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I'm So Effing Tired: A proven plan to beat burnout, boost your energy and reclaim your life
A guide to conquering burnout and increasing your energy from a leading medical doctor and nutrition expert.
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First published March 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 347 reviews
June 20, 2021
DNF- THIS IS A DIET BOOK!
Maybe, like me, you thought it was more of a life management book. Nope. It’s a diet book. A diet book that claims to have an easy and accessible plan for women (don’t they all?). Spoiler alert: fast for 12-16 hour periods, eat EIGHT CUPS of vegetables per day. No sugar, no dairy, no nothin. Sleep more. Stress less.
This book made me feel horrible about myself. Is that the way diet books work? The plan seemed complicated despite her telling me again and again how easy it is. Also- she sells supplements on her website and seems to want to be one of these “celebrity doctors”.
I appreciated that she brought in some eastern philosophy, I appreciate that she is not white and at least attempts to point out some of the hardships the medical world forces on POC.
Butttt.. her “rock bottom” story is her spinning her car out in traffic and she keeps coming back to it like that’s some pivotal point in her life. It’s like- lady- when the rest of us spin out in traffic we regain control of the car, take a deep breath and keep in heading into work..
And something about it seemed to not fit all lifestyles. Like, not all of us are doctors and married to doctors and have the $$ to buy all paraben-free glass bottle non-GMO stuff. so, what, are we just f-ed?
Anyway. As I said this book was making me freak out and feel majorly bad about my very normal (mostly healthy) normal person life. So. I stopped reading it.
Good reminder to sleep more, tho.
Maybe, like me, you thought it was more of a life management book. Nope. It’s a diet book. A diet book that claims to have an easy and accessible plan for women (don’t they all?). Spoiler alert: fast for 12-16 hour periods, eat EIGHT CUPS of vegetables per day. No sugar, no dairy, no nothin. Sleep more. Stress less.
This book made me feel horrible about myself. Is that the way diet books work? The plan seemed complicated despite her telling me again and again how easy it is. Also- she sells supplements on her website and seems to want to be one of these “celebrity doctors”.
I appreciated that she brought in some eastern philosophy, I appreciate that she is not white and at least attempts to point out some of the hardships the medical world forces on POC.
Butttt.. her “rock bottom” story is her spinning her car out in traffic and she keeps coming back to it like that’s some pivotal point in her life. It’s like- lady- when the rest of us spin out in traffic we regain control of the car, take a deep breath and keep in heading into work..
And something about it seemed to not fit all lifestyles. Like, not all of us are doctors and married to doctors and have the $$ to buy all paraben-free glass bottle non-GMO stuff. so, what, are we just f-ed?
Anyway. As I said this book was making me freak out and feel majorly bad about my very normal (mostly healthy) normal person life. So. I stopped reading it.
Good reminder to sleep more, tho.
January 14, 2021
This book has some good advice but it is also advice you'll find in most of the self-help health books out right now. Basically, your lack of energy comes down to: eating too much sugar, not getting enough sleep, exercising too much (that's a relatively rare one and one that's kind of nice to hear), having too much stress, not eating enough fiber, eating too much junk, having a toxic environment, not taking care of your gut health, etc. The answer is in getting enough sleep, eating TONS of fiber and vegetables, cutting out sugar, etc. She provides a WTF plan (I forget what this stands for? something with whole foods?) that is plant-based for the most part.
I appreciate that Shah is a medical doctor, a mother, and someone who's worked with thousands of patients doing exactly this. I liked all the case histories of tired women who couldn't lose weight or feel better and how they turned things around. I also really appreciated the fact that she stressed again and again that overdoing "good" things was just as bad for you -- running marathons and exercising nonstop without rest days, sacrificing sleep, etc. There is a big focus on stress management and self care. I got very sick with covid last spring/summer and learned the hard way that my lifestyle was far more deadly than I thought, even though I ate all natural and organic, cooked from scratch, avoided chemicals, was a relatively healthy weight, etc. I was chronically sleep deprived, stressed, fueled by coffee and "healthy" carbs, and my immune system absolutely failed me. I used serious changes like prioritizing healthy sleep, meditation, sunlight, tons of water, breathing exercises, gentle exercise, laughter and self care to help heal my blood pressure, heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles, joints, nerves and mental health (going keto also helped me personally), so I know firsthand that this stuff matters. I've read it lots of other places in the past few years, but that's not to say it's not well said here.
