Michelle Schoffro Cook - 60 Seconds to Slim: Balance Your Body Chemistry to Burn Fat Fast!

To the love of my life, Curtis

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

Direct hardcover first published by Rodale Inc. in January 2013.

2013 by Michelle Schoffro Cook

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Book design by Chris Rhoads

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-60961-849-0 trade paperback

eISBN 13: 978-1-60961-850-6

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Curtis, thank you for all your love, support, and encouragement throughout the writing of this book and always.

Claire, thank you for your ongoing belief in my work and efforts to find a publisher for this book.

Anne, thanks for recognizing the value in this book and bringing it to the public.

Marielle, thanks for your vision and efforts to make 60 Seconds to Slim the book it is. And thanks for being such a pleasure to work with.

Thanks to everyone else at Rodale for all your efforts to edit, package, promote, and market my book.

Thanks to the many people who shared their stories, measurements, weight, and personal details to help people know how well this program works.

Thanks to the people who provided recipes, namely Cobi Slater, PhD, DNM, CHT, RNCP, ROHP; Angela Grow; and Denise Passerello, MS, CPT, CNC.

Thanks to my parents, Michael and Deborah Schoffro, for your love and support throughout the years.

In the modern world, humans are unhealthier than ever and our harmful choices and environment are causing us to tip the scales as never before. By 2015, 75 percent of the American population will be overweight and 41 percent will be obese (meaning they will be more than 20 percent heavier than the ideal weight for their height), according to Reuters. The remaining states continued to have the same high obesity rates. Not one state had a decline. Scary.

The situation in Canada isnt much different: 23 percent of adults are obese. And Europeans and Asians are experiencing a growing obesity problem as well, with the percentage of overweight or obese children there tripling in the last three decades.

According to a study by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being overweight is directly linked to at least 20 health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. Some of the complications linked to diabetes include blindness, limb amputation, severe infection, coma, and death.

Considering the exponential rise in weight issues, it may come as no surprise that, in my more than two decades of experience as a nutritionist and natural health consultant, increasing numbers of clients have asked me the best way to lose weight. In that time, Ive seen many fad diets come and go. While some included high amounts of fat, others eliminated fat altogether. Some diets recommended large amounts of protein while others suggested only vegetarian foods. Some diets deprived people of carbohydrates while others allowed certain types of carbs.

Todays fad diets focus primarily on low-carb, no-carb, and high-protein regimens. But, regardless of the diet craze, they share a few traits.

They typically work well in the short term, until the dieters relax their strict guidelines and gain back the weightsometimes even more than they started out with.

They do not include enough food to sustain a person for any length of time. And they dont include a wide enough variety of food and enough calories to provide adequate nutrition to maintain health.

They claim that the diet works for everyone, no matter a persons metabolism, genetic predispositions, eating habits, or lifestyle. These one-size-fits-all diets mislead consumers with unrealistic promises.

They can cause potentially damaging long-term consequences, like fatigue, irritability, and even possible organ damage, particularly to the kidneys and liver.

They do not consider people from a holistic perspective: body, mind, emotions, and spirit. All these different facets can play a role in whether a person becomes or stays heavy.

I knew there had to be a better way to lose weight: an approach that worked in the short term but could be continued for life; one that ensured an adequate variety and quantity of nutrients to help keep people healthy for life; a diet that recognized inherent variations in habits and lifestyles so it allowed flexibility; and one that would not damage the body but would ensure greater health, vitality, immunity, and wellness while addressing people from a holistic viewpoint.

60 Seconds to Slim is the culmination of 2 decades of research and clinical experience learning what works, what doesnt, and what only appears to work for a little while. It seeks to balance your inner terrain: your biochemistry, energy, emotions, and morebut well get to that momentarily.

My 20-year search for the secret to healthy weight loss confirmed that balancing pH is critical. Additionally, strengthening the bodys liver, lymphatic system, intestinal flora balance, emotional well-being, and thyroid and adrenal health are all components of the program Ill be sharing with you in this book. Even if youre not familiar with any of these terms, they will soon become second nature.

After detailing the natural and effective weight-loss approach I fine-tuned over time, I am happy to report that I had an almost immediate response from publishers interested in 60 Seconds to Slim. Some wanted to turn it into the dieting equivalent of the get-rich-quick scheme. You know, the ones that promise youll lose weight at a furious pace but neglect to tell you that youll gain it all back and more if you dont remain ever vigilant in eating next to nothing. Theyre the ones that promise youll be skinnier than a rake and forget to tell you that it is nearly impossible to get all the nutrients you need to maintain strong bones and a healthy immune system on their plan. They also neglect to tell you that you may turn into a cranky, miserable version of yourself when your hormones become imbalanced because of insufficient hormone building blocks. To sign one of these book deals would have required me to sacrifice not only the vision I had for this book but my personal ethics as wellsomething I was not prepared to do in exchange for a book contract.