Book Review: Fat-Burning Machine by Mike Berland

Mike Berland dropped 60 pounds in 1 year, got rid of the gut, ended sugar cravings, increased energy and is on a mission to teach America how to replicate his results.

He helped his mom drop 54 pounds following the same model.

In his new book, FAT-BURNING MACHINE (Regan Arts; December 2015), the analytics expert(as seen on “Good Morning America”, “Dr. Oz”, “FOX & Friends” and more) – dubbed “The Genius Pollster” by MSNBC for his success getting answers for clients ranging from Hillary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg to Facebook and the National Hockey League with his uncanny ability to ask the questions that get to the truth of the matter – divulges why certain foods help the body lose weight while others cause the body to store fat.

Berland assembled the top experts in order to present verifiable data behind the science and mindset of weight loss exercise and nutrition.

FAT-BURNING MACHINE demystifies the scientific jargon and teaches millions of Americans how to transform themselves from fat-storing machines to fat-burning machines in order to lose weight, gain energy and feel better. And losing weight and exercise is far simpler than they’ve been led to believe.

Berland’s November 2015 survey of 1,000 overweight Americans revealed that people are overwhelmingly misinformed about many aspects of weight loss:

·       75% believe that everyone has control over their weight

·       82% say that all calories are the same

·       76% said that dieting is expensive

·       57% believe that exercising long and hard will get the best results

·       90% say that you shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach

FAT-BURNING MACHINE directly refutes these and other myths, including:

·       A good workout is a sweat storm

·       Hunger is a badge of honor in weight loss—thin people have the discipline to live with being a little hungry all the time 

·       Choose low-fat and no fat foods over full fat

Readers of FAT-BURNING MACHINE will discover:

·       The right equation: Miracle Intervals + High-Octane Foods = Fat-Burning Machine

·       The wrong equation: High Intensity Workouts + Low-Octane Foods = Fat-Storing Machine

·       High-Octane foods that aren’t expensive, impossible to find, or unappetizing prison sentences

·       Moderate amounts of meat, whole eggs, real cheese, full-fat mayonnaise, cream and even butter are on the list offat burning foods

·       Calories matter: eating a lower-calorie-count diet of “fat storing” foods can result in people gaining weight instead oflosing it

·       That people who work out to the point of exhaustion and extreme hunger are setting themselves up for failure

·       Miracle Intervals: practical and realistic exercise plans

Authoritative and approachable, FAT-BURNING MACHINE finally explains why so many Americans find it impossible to lose the weight and gives them the practical steps to take immediate action.

Dubbed “The Genius Pollster” by MSNBC, Mike Berland made a successful career by getting answers for clients ranging from Facebook and the National Hockey League to political candidates Hillary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. His professional accomplishments rely on the ability to ask the questions that get to the truth of the matter. Berland is able to pinpoint what motivates people and how they can be motivated to change their attitude and behaviors. Mike struggled with his weight for nearly thirty years. From 1986 to 2012, he gained one to two pounds each year, steadily growing from 192 to 236 pounds. Year after year, Berland tried diet after diet, new exercise belief system after new exercise belief system and still couldn’t find the answer to the question: why can’t I lose weight?  Berland sought the help of Dr. Laura Lefkowitz, who introduced him to the concept of metabolic syndrome, an underlying disorder of energy utilization and storage. He then assembled a team of experts including Lefkowitz, Oympic coach (Bernhardt and nutritionist Dr. Stacy Sims, a Stanford University Exercise Physiologist-Nutrition Scientist. Their expertise and insights, along with Berland’ dogged research finally led him to the answers. Mike quickly lost 60 pounds and feels better than ever. Recently, he’s put his mother on the plan—and she’s lost 54 pounds.  He wrote FAT-BURNING MACHINE for her.

Gale Bernhardt is a two-time Olympic coach and leading athletic trainer. She is the author of six books. In 2014, Gale was honored by being selected as one of Men's Fitness magazine’s top six online trainers for providing dedicated workouts and advice for athletes. Gale is certified as a Level I Coach by USA Cycling and a Level III Coach by USA Triathlon. She served on the USA Triathlon National Coaching Committee from 2000 to 2006.

COMMON DIET AND EXERCISE MYTHS REJECTED AND RESET!

FAT-BURNING MACHINE rejects and resets some of the most widely held myths about weight loss and exercise, including:

Common myth: A good workout is a sweat storm:

The reset: Longer duration and LESS intense exercise utilizes a greater percentage of fat for fuel within a certain intensity range. It also influences insulin reaction and helps build the networks of capillaries that will later assist in making your body a FAT-BURNINGMACHINE.

Common myth: Hunger is a badge of honor in weight loss—thin people have the discipline to live with being a little hungry all the time. 

The reset: Deprivation is the surest route to overeating.  Regular eating stabilizes blood sugar and your body releases insulin to utilize food as fuel, rather than storing it as fat.

Common myth: All calories are created equal.

The reset: Cribbing from a two lists that outline fat burning foods and fat storing foods, readers can begin to isolate what will work for them.

Common myth: You shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach

The reset: eating before and during a workout can sometimes complicate the process of fat burning.

Common myth: “Fruit is natural, so it must be good for you”:

The reset: Eating too much fruit, especially the wrong fruits, makes you hungrier because their sugar levels trigger your fat-storingmachine. The book divides fruits into categories of: Avoid, Eat Occasionally, and Enjoy.

Common myth: Choose low-fat and no fat foods over full fat:

The reset:  Not always. To use yogurt as an example: That measly portion of fruit flavored non-fat yogurt or popular engineered products like Activia contain high doses of sugar that store fat in your body. Eaten in reasonable portions, full-fat Greek yogurt and 2% plain Greek yogurt actually burn fat. 

Common myth: Energy drinks and energy bars can aide a successful workout:

The reset: pro football players might as well the sports drink dump on the coach’s head after the big win: sports drinks and energy bars aren’t necessary for the pros, let alone normal people who work out on the average of 30-60 minutes at the gym.  Skip them.

My Thoughts

I was curious about this book. The pitch drew me in because the past year I've been doing a lot more of my own research about weight loss and learning that a lot of what we're told is old. It's something that worked for a couple of guys and blew up into what we all follow now. And if it really did work for everyone, then why are so many people failing at it? 

Like the author of this book, I struggled to lose weight. I also gain very easy. I couldn't understand why when I worked out, I kept gaining weight, getting fatter. I wish I'd had this book when I first started my journey on health because a lot of what this book covered, I went through. I liked how the author went into talking about some of the myths around protein shakes and needing them after a workout. He goes into great length about the type of workout, time, etc. and if you need to carb up or need the protein. As well if you should work out fasted/on an empty stomach or not.

He also gives a plan to follow for 12 weeks. I liked the charts and they are easy to follow. In this book, he also supplies great ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks. He doesn't leave you hanging. It's packed with tips for a business person who travels. He even helps you pick the right foods at places like McDonald's. Because let's face it, we can't always eat at home and make our own food. So I really felt like this book can help many people get on the right path.

It didn't take me long to finish this book. The writing was easy to follow and the way all the information was put out there, made it engaging and I wanted to keep learning. I'm really glad I got the chance to read this book. I think it's very life changing.