The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan: Transform Your Mind and Body, Five Changes in Five Weeks

by William Sears, Erin Sears Basile

The best of today's science-based nutrition and lifestyle research is finally available in one crystal-clear plan. All you need is five steps and five weeks.
Maybe you've just received a wake-up call: your own health crisis, or a sick parent or friend. Or maybe you're just tired of feeling tired and sick of feeling sick.
You don't need a diet plan. You need a health transformation--from the inside out.
For more than 20 years, The Baby Book author William Sears' advice has been trusted by millions of parents across the country, and around the world. Now, along with his daughter Erin, a health coach and fitness instructor who went through her own transformation, losing 70 pounds and radically improving her health, Sears turns his science-based guidance to creating better health for everyone. Transform 5 is a book for all ages and all ailments. Decrease inflammation, protect your brain and heart, strengthen your gut, balance your hormones, and even make your own medicine.
Transform 5's five-step, five-week mind and body makeover--field-tested by the authors in their medical and health-coaching practices--changes your body's biochemistry to help you feel better, look better, and enjoy the New You!
From its lively illustrations to motivating transformer testimonies, T5 is fun to read and fun to do--which means it's the program you'll stick with. Your mind and body will thank you.
You Will Thrive on T5!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help

410 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his "little patients" call him, is the father of eight children as well as the author of over 30 books on childcare. Dr. Bill is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Dr. Bill received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto -- the largest children’s hospital in the world, where he served as associate ward chief of the newborn nursery and associate professor of pediatrics. Dr. Sears is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a fellow of the Royal College of Pediatricians (RCP).Dr. Bill is also a medical and parenting consultant for BabyTalk and Parenting magazines and the pediatrician on the website Parenting.com.

Reviews

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's well laid out, comical and gimmicky but in a good way. It speaks to the masses. I have always followed William Sears as I am a stead fast believer and participant of attachment parenting so anything he has to tell me,
I'm going to listen. Thanks for a great new look on "dieting" for the new year.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the typical American Diet Book, build up like a sort of book of advertisement. This doesn't mean that it is useless, nevertheless even if is full of good ideas, the way is written and typed also, makes me think at the beginning that there was going to be a sort of scam at the end, but this happens just because I'm European.

Quando ho aperto questo libro per la prima volta e ho capito a cosa si riferivano le 5 t; specialmente l'ultima, ho pensato che fosse una presa in giro. In realtá é solo il tipico libro americano che ti vuole convincere della superioritá di questa dieta su tutte le altre, ma ci sono comunque dei buoni suggerimenti.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Bonny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm unsure of the target market for this book, but it felt like a late-night diet infomercial with lots of personal stories and zero science.

Formatting of this book makes it unreadable on Kindle. When I opened it on Adobe reader, suddenly I understood why - an oft-inserted image of a doctor providing a cutesy rhyming synopsis of the information shared.

Did I enjoy this? Nope. Perhaps it helps readers remember key points, but there were so many, so often, I felt like I was reading a kid's book.

I'm sure there are nuggets of wisdom and a functional way of eating that will help folks find wellness, but I couldn't get through this to find them.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with this diet/way of life book like so many diet/lifestyle predecessors, is that the authors tried to impart every piece of their collective acquired dietary and health wisdom, and in doing so complicated the message and made it difficult to parse out the helpful nuggets. Additionally, without full explanation, certain foods high in good omega fats, such as pastured organic beef, were unceremoniously left out of the diet. I get it that there is fear about eating red meat due to cancer links (studies did not compare pastured to factory farm), but it would have been helpful to include information on more protein options beyond wild caught Alaskan salmon. I'm a huge fan of the Dr. Sears library, but this read left me unsatisfied.

[Tiffany Tubville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Dr Sears so when I saw he had a regular health book (not just parenting/babies), I ordered it from ThriftBooks. The way that they talked about “T5” was a little gimmicky, I felt like I was getting a pitch. However, its not a fad diet - just encouraging eating whole, real foods. I was still able to enjoy the nutritional advice and information about how inflammation affects the body. The standard American diet is a factor in a lot of common diagnoses (-itis illnesses, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more) but it’s hard to figure out how to change our habits of eating so I found this book very informative and have already shared some parts of it with my mom and husband.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well structured program to improve and sustain overall health and well being. Dr. Sears developed this methodology during his own recovery from colon cancer.

