"Fat
Loss Troubleshoot" Review
Book by Leigh Peele
The
title of this book pretty much says it all.
The premise of this book is how to get past the
sticking points of fat loss, be they mental, physical,
nutritional or whatever.
It
doesn't matter if you're male or female, young or
old, Leigh's goal is to help you troubleshoot
why you're not getting results and take you by the
hand so you know EXACTLY what you need to do in
order to GET results.
Because
let's face it
everybody hits a plateau at some
point when it come to losing fat. Its knowing what
to DO when that happens that really determines success.
Leigh
covers plenty of ground in the book, starting with
the basics and moving along to in-depth knowledge.
It's written in a very easy-to-understand, conversational
way so you won't need to have a PhD to decode anything,
which is nice.
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Nutritionwise,
you're going to learn things like
- the TRUTH about carbs
and how they affect your fat loss - what is GOOD about
different types of carbs and what is BAD. Cutting through
the misinformation and confusion about carbs is an extremely
valuable section of this book. You will have no doubts
what carbs will and will not do for you (and TO you).
- common-sense information
about protein, fats and other nutrients necessary for
optimizing fat loss. Knowing how nutrients affect your
body is absolutely critical for success. Leigh does
a great job explaining things in layman's terms.
- how to properly and
most effectively count calories and measure your food
intake. There are some excellent "troubleshoot
case studies" in this section of the book so you
can see how this advice works in the real world.
- why a calorie is NOT
a calorie. All foods are not created equal and relying
on the faulty assumption that you just need a caloric
deficit can really throw a wrench into your results.
- how to use the digestion
rates of various foods and nutrients to maximize fat
loss. It's not about never eating certain foods with
other certain foods - you need to know how fast these
digest AND how to use that information to get where
you want to go.
- if you should take in
pre-workout nutrients to fuel your workouts or if fasted-state
training is better for improving fat use during your
workouts as well as overall calorie-burning. The answer
might surprise but Leigh backs up her opinion with a
study she did on her own clients. Very interesting stuff.
- the secret tricks supermarkets
use to make you shop more and encourage you to buy items
that "appear" healthy but, in truth, are not.
For example, making the outside aisles (where the GOOD
food is kept) colder so that you're encouraged to walk
in the warm, middle aisles where the high-profit items
are.
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Leigh
is also very knowledgeable when it comes to training
for fat loss. The "Troubleshoot" contains
a TON of information on training and exercise as
it relates to fat loss.
The "activity
quiz" included is going to be a real eye-opener.
It'll force you to really be honest about your activity
levels during the day and how you can use that properly
calculate what your true caloric expenditure is.
Leigh
mentions at one point in the book how much of her
success as a troubleshooter actually is a result
of her being able to properly quantify activity
levels and tell people exactly how many calories
they really ARE burning during the day. This is
extremely valuable knowledge, as you can imagine.
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One statement
that really jumped out at me (and if you've read anything
on this site, you'll see why) is this
"The
LAST thing you should be lifting weights for is to lose
fat."
At first glance,
this seems crazy. Think of it this way
lifting weights
shouldn't be done just to burn calories (i.e. the exerciser's
mentality). Lifting weights should be done to build and
maintain muscle mass (i.e. an athletic performance mentality).
Sure, you're
going to burn calories when you train, but that should
be the major goal of your lifting sessions. Leigh and
I are in TOTAL agreement on this point.
Leigh has included
an excellent training program with the "Fat Loss
Troubleshoot" that you can use but is very clear
that you can and should work with other programs that
you find to be effective (insert shameless plug for EDT
here).
If you're an
advanced trainer, the training section is going to be
mostly a review for you. But if you're just starting out,
you're going to get some excellent information on how
to perform exercises and how to put it all together in
an overall program (cardio training and resistance training).
A short supplement
section is also included in the book. Why is it short?
Not due to laziness but because Leigh has chosen to include
only supplements that have been PROVEN effective. Forget
fat-burners and exotic-sounding pills. You're going to
get a good primer on basic supplementation.
Overall,
the "Fat Loss Troubleshoot" is an EXCELLENT
and informative book. If you're having trouble and
hitting plateaus in your fat loss efforts, this is a must-have.
You'll get a LOT out of it.
The information
is excellent and the supplementary bonus material is packed
with good advice.
The
Metabolic Repair Manual - Review
This
book is all about how to take a "broken",
poorly-functioning and essentially fix it!
You're
going to learn what is slowing your metabolism down
and a step-by-step plan to take to address all those
reasons, one by one.
This
isn't something where she has thrown a bunch of
research against the wall and hopes something sticks.
I really like the step-by-step approach Leigh has
taken here.
The detailed
client case studies, which walk you through the
cause-and-effect rationale behind "repairing"
metabolic problems, are very helpful as well.
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And I have
to say, I don't think I've ever heard a better explanation
of why you DO want metabolic problems to be your fault
if
they ARE your fault, you can FIX them.
Leigh also
uses great analogies for explaining exactly how your metabolism
works (the queen bee - thyroid hormone analogy stands
out in particular). It's the kind of explanation that
allows you to really "get it" when it comes
to metabolism.
This type of
understanding is critical to really addressing any metabolic
problems you might be having.
And honestly,
after reading through this book, you are going to have
a TREMENDOUS knowledge of metabolism and how it works.
It's about, as Leigh concludes on the final page, proper
research and common sense. This information is based on
solid science and knowledge of how the body works.
It's a practical,
step-by-step guide to rebuilding your metabolism.
CONCLUSION:
For the price
of this package (you can buy the two books separately
as well), you are going to get a TON of practical, effective
fat-loss information that you can put to work right away.
This
is excellent stuff and DEFINITELY worth the price.
You will know
exactly what you need to do to smash through ANY fat loss
plateaus (yours or your client's, if you're a personal
trainer).
About
The Author
Leigh Peele
is a professional author and trainer who specializes
in fat loss and metabolism damage. Leigh Peele
received her certification from the National
Academy of Sports Medicine in training. She
also has a Nutritional Consultation Certification
and in training Special Populations and Weight
Management.
A nationally
published author in both magazine and online,
Leigh Peele is continually raising the bar
on her ability to achieve fat loss under any
conditions. A leader in research and study
in metabolic behavior and recovery she has
been deemed the Fat Loss Troubleshooter.
Her clients
range from college athletes and professional
fighters to housewives and obese seniors.
She has led those to figure wins and been
the champion to those with personal battles
especially with eating disorders. She is who
you go to when nothing else has worked.
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