One note-- modern health books either promote plant-based (vegan or vegan-like) or very-low-carb (keto or keto-like) diets as a modern lifesaver. I've used both plans in my life to regain my health and both were very helpful for me. This one is the plant-based route, but it has lots of good information no matter how you eat. There's also quite a lot of very specific information about tests to run, supplements that can help, little things that make a difference, the truth about "adrenal fatigue" and more.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
I appreciate that Shah is a medical doctor, a mother, and someone who's worked with thousands of patients doing exactly this. I liked all the case histories of tired women who couldn't lose weight or feel better and how they turned things around. I also really appreciated the fact that she stressed again and again that overdoing "good" things was just as bad for you -- running marathons and exercising nonstop without rest days, sacrificing sleep, etc. There is a big focus on stress management and self care. I got very sick with covid last spring/summer and learned the hard way that my lifestyle was far more deadly than I thought, even though I ate all natural and organic, cooked from scratch, avoided chemicals, was a relatively healthy weight, etc. I was chronically sleep deprived, stressed, fueled by coffee and "healthy" carbs, and my immune system absolutely failed me. I used serious changes like prioritizing healthy sleep, meditation, sunlight, tons of water, breathing exercises, gentle exercise, laughter and self care to help heal my blood pressure, heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles, joints, nerves and mental health (going keto also helped me personally), so I know firsthand that this stuff matters. I've read it lots of other places in the past few years, but that's not to say it's not well said here.
One note-- modern health books either promote plant-based (vegan or vegan-like) or very-low-carb (keto or keto-like) diets as a modern lifesaver. I've used both plans in my life to regain my health and both were very helpful for me. This one is the plant-based route, but it has lots of good information no matter how you eat. There's also quite a lot of very specific information about tests to run, supplements that can help, little things that make a difference, the truth about "adrenal fatigue" and more.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
November 3, 2020
This is a great book whose title called to me because I am, in fact, so effing tired. I really appreciated that this book was written by a doctor with a traditional Western medical practice who is also open to some functional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine ideas into her practice. Dr. Shah focused on how hormones can contribute to problems of fatigue, which was an issue I'd considered but none of my doctors (either traditional docs or naturopaths) had really addressed with me. I really appreciated all the specific dietary information and advice, even though it is of course not easy to hear. (Sugar is the root of nutritional evil. I know it, I've heard it, but still I struggle with giving it up!) Because this book was written by an MD, it has a lot less "woo" than some of the books on this topics I've read and is very science-based. Dr. Shah intersperses her advice with stories of patients from her own practice and with her own story, which I found compelling. (I always find doctors who have personal experience with these things to be the most empathic and sometimes the most motivated to help.) There is also a lot of great information about intermittent fasting and how to safely and properly use fasting to benefit your health. She also provides some great recipes and ingredients and hormone balancing foods to break your fast like chai lattes and almond-vanilla chia seed pudding, which sound like they will help a lot with steering away from sugar.
An extremely informative book and I have begun to try some of the intermittent fasting already. Thanks to Dr. Shah, NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt press for the advance copy. 4.5 stars!
An extremely informative book and I have begun to try some of the intermittent fasting already. Thanks to Dr. Shah, NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt press for the advance copy. 4.5 stars!
April 26, 2021
Do circadian intermittent fasting. Eat fiber. Do not eat delicious foods. Sleep but not too much. Exercise but not too much. That was the book, more or less.
Read
March 26, 2021The title and cover of this book caught my eye, and while I don't usually read self help titles, I decided to give this one a try. While I can see how others would appreciate this book, it really read like GOOP/wellness/pseudoscience more than anything else to me. It's not preachy, but it reeks of privilege. Do you have a problem like asthma, depression, fatigue, acne, mystery rashes, IBS, food intolerances, etc, etc, etc? Stop eating sugar. Don't eat carbs! Clear everything out of your makeup cabinet right now, just throw it all away, there could be *parabens* in there! Do not use plastics! You must start eating only organic food! I guess this might work, but it's highly unrealistic, and in the end, just not evidential enough for me (besides the author's long list of anecdotal evidence from her own practice and life) to plan my life around. The writing was approachable, and if I were desperate, I'd probably buy into it too.
June 10, 2024
Вона мене загнала трішки в нечитун, бо я дуже рідко читаю якусь іншу книжку коли я почала вже якусь одну, а поки я читала цю я прочитала ще багато чого. Ну, тут є цікаві моменти, але такий жанр напевно не для мене.
May 28, 2021
Eh.
That’s kind of how I felt after (finally) getting through this book.
