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Stay off My Operating Table: A Heart Surgeon's Metabolic Health Guide to Lose Weight, Prevent Disease, and Feel Your Best Every Day
What foods to put on your table so you don’t end up on mine
For the past century, we’ve been bombarded with diet ads and advice from gurus and governments. Yet heart disease remains the #1 killer worldwide, and 88% of adults are metabolically unhealthy. Up to 95% of dieters gain back all the weight they lost while following both dietary guidelines and popular fitness fads.
Here’s why they fail.
Most diet books teach you to set short-term weight loss goals. Whether low-carb or low-fat, the typical plan goes like this: restrict your food choices, exercise until exhaustion, and swallow stacks of supplements. These “solutions” do a better job of lightening your wallet than lightening you.
Meanwhile, the healthcare industry fails to prevent chronic disease. Rather than showing people how to remain healthy and prevent illness through proper nutrition, the system offers drugs and surgery to manage symptoms.
As a heart surgeon who used to be morbidly obese, Dr. Philip Ovadia has seen firsthand the failures of mainstream diets and medicine. He realized that what helped him lose over 100 pounds was the same solution that could have prevented most of the thousands of open heart surgeries he has performed—metabolic health.
What you eat determines how long and how well you live. Yet most doctors don’t learn that in medical school. And pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers have a vested interest in the public not knowing how to live and eat metabolically healthy.
In Stay off My Operating Table, Dr. Ovadia shares the complete metabolic health system to prevent disease and optimize your health, a system that the diet and drug industries don’t want you to know about. Unlike quick-fix, “7-day,” radical diets, Dr. Ovadia’s approach is a sustainable, long-term solution that works. This book teaches:
How most leading causes of death are rooted in metabolic disease
How to measure and improve your metabolic health, from a doctor’s perspective
How to eliminate your need for most supplements with a nutritionally complete diet
How to eat metabolically healthy on any diet, from carnivore to vegan
How light, everyday exercises benefit you more than brutal workouts
How metabolic health holds the answer to most health, food, and fitness questions
Whether you’ve suffered from chronic diseases or want to prevent them decades from now, Stay off My Operating Table will help you take back control of your health from the institutions and experts that have failed you.
For the past century, we’ve been bombarded with diet ads and advice from gurus and governments. Yet heart disease remains the #1 killer worldwide, and 88% of adults are metabolically unhealthy. Up to 95% of dieters gain back all the weight they lost while following both dietary guidelines and popular fitness fads.
Here’s why they fail.
Most diet books teach you to set short-term weight loss goals. Whether low-carb or low-fat, the typical plan goes like this: restrict your food choices, exercise until exhaustion, and swallow stacks of supplements. These “solutions” do a better job of lightening your wallet than lightening you.
Meanwhile, the healthcare industry fails to prevent chronic disease. Rather than showing people how to remain healthy and prevent illness through proper nutrition, the system offers drugs and surgery to manage symptoms.
As a heart surgeon who used to be morbidly obese, Dr. Philip Ovadia has seen firsthand the failures of mainstream diets and medicine. He realized that what helped him lose over 100 pounds was the same solution that could have prevented most of the thousands of open heart surgeries he has performed—metabolic health.
What you eat determines how long and how well you live. Yet most doctors don’t learn that in medical school. And pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers have a vested interest in the public not knowing how to live and eat metabolically healthy.
In Stay off My Operating Table, Dr. Ovadia shares the complete metabolic health system to prevent disease and optimize your health, a system that the diet and drug industries don’t want you to know about. Unlike quick-fix, “7-day,” radical diets, Dr. Ovadia’s approach is a sustainable, long-term solution that works. This book teaches:
How most leading causes of death are rooted in metabolic disease
How to measure and improve your metabolic health, from a doctor’s perspective
How to eliminate your need for most supplements with a nutritionally complete diet
How to eat metabolically healthy on any diet, from carnivore to vegan
How light, everyday exercises benefit you more than brutal workouts
How metabolic health holds the answer to most health, food, and fitness questions
Whether you’ve suffered from chronic diseases or want to prevent them decades from now, Stay off My Operating Table will help you take back control of your health from the institutions and experts that have failed you.
