Rating: 
Summary: Go Diane
Review: I've been watching Diane Sawyer's success with weight loss and finally purchased the book, The Business Plan for the Body, by Sawyer's weight loss guru, and guess what? I've lost ten pounds in just four weeks! I haven't lost ten pounds in ten years! No wonder Sawyer trusts this guy. His book is so well written, it actually is interesting (something few weight loss books seem to be). Karas gives his reader intelligent information and a winning strategy for weight loss.
Rating:
Summary: This is a winner
Review: I've read nearly every weight loss book that's out there and without a doubt The Business Plan for the Body is the best. Thank God, finally a common sense approach to losing weight. This guy not only gets weight loss, but he makes it so simple. Definitely buy the SPRI products he shows in the book they are so simple to understand and can be used anywhere. Read Business Plan and start losing weight.
Rating:
Summary: Strategic Winner for Long Range Planner
Review: Business Plan for the Body has become a strategic winner for me. Under the stress of being a long range planner and an over eater, I ballooned over the past 25 years. When I determined to apply my work skills to my life and my body, I went looking for a body plan and discovered Karas's book. What a congruence! The match in Part I Current Market Conditions of business planning, goals and milestones in the world of work to one's life and body was so real for me; I was inspired. Now, 99 pounds lighter and much stronger after 11 months, the steps developed in Part II Taking Action to know your resource intake, preserve your capital (muscle) and giving time for the process to work were easy assimilations. Then, in Part III Success, the joy of the feedback from family and co-workers as my body changed feels much like getting paid for the deliverables and a job well done!
Rating:
Summary: The Only Plan You Need Is "The Business Plan!"
Review: Jim Karas cuts [to the point] and puts forth a plan that is smart and effective. No pussy-footing around! Forget fad diets and guru enablers. This guy is clear, concise and doesn't let up. You've got to eat right and lift weights. Count those calories and think before you snarf. Here's a trainer putting forth a logical plan with no B.S. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants it direct and to the point. Read this and be on your way for the first time to a plan that works! When does his next book come out?!
Rating:
Summary: Fitness advice for real life (and it works!)
Review: Like many people, I've always been suspicious of the dozens of fad diets that come and go every year. Really, do people think they're going to build a healthy body by eating only grapefruit? Is it realistic to expect humans to cut out bread and other staples of life? That's why I LOVED THIS BOOK. There are no gimmicks here -- just back-to-basics logic. For two years, I've been trying to lose 15 pounds that have crept up on me over the last decade, but nothing has worked. I thought I was stuck my new "more mature" body... until now. Karas provided me with advice and simple diet and exercise tools that fit easily into my life. I drink more water. I stock my fridge with fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. I don't even feel like I'm on a diet at all. And let's talk about exercise. Like most women, I've always been intimidated by the weight room, so I relied on the stairmaster and the treadmill. But then the book suggested I compare the physiques of the people in the weight room to the people on the treadmills, and I changed my mind immediately. It's absolutely true: the weight room is a much prettier sight. I honestly can't believe I hadn't noticed it before. After six weeks of a healthy, balanced diet and a simple weight/resistance training regimen (exercises from the book that I can do in my living room), I've lost 7 of those 15 pounds. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a healthier body and lifestyle. On top of the great advice, Karas' writing is full of personality and humor. Makes getting in shape much less of a chore!
Rating:
Summary: the answer
Review: As a businessman, I could easily follow Jim's explanation of how we can lose weight. Comparing calories to profits and losses made it such an easy read for myself and I am on my way to a brighter tomorrow. I am starting to acheive a caloric deficit and finally dropping the pounds. I received the book as a gift and passed it on to a friend who is also curious about a healthy weight loss and new lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: The Business Plan for the Body
Review: After reading "The Business Plan for the Body" by Jim Karas and following the guidelines, I am convinced that his healthy approach to dieting is the most effective. I stand five feet two inches tall and in my forties had managed to climb up on the weigh scale to 132 lbs. I had weighed 105-108 forever through my mid thirties. Even though I am a runner, for the last 13 years, the weight still crept up on me. By writing down the calories for every morsel of food that went in my mouth on a daily basis, and implementing weight lifting, particularly for the upper body, on the opposite days I ran, the weight just fell off me. I lost a little more than a pound per week and within three months I weighed 18 lbs. less. Using the formula in the book helped to custom build a plan suited just for me to determine how many calories I could consume daily to lose weight. By continuing the healthy lifestyle I lost another 4-5 lbs. without effort. Eliminating sodas and high calorie fruit juices, and drinking primarily water was another key factor. I am a Registered Nurse and had been worried about gaining weight like many of the women do in my profession, since much of the free food at work consists of donuts, bagels and lots of birthday cakes; not to mention high stress in this field makes everyone turn to food for comfort. Jim Karas, in his book, does warn of some of the negativity that can occur when you start to look really great. Men take notice and the women get jealous. Once you get passed all that, it's hard to come down off the high. Thank you Jim Karas. You got me back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Direct. To the point. No nonsense book.
Review: Jim does a great job of making his case for his program. Like a good salesman Jim pitches his idea in a logical way without overwhelming his audience. By the end of this book I was already working on my business plan and as Jim says "I was in the weight lose business". Calories in minus calories out is what Jim tells you is the key to weight loss. But if it were that simple we'd all be fit and at our ideal weight. Jim shows you how to make it that simple.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensible and pragmatic
Review: This is a straight forward, no-nense approach to dieting and exercise. His nutrition principles are simple: drink lots of water, eat five servings of vegetables, 3 serving of fruits every day and record every caolorie you consume. His exercise theories are a little more circumspect. He argues that a person can get by with exercising 3 times a week for one hour but 75% of that exercise should be strength and resistence training-with 2/2 of that time devoted to the back of your body. This adds up to only 45 minutes of cardio per week, which I think misses the mark. A person looking to lose weight should get at least 25-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise more days than not-4 times a week is a good thumb rule for me. Although he does make one very strong point for strength training. He suggests you go to a gym and look at the people on the cardio machines and then at the people in the weights area. Where do you find most of the fat people? Where do you find most of the fit people? Look for yourself. It will make you lift some weights. But I really liked his straight forward prose style. The mantra of this book is "Calories in- Calories out= Weight Loss (or gain)." It is nice to read someone who is not hung up on the Fad diets or who place undo emphasis on either fat or carbohydrates. And just for the record, I've been following these principles for 3 weeks. (With the exception that I've greatly increased the cardio vascular time, but still put in the suggested strength training.) I can honestly say that I ate more fresh fruits and vegetables in January of 2002 than I did in all of 2001. And so far, I have lost 9 pounds. : )
Rating: 
Summary: Not that great...seen better
Review: This book really was not that great, read some of it and sold it. Not a keeper. I have seen better for instance Body for Life is much better. Just didn't give me the "plan" I was looking for. Kinda of lacking in content and same old stuff as other "diet" books.
| 
