4 out of 4 stars
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Long ago I lost count of how many books on diet and nutrition I have read – and I swore I would never read another. Most of them contradict each other anyway.
Then I spotted Zeus Defied[/i] by Rez Khan and clicked to check it out, mostly because I’m a Greek mythology geek. I always felt a pang of compassion for old king Sisyphus who was doomed by Zeus, king of the gods, to push a boulder up a mountain for eternity, only to see it crash down to the bottom again.
It’s the image Khan uses to describe his (and my) battle to lose the weight that keeps creeping up, despite valiant efforts with diets, exercise, calorie counting, weight clubs – you name it!
Don’t battle the boulder, he says, remove the mountain. Yes? How? Do it from the bottom up, he says. Your choices made you fat, so create new habits. Let your choices make you thin.
Really? Is that all?
You can’t rely on self-control and will power, he says, which is good news as I don’t seem to have much. You have to do it slowly, bit by bit. It takes three to six weeks to establish a habit.
His Nine Phase Plan tackles the mountain over nine months, a month at a time. That is bad news if you have to be slim by next week, but I found it reassuring. I can face a programme that gives it to me in tiny, workable bites.
Is it a solution? It certainly makes sense and it is a method Khan has tried and tested. He succeeded in taking down his own mountain. He managed to tell Zeus where to get off. Can I?
His plan is structured and complete. He gives definite instructions for each phase and an accessible explanation, drawing on studies and references, to make his reasoning clear. I knew most of it, but it always helps to revise. There are detailed appendixes and diagrams too.
He certainly proves, beyond reasonable doubt, that a cheeseburger and fries with sugary soda or a fatty shake is one of the greatest enemies of mankind!
Did you know that burgers and pizza have grown in size over the decades, and that junk food can have the addictive qualities of cocaine? It seems it doesn’t stop you from being hungry, it simply makes you hungry for more!
It makes sense. At least, it makes sense to me. If you are serious about wanting to start eating clean and healthy – and drop the weight at the same time - it may make sense to you.
I’m giving it a try. Phase 1 is underway, and the mountain is starting to crumble. Bug off, Zeus, you’re history!
The book is well formatted and easy to read. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
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Zeus Defied
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