Over the last six seasons of The Biggest Loser, you've watched as contestants shed pounds, got healthy, and dramatically changed their lives for the better. In fact, you may have been so inspired by the show’s remarkable success stories that you've considered embarking on your own weight loss journey.
If you're looking to get healthy now, there’s good news: You don't have to spend time at the ranch to benefit from The Biggest Loser magic. THE BIGGEST LOSER: 30 DAY JUMP START brings all of the secrets of the ranch right into your own home. The Biggest Loser experts—the same ones who advise the contestants—are here to walk you through a 30-day plan that will kick off your weight loss and help you build new, healthy habits.
In this book you’ll find easy-to-follow menus, recipes, exercise plans, and motivation for each day of the week. You’ll also find helpful tips and advice from past Biggest Losers who have been in your shoes, including the nine contestants from Season 7 who left the ranch early to follow this very plan at home.
So far, the Biggest Losers have lost more than a combined 10,000 pounds. But for each of them, the journey started with a commitment: to health, to weight loss, and to themselves. The first steps toward a healthier future are in this book—what are you waiting for? Make the commitment, take the leap—and begin your 30 day jump start today!
Plan your life, live your planFebruary 18, 2009 Julie Neal(Sanibel Island, Fla.) 54 out of 55 found this review helpful
This book is 308 pages of pure inspiration. I defy you to look at it and not be moved to live healthier. Basically you'll learn what to eat -- and what NOT to eat -- and how to exercise. If you are familiar with The Biggest Loser reality show on NBC, this book uses the same knowledge and guidelines from the same experts. It is "a 30-day blueprint for improved health, weight loss and a whole new life."
Don't be fooled by the cheesy cover. Inside are nicely designed pages with photographs and lots of color. The food shots, in particular, are beautifully done, and make you want to try the recipes. Advice from TV-show contestants and trainers is sprinkled throughout.
One of the big tips to losing weight and getting fit is being organized; this book follows its own advice. The recipes are easy to follow and the exercises are also accompanied by photos of someone demonstrating the workout.
First you meet some of the Biggest Loser contestants, nine people who had to follow this 30-day plan at home. Each person has a photo, a bio, a quote about why they are ready to lose weight, and a week-by-week diary detailing their progress. Next are chapters introducing the basic tenets of healthy eating and exercising. The guts of the book come next: the "30 days of transformation." Each day tells you exactly what to eat, including recipes, and what your exercise should be, including diagrams.
Recipes include some real winners: Confetti Couscous, Frosty Pumpkin Smoothie, Vanilla Poached Pears and Fish Tacos.
The back of the book gets a little cheesy again, though, as a few pages are devoted to advertising the Biggest Loser product line of books, DVDs, equipment and protein powder.
Here's the chapter list:
1. Ready... Set... Jump!
2. There's No Place Like Home
3. The What, When, and How of Eating
4. Building a Fitness Foundation
5. 30 Days of Transformation
6. Now What?
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Index
NOT Disappointed and Impractical - another Single person's reviewSeptember 8, 2009 Yasha's Mom(MD USA) 30 out of 30 found this review helpful
I love reading the Amazon reviews & always look at the negative ones to see the shortfalls. After two weeks on the diet, this 60 yr old, who spent 2 weeks without cheating on South Beach without dropping a single pound, has lost 13 lbs even though I have been on a plateau for 5 of those days. I'll try to remember to update this at the end of 30 days.
A few responses to "Disappointed and Impractical"'s review, who felt the diet didn't work for a single person because some of the recipes are for a large number of servings:
As a single, I've been been adjusting recipes for years and had zero problems doing so with this book. What recipe book only shows recipes for single portions? Most are for a family of 4. Yes buying for a single can be a problem, but no more for this book than any other one. So I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for years, keeping a soup pot in the fridge and freezing items I don't use.
I did adjust the recipe for some of the soups, and the chili for the number of months I thought I would be on the diet and freezed them. I LIKED the idea, since after the first 30 days, I'll still be eating healthily but with greatly reduced meal preparation time.
And if you don't like something, common sense tells you what to replace it with. One dark leafy green for another, etc, just as they recommend substituting when they talk about the exercising. If you don't like to walk, substitute something you do like, such as an exercise bike or swimming. If you like it, you'll do it.
More importantly first of all, this diet WORKS for me, and the older I get the harder it is to lose weight. Food wise it certainly is well balanced and nutritious. The variety seems to address each craving I have. . Just when I want something crunchy, there are the almonds, or tacos. Just when I want something sweet, there is a peanut butter and sugarless jelly snack. The meals are, in my view, delicious for the most part, and the snacks are timed to keep your blood levels stable so you metabolism doesn't shut down. And I ADORE the way the exercising increases each day. And the daily thoughts are great. Just when I hit my plateau, there was the talk about plateaus. And if I want more insight, I go to the NBC Biggest Loser Website and look in the nutrition blog in the Exclusive section for more information. (the NBC site has lots of helpful hints that are not on the other Biggest Loser websites.
