Thinner This Year: A Younger Next Year Book

by Chris Crowley

Now in paperback, the latest book in the New York Times bestselling, one-million-copy-plus Younger Next Year franchise. The book that tells every reader how to lose weight, discover new vitality, and get in the best shape of your life. The book with the no-nonsense, no-BS, no-shortcuts approach. The book that shows that there’s a revolution in aging going on. The book that is the how-to of that revolution.Chris Crowley, the memorable patient and coauthor of Younger Next Year, partners with Jen Sacheck, a nutritionist and fitness expert from Tufts University, and in lively, alternating chapters they spell out a weight-loss plan that will have readers losing up to 25 pounds in the first six months—and, much more significantly, keeping it off next year, and the year after, and so on, for life. The message is straightforward and based on the most up-to-date nutritional resist the added-fat, added-sugar concoctions created by the food industry; skip the supplements; pile on fruits and vegetables to your heart’s content, but it’s OK to eat lean meats, too; and don’t drink your calories. And exercise! With its simple, fully illustrated program of 25 “sacred exercises,” here is everything the reader needs to build muscle, protect joints, add mobility, and put off 70% of the normal problems associated with aging and eliminate 50% of serious illness and injury.“Clear, concise, well-balanced nutritious diet plan. Realistic exercise . . . [and] the combo of the authors—nutrition scientist and witty writer—makes this an easy-to-read volume with loads of timely, science-based information.”—Madelyn Fernstrom, Diet and Nutrition Editor, TODAY and NBCNews.com “Chock-full of easy recipes, meal plans, and exercise diagrams.”—The Wall Street Journal

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Fitness, Audiobook, Education

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2012

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book springs from Crowley's "Younger Next Year." book a couple of years ago, and which I totally loved and helped to change my life.

This is such sound and practical advice on health, nutrition and exercise. It is hard not to pay attention to what is being said. It may be a bit repetitive of "Younger Next Year", but I find that I need to be constantly reminded and encouraged to keep eating well, and to keep up that exercise routine. Chris Crowley is an exercise nut and his advice on how much exercise and how hard to go at it will likely turn some people away. It is easier for a retired person, who has no job commitments and no family commitments to exercise every day of the week and for several hours at a time. For the rest of us, it is important to find that time at least 4 or 5 times a week. (in my opinion) It is such an important investment in our health. I've also heard it said that our weight and health is 80% dependent on what we eat and exercise helps. It is a misconception that one can eat whatever they want as long as that person does some exercise. For all of Chris's ranting about exercise, he makes a good point all the same and his stories are fun and amusing. Although, to use Chris's own words, I think he is one tick this side of crazy! Being almost 80 years old and in tip top shape, you can't deny that his methods work.

Chris's health & exercise information is balanced by Jen's scientific background. Together they give some serious education about how to live your life in a way that is sustainable to the end. Chris calls the good life a three legged stool; exercise, nutrition & caring. We know that it goes without saying that exercise & nutrition are extremely important components to a healthy life style, but caring is right up there too. Caring, connecting and committing to other people has proven to make ones life rich and satisfying, which also impacts our physical health. A good read, if you are ready for it!

[Tess Mertens-Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book my doctor had me read in the series (Younger Next year was the first).
Like Younger Next year, all of the suggestions in the book were great, if you were a retired millionaire.
Thee book was written by a lawyer who was able to retire in the Berkshires at 55 (hmmm...I will be that age soon) and convert a barn into a work out center.
The other author was a woman on a rowing team who seems to have the funds and time as well.
I found I do many of the suggested items, especially the yoga exercise.
But for us average working stiffs it just seems a stretch to work out six days a week and eat only organic. The male author fell of the wagon many times with the suggestion of no alcohol, and the female had French toast.
I am glad I read the book, but would like to read something for two income families juggling work, kids, activities and life.
That would keep my attention and not make me so sarcastic....

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gabe's been on this kick to get us living better, in a healthier fashion. I'm all for it but we can never agree on how to go about doing just that. This book came across my desk so I checked it out, thinking it would help.
It didn't.
Neither of us could finish it.
If you are motivated by the fast sales pitch, you will love this book and it will probably make you thinner next year. However, if you are looking for digestable content, plans, ideas, suggestions and don't want to wade through a ton of BS to get it, I recommend some other book that is not this one.

