Belly Fat Effect: The Real Secret About How Your Diet, Intestinal Health, and Gut Bacteria Help You Burn Fat

by Mike Mutzel, David Perlmutter (Foreward )

Belly Fat Effect is not your typical quick-fix weight-loss and nutrition book loaded with recipes and exercise tips that you probably already know about. Good nutrition and high-intensity exercise are just two of a sequence of ingredients that are needed to make your body lean. Belly Fat Effect reveals additional ingredients, such as gut health, intestinal bacteria, biological rhythms, inflammation, the stress response, leptin signaling, and fat cell health, that are essential to fine-tuning your metabolism and overcoming weight-loss resistance. Mike Mutzel shares information, tips, and secrets that only fitness experts and top scientists know about. Some strategies you’ll learn about to empower your body Natural ways to mimic the powerful effects of bariatric surgeryBalancing leptin and insulin levelsHacking your stress response to burn more fatHealing your gut to burn more fat Capitalizing on the best times to eat and exercise for building muscle and burning fatUnderstanding how oxygen can help you overcome weight-loss resistance So, if you’re sick of lackluster results with weight-loss, muscle-building, or overall health and fitness efforts, then read Belly Fat Effect. Once you own the book, you’ll get access to Mike’s additional videos, fat burning food plans, and advanced strategies.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

555 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 23, 2014

About the author

Mike Mutzel is the founder and head of High Intensity Health, which operates via a website, podcasts and a YouTube channel.

Mike earned his B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University in 2006 and completed his M.S. in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 2015 and is a graduate of the Institute for Functional Medicine’s (IFM) Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP). He is a Functional Medicine consultant in the natural product industry and has worked as a nutritionist with Gerard Guillory, MD of the Care Group, PC in Denver, CO. Mike has lectured alongside Dr. Guillory to large patient-groups in the Denver area and they have been featured on local T.V. programs discussing the power of Nutrition and Functional Medicine.

In April of 2014 Mike published his first book, Belly Fat Effect: The Real Secret About How Your Diet, Intestinal Health, and Gut Bacteria Help You Burn Fat.

To continue his quest for knowledge Mike attends many Continuing Medical Education (CME) events held by various organizations around the country, learning from top researchers in the field through groups like AACR, ACAM, A4M and IFM. He has currently completed four of six Advanced Practice Modules (APMs) to earn the only board certification in Functional Medicine through IFM.

Reviews

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really impressed with the amount of information presented in this book, and while a little "sciency" I felt as if it was still digestible for the most part. Of course, I have a degree in nutrition, a master's in a health-related field, and almost 30 years of experience in the health and wellness field.

I had several light bulb moments as this book seemed to pull together a number of ideas developed in other books I've read recently.

In a nutshell, the book links belly/visceral fat to inflammation and ultimately to diseases like diabetes among others. The interaction between food, our gut, its microbes and our immune cells is also covered at length.

I've recently started a health coaching business and many of my clients have what I would describe as a sluggish metabolism, and this book explains why on a level that I appreciate. A number of these clients have had success with HIIT and intermittent fasting, and the book offered me a better of understanding of why.

I'm not sure if the "average" reader would enjoy this book as much as I did as the majority of the book is explaining the underlying physiology of various processes that impact our metabolism among other things. For me, it was a five star, but I could see how someone might not agree. Glad I read it when I did. I also appreciate any book that is 50% references as I think it speaks to the quality of the information being presented. Definitely a book that focuses on why, which is important, I think.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information told in a very detailed, scientific manner. A few suggestions to overcome some of the issues but not a lot. of the 372 pages in the book, less than half are the book and the rest are references used to write the book. The biggest take-aways I found were:
1. perform intermittent fasts of at least 12 hours long,
2. exercise with extended bursts of energy rather than long slow exercises, and
3. consume pre-biotics and pro-biotics.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book

I really wanted to like this book but I didn't. I don't normally write reviews but often depend on them for my choices in books.
This book is very fact heavy and quotes a lot of good information from others but over half of the book is references location. Seriously about 50% of this book was just listing references.
I was hoping for a plan...at least something loose like have these tests find this info eat like this... but this book had very little. I love listening to functional medicine podcasts and reading info written by them and recognizes this author's name... but quite disappointed and wish I hadn't spent my money on this one.

[Jason Penrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book in you gut health and weight gain/loss.

I never knew that your gut health was related to obesity. Great information on getting your microbiome right and being healthy.

[Yycdaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but very technical information on gut health. Perhaps not the best book for someone just starting to read on this subject.

[Cathy Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it hard to keep my weight under control even though I have what I believe to be a healthy nutritious diet and I exercise regularly. I definitely have a tendency to store fat around my middle, the lovely apple shape.  I've been improving my diet and exercising for years, and while I've noticed a lot of big improvements in my shape, i can tell there's more going on than just an excess intake of calories. I suffer from chronic illness and I've noticed that weight increase and bloating tends to happen for me particularly with periods of illness and when I'm not feeling my best. When I feel good I also tend to look leaner without doing anything different with my diet or exercise regime. I wanted to understand more about the mechanisms behind weight gain, both to give me more of an insight into what's going on with my health, and to look and feel better.

I won't pretend that I understood all of the book first time around, i will definitely have to go back and reread some of the more "sciencey" bits. But I thought it was great.  It goes into a lot of detail about all the reasons why we store fat and how we can become more efficient at fat burning. The recommendations are mostly things that I've heard before, but never feel like I've got satisfactory explanations for.  This book thoroughly explains all the reasons behind those recommendations and backs it all up with research  Its a book I'll definitely keep going back to, and I do feel that I've learned a lot from it.  I will have to wait and see if it shows permanently on my waistline

[Kdruns · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this winter having been so cold, I had convinced myself that it was okay to pack on a few seasonal pounds. This book explains why I was wrong: a little extra fat takes over very quickly!

I think the book could have been structured differently. Some concepts were very well explained while others were not. Overall I learned a lot and will keep this book as a resource.

[Ei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I read it. Good reference book. Gives the complete nutritional breakdown, the complexity of various multi-system reactions, and general effects on the body - both beneficial and malignant reactions. Not a quick read but quite informative. The cover suggests a breezy read. Much denser in information than I assumed.