Fat Loss

Review by joanne:

Conquer the Fat-Loss Code follows on from Wendy’s previous New York Times bestseller, Crack the Fat Loss Code, taking weight loss to a whole new level. Start by cracking the code to learn the basics, and then move on to conquering the code for more variety.

The eating plans vary from her first book, with double accelerated weeks, and grapefruit days. Wendy has included extensive information on adding HIIT and EPOC cardio and incorporating weight training to make your fat burning more efficient whichever program you are following. The success planner is very clearly laid out on a double page spread for each day. Plus more recipes and meal plan ideas. There is also a chapter on what to do if you “fall off the wagon”, plus how to incorporate holiday and special events.

I highly recommend this program. I’m on my second 8 week cycle, and losing weight easily, without missing out on the foods I love, like chocolate.

Review by Ruby Bayan:

“Conquer the Fat-Loss Code” is nothing short of a complete strategy to lose fat, raise metabolism, shed unwanted pounds, and remain fit for life. Wendy Chant has presented a book that not only explains the science behind the body’s reactions to food and exercise, but also details how to take advantage of these natural tendencies.

Chant’s book is a quick read because she explains the fat-loss code in simple, readily understandable terms. She also outlines all the principles involved in optimizing fat-loss (like the meal plan cycles) in straightforward bulleted paragraphs and in-a-nutshell “Conquer the Code” boxes for quick comprehension and reference. Testimonials to the success of the Fat-Loss Code (inserted in the book as “What the Code Crackers Are Saying”) are short stories that add to the credibility of the method.

Chant’s book is also a long-term guide because it has a complete 8-week planner that lists daily food suggestions, weight training and cardio schedules, and a feedback log complete with the day’s affirmation. The book not only explains the fat-loss code, it also provides the tools you need to apply the code to your particular situation. Chant even fine-tunes the program to differentiate plans for men and women, and those aiming to lose less (or more) than 30 pounds.

Of course, a plan is only as good as its Plan B. So, Chant also includes tips and tactics for special days like weekends, travel, and holidays, plus a special section on what to do if you fall off the wagon. And it goes without saying that the chapter on “Quick Tips for Ultimate Success” merits a permanent bookmark.

The last section of the book could be the most precious gift from Wendy Chant: it features her own recipes for breakfast, shakes, soups, salads, vegetables, entrées, and desserts. And to round out her comprehensive book, she adds an appendix of the Beginner’s Home Workout and several pages of references and scientific basis for her fat-loss code.

Anyone who has tried any kind of diet or regimen for losing fat (and maybe did not achieve the desired results) deserves to try Wendy Chant’s method. The science is sound, the code is simple, and this book is the key. – Ruby Bayan, OurSimpleJoys

Review by G. Bailor:

I highly recommend the Omron fat loss monitor for anybody who is serious about monitoring their body fat.

Why I Recommend It:

1. EASY to use. It’s almost dummy-proof

2. Inexpensive. For less than you can have it delivered (Super-Saver shipping) including batteries.

3. I don’t need help to use it. I don’t know of any other method that you can do in the privacy of your home each and every day with the exception of calipers. And you need somebody else to use the calipers on you. Since they’re only accurate if that person knows what he/she is doing and measures you in the exact same place each time, I think it’s just easy to get a monitor.

4. Quick. I can take a measurement in about 10 seconds.

General Thoughts/Suggestions:

1. The instruction manual mentions this also but… Make sure to take the measurement at the same time each day. I take my measurements right before I leave the house for work before I’ve eaten or drank anything for the day.

2. Don’t expect the results to be perfect. If the measurement tells you that you’re 16% body fat, that’s probably pretty close to what you actually are. But depending on how much water you’ve had to drink, how recently you’ve exercised, how recently you’ve eaten, etc., the reading could go up to 17% or down to 15%. It’s best to be consistent with when you take your measurements and to use the monitor as a guide to tell you if you’re gaining or losing. I think of it as a fat loss compass… not a fat loss GPS.

