Rating: 
Summary: Want better health - A GOOD READ HERE!
Review: This year alone, 2001, I have dropped 50 pounds, 47 pounds of which are fat. I lost 25 pounds in 12 weeks while following Body for Life earlier this year. I am currently doing another 12 weeks that will end before thanksgiving. Body for Life, like any other fitness/health plan, will only allow you to get results based on your effort. If you gorge yourself with food or don't exercise like he says, don't expect to get the kind of results that people in his book have gotten. Body For Life, while it is somewhat a promotional vehicle for EAS Myoplex, is a very sound book on nutrition and exercise. Most importantly, Mr. Phillips tries to get people to look within themselves and try to find out what they want out of a fitness program and goals in life. It is definitely a combination of self-help book meets exercise. Mr Phillips applies bodybuilding concepts (6 meals a day, weightlifting and cardio) and has tweaked them somewhat so that non-bodybuilders can get excellent results out of the program in a very short period of time. Regarding nutrition - 6 meals a day - this is recommended to keep insulin levels more level throughout the day and to help shuttle nutrients to your cells. He also has a 'free day' once a week where he tells people to eat whatever they want (pizza, cheeseburgers, whatever your weakness is J.) His 20 minute cardio sessions, entitled HIIT (high intensity interval training), can really work a person hard and are great for those that have every excuse about not having enough time in the day! His 'high point' mentioned when lifting weights is what weightlifting is all about. It is why bodybuilders get phenomenal results and the average guy (who works out daily) may look the same year after year. Lifting weights is key to long-term metabolism - the avg. person loses 0.7 pounds of muscle after the age of 25, which contributes to why we gain weight. We lose muscle naturally and continue to eat (normally more) while exercising less as we get used to our jobs! Bottom Line: If you are interested in your health you aren't going to go wrong following the plan. I have read the book 3 times now in the year I have owned the book and given it to a few friends that have asked me what I am doing to lose the weight.
Rating:
Summary: anarizonaquilter
Review: I Like This Book.. I like this man.. Bill Phillips has an honest direct way of speaking.. He has a good heart. I Like This Man.. and I like this book
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Bill Phillips Awesome
Review: My husband Tom and I have been doing this for almost two weeks. We very rarely feel hungry and the workouts are great. I advise all those who are debating to just do it, a change you will not regret. Guaranteed.
Rating: 
Summary: Body for life review
Review: Overall his eating and workout plan is good and makes sense. He goes a little over the top, and loves to mention himself and his product line a little too much. I have started the plan and do see results so I would recomend it- however...I can't take the Myoplex shakes (way too big, thick, and they leave an odd taste), I do have a Myoplex bar on and off and recomend the apple/cinnimon.
Rating: 
Summary: Bill Phillips: Marketing does NOT = A way of Life
Review: If you want to read a great reason to exercise, then this is for you, but I'd be hesitant to think everything he says is "gospel" and the only way to lose weight and build muscle (no, you don't have to wake up on an empty stomach and run as he suggests to quickly and effectively lose weight). The biggest problem that I have with this is that he pushes EAS on the reader, when there are many other products out there more economical and better than EAS. But that's just the marketing strategist coming out in Bill, so I understand why. Also, his list of foods is so small, that I see "tasteless" written all over them. I'd like to see more suggestions for people who are already going to deprive themselves in some way of making things more exciting and flavorful. I clearly like how he motivates people to exercise, and he does explain the basics relatively well in his typical lingo. The motivation is definitely essential. But, trust me, people were losing weight in 12 weeks just as effectively if not better before Bill published this. He's just taking a lot of the credit because he put out on paper what's been told in a lot of gyms around the country. The guy's got great timing and marketing skills. Props for that. As for novel fitness and nutrition advice, well....
Rating:
Summary: Be the steamroller or the pavement. Your Choice!!
