Get with the Program!: Getting Real About Your Weight, Health, and Emotional Well-Being

by Bob Greene, Sydny Miner (Editor)

The Barnes & Noble ReviewPut away your scale, but pay attention to how your clothes fit -- permanent weight loss is less about quickly shedding pounds than about gradually burning fat.So says Bob Greene, the bestselling fitness guru and Oprah's personal trainer. In Get with the Program!, Greene makes the case for a "slow and steady wins the race" approach to losing weight and divides the process into Four Truth, Commitment & Self Control; Revving Up Your Metabolism; Getting Real About Emotional Eating; and Securing a Life of Health & Happiness.Part workout manual, part journal, part pep talk, the book gives as much weight to overcoming emotional obstacles to getting in shape as it does to specific types of exercise or what to eat for breakfast. That's not to say, however, that it's short on detail. In addition to all the talk of inner-self, Greene provides some excellent and easy-to-understand information on the physiology of weight loss. One example is his close look at why power walking and running are the best aerobic exercises for burning fat, whereas swimming is one of the worst. Other points of interest include his thorough explanation of the key role drinking enough water plays in maintaining a strong metabolism, as well as his take on why heart-rate monitoring during workouts doesn't really work.Serious gym rats may find the material too basic, but if trendy diets have let you down in the past, or if you're more at home on the couch than the treadmill, Get with the Program! offers a refreshing mind-body formula for losing weight by changing your life, instead of just counting calories and taking another spinning class. (P. L. Jennings)

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Fitness, Food

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Bob Greene is a personal trainer who writes on health and weight loss. He works and writes with Oprah Winfrey.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Isabel Rebelo da Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book about health and eating wise but didn't tell me anything that I didn't know already. Maybe a good book for a person that leads an unhealthy life when it comes to food and exercise. It also has some good points about overcoming emotional eating. It is a nice book, with good information, but as I said, it didn’t teach me, personally, nothing new.

[Darryl Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha... it took me years to read this one through. I finally read it from start to end.

Great reference read to understand your own emotional eating reasons, your eating behaviours including the history, the start up of taking on exercise/weight lifting and the incremental increase of moving/lifting.

The journal style and start-up questions are first of its kind I've seen.

Its a strong reference to begin taking care of your body.

[Luis Cortez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short an interesting reading. I liked the way that the author tries to reach people who wants to lose weight explaining in detail how our metabolism works, the difference between the diets, its pros and cons and the most motivating thing is that he explains a combo of diet+exercise by phases, starting with the low demanding exercise and diet, even allowing you to keep your actual diet and changing it little by little. I think that way you starting creating good diet and exercise habits and you starts replacing bad for good ones.

[Olatomi Afilaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simple and straightforward to follow. The advice is also productive and manageable. It is not overwhelming

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Oprah fan who watched her transformation I immediately picked up this book in 2004. I like Bob Greene. His writing is informative and reassuring. I read this book a couple of times at different points in my life. Reread in 2006 then again in 2009 it all still rang true. Honestly, still working through a lot of what was written but sometimes when having a difficult time will read the section on "Emotional Eating" to get inspired not to give in. It is not just about food and there is a real psychology to eating. Anyone who is at a point that needs some reassurance that they are not alone in the crazy weight game and want to be informed from one of the best trainers this is a good read.

[Dorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome starter program for the unmotivated! It starts with very small, easy steps and slowly builds up to regular exercise and a healthy diet. I've been revisiting this book for years, every time I get off track.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about steps one can take to achieve lifelong weight loss and health broken down into four phases. While it has great advice about exercise, it spends surprising little time exploring what one should eat. I would have liked more on that.

[Mizbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

library book

Greene writes well. His books are informative.

[Cal]

just got it for christmas..yet to read!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent and inspiring book: just what the doctor ordered for a pre-holiday fitness and health boost. It's easy to read and understand and apply-what more can you ask for?

[DianeK Klu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now to put it into practice!!

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friendly fitness book.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of cheese.