Feb
13
Book Review - Ten Years Thinner
Filed Under Review
Ten Years Thinner
First Impression
My first impression of this book was negative. The cover has the obligatory athletic woman on it along with “no gym required” and “6 weeks to a leaner, younger looking you”. These things are usually warning signs of a fad book, something that promises a quick solution and delivers very little in the way of useful content. I said this to my friend and his reply was “that’s the author on the cover and there is actually an exercise program included with this book.” I guess that will teach me to not judge a book by its cover. 
Section 1 - Basic Learning
So I decided to dive in and see what the book held. The first third of the book is devoted to teaching you about your body and what it needs to thrive. I liked what I saw. Ms. Lydon has a tendency to relate everything to muscular cavemen, but other than that, there was a lot of solid information here. I didn’t find it as detailed as YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
This first section really started to win me over, despite my initial bad impression. I like books that don’t just tell you what to do but also explain why you should do it. I think this sort of basic understanding is necessary if you’re going to shape lifelong habits. A lot of the details were a little dumbed down, but that’s ok, people sometimes need dumbed down facts, especially if they’re unfamiliar with the topic. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m the owner of several “for dummies” books.
Some of the highlights for me:
- Good breakdown of fat vs. protein vs. carbs and what each one does
- I liked the fact that the author stayed away from vilifying proteins, fats or carbs. Instead, she described them in detail and talked about which sub types were good or bad and why.
- Details on the chemical make up of various fats
- Specifics on how your body deals with various nutrients
Section 2 - The six week program
The next third of the book is devoted to the author’s program for better health. There are two parts to this program. The first is a nutrition program in which you start with limited options and slowly add more into your diet over the span of six weeks. Ms. Lydon hits all the basics. She has you eliminate refined carbs, sodas, fruit juices, unhealthy fats and tells you to add fruits, vegetables and servings of healthy fats and protein. The program is rigid in that you do have to follow the guidelines but these guidelines are broad enough to provide for an interesting meal plan that is sustainable for six weeks. The author also asks you to go for the usual three meal and two snack routine, which I think is a bit difficult to maintain but still possible.
Overall, the eating plan seems very sound. Not the approach I would have taken, I prefer to slowly eliminate things from my diet if they are unhealthy, but it seems very workable. The first two weeks might be a bit restrictive for some but it’s only for two weeks, so I think it’s doable. My only issue with the eating plan was that it didn’t provide much support for vegetarians, but that’s a personal thing.
There is also a very nice exercise plan included in this section. It’s a simple one focusing on exercises that can be done at home with a minimal set of equipment, but it’s rather complete. All the major muscle groups are exercised and Ms. Lydon picked out exercises that really get the most benefit out of the time spent. There are illustrations for those unfamiliar with the exercises plus options for beginners or advanced readers. The exercise program is two staged with the second stage adding more exercises and upping the difficulty. There is no cardio included but the program is structured so that you increase your heart rate through your weight exercises, sort of like the workout I talked about earlier this week.
Section 3 - Resources
The last section of the book had various resources in it. Everything from forms to fill out that will keep you on track to recipes for good and healthy meals. All useful stuff. I especially liked the part about motivation. There are also parts of this section devoted to how to extend the six week program into something that will last your entire life. This section really rounded out the rest of the book and left me with a very positive impression.
Overall Impressions
Things to like:
- Good basic education on nutrition
- Good basic education on exercise
- Realistic six week program to get you used to healthy habits
- Excellent exercise program for beginners and experts alike
- Information on following up with permanent changes to your life
- Despite the title, the author focuses on health rather than weight loss
Things not to like
- Bad cover (yah, I know, it’s petty, but first impressions do count)
- No support for vegetarians
- The six week eating program may be a bit restrictive.
Buy or Don’t Buy?
As you can see from my overall impressions, there were some good positives and only a few minor negatives. So would I buy this book? Personally, no. I’m already past the stage where I need something like this. However, if you’re just now looking for ways to start fixing up your health and you’re the kind of person who likes a clear plan with guidelines on what to do and not do, then this is a great book for you. The information is solid and the plan looks great. I would recommend picking it up, starting the program and then picking up something like YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
Buy it on Amazon: Ten Years Thinner
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Comments
3 Responses to “Book Review - Ten Years Thinner”
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I saw this book at the bookstore and had the same reaction you did. Being a former marketing person, I can admit that I am even more highly critical of diet/weight loss marketing. Sad thing is that there are lots of good books out there with great content that are just marketed badly ie, cover design, pitch, title….I agree too that YOU the Manual is well written. I like the humor and the “real life” applications.
FYI the “obligatory athletic woman” on the cover is Dr. Christine Lydon LOL She walks the talk 100% and is a very real representation of her healthy eating and activity program. She’s 41 years old and looks FABULOUS! So you are totally right.. great book.. good science, straightforward and totally do-able.
Kim, yah, I had that pointed out to me while I was reading it, I think I mentioned it in my review
And yes, it turned out to be a pretty good book despite my initial (and mistaken) first impression.
Gal