3. Make sure that you keep your stats updated in the computer memory. I’m on a fat loss routine right now. I’ve lost 15 lbs since I began using the Omron monitor. It only takes a second to update your personal stats in the monitor’s memory. But you need to do it. Otherwise it’ll give you an inaccurate reading.

All in all, I’d say this is a great investment. Yes, you can lose body fat without using a monitor. But it is also possible to lose weight without losing body fat (i.e. water weight or muscle). I’m constantly tweaking my diet and workout routine to keep that percentage dropping. Without the monitor I’d be in the dark and I’m confident that I wouldn’t have seen the progress that I’ve seen thus far.

Good luck & good health!

Review by A. Chandler:

I never buy anything without doing research on what to buy first. If you read about BMI analyzers on About.com it not only recommends this as one of their top 3 picks over ANY kind of body fat analyzer, but it also explains why some people didnt get the results expected on these comments…because of user error.

Most admit to using this first thing in the morning.

It says on about.com never to do that. For accurate readings, use 3 hours after a meal, never first thing in the morning, (you are dehydrated then) never use when dehydrated, but you should use after emptying your bladder. (remember it’s guaging what percent of you is muscle vs water so you want your body water to be balanced and normal…not too low with dehydration, not too high with a full bladder.) Also it’s best to use this, or any monitor, when unclothed if possible. Ive found that part not to matter that much as everyone at my office borrows this sometimes and, because bare workers would be awkward, we’ve found it to read accurately clothed.

Also, if you have a very high muscle mass and a very low BMI set it on “athlete” for an accurate reading. So yes, even bodybuilders CAN use it…you just have to know how.

This explained those who had problems and the unbiased rating on the aformentioned website (and others) states that this is WAY more accurate than calipers…made me buy it. I”d used it before at the gym and it was always great. But before I purchase on my own, I learn.

I use mine often and it is right on target as to what’s going on with my body. A handheld non-electronic (or even electronic if it’s the kind you place ON your fat) caliper will vary if you do not measure the EXACTLY in the same place each time and squeeze to the exact resistance. You avoid that common error via this latest technology.This has the latest.

I bought this one because or reading about what technology works the best from consumer tests by the experts. And I am happy with my purchase.

As an aside, I also discovered the scales that do fat testing through your feet are not as accurate as this method of testing either, even the Omron scale didnt test for accuracy as well as this Omron fat tester.

So I thought I’d share what i found in my week of research prior to purchase.

I love this body fat analyzer and my friends who have used it got their own as well. If you are bloated, your scale can’t tell you why your weight is up. This can. And some days, I thank it for that!

Review by Kelly:

I ordered this product and saw results in a short period of time. Not only did it help me lose weight, I recieved a lot of comments about how I looked ‘younger’ and ‘better.’ Also helped with energy before and during workouts. I am now on my second re-order. Further, I had a problem with my mail and the distributor was fantastic as to questions and re-ordering. Highly recommend.

Review by Belinda Peters:

i brought this product a couple of months ago it is working i got more energy and i feel like its helping me not craving any sweets i going to buy more

Review by Thomas Cannold:

It’s science, no it’s magic, no it’s Science, no it’s Magic. Well, actually it is science…but it feels like Magic.

I’d already lost 60 pounds, using exercise and some basic nutrition, before my personal trainer turned me on to this plan. It had taken me about a year and a half to lose that initial chunk of weight, I had kept it off for about three years, and I was incredibly proud of what I had accomplished. The problem was, I was still kinda lumpy, and I couldn’t get off the plateau I was on. I just couldn’t get get any thinner.

Enter the plan found in this easy, smart book.

In about three months, 20 more pounds came off, and I was — I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to write this word — THIN, and incredibly fit (I’m running marathons, and dancing WELL in hip-hop classes — and I’m a male in my late forties!)

So, why did this plan work for me, when others hadn’t?

First of all, this book is so cleanly and clearly written, that my fears of being overwhelmed by it (as I’d been by other diet books) were wiped out in the 20 seconds it took me to glance at a few pages. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it’s even inspiring!

