The Smarter Science of Slim Workbook: The Five-Week Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, and UCLA Endorsed Program To Burn Fat Permanently [Kindle Edition]

I read the original Smarter Science of Slim book and found it full of great information. While this one covers a lot of the same ground in summary, I also found the practical ways to apply the ideas week-by-week to be very helpful. However, I'm docking a star because the Kindle isn't the best delivery mechanism - the workbook contains forms to be filled out, bubbles to be shaded in, etc., and you obviously can't do that on the Kindle version. I checked and the forms aren't available for download, so my only recourse is to purchase another (paper) title. Much as I like reading on my Kindle, I don't think this title suits itself for the format and should have probably been offered as paper only (or at least the limitations of the Kindle version spelled out).

I have read the book "The Smarter Science of Slim" and reviewed it on November 3, 2011. I thought it was a great book and decided to take a look at the workbook, too.

The Workbook continues with a lot of good information. I especially liked Part 1 - Recapping Research

I really like this chapter because when I read the book, I kept turning down pages so I could refer back to charts or specific data on these pages at a later time. This part of the workbook has essentially taken much of my turned down pages in the main book and put them in a place that I can easily refer back to. With turned down pages and no easy way to bookmark what is on a turned down page, it takes a while to go back and find specific tables or text in the book. The workbook summary pages make this a breeze. So, I would buy the workbook just for this summary if nothing else.

I also like the exercise diagrams. This is the kind of info a trainer would give you if you belonged to a gym. I have a home gym and already own a lot of the equipment that is used for the illustrations. So, that data is like having a trainer come to my home and give me the proper instructions for using the stuff. Some people who go to gyms don't want to pay for a trainer, and so they fool around on the equipment and probably not use it properly. This is like a jump start to working out properly.

Part 2 - Smarter Psychology

The sentence completion exercises are interesting. I can see where they would help you to program your subconscious mind for success.

Part 3 - Reset Setpoint

The serving size info in Chapter 13 is great. A lot of people have no clue what a serving size of many foods are - so this is the kind of data you would like to have close to the fridge. It would be nice if the workbook had a tear-out card that you could stick on the fridge door with a magnet. I don't know if people stick stuff on their refrigerator doors any more, but ours is covered with stuff - notes, pictures of the grandchildren, grocery lists, etc. A card on the door with reminders of serving sizes would remind me about mindless munching.

The chapters after this get into journaling. I have never been a journaling person. I know a lot of people do it and it is a good way to chart progress towards a goal. But I guess I am not the kind of person who wants to spend so much time keeping a journal. So, this area is not a real big thing with me. However, the way the workbook is laid out is excellent for anyone who wants to do it. Anyone who has never kept a journal has everything they need to get started with keeping a journal and be successful. The workbook makes it pretty painless and a person couldn't help but do it properly to get the results they are after.

I like the charts in Chapter 19. I definitely want to become a HOT FITNESS MODEL - Ha..ha.. But I guess I would settle for just FIT. The HOT and MODEL tags would never get stuck on me. I could see these charts on cardboard stock and stuck on the fridge, too. Just as a reminder that I want to stay on the RIGHT Side of the chart and not on the LEFT side.

The workbook goes well with the book and provides good summaries of the data and charts that are detailed in the book itself. You really need to read the book first and then all the data in the workbook makes a lot more sense because you can understand where the information came from and the logic behind the summaries.

*****
The main book--The Smarter Science of Slim--is an amazing book by Jonathan Bailor about a healthy theory and practice of eating, exercising, and weight loss. THIS book--The Workbook--is one of two additional books that currently accompanies the main book--it is a summary of the main book's research and information and includes a 5-week tracking journal. It is a great way to keep organized and to follow your progress.

I would highly recommend buying the main book, and then if you want to have a handy summary as well as a tracking system to follow your progress, buy this one--the workbook--too.

There is a third book, called The Smarter Science of Slim Journal. That book a tracking diary to note day by day progress and impressions, like what is in this workbook, but longer, for 12 weeks. The journal doesn't include any summaries of the book; it's a journal only.

I have all three books: the main book, the journal, and the workbook, as I am adopting the Smarter Science of Slim as my way of eating and regaining my health. I highly recommend all three. I wrote this review so that everyone could know the difference between the books, as it can be hard to tell just from the descriptions.

Highly recommended.
*****