TurboCharged

TurboCharged by Dian Griesel, Ph.D. and Tom Griesel

(Summary taken from Press Letter I received with the book) "TurboCharged, a new book by brother and sister co-authors Dian Griesel, Ph.D. and Tom Griesel, outlines a revolutionary 8-step rapid fat loss program requiring no aerobic exercise, supplements or special equipment. After spending 30 years working with scientific researchers while continuously experimenting with various formulas, the Griesels have 'connected the dots' and discovered what they describe as the real secrets to successful dieting and body-defining rapid fat loss, stress management and longevity. Those insights are revealed in TurboCharged, an innovative regimen that the authors and hundreds of others have followed with great success."

This is the first dieting book I have ever read, so I didn't know what to expect. At first I had planned on actually trying the steps and then reporting whether or not I had any success, but then I remembered that I will be reviewing another weight-loss book next month. Needless to say, I don't think I want to be trying all these different ways to lose weight and then reporting my progress to the world. So I'm just going to review the book and maybe throw in a few of my comments.

The book is a very easy read. It is well written and easy to understand. The authors do not go into a lot of scientific detail, but they do give references and other articles you may read if you'd like to. The steps are well laid out and seem easy to follow. It is very different, though, from everything I've ever heard about fat-loss. They do not call it weight loss because they focus on actually losing body fat, not lean muscle. You take your body mass index (BMI) every day rather than just weighing yourself. I like that idea a lot. I like a lot of their ideas, and I guess it would be easy to follow if you were really ready. I'm not ready to give up grains, for instance. Giving up grains (even whole grains) and almost all dairy products seems radical to me. I like their idea of drinking more water and becoming more active. I can't give up exercise, though, because I have a gym membership and don't want to waste money on it. It's hard to believe that you can stay healthy and lose weight without a lot of exercise (they call it being more active: walking more and adding mini-workouts to your day instead of exercising for 30-60 min.). I think it's a great idea and I have actually added some of them to my day, but I still go to the gym as well. I've been drinking more water and have realized how dehydrated I have been. I also think right now the cost would be too much for me. Eating all fresh fruit, veggies, and meat would be really expensive. Fillers like rice and pasta, tortillas, bread, and cereal
are a staple in my house and I don't know how to just get rid of them. And honestly, give up pizza??

I do have to say though, I did take my BMI, which I have never done before, and I am in the healthy range. If I were drastically over weight then I think I'd be more willing to give my favorite foods up. My blood pressure is good, etc. If I had more weight-related problems then I think I would follow this program to a "T", just to give it a try. The health problem I do have is osteopenia (border-line osteoporosis), and taking out dairy is scary for me. I need all the calcium I can get. They do address this, but I've never heard of half the veggies they say contain calcium.

Overall, the book is well written and easy to understand. They go through each of the steps in detail and explain them well. It only takes a couple of hours to read, and if it works like they say it does it could be a very important couple of hours if you really need to lose body fat. They give several examples of people who have tried the program, and there is a website you can go to for more info. I have implemented a few of the ideas into my day: drinking more water, eating more fruits and veggies, doing mini-workouts throughout the day, and taking my BMI. If these changes help me decrease my body fat then I'll be excited. Unfortunately I don't think I'm ready to go all the way, but if you are ready to give up grains, most dairy products, and all processed foods, then this book is the way to go. I'm glad I got the opportunity to review this book because it did give me some motivation to eat healthier and pay more attention to what my body is telling me.

Rating: G (Very clean)

Recommendation: I would say adults should read it first. If you like it and want to implement it with your whole family then I would let older teens read it so they can see the steps and better understand them.

UPDATE (4/15/11): Mr. Griesel actually read my review and wrote me back! What a nice guy. He read about my osteopenia and referred me to a couple of articles. The first one is HERE and the second one is HERE. They have some good information that is worth looking in to! Thanks so much Mr. Griesel.