Thinner This Year: A Younger Next Year Book

This is an excellent book. I'm reading it just about a year after suffering a pulmonary embolism. My diet improved after that, but reading this book made me realize (a) there's still lots of room for improvement, and (b) I still need to exercise a lot more.

It is NOT NOT NOT a diet or exercise "fad" book. I have two degrees from MIT, have significant understanding of science and personal experience with at least one of the discussed health issues. And I'm an old, experienced skeptic. If this book was a fad, or magic bullet, or "this one thing (wheat, gluten, carbs, whatever) is your problem" book, then I wouldn't have gotten past Chapter One, and I certainly wouldn't be giving it five stars.

Jen Sacheck's chapters are PERFECT: no-nonsense, kick-your-butt reality. She rightly includes a lot of scary realities about what excess sugar and fat do to your body, especially long-term: in terms of heart disease, cardio-vascular problems in general (incl. pulmonary embolisms, stroke...), diabetes, increased cancer risks... At the same time, she does NOT devolve into nonsense, and is not shy about criticizing sacred-cow fads, like the tendency to take the need for SOME people with celiac disease to avoid gluten, to then wrongly demonizing gluten altogether, for everyone. Instead, she lists foods to generally avoid (and explains why), and foods that she generally encourages (and why). And she explains that individuals will probably need to personalize (for instance, I get migraines, and need to avoid foods that are personal triggers). And she explains the need to vary and balance. There is no religion. It's reality, TOUGH reality when needed (and boy do most Americans need tough reality), and sensibility without extremes.

Chris' chapters are definitely entertaining and a good break from Jen's depth, and his chapters provide good context as to why you should be doing all this. And not just the nutrition. His chapters provide good examples of how exercise integrated into life not only provides health benefits, but also enriches it. ...as do his descriptions of his meals, parties, etc. with his wife and friends. And the exercise chapters are also great, because they make the book holistic.

And that's important, because: that's the point. Diet and exercise. Now and forever.

And the point is to make you wake up (if not scare the hell out of you) - which you should be grateful for, if you need to be "scared straight"; I know, because almost dying of a pulmonary embolism?? Improving my diet and exercising more are HEAVEN in comparison to that.

There are things about this book I liked and then there are things that I just can't relate to at all. Some things I wholly disagree with. And one comment in particular was horrifying.

"The worst and most sinister organization in the country is not the Ku Klx Klan or the American Nazi Party. It is the Clean Plate Club. And your own precious mother is the driving force behind your chapter." Uh really? I wanted to throw up when I read that comment. Did they not have an editor?

I did like the plain spoken way the book is written. There is nothing new here. Nutrition and exercise are the keys to health and fitness and weight loss and all the good things in life, yada yada blah blah. The thing that is great is the details Jen gives about your cells and what certain foods do to them. She tells you point blank that your body can turn into a horror show if you abuse it which is true.

The main reason I gave it 2 stars is because there is so much in there that just does not pertain to the majority of "normal" people living their lives. Chris is funny. He's personable. He's fun to read. But he also has all the time and money in the world. He owns an apartment here, a house there, entertains regularly. He is older and he has a ton of money, so he can pay for expensive trainers, exclusive clubs. He lives in an area where he can throw his boat into the car and go rowing on a gorgeous lake in the morning. He is not in the season of life where you have kids and job and fast paced life to contend with. He obviously has a heck of a lot more money than your average person, too.

So when he goes on and on about training for all these races, and riding in the idyllic countryside before he heads home to a leisurely breakfast, I'm like uh... yeah right. In about 20 years when my kids are grown buddy. But then probably not because there's those pesky things called jobs and life that is not one of a rich old guy.

I know he can only write from his own experience, but it would have been nice if they tempered the book with a third perspective of someone who lives like like the rest of us. Someone who is juggling kids, soccer practice, dance class, work and trying to get their exercise in. Even someone whose kids are grown, but they still work a lot and dont' have all those resources.