174 pages, Hardcover
Published November 11, 2021
456 people are currently reading
940 people want to read
About the author
Philip Ovadia
5 books15 followers"I am a board-certified Cardiac Surgeon and the founder of Ovadia Heart Health. My mission is to optimize your metabolic health and help you stay off my operating table."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 17, 2023
Great content written by a cardiac surgeon. I love the focus on metabolic health instead of just a book about weight loss. Yes, put your health first.
He discusses 12 myths, 7 principles of metabolic health, and 5 metabolic health markers. All great information.
Some parts were eye-opening. One of them was the fact that the U.S. food guidelines aren't based on real science. Have you ever looked at who's on the guidelines committee and how they receive their funding? I had this stupid idea that the committee was full of ethical doctors who cared about my health. Nope. It's filled with people who receive funding from Big Food and pharmaceutical companies such as Kraft, Pepsi, General Mills, Kellogg's, Pfizer (who make Lipitor for cholesterol) and Abbott (who makes Humira for arthritis), and many other companies. Basically, the guidelines committee is getting funding from companies who sell high-carb, high-sugar foods or medication. That's why carbs were the foundation of the guidelines for so long, not because they're better for you.
Dr. Ovadia says that cardio is a waste of time for weight loss. Metabolic health is 90% diet and 10% lifestyle, so he encourages people to eat real foods and get out of the diet and weight loss mindset. You want to create a system that you can follow over and over without thinking about it. Be more active in your daily life, but that doesn't necessarily mean exercise. Oh, and skinny-fat people can have the same metabolic health issues as obese people, but it's not as obvious.
He believes that hormonal imbalance isn't a natural result of ageing. Low-carb diets aren't bad for you. They're bad for the food industry.
I loved how this got me to question what I've been taught about nutrition. I'm certainly not as naive as I was before I read this. Worth reading for sure, especially for those who don't want to take metabolic health medications for the rest of their lives.
He discusses 12 myths, 7 principles of metabolic health, and 5 metabolic health markers. All great information.
Some parts were eye-opening. One of them was the fact that the U.S. food guidelines aren't based on real science. Have you ever looked at who's on the guidelines committee and how they receive their funding? I had this stupid idea that the committee was full of ethical doctors who cared about my health. Nope. It's filled with people who receive funding from Big Food and pharmaceutical companies such as Kraft, Pepsi, General Mills, Kellogg's, Pfizer (who make Lipitor for cholesterol) and Abbott (who makes Humira for arthritis), and many other companies. Basically, the guidelines committee is getting funding from companies who sell high-carb, high-sugar foods or medication. That's why carbs were the foundation of the guidelines for so long, not because they're better for you.
Dr. Ovadia says that cardio is a waste of time for weight loss. Metabolic health is 90% diet and 10% lifestyle, so he encourages people to eat real foods and get out of the diet and weight loss mindset. You want to create a system that you can follow over and over without thinking about it. Be more active in your daily life, but that doesn't necessarily mean exercise. Oh, and skinny-fat people can have the same metabolic health issues as obese people, but it's not as obvious.
He believes that hormonal imbalance isn't a natural result of ageing. Low-carb diets aren't bad for you. They're bad for the food industry.
I loved how this got me to question what I've been taught about nutrition. I'm certainly not as naive as I was before I read this. Worth reading for sure, especially for those who don't want to take metabolic health medications for the rest of their lives.
March 28, 2023
So interesting to have a new perspective on heart and overall health. When thinking about metabolic health and the markers + taking into account experiences I’ve witnessed with family members, it completely aligns.
October 28, 2024
Very good and easy to read with references to scientific studies. Dr. Ovadia’s heart and his genuine desire to keep people off his operating table really shine throughout this book.
