“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Lao Tzu

About a decade ago, my husband, John, was tipping the scales at 257 lbs.  Despite his height (he’s 6′ 3″), he was borderline obese, and – even worse – had a family history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  He knew he had to deal with the weight, and was taking action, but had a looong way to go.  Needless to state, I was on the lookout for ways to inspire and motivate him to succeed, and – after some searching - I found what looked like the perfect e-book for him.

It was Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.

BFFM was my first introduction to Tom’s writings, and I could not have asked for a better one.  Unlike many other programs, it was a detailed roadmap – not only for getting into shape – but for reaching the next level.  Tom truly is one of those ”teachers” alluded to in the above quote… Unlike many other popular and “fad” diet programs, BFFM provides readers with a template for lifelong fitness and maintenance of their ideal weights.

Nonetheless, it’s not for everyone.  Tom is a successful natural bodybuilder, and BFFM reflects his training and discipline.  While it’s “user-friendly”, it’s also fairly detailed – which is why he saw the need for a simpler program that would be just as effective, but more in tune with the “goals of ordinary ‘real people’”.

That program is The Body Fat Solution. It was written for…

…men and women who are overweight…This book is for the busy working person who doesn’t have all day to spend in the gym or in the kitchen preparing complicated meals.  It was not written for the full-time athlete, bodybuilder, fitness professional, or person with unlimited time to exercise.

The Body Fat Solution is for the layperson who wants simple explanations and practical action strategies to apply in daily life.

“Simple” and “practical” are the words I’d use to describe it, too.  The book is divided into 3 main parts, which cover the fundamentals of successful fat loss.

The first part (”Setting the Stage”) focuses on mental/emotional issues: identifying the beliefs, myths and practices that get in the way of achieving body composition goals.  The four chapters in this section are like a tour through the subconscious mind.  As Tom puts it (p.6):

“You must dig deeper and ask more questions about root causes, questions like:

  • Why is it so hard to balance caloric input with output?
  • What prevents me from eating better and exercising more?
  • Why is it tough to put into practice what I already know?
  • What emotional and psychological factors are blocking me from succeeding?
  • Is my physical or social environment sabotaging me?
  • Could some of the information I’ve believed about exercise be wrong?
  • Was the last diet I tried too complex to apply consistently with success?
  • Was my last diet too extreme to stay on long enough to reach my goals?
  • Was I able to reach my goal but unable to attain it?

When you ask these types of questions, you start to realize that body fat isn’t an isolated issue, but rather it’s a bundle of physical, mental, emotional, and social problems producing a single physical symptom.  Removing body fat is not simply a matter of going on a diet – it’s a much more complex issue, involving every area of your life.”

The subsequent chapters discuss body fat myths (and why they have such staying power); how attitudes/beliefs influence success, and how to break free from emotional eating.

The second part (”The Five Principles”) covers the actual “nuts and bolts” of the program: how to set goals, eat, exercise and enlist support.  Every bit of information here is scientifically valid and eminently practical.  There are no ”superfoods”, supplements, gimmicks, special rituals (such as food separation or “cleansing”) or pseudoscientific explanations here… just solid, usable information that works.   

What sets Tom’s approach apart is it’s flexibility: the basic principles of the program can be adapted to a wide range of personal circumstances.  As he points out (p. 155):

“Many people believe that if they can’t do it all – full-out exercise and diet – they might as well do nothing. My advice: ‘Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are, right now’… If you can’t do a certain type of exercise, do something else. If you can’t do much now, then start slowly and add more later. If you can’t exercise at all, simply restrict your food intake in a sensible manner. It may not be the optimal approach, but you’ll lose weight just the same.”

And does that ever ring true!  To return to the hubby for a moment, this is precisely how he began.  He didn’t try to do it all: he simply worked on establishing a few healthful habits – such as taking brisk walks, drinking more water and eating 5 – 7 servings of vegetables/fruits each day.  Thus, he created a foundation he could build on… and did.  He was able to shed 50 pounds – and keep them off – using the same principles described in Part Two.

If this section describes “what to do”, then Part Three (”Putting It All Together”) describes “how”… how to establish priorities, organize schedules, plan menus, shop, cope with social occasions, track progress, break plateaus and – most importantly – keep the fat off long-term. This section of the book helps readers integrate the knowledge gained in the first two sections into their daily lives.

I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the saying “Plan your work and work your plan.”  This is no less true when it comes to losing fat, and no one knows this better than Tom does.  As he writes (p.229):

“Imagine walking by a construction site and asking one of the workers, ‘Hey what are you guys building?’ A worker replies, ‘I have no idea.” I bet you’ve never heard such a thing because starting to build something without a plan would be pretty silly. But did you ever consider that it’s every bit as silly to set foot in a gym, go grocery shopping, or even sit down at the dinner table without a goal and a written blueprint for your nutrition and training?

…Action without planning is one of the biggest causes of failure.

By now it should be clear that The Body Fat Solution is more than just a diet book… it’s a blueprint for building a lean, active and healthy lifestyle.  Thus, it’s NOT for the person who thinks s/he can simply “take a pill”; “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” or “eat all you want and still lose weight”.  But it’s the perfect book for anyone looking to win the “battle of the bulge” – permanently.

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