When looking for the perfect diet regimen to pair with Garcinia Cambogia, the carb cycle program presented in Choose to Lose by Chris Powell may be just what you’ve been looking for. This is a no nonsense approach to weight loss that doesn’t require you to give up your favorite foods.
Who is Chris Powell?
Chris Powell is known as the trainer from Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. If you’ve watched this show you know that he helps people who are morbidly obese to reclaim their bodies and their health.
What you see on TV is hours of exercise every day and careful dieting. But with Choose to Lose, you’ll find a more realistic program for someone who has a busy life and who can’t devote their entire day to a strict weight loss regimen.
One thing that you do get from the book that’s the same as what you see on TV is motivation to take care of your body and to get healthy. Powell argues that you can choose to lose weight and take care of yourself.
He begins the book by sharing his story of why exercise is so important to him and it helps to see where he’s coming from. The rest of the book is divided into two sections: Discovery and Action.
In the Discovery portion, you’ll find a series of chapters explaining why you have excess fat and how your body works. There are also several exercises to help you understand your goals and your motivation.
He explains weight loss and metabolism in ways that are easy to understand. You’ll especially find the charts and graphics helpful for making sense of weight, calories, and metabolism.
You’ll also love the section on facts vs. myths about weight loss. Some myths that are very popular are dispelled and you’ll learn the truth about how your body can really change.
You’ll find some worksheets to help you take your current weight and measurements and develop realistic goals you can attain using the program. In addition there are some instructions on how to prepare for a change in your diet and what to do if you come in contact with triggers.
The second half of the book is the actual diet program based on the idea of carb cycling. He explains the science behind carb cycling and how it keeps you from hitting a weight loss plateau.
You’ll learn specifically how he approaches carb cycling – it’s not the same as other trainers. And, you’ll also learn that you can have several free meals or a free day of eating whatever you want each week. Really – whatever you want!
There’s also an exercise portion to the program. He has exercise categories called shredders and shapers. He explains how to put together a fitness routine that’s appropriate for you.
When you put everything together, you have a diet plan that’s pretty easy to follow and that is effective at turning you into a fat burning machine. As you follow the program you eat plenty of healthy foods and get exercise to help you lose weight and tone up.
What Works
The most important part of weight loss is your attitude and mental preparedness and is certainly not ignored in Powell’s book. He takes you through several exercises to help you understand your own reasons for starting the program.
The emphasis on goal setting is also valuable and will keep you on track to succeed at weight loss and better health. You can tell that the writer has worked with many people who are in need of this help.
He seems to understand very well the types of things that can cause you to get off course and he helps to steer you back. He gives you solutions for tricky situations when you might be tempted to stray from the plan.
The eating plan itself is pretty moderate. He’s not asking you to give up any favorite foods and he doesn’t tell you to stay away from carbs. He asks you to eat a balanced diet with high carb days and low carb days to help keep your body from holding onto fat.
The ability to have a free day or choose free meals on different days is also very valuable. Many people fall off the wagon because they feel they can’t eat what they want.
But with this program, if you need to wait a day you can always have what you want the next day. That keeps you from feeling deprived and allows you to keep going with the program while seeing the results.
The exercise portion of the program is also balanced and moderate. You’ll work out most days of the week following routines that he has provided you. You can mix and match them to make it work for you.
People who have purchased this book and followed along with the program describe it as easy to adhere to, had great weight loss, and reportedly kept the weight off because they could still enjoy the foods they wanted within the diet guidelines.
What May Not Work for You
With any diet and exercise program there are things that may not fit in with your lifestyle. Overall, this plan is very sensible and moderate and most people will be able to follow it.
The science in this book is up to date with what we currently know about eating carbohydrates and building lean muscle mass. There’s nothing out of the ordinary or radical about it – other than how simple it is.
However, some people who have purchased the book report feeling confused about how to get started with the carb cycling. Switching gears so often can be a little bit difficult until you get used to it.
The other complaint is that the book doesn’t have an index like most diet and nonfiction books. This can make it tough if you just want to go back to a specific point for information.
However, this plan is pretty flexible and allows you to have most of the foods you want. And most people who have read the book and tried the program are happy with their choice to do so.
Tools for Success
Choose to Lose includes several tools to help you get started with your weight loss. First, it offers a workbook style in the beginning where you can interact with the book. You can record personal information and you can set goals.
He includes a master grocery list of items that you should have on hand to help you get started. This is a great tool to copy and take with you to the store. He also has some helpful charts to help you get your plan organized.
When it comes to the exercises, you’ll find the section is easy to follow. It includes photos of Powell performing the exercises so that you can make sure to follow the appropriate form. He even shares pictures of what “not” to do.
Chapter 15 is particularly helpful for following the plan. It’s a list of foods and recipes. It also includes a helpful tool for determining portion sizes of foods for each meal. You’ll get a better understanding of how much food you should be eating daily.
There’s also a sample chart of carb cycling days you could copy and place on the refrigerator to help you stick to the right schedule. There are actually 12 weeks’ worth of schedules so you can stay on track for the long haul.
In the appendix, you’ll also find a chart of healthy BMI so that you can determine the range of a healthy goal weight for you. There’s also a chart of obesity rates in the US for comparing which states have the greatest problem.
Sprinkled throughout the book are success stories of Powell’s clients who lost weight and developed an ongoing personal fitness practice. Their stories can help motivate you to keep working on your own success.
Are You Ready to Choose to Lose?
This is one of the more sensible diet and exercise plans you’ll find on the market today. It doesn’t rely on any gimmicks or special products to help you lose weight. It’s eating sensibly and using scientific breakthroughs about metabolism help you to have success.
If you’ve been looking for a way to lose weight, but you didn’t want to give up carbohydrates or sugar completely, this is a great way to have some moderation. You’ll have days where carbs are off the table, but because the next day allows you to have many carbs, you won’t feel deprived. You’ll also have some high calorie days and some low calorie days so your body doesn’t get used to just one setting and get stuck.
And the thing that most people who have followed the plan rave about is the free days. While some people report that they overdid it and sabotaged their own weight loss goals, most people found that they didn’t feel the need to go crazy on free days because they were eating so healthy the rest of the week.
Foods that they once craved no longer held so much power over their eating habits. You may find that once you get going on this program your free days are not that much different from other high carb days.
When you combine sensible exercise with the plan, you have a program that’s well rounded and can be done by anyone. There’s no fancy equipment to buy – some of the exercises only require you to use a chair.
You’ll need to perform aerobic activity, but walking will work that doesn’t require anything special besides a pair of good shoes. When so many other programs want you to buy special equipment or products, it’s refreshing to find one that doesn’t focus on gimmicks.
If you’re in need of losing 10 pounds or more, the carb cycling and exercise described in Choose to Lose can help you to get there faster than most other programs and can give you long-lasting success. The book explains the program well and will get you started on the road to better health and fitness.