It reads like a repetitive sales pitch that uses 200 of the nearly 300 pages to redundantly and laboriously detail what is, essentially, four or five points. In fact, at times it was so repetitive I felt like I was reading the exact same passages over and over. If you get this far in, you finally get to hear what Dr. Shah is selling: basically her own version of intermittent fasting she’s rebranded as “circadian fasting” I guess - I started skimming by page 190-something.
OK - this book does have some good info and I learned a bit. But does it really take 200 pages (again 2/3 of the book) to tell people to eat 6-8 servings of vegetables a day (read: fiber), reduce stress, sleep more, and reduce foods we’ve very well established are ‘not so good for you’ like simple carbs and red meat?
The evidence (again, pretty well-established that a diet high in veggies is generally a good thing) did pique my interest and made me curious about trying out IF. Or I’ll just sleep more and add more veggies to my plate. Maybe.
2.5 stars.
That’s kind of how I felt after (finally) getting through this book.
It reads like a repetitive sales pitch that uses 200 of the nearly 300 pages to redundantly and laboriously detail what is, essentially, four or five points. In fact, at times it was so repetitive I felt like I was reading the exact same passages over and over. If you get this far in, you finally get to hear what Dr. Shah is selling: basically her own version of intermittent fasting she’s rebranded as “circadian fasting” I guess - I started skimming by page 190-something.
OK - this book does have some good info and I learned a bit. But does it really take 200 pages (again 2/3 of the book) to tell people to eat 6-8 servings of vegetables a day (read: fiber), reduce stress, sleep more, and reduce foods we’ve very well established are ‘not so good for you’ like simple carbs and red meat?
The evidence (again, pretty well-established that a diet high in veggies is generally a good thing) did pique my interest and made me curious about trying out IF. Or I’ll just sleep more and add more veggies to my plate. Maybe.
2.5 stars.
August 11, 2021
dnf - it’s a diet book, and i wish it would be marketed as such! i admit i went into this expecting to be let down, but i didn’t expect to be “have you tried intermittent fasting?” levels of let down. great to read when i’m having a flareup of eating disorder thoughts.
February 7, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.
When I started reading this book, I found out it might be more helpful to me than I thought. Struggling with cortisol and hormonal issues is hard, because it asks for changes in a lot of aspects in life and isn't just solved with a pill. The start of the book is great in explaining the issues related to hormone imbalances and how the body works. Interesting to know, though some weren't relevant to me so I skipped them.
I did find a lot of repetition in the book. The author keeps talking about intermittent fasting and food but it's only at the end of the book we get to that.
I do highly believe in the strenght of diet and the effect of your lifestyle on your body. The author goes in on all those aspects, though it does sound quite standard and repetitive. I'm told to sleep for 8+ hours and not stress, but easier said than done.
I'm probably going to take some things from the diet part of this book. Learning about the effects of different foods was interesting and I'd like to implement changes in my diet according to that. Though I'm not sure about the entire plan, which consists of intermittent fasting as well. That's also basically what most of the book is about.
Overall it was okay. It's a lot of obvious changes to make that are promoted everywhere, but it was nice to have it all in one place. It'd be better if there was less repetition and just having every chapter focus on one thing without hinting to the other the whole time. If you're new to the concept of imbalances and you're reading this, it'll be eye-opening. Though when you're already familiar with it there's not a lot of news to you.
When I started reading this book, I found out it might be more helpful to me than I thought. Struggling with cortisol and hormonal issues is hard, because it asks for changes in a lot of aspects in life and isn't just solved with a pill. The start of the book is great in explaining the issues related to hormone imbalances and how the body works. Interesting to know, though some weren't relevant to me so I skipped them.
I did find a lot of repetition in the book. The author keeps talking about intermittent fasting and food but it's only at the end of the book we get to that.
I do highly believe in the strenght of diet and the effect of your lifestyle on your body. The author goes in on all those aspects, though it does sound quite standard and repetitive. I'm told to sleep for 8+ hours and not stress, but easier said than done.
I'm probably going to take some things from the diet part of this book. Learning about the effects of different foods was interesting and I'd like to implement changes in my diet according to that. Though I'm not sure about the entire plan, which consists of intermittent fasting as well. That's also basically what most of the book is about.
Overall it was okay. It's a lot of obvious changes to make that are promoted everywhere, but it was nice to have it all in one place. It'd be better if there was less repetition and just having every chapter focus on one thing without hinting to the other the whole time. If you're new to the concept of imbalances and you're reading this, it'll be eye-opening. Though when you're already familiar with it there's not a lot of news to you.
