The 5 Factor Fitness Diet

I would love to have my own personal trainer, someone I could call on whenever I wanted to, just like the celebrities do! Besides that, this sounds too much like a diet rather than a lifestyle change to me, especially when calling Sunday a "cheat" day. I'd also have a problem with Sundays, because once I start eating "whatever I want", this includes sugar and processed foods and it's very hard for me to just get back on track the next day.

That could just be me, though. If you can eat in moderation and don't have any food addictions (i.e.: sugar, flour, unhealthy fats, etc.), then this plan might work for you. Thanks for the review! :)

I use the 'one day-off' plan where I allow myself to enjoy foods that I make off-limits for the rest of the week. This works for me as if I get tempted to eat unhealthy foods during the week I just have to think 'it's only ___ days until Sunday, I can have it then', and when Sunday arrives I really enjoy and savour the food. Obviously I don't go crazy and binge, but I enjoy a nice meal out with dessert or a gourmet coffee and a cake for example.

What a load of...

Where's the part where they discuss cocaine, amphetamines, etc.?

Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong - my martial arts training alone lasts from 90 minutes to up to 3 hours a session!

cheat day! - you need to change your mindset permenantly and keep the rubbish food out of the house else temptation will call.

I agree with Sauna Kid about the cheat day. Besides, you know people are just going to go crazy and eat like 4,000 calories worth of junk. That would set them back for the rest of the week. It's not a good idea to incorporate a cheat day that often - a cheat meal maybe, not a whole day!

Yah, cheat days to me feel like "hey, we're making you miserable the rest of the week so you can have fun this one day". Forget that! Find a healthy lifestyle you can enjoy every day. It took me a while but I slowly and gradually changed my eating and exercise habits to the point where I feel healthy and I can still enjoy my life. I don't need a cheat day!

Gal

powerpuffin said:
What a load of...

Where's the part where they discuss cocaine, amphetamines, etc.?[...]

I have this book (thus the review). Now - I often do workouts under 25 minutes - but the level of intensity is huge (for me). The exercises in this book are relatively "lightweight". When I saw the part about "core exercises" I was thinking deadlifts, pushup variations, pull ups, squats - instead it was various twists and crunches - which don't cut the mustard as far as metabolic conditioning, etc.

Trust me - for me to see any physique change in myself (using workouts that were 25 minutes or under) - it didn't come from doing DB flyes and crunches. It came from absolutely working my a** off with back-to-back compound movements mixed with lower-rep (heavier weight) workouts mixed with high-intensity cardio intervals here in there.

The sad thing is that when I stopped this level of training, a "gentle" coating of fat came back onto my body (goodbye abs).

The 5 factor is a good beginner workout (very clearly explained) - but as for the celebrity thing... well... I guess with a very powerfully motivated trainer they may have been able to up the intensity.

I have no doubt that their meals would have come from a diet delivery service (calorie-controlled).

just sounds like an all-round healthy lifestyle every one should have but disguised under a fancy name for commercial purposes..

You mean, if I do cardio for five minutes and lift foo-foo weights for 10 minutes, I'll look exactly like Halle Berry? Pfft!

Like Jim - and anyone who's inclined to gain weight (or, as I prefer to say, is "naturally voluptuous") I changed my physique through real, sweat-through-your-pants cardio and real lift-so-heavy-you-can't-help grunting weight work.

Yet another book pandering to the instant gratification crowd.

I agree--while a lot of it sounds sensible, especially for couch potatoes who need to get going, it seems a total fantasy that this program will somehow make you look like a celebrity.

I think the whole "cheat day" thing is very individual. I allow myself a cheat ratio (90% healthy, 10% crap), rather than a day, but I know some folks do better with an all or nothing approach.

And I'm always distrustful with gimmicks like the "5" thing. It seems either coincidental or forced that there would be five aspects to everything. I don't know why people find these gimmicky things so appealing!

The eating frequently with protein meal has been around forever.

http://www.drsquat.com/articles/zigzag.html

Pasternak borrowed a lot from Hatfield and ISSA,IMHO, and packaged it to non-fitness trainers.

Think it may work - as long as you don't use, as someone earlier said, the "foo foo" weights. If you lift heavy it would be a good program to get sculpted/ripped. A lot of bodybuilders have been doing this - less (or no) cardio routine.

This is a great book. Although it's very simple, it touches the most important and basic factors of healthy weight loss diet.

