I'm coming to this book as I approach the end of cycle 2 of the 90Day SSS and I think it is both an excellent introduction for people who are new to the ideas/model and a great accompaniment to the programme itself.
To expand on the latter point first, the SSS plans are incredibly detailed (my cycle 1 was a 110 page PDF of education and recipes) and you use complete recipes to learn the idea of timing your macros whilst also learning to cook. It's just text though, so during cycle 2, where it is less about set recipes and more about pick'n'mix principles where you create your own combinations based on ingredients lists, if you're not creative in the kitchen, you can get a bit stuck. When this happens, it's about using Joe's social media videos, pictures and updates from others on the plan to get new ideas. What this book does brilliantly is present simple dishes in all their glory, which can inspire new ideas as you simply tweak to match your plan. Like the look of the turkey burger? Make it with beef. Cottage pie look nice? Create a bolgnese with the same method and different ingredients. Don't like the idea of tuna salad? Swap the tuna for chicken.
For those new to the whole method, the book brilliantly covers who Joe is and why he does what he does. It then provides insight and evidence behind his approach to eating real food and not dieting, explains HIIT and why it is more effective long term than steady state training and positions the importance on carbs, fats and proteins (and tons of greens!) to fuel the body. Meals are then set out very clearly in different sections of the book for training days, non-training days, snacks, treats (we don't get them on SSS! Not officially anyway...) and then a simple overview of HIIT exercises. This last section is fairly small, but that's all it needs to be. The whole idea is that HIIT (elevating the HR in bursts with matching rest periods) can be anything you like - sprints on the bike, burpees, sprint intervals when jogging, star jumps - as long as you do it for 20 mins (which is actually only 13-15 maximum efforts).
As far as prep, this can suit your lifestyle. Whilst I'm sure prepping days in advance would save time, I've really enjoyed learning to cook so the extent of my prep is planning the meals I'll want and getting the right ingredients into the fridge, then cooking each meal fresh at the time. You do need to get some basic extras in, which are detailed in the book (some herbs and spices, coconut oil, sauces, perhaps yoghurt and other veg you might not typically have), but once you have these you don't need to buy them every time.
Can you make the meals in 15 minutes? Not all of them, no, but most of them are easily made in 15 mins once you become familiar with the process. And as it mentions in the book, the ones that take longer are generally worth it (the sweet potato cottage pie is amazing!). The first few times you cook will take longer, as you're reading the ingredients list, getting your pans ready etc. and are probably querying some of the steps as you go. Initially I maybe spent 30mins or more on a number of the dishes, which I now throw together in 15 minutes, including chopping up veg and meat.
The biggest thing for me with this book and obviously the plan too, is the confidence I have gained in the kitchen. Through university I learned to not burn certain foods, and over the last 10 years I've become OK at maybe 3-5 core dishes which rely on pre-packed sauce or whatever. Now, at the youthful age of 31, I have cupboards full of spices and herbs I have genuinely never before owned, I make up my owns sauces to go with whatever is in the fridge and, giving myself a break for Christmas, I've never eaten 1) so much and 2) so well in my life. The 90day SSS is excellent in my experience, but it won't be for everyone, not least because it's a large financial outlay. This book is a really good way to start learning and start getting fit/healthy and changing the way you look at food. For under £10 currently, there's a ton of useful information here.
It does take a bit of effort, which again won't be for everyone. To make the best of it you should plan ahead for a few meals, not just for batch cooking (which I've never done), but so that you use up your food. Whilst it is fairly easy, it's still 'proper cooking', so if you only plan to dip in and out for a recipe here and there, you will end up with potentially expensive waste. Work out what you like and enjoy using the book!
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From the Publisher
About the author
A super easy way to losing weight
I am in love with the food in this book. I purchased both this and the second book (the sustain plan) to brave losing my post baby Mum-Tum. I was fed up of crash dieting, as whatever gains I seemed to make would be so easily undone by one night off the bandwagon. I was fed up of diets that required you to calorie count all day, as with a family to look after I just didn't have the time to waste deliberating over numbers. These recipes are so simple and (on the whole) quick that it is possible to lose weight and get leaner, even with a busy home and work life. I know you're not meant to be on the sad step (scales), but after 3 weeks I have lost 9lb and so many people have mentioned I look less full in the face. My partner is also on the same plan as me and he has lost 7lb. The exercises are also intense but manageable, meaning I can fit in an HIIT session during baby nap times. Just be warned; you'll have so much more washing up to do if you stick to this as a weight loss plan (3 meals a day!), and stocking up the cupboards with whole foods is costly (although as time has gone on we've needed fewer stock ingredients, bringing the price down a little). I've attached some photos of the recipes I've been making across the Shift And Shape Books. All in all, I'm feeling full, healthier, and a little bit fitter, and am super surprised at how much this book has already changed my eating habits.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2016
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2016
Top reviews from other countries
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Chris HReviewed in Italy on 12 December 2016
Ottimo spunto per cambiare alimentazione e stile di vita
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Leproust MaïderReviewed in France on 26 June 2018
Des idées rafraichissantes et pleines de bon sens !