The five steps essentially pertain to diet, grazing, moving, stress less, and sharing. Each topic is discussed in depth and lays out an easy to follow practice highlighted with charts and graphics.

I have incorporated the changes into my own lifestyle and have felt the improvement on a daily basis. Paying attention and practicing leads to results which all of us can attain with this common sense book.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much more than just a diet book. It covers many additional topics such as; exercise, meditation, deep breathing, psychology, physical therapy type exercises and more.

I typically get bored reading diet books, but with this one there was new information to keep me reading. And there was just enough humor to hold my interest throughout the book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information format can be repetitive. While there is good ideas in the book ie smoothies, healthier food choices, exercise, etc. I have read this information in other books.

The exercises can be done at home rather than a gym.

I did read Dr. Sears baby books years ago and truly enjoyed them. Unfortunately I was expecting more.

[Lexi Zuo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating research on the effects of exercise on the body!! I’m motivating now for sure on that front. I don’t buy his food ideas.. I won’t be giving up all my meat! I do love green smoothies though like Dr. Sears advises! :-)

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not unique.

"1. Eat more plant-based foods, more safe seafood, and much less animal-based food.
2. Be more satisfied with smaller meals.
3. Move more.
4. Think happy thoughts.
5. Share more. "

[Kristi Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read all of my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

I was really excited to read this book and get some great ideas to help my nutrition coaching clients. After all, knowledge is power and the more I know about the human body, the better the results I can get for my clients. I was very disappointed with the redundant nature of this book. Not only did the book repeat the same information over and over again, it was also very gimmicky and salesy. I also felt like it talked down to the reader. On the other hand, I did like the lists and recipes given and will be trying some of them. Overall, the topics in this book could have been summed up in a booklet instead of a long book which is why I gave it such a low rating. It took me forever to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Sears, Erin Sears Bastille, and BenBella Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heidi Dumke · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about this book (and what I could see as frustrating for some) is that it's more about guidelines rather than a strict plan. Dr. Sears' goal is to sustain overall health and well-being, and he developed his program during his recovery from colon cancer. 5S foods, grazing, more movement, stress less, and build community. I liked his chapters on movement and stress the most.

I first gravitated toward his work because of his publications w/ his wife on attachment parenting. Again, his style there is very holistic and responsive, aiming to build your intuition. I was so glad I landed on that kind of information because Mama world is filled with "plans" and "schedules" and "dos" and "dont's". I was intrigued to find out he has more publications on other aspects of health!

[Silvia Puiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It s too commercial, very repetive and insisting on the T5 aspect. It is a book with good info that you can find in many other books, but I disliked the way too commercial part of it. I am thankful for the book I received and I congratulate the author on beating cancer.

[Leith Devine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was not what I had expected. I've followed Dr. Sears for years and remember his baby books well, but this diet book was not for me. It was well written and funny though!

[Kristine]

Abandoned. Though I relied heavily on Sears for baby-raising, this book is a disappointment. So many better books out there. Read Michael Greger, Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, T. Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard instead.

[Connor Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to my reviews of self-help books for the new year. Up this Saturday is a new #diet book and #wellness book: The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan by William Sears, MD and Erin Sears Basile. The small print on the cover promises "Five Changes in Five Weeks" and to "Transform Your Mind and Body". A tall order for one book but this one seems to try and be it all for everyone.

As I promised in my annual goals, I am going to be more organized with my reviews of books. For self-help books I have established a list of questions I want to answer to give the book a fair evaluation.

First, I want to read the credentials/experience of the person telling me what to do with my life to make it better. Next, I figure out the angle of the author. Do they want to sell a product? A service? Or, are they writing the book out of the overwhelming urge to help me live a better life? Lastly, I decide whether or not the book is truly helpful for me or if it is not feasible or worthwhile for my life. I will also call out baloney if I read it.

Dr. Sears has serious creds but are they in the right field to write an adult wellness book? I knew I recognized his name when I asked to review this book at NetGalley. Dr. Sears is a famous pediatrician who has written over 30 best selling books on health care and parenting for children. He has been on television countless times as a medical expert especially for pediatrics. He has eight children (making him an automatic expert about kids!) and one of them is a physician on the television show The Doctors. Dr. Sears is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Dr. Bill received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, both top notch medical schools. So, he is an MD with a specialization in pediatrics and is a recognized expert in healthcare for children but no background in adult health and nutrition.

