I was disappointed. It is really just about the show and how the diet transformed the contestants' lives. I have read reviews of the diet itself (rather than the book) and nutritionalists gave it a thumbs up (something that rarely happens in diet land). I had never seen the show but bought it because the diet combined with exercise sounded interesting. It was filled with pictures and 'pull-out' quotes from people in exercise shorts! It reminded me of a special edition brochure of a teenage boy-band in style. ( )

Ok...so most people who know me know I have a slight obsession with this show....and I was surprised to note when I was getting the synopsis for this post, one reviewer didn't think that the diet was covered adequately...and in some respects I agree...because the diets for each person on the show is individualized with the help of a dietitian...so they can't really say *all* of the contestants did X, Y & Z and had X results. What the book does give you are some parameters as to what the best choices are and instructs you to go out with that information and make choices based on your own personal preferences and staying within the caloric guidelines. Since I've already begun my own "healthy living" adventure, I already had some firm ideas on what I wanted to do and I found that the book complimented what I already had planned and allowed me to expand the scope a bit. The version of the food pyramid printed in this book is surely more in line with what I think is proper and realistic, so it gets big kudos from me in that respect. The exercise program was brief in my opinion...but again, these were tailored to the specific contestants by professional trainers and they certainly don't' want t-o give away all their secrets either...but the info is good and I suspect you can get more out of it if your willing to buy the exercise DVD that goes with it (I'm renting from Netflix first...to see if it's worth spending the dollars on first). The bulk of the book was personal snippets about the contestants (which I could have lived without...but perhaps necessary for those who didn't watch the show, but are curious about it). There is a selection of recipes at the end which there are about 7-10 that I will try...they all look quite good and are not bad with the fat and calories...so for the price I paid for this book (12.89) I'd say it was definitely worth it...but for those looking for a set in stone, do X, Y & Z diet and exercise plan...this is not going to make you happy, you may want to look elsewhere. ( )