Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You

I have had this book for about 2 months now. I'm so glad I bought it (checked it out at the library first but then realized I'd like to own it for a reference). The clear-cut "count calories" message was somehow new to me - even though I've tried various diets before and worked with a nutritionist, everyone tries to avoid the dread of having to count calories. That alone probably made a huge differance for me.I was able to follow the workout plan closely for about 3 weeks. Workouts are amazing! No hours at the gym, quick and effective. I like that she explains the underlying strategy for forming the workouts - that gives a lot to move forward with, beyond the 30 days. I was training for a triathlon at the same time and had to cut back on the cardio in order to keep up with the 4 workouts / week. On a side note - I had my best triathlon performace ever despite not having all the hrs of biking and running logged. Jillian's workouts are truely functional and effective.I didn't follow the food plan closely but stayed within my calory limit (most of the days). I was hungry in the first week and realized I can't go 4 hrs without eating so I encorporated healthy snacks in and ate about every 3 hours. I really liked a few of her meals but didn't have the time to plan and cook most of them, especially since I live alone and 1-2 meals last me a week.I lost 4 pounds and although it doesn't sound like much, I haven't weighed below 118 in years! I was so excited to see 114 lbs and am happy to finally break my trend of putting on a pound each year for the last 6 or 7 yrs. More importantly, my body is a lot more firm and toned.As for why 4 stars instead of 5:- The book itself isn't well organized, especially all the individual workouts are tricky to find and don't really appear alphabetically as you'd expect- Inconsistencies in the photos and workout descriptions- Some explainations (like how many circuits to do) aren't clear- The food plan isn't easy to follow and all- Some food suggestions don't seem like the healthiest of choices (ex: why everything fat free?)Maybe it's 4.5 stars really... cuz the book content is wonderful! Just a little frustrating to use as a reference.I will definitely do the full 30 days sometime soon with counting calories closely and following the workouts. There isn't a clear "maintenance" section in the book, as some people commented, but the knowledge I gained from this book is my maintenance. Every few days per week I still log my calories (on My Plate by livestrong) and I will never again do a "lift and rest" sort of workout at the gym again.Thanks to Jillian for putting this information out there and making it so accessible!

I just finished the workout part of this book for the 2nd time (not consecutively). As Jillian warns, the regimen is not for those who have a lot of weight to lose, or those who are new to working out. I've used it as a way to add more structure to my weights routine, and just as a kick in the pants, really. This time around, I was already in great shape (for me), but was getting a bit bored, and found it really nice to have 30 days totally mapped out in the gym for me. No planning, no roaming around the weight room aimlessly.I recommend that you flip through the next day's workout the night before, and look up any exercises that you don't know how to do then. If you're toting the book to the gym and flipping back and forth, you're wasting a lot of time and your heart rate is plummeting in the meantime. Also, it's not realistic to follow the workouts *exactly* all 30 days in a crowded gym. It helps if you know enough to replace one exercise with another that works the same muscles; you don't have to slow down just because some guy is doing supersets on the machine you need.I didn't follow the diet, because I already eat very clean, and I know myself - I'm not going to follow any kind of structured meal plan for longer than a few days. Too much work, and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend would move out if I cooked and expected him to eat everything in her book.Overall, I'm not sure that I lost *much* fat during the last 30 days, but I was already quite lean for me. I definitely gained strength and endurance though, and I'll call that a win. Next up is a heavy lifting routine, and I think this was a perfect bridge between that and my unstructured routine from before. I'd recommend it for anyone in decent shape looking to change things up!