Gabe kept saying it was like watching the Money Momentum sketch (I don't remember the comedy group that did that but it was in the '90's and you can probably find it on YouTube; I'm too lazy to do that right now. And that is why I won't be thinner this year. I'm lazy) where the over-the-top enthusiasm is the selling point, not the actual words being used.
I couldn't disagree with Gabe's assessment. I felt like I was in an audience hearing someone yell, all hallelujah-ey, "Are you fat? I said, ARE YOU FAT? Yes, you fat pigs! You ARE fat! But with this book and our patented 199.99 plan, you, too, can be thinner this year! Because WE DON'T WANT TO BE FAT! That's right! Say it with me, friends, WE DON'T WANT TO BE FAT! And how can we not be fat? Well, I'll tell you, but first, I'm going to call you fat one more time, you lazy slobs, and then we're going to go talk to this woman who is going to tell you WHY you don't have to be fat! LET'S BE THINNER THIS YEAR!"

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

My attempt to describe the author’s tone:

YOU ARE FAT! Hahaha, just kidding, no, but seriously, you are a typical fat, lazy middle aged American and here are some scientific words to make you feel better and hahaha we’re just having a great time talking about weight loss, it’s the perfect venue for me to try out my stand up material, all this health stuff is just to pay my bills until my agent lines up that sitcom deal.

Yeaaaaaaaaah. Ok, no, I’m gonna pass.

The content is good – don’t eat crap, eat a lot of vegetables, exercise a lot – but the packaging is terrible, making it a hard slog to get to the information itself.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I’m glad it wasn't a gimmick book, but not sure how they managed to fill 250 pages with 'eat less and exercise more'.

[Maureen Neylon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to about 20% of it, then gave up. Too scientific and preachy.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 2013 - I qualify this rating by saying I have been for the last 6 months a "beta tester" of this program and read the pre-publication manuscript! But I must say its a terrific read, entertaining and educational. Chris Crowley does humorously inspire you to get moving and keep at it and Jen backs it up with all the scientific knowledge to assure you that you are on the right track. My goal was 15 lbs and I met that goal, feel terrific and the program really has become a part of my life. At 63, I will continue on this lifestyle change with a goal of losing 10 more pounds and aging with enthusiasm!
May 2013 - I re-read the final edition and frankly learned even more, particularly on the strength training side. Anyone who reads this book and comes away uninspired must have read different book! Movement and healthy eating are the keys to aging well. Period! btw, 6 months later, I have maintained my original weight loss and deleted a few more pounds.

[Joyce Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I drank the Koolaide. This book is a good reality check and road map on what your future life can be or will be depending on your choices now. There is no magic bullet to getting healthy and losing weight. I think that’s the message I liked most about this book.
It was a fairly easy read, though Jen got a bit more technical then I needed. I understand that she wanted us to really understand what’s going on chemically in our bodies so that we can see what our food choices are doing pro and con.
Chris’s chapters were funny and still packed with as much info.
If you want a guidebook for a healthier life this is great. The knock is that you really need to read the whole book, and trying to skim and just pull out recipe is difficult.
For me, reading the book is the easy part. Putting it into practice consistently is a lot more work. It can be a life changer if you’re ready for it.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I probably should have looked at the target audience of this book BEFORE I started reading it, seeing as how I'm 29 and it gives advice for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond. Whoopsie. That being said, I didn't like it anyway. It's both overly simplistic and effusively scientific at the same time, and the authors hammer their rules over your head 184502 times in 300 pages.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Younger Next Year a few years ago and liked it. This book has more detailed diet and training information.
The nutrition information is interesting but doesn't transfer to helpful eating plans. I think the strength training information really needs a personal trainer to be helpful to the age group this book is directed at. (Boomers)

[Marianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank God this book was free. I seriously did not like the author's approach to writing this book. Maybe I should have given the author longer than 20% of the book to get to a point besides Americans are day because we are too sedentary, eat too much and don't eat the wrong things. But seriously....I thought that id get to some point eventually...