Review: Well what can I say that hasn't already been said? This book WILL change your life, NO LIE! As long as you have the willpower to stick it out for the 12 weeks, you'll emerge victorious. I have just finished my body for life challenge and what an incredible difference this book has made in my life. 55 pounds later and a lot more toned muscles is all I have to show for it, but enough of that. Any excuse you can come up with not to get in shape, Bill Phillips will show you how to make time and overcome adversities so you can do it! With a little motivational speaker approach Bill slaps you into reality for a little wake up call for your body and more importantly, your mind! Once you see the results this book can give your body, you won't be able to put into words what it does to your mental health. It's almost like everything in your life gets put into order. And to quote Bill; "You can be the steamroller or part of the pavement." I chose to be a steamroller. "All this just from one book that you can read cover to cover in about 3 hours you say?" YES! I've loaned several friends my copy of the book to check out. After they saw how I transformed my body they wanted to know how I did it. All of them told me it sounds too easy, and they're right! It is that easy and that's all it takes is 12 weeks. I found out about this book from a friend who happened to be the 1'st runner up in the 2000 Challenge after having 5 children. When I saw her transformation I knew I had no more excuses to offer. If a mother of 5 could find the time to do it, I knew I could, and I did. DON'T PASS THIS BOOK UP! YOU'LL REGRET IT! PS. I came here to Amazon.com to get the book on CD I loved it so much. And thought why not spread the word while I'm here. Now I can listen to it while I workout, on long drives or whenever I need some encouragement. GOOD LUCK TO YOU :-)
Rating:
Summary: Great book for out of shape people wanting to look better
Review: If you are interested in finding a no nonsense approach to nutrition and exercise, this could be the book for you. Bill Phillips has written a great book to help motivate people to get back into the gym in order to lose weight and look their very best. The principles in the book work for complete beginners to more advanced bodybuilders. More advanced bodybuilders may not be as excited about this book as the rest of us due to the lack of details on some subjects. For most of us, this is a great tool to regain control of our eating and exercising habits. If you are looking for some inspiration or guidance to start a program that will help you look your best, I highly recommend checking out this book. Thanks to a good friend, I have been living by these common sense principles for several weeks and I already look and feel better than I have in years. Buying this book and living by the "Body-for-life" principles has been one of my most rewarding investments.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, a great program to get back on track
Review: Okay, so I've read how some folks think that Bill Phillips has 'sold out' and that this book is simply a big marketing ploy. So what. You just can't argue with results. I just completed my ninth week on the program and I've gone from 280.5 lbs to 259 lbs while shedding fat and building muscle. I'm going faster and stronger on the treadmill during the aerobics workouts. I'm seeing muscles I haven't seen since I was an athlete in high school, and I feel 100% better than I did before I started. I'll probably use a personal trainer to fine tune my program after the 12 weeks is up, but this has been a great way to get back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Great motivational tool!
Review: I wholly recommend this book. Using the techniques prescribed in Body for Life, I went from 201 pounds and 23 percent body fat, to 180 pounds and 13 percent body fat. My blood pressure dropped from 135/80 to 119/68. My resting pulse (i.e. your heart rate when you're not doing anything) went from 85 beats per minute to 60. In short, I am in the best shape of my entire life, and I owe it all to Body for Life. That book gave me the motivation to get into the gym and to start eating right. Yes, there could have been more detailed descriptions of workouts (it's hard for a beginner to figure out what weights to use), and more scientific talk about calories and carb:protein:fat ratios, but that would have scared a lot of people off. His nutritional advice -- a portion (the size of your hand) of carbs and a portion of protein, 6 times a day; plus lots of water, and a couple veggies -- is simple and it works. It's true: the exercise plan and nutritional info could have fit into a since article. But this book is about so much more. It's about motivation, and envisioning your goals, and realizing that you can get in the best mental and physical shape of your life. And once that happens, everything in your life gets better. You start doing better at work or in school; your productivity soars; your relationships with others gets better... and it's all because you have more energy, and feel GOOD about yourself. Will everyone look like the people on the inside cover? No, of course not. Those were the GRAND CHAMPIONS -- the most successful competitors out of hundreds of thousands, or millions. But I'll tell you, my results were almost to that level, and I didn't use a lot of the supplements that they did (supplements are necessary to achieve such phenomenal results in such a short period of time). As a matter of fact, I didn't drink a single Myoplex (the shake they recommend in the book) the whole time, and it made no difference to the program. A lot of the reviews on this board sound like they were written by complete cynics. If you don't believe you can change, you won't. That's why the program wasn't as successful for them. But I know that it worked for me, and tons of other people. The proof? EVERYONE who follows the program to the letter for the entire 12 weeks is successful! And that's the key: you can't cheat. Don't skimp on workouts, don't cheat on meals. The theories are solid. Do everything by the book and you will lose weight, build muscle, and feel GREAT!
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational, but a little tedious....
Review: I was drawn to this book by word of mouth and of course, all the amazing before and after photos. Bill Phillips is an excellent motivator and conveys his immense enthusiasm for fitness. As I read the book, I found myself wanting to jump up and go for a run! However, he falls short once he begins talking about an exercise plan. First, his cardio plan requires the use of a minute-by-minute "intensity" scale which is VERY hard to follow if you are actually doing a workout! (Each minute, you have to change your intensity level. If you don't want to keep an eye on the clock the whole time, it can be hard to keep track.) He also claims you can do all the exercises at home, but the lower body workout is almost entirely based on the use of equipment.
He gives some good suggestions for nutrition, but not enough recipes for "approved" meals. On his website, you can find more recipes submitted by readers.
Overall, this book may provide you with a kick to get started- which in my opinion makes it worth the money. Feed off his enthusiasm and don't get caught up in the minute-by-minute details of his exercise schedules.
| 
