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Good Information, But Not for Everyone THE GOOD: I liked how this book gave valuable information on how different foods interact with digestion and metabolism. The eating plan is well-balanced and doesn't starve you from any particular food (carbs, fat, etc.), but it does emphasize lean meats, dairy & whey powder, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, and whole grains. It also provides great info on the scientific reasons why such manmade foods as transfats and high-fructose corn syrup are bad for you. They describe how most of calorie burn takes place not during the workouts, but from a higher metabolism as a result of workouts (increased muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat). They advise eating six smaller meals a day -- three medium-size meals and three snacks (such as an apple and handful of nuts) -- because your metabolism slows when you starve yourself during the day. How a high-protein diet is needed to repair and build muscle, and also increases metabolism (the authors suggest eating protein-rich foods before and after workouts, otherwise the body begins depleting muscles for their protein; I tried this and it seems to work, increasing my strength and muscle tone from my workouts). THE BAD: As others have mentioned, the writers base a lot of their philosophy on fairly recent studies of nutrition and health, but as everyone knows these studies are often contradicted and refuted. One of the biggest problems I had with the diet was its emphasis on dairy products and protein shakes (with whey powder, skim milk, bananas, berries, etc.). Although they were satisfying and filling, the shakes tended to me feel bloated (perhaps this is because of my mild lactose intolerance). The shakes also slowed my digestion to a glacial pace leading to constipation (sorry to get graphic, but it's true). I finally had to cut back on the protein powder and add fresh oranges to the shakes to add roughage. Note: Don't overuse whey powder because in excessive amounts it can overtax your liver and kidneys. Overall, I thought this book was valuable (for me, the explanation of how protein is connected to an increased metabolism -- how eating it before and after workouts aids muscle growth -- was worth the price of the book). I also appreciated the easy recipes and explanations on which foods are good for metabolism, weight loss, lowering cholesterol, etc. I'd just caution that the diet probably isn't for everyone in totality; you should definitely pick and choose what works for you and discard the rest.