Review - "Fat Loss Troubleshoot"
and "The Metabolic Repair Manual" by Leigh Peele
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Fat Loss Troubleshoot
Book 1 - Fat
Loss Troubleshoot
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
does not 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.
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.
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.
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. But 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.
Leigh was also kind enough
to provide us with a sample video that gives you a good explanation
about measuring food and how it impacts your overall caloric intake.
This can be a HUGE make-or-break thing with fat loss! Definitely
check it out!
Book
2 - The Metabolic Repair Manual
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.
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).
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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