Is it a book or a commercial?
Written: Jan 21 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Specific information with pictures and a proven track record.
Cons: Expensive supplements required
The Bottom Line: It will work but will require discipline and more money than you may want to put out.
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| armywife's Full Review: Bill Phillips et al - Body for Life: 12 Weeks to M... |
"Body for Life" is not your typical diet book. Written for those losing weight and for those interested in developing a better body, author Bill Phillips presents a very specific and detailed program that is not just another book on nutrition and exercise.
In Body for Life you will find two sections: "Eating for Life" and "Traning for Life" with a specific regimen of working out and eating designed to get you into shape in 12 weeks. The philosophy of this program however goes much beyond 12 weeks. If you adhere to this program and choose its methods you will need to continue with it to keep your results!
Bill Phillips does believe in the "mind/body" connection stating that our "bellies" are also the center of the mind's emotions. He bucks the traditional idea of 3 meals a day and states that your body needs 6 small meals a day rather than 3 large ones. Eating 3 large meals a day encourages the mind to go into "binge mode". According to the author you require far less than what you normally eat in one sitting but you do require to have a food intake at greater intervals. His program will have you eating every 2 1/2 hours and continuing this pattern through the day.
Along with this comes an interesting philosophy on nutrition. If you want to be a tried and true "Body for Lifer" then you need to start viewing yourself as a machine and food as merely fuel. The author certainly believes this and he goes a step further. Have you ever heard the phrase "you are what you eat" ? Bill Phillips believes this...literally. His philosophy states that your body literally recreates itself once a year. The cells degenerate and recreate new cells from the food you eat. So if you eat doughnuts you make new cells out of doughnuts and if you eat protein you make new cells out of protein.
Speaking of protein, be prepared to eat a lot of it. This program calls for more than any other on the market. His nutrition regimen will have you combining small amounts of carbohydrates with proteins and have you drinking 3 protein supplements a day, more specifically a supplement called Myoplex (from his company) which he discusses in the book.
What is Myoplex? Essentially it is a protein supplement that you can use to make shakes or add to recipes you are already making to up the protein content. He recommends 3 doses a day and gives tips on how to add things such as peppermint extract to it to give it a different taste. One drawback to this program is the price of the supplements and they are required for this so there is really no way around it. If you get hooked on the program and feel like trying to get thrifty you may want to substitute myoplex (meal)EAS, betalean hp (fat burner)EAS and betagen (creatine)EAS, with Methoxy Meal by MHP, Thyro-Slim AM/PM by MHP, TRAC by MHP, Meso-Tech by MuscleTech, Hydroxycut by MuscleTech, Cell-Tech by MuscleTech, Pro-MRP by SciFit, Thermal Cuts by SciFit, Cell Fit by SciFit, MET-Rx Drink by Met-Rx or Mass Action by Met-Rx as they are less expensive.
Be prepared to do your share of making menus ahead of time. In order to properly combine your food you will have to think ahead. Eating every 2 1/2 hours is essential so if you work outside the home plan to pack the night before.
The second part of this book is "Training for Life". You will have a strict workout regimen 6 days a week. Weight lifting is a huge component to this program. There are detailed explanations of how to do the weight lifting routines but if you don't buy a home gym plan on buying a gym membership. Again the YMCA can do the job just as well as Bali's so think smart. After all by the time you buy all the protein supplements you will need to lay off the wallet for awhile. Even with a gold card at GNC this can get expensive.
Training for Life will have you in the gym 3 days a week and if you still need more visual support for how to perform the sets you can check out their website at www.bodyforlife.com to download short videos showing both a man and a woman performing them. The whole routine should not take you more than 45 minutes to do. Using his High Point Technique program you will perform each set more intensely each time you do them gaining momentum as you go. You will need to stay disciplined and focus if you want to see progress out of these routines. The other 3 days a week you will perform 20 minutes of an aerobic workout. For many this may seem like a lot less than they usually do. Again weight lifting is the emphasized fitness program in this book.
So just who is Bill Phillips? The publisher of Muscle Media magazine and (*surprise!*) a marketer of nutritional supplements, Bill Phillips came up with the idea for this book when he ran a contest in his magazine called Physical Transformation. By taking an out of shape man and transforming him into a "machine" he began to see that ordinary people might have an interest in his system. He has reached out to the general public through this book in an effort to reach those who would not ordinarily read a bodybuilding magazine.
If you decide this system really interests you then it is important to know that there are other helpful aids to assist you in this endeavor. By visiting the website www.bodyforlife.com and registering for the Body to Life Challenge 2002 you will have access to daily progess logs, success stories, online community of other Body to Lifer's, more menus and recipe ideas, a newsletter, and numerous audio and video clips.
There is no doubt that this program will work. If you adhere to it faithfully you will see the results. The bigger question is --what are your goals and how long are you willing to commit to them?
If you've read any of my other reviews you will know I still happen to prefer Weight Watchers as I believe it provides more flexibility and leeway. I also believe that exercise should be accessible and easy to do. If you prefer not to workout in a gym and do something that fits comfortably into your lifestyle check out my other reviews on Leslie Sansone's walking tapes.
However if you're gung ho about changing your body and getting ready for bikini season you may find this program to work for you. It does read a lot like a large advertisement partly because that is what it truly is....Myoplex is after all his product and you will find yourself paying the piper often for it.
The author is motivating though and specific. He doesn't just give you theories and ideas. He lays out the rules specifically with pictures and details. If you're looking for something to jumpstart your program you may want to look into Body for Life. If you're like me you will take what works for you and incorporate it into what you're already doing. It never hurts to access a wide variety of resources when you're improving your body and your health!
Recommended:
Yes
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armywife
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Location: White Sands Missile Range, NM
Reviews written: 35
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About Me:
Army wife, Stay at home Mom and Graduate student in Professional Counseling.
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