I work out in the early morning to get it out of the way and raise my metabolism for the day. The breakfasts in this book are huge, so if you eat first, you'll have loads of energy to work out. The dinners are on the light side, sort of the way the Europeans eat. I thought that would be hard, but I've had no problems with it so far.
To date this is the best diet book I've ever tried. The one recipe I thought I would not like was the fish tacos and actually they were just great (I used Orange Roughy as a substitute fish).
After 40 years of dieting, I think I've finally faced the fact that diet and exercise is intrinsically intertwined, and that getting in shape MUST involve both. For me this book is the best vehicle I've found to address both factors.
I can't wait until the new Biggest Loser season starts on the 15th. I plan to be right there with them: my and my 30 day jumpstart diet book.
Biggest Loser 30 day Jump StartApril 6, 2009 J. Hammond(Oshkosh, WI) 17 out of 17 found this review helpful
This book was just what I needed to help me commit to a regular exercise regime. I used the menus as a guide for what kinds of food to eat, and how much. The recipes are easy to follow,and most of the food is just ordinary healthy food. At 55, I found the exercises to be challenging, but have completed all 30 days, and am now going back and doing the second two weeks again, only increasing the number of reps and weights. I lost 12 lbs in those 30 days. I highly recommend this book to anyone needing a structured program for exercise. Commit to it, and you will lose!
You To Can Be A Biggest LoserMarch 25, 2009 Kelly J. Jadon(Florida) 7 out of 7 found this review helpful
[...]
From: BasilAndSpice
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life
The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start: Lose Weight, Get in Shape, And Start Living the Biggest Loser Lifestyle Today (Rodale/ Feb 2009) by Cheryl Forberg, Melissa Roberson, Lisa Wheeler, Biggest Loser Cast and Staff
The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start is about more than just television entertainment. The program has been immensely popular because it is an actual visual of weight loss that viewers can relate to, real people achieve real results--a weight loss visual. But what happens after the tv set's turned off?
The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start is the at-home supplement to a weight loss lifestyle. Including photos and stories of Losers who have gotten off the ranch and are now back in their own kitchens, gyms, and neighborhoods, it encourages and plans out for continuous weight loss in the domicile.
The Biggest Loser cast (Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, ect.) provide the reader with tips, tricks, and insight on how they keep the weight loss in motion. "You are going to learn that everything you put in your mouth matters."--Bob Harper
Each of the 30 days is broken into its own individual section and includes:
*An opening page of encouragement by an author
*A jump-start menu plan--breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks, dinner
*Recipes--using regularly available grocery ingredients; states per serving nutritional value; many photos of the recipes. Tastes to try:
* Day 28 Cumin-spiced bulgur and lentils (140 cals, 8g protein, 24g carbs)
* Day 29 Lebanese kebabs (uses bulgur and turkey--190 cals, 21g protein, 12g carbs)
* Day 10 Pesto pizzettas (utilizes ready made polenta--80 cals, 4g protein, 10g carbs)
*A jump-start exercise plan--daily goal, cardio/warmup, strength/mobility and body weight exercise, stretching; differentiates between beginners and advanced participants
*Photos of sample exercises with directions
Other notable sections in The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start focus on how to eat at home and when you're out--in a restaurant. Explanations of protein, whole grains, healthy fats, carbs, calorie counts, and menu planning are important to read.
The beginner will also learn how to assess his fitness level, calculate his target heart rate, make a plan for exercise, and instill workout guidelines.
The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start is a plan, and that's the key word--PLAN. The user must plan out his menu (trips to grocery with list), cook specific meals, and set aside time daily for exercises. And it's a great one. Those who stay in shape do plan what they'll eat, when they'll eat, and do allow for daily exercise. It's all about being conscious about every bite you take. This plan and recipes are wonderful for the whole family as well.
Beyond the book, The Biggest Loser markets a whole array of products. From their Grill and Panini Maker to Biggest Loser Workout Music to designer protein, a listing is included in the back of the book. Coming in 2009--Wii.
5 Stars
Great guide to get startedApril 25, 2009 S. Sullivan(New England USA) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this book for the 30 day by day plans. I also enjoyed that it had the current season's cast. As mentioned in other reviews, the menus are good guides but the ingredients are often used just once in the 30 days and most recipes yield a large number of servings. As many people are the sole dieter in the house or perhaps live alone, it would have been more helpful if they had "serves 1 (or even 2)" sizes and use the other meal on another day's menu. I had to scale down the serving sizes and change the menus to use up the other serving and other ingredients.
What I LOVE about the book is the daily exercise plans. Each day outlines what exercises need to be done with photos to show proper form. There is also a 30 day calendar outlining the progression of exercises. Each day builds on the next so it was a great way to get started from couch potato to exercising regularly.
I enjoyed the pictures and little blurbs from the current cast and where I am currently watching these people each week, it had more meaning to me that comments from contestants from past seasons.
This is a great book for those who need an organized plan to get started on their weight loss journeys. You just need to play with the menus a bit.
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