The 7 Principles of Fat Burning: Get Healthy, Lose Weight and Keep It Off!

I was really excited to be able to review Dr Berg's book, `The 7 Principles of Fat Burning'. One sentence on the front cover of the book is what had me really excited. It reads, `Ignite your fat-burning hormones with a tailor-made eating and exercise plan that's right for your body type.' The 4 different body types in the book are: Adrenal Type, Ovary Type, Thyroid Type and the Liver Type.

Dr Berg says something in the book that threw me a little bit, but makes perfect sense. He says, "You have to get healthy first so your body will lose weight naturally." I have always heard it the other way around, that you have to lose weight to become healthy.

Dr Bergs approach is different also in that he says that your weight is just a symptom of the problem. You first need to know what controls your metabolism, which is hormones. In this book he teaches you how to use your hormones to work in your favor, instead of against you.

The 7 Principles of Fat Burning are:

There are Four Different Body Shapes, Each Influenced by Hormones
Calories Are Insignificant Compared to Fat-Burning Hormones (I have always been told it's the other way around)
You Have to Be Healthy Before You Can Lose Weight
Environmental Hormones and Chemicals Mimic Your Hormones
You Have to Heal Your Glands and Hormones to KEEP the Weight Off
Fat-Burning and Fat-Storing Hormones Have Their Own Triggers
Incorrect Exercise Prevents Fat Burning

Everyone starts with step one, which is the Liver Enhancement step (detoxification, cleansing, healing process), and should be done for about 2 weeks. My husband and I have been following this plan for 4 days now, and I like the way it is making me feel. Well, let me be truthful, having to stop drinking coffee is killing me! I started mixing my regular coffee with decaf, and I will be completely off caffeine in a few more days. That is the only problem I have had so far on this step.

On the Liver Enhancement step your supposed to drink three 8oz cranberry drinks, which is a mixture of spring water, unsweetened cranberry juice, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. I know some people dislike bitter and sour tasting foods and drinks. The funny thing is that I love lemon and vinegar, so this was easy for me to drink.

This step also consist entirely of eating raw or steamed veggies, fruits (you can have only an amount equal to one-third of the total vegetebles that you eat). You can also eat as many apples as you would like! I happen to love apples with a little peanut butter. You can add a little protein (fish or eggs) if you are feeling fatigue or dizziness in the first 3 days. My husband had to add eggs, but I did just fine without it. You can also eat a variety of nuts and beans.

You may think that you can not possibly eat just raw or steamed vegetables, but there are a whole slew of veggies and fruits you can eat and some that you can not and they are listed in the book. One of the vegetables that I have discovered that I like is Kale. Kale is great for salads and making a green, healthy drink (which drinking 3 kale drinks a day is part of the liver enhancement).

On this step you can not consume anything that contains sugar or hidden sugars or any breads at all, dairy (besides low fat yogurt, a little butter and low fat cheese). After completing this step you would move on to the plan that fits your body type. We haven't go this far yet, but I know that me and my husband have different body types so we will have to do a little adjusting with our meal plans. Surely we will survive though. If I can get off coffee, I can do anything!

Dr Berg gives you tips for exercise, recipes for meal plans and tips to stay on your diet (or new life style). He doesn't just give you all of the information and say you figure the rest out! I recommend this book to anyone looking to get healthy or lose weight the healthy way. Just the Liver Enhancement step alone makes this book valuable to me.

*I was given a copy of this book by the author to review, and I was in no way obligated to give a good review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Eric Berg and I share some similar results from this book, him with his patients and me with myself. Following similar principles, I used to be over 117kgs and am now a competitive bodybuilder representing New Zealand at 85kgs. The accusations fat has from the mainstream media is all crushed and the "so called" healthy wholegrain are given the respect they deserve.

Using the symptoms provided from the book, you can actually "Diagnose" issues you may have had in the past or even in the present. There is the usual disclaimer in the book about diagnosis, however, I believe this to be the most informative book regarding healthy habits and clear but info that makes perfect sense. I recommend this to anyone who is tired of all the fad diets and truly gruesome exercise. Knowledge is power and this book delivers.

Dr Berg is a delight. I first saw him on YouTube and he has so much knowledge about the way the body works that I ordered the book to learn more. His writing style is easy and I am impressed with his suggestions.