Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life by Jillian Michaels Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life
Book Review: Surprisingly helpful--very well done!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to admit--I've watched both seasons of The Biggest Loser and Bob has always been my favorite of the two trainers. So, when I saw Jillian's book, I was hesitant at first about whether I wanted to buy it. However, I just finished reading it today and I have to say that I am impressed. She provides a lot of helpful information both on the eating side and on the exercise side. She has tests or formulas to help you--such as the test that tells you whether you are a slow, fast or balanced oxidizer...she explains how to determine your maximum heart rate so you can work out at the correct intensity, etc.
I must say I was quite surprised to see that there is only an hour of cardio (really only 50 minutes once you factor in warm up and cool down) a week in her plan. This surprised me because, watching the show for two seasons, you always see the contestants struggling and sweating on the bike, elliptical or treadmill doing cardio. Granted, Jillian's way of doing weight/resistance training will get you sweating as well!
I thought the book was strong and impressive overall. My only disappointment was in the first third or so of the book. I thought that some subjects such as emotional eating were ridiculously over-simplified and given short shrift. The message I took away from some of these chapters was "OKay, now I've explained in a page and a half why you shouldn't do that, so just get over it now, mmmkay?" I understand that no book is going to be able to cure emotional eating in a chapter, but I would have rather she admitted that she didn't have time or experience to cover it fully and perhaps suggest some additional reading rather than go with the "POOF! You're cured!" approach.
One of her real strengths is to be able to explain some rather complicated concepts about how the body metabolizes food or how the muscles work and make it readily understandable. Her book could have easily veered into the too-scientific, but it didn't. It was like sitting and having someone give you the heart-to-heart talk you know you need but have been scared to hear. Yea, she's tough, but she obviously cares as well.
Book Review: Very Good Beginner Book
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very good book for all beginners in the exercise/weight loss arena. Jillian dispenses a lot of tips, support and encouragement.
She also provides a test to find out what type of 'oxidizer' (the way you burn nutrients) you are which helps you decide your nutrition plan.
Jillian explains how to calculate the calories needed for each person each day and how to vary your caloric intake to keep your metabolism from slowing.
She explains carbs and the way they break down in your system and provides some insight into the GI (Glycemic Index). Jillian also goes over the good and bad fats and why you need fat in your diet.
She covers label reading and helps the reader learn how to pick out healthier foods by reading their labels. She also provides tips to reduce the calories of foods you eat and receipes you make.
Jillian goes over cardio exercise - when to do it, how often and what types work best. She then discusses circuit weight training and how often and when to participate in these types of exercises.
The last third of the book is the Exercise Index where Jillian covers a wide variety of strength training exercises and provides instructions and photos showing exactly how to perform these exercises. Included in this section is a 12 week program for the reader to follow.
All in all I really liked her book. All beginners or even those that would like to pick up and extra tip or two should give it a read. Jillian covers all the basics and a little more then some weight loss books in that she also covers doing the 'internal work' before beginning a weight loss program.
Between the internal work, the science of weight loss, the sweat part you need to do and going over basic anatomy tips this book has a little bit of everything.
Book Review: Not like ANY other!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book WILL change your life! It doesn't matter if you have 20 pounds or 200 pounds to lose. This book, with Jillian's, NO BS attitude is nothing short of phenomenal! I bought it for all the people who are important in my life!Book Review: Jillian Michaels Turning Losers Into Winners
Summary: 5 Stars
When you get to help people make life-altering changes in their life week after week in front of millions of television viewers, there is undoubtedly a sense of pride and accomplishment that goes along with that. For Jillian Roberts, that is only the beginning of the reward she gets to enjoy as she helps people overcome their weight loss struggles and start to believe in themselves in her new book called Winning By Losing.
As one of two personal trainers on the hit NBC television reality show "The Biggest Loser" (read my review of "The Biggest Loser" book and my exclusive interview with the show's other trainer, Bob Harper, at LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com), Michaels is known as a tough cookie who doesn't tolerate whining and complaining when it comes to getting healthy. That same vigor and bullheaded resolve is on full display in Winning By Losing.
