Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Weight Loss That Lasts was published last year and I saw it on the shelves in bookstores, at Amazon and at Weight Watchers. I picked it up because I always like a little extra boost of inspiration. How did this book do? Did it inspire me to live healthier?

What’s Good About This Book:

This book talks about ten myths that hold people back:

• You can’t lose weight and keep it off.
• A few extra pounds don’t matter.
• Willpower is the key to successful weight loss.
• You can lose weight with exercise alone.
• Calories don’t matter – avoid fats or carbs to lose weight successfully.
• You can’t lose weight if you have the wrong metabolism or genes.
• You can boost your metabolism by what, how, and when you eat.
• It doesn’t matter how you take the weight off; you can think about keeping it off later.
• There is only one right approach to losing weight.
• Your weight is your problem and you need to solve it on your own.

Some of these “myths” are a bit of stretch, but I would seriously recommend this book to the fat acceptance people who insist that “Diets Don’t Work” and say that there is no way for them to get thinner than they are. This book has the scientific backup with over 14 pages of sources to the medical studies cited in the book. Unlike some books that spout ideas without proof, this book gives you the actual studies to which it is referring when it states a fact.

What’s Not So Good About This Book:

I think this book overdoes it on the scare tactics. The author is very careful to only state that obesity correlates with disease instead of causing it, but after that, goes on a long tirade about the devastating effects of each disease. It made the book feel a little like a propaganda piece to me. Dr. Rippe is very careful to tell the truth, but then keeps beating you over the head with it until you just want to say, “Okay, shut up about the diseases already!”

Should I Buy This Book?

If you have ever thought that you can’t lose weight because you come from a fat family, you should buy this book. If you have every blamed your inability to follow through on a diet with lack of willpower, you should buy this book. Sure, you’re going to get hit over the head with scare tactics about disease, but that might inspiration enough to get yourself to a healthy weight.