[.ca] 8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way To Start Your Day ... (ISBN 1579544592)

From Amazon.com:
Fitness trainer Jorge Cruise has helped 3 million cyberspace clients lose weight, and now he's headed for your bookshelf with the same goal in mind. In just eight minutes a day, says Cruise, you can drop two pounds of fat per week, change your shape, and gain muscle and energy. His secret formula: an inspirational "wake-up talk," followed by strength training two muscle groups per day, eating according to his "eating card" program, and keeping a journal. For exercise, Cruise presents a varied, 28-day program of illustrated exercises using dumbbells. Why the emphasis on strength training? While aerobics burns calories while you're exercising, adding muscle revs up fat burning at rest by increasing your metabolic rate. Every pound of muscle you gain burns an extra 50 calories per day. You'll look better and feel younger and more energetic, resulting in more activity, burning more calories, he says. Cruise's eating plan emphasizes "good" (omega) fats, complex carbohydrates, high-quality protein (low in saturated fat), and vegetables, with dairy, fruits, and "treats and cravings" in moderation. His "Eating Card System" gives you an allotment of portions from each of the food groups. If you're the kind who likes the regimentation of following a specific program every day, Cruise will get you moving, eating better, and losing weight. --Joan Price

An easy way to incorporate exercise into your life!:
Bottom line: This book worked for me! As a single mother working full time, I have (until now) found it nearly impossible to incorporate regular exercise into my life. Hours in the gym, bulky and expensive equipment, and time constraints are restrictive. This book changed that for me. The exercises are easy to do, take little time or equipment, and are actually very effective! I have lost pounds and inches, and everyone at work compliments me on my progress. I have more energy too! Jorge's exercise plan involves two strength-training exercises daily, and you do four sets of 12 repetitions for each exercise. The only equpiment you need is a set of dumbbells. The total morning routine takes from 8 to 15 minutes, including the brief warmup and stretches afterwards. You roll out of bed, do your exercises for the day, and you're done before you're even fully awake. That's about as easy as it could possibly get---but it works! Jorge's diet plan is basically a low-fat, low-calorie diet. He also stresses the benefits of flax oil. I have used the exercises in his book in conjunction with a low to moderate carbohydrate diet, and that has worked well for me. Your mileage may vary. The book also provides great information about dieting and exercise in general, and gives many good sources to utilize as well. It's easy to read, and well-organized. The personal stories he uses as examples are real people, not supermodels, and I liked that. I highly recommend this book for busy people like me, who aren't fitness junkies but want to incorporate some exercise into their lives.

8 Minutes....uh-huh....sure....:
Well, here's the long and the short of it. This book presents a great, comprehensive meal plan. However, by doing 8 minutes worth of strength training exercises each day of your life, you will not improve your muscle strength substantially. If you do a complete, 20-minute strength training program 3 times a week, combined with 3 days of 30-minute cardiovascular exercise AND follow a well-balanced diet, then AND ONLY THEN will you experience weight loss, improved health, and increased muscle tone and strength. 'Nuff said.

Very well-rounded, easy & it works!:
After reading the other reviews, I was a little skeptical, but the book looked good, and I've seen him on several TV shows and it looked like he knew what he was talking about. My hubby & I have been following the plan for 3 weeks now. We have found the eating plan easy to follow, and much less expensive than other diets, such as Atkins, South Beach, etc. We don't like the taste of the flax oil, so I buy the capsules (whatever brand is on sale that week at our local store). The first maybe 2 days were a little hard, but since then we've had no hunger at all. In fact, we cannot eat all the food we are supposed to! I guess that's the difference between eating healthy food and fatty foods - you get a lot more! For breakfast this morning I had 3 egg whites, a piece of toast, half a grapefruit and a glass of soy milk! You'll find the breakfasts and lunches more than adequate. Dinners are a little small, but come on folks - we wouldn't be buying these books if we didn't eat too darn much! My hubby and I each have about 26 pounds total to lose. So far, he's lost 12 and I've lost 8, and we are very happy. We both have more energy. It follows a common sense, eat less, move more theory. I understand he has changed his eating plan, and the new one will be reflected in an update to the book later this year. We'll stick with this one - it works! It's very well-rounded and the foods are easy to find at our local discount grocery store. Basically, though, you can eat what you want as long as it's a reasonable portion! Whole grains are favored over processed, and sugar is limited, but you get 2 treats a day! This book has absolutely changed our lives for the better.

The Best Exercise Book:
I lost 30 pounds through dieting alone. I added aerobic exercise (step aerobics mainly) five times a week and weight training three times a week and it did absolutely nothing. I've been on a weight loss plateau for two years. Then I picked up this book. I've gone through the cycle once and have already lost three pounds! Don't listen to people who criticize this regimen without having tried it; it really works! And for my mother, who needs to lose over 100 pounds, I bought her Cruise's other book 8 Minutes in the Morning for Real Sizes and after a few weeks she said she could already feel a difference in how her clothes fit her. (As for the diet, I don't recommend it or any other fad diet. Instead, go to a nutritionist who will teach you how to eat a low calorie, healthy, balanced diet.)

Here's what I thought....:
Easy to follow, sensible way to lose weight. I'm not totally sold on the 8 minutes of exercise contributing that much to weight loss, but the diet plan is rock solid. Really like the diet cards too. Other self-help books I like include "The Multifidus Back Pain Solution."