The Complete Fit or Fat(r) Book: The Phenomenal Program That Successfully Guides You from Fatness to Fitness

This volume combines four Covert Bailey's best selling titles: "The new fit or fat", "The fit or fat woman", "The fit or fat target diet", and "Fit or fat target recipes". These books give practical advice on exercise, training and diet, and it does so using a clear way and with a great sense of humor. A complete package that even includes a recipe collection to lose weight and stay fit. When I bought this and a couple of other books, about six years ago, I was looking for an introductory reference on aerobic training, fat burning, and on the use of heart rate monitors for general fitness improvements, and wasn't disappointed at all, since what I learned really worked out for me: Armed with a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (the old M61) I was able to drop more than 200 lbs in about eight months, and the heart rate monitor training has helped me keep those lbs off for over six years. Not only I went fro size 44 to size 32 pants, but also obtained substantial benefits that included weight control, cardiovascular improvements, lowered blood pressure, and improved muscular-skeletal strength and flexibility, but also the myriad of mental and psychological benefits derived from being in the best shape of my life. I especially like the chapter about measuring your own Fat and Fitness. The formula to estimate Body Fat Percentage is very useful if you don't have a Body Fat Scale or Monitor at Home. I used the formula, and other data that I found on several books to set-up an excel spreadsheet to monitor my progress, which gave me motivation to keep training smarter. In short terms, based on my experience I can recommend this book, and it's a great reading as well. Another tools you may want to consider, to complement this book and your strategies for boosting your metabolism, loosing weight, and even more important keeping that weight off are: - A Body Fat Monitor or Scale. This will help you monitor your progress, to assure that the weight you are loosing is fat (fat lost = increased metabolism) and not muscle, water or bone mass (decreased metabolism). - "Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss", which is another very practical, readable and insightful book, focused on how to boost your metabolism. - "The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life". - A Heart Rate Monitor Wrist Watch. This is an excellent tool that will help you monitor and control your Heart Rate in order to keep yourself in a burning fat state (increased metabolism). - "The Hard Body Guide". Excellent strategies, programs and workouts, aimed to increase your muscle mass. If you are focused only on your diet, the first three may be worth considering. If you exercise, or want to start doing it right, the last two are for you. If you do both, all the four recommended options can improve your results.