My 7th book, Waist Disposal – the Ultimate Fat Loss Manual for Men, has recently been published. The title of this book is pretty self-explanatory. The book provides comprehensive nutritional advice (naturally) on how to achieve meaningful, sustainable weight loss, but also includes information on exercise and psychology too. Information about the book here can be had in three forms:
1. A quick-read (500 word) piece
2. An 18-minute audio interview
3. The entire introduction of the book (2000 words)
My sincere hope is that this book will find its way into the hands of individuals who are looking for science-based and practical advice about how to shed fat and build a stronger, more athletic body. That might be you! Or perhaps it’s someone you know, such as your partner, a family member or friend.
The success of this book and information provided in it will, I think ultimately depend on word-of-mouth, so please don’t hold back in spreading the word! If you should buy the book, then you can also help by submitting a review at amazon.co.uk. See here.
Waist Disposal in a Nutshell
With rates of overweight and obesity being what they are, many men will have aspirations of shedding some surplus baggage, and in particular the additional rolls of fat or full-blown ‘spare tyre’ that might be sitting around the midriff. Getting rid of a gut is not just an aesthetic endeavour, though, as ‘abdominal obesity’ is associated with a heightened risk of conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. So, for the sake of our self-esteem and also our long-term health, it makes sense to rid ourselves of a burgeoning belly. The question is, how?
Conventional advice dictates that weight loss depends on simply eating less or exercising more. Curiously, though, research reveals that there is no good evidence that either of these approaches leads to sustained, meaningful weight loss. The normal retort is that failed slimmers must be ‘cheating’. But could the real reason for failure here be not self-delusion, but a fundamental problem with the calorie-based theory of weight loss?
For example, one reason why eating less may not be effective for long term weight loss is that it can cause the metabolism to stall (if you don’t put much fuel on a fire, it doesn’t burn so well). Plus, calorie-conscious individuals tend to cut the fat in favour or carbohydrate. However, it is carbohydrate that is mainly responsible for the secretion of insulin – the hormone that is chiefly responsible for the deposition of fat in the body.
Another problem with eating less is, well, hunger. And while we might be able to put with this for awhile, in the long term going hungry makes conventional approaches to weight loss quite unsustainable.
In reality, the key to successful, sustainable weight loss is to eat a diet that truly satisfies (so no hunger), but at the same time induces relatively little in the way of insulin. Using the available science, Waist Disposal reveals precisely which foods to eat to achieve these ends, and offers up a feast of practical advice including meal plans, snack ideas and easy recipes too.
But what of exercise? Well, while exercise does burn calories, generally speaking, the numbers burned during exercise are depressingly small. Plus, people who tend to exercise more tend to eat more too. So, to get into caloric deficit through exercise is, to be frank, nigh on impossible.
On the plus side, resistance exercise can improve muscle strength, tone and physique. Waist Disposal includes comprehensive advice about this, as well as a daily routine that can be completed in the same time it takes to shower and shave. The book offers mental tips, tricks and tools too, to help maintain motivation and speed your progress.
In Waist Disposal you’ll find all the information you’re ever going to need to lose fat and transform your body into something fitter, athletic and more aesthetic. All this, you will learn, can be achieved with a minimum of hassle and no gritted-teeth determination. Waist Disposal shows how getting a hard body needn’t be hard work.
To buy Waist Disposal from amazon.co.uk click here.
To listen to an interview where I explain the philosophy behind Waist Disposal and what’s in the book, press the play button below.
Waist Disposal – Introduction
Let’s cut to the chase: The fact that you’ve picked up this book means, in all likelihood, that you’re carrying a bit of a belly that you’d rather be rid of. Maybe you’re a bit frustrated that despite spurts of healthy eating and get fit campaigns over the years, your weight has been on an unrelenting upward trend. Do you sometimes find yourself lamenting the fact that clothes that once fitted perfectly are now languishing in a wardrobe or drawer because you can no longer get into them? Maybe you’ve seen your doctor recently and have been warned that your weight is posing a risk to your health and well-being. Irrespective of the nature of your weight issue and whatever your goal, Waist Disposal is here to help.
In this book you will find comprehensive, practical and easy-to-apply information and advice designed for effective, permanent fat loss. An improved, more athletic physique can be yours, too. And all you need to transform your body for the better is to follow some simple dietary guidelines that have nothing to do with calorie counting or portion control (so no hunger), and exercise for just 12 minutes a day.
How can I be so sure that the information here works? Because, as a practising doctor specializing in nutritional medicine, I have spent over a decade and a half advising literally thousands of individuals on how to manage all aspects of their health, including their weight. This experience ‘on the ground’ has allowed me to see at first hand what works, and what doesn’t, for shedding fat and enjoying significant improvements in other measures of health. The information contained in these pages is a distillate of my experiences with countless individuals who have achieved their health goals. They’ve done it, and you can, too.