November 12, 2022
Excellent Guide, Easy Explanations
I picked up this book because my dad read it and started making massive changes to his diet. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and am always game to read to learn more. What I read was fascinating. I have read a lot of books and articles lately that advocated for whole food diets, but this offered explanations as well as frustrating revelations about how the food industry has misled us, causing us to learn misinformation about nutrition and health. Dr. Ovadia didn't leave us without hope, however, offering advice and hard-learned wisdom about changes we can make to take control of our health. An excellent book.
I picked up this book because my dad read it and started making massive changes to his diet. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and am always game to read to learn more. What I read was fascinating. I have read a lot of books and articles lately that advocated for whole food diets, but this offered explanations as well as frustrating revelations about how the food industry has misled us, causing us to learn misinformation about nutrition and health. Dr. Ovadia didn't leave us without hope, however, offering advice and hard-learned wisdom about changes we can make to take control of our health. An excellent book.
September 25, 2024
This is my umpteenth book on the topic since realizing that low-carb diet actually has something in it, and that sugar and ultra processed foods kills us slowly. It’s read by author, speaking in a tin can. Other than it’s short, to the point, with easy tips on changing your diet. Not any one in particular necessarily, anything will work as long as you eat real food and cut the refined sugar. Additionally you should sleep enough and exercise, then you will improve your metabolically health. Metabolical ill health is the cause of the biggest killers such as cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer.
I’ve been annoyed at having pimples and wrinkles at the same time. Without sugar, my skin has completely cleared up. I sleep a lot better, but only after the worst of the terrible sugar abstinence symptoms had worn off. All in all, my energy levels have significantly improved since I went low-carb. I no longer get hangry.
I’ve been annoyed at having pimples and wrinkles at the same time. Without sugar, my skin has completely cleared up. I sleep a lot better, but only after the worst of the terrible sugar abstinence symptoms had worn off. All in all, my energy levels have significantly improved since I went low-carb. I no longer get hangry.
October 27, 2024
Dr. Philip Ovadia's Stay Off My Operating Table provides a solid introduction to metabolic health, emphasizing sustainable lifestyle changes over quick fixes. While the book is informative and well-structured, it does contain noticeable self-promotion of his clinic, which detracts from the overall message. The content is accessible, yet some insights may feel familiar to seasoned readers of health literature. Overall, I found it helpful but not groundbreaking.
June 13, 2024
Informative and interesting. I'm inspired to try a few of his suggestions.
January 10, 2025
Interesting information. Life saving information. Feeling motivated to make some changes.
Read
March 28, 2024Focusing on our metabolic health can help minimize the risks of numerous critical illnesses.
November 7, 2023
Written by a heart surgeon, this book offers actionable insights to achieve lasting weight loss and improved metabolic health.
In a world where heart disease stands as the foremost global cause of mortality and nearly 9 out of 10 adults grapple with metabolic health issues, the challenge of achieving sustainable weight loss takes centre stage. Strikingly, an overwhelming majority of dieters find themselves regaining lost weight, even after adhering to widely accepted dietary protocols and trending fitness trends.
In this review, we will take a closer look at ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ a book that directly addresses the issues of disease prevention, sustainable weight loss, and metabolic health renewal, written by cardiac surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia.
Author’s background
Dr. Philip Ovadia possesses board certification as a cardiac surgeon and is the founder of Ovadia Heart Health.
He completed an accelerated Pre-Med/Med program at Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College, followed by a General Surgery residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. He then undertook a specialised Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts-New England Medical School.
His primary objective involves enhancing the overall metabolic well-being of the public while striving to prevent individuals from requiring surgical intervention. Having personally battled morbid obesity and now working as a heart surgeon, Dr. Ovadia has gained direct insight into the shortcomings of conventional diets and medical practices.
What is the book about?
In his groundbreaking book ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ Dr. Philip Ovadia presents a holistic approach that aids weight loss and boosts overall well-being.
Unlike typical diet trends, this book avoids short-term fixes, emphasising lasting, sustainable strategies. Dr. Ovadia, drawing from his personal experiences, discovered a system that not only improved his fitness and health but also addressed medical issues.