[Noël · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good info on nutrition, but then it rambles. Also, unless you're hard core, most people will hate this plan. No sugar ever!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the Younger Next Year series, written by the Davis Polk partner who retired at 55, and which I have enjoyed more than any of the other retirement tomes I've been reading this year. Not so much because the tips are particularly insightful, but because of the commentary on life in retirement that is plain spoken and at times amusing. Maybe I'll be younger next year or thinner this year, or maybe not, but being reminded of the importance of certain (already known) basics can't hurt, may help, and keeps them front of mind.

***
"I have a number of pals who, in the Third Act, have put creativity at the center of their lives, after a lifetime of much more focused work where it had been ignored. Sometimes it does not work. Or is an embarrassment. Often, those who put their creative side on hold for thirty years discover that it has atrophied. Or that it didn't amount to a hell of a lot in the first place.
"Do it anyway, is my advice. It is using the different gifts that is the point. A pal in Boston works like a lunatic designing and making very high-end furniture. A very disciplined guy, all his life, he is disciplined about this, too. The big difference (apart from the absence of dough): He loves it. Happiest he has ever been. He hasn't sold anything and probably never will, but the demand from his family and friends will see him through. Happy man."
***
"Sooner or later in this life, you are almost certainly going to conclude that family and friends count for far more than work, to which you give so much. That is an obvious truth but one upon which we do not act vigorously enough. Losing track of or connection with family and real pals is a dreadful idea. A tragedy, in fact. The obvious advice: Cherish your family. Treasure your friends. If you're sore at this one or that for some reason, see if you can't get over it."
***
"Some of the most insufferable, most boring, and most miserable people on earth come together in my beloved Aspen. Former giants of industry, finance, or the movies, they build these massive houses, strut out of them in the morning, and wait for someone to give a shit. Which no one does. Which makes them behave even worse. One of the great tests of real character, it seems to me, is being able to adjust to a change of station in life -- to be satisfied with who you are, not your office."

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just retired, it gave me lots of ideas. I especially like the part on weight training - not something I would have thought about. And I also liked the care , commit and care section.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVED “Younger Next Year” and really hoped this book would be just as fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s just the same message with some chapters of tedious detail about mitochondria and the perils of junk food. I will admit that it was good to hear the message again. It’s a motivating one. I’ll also admit that trying to tackle this aspect of health was a good idea. I should’ve just reread the first one. It’s spectacular!
With this iteration, there were two major problems. First, the author’s gargantuan ego got in his own way. The first book just didn’t have that feel. I guess it was before his great success as a writer. Reading it felt like the editor failed to constrain this guy’s constant self-congratulations and his friends didn’t have the guts to tell him. There are only so many paragraphs about his “thighs of steel”, his 100 mile biking prowess, his mental progression and deep reflection that are so superior to the common man, and any number of other exhausting self-aggrandizing lines, that a person can read before rolling up her eyeballs for good. My guess is that the author is trying to hold himself up as an example for others who are older. He thinks he’s saying “See, I did it and so can you!” Editor fail. It was an obnoxious distraction. No doubt the guy deserves congratulations. He just doesn’t need to give so much of it to himself.

Second, it comes across like a cheap attempt at making more money. Sort of like the book version of a sequel to a successful movie that was rushed through and done without much meat on the bone. Too much repetition of old material. To much talk about the evil food-mountain of despair without a detailed plan. I know Chris probably worked really hard to avoid that. It’s seems like the kind of guy he is. His editors failed him in their greed for a speedy release.

[David Geschke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me over a year from the time I started this book to finish it. It’s the sequel to probably my favorite book on fitness “Younger Next Year”, which I highly recommend. This book took a long time to get through because it bogged down a lot for me, and I kept losing interest. Still some very good information here. Same basic premise as last book - exercise forty-five to sixty minutes a day, six days a week for the rest of your life. Eat healthy. Have a purpose and stay involved with others. Get “Younger Next Year” (there’s a special edition of that book for women, too) instead of this book. If you want a decent workout routine and some supplemental info, this book could also be helpful. Also includes some specifics on what to eat (or not to eat) as well. Both books geared to the “over fifty” crowd.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a similar message as Younger Next Year. It delves deeper into nutrition, but still holds exercise as the most important thing for weight loss and overall health. The only flaw is Chris Crowley's heavy-handed repetition with sexist undertones.