The other thing is, that Jen seems like someone who has always been blessed with great health. She goes off about how supplements are evil and you shouldn't even take vitamins unless you have lab tests, blah blah blah. I live with chronic illness and supplements literally allow me to function normally everyday. Yes I am under a doctor's supervision, but really you aren't going to hurt yourself with most over the counter supplements and you just might do yourself a world of good. My chronic illness CAUSED my weight gain, not the other way around. I used to be an athlete until I got so sick and I've spent years trying to manage my sickness and get back in shape. It would be nice to see someone's schedule who leads a regular life making it work.

She also seems like a real... insert word here that starts with B and means unpleasant woman. I think she is someone I would run screaming from with my hair on fire if I met her in real life. She's sort of horrible and scary.

We live in a toxic environment for which there is NO historical precedent in all of human history. No generation of people has been exposed to this many artificial chemicals and pollutants and it is taking its toll on the human race. Studies over and over again have shown that our soils are often depleted, our food contains less nutrients than it did years ago, wheat has more gluten and less nutrients even if it's whole wheat because of genetic modification. You will be hard pressed to get everything you need in your diet without at least a multivitamin even if you eat really healthy. In this day and age, you probably need at least a few supplements. To discount them entirely is SO irresponsible of her.

In many ways it just made me feel bad or irritated. I would love to have all sorts of money being a retired big shot lawyer and be able to go rowing early in the morning, come home to a leisurely breakfast on my veranda, and enjoy the chirping of birds as I ponder the next race I'm going to enter and which expensive trainer I'm going to work out with next week. But that's not reality for most people. Maybe if I win the lottery.

Took me over a year from the time I started this book to finish it. It’s the sequel to probably my favorite book on fitness “Younger Next Year”, which I highly recommend. This book took a long time to get through because it bogged down a lot for me, and I kept losing interest. Still some very good information here. Same basic premise as last book - exercise forty-five to sixty minutes a day, six days a week for the rest of your life. Eat healthy. Have a purpose and stay involved with others. Get “Younger Next Year” (there’s a special edition of that book for women, too) instead of this book. If you want a decent workout routine and some supplemental info, this book could also be helpful. Also includes some specifics on what to eat (or not to eat) as well. Both books geared to the “over fifty” crowd.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Both authors have a unique perspective and I believe together their “voices” balance each other. One of the authors is a lay person and the other an expert who doesn’t mince words. After reading this, you will think that fast food and junk food companies are criminal and you won’t want to eat it. Seriously. You will understand why that is and why it’s so important to eat right. This book will remind you of all of the things that you learned in health class about what to eat and why exercise is important, but it also gives you the biology (the “WHY”) behind it (how Vitamin D and calcium work together and why you need both, how the brain needs carbs, etc.) Once you understand that, it is so much easier to make healthy choices and to say no to junk—-I promise you that. I actually suggested this to my doctor for patients looking to lose weight and eat better and bought copies for my dad and mother-in-law. Knowledge is power.

Love Chris Crowleys writing.. Jen Sacheck, PhD is dry, dull and tells you things you already know or don’t need to know. Exercise section is comprehensive but not special. Most gyms or at home workout plans are as good, nothing special. VIP this book has all the exercises and the nutrition advise so don’t buy the exercise only book; it is the same exercises and info.

If you need to get going, this is the book. It's never too late.

Great book with lots of specific guidance on how to change your behavior so that you can get to the "right" weight for you and stay there. I found the explanation of how the body works, the "science", to be be really enlightening. Knowing the how and the why make it easy to understand the importance and make the commitment. It is written in an easy to read style. I highly recommend it for anyone interested living a "healthy" life.

I already knew the information in this book. Was hoping for something "new". Nothing here I didn't already know. .

No fads here, no get skinny quick, and no nonsense. The best explanation of how ones body utilizes food and how to make the best choices in putting together a healthy way to eat.