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Diet and Fitness Explained

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Ever wished you could eat whatever fast food you liked, take no exercise, and be slim and healthy? Well you can't. But you can do the next best thing, which is to enjoy healthy food even more than you enjoy fast food, and enjoy exercising even more than you enjoy sitting on the sofa. Diet and Fitness Explained is the book that gets under the skin of our eating habits, and provides a simple, easy to understand guide to the entire riddle of diet and fitness.

211 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2018

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156 people want to read

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William Porter

128 books42 followers

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5 stars
243 (57%)
4 stars
118 (27%)
3 stars
49 (11%)
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11 (2%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
1 review
August 9, 2018
Brilliant

Another absolutely amazing book by William Porter. I first read alcohol explained and was blown away by the research there.
This book diet and fitness explained contains so much vital information. It’s not about being perfect but having the knowledge to make better choices. I must say I loved the bit about a coffee first thing in the morning.
I now love my sobriety lifestyle and am feeling the best version I can following your advice. I have exercised regularly for years not only for the physical benefits but the mental benefits.
I bought this book on kindle read it and now ordered in paperback.
Well done William you are a genius in this field.
1 review
February 22, 2019
Helped break years of bad habits

I’ve been eating until I was “full” for all of my adult life. One of the key points of this book is to simply stop eating as soon as you realize you are no longer hungry. The author drives this and other points home with sound logic and reasoning in a way that even my food-loving subconscious can understand. This book changed the way I look at eating and my relationship with food. If you struggle with overeating or just want to improve your health, this book is a must-read.
29 reviews
January 12, 2020
Recommended

This book --by explaining physiological processes --allowed me to formulate a rationale and motivation to do what I have always known I needed to do for my body.
10 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2019
A good non patronising read

So often self-help books pontificate and this one doesn't. It presents interesting information about diet and exercise and allows you to draw your own conclusions. I'm not sure that I agree with the animal protein view but I certainly am not made to feel guilty about being omnivorous. I think I way pretty well and there are a few light bulb moments nonetheless.
3 reviews
September 22, 2019
Worth a read for sure

I have read tons of diet books , This book really struck a nerve, so much common sense and very thought provoking that I now know now that have been over complicating diet for years .
Read this book. The author is very smart and interesting .I already want to embark on my new journey after reading last page buts it’s the middle of the night. I read this book and could not put it down till I finished.. Thank you Mr Porter .
761 reviews36 followers
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January 25, 2026
On Diet: Started out strong as it explains how certain foods are so hard on your digestive system. But doesn't go far enough into that.

On Fitness: The fitness part is just way too basic. Anybody who is at all into fitness won't get anything from it.

His book 'Alcohol Explained' is much more rigorous. In fact, it is probably the very best on the subject. He doesn't miss a thing there. Maybe part 2 of Diet and Fitness is in order?
2 reviews1 follower
April 29, 2019
Great easy read

This is a great book for anyone looking to make a change in their unhealthy lifestyle. With so much information out now this book is a perfect starting point of you are new to all of the health info and are looking for an easy way to sort out information overload.
1 review
June 15, 2018
A good positive book

. Makes you want to change your eating habits for the better and get off that couch! Well worth the read.
Profile Image for Lincoln Manning.
2 reviews2 followers
August 12, 2018
Great explanation

Short, helpful, common sense information that will help you improve your health. Listen to your body, eat healthy and exercise.
Profile Image for Bill Murphy.
22 reviews
August 18, 2021
Fluff

If you know absolutely nothing this might help In some way. Makes statements at such a high level on areas so complex that I consider this fluff. Waste of money.
Profile Image for Rob Wilson.
31 reviews
August 9, 2024
Reading out of curiosity after reading the author's excellent books on alcohol and nictoine.

I think this one contains sensible advice which comes together particularly well in the end. Particularly welcome is that it is not at all overbearing and so treats the reader as someone in the possession of a brain in their head with the agency to use it.

I don't have any issue with diet and fitness so I was personally looking for a bit more but I'd say this book is not aimed at me and won't mark it down because of that.