But I don't get that why there are no vegetables and fruits in the diet?

This sounds exactly like a lifestyle to me. It just teaches people how to eat healthy. I have always allowed myself a "cheat" day. As long as you truly want to lose weight, maintain weight or just simply stay healthy one cheat day per week won't hurt you. I think it actually helps you because you are allowing yourself to eat some of the foods you love. Also, as long as you are knowledgable about what foods you eat and you eat healthy portions with a good exercise routine you will be healthy!!! :-) The key is how bad you want it and not letting anything get in your way!!!

The whole idea about the cheat day is that after one day of cheating, you'll realize how awful and sluggish you feel after a whole day of junk food compared the the other 5 days when you are eating healthy. So eventually, you will never cheat on the cheat day because of the way it makes you feel.

And the half hour workout does seem short. But the point to that is to keep your heart rate up for the entire 30 minutes and to not stop moving or take breaks, compared to maybe working out in the gym and taking a water break after every exersize.

I signed up for the 5 factor plan website and it is the biggest joke I've ever seen. After threatening to sue they are refunding all my money. The site is only 6 weeks old and so many issues everyone is complaining. They have supposed personal coaching that is a joke also. When the "coach" finally contacts you, you get constantly referred to the website. They can't answer your questions. Plus the diet is full of cheese and dairy products....artificial sweeteners are ok'd. People just eat clean. Eat lean meats, fresh vegies and fruits and whole grains and move your booties....plain and simple.
Yes to cheat days! Gotta have them...what fun would life be but it is true that you change how you cheat.
Blessings to everyone!

Alex said:
This is a great book. Although it's very simple, it touches the most important and basic factors of healthy weight loss diet.[...]

Alex said:
But I don't get that why there are no vegetables and fruits in the diet?[...]

I found the book pretty interesting. Although it comes off pretty gimicky and sounds like one great big late night commercial. I like the fact it advocates healthy eating but his recipies have far more starch in them than I personally like. As well he does not discuss portion control and what a real portion is. As well I noticed he does not discuss any cool down or stretching post work out. I don't buy what the celebs say, b/c if you throw enough money at them, they will say anything, and its different to have a trianer beside you constantly making your meals rather than being on your own. But its worth a try to see what happens. Although I may go easy on the cheat day. Its not a new concept, other "diets" advocate it as well like Body for LIfe.

Oh another thing, for once I would love to see a diet and workout routine for people who do 12hour shift work. Lots of these are based for people who work Monday through Friday.

Alex said:
This is a great book. Although it's very simple, it touches the most important and basic factors of healthy weight loss diet.[...]

You add those onto the meal.

I started eating whatever I wanted and I've lost weight. I think its because when I eat what I want I fill up faster and I don't feel bad that I "failed" at a diet. Its just better. I've actually lost weight (16 pounds) in about a year... I was eating fried cheesecake and basically working out a few times a week.

well good job laura, but im sure if you ate more healthful options and worked out more routinely you would be able to lose a lot more pounds in one year, as well as be overall more healthy, ie.concerning blood pressure and cholesterol. I dont know why everyone seems to bash the cheat day, saying that its unnecessary, because it doesnt mean become a binge eater for a day and eat 10 bags of cheetos and a bag of cookies. It simply means enjoy those less healthy foods you love that shouldnt be eaten every day- if you are trying to lose weight obviously.I do think that it doesnt help keeping junk food all over the house, because usually if something is out of site it is out of mind, but i completely think its reasonable to keep little treats to reward and satisfy yourself.I also think that if you look at diets as a temorary thing it seems like a prison, you should look at it as changing your nutritional intake to a more healthy one that is more beneficial to your life- that way a healthy way of living becomes second nature. It really just takes time wholeheartedly adapt this type of lifestyle but pretty much anyone who wants to can do it! I TOTALLY agree with what stephanie said, clean food + exercise + indulgements in moderation =success! but i think this book is meant to give light to those who arent really sure about nutriton, and want to try a fairly simple and pleasing diet plan that they can follow.
LOL ok im done with my novel

To all those who scoff at the 25-minute workout... it actually does work. But the thing is, it's 5 days a week. Most people work out 2-3 times a week like this with weights for an hour and a half or so. If you total the weekly times, they're about the same. The point he was trying to make with the smaller, more frequent workouts is that it is possible for busy people to be fit with less fatigue, since you're only working one major muscle group a day. I know several trainers who came to this conclusion as well. Another thing is, if you have a lot of fat to lose, Harley recommends the 5-minute cardio at the end as just a minimum and going up to an hour every workout. So it's more than you think, but if you're pressed for time or really tired, 5 minutes is still better than nothing.

