Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this kit from the manufacturer based on the infomercial [yes, I know better. I guess I deserved to lose my money! :) ]. The kit came in 9 days after I ordered it [the promised "express shipping" does not mean it ships fast, it means they will mail it ground mail within 2 days and it will take another 5-7 business days to arrive]. First, the part that is good - the exercise ["body sculpting"] information is great. They make a big deal out of how it "customizes" your workout routine, but really not so much - you pick out your "body shape" [from 6 "body types"] and do the exercises for that shape. But the exercises are good - they are explained well, and the theory behind how he instructs you to work out is explained well. However, if you buy the kit based on the infomercial promise that you will only be working out for 20 minutes 2 or 3 times a week, you are going to be disappointed. This method does require that you do your "body sculpting exercises" for 20 minutes 2-3 days a week, but what they don't tell you is that you ALSO have to do 45 minutes - 1 hour of cardio almost every day. So, you are really working out for several hours a week. [I love working out, and I love my cardio, so that wasn't an issue for me; but if I had bought the program based on their advertising it as "working out only 20 minutes 2-3 times a week" I'd be really angry.] The part of the plan that I think is horrible though is the diet part. The infomercial just plain *lies* when it says "once you are eating right for your body type, you can eat as much as you want". The eating plan is EXTREMELY limited and extremely monotonous. First, you should know that although they say there are different diets for different body types, the diet is essentially the same for all types - one type is allowed to eat small amounts of red meat while the other types can't eat any, but over all the diets look remarkably the same. Second, you should know that while you are eating 6 times a day, the amounts at each meal are very small. Caloric intake-wise I'm guessing this diet is around 1,000-1,200 calories a day - which is pretty low. And NO WHERE in the kit does it say you can "eat as much as you want" of ANY type of food in ANY situation - I can't believe they put that in the infomercial. And their claim that you will be eating "more food than you've ever eaten in your life" is just nuts. Third, you should know that the diet is very repetitive and radically restrictive - No salt at all, no sugar at all, no dairy products at all, no bread or pasta, almost no fat. [The only fat in the diet is the tiny amount you get from tiny portions of fish and chicken, or lean red meat if you are the one body type that can eat that]. I've studied nutrition a lot as a hobby [I am NOT a nutritionist by any means], and from what I understand, this small amount of fat intake is not adequate for good health - the human body needs a little fat in order to stay healthy. So, just in the interest of full disclosure about what this plan is REALLY requiring, here is the daily diet recommended for my body type [and, as I said, the diets for all body types are very similar] Breakfast: 2 egg whites and 1/2 cup oatmeal Snack: 2 ounces of tuna and 1/2 cup grapefruit Lunch: 2 ounces of chicken breast, 1/2 cup potato, and 1 cup of greens Snack: 1-2 ounces of chicken breast and 1/4 cup of cantaloupe Dinner: 2 ounces of grilled fish, 1/2 cup baked yams and 1 cup steamed vegetables Snack: 2 ounces of chicken breast and 1/2 cup mixed berries [the author describes 2 ounces of meat as "about the size of a match box"]. I was expecting recipes to help make this diet more interesting [because this is amazingly bland - remember you are eating your food with no salt, not even "low cal" dressing for the greens, nothing]. All I got in my kit was about a dozen recipe cards for things like fat free chili that I couldn't even figure out how to fit into the diet recommendations - I mean, where does chili fit in in the diet above? There is a "gourmet option" offered - for example, for lunch you can have "salad nicoise - 1 oz fresh tuna over lettuce, green beans, 1 hard boiled egg white, and 1/2 cup boiled potato pieces". However, you are still looking at bland food with no salt or dressing and with even more prep time for the "gourmet" option. The "prep time" for this diet seems extensive in general - a WHOLE LOT of time to make 6 meals a day of baked or grilled chicken or fish, white or sweet potatoes, etc]. You can use very little in the way of canned veggies or anything because most of them have salt added and you can't have any sodium at all. So, you are basically prepping and preparing fresh veggies and meat on a regular basis - which IS very healthy and wonderful, but few people have time to do 6 meals worth of that every single day. The main reason I bought this plan was the "living lean" maintenance plan they brag about on the infomercial - in the past I have followed diets with great discipline but any weight I lost came back almost immediately as soon as I stopped dieting [with an additional 10 lbs because I'd slowed my metabolism so badly. :( ]. I really want a diet that would allow me to maintain weight loss. Unfortunately, the "living lean" maintenance plan is NOT worth the price of this kit - there are three ways to "maintain" in the "living lean" section [which is only 10 small pages long] 1. eat the same plan as above but make substitutions that are important to you [the example was to substitute 2 ounces of red meat instead of 2 ounces of chicken or fish if you really like red meat]. 2. have "crazy days" - 6 days a week you follow the plan above exactly, 1 day a week you eat whatever you want [wouldn't that screw up your metabolism after a while?]. 3. make up your own plan based on what you've learned from his plan. So, all in all, this plan was a bummer. I didn't feel the diet portion was very healthy. I did not feel that most human beings could stick to such a bland, repetitive diet for any long amount of time. I did not feel the diet was good in any way. At the end of it all I am keeping my kit, mostly because I hate returning things by mail but also because I do plan to follow the exercise regime he recommends. So, I can't tell you if the "money back guarantee" is for real or not. Personally, I've decided to basically meld "Weight Watchers" diet plan and meetings with the exercise plan in my 6 week body makeover kit. The Weight Watchers food plan is far more healthy and sensible in my opinion. Also, it is really important to note - YOU CAN GET THE SAME INFO THAT IS IN THIS KIT BY BUYING MICHAEL THURMOND'S "12 DAY BODY SHAPING MIRACLE BOOK" [now on bargain at amazon] and by buying a resistance band for a few bucks to work out with. Seriously - I bought the book first and read it cover to cover and it contains essentially the exact same info [on exercise and diet] as the kit and costs about 5% as much as the kit does. So, if you want to try this plan anyway, go buy that book and save the rest of your money! You will do just as well.