Essential book for living a healthy lifestyle
I've read many of Clarence's other books and feel that this is truly the best one out of the bunch. It's not just for a hardcore bodybuilder but instead written for your average joe. Can a bodybuilder or high-level athlete take something away from this book? Absolutely! But the great thing about this book is that it is written in a way that covers the basic principles of Clarence's lifestyle. It's not just about nutrition; it covers motivation, excercise (anaerobic and aerobic), long-term strategies, and of course: nutrition.
I discovered Clarence Bass' work over 15 years ago and had successfully used his principles when I was in college. Since then I had stayed very physically active but had fallen into the eating trap. I felt that because I was in the gym four times a week that I was in stellar shape. To make a long story short, I had several situations happen that proved to me just how out-of-shape I was. I felt it was time to make a change and I dug out some of Clarence's book from storage and re-read them and also decided to get Lean For Life. Even though Clarence's other books are fantastic, I feel that Lean For Life is Clarence's magnum opus, if you will.
Mr. Bass stresses that diets fail because they're not reasonable. They're not diets that you can follow consistenly because of their restrictions. Most importantly, he recommends eating natural foods because they're high in bulk, fiber, and nutrients and low sugars and fat. These foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.) are high in bulk and provide much more satiety than foods that are dense in calories. Clarence has stuck to his guns for a long time and it shows. He's still in phenomenal shape even while he's in his seventies and his principles have stayed the same: high carbohydrated diet with minimal added sugars and moderate amounts of protein with low amounts of fats. Clarence hasn't swayed or changed his opinion regarding carbs or proteins because science has proven him right. You may say, "Well, we all know that low-carb diets work the best," or, "low-carb diets will make you lose fat quickest," but ask yourself how many of those same people manage to keep the weight off? How long can you stay on a low-carb diet? Also, how well can you perform on a low-carb diet? Any athlete can tell you that you're not going to be settings records when you're restricting your carbs. These diets may work well in the short term (massive depletion of glycogen in muscle cells also causes a massive loss of water) but Lean For Life is a book about a long-term approach to eating and a lifestlye. It's not a fad or a trend or just something that you do to get in shape for summer. It's a strategy to use for the rest of your life.
I was very pleased to see how much time was spent on motivation and psychology. Clarence does a great job at tackling these issues and give the reader great tips on how to combat common things that happen every day that can derail a dieter's progress.
As I'm getting older it's really hit me that I need to focus more on overall health and not just building muscle and getting stronger. Clarence has give me the blueprint and following his principles, I've really great progress. In the past seven months I've made tremendous progress but Clarence's books will teach you to be patient. Clarence's books have taught me that this is a slow process and not to rush things. It's hard to put on muscle and the last thing you want to do is diet-off the hard-earned muscle that you worked so hard to put on. For me, losing one pound a week (or less) is all I shoot for. The book gives examples of what dieting too quick will do to your metabolism and how it sets you up for failure in the future.
If fitness and a healthy lifestyle is what interests you then I highly recommend this book. It's a great read and really does cover every topic that you can think of. Clarence is succint and detailed and leaves no stone unturned. Instead of giving you a maddening amount of details and telling you to follow his advice blindly, he merely recommends that you understand his diet/lifestly philosophy and then apply it to yourself.
Five out of five stars!
Lean for Life by Bass
The author integrates dieting and exercise. He advises that starvation
diets ultimately backfire. In addition, exercise must become a permanent
part of the lifestyle. The author calls for tough workouts including
treadmill sessions up to 40 minutes building up to the highest speed levels. He cites the equation: Training + Enjoyment = Success
The body burns 14-16 calories per day per pound. A 165# person requires
approximately 2500 calories per day. Weight training keeps fat burning
because bigger muscles burn more calories. A 155# person burns approximately 90 calories in a simple 1/2 or so walk. This book could
help in losing weight and keeping it off permanently.
Good for Serious Workout enthusiasts, not for the average joe
If you have the time and desire to become a 'bodybuilder' or fitness junkie, this book is for you. Excellent psychological and physical information. However, if you are in the remaining 99.99% of average Joes or Joannas and simply want to lose weight and stay healthy, AVOID this book. Mr Bass's discipline is impressive but his technique is not practicable.
Here's the key to fitness and good health for 98% of all normal busy Americans..... A. 90% of the battle: Eating Habits-Eat meats, veggies (no starch) and avoid sugar at all cost. Fats (not trans fats) are OKAY! B. 9% of the battle: Exercise-Simple walking for 30 minutes each day combined with 1 or 2 days of light weight (5-10lbs) dumbell exercises. C. 1% of the Battle: Genetics-My wife can eat 10lbs of chocolate a day and lose weight, however the majority of us cannot. Therefore genetics should not be too much of a concern for us normal folks.
I have tried all the diets, fads, etc. I ended up dropping my body fat down to 6%, reducing waist from 39 to 29, losing 60lbs...All while consuming 4000 calories & 1000 grams of fat per day by simply walking 30-40 minutes each day AND by avoiding all sugars & starches. Kind of a version of Low Glycemic/Low Carb. Not as radical as Atkins, not as liberal as South Beach.
My method is simple routine fitness. Create a simple routine in eating and exercise and you will stick with it forever. Make it complicated, difficult, burdensome, exhausting...YOU WILL QUIT. ALL (yes all) of my low fat hard work out friends go through annual vicious cycles. The older they get the bigger they get. There are a few Jack LaLane's & Clarence Bass's who have the drive, but for us normal folks, we need simplicty. I hope this helps.
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