I did this a couple summers ago and got hooked - I felt fantastic and lost 15 lbs and 6% body fat. I was doing around 30-40 minutes extra cardio. Now I just do the basic 25-minute workout and I've kept it off. It doesn't get boring either, especially since he added new exercises in the Diet book. The food menu did leave much to be desired, so I just focused on fruits and veggies and whole-grains and no fried or sugary things. And yes, the cheat day did help in the beginning, but it was as you said, aja, I just didn't feel like cheating on my cheat days anymore and dropped them. Instead if I'm craving something I'll buy just a tiny bit - and not leave anymore lying around - and indulge.

One more thing: Halle Berry is a Type-1 diabetic, which makes her naturally skinny.

I just bought this book 2 days ago. It is very interesting a does teach you the healthy way to eat. I am a little skeptical about the short work outs but I will try and see what happens at the end of 5 wks. I only have about 5-10 pounds to lose anyway so its worth a try. I actually did my first workout lastnight and I will admit my quads are sore.

OMG, if you are cooking for a family and don't have a personal chef, good luck on this diet. I made the mistake of subscribing, and laughed when I looked at the menus. Even if I didn't work, I wouldn't have time to prepare those meals and the most aggrivating thing of all is that most of the tools didnt work. I tried emailing and received those annoying automated responses. Needless to say, I cancelled, but it still cost me part of the subscription. Don't waste your money.

It is so funny that people who say they have no time are willing to spend time to buy the book and try and make these recipes. If you really have no time to go to the gym and make healthy food then instead of spending all of your money on a diet book then MAKE A DIET FOR YOURSELF. MOst people want taste, they need tast to fullfill a craving and if they don't have the taste they are craving they look for other things that will fullfill that taste and when they don't find it then they end up going back to the bad food they tried to avoid in the first place, this is why diets fail!!!!!!!! I am not an expert but while in the military and with a lot of online research I have found a lot of great tips and it was all freee!!!! OMG who would have thought!Body builder.com is a great sight for woman and men that has tons of workout routines and diet plans that real people use!(YUP IT'S FREE!)
So lets break it down and see how you can really lose weight while working out(u must work out to lose weight people!!!!) This is what I do, like I said I am not an expert but I know how to eat healthy without depriving myself of the foods I love and without starving myself!!! Woman who excercise on a regular bases should be eating at least!1,400-1,500 calories a day
1. eat a big breakfast
Breakfast: 5 egg whites and 1 cup splenda sweetened oatmeal and a piece of fuit if you don't like oatmeal a piece of toast (or you can just have egg whites, toast, and some turkey bacon yum!!!!!!)
or
Half a whole wheat bagle with peanut butter and strawberries on it (i like this )
or
a big fuit smoothie with 1 banana/1cup no sugar added vanilla yogurt/cup of oj/1scoop protien powder if want/add other fruit from the frozen fruit section
SNACK: try and keep it under 100 calories I love the 100 calorie snack packs they are awesome!!
LUNCH:
Get a plate that has 3 sections on it I use the childrens plates, you can buy them at target for a dollar.
Put protein on one part(size of a deck of cards is great) and a low glycemic carb like brown rice, or sweet potatoe, and veggies or fruit on the other part
SNACK: Again under 100 calories!!
DINNER: I LOVE THIS BOOK (3-HOUR DIET COOKBOOK) best investment ever!!!!! Meals are soooooo easy to make and affordable, and did I mention QUICK!!!! And the recipes are all under 400 calories as long as u eat the correct portion sizes!!!!!!!!!

SO IF YOU MAKE EACH MEAL 400 CALORIES AND SNACK 100 CALORIES THAT IS 1400 CALORIES and don't think that just because you can have 1400-1500 calories a day means that you can eat whatever you want! You have to eat foods that have very little sugar and sodium!!!!!

Oh and crystal light is the best drink ever!! no sugar and 5 calories!!! And it really does taste great!!!
And if you are really trying to eat healthy and just need to have fast food, most fast food places have nutritional guides that you can look up on the web and it will tell you the fat content and calories!!!!! YUP THAT IS FREE TOOOOO!!! for example, say you want taco bell google in taco bell nutritional guide and you will have it !!! It is a good way to keep under that 1400-1500 calorie mark and still eat fast food!!