Diverging from diets relying on expensive products, Dr. Ovadia’s system is practical and adaptable. It doesn’t involve extreme restrictions or mandatory supplements. Instead, it guides readers towards improved metabolic health, including benefits like weight loss, increased energy, mental clarity, reduced bloating, better decision-making, boosted confidence, and resolving family conflicts related to diets.
Key lessons from the book encompass:
• The foundation of major causes of mortality in metabolic diseases
• Techniques to gauge and enhance metabolic health from a medical perspective
• Strategies to eliminate the need for most supplements through a nutritionally complete diet
• Guidelines for achieving metabolic health regardless of dietary preferences, from carnivore to vegan
• The advantages of light, routine exercises compared to intense workouts
• The pivotal role of metabolic health in addressing numerous health, dietary, and fitness inquiries
Key takeaways from ‘Stay Off My Operating Table’
1. The Seven Principles for transformative metabolic health
The pivotal takeaway from the book is the Seven Principles designed by Dr. Philip Ovadia to elevate metabolic health and sustain it for a lifetime. These principles, drawn from his extensive personal and professional experience, pave the way for a holistic transformation.
The Seven Principles are:
1. Reframe health as a system, not a goal
2. Eat real whole food
3. Make one sustainable change at a time
4. Engage in more movement
5. Sleep enough and focus on the quality of sleep
6. Relieve stress
7. Choose doctors who prioritise metabolic health, and challenge conventional practices that may hinder progress.
Ultimately, following these seven principles will lead to improved metabolic markers, increased energy levels, enhanced mental clarity, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and a higher quality of life. As you cultivate these principles, you’ll experience a transformative journey toward lasting well-being and metabolic vitality.
2. You can improve metabolic health conditions without medications
In ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ Dr. Ovadia challenges the misconception that the only way to improve metabolic health is through medication. This mistaken belief not only causes feelings of hopelessness but also continues a harmful cycle that can result in the need for surgery. Dr. Ovadia explains that conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure do not always require lifelong medication.
Dr. Ovadia’s patients have effectively released themselves from relying on medication, proving that type 2 diabetes can be reversed. This change in perspective is not just based on thorough research but also on Dr. Ovadia’s practical experiences with patients. Likewise, he clarifies the actual purpose of medications – they alleviate symptoms without tackling the underlying causes. By sharing guidance on how to break free from this pattern, Dr. Ovadia empowers readers to manage their health and avoid the path towards surgical interventions.
3. Exercise is not the best way to lose weight
The author challenges the common belief that exercise is the ultimate way to burn calories. They disagree with the idea that exercise is the main thing that helps you lose weight and stress how important food choices are for having a healthy metabolism.
Using strong evidence, Dr. Ovadia highlights that what you eat has a much bigger impact on your metabolism, accounting for about 90% of the whole picture. Surprisingly, exercising might actually make you more hungry and you could end up eating more, cancelling out the calories you burned during the workout. Dr. Ovadia points out this difference between how much you burn and how much you eat, which changes how we usually think about exercise and weight loss.
While not advocating against exercise, Dr. Ovadia advocates for a more balanced approach. He encourages integrating consistent movement throughout the day instead of focusing solely on intense workouts that may lead to heightened appetite.
Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews
Strengths:
• Provides evidence-backed strategies that lead to improved health, energy, and satiety.
• Presents informative content in an understandable language that resonates with the readers.
• Sheds light on misunderstood areas, providing depth and optimisation to existing knowledge.
Weaknesses:
• Offers little groundbreaking or new information, often presenting common-sense advice.
• Excessively promotes the author’s clinic, potentially distracting from the content.
Best quotes from ‘Stay Off My Operating Table’
“Myth #12: Health problems come with age… One example of this lie is the belief that hormonal imbalance is the natural result of aging and that nothing can be done about it apart from medication. For example, some claim that testosterone naturally decreases with age. No, low T is more closely associated with poor metabolic health. That's why healthy men in their eighties can have even more testosterone than obese men in their twenties. It's all about how you fuel your body.”
