If your experience is like ours, you had great intentions around January first when you made a resolution, bought a gym membership, and started thinking about getting fitted for a new suit in a few months. But now it’s February and those intentions are starting to look a little foolhardy.
That’s okay. Whether your goal is weight loss or just better all-round health, what you really need is more information. Pick up one of these books, adjust your plan, and you’ll be in a better position in six months.
Always Hungry?
Like a science-based approach to health? Cringe a little every time your well-meaning relatives quote the Food Babe? Yeah, us too. That’s why we like David Ludwig (MD, PhD) and his book Always Hungry? ($30). Ludwig is an endocrinologist, which is someone who treats diseases related to hormones and the endocrine system. This book is about how the endocrine system affects hunger, and more helpfully, how to use hormonal changes to your advantage when dieting. It includes a three-phase plan towards weight loss, dozens of testimonials, and a section of recipes at the end.
Who should read this book: anyone who needs to understand the theory behind something to make it work, people who want a fully-realised plan, people not afraid of cooking at home.
The Soup Cleanse
Full disclosure: we don’t really buy into the idea of cleanses. If there are toxins in our system, they’ll probably just hang out until they can cause cancer, and we doubt that soup will stop that from happening. That said, the Soup Cleanse ($15) is a pretty good book for the following reasons. One, soup is tasty. Two, it’s pretty healthy, what with all the vitamins, minerals, and fibre in vegetables. Three, it’s an easy way to get more servings of vegetables, which, if we’re being honest, has always been a problem with us. Four, this stuff is easy to make and even easier to freeze in portion-sized cups. And five, even if every single health claim The Soup Cleanse makes is BS, we still doubt that soup is bad for you. Plus there’s a pretty great pumpkin miso recipe.
Who should read this book: Vegetarians or people trying to cut back on meat, people who need easy recipes that are scalable and freeze well, and commuters.
Thinner In Thirty
Thinner in Thirty ($30) is the result of an apparently famous 30-day fitness challenge from the Today Show. We say ‘apparently’ because we can’t really imagine watching the Today Show, but whatever. It’s a pretty good book for a few reasons, but the big one is that it doesn’t rely on someone making a huge life change. Instead, author Jenna Wolfe asks to you make lots of small changes over a gradual period of time. Specifically, she’s asking that you make thirty small changes over thirty days, and if you do them, you’ll be healthier and start losing weight. Most of it is stuff you’ve heard before—drink more water, keep a food diary, eat more fibre, and so one. What’s different is she gives you little tips and tricks to get it done and portions it over time so that none of these goals seem insurmountable. Motivation is the biggest problem people have when it comes to weight loss, so she addresses motivation.
Who should read this book: People who want a simple plan, people who want more lifestyle changes beyond a food list, people willing to make gradual changes.