November 10, 2021
First, let me make it clear that I do not view self-help health books as gospel. I read with the reminder that the authors of these books have their own interests in people following the guidlines/diets they talk about. Dr. Shah is no exception to this. In the book she states supplements are not the answer to this issue, beware people who claim they are, you don't need supplements. Lo and behold, guess what she sells on her website. Yup, supplements that help if "you suffer from low energy, chronic brain fog, or out-of-control hormones, Balance + Restore is designed to bring you back to optimal health."
The book itself is easy to read and does have a lot of good information. This is information I made note of and will be discussing with my doctor. Some of the recipes included are tasty and all are healthy. The beginning of the book is a good primer on biology and topics such as hormones. Good info just take it all in with a questioning eye.
The book itself is easy to read and does have a lot of good information. This is information I made note of and will be discussing with my doctor. Some of the recipes included are tasty and all are healthy. The beginning of the book is a good primer on biology and topics such as hormones. Good info just take it all in with a questioning eye.
December 13, 2021
As a nutrition expert, I found a lot of unproven, not necessarily science-backed trends here. Physicians are not nutrition experts, unfortunately. The talk on GMOs, IF, artificial sweeteners, etc. were not based on current research.
I decided to read based upon the title, but am unfortunately, sincerely disappointed. :(
I decided to read based upon the title, but am unfortunately, sincerely disappointed. :(
October 9, 2021
2.5 stars, rounded up.
I wanted to like this book and read a lot of self-help, as well as a few health books each year. I’M SO EFFING TIRED of how effing repetitive this book was… seriously so effing repetitive. Maybe this book would be better with a different title. I wanted it to be more about slowing down the pace of life and getting more sleep along with eating healthier. But this was mostly about food: eat more plants, consume less sugar, make sure you get enough fiber, maybe make some smoothies and add supplements… we’ve all heard it before.
How can I give this book a low rating? Granted, I did not try the regimen that the author suggested. The basics are in the summary provided: (1)What You Eat, (2) When You Eat, (3) How you manage stress. The part that I can’t get onboard with is intermittent fasting. I haven’t tried it because I’m a creature of habit and know myself enough to know that it wouldn’t work for me. What has worked for me is the Whole 30 regimen, so I recommend It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways .
Thanks to San Diego County Library for the digital audio version via Libby app.
[Audio: 8 hours, 21 minutes]
Time spent listening: 6 hours, 48 minutes
I wanted to like this book and read a lot of self-help, as well as a few health books each year. I’M SO EFFING TIRED of how effing repetitive this book was… seriously so effing repetitive. Maybe this book would be better with a different title. I wanted it to be more about slowing down the pace of life and getting more sleep along with eating healthier. But this was mostly about food: eat more plants, consume less sugar, make sure you get enough fiber, maybe make some smoothies and add supplements… we’ve all heard it before.
How can I give this book a low rating? Granted, I did not try the regimen that the author suggested. The basics are in the summary provided: (1)What You Eat, (2) When You Eat, (3) How you manage stress. The part that I can’t get onboard with is intermittent fasting. I haven’t tried it because I’m a creature of habit and know myself enough to know that it wouldn’t work for me. What has worked for me is the Whole 30 regimen, so I recommend It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways .
Thanks to San Diego County Library for the digital audio version via Libby app.
[Audio: 8 hours, 21 minutes]
Time spent listening: 6 hours, 48 minutes
December 27, 2023
Review shortly.
May 14, 2021
Life is simple:
Eat healthy, eat healthy, and eat healthy.
Sleep enough.
Exercise.
Seems obvious, or?
Eat healthy, eat healthy, and eat healthy.
Sleep enough.
Exercise.
Seems obvious, or?
March 16, 2021
This easy-to-understand and well-written book is highly recommended if you would like a better understanding of your hormones, gut health, and inflammation. Amy explains how they all affect each other and by finding the right balance you can find your way back to more energy.
Loaded with lots of scientific and medical evidence, there were several useful concepts that were well described in detail, such as cortisol imbalance and its effects, a synthetic estrogen, and master glands.
Amy also talks about intermittent fasting and her approach of doing what's best for you is really helpful. She also talks about the benefits of high fiber, fresh vegetables coupled with regular exercise. There are levels of the plan from beginner to advanced and two weeks' worth of easy-to-follow recipes included. It is described as a reset, but it has to be followed over a reasonable length of time in order to to see optimal results.