A couple of things I did find a bit dubious though is the stuff on taste and the brushing away of the scientific literature on nutrition. With the former one of the issues with junk food is that it does in fact taste pretty good on top of being convenient. Eating mindfully as the author recommends is definitely a sound suggestion but I don't see how it diminishes the pleasure of eating a pizza and a burger. Sure they're both salty but it's not all there is to it and the combination matters. Conversely just you try chow down on some unsalted vegetables or legumes. They're not particularly pleasant but well prepared and with a bit of salt they're lovely as is the case for the things junky foods the author describes.

On the scientific literature I understand that the author is trying to make a case independent of it and to get people to think for themselves but it actually bears out what he is saying about a healthy lifestyle. It's also worth pointing out that adequate protein intake whether from vegan or other sources is very beneficial for weightloss because it curbs hunger and contributes to overall health and fitness but I got the sense reading this that the author is not of that view. I could be wrong about that point but something in the book left me with that impression.

Still I think this is useful if you have a problem with overeating, eating unhealthily, and/or a sedentry lifestyle and don't know much about the topic to begin with.

If you're after something more because you don't have an issue with any of the above and you're just looking to get a bit nerdy with it then I'd suggest looking elsewhere. This is not to say this is a bad book because it isn't. It's just that the author is clearly writing for a different type of reader than me.
2 reviews
August 17, 2020
Great Easy To Digest Book On Diet And Fitness

A Excellent read,highly recommend. The author explains and outlines Diet and Fitness in a easily understandable way, without going into the science in detail. I like how the author gets straight to the point in the chapters,which allows the reader to understand, but he does not force the advice but allows you to decide for yourself. The principles are simple and I have implemented some of them into my Diet/fitness plan.
If you like this read I also recommend Alcohol Explained written in a similar style by the Author.
2 reviews
December 6, 2020
Great book!

I love the no nonsense writing style. I also love that there isn’t some boogie man item to avoid like sugar or carbs, and he is not selling anything. This is truly common sense, but it doesn’t work out that way for so many of us. This book explains why that may be. The discussion of the body’s expectation to be bloated to be full - this is so me. I have read his two Alcohol Explained books and found those to be jems as well.
Profile Image for Julia Doherty.
282 reviews3 followers
November 6, 2022
After reading Alcohol Explained and have now been off the booze for 3 months, I decided to read William Porters book on diet and Fitness. I really enjoy his blunt way of explaining things and I know it will annoy some people but his style of reappearing things in different ways resonates with me. It’s weird how I’m now thinking about how my body feels after eating a meal. I also consider “am I really hungry, or is it just a craving?”
2 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2021
Eye Opener

Kudos to the author. After reading this book and Alcohol Explained, William Porter brings up alot of very eye opening and poignant points about addiction and eating. Many of the points discussed in this book I have never realized before and is now helping me to make better choices.
7 reviews
February 6, 2024
Nice book

You can change your life significantly with better respect to the current situation. Healthy life should be a goal to everyone, this book teaches you how to deal with this.
1 review
March 7, 2021
Good book

Gave me a good understanding of the challenges faced with diet and exercise and how the body and mind works
36 reviews
July 25, 2021
Love this book

Very clear and easy to understand. Things we all probably already know but it’s nice to see them written down.
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343 reviews3 followers
August 10, 2021
An interesting, honest, no nonsense account of diet & exercise from a very ‘real life’ perspective. I particularly liked the chapters on putting it into practice.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1 review
August 18, 2021
Who knew!

Great intro to diet and exercise. I learnt a lot in a short book. I’d like to understand more so some of the chapters could have gone deeper but overall really good.
2 reviews
October 10, 2021
direct and factual

Very factual and motivated me to get fitter and loose weight ,knowledge has power many thanks to William your research is amazing
2 reviews
November 22, 2021
Simple yet effective

Diet and fitness explained on a basic level to help us understand. If you are new to diet and fitness, start here.
Profile Image for Donna.
16 reviews14 followers
February 23, 2022
Clear and sensible

Concisely lays out the science behind why we are hungry, how food affects our bodies, and how to break the cycle of feeling tired and unhealthy. Thank you!
1 review
November 1, 2022
Helpful

This book is a quick read. He is direct and helps to change your perspective without being preachy. I recommend.
Profile Image for Arianne.
8 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2021
Worth the quick read

Highly recommend this book- easy to understand with really practical tips to get started. One of the best books on the subject that I have read.
Profile Image for Anne.
208 reviews
June 1, 2020
A good overview and explained well, in simple terms.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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