“Many food cravings actually don't come from hunger but from some nutritional deficiency. When you eat real whole food, you don't need a bunch of other things because you're getting all your needs met on one plate. Contrast that to when you get a craving and eat a high-carb food. You're hungry again in an hour, right? Because you haven't provided your body with any real nutrition, you just dumped in a bunch of calories.”
“Eat in such a way that you are hungry less often, which naturally results in a transition to a sixteen-hour fasting window without thinking about it.”
Final takeaway
‘Stay Off My Operating Table’ by Dr. Philip Ovadia provides a comprehensive roadmap foe achieving optimal health. By debunking health myths and delivering evidence-based insights, the book empowers readers to take control of their health.
Individuals seeking to understand the relationship between metabolic health and weight loss, and those striving for lasting improvements in their health and weight management, will find valuable guidance in this book.
In a world where heart disease stands as the foremost global cause of mortality and nearly 9 out of 10 adults grapple with metabolic health issues, the challenge of achieving sustainable weight loss takes centre stage. Strikingly, an overwhelming majority of dieters find themselves regaining lost weight, even after adhering to widely accepted dietary protocols and trending fitness trends.
In this review, we will take a closer look at ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ a book that directly addresses the issues of disease prevention, sustainable weight loss, and metabolic health renewal, written by cardiac surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia.
Author’s background
Dr. Philip Ovadia possesses board certification as a cardiac surgeon and is the founder of Ovadia Heart Health.
He completed an accelerated Pre-Med/Med program at Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College, followed by a General Surgery residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. He then undertook a specialised Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts-New England Medical School.
His primary objective involves enhancing the overall metabolic well-being of the public while striving to prevent individuals from requiring surgical intervention. Having personally battled morbid obesity and now working as a heart surgeon, Dr. Ovadia has gained direct insight into the shortcomings of conventional diets and medical practices.
What is the book about?
In his groundbreaking book ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ Dr. Philip Ovadia presents a holistic approach that aids weight loss and boosts overall well-being.
Unlike typical diet trends, this book avoids short-term fixes, emphasising lasting, sustainable strategies. Dr. Ovadia, drawing from his personal experiences, discovered a system that not only improved his fitness and health but also addressed medical issues.
Diverging from diets relying on expensive products, Dr. Ovadia’s system is practical and adaptable. It doesn’t involve extreme restrictions or mandatory supplements. Instead, it guides readers towards improved metabolic health, including benefits like weight loss, increased energy, mental clarity, reduced bloating, better decision-making, boosted confidence, and resolving family conflicts related to diets.
Key lessons from the book encompass:
• The foundation of major causes of mortality in metabolic diseases
• Techniques to gauge and enhance metabolic health from a medical perspective
• Strategies to eliminate the need for most supplements through a nutritionally complete diet
• Guidelines for achieving metabolic health regardless of dietary preferences, from carnivore to vegan
• The advantages of light, routine exercises compared to intense workouts
• The pivotal role of metabolic health in addressing numerous health, dietary, and fitness inquiries
Key takeaways from ‘Stay Off My Operating Table’
1. The Seven Principles for transformative metabolic health
The pivotal takeaway from the book is the Seven Principles designed by Dr. Philip Ovadia to elevate metabolic health and sustain it for a lifetime. These principles, drawn from his extensive personal and professional experience, pave the way for a holistic transformation.
The Seven Principles are:
1. Reframe health as a system, not a goal
2. Eat real whole food
3. Make one sustainable change at a time
4. Engage in more movement
5. Sleep enough and focus on the quality of sleep
6. Relieve stress
7. Choose doctors who prioritise metabolic health, and challenge conventional practices that may hinder progress.
Ultimately, following these seven principles will lead to improved metabolic markers, increased energy levels, enhanced mental clarity, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and a higher quality of life. As you cultivate these principles, you’ll experience a transformative journey toward lasting well-being and metabolic vitality.