I started this program yesterday-I have never been in so much 'good' pain after lifting and I have been working out for 5+ years. Even though you only do 10 min cardio at the end of the 25 minutes I was more worn out than I am when I run for that same amount of time (I used my Nordic Trac for the cardio portion and my stability ball instead of a bench). I'm never able to keep my caloric intake to just 1200 cals a day but I have Kashi cereal for breakfast and a frozen Kashi meal for lunch (plus vegetables, yogurt and an apple with peanut butter) and I'm so full that soup and a salad for dinner is all I want.

I started this diet a few months ago, and was stunned that I lost weight. I usually stay at the the gym for hours on end, and eat salads, and don't loose weight. I only have about 10lbs to loose. Unfortually, I got real busy with family, and wasn't able to making the meals. I just started up again this week, and aready lost 3lbs, but I am afraid the same thing is going to happen again. Does anyone know how to pick other food other than the receips in the book. Lots of time I am out and didn't pack a lunch, and I find it hard to figure out what to eat when I'm out. I don't feel the book is real clear on how to put together your own meals. I like the plan though. There is something more to GI index than what some doctors say, because I have tried every diet under the sun. Maybe my body reacts differtly to certain foods than others. I think that's what everyone should try to figure out in order to loose weight.

The book works just like every other diet, it keeps your calories low and tells you to workout.

I don't understand the comments asking about fruits and vegetables since those are included in almost every meal and snack. Science has proven that there is no need to workout for more than 1/2 hour 5 days a week, as long as you keep your heart rate up. The great thing about following this is that many people will start working out for 1.5 hours and eating 1000 calories and find that they didn't lose weight. That's because you actually need to eat to lose.

I agree that some of the cooking takes a while, but there are some simple meals included. And if you follow the plan and eat a low-fat protein, with a couple of veggies and a high fiber carb, you'll always be full. (Think salmon with brown rice (they make the 90-second bags now) and spinach--fast and easy.)

The free day is actually really important too. That's why Weight Watcher's has its flex plan and Jenny Craig includes desert. If you are depriving yourself of something you really want, you will end up quitting. Everyone should limit their intake of junk food, but it won't hurt you to eat it once in a while.

This diet works for me. Some may prefer diets that include different foods, but I really enjoy the menus.

Oh and I forgot to mention, even though some of the meals take a long time, I work a high stress job and don't spend a lot of time at home. But I'm still able to manage my time to make meals. It just takes planning ahead. All diets that include whole foods take time, but they are worth it.

Just buy some frozen meals too (Kashi or South Beach). They generally fulfill the requirements of high fiber and low-fat protein.

Thank you, BW. It sounds like you have actually read the book and are not just making useless assertions. I've read it and it looks good to me. Even the dreaded cheat day. :O

I did a diet years ago that incorporated a cheat day, and it does really work...here's why: Your body gets so used to the low amount of calories and fat, that when you indulge on your cheat day, your body revolts and you end up in the bathroom with the "big D," thus quickly pushing out all the extra fat and calories you just consumed. So, most people either learn to accept the cheat day along with the awful cramps and bathroom stay or decide the cheat isn't worth it.

I agree on the exercise part...it's simply not long enough or strenous enough to push your body into the fat-burning zone.

I wish people would drop this myth of the "fat burning zone". Going at a moderate pace allows you to burn fat and some carbs, bottom line. The closest thing to a so-called "fat burning sone" is to workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, that way your body's glycogen stores are low and you burn primarily stored fat.

I've tried the south beach diet last year and lost weight. i went off of that diet and gained it all back. i started to get dizzy and sick, because i wasn't getting the nutrients i need. so i decided to get this book and give it a try! if i can eat carbs and then have a cheat day. i think it's more than worth a try. so i've been on it for 5 days and lost 5 lbs. I'm never hungry and i love all the recipes!!! there's so much to choose from!!! i think this is really a life style change. i mean i eat carbs the whole day and i'm losing weight!! i'm soooo happy with this diet!! thank you harley!

Actualy By using that cheat day Your body's metabolism will shift to work at that speed meaning it will be hsifted to burn more calories.... meaning the next day monday your body is going to burn alot more calories then needed and with work ur gona lose alot of weight then u continue on for another5 days by the time sunday comes ur metablosim will shift again therefor this cheat day actualy helps if u have some sort of self control