Michaels is a contrast in style within herself inasmuch as she comes across as a bully with a boorish attitude on the one hand and then can be as a kind, gentle sister encouraging and cheering you on the next. You never really know which Jillian you're gonna get, but that's what makes her so effective in what she does as a motivator and life coach for the contestants on "The Biggest Loser." She takes those same qualities and writes them down in Winning By Losing in an easily communicated message of hope for anyone desiring lasting weight loss and excellent overall health in her new book.
Winning By Losing uses a "triple threat approach to total health" by focusing on three specific areas: Self, Science, and Sweat.
In the Self section, Michaels says people need to get real about losing weight, make the necessary changes emotionally and mentally to do it for real this time, and begin creating healthy eating habits that will help them for the rest of their life.
In the Science section, she explains how your body loses weight, how your metabolism works, which carbs and fats are good for you and bad for you, carefully reading food labels, and tips for eating right at home and when eating out.
Finally, in the Sweat section, what would you expect from Jillian Michaels? Move, baby, move! She details the basic anatomy of the human body and why we need good cardio workouts on a regular basis for the rest of our lives to get and stay healthy.
Michaels is quick to point out that Winning By Losing is not about "instant gratification" or even losing weight by only investing only "eight minutes in the morning" (oh, I knew I loved Jillian, but her slam on Jorge Cruise just makes my day! YOU GO GIRL!). Instead she says if you are willing to invest a little hard work into making this happen, then you will be capable of accomplishing anything you want.
As a 180+ pound weight loss success, I can vouch for the fact that your confidence in what you do increases exponentially after shedding that much weight. People who have never struggled with their weight can never understand the freedom and power that comes from taking back control of your life even after you think there was no hope left for you. Jillian will tell you that coming to the realization that you have a weight problem and then pro-actively dealing with it is the ultimate key to changing your life forever (you can read more about my weight loss success story in my book "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb").
I know she has talks about this a lot on "The Biggest Loser" show, but Michaels has not always had the beautifully sculpted body you see on the front cover of Winning By Losing. She recalls painful memories of being overweight that led to a lot of "emotional baggage" that could have devasted her life forever. But thanks in part to martial arts, she was able to channel that negative energy she carried around and transform it into the vibrant and enthusiastic person she has become today.
Winning By Losing encompasses Michael's sincere desire to help people help themselves with whatever struggle they may be having. If someone is carrying around 100 pounds of extra weight that they don't need, then her book can help them realize that they are not destined to stay there if they are willing to make the necessary changes in their own life to bring about lasting results that will literally change their life forever. Allow her to pull out that fire-breathing animal inside of you just begging to get your body into tip-top shape.
Jillian Michaels is literally turning big losers (of weight, that is!) into big winners in life! She can help you, too!
Book Review: Jillian Tells It Like It Is
Summary: 5 Stars
Jillian Michaels, the tough-talking personal trainer of the Red Team on "The Biggest Loser", brings her no-nonsense personality to this diet and exercise book. Not another "just eat less and move more" tome, Jillian actually acknowledges that there is an individual approach to losing weight, and that no correct way will work for everyone.
I have watched both seasons of The Biggest Loser, and I thought of Jillian as an abrasive woman who never had a weight problem in her life. I thought that she was tough on her "clients" because she looked down on them for being overweight. After reading her book, I have changed my opinion.
In the first section of the book that focuses on Self, Jillian states that she had a weight problem that had emotional roots (like mine), and that she had to value herself first, and then loose weight. In the next section, Science, Jillian demonstrates how to "crunch the numbers" to help us understand how our body works in relation to weight loss. Next, she goes on to explain the different ways that we process foods. Using this information, we can tailor a diet to suit our bodies. I learned that I was a "slow oxidizer", which means that I need 65% carbs, 25% protein, and 15% fat. This explained why I could never loose weight on Atkins (no low-carb craze for me). In the last section, Sweat, Jillian gives us the benefits of exercise as well as descriptions of various exercises (weight lifting).
This book is great, and not another typical weight-loss book. Utilizing common sense, knowledge, and, perhaps most importantly, a no-gimmick point of view, Jillian explains, encourages, and talks tough when she has to.
Keep telling it like is, Jillian. And thanks.