Das Buch ist sehr gut aufgebaut - EInführung mit Fitnesstest, Maßnehmen, Ernährungstest und dann die Unterteilung nach den 3 Ernährungstypen. Jeder Ernährungstyp folgt einem individuellen Ernährungsplan, die Übungen sind dieselben.Die Rezepte sind nicht immer leichts zu finden da sie schlecht gekennzeichnet sind und man muss sich immer durch das ganze Kapitel wühlen. Desweiteren ist es nicht unbedingt sehr leicht in den Arbeitsalltag zu integrieren, da man 2Mal täglich mindestens am Herd stehen muss um die Mahlzeiten zuzubereiten und auch nicht am nächsten Tag noch davon essen kann, da da schon wieder etwas anderes auf dem Plan steht. Das hat leider auch zur Folge, dass man viel einkaufen muss und einen Großteil allein gar nicht aufbrauchen kann. Es ist schade wenn Lebensmittel deswegen verderben.Auch die festen Essenszeiten sind nicht immer leicht einzuhalten wenn man keine festen Arbeits-/Pausenzeiten hat, aber es ist effektiv.Manche Dinge sind - meines Erachtens nach - in Deutschland auch gar nicht so leicht zu bekommen bzw einiges würde ich nie niemals essen und habe da improvisiert bzw Änderungen vorgenommen (habe keine Vollkormwraps gefunden nur Weizen und da hab ich sie lieber weggelassen, Shrimps habeich durch Fisch ersetzt etc) Als Vegetarier kann man sicher auch Alternativen finden.Mir hat es geholfen, wieder die Übersicht über mein Essverhalten zurückzuerlangen und auch schlechte Angewohnheiten abzulegen. Gerade zur Anfangszeit hatte ich aber mit Hunger- und Schwächegefühlen zu kämpfen, da ich als Sportlerin einen sehr viel Höheren Kalorienbedarf habe als zu sich genommen werden durfte.Die Workouts habe ich nicht integriert, da es mir zu kompliziert war, erst die Übungen auswendig zu lernen. Auch sind rein schriftliche Beschreibungen nicht so gut umsetzbar. Da ich ja aber einen festen Trainingsplan habe und 6 Tage die Woche trainiere habe ich das nicht als Problem betrachtet.Im Endeffekt habe ich keine riesigen Veränderungen festgestellt, aber es war auch kein Ziel großartig Gewicht zu verlieren, sondern meine Ernährung zu ändern und die Herausforderung an mich selbst zu bestehen (als Schokoholic einen Monat auf Süßigkeiten zu verzichten sehe ich als Herausforderung :-) ) Ich habe trotzdem 2 Kilo verloren und mich insgesamt wohler in meinem Körper gefühlt.Als Fazit ist dieses Buch auf jeden Fall empfehlenswert.

This book was definitely worth my $17. I read the entire thing shortly after I got it, and, while I am a vegetarian and have not been following the nutrition plan, I've been following the macros for my "oxididation" rate (which is slow...go carbs!). I agree that some scientific evidence there would be nice, but I completely agree with what my personal outcome is. In fact, the whole beginning of the book was little more than validation for me, I was happy to see I am doing everything right as far as diet is concerned.As for the people who complain about it not being friendly to those who don't have a gym membership, and it being difficult to find the exercises...I'd surmise you probably aren't ready for this book. SO many of these exercises can be done at home with little to no equiptment, and if you aren't at the stage yet where you can make a smart substitution when there is an exercise you can't perform with what you have, you probably shouldn't be buying this book. At that same token, if you can't plan ahead and have the exercises for the day laid out in advance, you need some better workout management.The workout is tough, I started out as "Average", so I am interested to see where I end up once it is over.The one thing I do wish there was, is a suggestion on where to go from here. The program is designed to get you to your peak. That's awesome, but how about some guidance for after that? (or maybe write another book, Jillian????)That's my only suggestion, I love Jillian and her book otherwise :)

