Who is this guy?
| My name is Lyle McDonald. For years I’ve sought out dieting solutions that worked and I’m known in the industry for producing exactly that. I use a combination of scientific research, personal experience (and experimentation), along with the feedback I’ve gotten from clients, trainers, and my test subjects.
People come to me for the cutting edge of nutrition and training for fat loss, muscle gain, and the science of human performance. My articles, books and newsletter have helped thousands to change their bodies for the better. You can also read my blog. |
What does this product claim?
| The Stubborn Fat Solution will not only answer every question you might have had about body fat metabolism and what makes stubborn body fat so stubborn, it will give you all of the tools that are needed to get rid of it.
The Stubborn Fat Solution is NOT a specific diet; rather it presents 4 specific protocols (of nutrition and training with some optional supplements) that can be integrated with your current diet and training program to attack and remove stubborn fat. |
Where can I get it and how much does it cost?
Review:
Binding\Design\Paper Quality
This is a softbound book weighing in at 84 pages. There is minimal white space. The font\type is clear and readable. The paper is good quality with no distinguishable bleed through.
Content
Chapters 1-7 are essentially a physiology lesson. These chapters cover What fat itself is, fat’s role, distinguishing different types, and how these fats respond to hormones.
Chapter 8 briefly discusses diet, exercise, and supplements in relation to fat loss expanding on the previous chapters with specific examples of how fat reacts to different stimuluses brought on by the above topics.
Chapters 9-10 introduce the “stubborn fat protocols” with guidance as far as what is appropriate for whom and clear instructions on the implementation of these protocols.
Commentary:
Leigh Peele mentioned in a quick review that this book was not an easy read. I can’t speak for her but, I personally got through it in one sitting without fear of nodding off once. Lyle McDonald is pretty much the master of explaining incredibly detailed processes in a way that most people can understand whether you have a background in the area or not. He also has a fantastic way of drawing back when material is not necessarily contributing to the over all cause. There are several instances when a process might be described as “X is happening. It does Y and that’s all you need to know”. It’s refreshing to have access to a subject if you want to dive deeper into it for your own reference without being beat over the head with technical data that might not be particularly important as far as application goes. The over all tone is light and smooth. Topics transition and build nicely with the over all experience being comparable to a somewhat higher end article in a major exercise magazine.
The protocols themselves are intended for those that have already found success in their dietary adventures and have a solid grasp of nutrition and that’s pretty much laid right out there on the advertising page. This is NOT intended for someone that has no background in diet manipulation or no abs. You need both before passing go. That said someone desiring to know more about how fat…and who doesn’t?…could pick up this book and find out quite a bit of interesting and accessible information.
The book mentions that fat loss (especially males) is more of a patience game than a scientific game. With this in mind you’re armed with the information behind the approaches presented and given 4 different protocols that can be used independently or stacked depending on your personal motivation and needs. These protocols are a different approach to the relatively anal UD2.0, in that Lyle already assumes that you know your body and lifestyle (after all you’ve dieted to the point to where the information is relevant) and doesn’t supply a step by step blueprint but a general idea approach to what the reader needs to do to achieve those bottom two abs. Each protocol is progressive and well explained with appropriate guidance and warnings in a way that anyone could read the describing pages and implement immediately and effectively.
The Stubborn Fat Solution covers fat from a multitude of angles. The information is interesting and whether you’re interested in why your boobs are shrinking yet your butt is growing, or why some fat literally feels different than others, it’s covered. The book does what it promises, doing a great job as presenting information in an easy to understand way with specific guidance on who the information is applicable to. Recommended.
The book is an interesting read but there is no proof whatsoever that any of the four protocols he touts are any more effective than regular cardio in removing stubborn fat, or any other type of fat for that matter. He should’ve done a controlled study to prove his hypotheses but he didn’t. Given that the drugs he uses in the protocols, especially yohimbine, have irritating and possibly dangerous side effects I would stick with traditional tried and true fat loss methods and only use McDonald’s protocols as a last resort, if all else fails.
Comment by Robert Johns — June 15, 2008 @ 12:54 pm |
I’m not entirely sure the author is required to “prove” what he says is 100% accurate. That’s an ugly thing to say, but if authors had to go to extremes (controlled studies to “prove” their claims) then we’d have approximately 3 books on the market for fitness related items. This is ignoring the garbageness of many studies that have been engineered to promote a particular result\claim. What the reader is left with is an integrity check. Lyle says that in his personal experiences with the people that he has dealt with, have had ideal results with X protocols. That’s pretty open and honest in and of itself and I’ve personally not had any experiences with Lyle that would make me question that what he says is not 100% genuine.
As far as the other comments. Yohimbine and all the supplements recommended are stated as being entirely optional and the risks of taking them are clearly spelled out. That pretty well clears clears the author from any shadiness. As far as “last resort” goes…it’s a last resort book. The author clearly states that on the products page. It’s sold as a remedy for those in or close to single digits whom regular\less extreme diets are no longer effective for.
Comment by asayers99 — June 15, 2008 @ 1:57 pm |
True, you are left to trust that the author, with little or no formal education in human physiology, has provided a superior method for fat loss. I have seen many physiological theories like this that appeared sound get completely shot down when actually studied in a controlled fashion. Maybe the protocols are good and maybe they are not any better than regular fat loss training – I don’t know, you don’t know, and McDonald doesn’t know.
Comment by Robert — June 15, 2008 @ 2:14 pm |
According to his bio: “This led me to obtain a degree in exercise physiology from the University of California in Los Angeles, graduating in 1993.”
Seems to be OK on formal education. At the very least after 4 years he should be able to operate a set of calipers. I don’t know why you’re insisting on “knowing beyond all doubt” that his theory’s are sound. That data doesn’t exist for any diet (that couldn’t and hasn’t been argued). You seem to be very interested in taking a stab at Lyle and that’s fine, but it seems to be more personal than professional. Unless an argument pops up that’s beyond what’s already posted, please take it elsewhere.
Comment by asayers99 — June 15, 2008 @ 6:21 pm |