Erin Sears Basile, his daughter and co-author, has a BA in Music Education and an MA in Choral Conducting. She is a certified 'health coach', yoga teacher, and exercise instructor and according to this book, the co-founder of the Transform 5 healthy living plan. In other words, she has no medical training and no background in nutrition. To me, 'health coach' is a garbage term since anyone can take an online course or take a class at a gym and get this type of designation.

While I was reading this book I was getting the feeling that Dr. Sears was hoping to develop a program for adults to profit from the current "Wellness" craze/fad. The book mentions that Dr. Sears is 'turning his attention to the specialty of lifestyle medicine', another faddish phrase I see talked about in magazines.

This brings me to the second question: the angle of the author. Clearly, Dr. Sears wants to promote his book but even more so, his T5 Wellness Plan which has it's own website and even has it's own certified wellness coaches. It is an entire company for "lifestyle medicine".  This grates me a bit. I am all for business and making money, but I get queasy around celebrity physicians who are cashing in on the latest fads. He pushes his website frequently throughout the book along with his 'smoothies' (why are these guys fascinated with smoothies? Don't they know fruits and vegetables are much better for you in whole form?). A little online research reveals Dr. Sears is connected to a company called "Juice +". Hmm. Interesting!

Last question I have: is this book truly helpful for me? Eh, not so much. He presents material in a very simplistic and easy to read format with links for the scientific evidence for his program. None of the material is new to me, but it is not bad information or suggestions by a long shot. Most of what he advises I agree with and already try to incorporate in my life. It has feasible suggestions although I don't agree with his idea of eating all day and grazing mini-meals, since I agree with Dr. Fong that we need to fast intermittently to allow our bodies to reset.

As far as the content of the book, it is very well organized, easy to read and understand, not too medical and seems to be cheerful and encouraging. His plan is divided into 5 steps in 5 weeks including starting the diet, grazing throughout the day (not me!), moving more (yes, yes, please do this says the PT blogger), stress less (everyone should) and share the T5 plan five times (you market for Dr. Sears! What a hoot!).

There are stories of people who have used the T5 plan and how they succeeded using it to attain 'wellness'. It has a definite coaching type vibe with line drawings and simple words and lots of white space for easy reading. It is so simple, my patients could understand it. For me, it is too simple and I hate being 'coached' but I can see how most people would enjoy the tone of the book.

The diet, well, I don't like it but some may. He emphasizes Smoothies (of course he does. He has a connection with a juice company!), salads and spices (great), seafood (why not?) smart snacks like seeds and nuts (also a good idea) and supplements that are based in science. Hmm. I don't see the need for supplements if your diet is complete and many of them are not 'science based'. Smoothies appeal to the Millennial generation for some reason beyond me. I don't get it. Eat your veggies whole. Ask an RD (registered dietician!).

The grazing section I skimmed over, since I don't believe in grazing.

The exercise section has good information and covers strength training, isometrics, aerobics, dancing and swimming, yoga and pilates and how to fit in exercise. "Coach Erin" as she calls herself is qualified to instruct about exercise and this section is quite good.

The stress less section of the book is wonderful. There is a mind-body connection and I am glad to see this mentioned in the book. Bravo, Dr. Sears.

After the plan, he has sections on gut health, brain health, inflammation, heart health, diabetes and cancer. Chapter 9 is an interesting chapter dealing with common questions like vegan diets, good grains, dairy, meat, prebiotics and other current health trends. Since medicine is not in agreement with these subjects, I thought it was interesting to read an old -timer physician's thoughts on these subjects. There are suggested readings, and a recipe index at the back.

All together, if you can get past Dr. Sear's peddling of his program, this is a well-thought out plan that covers a healthy lifestyle in a simple way that anyone could follow. I don't like smoothies, and I don't agree with grazing all day, but the rest of the book is spot-on in my opinion.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars for the general public as a 'wellness' book. Thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books for the chance to read and review the ARC of this book. To Good Health!

[~Vixhen~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had useful information that wasn't new to me, but I enjoyed Dr. Sears' format. It was interactive and made me want to do more. The price of the supplements gave me pause. I'm not a fan of authors (MDs or otherwise) pushing their own products as part of their "program." All in all it was a decent book.