SPEED Reviews
“Get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure, and whatever comes my way! I feel the need, the need for S.P.E.E.D.! It’s not everyday you have the opportunity to get wild and enthusiastic about something like weight loss, but this book from nutrition and fitness experts Jeff Thiboutot and Matt Schoeneberger does just that. Unlike so many other diet books that are out there, this one takes into account a myriad of reasons why weight can go up and down including the biological, psychological and social issues involved. It’s a short book by design and these guys have really done their homework.
With key references from science backing up each chapter of the book, Thiboutot and Schoeneberger methodically go through what they believe are the most essential elements of attaining the weight loss goals you desire. Obvious areas like exercise and diet come into play along with adequate sleep, an environment conducive for producing weight loss, and all the mental aspects of this process that are too often ignored. And for those people who like to have things broken down for them, there’s a convenient “Do this…” section at the beginning of each chapter that outlines exactly what you need to do to implement this strategy into your life in just a few short bullet points.
My primary area of interest is on diet since I was able to shed 180 pounds in 2004 on a nutritional approach that is outside the mainstream of conventional thought, but yet it was incredibly effective for producing weight loss and outstanding health for me. Not surprisingly, I flipped over to Chapter 6 to see what the authors had to say about this and was thrilled by what I saw. They recommend eating real food that is low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat about 2-4 times daily or even every other day with an intermittent fasting strategy to get the weight down. The authors are fully convinced of the science behind low-carb diets and of their long-term safety based on the evidence they have seen in research studies as well as their own clients. I especially enjoyed them taking on the “high-protein” and ketosis concerns that are bantered about by the so-called health “experts” and in media reports about low-carb.
For all you lovers of conventional wisdom, be sure to check out the “Common Weight Loss Myths” chapter where Thiboutot and Schoeneberger take on some of the most embraced concepts about shedding that pounds…that are DEAD WRONG! Topics like a slow metabolism, eating lots of small meals throughout the day, eating late makes you gain weight, doing lots of cardio to lose weight, and so much more. There’s a lot of junk information floating around out there in the minds of people because they’ve been fed this garbage for many years. This book hopes to debunk much of that misinformation.
Although this book is called S.P.E.E.D., don’t think that the authors are promoting a super-duper fast weight loss plan that will shed something crazy like 30 pounds in 30 days off of your body. However, unlike the common notion that weight loss must be slow, they realize that’s not true either. Shedding 3-6 pounds a week is entirely possible on a plan like this and I saw that in my own experience when I weighed over 400 pounds. The weight will come off quickly and then slow down appropriately as your body weight drops. And that’s a beautiful thing! Don’t believe the hype of shows like “The Biggest Loser” which make you think you need to lose double-digits every single week. It’s not realistic to expect that to happen.
A full checklist of things to do is provided for you in this book, including a week’s worth of sample menus, tips, reminders, and workouts. I truly believe if you read this short and concise book (it’ll only take you a couple of hours) and implement the strategies Thiboutot and Schoeneberger share, then you will be well on your way to becoming the healthy and fit person you have always dreamed of being. Their intense focus on evidence-based solutions and not just scientific propaganda is one of the most refreshing things I’ve seen in a long time.
- Jimmy Moore Sept 25, 2009
Okay, so maybe you’ve tried to get your loved ones to read Good Calories, Bad Calories, only to watch them experience brain-lock the first time they see the words lipoprotein lipase.
Hey, it happens. I was a pretty good student, but I was out of school for many years before I could read a chemical name without experiencing unsettling classroom flashbacks — in my case, visions of a stern nun who responded to questions such as “Could you please explain that again?” by shaking her head and staring at the ceiling as if to plead, “Dear Lord, why are you punishing me by enrolling dolts in my class?”
Gary Taubes is working on a more consumer-friendly version of his ground-breaking treatise, which I’m looking forward to reading. But in the meantime, there are some good books out there that offer scientifically sound advice for losing weight and improving your health, minus the heavy-duty science.
I read one this week. Actually, I read it in an afternoon, which is what makes the book worthwhile: it’s a nice little summary of what works and what doesn’t. If your Aunt Martha isn’t willing to read this one, it’s time to just give up.
The book is titled S.P.E.E.D., which is an acronym for Sleep, Psychology, Exercise, Environment and Diet. I’m pretty sure the particular arrangement of the chapters was done on purpose … I mean, they could’ve called it D.E.E.P.S., or P.E.E.D.S., or P.E.D.E.S., but S.P.E.E.D. is easier to remember and more eye-grabbing. And as the authors point out, each chapter stands alone. You could read them in reverse order without losing any comprehension.
The book was written by Jeff Thiboutot and Matt Schoeneberger, personal trainers who between them hold several degrees in fields like nutrition, psychology and exercise science. (See their web site here.) Normally, when I see Bachelor of Science in Nutrition after an author’s name, I start to worry … here comes the brain-dead parroting about the evils of saturated fat and all that. I’m pleased to say, however, that these two have actually done their research. Pretty much everything they state in the book is followed by a string of citations from scientific journals — so if you do enjoy jumping head-first into the science, you can look it up.
And if you don’t, you can still learn what works and what doesn’t when it comes to losing weight. Here are some highlights:
- A lack of sufficient sleep screws up your blood sugar, promotes insulin resistance, and increases your appetite. (As someone who deals with occasional bouts of insomnia, I can attest to the appetite problem.)
- Achieving any goal, including weight loss, requires defining a vision and a specific action plan, then sticking to the plan. The plan should focus on what you can do, not on pre-defined results. (There’s some good advice in this chapter on avoiding negative mental patterns that undermine your success.)
- Exercise alone rarely produces any meaningful weight loss — but the right kind of exercise combined with the right diet does work, and exercise is important for your overall health, fitness and mood.
- A whole-food diet with a minimum of sugar and starch is best for supporting both health and weight loss. Yes, you’ll need to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, but keeping insulin in check by restricting carbohydrates makes the process much easier.
The scientific evidence presented in each chapter is neatly summarized, straightforward, and easy to digest. You’re not going to learn intricate details about biochemistry or metabolic pathways from this book — but again, that’s the point. (Remember Aunt Martha.) You can think of it as a case of “We did the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to.”
And it’s clear that Thiboutot and Schoeneberger know how to separate the good science from the bad. One of my favorite sections of the book is actually an appendix that gives an overview of the Scientific Method and explains the differences among various levels of scientific evidence — or what the authors call The Great, The Good, The Bad and The Absolutely Worthless.
Much of the nutrition reporting that appears the media is based on studies (and I use the term loosely) that fall into the last two categories. More than a few health and nutrition reporters need to read this book … or at least be smacked over the head with it.
But don’t smack Aunt Martha. Just put the book in her hands and hope she reads it.