Overall, I appreciated the book and will take parts of it to implement into my own life
I would like to thank Amy Shah and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Summary: Recommended for anyone tired of being exhausted and wish to kick start a healthy lifestyle. Well written, with lots of useful information, laid out in an easy-reference format.
Loaded with lots of scientific and medical evidence, there were several useful concepts that were well described in detail, such as cortisol imbalance and its effects, a synthetic estrogen, and master glands.
Amy also talks about intermittent fasting and her approach of doing what's best for you is really helpful. She also talks about the benefits of high fiber, fresh vegetables coupled with regular exercise. There are levels of the plan from beginner to advanced and two weeks' worth of easy-to-follow recipes included. It is described as a reset, but it has to be followed over a reasonable length of time in order to to see optimal results.
Overall, I appreciated the book and will take parts of it to implement into my own life
I would like to thank Amy Shah and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Summary: Recommended for anyone tired of being exhausted and wish to kick start a healthy lifestyle. Well written, with lots of useful information, laid out in an easy-reference format.
November 23, 2022
I came to this book for the endocrine science from a medical professional who focuses on women’s health. I got nuggets of that buried in loads of repetition, anecdotes and lifestyle advice that seemed a little outside of the author’s scope of expertise (recommending non-fluoridated toothpaste to mention one example). This reads like a disorganized vomit draft with endless amounts of “you’ll read more about that in chapter X.” It has a lot of heteronormative language that gets annoying when you’re here for the medical science. A lot of “don’t worry ladies, you can still have your wine occasionally.” I really appreciated the insights on how to fast/eat/exercise in accordance with menstrual cycles. Wish it had been a quarter of the length. Skimmed most of the anecdotes and lifestyle plan sections.
October 28, 2020
For years, I’ve tried to figure out what the heck is going on with my body. I’ve tried nearly everything and spent countless dollars with medical doctors, natural paths – I’ve even had surgery! All in an effort to figure out why my energy levels are so low.
I won’t say this book introduced any new groundbreaking information, but I didn’t know much about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and I was curious. I think I want to give her WTF plan a try (laid out in the book), and I’m going to focus on following the guidelines of an anti-inflammation diet. This book gave me the confidence to give it a try!
I won’t say this book introduced any new groundbreaking information, but I didn’t know much about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and I was curious. I think I want to give her WTF plan a try (laid out in the book), and I’m going to focus on following the guidelines of an anti-inflammation diet. This book gave me the confidence to give it a try!
March 13, 2021
I read a lot of books on nutrition, fasting, the mind-body connection, etc, & I feel this book synthesizes the best of all of those subjects into an easy-to-read, easy-to-implement plan for long-term health. The thing I love best is that there are so many small charges she recommends that I can put into practice right away!
September 5, 2021
This book made me more stressed than when I started it.
May 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! While it lost me a bit at the end with the intermittent fasting, I enjoyed the new perspective the author gave me on this practice. In addition, I learned lots about various substitution practices I can implement in regards to exercise, cleaner eating and more to improve my overall quality of life which I am looking forward to implementing to gain more energy!
January 30, 2024
Probably closer to 3.5 stars…
This was not what I thought this book would be, but it did open up my eyes to many health issues (brain fog, low energy, hormone imbalance, inflammation, etc) I’ve discussed recently. I learned many things and disagreed with some other items of discussion. Overall, this little gem was a blessing in disguise.
This was not what I thought this book would be, but it did open up my eyes to many health issues (brain fog, low energy, hormone imbalance, inflammation, etc) I’ve discussed recently. I learned many things and disagreed with some other items of discussion. Overall, this little gem was a blessing in disguise.
May 2, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded down because of her claim that rye and barley are gluten free. I had a hard time taking this seriously after she explicitly claimed that gluten is a protein in wheat and that rye and barley are great alternatives. Neither are gluten free and as someone with gluten intolerance, I can say they cause just as significant of a reaction as wheat gluten.
Also, she discussed correlational claims as though they were causal, or at least didn't clarify that the studies were done in such a way to make them causal. For example, a study on men who used saunas being healthier than other men. Is it that men who use saunas are different from average men or that the study used a match pair design or was otherwise able to statically hold all other variables constant? No idea. She didn't make these distinctions and that's concerning to me. This isn't my first diet, lifestyle book by an MD and those ones have consistently made clear when it's one or the other. The difference between correlation and causation is huge.