2. You can improve metabolic health conditions without medications
In ‘Stay Off My Operating Table,’ Dr. Ovadia challenges the misconception that the only way to improve metabolic health is through medication. This mistaken belief not only causes feelings of hopelessness but also continues a harmful cycle that can result in the need for surgery. Dr. Ovadia explains that conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure do not always require lifelong medication.
Dr. Ovadia’s patients have effectively released themselves from relying on medication, proving that type 2 diabetes can be reversed. This change in perspective is not just based on thorough research but also on Dr. Ovadia’s practical experiences with patients. Likewise, he clarifies the actual purpose of medications – they alleviate symptoms without tackling the underlying causes. By sharing guidance on how to break free from this pattern, Dr. Ovadia empowers readers to manage their health and avoid the path towards surgical interventions.
3. Exercise is not the best way to lose weight
The author challenges the common belief that exercise is the ultimate way to burn calories. They disagree with the idea that exercise is the main thing that helps you lose weight and stress how important food choices are for having a healthy metabolism.
Using strong evidence, Dr. Ovadia highlights that what you eat has a much bigger impact on your metabolism, accounting for about 90% of the whole picture. Surprisingly, exercising might actually make you more hungry and you could end up eating more, cancelling out the calories you burned during the workout. Dr. Ovadia points out this difference between how much you burn and how much you eat, which changes how we usually think about exercise and weight loss.
While not advocating against exercise, Dr. Ovadia advocates for a more balanced approach. He encourages integrating consistent movement throughout the day instead of focusing solely on intense workouts that may lead to heightened appetite.
Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews
Strengths:
• Provides evidence-backed strategies that lead to improved health, energy, and satiety.
• Presents informative content in an understandable language that resonates with the readers.
• Sheds light on misunderstood areas, providing depth and optimisation to existing knowledge.
Weaknesses:
• Offers little groundbreaking or new information, often presenting common-sense advice.
• Excessively promotes the author’s clinic, potentially distracting from the content.
Best quotes from ‘Stay Off My Operating Table’
“Myth #12: Health problems come with age… One example of this lie is the belief that hormonal imbalance is the natural result of aging and that nothing can be done about it apart from medication. For example, some claim that testosterone naturally decreases with age. No, low T is more closely associated with poor metabolic health. That's why healthy men in their eighties can have even more testosterone than obese men in their twenties. It's all about how you fuel your body.”
“Many food cravings actually don't come from hunger but from some nutritional deficiency. When you eat real whole food, you don't need a bunch of other things because you're getting all your needs met on one plate. Contrast that to when you get a craving and eat a high-carb food. You're hungry again in an hour, right? Because you haven't provided your body with any real nutrition, you just dumped in a bunch of calories.”
“Eat in such a way that you are hungry less often, which naturally results in a transition to a sixteen-hour fasting window without thinking about it.”
Final takeaway
‘Stay Off My Operating Table’ by Dr. Philip Ovadia provides a comprehensive roadmap foe achieving optimal health. By debunking health myths and delivering evidence-based insights, the book empowers readers to take control of their health.
Individuals seeking to understand the relationship between metabolic health and weight loss, and those striving for lasting improvements in their health and weight management, will find valuable guidance in this book.
November 20, 2021
Excellent and concise
I've been lowering my carbs and reducing processed foods. This book helps me better understand the reasons why my choices are working, and encourages me to continue.
It's a brief book on metabolic health, containing all you need to take steps towards greater metabolic health. Dr Ovadia's advice is well directed towards realistic and actionable life changes. His advice doesn't require 100 % strictness on diet and exercise all the time. Instead, he provides information and guidance to construct a good system of living for the 95 % of our time.
I've been lowering my carbs and reducing processed foods. This book helps me better understand the reasons why my choices are working, and encourages me to continue.
It's a brief book on metabolic health, containing all you need to take steps towards greater metabolic health. Dr Ovadia's advice is well directed towards realistic and actionable life changes. His advice doesn't require 100 % strictness on diet and exercise all the time. Instead, he provides information and guidance to construct a good system of living for the 95 % of our time.