Secondly, it motivates on three different levels.

1) You can skip the science, and just do the plan — every day is clearly mapped out — and Magic occurs.

2) You can use the cutting-edge science (I swear, it’s not daunting, it’s just fun) to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. Once I understood what affects my body, and why, I became even more enthusiastic about sticking to the plan. It actually became easier and more fun.

3) The stories — and pictures — of people who have accomplished so much on this plan, got me even more involved in it. I felt their stories, and I wanted to be one of them.

I’ve heard people say that the diet that works is the one you stick with. That’s true, but this book goes one step further, because it actually changes the way your body, your machine, works. And believe me, you will be so excited when you discover that your machine, when properly primed, is a Formula One Racing Car, instead of the lumpy old minivan you thought it was. Join me in hip-hop class, and find out.

Review by Cynthia Thomason:

Wendy’s Plan Really Works.

Wendy’s tenets:

1. Protect and Support Muscle

2. Level Blood Sugar

3. Create and Energy Deficit

4. Produce Heat

5. Manipulate Energy Stores

I purchased and read Wendy’s book in the same night. I was hungry for a way to eat right and lose weight! I knew that it had to exist. As an ex-athlete (figure skater), 5′ 9 and 173 pounds, I have seen women my age (43) keep the weight off but I couldn’t understand why I was having the problem. I skated 4 times a week, took lots of walks and I was even doing occasional Pilates. By my calculations I was working out more than most of the thinner women that I knew. What was going on.

Almost immediately “Crack the Fat Loss Code” explained that I was eating incorrectly. It was obvious that I was eating a diet of carb-laden packaged foods. Even though they said “all-natural”, “organic”, “low-fat” and I paid more for them at the health food store, when I checked the carb count, I realized….I was a carb-junkie. According to Wendy’s plan it seemed, I was never giving my blood sugar a chance to level out before constantly fueling up with more carbs and sugar. Not to mention the days of eating virtually nothing, only to overeat for days afterwards.

After a week of following Wendy’s book, and 8 weeks in her Nutrition Boot Camp (which is the same plan of her book but she explains exercise and supplementation); I went from 173 to 161. My body fat index dropped from 26.5% to 21.5%. I also lost 4 ½ inches in my waist and 3 ½ inches in my chest.

What makes Wendy’s plan different from others; (I tried most every of the other big ones including Vegan) there are no completely off limit foods; you eat carbs most every day; I never felt hungry not even once; and it is extremely simple to follow once you learn the code letters and create your little tracking sheets.

I still have trouble believing all the food I am supposed to eat and that I’m never starving myself. This was the most important aspect of this plan for me–as a skater I had to have fuel. I also have an extremely complex, thought intensive job where I have to remember and recall mass amounts of information every minute. Eating like a true athlete (which is how I describe Wendy’s plan) has shown me exactly how my body works, stores, and uses fuel and when and how exactly to cheat.

For anyone trying to lose large or even small amounts of fat, you are wasting valuable time. Start using Wendy’s plan right away. I also strongly suggest one of Wendy’s remote boot camp programs; which I understand you can join from anywhere. This lady knows her stuff; down to the exact science.

Review by V. Wade Weatherington:

I am a physician who manages a suburban metabolic and nutrition program for obese and overweight children. It amazes me how complex it is to unravel the passionate and unhealthy philosophy many people have about exercise and nutrition. So many people are struggling fruitlessly with their goals as they are overwhelmed by seemingly endless waves of misleading advertisements and contradictory information about lifestyle and nutrition. There is so much unbelievable noise out there that many people are left feeling hopeless, defeated and not knowing what to do. The Body Fat Solution is a very healthy, very welcome voice of reason among all that noise.

As I develop nutrition plans for my patients I will frequently reference the precepts outlined in Tom Venuto’s brilliant e-book Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Honestly, I found this e-book to be a very approachable and comprehensive volume dealing with nutrition, exercise and hormonal physiology. (I would highly recommend this e-book for anyone who wants a more detailed explanation of macronutrients, hormonal physiology, and meal planning.) However, The Body Fat Solution is an indispensable development to this excellent work.

