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(More customer reviews)Wow...since posting my review there have been a lot of "planted" reviews coached by Dr. Rigden. PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW. IT WILL GIVE YOU THE ACTUAL DETAILS OF THIS BOOK AND WHY NOT TO WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT.
I had very high hopes for this book. Afterall, the author actually has the credentials to write on this subject! He's not just an M.D., but one of only 15 Fellows of the American Bariatric Society in 50 years. And he really sounds as if he's offering something new and different and EFFECTIVE in the introduction and early pages.
First, he offers screening questionnaires to determine the area or areas of your metabolic dysfunction, which he calls "switched metabolism." They screen for (1) carbohydrate sensitivity, (2) metabolic syndrome, (3) hormonal imbalances, (4) food hypersensitivity, and (5) liver detoxification. I already knew I have metabolic syndrome, hormonal imbalances, and that my liver needs a little support, so it was no big news to find that the screening questionnaires simply confirmed all that. If you are young or perhaps new to the world of how hormones and the metabolism process differs from person to person and impacts one's health, you MIGHT get a little information from going through these few pages of the book. Otherwise, my guess is that you are probably not going to discover anything you didn't already know about yourself.
Chapter 2 was especially disappointing to me. So far, all you've done is read the intro, and gone through the screening questionnaires, and then he suddenly veers from his course of information and asks you to sign a personal weight loss contract. It reads: My weight today is ___. My goal weight in 4 weeks is ___. My goal weight in 12 weeks is ___. My goal weight in 6 months is ___. My goal weight in 1 year is ___. blah blah bah. He's given NO information about what might be a reasonable goal for someone whose body has been resistive to every weight loss effort you've ever tried, and you've tried a lot! This contract is laughable and bogus and has absolutely no place in this book, in my opinion. He then has you list ten reasons why you want to lose weight. Like we've never done this exercise before, right? And then the chapter finishes with general dieting advice we've gotten from every diet book we've ever read: remove all "danger" foods from your house, plan your meals, eat slowly, write down what you eat, ask yourself "why do I want to eat?" before you eat, and then what he believes is the utmost in wisdom--be patient, persistent, plan ahead, think positively, and perspire, aka focus and do the work. Yeah, those are so so helpful and enlightening and oh my goodness I've just never ever thought of those being key to successful weight loss before. NOT!
In my opinion, Chapter 2 shouldn't even be in his book.
Chapter 3 addresses carbohydrate sensitivity in a little more detail, although frankly, not really much. There are other authors who have done a far better job of explaining carb sensitivity than he does. He offers many "case studies" to illustrate how his techniques work, but frankly, they aren't helpful. His suggested treatment for carb sensitivity? Soy protein powder meal replacement program (replaces breakfast and lunch daily) and snacks and an evening meal of caveman/cavewoman eating (aka low carb/good carb). You follow this until you've lost 10 percent of your weight, and then you switch over to a low glycemic-index diet, aka a modified mediterranean diet. And he recommends supplements.
While he indicates that there is some controversy about soy and its role in cancer, he believes there is sufficient evidence to make soy safe to ingest. For the most part, he simply asks us to take his word for it. My largest disappointment here is that he never addresses the larger concern about soy I've been reading in the research, and that is that soy actually SLOWS DOWN metabolism. Why risk further slowing down an already impaired metabolism by consuming this soy protein meal replacement powder? There are other protein powder choices, and I think he should've been more forthcoming about other options. I smell a possible connection between him and the maker of this soy powder.....
His information on the caveman/cavewoman diet and the low glycemic-load diet is scant. But that's because there's just not all that many foods you get to eat. And his recommendation is to follow the low glycemic-load diet for the rest of your life. It is very easy to find food guidelines for these types of diet all over the internet or in books that do far more jsutice to the subject that this book does.
Chapter 4 addresses metabolic syndrome, and isn't much different from Chapter 3--a glossing over of metabolic syndrome, more useless case studies about his patients, and then comes his suggested treatment: The caveman/cavewoman diet (which includes the same soy protein powder meal replacement for breakfast daily) until you've lost 10 percent of your weight, and then you switch over to a low glycemic-index diet, aka a modified mediterranean diet. And he recommends supplements, exercising, and drinking water. And his recommendation is to follow the low glycemic-load diet for the rest of your life.
Sound familiar? But wait, there's more.
Chapter 5 addresses hormonal imbalances, especially thyroid, estrogen dominance, and PCOS. To implement any of his recommendations here, you have to find a physician willing to prescribe thyroid medication and/or natural progesterone. There aren't that many docs out there willing to do this, especially if you are one of those under-diagnosed with hypothyroid, which you most likely are. More of his case studies which are neither enlightening nor helpful. And once again his treatment strategies: more of the soy protein powder replacement meal and following the low-glycemic-load diet.
Overall, a very unhelpful chapter with very little substantive information.
Chapter 6 moves on to address food hypersensitivities. The suggested program: nothing more then the usual elimination diet, gradually re-introducing various foods in order to find those that may cause you problems. A lengthy and daunting process which one may find nearly impossible to do. And other authors have addresses this concern, food hypersensitivity, far better than this book does. My recommendation is that if you score high enough on his screening questionnaire to indicate that food hypersensitivity may be a problem for you, then go get better books about the subject.
Chapter 7 addresses the final metabolic challenge: impaired liver detoxification. His recommendations for detoxing your liver are the standard--go on an elimination diet for 4 weeks, reintroduce foods slowly, (note that these steps are identical to that follwed in the previous chapter for food allergies/hypersensitivities), and consume a detox beverage such as ultraclear by the same company that makes the soy protein powder he pushes for all his other plans. The food you can eat during this month-long torture is miniscule, unsatisfying, and would cause Ghandi to lose weight. His suggestion to "choose a 4-week period for the program in which you do not plan to travel, have company, or participate in stressful events" is absolutely laughable!
And of course what diet book would be complete without the chapter on emotional eating, dealing with stress, and self-image assessment. A handful of recipes in the back, and that's it. That's his ULTIMATE metabolism diet.
Don't waste your money on this one, folks. Get it from your local library if you must, but there is absolutely nothing new in this book, and it's very clear that he is out to make money and fame for himself, and little else. I also wonder about his connection to the company whose products he pushes for almost every treatment recommendation he makes?????
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Ultimate Metabolism Diet: Eat Right for Your Metabolic Type
Atkins, the Zone, the South Beach Diet. Anyone with a serious weight problem has probably tried - and failed - to use one of these diets to lose weight. And it's not their fault. According to weight loss specialist Dr. Scott Rigden, there is no miracle diet that works for everyone because everyone possesses a unique body type and corresponding metabolism.People can be divided into five different metabolic types that have a corresponding plan of specific dietary and lifestyle habits that make weight loss work. In this book, Rigden helps readers determine their metabolic type and then devotes a chapter to each one with dietary, exercise, supplement, and medicine advice complete with glossaries and case studies. He also includes chapters on emotional eating and how to mentally prepare for weight loss. Readers find out why conventional diets don't work and, using the guidelines in this book, jump-start their metabolism and experience safe, permanent weight loss.
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