December 29, 2022
Seems like solid advice but will have to put it to the test to see. Does cleave a bit close to "don't trust the experts" advice except in this specific area there's a lot of research that says a lot of the previous research was wrong! So who knows. Would have appreciated less spruiking his own clinic as well though, but it's still better than most other weight loss books out there in that regard.
July 24, 2022
Everybody needs to read this book. Everybody who themselves, or someone they love, has a heart condition. But not just that, if you want to avoid Cancer, Diabetes, Stroke, Dementia. If you want to stay metabolically well, if you want to live a long life, a great quality of life. Read this book.
Our current medical approach, is to treat symptoms. Treating symptoms, is not treating or curing a disease, it is just minimising the problem, masking the warning signs. The drugs used to treat symptoms will often cause other side effects, which very often need additional lifelong drugs.
Take Diabetes for example. When we have Type 2 Diabetes, we are given drugs that eventually will lead us to injecting Insulin. That will bring further weight gain, higher blood sugar levels, and a worsening of the Diabetes. It is a vicious circle which keeps on turning.
Dr Ovadia not only approaches this subject from a medical perspective, it is his own personal experience. He was obese as a child, and by his forties, he was morbidly obese. This is now in his past, since learning about Metabolic Health, he has lost, and maintained 100 lbs lost. Dr Ovadia knows it is our own hands to make such a huge change to our health and future lives.
Personally, my Husband and I started eating strict, clean Keto 16 months ago, then naturally progressed to a Carnivore way of life. We felt so much better on Keto, but found a further huge step in wellness with Carnivore. The health benefits Dr Ovadia talks about are real, and realistic. Speaking as a lifelong yo-yo dieter, I knew the damage that I was unleashing in my body, but just couldn’t maintain the weight loss. I can’t even count the amount of times I have lost and regained weight, with a few more pounds for good measure. At the time of writing, my knees no longer hurt, my back doesn’t ache and I no longer have Sciatica flare ups. My anxiety, which would cause me so much lack of sleep, has quietened, and I now cope with stress so much better. My Lipoedema is also reducing, debulking, I just feel so well, sleep so well, and I have lost nearly 7 stone.
All of this pales into insignificance compared to my Husband. He has a very complex medical history, with many chronic conditions. 16 months ago, he was taking 9 different medication drugs, this is now down to just 3 different medications daily. He no longer takes tablets for blood pressure, Diabetes, fluid retention, depression, and the statins have gone too! He has lost 5 stone, and his Cardiac Consultant is very happy with his progress.
All of the above is purely down to lifestyle change, to improving Metabolic Health. Even if you are sceptical of what Dr Ovadia is suggesting, just try it. Give it a month, and you will feel such a difference, your future self will be grateful to you. I recommend this 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book to everyone, we all need to understand what will bring true health.
Our current medical approach, is to treat symptoms. Treating symptoms, is not treating or curing a disease, it is just minimising the problem, masking the warning signs. The drugs used to treat symptoms will often cause other side effects, which very often need additional lifelong drugs.
Take Diabetes for example. When we have Type 2 Diabetes, we are given drugs that eventually will lead us to injecting Insulin. That will bring further weight gain, higher blood sugar levels, and a worsening of the Diabetes. It is a vicious circle which keeps on turning.
Dr Ovadia not only approaches this subject from a medical perspective, it is his own personal experience. He was obese as a child, and by his forties, he was morbidly obese. This is now in his past, since learning about Metabolic Health, he has lost, and maintained 100 lbs lost. Dr Ovadia knows it is our own hands to make such a huge change to our health and future lives.