Which, she also didn't carefully sift through the medical research. For example, she claims poor outcomes for people who eat meat, especially red meat, but there are several other MDs out there referencing studies showing that what your food eats (animals and plants) matters a lot. She seems to understand this about plants because she encourages buying organic, so why not with meat? It seems to be her bias as a vegetarian and that's a detriment to this program as plenty of people are going to find it too restrictive and not follow it. But if she carefully laid out the differences in meat qualities and the appropriate portion sizes, then more people would be successful. I understand she may not, on ethical grounds, feel comfortable recommending anyone eat meat, but then that needs to be stated upfront. Maybe her clientele are different from the people I know, but many aren't getting the recommended amount of protein and can't on just a plant based diet.
Which leads to the last thing. She seems to think this program will help people with autoimmune disorders, but she doesn't address any of their specific needs, especially around foods. Many people with autoimmune conditions find they need to follow some part of the low FODMAP diet. Foods like beans are a no on this diet because they can cause so much digestive distress. Are these people supposed to just power through her diet and find themselves better on the other side? I haven't been critical of this in other books of this nature because they don't make claims about autoimmune conditions. But she does. And in thus doing so, she needs at least a sentence explaining to them what to do. Sadly, because of the whole gluten is only in wheat thing, and because celiac disease is an autoimmune condition, as someone with autoimmune conditions, I'd have a hard time trusting her advice anyway, but at least a sentence would have been nice.
It was helpful to see where this book overlapped with others and to think about the places where it didn't, but in general, I'd recommend skipping this and trying books by Dr. Mark Hyman.
Also, she discussed correlational claims as though they were causal, or at least didn't clarify that the studies were done in such a way to make them causal. For example, a study on men who used saunas being healthier than other men. Is it that men who use saunas are different from average men or that the study used a match pair design or was otherwise able to statically hold all other variables constant? No idea. She didn't make these distinctions and that's concerning to me. This isn't my first diet, lifestyle book by an MD and those ones have consistently made clear when it's one or the other. The difference between correlation and causation is huge.
Which, she also didn't carefully sift through the medical research. For example, she claims poor outcomes for people who eat meat, especially red meat, but there are several other MDs out there referencing studies showing that what your food eats (animals and plants) matters a lot. She seems to understand this about plants because she encourages buying organic, so why not with meat? It seems to be her bias as a vegetarian and that's a detriment to this program as plenty of people are going to find it too restrictive and not follow it. But if she carefully laid out the differences in meat qualities and the appropriate portion sizes, then more people would be successful. I understand she may not, on ethical grounds, feel comfortable recommending anyone eat meat, but then that needs to be stated upfront. Maybe her clientele are different from the people I know, but many aren't getting the recommended amount of protein and can't on just a plant based diet.
Which leads to the last thing. She seems to think this program will help people with autoimmune disorders, but she doesn't address any of their specific needs, especially around foods. Many people with autoimmune conditions find they need to follow some part of the low FODMAP diet. Foods like beans are a no on this diet because they can cause so much digestive distress. Are these people supposed to just power through her diet and find themselves better on the other side? I haven't been critical of this in other books of this nature because they don't make claims about autoimmune conditions. But she does. And in thus doing so, she needs at least a sentence explaining to them what to do. Sadly, because of the whole gluten is only in wheat thing, and because celiac disease is an autoimmune condition, as someone with autoimmune conditions, I'd have a hard time trusting her advice anyway, but at least a sentence would have been nice.
It was helpful to see where this book overlapped with others and to think about the places where it didn't, but in general, I'd recommend skipping this and trying books by Dr. Mark Hyman.
November 13, 2024
DNF 1.5 stars, I have my qualms with it and when the time ran out on Libby I figured it wasn’t worth renewing my loan on it.
The first being this book has burnout in the title and I think that word is used maybe twice? And then never actually addressed it, her main approach is that if you fix your diet and intensity of work out your life is going to be fixed because your hormones will be fixed. And that’s just not true, there are a whole host of facets to burnout and diet and exercise is just one (others include work life balance, social support, competence in the field, level of control of your environment, effective self care strategies, etc). Not to mention that symptoms of poor mental health are not just side effects from our physical health, they are intertwined for sure, but not the same and may require therapy, drug, or other intervention to fully recover or manage those symptoms.
Also the title says “proven plan”, but often asserts under supported and under researched claims, while denying other approaches/options for the same reason (ie her claim that you shouldn’t drink bone broth because there are only some claims that can be supported while other can’t, and then proceeds to talk about adults playing in dirt should be good for them even though there’s no direct research to support that claim in adults).
