers her workouts and I appreciate the straightforward nature of this book.

Dieting and weight are sensitive subjects.  There is always a new fad that is too good to be true or an “easy” way to be thinner without actually working for it.  Jillian’s new book cuts through all the garbage and tells you exactly what will work and what will not work.  She says there is so much conflicting information out there right now on diets and weight loss that it is hard to know what works and what doesn’t—Isn’t that the truth! She explains how it is actually pretty simple; The only way to really lose weight is to cut calories and increase exercise. She outlines how to figure out how many calories you should be eating a day to what kinds of exercise have the most fat burning potential and why.  She really focuses on being “slim” not “skinny” and staying healthy.

The other part of this book is “maintenance.” After you get to your goal weight how do you maintain it?  I have seen the struggle some of my family members have gone through to lose a tremendous amount of weight only to put it back on again.  It’s mind-bogglingly frustrating.  Jillian’s book really breaks it all down and makes you think of healthy food and exercise of more of a permanent lifestyle change instead of just a “diet” or something you do for a couple months.

The book is divided in sections; Eating, Moving, At Home, On the Go, Staying Motivated, Evading Pitfalls and Supercharge your Slim.  She really leaves no subject untouched from circuits to do at the gym to the best way to grocery shop. In each section she focuses on tips, secrets and guidelines to lose or maintain your weight.  Each tip is assigned points (1-3) with the more important ones getting 3 points and the less important ones getting 1 point.  You are supposed to decide which of the tips you will be able to incorporate into your life.  She explains how no one is perfect and will be able to do everything in the book.  There is a chart at the end of each chapter for you to add up the points or tips you can and are willing to implement into your life.  At the end of the book she helps you figure out the percentage of points or tips you decided to do.  She then gives the range of the “score” that will give you the best chance to stay “slim for life.”  The points are a little tricky, but it’s a fun new way to consider your health options.  What is also nice is there is room for human error in this plan!  I think that is something we all need.

One important thing to point out though, this book does not have a specific diet meal plan.   There are a few recipe ideas, but if you really need someone to spell out breakfast, lunch and dinner for you, I would make “Slim for Life” a supplement to another meal plan. The book is more focused on healthy living tips that can help you approach food and exercise in a more effective way in the long term.

A few of my favorite tips in the book that I am going to try to do:

1.Don’t Eat Chemical Crap – Don’t eat “fake” food.  Aim to eat quality, nutrient-dense food.

2. Make It A Production – Sit down and eat a real meal.  You will enjoy your food more.

3. Push It Good- Use HIIT Training- High Interval Intensity Training. You burn more calories in less amounts of time this way.

4. The Center Will Increase Your Center- Focus grocery shopping on the perimeter of the store.  The items in the center are generally more processed and less good for you.

5.Psych Out Your Taste Buds with Cinnamon – It’s good for you and without the “sugar,” it can add flavor to applesauce, fruit, yogurt, coffee or tea.  We associate the taste with sugar so much that you will feel like you are getting something sweet.

Jillian also busts through some myths on things like diet pills (can be dangerous and deadly,) colon cleanses (no evidence these actually work,) ingredient labels on food (read the serving size! Manufactures will try to trick you) and benefits of raw food (the nutrients you lose when you cook food aren’t necessarily ones humans need.)  She also talks about easy ways to cut calories out of your food choices.

What surprised me most about the book is the focus on “chemical” free living.  She obviously discouraged you from eating foods with chemicals, but she took it one step further to talk about the importance of eliminating chemicals from everything from cleaning supplies to makeup.  She really takes a “healthy” approach to being “slim” and asks you to incorporate it into all parts of your life.   Now, I’m all on board with not eating stuff I can’t pronounce most of the time, but take away my Mac makeup and Lysol? I’m going to have to think about that one a little harder.  I do see her point though.  She is quite convincing.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to lose weight, find easy ways to maintain their weight or just learn more about health and fitness.  I am always working hard to maintain my weight and this book has lots of useful tips I will use!

Right now it’s available HERE on amazon for $14.18. Retail price is $25.

Rating:

5 Running Skirts! For being a quick and entertaining read that is packed with useful information and attainable goals.

Disclaimer: Jillian’s PR representative gave me this book to read for free, but I was not paid or influenced for the review of the book.  My opinions are based solely on my actual feeling for the product.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]