Jennifer Sachek is a doctor and athlete with a clear concise way of breaking down technical information.

The Younger Next Year Exercise book is a great compliment to either of these books.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw that this was a top seller last year in the self-help genre so I thought I'd give it try. I didn't learn anything new - eat less, eat more veggies and fruit, don't eat crap, exercise, etc. The part that was the worst for me was that the author was trying way too hard to be funny. Oh, also, this book is aimed for baby boomers. It would have been nice for the book to have told me that on either the front or back cover before I read it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t typically read diet books, but this one can be argued is not really a diet book but a philosophy for living. I stumbled across this title while search the library catalog for books with examples of strength training exercises. I could find these via YouTube or online search, but I wanted line drawings, something I could print out and paste to an index card. This book ended up fitting the bill. There is an entire section discussed on strength training. I actually picked up another in the series called YNY The Exercise Program. In both cases, I ended up reading the books from front the back. The writing is not exceptional, but this is not a novel you would curl up with before bed. Instead, it’s one I read during those moments when I knew I should be exercising, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t quite motivate myself to do so. This book gave me the nudge I needed to get more active and to focus on pushing myself daily in order to live a long, healthy, happy life. Thanks for that, Crowley. One note: I had never heard of the Younger Next Year books until I stumbled across this one. My library does not carry the original title (YNY) for some reason, possibly because it is old in the land of self-help books. I learned there is a “for women” version too, but after having read the reviews and this one in its entirety, I don’t think I need to read more. You can get the general message from any in the series, I bet. I liked this one because the second author, Jen Sacheck does not dumb down the science. I appreciated the back and forth between Sacheck’s real science and Crowley’s quips.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a companion piece to the excellent Younger Next Year but I dropped a star off it because it just seems to be stretching the message a bit far. The book expands upon the two main subjects discussed in the first book, exercise and diet, and gives a load more information on why working on these two areas will improve your health-span as you grow older. There's some great information in the book, it's almost as motivational as the first, but there's just a bit too much technical information on the biological science front that I'm not convinced you really benefit from knowing. I'm sure some find it motivational but it was a bit too much like school for me. On the subject of "too much", there's a bit too much of "Chris Crowley's Guide to Life" here too. He was an entertaining companion in the first book but he does go on a bit too much here. If you like his style, as I do, you can put up with this, but often in his chatty chapters I was looking at my watch wondering when I could leave. These are still two of the best books I've read on ageing and retirement and I wouldn't want to put people off from reading them. I think almost everyone could take something beneficial out of the chapters and I'd thoroughly recommend the first book which, if you enjoy it, you should follow with this second.

[Larry Hance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best overall health book I’ve read!

This book compiles all of the latest research on health, including nutrition, physical fitness and (touches on) the value of relationships with other humans to your health. Although it provides a lot of technical info, it’s written in a simple, engaging and enjoyable manner.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the Younger Next Year/Thinner This Year series. Very motivating AND entertaining. Everyone 50 and over should read Chapter 24, one of the many written by Chris Crowley. He is a character, but he has great insights. Chapter 24 is about the 3rd leg of the stool that we all need for our 3rd Act - Care, Connect, Commit. Hard to describe - just it read it.

[Audrey Shull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating deep dive into nutrition and what happens inside your body when you eat good food vs dead food (their name for sugar and other junk). I wanted more of a detailed HowTo for exercise, but the main message was simply “workout 6 days a week”. Fair enough, and pretty convincing on the science behind that, but Lance and I wanted more on how to structure workouts.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed a lot of her technical stuff and his tone wasn't my cup of tea but over all, solid stuff, just intimidating. Also I hate folks using fear as leverage. Which is why my favourite chapter was towards the end and talking about community and relationships.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the “Younger Next Year” series - this one concentrates on the science of nutrition for achieving optimal health and weight. Co-written with a Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition (the best) professor.

[Laura Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

common sense advice

Great advice for anyone who’s a little later in life (50ish+) who needs a little help to eat a little better, move more and feel so much better for the last third of life.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, useful approach to healthier living.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

Chris is a national Treasure, and fun to read. This book has the comprehensive full-body warmup & workout system I’ve been looking for.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book

[Taxfyl]

Great book! Thought-provoking. We all should strive to be younger next year!