The book is very repetitive. She mentioned circadian fasting 7 times before actually getting to that part of the book. Plus she loves to talk about intermittent fasting but that also has its researched health risks (increased risk of heart desease) as well as potential benefits. That plus the overgeneralization that a whole host of symptoms are really just undiagnosed and undetectable levels of hormone imbalances which I think is an oversimplification. And how are we supposed to know it’s a hormone issue if it undetectable? Maybe the issue was something else that was improved through the change? It’s important to remember that while she is a doctor, she is not your doctor, and you don’t have to believe what she is claiming just because she is one. Especially if the topics are highly debated in the field and essentially this whole book is highly debated topics (imperceptible hormone imbalances, intermittent fasting fasting, fad diets, leaky gut, dirt building adult immune systems??).
The only good thing about this book from what I read was when she talked about stimulating the Vagal nerve through breathing, humming, and other exercises because that is a well researched and clear link to increased wellbeing but that’s it in my opinion.
Guess I had more opinions than I thought! Take everything I said with a grain of salt because I didn’t finish the book and I’m not a doctor but I think the critiques are still valid.
The first being this book has burnout in the title and I think that word is used maybe twice? And then never actually addressed it, her main approach is that if you fix your diet and intensity of work out your life is going to be fixed because your hormones will be fixed. And that’s just not true, there are a whole host of facets to burnout and diet and exercise is just one (others include work life balance, social support, competence in the field, level of control of your environment, effective self care strategies, etc). Not to mention that symptoms of poor mental health are not just side effects from our physical health, they are intertwined for sure, but not the same and may require therapy, drug, or other intervention to fully recover or manage those symptoms.
Also the title says “proven plan”, but often asserts under supported and under researched claims, while denying other approaches/options for the same reason (ie her claim that you shouldn’t drink bone broth because there are only some claims that can be supported while other can’t, and then proceeds to talk about adults playing in dirt should be good for them even though there’s no direct research to support that claim in adults).
The book is very repetitive. She mentioned circadian fasting 7 times before actually getting to that part of the book. Plus she loves to talk about intermittent fasting but that also has its researched health risks (increased risk of heart desease) as well as potential benefits. That plus the overgeneralization that a whole host of symptoms are really just undiagnosed and undetectable levels of hormone imbalances which I think is an oversimplification. And how are we supposed to know it’s a hormone issue if it undetectable? Maybe the issue was something else that was improved through the change? It’s important to remember that while she is a doctor, she is not your doctor, and you don’t have to believe what she is claiming just because she is one. Especially if the topics are highly debated in the field and essentially this whole book is highly debated topics (imperceptible hormone imbalances, intermittent fasting fasting, fad diets, leaky gut, dirt building adult immune systems??).
The only good thing about this book from what I read was when she talked about stimulating the Vagal nerve through breathing, humming, and other exercises because that is a well researched and clear link to increased wellbeing but that’s it in my opinion.
Guess I had more opinions than I thought! Take everything I said with a grain of salt because I didn’t finish the book and I’m not a doctor but I think the critiques are still valid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
A lot of useful info in this book. The book started out strong, but once it diverges into being a intermittent fasting plan and recipe book, I admit I lost interest quickly. I did read through to the end will look back at this as a reference, as I continue the lifelong journey of being physically and mentally well.
Because this book is written by an M.D. with a traditional practice this book is very science based, which can be kind of dense, but I found the material easy enough to get through. She focuses on hormones, diet, and lifestyle changes to get your energy up. Most of the information here isn't new, but there is a bit about calorie restricting with which I completely disagree.
I know she had a warning that if you feel like this is going to lead you to an eating disorder then you should consult a medical professional, but fasting for 15 hours seems like disordered eating to me.
All in all, it was just okay, info (like in most self-help books) was hit and miss, some things were very valuable and some were not for me.
P.S. The recipes seem promising, anyone tried any of them yet?
Because this book is written by an M.D. with a traditional practice this book is very science based, which can be kind of dense, but I found the material easy enough to get through. She focuses on hormones, diet, and lifestyle changes to get your energy up. Most of the information here isn't new, but there is a bit about calorie restricting with which I completely disagree.
I know she had a warning that if you feel like this is going to lead you to an eating disorder then you should consult a medical professional, but fasting for 15 hours seems like disordered eating to me.
All in all, it was just okay, info (like in most self-help books) was hit and miss, some things were very valuable and some were not for me.
P.S. The recipes seem promising, anyone tried any of them yet?
