Forever Fat Loss by Ari Whitten
Link to buy Forever Fat Loss: Escape the Low Calorie and Low Carb Diet Traps and Achieve Effortless and Permanent Fat Loss by Working with Your Biology Instead of Against It
Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
You know you've read a good book when you finish it and have
a list of people you want to pass it along to. But you also know you've read a
good book when you don't want to lend it out because you might not get it back.
Such is the dilemma you'll face with Forever Fat Loss.
Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for the zillions of health and
diet books that promise easy, quick, permanent, fool-proof results. Sadly,
those promises never pan out. Sure, if you can completely avoid carbs or fats,
or slash your caloric intake, you'll probably lose some weight. Or pass out
during your wedding. Or die. Whatever. Those promises are unrealistic for most
people with a normal amount of willpower, and they're potentially unhealthy. What
to do?
Enter Forever Fat Loss. Author Ari Whitten had me at hello
when he said people can eat as much as they want and shouldn't waste their
lives at the gym. It's interesting advice from a personal trainer, but who's
judging? He says that diets of all sorts, including low carb, low calorie, and
low fat, are doomed to failure in the long run because they don't work in
concert with the body.
This book points out that a key reason so many Americans are
overweight is because of the typical American diet of processed foods. Laboratories
are devoted to adding just the right chemicals to processed foods in order to
make them unnaturally irresistible and pleasurable. This, in turn, encourages
us to overeat.
Whitten has specific, clear guidelines to fix the problem.
First and foremost, avoid processed foods. Eat simple, whole foods. Don't buy a
milkshake at a fast food restaurant where most of the ingredients came from a lab.
Want a shake? No problem. Toss organic yogurt, raw honey, and actual frozen
berries into a blender. Sounds pretty good.
The book has a number of other guidelines designed to re-set
your body to the weight it's supposed to be. Unlike what's found in most diet
books, almost all of these seem both sensible and manageable. The only
questionable one was his restriction on nuts, seeds, and legumes. He offered
some rationale behind it, but it wasn't compelling. The guidelines state that
people can eat some of these items if they really want to, but Whitten
recommends limiting them. He advocates eating substantial protein in the form
of meat and eggs, but since the environment would be healthier if humans ate
less meat, my diet will continue to include unsalted nuts, seeds, and beans.
That's one of the advantages of this book, though. It doesn't say "You get
only 1500 calories per day!" or "No carbs!" Instead, it's all
about listening to what your body is telling you. And my body is telling me to
eat almonds.
Overall, this is an excellent book whether you're looking to
lose weight or just embark on a healthier lifestyle. It's written in a simple,
clear style with easy-to-follow guidelines and even some sample meals that show
how "normal" a diet can be without processed foods. Now go make
yourself a healthy milkshake and settle in with a copy of this book.
Reviewed by Peter