In my experience patients do not struggle as much with “what to do” but rather struggle with “the doing of it”. In the first few consultations with a new patient I can usually disarm the passionate obsession with whatever flavor of macronutrient phobia they have and outline the physiological rational behind consistently eating a calorie based diet of lean protein, whole unprocessed foods, and essential fats. In this motivational clinical setting most patients will readily agree to begin journaling and commit to starting an exercise and nutrition program.

However, the problems arise as soon as they leave my office and are once again buffeted by their busy schedule, advertising, misleading labels, psychological defense mechanisms and emotional ties to eating. Most of the time I spend on subsequent patient visits centers on developing strategies of how to interface the program we have developed into their lifestyle. The strategies revealed in The Body Fat Solution do an excellent job addressing these issues.

The Body Fat Solution outlines all of the necessary tactics to tackle these intangible influences on our nutrition and exercise plans. The first four chapters outline the evolution of obesity and how our beliefs, attitudes and emotional ties to food play a significant role in this unhealthy homeostasis. In chapter five you are taken step-by-step through the essential process of goal setting and reprogramming your mental awareness of the beliefs and attitudes that can sabotage your plans. Then in chapters six through eight you are treated to the most insightful and logical nutrition and exercise program I have ever seen. Everything you need to know … it’s all there … very motivational and very doable! Finally chapters nine through twelve outline all the necessary environmental and social strategies needed to start you on the way to maintaining your new and healthy self.

Quoting The Body Fat Solution, “There is no way around it – to tackle a problem like body fat, which has so many causes, you must make changes in every area of your life. You have to eat better, train consistently, manage your emotions, change your thinking, get the support you need, and put it all together in a healthy lifestyle.” I couldn’t agree more. In my opinion The Body Fat Solutions gives you all the necessary tools to do just that.

Review by D. Kelley:

Once upon a time I weighed 213lbs. I am female. I am 5′5″. Needless to say, I had a few pounds to lose. I lost it. And then I became a statistic – I gained it back.

In my second attempt to lose 70+ lbs I struggled with an incredibly slow rate of loss, to the tune of an (on average) a half pound a week while following two very popular commercial weight-loss/lifestyle plans.

One day I happened across a link to Tom Venuto’s first book. I read the book. I did what he suggested. My life has not been the same since. Over the next five months, I lost the final 30lbs – thanks to the author’s expertise! And he IS an expert, make no mistake! My rate of fat loss nearly quadrupled!! For me, it was literally a miracle!

And no, the nutrition plan is not extreme. At all. In fact I was eating more total volume of food than I had been on the aforementioned plans. The only extremes I experienced came in the form of improved health, mood and energy levels! Oh yeah, and there’s the I look good naked thing!

I still follow the maintenance version today. As I will always. This is seriously magic when you consider my history and what my previous lifestyle and mindset was like! On a diet. Off a diet. Weight up. Weight down. For years. I’ve paid to participate in commercial diet plans on at least on 10 different occasions (that I can remember!). Finally, I’m cured!

I’ve read many “diet” and self help books in my quest to lose 75lbs twice. I can say, without hesitation, “The Body Fat Solution” is a book like no other!

I have had to learn and apply the principles Tom teaches in “The Body Fat Solution”. Some of these things I had to learn on my own over the course of my weight loss struggles. Some I learned from his first book. Some of this material is new and has given me added insight that will I’m sure make maintenance a whole lost easier! Had this book been available to me in the beginning it would have saved me over a year of suffering, mentally, physically and emotionally!

Is this book a magic pill? It is if you swallow it – meaning you apply what the author teaches. Reading does nothing. Doing does.

All I can say is, it’s about time someone wrote something that will actually HELP people! In my experience (and I have far too much), HEALTHY fat loss and weight maintenance begins and ends in the mind. Tom Venuto will get inside your head, and stay there – so that you may live happily ever after.

The End.