The Fat-Burning Workout: From Fat to Firm in 24 Days

I am a woman in her 50's who had given up on her body. I purchased this book, took a deep breath and started working out to it. It is easy to follow. It gave me a new body. I was shocked and my husband was in awe. Love this workout. It works when you stick to it and you do see results in 24 days.

Let's face it--an excess of fat will kill you, and there is no denying it. Fat is not healthy. It will cause your body to work harder than it has to simply in order to survive. In this book, Joyce lays it on the line and says things that may not be popular or what we want to hear... but according to the doctors I've had to consult, they're absolutely true. The menu guidelines that Joyce espouses mirror my American Diabetes and American Health Association cookbooks, and the weight training regime does, indeed, boost one's metabolism as well as facilitate lipase transport... Joyce has made practicing good glycemic control easy for me.Twenty-four workout days represents about six to eight weeks of four-day workout cycles, and the proof is in the pudding. Check out the before-and-after success stories in her books and on her website (and even amongst these reviews). These are real people, and every one of them is happier for having changed their lives. And they saw the changes in the time that Joyce said they would.I know my future is definitely brighter than it's ever been. The message I get from Joyce's books is this: revel in your beautiful soul, but take care of the temple it lives in. Be as aware of your physical health as you are of your mental health. This, to me, is not representative of obssession with the Body Beautiful, but an outlook of symmetry and serenity.

In 1993, I was fat, out of shape and somewhat hopeless. I had tried running, stair-stepping, and cycling to little avail. I would lose 5 to 10lbs and while my body was smaller, it really didn't look that much better. I was cardiovascularly fit but physically I seem to have little to show for the hours I spent sweating in the gym. In a desperate search for some real help, I found Joyce's book in a public library. It was a book that profoundly changed my life.For a former couch potato and self-proclaimed nerd, this book was perfect for bringing me quickly up to speed on how to reshape and redesign the body I thought I was stuck with. Joyce described the importance of aerobics, good nutrition, and good form. Plus she made it simple enough to avoid intimidating a person as ignorant about fitness as I was. (Prior to her book, I had believed that if I lost weight once and then stopped working out the weight would never come back)I liked the way she detailed a workable plan that wasn't overwhelming. The cheerful and informative way she wrote the book made it a text I relied on for years. I've loaned this book to friends and occasionally still reread it when I'm in a fitness slump. While I don't believe her claims of Fat to Firm in 24 days, I do believe in her high-rep low-weight superset routine. I now have a definition and shape that my friends (fit long before me)only dream of. Some of it is natural propensity but the other is Vedral's innovative technique.Although it took me longer than her book claimed(I didn't follow the diet exactly) I did lose 30lbs and gained a lovely, symmetrical sturdy shape. I swear by her abdominal routine which defines my serratus lines. My discovery of this book was a turning point in my life and I highly recommend it to anyone who's just starting out with fitness. It gives you an excellent fundamental knowledge and a results-producing plan.

I purchased this book nearly two years ago, on a friend's recommendation and I'm still using it (or any other of Joyce Vedral's weight-training manuals. I started working out in the slow build-up she suggests, but at about the time I start to get discouraged and think nothing will happen (about 4-6 weeks) I noticed two unprecidented benefits - my tension headaches had more than halved in frequency and I could see visible muscle in my arms. After that, continuing improvements in bldy tone over my whole body kept me going. For someone who has never been in the least athletic, it was amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get visibly in shape without a gym or expensive equipment, in less than half and hour a day.

I have tried all sorts of weight training workouts, but this one is the most effective and least boring of them all! By eliminating most of the rests between sets, Joyce Vedral has created a high-intensity muscle-building AND aerobic workout, something most fitness "experts" claim is impossible only because they have never tried the workout in this book! Because of the limited rest times, the workout is over in 20 minutes, instead of the usual 60 minutes for a regular weight-training session. And the results are fabulous! I not only built muscle, I also achieved superior definition, even on particularly troublesome bodyparts for women (ie. back of thighs). Believe it or not, all this can be achieved with minimal equipment (dumbbells and a weight bench) at home! I recommend this book to anyone who wants the maximum results for the minimum of time and money invested!