It would not be true to claim, though, that the information and advice offered here is purely based on my clinical experience. The fact is, it is science-based, too. In this book I refer to literally hundreds of scientific studies that reveal the true causes of excess weight, as well as the most effective remedies for it (the little numbers that appear in the text refer to specific studies that are listed towards the back of the book). There is a huge mound of evidence that demonstrates the most effective ways to shed fat and enjoy long-lasting health and vitality, so why not use it?
It is this science that shows how many nutritional concepts taken as ‘fact’ turn out not to be true at all. For example, in this book you’ll learn how, when it comes to successful weight loss, just consuming fewer calories or burning more through exercise is very rarely effective. Other myths put to bed here include the notion that fat is inherently fattening, that animal fat causes heart disease, and that artificial sweeteners aid weight loss. You’ll also learn what science shows are the true causes of obesity and ill-health, and how to protect yourself from them.
You may wonder as you read this book how and why the truth about how best to optimize our weight and health runs counter to conventional wisdom. One explanation is that inaccurate information can easily be passed through the ages if it is repeated often enough and the facts aren’t checked. And there’s always the possibility that certain commercial concerns (e.g. elements within the food industry) will perpetuate myths because it makes good commercial sense to do so. Using up-to-date research, Waist Disposal dispels these myths, and separates science fact from science fiction.
Waist Disposal dishes up a healthy dose of common sense, too. Leaving the science aside for one moment, logic dictates that the best diet for us as a species is one based on the foods that we’ve been eating longest in terms of our time on this planet. Why? Because those are the foods we’re best adapted to through the process of evolution, and are therefore most likely to meet our nutritional, metabolic and physiological needs.
Evolutionists estimate that we’ve been on this planet nearly 2½ million years. For the vast majority of our time here we have been ‘hunter-gatherers’, subsisting on a diet made up of what might be termed ‘primal’ foods such as meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Only relatively recently (about 10,000 years ago) did we start to settle in communities to grow crops of grains such as wheat and corn. Condense the whole of human evolution into a year, and it turns out we started eating grains just a day and a half ago.
Evolution is a slow, creeping process and, genetically speaking, we are virtually identical to our ancestors from 10,000 years ago. What this means is that, on the most fundamental of levels – our genetic code – the diet we are best adapted to is the diet we ate prior to the introduction of grain. Other nutritional ‘newcomers’ we might view with suspicion include refined sugar, milk and vegetable oils. As you’ll see, the idea of eating a ‘primal’ diet is not merely a theory, but something that is supported by abundant scientific evidence.
In addition to presenting the relevant science, this book will also sometimes refer to what I term ‘The Primal Principle’. Here, we will marry our ancient nutritional heritage with what science tells us about the appropriateness of specific foodstuffs. Even if you forget most (or all) of the scientific detail in this book, simply seeing food from an evolutionary perspective will allow you to make quick, easy and accurate decisions about the very best foods to eat.
The benefits of following the advice in this book can be profound. First and foremost, it can allow you to enjoy lasting, satisfying fat loss, including from around your midriff. This is not just important from an aesthetic standpoint. As you will discover in the first chapter (Toxic Waist), ‘abdominal fat’ has strong links with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and appears to speed our way to an early demise, too. The happy reality is that a shrinking waistline can translate into a diminishing risk of disease and premature death.
The fact that we men are prone to accumulating this most toxic form of fat is unfortunate, but there’s good news for us, too. My experience in practice is that when men apply the strategies presented here, they can expect rapid results, and will generally see considerable progress within a few short weeks. This, by the way, contrasts somewhat with the generally less impressive fat losses experienced by women. One reason for this may be that men are less prone to sluggishness of the metabolism caused by, say, low thyroid function or repeated cycles of strict dieting. Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that while abdominal fat is both unsightly and unhealthy, it is something that men can almost always rid themselves of quite quickly, and without having to go extreme lengths or superhuman effort, either.
You may have noticed that in this brief introduction I’ve referred repeatedly to fat loss, not merely weight loss. That’s because when weight is lost, it’s important to make sure as much of this as possible is fat, and not something more desirable like muscle. Also, if you were to lose fat and gain muscle, you might not see much change in your weight, though undoubtedly your body composition will have improved. The first chapter (Toxic Waist) explores this, as well as the deficiencies of the standard weight measurement – the body mass index or BMI. This chapter also offers advice on more useful measurements including waist size and body fat assessment.
