The Last 15 :: Weight Loss

The Last 15
by author HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer

by Dr. Joey Shulman
Wiley, 2008,306 pages, $26.95
isbn 978-0-470-84075-7

Dr. Joey Shulman’s new book, The last 15: a weight loss breakthrough, addresses controlled and permanent weight loss beyond an individual’s plateau point–those hard-to-lose extra pounds that prevent 98 percent of the overweight population from achieving complete, healthy success.

This is a no-nonsense book to debunk all the erroneous dieting strategies of the past. The weight-loss industry, says Shulman, “is not a billion dollar industry because it is working, but because it is not working!” Her plan guides readers toward resetting their metabolic codes in 10 simple steps by approaching weight loss on three important levels: physical, emotional, and psychological.

After a brief explanation of these principles, Shulman immediately engages readers by having them sign a short Health Contract, included in the book. This statement of commitment is a daring and strongly symbolic first step toward responsible, permanent metabolic changes. What follows is a 30-day itinerary for creating changes that can be sustained for successful weight maintenance.

Shulman excels at connecting with her audience, and this book is no exception. Though The last 15 is based on scientific facts, the author’s commitment to her readers’ success ensures an easy flow of information. The book is interspersed with tips, tools, and personal profiles of real people in the process of achieving permanent weight loss. A 30-Day Grocery Cart makes shopping for food much easier, as do the pages dedicated to understanding carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Shulman clearly explains the relationship between stress, hormones, calories, and metabolism. When it comes to hormonal balance, all carbohydrates are not created equal. She writes, “Once you decipher the good from the bad, you will be able to incorporate all types of carbohydrates into your daily diet without gaining weight.”

How to recognize triggers for emotional eating, how to change patterns, and how to practise more mindful eating are some of the important subjects discussed in the book’s last section titled “Keeping it Off.” Here too, we find many helpful recipes to kick-start and maintain a new lifestyle.

With solid backgrounds in nutritional sciences and pharmacology, Joey Shulman and Allison Tannis are passionate and articulate in delivering the information that readers need, in a format that is relevant and usable.

Want More?

Click with these authors online at drjoey.com and allisontannis.com. You can also read more from these authors by visiting alive.com.

HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer enjoys reading, writing, and musing about natural health issues in sunny Victoria, BC.

Source: alive #309, July 2008

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