Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm surprised this book has as many 5 star reviews as it does. It does not deserve them. It does a poor job at what it sets out to do - provide an easy to follow guide to losing weight and gaining lean muscle. As many reviewers have noted, the book does some things well, and others poorly. It seems to be roughly organized into 3 parts - Motivation, nutrition and diet, and exercise. The first section - motivation - is largely devoid of actual information, although could be helpful for someone who needs to be told how easy the book's plan is - repeatedly - and how quickly they will see definite results if the plan is followed exactly. This section has two major flaws: The first is that the plan is not an easy plan at all. It IS a GOOD plan, but to bill a plan that requires EXACT meal planning, careful calorie counting, careful attention to the proportion of each meal that comprises fat, carbs, and protein, and rigorous discipline, as an EASY plan is simply inaccurate for anyone with a demanding career or home-life. It appears the author is looking at the demands his plan makes from the perspective of someone whose job is to be a fitness professional - not someone who has other responsibilities. (Incidentally, there is nothing wrong with a challenging plan - but this one will not work well for someone who cannot devote substantial attention to it.) The second flaw is that Mr. Matthews spends a great deal of time addressing how dietary supplements are unnecessary but spends an equal amount of time pointing people to the (numerous) specific products he uses. A quote from his "The Bottom Line" section, "Stick to protein supplements, a pre-workout drink, creatine, glutamine, a multi-vitamin, and throw in CLA and green tea extract if you're cutting, and you'll be supplementing the smart way". While these two positions aren't explicitly contradictory, they grate in a way that hurts Matthews' credibility. Matthews' credibility is also damaged as he comes off as somewhat arrogant, or holier-than-thou in that he spends far too much time being appalled that there are professionals with opinions different than his own, or people that actually drink (GASP) tap water. The author is clearly a man who is obsessive/compulsive about his diet and activity. If you cannot afford to be similarly obsessive/compulsive, this book will be little practical use to you. The second section of the book relates to diet, and is a decent rough description of the concepts - many of them widely accepted - behind how to eat healthier for weight loss and muscle gain. What is missing here, unfortunately, is any sort of specific plan. Matthews proposes nutrition breakdowns, but does not provide much in the way of helpful information on what foods should comprise the nutrition. He does point out that the reader could buy another book of his if they are interested in this information. That would be forgivable except that the information is CRITICAL to adopting the very plan this book puts forth. The reader is left with the choice of seeking out a more comprehensive book in addition to this one, or doing a substantial amount of independent research just to be able to follow through the dietary plan this book proposes. The last section of the book has a basic weight-lifting regimen. Only three exercises are actually described in detail, with diagrams used sparingly. Other exercises are referred to only by name and Matthews recommends the reader to an outside web source suggesting they go there to watch videos to see how to do them. Again, this is not necessarily horrible, but does cause a reader to wonder if Matthews might be planning a book on Renaissance art that consists only of a suggestion that the reader visit the Louvre. What, exactly, is the reader paying for here? Sadly, a great deal of the book is very broad information that directs the reader to more specific sources - sources which the author will conveniently sell them. Given that the reader has presumably already purchased this book - to get the very information they are being directed to - it is hard not to feel there is little value for money here. As other reviewers have noted, the book is readable, flows well, and is conversational in tone. It is not well organized and would be difficult to use as a reference despite its brevity. Much of the information is easily accessible for free online and that which is not can be characterized as the author's personal experiences and opinions. The information that is here is good - although, again, poorly organized. If you are willing to pay the purchase price for the benefit of having Matthews compile some general information on your behalf, it is worthwhile. You could also save your money and simply spend 3-4 hours reading free material online.