March 29, 2024
This book...5 stars isn't enough! I have been feeling exhausted recently! I mean, I've been tired since I had kids but recently it's been on a whole new level. I have never been a good sleeper but I put extra emphasis on trying to eat as healthy as possible to try to balance out how little I sleep. This book gave me some very helpful tweaks and in just a few days I am already feeling much more energetic and healthy.
I know why this book doesn't get as much attention (and positive ratings). The recommendations would be extremely daunting for someone who eats a standard American diet. She advocates for a plant based diet with very, very limited dairy, meat, sugar, gluten, alcohol all in addition to doing intermittent fasting. The diet part I have down except I needed to reduce sugar and gluten. She's big on gut health. She incorporates many different aspects of wellness and gives some tips that surprised me, like reducing high intensity exercising.
I loved every single thing this woman had to say and am really happy I found this book (thanks Amy for posting it on here).
I know why this book doesn't get as much attention (and positive ratings). The recommendations would be extremely daunting for someone who eats a standard American diet. She advocates for a plant based diet with very, very limited dairy, meat, sugar, gluten, alcohol all in addition to doing intermittent fasting. The diet part I have down except I needed to reduce sugar and gluten. She's big on gut health. She incorporates many different aspects of wellness and gives some tips that surprised me, like reducing high intensity exercising.
I loved every single thing this woman had to say and am really happy I found this book (thanks Amy for posting it on here).
April 23, 2024
Stylistically, Dr Shah mistakes approachable for casual, which comes across as condescending (at least in the audiobook).
She criticizes the “adrenal reset diet” but recommends about 90% of the same interventions. Her criticism is that it’s not medically proven - mostly from studies that misunderstand what is meant by the phrase (the original author explains how it’s about multiple hormones, not only adrenaline). And then she turns around and builds a whole framework around intermittent fasting because of “leaky gut”…which also isn’t medically proven.
This might be a good book for someone who is tired but otherwise healthy, but she has high demands on a body for someone who is in a crisis state.
She criticizes the “adrenal reset diet” but recommends about 90% of the same interventions. Her criticism is that it’s not medically proven - mostly from studies that misunderstand what is meant by the phrase (the original author explains how it’s about multiple hormones, not only adrenaline). And then she turns around and builds a whole framework around intermittent fasting because of “leaky gut”…which also isn’t medically proven.
This might be a good book for someone who is tired but otherwise healthy, but she has high demands on a body for someone who is in a crisis state.
January 6, 2024
Just finished half of this and I don’t think I will continue reading it. I honestly didn't expect much but I was not expecting a diet book.
The gist? Eat healthy, ease up on stressful exercises, eat tons of fiber and you're good to go. Hmm, I don’t think so! I'm skeptical about the science here. It's a lot of 'eat this, cure that' without much proof.
The book wasn’t bad, just not my cup of tea. Would've helped if the title hinted it's all about diet.
The gist? Eat healthy, ease up on stressful exercises, eat tons of fiber and you're good to go. Hmm, I don’t think so! I'm skeptical about the science here. It's a lot of 'eat this, cure that' without much proof.
The book wasn’t bad, just not my cup of tea. Would've helped if the title hinted it's all about diet.
June 14, 2024
dnf.
This book is a lot of bullshit with a little truth.
No, leaky gut does not "cause" autism, no, raw dairy is not safe or good for you, no, high-intense cardio is not making you gain weight ...I could go on.
The true take-away from this book is this: diet is everything. Eat whole foods, minimize processed ones, try to consume less sugar.
Wow, how utterly ground-breaking---basic nutrition.
I never pick up self-help books and this one sure reminded me of why.
This book is a lot of bullshit with a little truth.
No, leaky gut does not "cause" autism, no, raw dairy is not safe or good for you, no, high-intense cardio is not making you gain weight ...I could go on.
The true take-away from this book is this: diet is everything. Eat whole foods, minimize processed ones, try to consume less sugar.
Wow, how utterly ground-breaking---basic nutrition.
I never pick up self-help books and this one sure reminded me of why.
October 28, 2023
Not really sure why I didn't clue in that this would be a diet book, but here we are. This was super repetitive, yet somehow barely got into her plan. The only reason I kept going was because the authors enthusiasm and energy was nice for my commutes. There are a few decent bits of advice and good explanation of the science behind why that advice is good but overshadowed by all the rest.
June 14, 2021
It feels a bit hopeless. I am trying some of the things she recommends. Giving up dairy is not one of them.
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