Everyday Systems

The Skinny Rules
Bob Harper
May 2012
Ballantine Boks

I violated one of my long standing rules about opening other "how to eat" books. But this one caught my eye because it was co-authored by Greg Critser who wrote Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. That book was insightful, well written and grounded in solid science.

I don't know if any of those apply to The Skinny Rules because I couldn't get past the table of contents which I previewed. There are, according to Mr Harper, 20 rules to be skinny. Yes, 20.

That's too many to list here.

The rules are a compilation of the fads (high protein, no carbs after lunch, get rid of white potatoes) common sense (make your own food and eat at least 10 meals a week at home, learn to read food labels so you know what you are eating, banish high salt foods) and what I see as arbitrary opinion (eat apples and berries every single day, drink a large glass of water before every meal - no excuses, get rid of fast foods and fried foods)

I am not a highly celebrated trainer responsible for helping morbidly obese people lose literally tons of weight. Nor am I am a morbidly obese person facing severe health and quality of life issues. I suppose if I were either of those things 20 rules might seem just the thing.

But twenty rules is way beyond me. I actually keep (in the loosest sense of the term) many of the rules when I am on track with No S but when I do deviate I have a hard enough time getting back on track with three. I can't imagine the emotional barrier I would have to overcome to get back on track with 20.

OMgosh, doesn't this reinforce why you might have a rule not to look at other books about how to eat? Nuts! It just irks me so much when people claim "this is what it takes" when you can so easily point to examples that negate their claim! How does he explain all those skinny Asians who eat lots of rice or Italians who eat bread at dinner? Or thin cultures who never eat an apple or a berry?

I just looked at the review on Amazon? The "nonnegotiable" rules? Even more illogical!

Cooking your own meals probably matches the practices of MOST other cultures anyway.

No fried foods? The Korean women who prepared foods for our teachers' buffet last week would be appalled.

Such a shame that we are so confused and convinced that we cannot eat moderate amounts of most home-cooked foods at discrete, shared meals on a regular basis without going overboard.

Harper has clients who want to lose weight fast and thus wouldn't be patient enough to be taught to eat moderately while savoring their food. He is so blinded by his own prejudices (and fame, I'd say) that he believes his own hype.

I don't really see how this guy can really feel good about sending a book like this out into the marketplace and then defending it by saying that if people would just follow the prescription, they'd be thin. The question is is it reasonable to expect that they will follow it permanently?

Despite the fact that Reinhard will unlikely ever get the exposure Harper will, he should at least feel good that he isn't offering, even unwittingly, pipe dreams.

Oh, interesting. It was published May 15 of this year and there are already used copies available on Amazon.

Also interesting is that another book published by two authors who work coaching the online community at Biggest Loser have more than a few reviews from those who used the principles to lose and keep off weight in multiples of years. No one talked about quick weight loss or nonnegotiable rules.

I saw that book, too, and thought the exact same thing.