I have no doubt that the diet and exercise plan in this book works. I lost 5 pounds in the first week. That's enough to get anyone super stoked, right? Well...don't get ahead of yourself. What I found in this book was typical of what I've found and struggle with for almost every diet plan ever.Let's start with the diet plan. There's a test that you take to find out whether you are a fast, slow, or balanced oxidizer and the results of this test will determine which diet plan you're on. While there appears to be a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and side dish recipes in the book, you're limited to the ones that fit within your oxidizer level--which severally limits your variety.My next problem with the diet plan is that the grocery list is ridiculous! Here's an example of the grocery list for one week...Kashi Go-Lean CerealSkim MilkEggs (23)Low Fat Cottage CheeseCinnamonSplendaWhole Grain Toast (1 piece)Sprouted-Grain Toast (1 piece)Apple (1)CashewsWasa CrackersNatural Peanut ButterRaw AlmondsPistachio NutsLow Sodium Sprouted-Grain Bread (1 piece)Laughing Cow Low Fat CheeseOlive Oil Cooking SprayOnionsFresh Flat-leaf ParsleyFresh BasilGarlic ClovesPlum TomatoesLow-fat Parmesan CheeseWheat FlourNonfat Sour Cream (3 tbsp)Smucker's Sugar-free Jam (3 tsp)BroccoliTub Style Light Cream CheeseFat Free Italian DressingItalian SeasoningLow-sodium Turkey BreastBottled Roasted Red PeppersLavash WrapsChicken Breast2 Jars Marinated Artichoke HeartsBalsamic VinegarDijon Mustard1 ½ Heads FennelCherry Tomatoes (6 cups)Pitted Kalamata OlivesRed OnionNonfat Cream CheeseLaTortilla Factory Low-carb TortillasTomatoSpinachLean Roast BeefYellowfin Tuna SteaksOlive OilFresh Lemon JuiceArugulaFennel BulbCarb Solution Barbecue SauceLow-sodium Black BeansShredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar CheeseLow-fat Sour CreamShrimpBay ScallopsMangoLime JuiceWhite Wine VinegarCuminGround GingerGround CinnamonHot SauceAvacadoBaby Lettuce Salad MixAsparagusVegetable OilCannellini BeansVidalia OnionFat-Free Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (only ¼ cup)Cider VinegarDried OreganoAllspiceGround ClovesNear East Wild RiceSalmon FilletsProsciuttoFennel FrondsFennel SeedsFennel BulbsLemonCauliflowerI Can't Believe It's Not Butter SprayHalf & HalfEggplantCurry PowderSwordfish FilletsRosemaryRed Wine VinegarLamb ChopsDry Red WineFresh OreganoDry White WineLow-Sodium Vegetable Broth (1 cup)Frozen SpinachReduced Fat Feta CheeseOregano SprigsSmucker's Sugar Free Apricot PreservesOrange Juice (only 1/3 cup)Smart Start (not to be confused with Kellogs Smart Start cereal)Spaghetti SquashCardamom podsCarrot Juice (only ¾ cup)Rice VinegarCornstarchSugarFresh ChivesOh and on top of how many items are on the list, let's take a look at something like how we use 1 piece of toast for one breakfast. Yet....we don't use that bread again the entire week. Am I really supposed to buy a loaf of bread so that I can eat one piece? REALLY? Aside from the fact that there's 3 different types of bread that you only use 1 piece in a week. Not to mention that my local grocery store (in central Alabama) doesn't carry swordfish or lamb chops. So not only does that mean I can't get these ingredients, but it also means that my recipe options for this diet plan are even more limited than they were before.Third, have you seen all the things there are to cook? So....I cook eggs for breakfast, prepare lunch to take with me for myself and my husband (because we actually have jobs to go to and do not have the ability to make lunch for ourselves when the time rolls around. Plus packing a snack of some kind. And then I must cook a new meal every night. Aside from the fact that most of the recipes say they serve 4 and there's just the two of us. So....now I've got 7 days worth of leftovers. But don't expect to use those leftovers next week because you've got an entirely different week planned next week.Now, let's talk about the exercise plan. Let me be clear about something. In order to follow this exercise plan, you need access to a gym. Nowhere in the description of the book does it mention that you'll need gym equipment to follow this routine. Personally, I like to workout at home. I've got dumbbells, resistance bands, I've got a body ball, etc. But know what I don't have? A treadmill (I do have a Gazelle), a seated hamstring curl machine, a cable and pulley machine, any every other large piece of gym equipment ever. So when I finally got a chance to look over the exercise plan and review the moves, I have to say that I was nothing but discouraged to see that gym equipment was needed for so many of the moves.My problem is that when it comes to exercise, I tend to be a perfectionist. If I'm not able to follow a plan that's been prepared by an expert 100% as the way it's outlined then I tend to freak out slightly. And then if I don't see the results I'm hoping for, then I feel I can only blame it on not following the plan correctly--which I feel truly sets me up for failure, because how often are you able to stick to a plan or a schedule as defined by someone else 100% without something you can't help coming up...well it's just not possible to do 100%.Anyway, that being said, I didn't really feel like this was the program or plan for me. After my initial loss of 5 pounds the first week I was up and down between a 2 pound window but never losing more than the first 5 pounds. And while I'll take every pound I can get toward my goal, it just didn't live up to the 10 to 20 pounds that the description mentions...for me. I found that the diet plan isn't sustainable for me and my lifestyle. And the exercises don't fit in with my desire to work out from home without spending thousands of dollars on gym equipment.Now here's the plus side, any plan when followed correctly will work. Plus when boiled down it's calories in versus calories out, right? Moves can be modified which is what I did. Leftovers can be eaten, which is also what I did. When preparing a dish that serves 4, well it was just my plan to eat one serving for that meal for my husband and myself, and then the next night we'd have the leftovers from that same meal. That cut down on the number of items being purchased at the grocery store, and it also cut down on the number of meals I had to cook each week. While I still believe this plan will work if it's followed, I wasn't able to follow it in a way that was satisfactory to me, and thus didn't get the results I was hoping for.All in all, I give Making the Cut 3 Stars. Have you tried Making the Cut? What did you think? Let me know!