The second chapter (The Calorie Trap) focuses on the calorie principle which, simply put, dictates that those who want to lose weight need to eat less or exercise more (or both). While this law has underpinned weight-loss advice for half a century, you will learn how it is dangerously flawed. You’ll also discover why applying its principles so often dooms many to failure in the long term. This chapter introduces the notion that different types of food have different propensities to form fat in the body, and that when it comes to weight loss, it’s more than calories that count.
After that, we get down to the business of exploring the true causes, and cures, of excess weight. Each one of the major ‘macronutrients’ (carbohydrate, protein and fat) will be put under the scientific spotlight. The effects that each of these has on weight and health will be explored, as will the effectiveness of different types of weight-loss diets (e.g. high-protein, low-carb, low-fat). We’ll also review the published research which reveals the sort of diet that is truly the most effective for shedding unhealthy and unwanted fat. In all of this, you’ll learn which foods are least likely to promote the accumulation of fat in your body.
You will also come to understand the importance of focusing your nutritional efforts on foods that are most effective at sating the appetite. This strategy is critical if we are to contain our food intake without hunger or sense of sacrifice. Waist Disposal reveals the most satisfying foods in our diet, as well as identifying the foodstuffs that can actually stimulate appetite and encourage overeating. So important is appetite control in successful fat loss, that I’ve devoted a whole chapter to it (Satisfaction Guaranteed).
But it’s not all theory. Waist Disposal offers you a wealth of advice and information on the types of foods and meals that will assist you in your quest to banish your belly, as well as how to incorporate this dietary advice into your daily life. You’ll also find recipes for tasty, easy-to-prepare meals that reflect the evidence-based nutritional principles laid out in this book. Don’t worry, there’s no need to be a Cordon Bleu chef – many of the recipes require very little real ‘cooking’, and can be knocked up in 15 minutes or less.
The nutrition information in this book is accompanied by advice regarding exercise, too. In the chapter on exercise (Muscle Bound), you’ll learn that while exercise can be beneficial for a myriad of things, the rather shocking truth is that weight loss is not one of them.
However, if you’re serious about improving the size and strength of your musculature, then resistance exercise is a must. While this can be done in a gym, it doesn’t need to be. Muscle Bound presents a daily home-based regime that can improve your muscular form in about the same time it takes to shower and shave.
While diet and exercise are cited as the two key components for weight-loss success, I suggest there is a third: our thoughts and beliefs. What goes on between our ears is a major factor in maintaining motivation for healthy habits. Plus, as you’ll see, having the right mental attitude has the capacity to accelerate the benefits achieved by eating and exercising right. The final chapter (Mind Matters) offers advice on how to harness the power of your mind in order to transform your body.
Each element of Waist Disposal offers a truly powerful weapon for fighting flabbiness, while at the same time demanding surprisingly little in the way of effort or discipline. No gritted-teeth determination is required here. Put the advice here to work and you can expect to be rewarded with one helluva body, but without having to go through hell to get it.
To buy Waist Disposal from amazon.co.uk click here.
Congratulations on the book John! I’m looking forward to getting my copy!
http://primalmuse.blogspot.com/2010/04/waist-disposal-dr-john-briffa.html
Can the same principles mentioned in your new book be applied to women as well ?
Nicky
Yes, they most certainly can be applied to women. And the results are usually very good. However, I have found that women tend to lose fat more slowly than men, generally. And there is sometimes the need to ‘fine-tune’ the diet a bit. This is usually unnecessary in men.
Have ordered from Amazon. What a good idea to have a diet book for men!
Terry
Thank you! I’d like to claim the credit for the idea, but can’t: it was the publisher’s idea, though I have to say it appealed immediately to me.
This looks great!
Will you be writing one on the same theme for women? Or shall I go ahead & get this one? My husband certainly doesn’t need it (yet!) Do I need a lot of fancy equipement for a home excercise routine? The gym isn’t an option for me.
Thanks so much for this
Daisy
Get this one (there may be a book for women, but not for at least a couple of years). The exercise regime is designed to be done at home (no gym necessary – honest!)
OK, I’m on it!! Thank you so much. And I’ll also buy the women’s one when it appears – I’m betting there’ll be a HUGE demand!
Congratulations, Dr. Briffa on your book’s publication.
What about dr. Volek’s book ‘TNT diet’ and Mark Sisson’s ‘The Primal Blueprint’? Are you aware of their work? It seems that they present similar ideas, it’s great when different people get to the same conclusion coming from different places.
Re. avoiding cows milk on the waist disposal approach, would unsweetened soya milk be ok in tea & coffee? And is it ok to use goats and sheep milk? Looking forward to receiving the book and getting started..!
Went on amazon immediately to order this book! As Terry says, great idea to have a book on the subject for men! So many men want to lose weight but are terrified of being told they have to “go on a diet”. So sound advice for practical lifestyle/ dietary changes are much needed.
Thanks for yr excellent work Dr J!
That’s very nice, but what about us women? We are under much greater pressure to be beautiful you know. Besides, a man can hide his gut under a jacket. A woman wants to wear a nice dress and she can’t do that when she looks 8 or 9 months pregnant, especially if she suffers from the dreaded bloating.
Barbara
Hi John,
You mentioned ‘fine-tuning’ for women – any chance you could point me in the right direction as to what that might mean?
I’ve got the book, I’ve made a start, had some amazing results already!
I’ve also got a dyna band, dumbells and am starting to use them too! (not just gathering dust like my gym membership card has done in the past!!)
Thanks a million in anticipation.
Hi, I’m interested in the milk thing too – I never take milk in coffee & put sheep’s milk yoghurt on my muesli, & only ever eat raw milk cheese, but I LOVE my cup of strong, milky tea in the morning…I use filtered rather than pasteurized, but is that enough? Thanks for any advice! (NOT “get used to black – or indeed green, red or white -tea”!)
I’ve read the book and it is absolutely excellent. Although Dr Briffa has aimed the book at men – which is great as they are under-represented in the diet/health publishing sector – the book is totally applicable to women too. I am about to order a whole bunch for a variety of my loved ones – both boys and girls. The approach is sane and logical and grounded in excellent science – as we would expect from Dr Briffa. I particularly appreciate his expertise and real understanding of how manipulation of blood sugar and thus insulin contribute to fat gain and loss. If I had one suggestion, I would have loved to see a few more vegan options as low carb can be difficult on this kind of regime (but this is just a very personal observation and doesn’t apply to many people.)
Hi Doc
As a middle-aged paunchy fellow, i enjoyed the write-up in The Times and have just ordered a copy of your book.
I’m pretty thirsty (ie. reasonably heavy drinker) and was just wondering where booze fits into all this? I’m prepared to stick to your diet and kick on with the exercise, but giving up drink as well would be a dealbreaker.
Also, when it comes to snacks i guess oatcakes are off limits as that’s back to carbs?
Thanks
Paddy
This book is perfect for my husband who, because of ‘healthy eating’ is carrying a bit of a paunch now. You have shown him the error not only of his ways, but of the ‘experts’ who got him this way to start with.
Not to be patronising to men (I love them all really), but they do seem to need things explaining differently to women and Dr John, you have hit the ‘bloke button’ square on with this. Not too much indepth science, but enough carry the point across until they reach the ‘aha’ moment when it all falls into place. Thank you for writing this, you might save some lives, and as men are in short supply, we need all the healthy ones we can get. :o)
Jilly
Got your book Dr John, and like it very much. I will give it a good go and if the results are as good as I hope, I promise I’ll at least give a good review on Amazon and direct questioneers toward the book.
I have a bags of nuts at my desk now instead of apples and nectarines. It feels very strange to make that switch – and even stranger to sit here munching away on nuts all day. Surely there must be some limit on the amount I can eat?
To: Dr Briffa – it would be good to hear your advice for Comments 11 onwards (if time permits) as some interesting points and questions are raised. Thanks
Dear John,
thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and my sister has jumped into this new way of eating too, we are both reasonably active and have reasonable diets but she is suffering from occasional shakes and constipation, can you pass on any advice for her please. Also would love to hear of examples of men or women who have been applying these rules for some time, numbers and figures of how their body composition shape has changed.
Many thanks
John
After countless diets, starving myself, and more meal replacement shakes than I care to count, I was just about ready to throw in the towel.
Then the title “Waist Disposal” caught my eye in a book shop, and I thought what the heck, let’s give it a try.
I followed the book not as a diet, but as a lifestyle plan. I cut out carbs, stop counting calories, and threw all artificial sweeteners and diet foods/drinks out.
I think I actually eat more now than I did before, and yet the kilos’ and centimeters just keep dropping.
Thanks for the good advice and motivation!
Enjoyed you book – made so much sense, so my partner and I have been eating as you suggest and doing the exercises. I have obviously been using lighter weights. My partner has lost many pounds over the last two weeks and is beginning to change shape. I, however, have stayed exactly the same weight and am not changing shape. I know that you mention in your book that men are likely to change more quickly than women, but this is a bit disheartening. Any suggestions?
Like (I suspect) many others, I have helplessly watched my gut expanding through my thirties, despite being fairly active, cycling to work etc. Though not being particularly large, in the 2 months since a friend gave me this book I’ve turned back time on my waistline by years and several inches, and am contemplating new (smaller) trousers! I imagine the almond farmers of the world are also pretty happy.
Hello Dr Briffa,
How about doing a recipe book as well?
All best,
Mark