Personally, my Husband and I started eating strict, clean Keto 16 months ago, then naturally progressed to a Carnivore way of life. We felt so much better on Keto, but found a further huge step in wellness with Carnivore. The health benefits Dr Ovadia talks about are real, and realistic. Speaking as a lifelong yo-yo dieter, I knew the damage that I was unleashing in my body, but just couldn’t maintain the weight loss. I can’t even count the amount of times I have lost and regained weight, with a few more pounds for good measure. At the time of writing, my knees no longer hurt, my back doesn’t ache and I no longer have Sciatica flare ups. My anxiety, which would cause me so much lack of sleep, has quietened, and I now cope with stress so much better. My Lipoedema is also reducing, debulking, I just feel so well, sleep so well, and I have lost nearly 7 stone.
All of this pales into insignificance compared to my Husband. He has a very complex medical history, with many chronic conditions. 16 months ago, he was taking 9 different medication drugs, this is now down to just 3 different medications daily. He no longer takes tablets for blood pressure, Diabetes, fluid retention, depression, and the statins have gone too! He has lost 5 stone, and his Cardiac Consultant is very happy with his progress.
All of the above is purely down to lifestyle change, to improving Metabolic Health. Even if you are sceptical of what Dr Ovadia is suggesting, just try it. Give it a month, and you will feel such a difference, your future self will be grateful to you. I recommend this 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book to everyone, we all need to understand what will bring true health.
January 12, 2025
Book Review
"Stay Off My Operating Table"
5/5 stars
"A surgeon speaks on sustainable diets"
*******
There are essentially three types of diets:
1. Count calories;
2. Count carbs;
3. Count time
There is a lot of overlap in these books about ways to lose weight, and so I just have to think what does this author bring to the table that is new:
1. He actually gives us numbers that we can use to determine metabolic health. All of them are easily found in your chart from your semi-annual physical.
2. He redefines metabolic health as a process and not an end goal. So, you are metabolically only as good as your last meal. If you fast and lose huge amounts of weight or do the Atkins and lose huge amounts of weight, is there any stopping point?
What he says is that if you just be judicious about each meal and make small modifications that are sustainable, then the goal is a foregone conclusion.
3. The doctor is a heart surgeon, and while a lot of people have been physicians who have written these popular books (Jason Fung / Peter Atkins), a heart surgeon really is the extreme and of metabolic syndrome. And he sees the worst cases all day, everyday, several times a day.
That's not a level of experience to be taken lightly.
4. Not all olive oil is olive oil, and this doctor takes the trouble to let us know which brands are acceptable.
Verdict: Strongly recommended.The book is only 158 easy pages and it is so short that there's really no excuse not to read it.
*****
There are things that you should find no place for:
1. Grains, potatoes, starches
2. Processed foods
3. High fructose corn syrup
"Stay Off My Operating Table"
5/5 stars
"A surgeon speaks on sustainable diets"
*******
There are essentially three types of diets:
1. Count calories;
2. Count carbs;
3. Count time
There is a lot of overlap in these books about ways to lose weight, and so I just have to think what does this author bring to the table that is new:
1. He actually gives us numbers that we can use to determine metabolic health. All of them are easily found in your chart from your semi-annual physical.
2. He redefines metabolic health as a process and not an end goal. So, you are metabolically only as good as your last meal. If you fast and lose huge amounts of weight or do the Atkins and lose huge amounts of weight, is there any stopping point?
What he says is that if you just be judicious about each meal and make small modifications that are sustainable, then the goal is a foregone conclusion.
3. The doctor is a heart surgeon, and while a lot of people have been physicians who have written these popular books (Jason Fung / Peter Atkins), a heart surgeon really is the extreme and of metabolic syndrome. And he sees the worst cases all day, everyday, several times a day.
That's not a level of experience to be taken lightly.
4. Not all olive oil is olive oil, and this doctor takes the trouble to let us know which brands are acceptable.
Verdict: Strongly recommended.The book is only 158 easy pages and it is so short that there's really no excuse not to read it.
*****
There are things that you should find no place for:
1. Grains, potatoes, starches
2. Processed foods
3. High fructose corn syrup
February 16, 2025
This was a good book, I like a lot of what he has to say, and much of the truth has been coming to light since Covid. The one thing I did not like, but I’m not sure I would have changed even if I had written the book, is the fact it reads much like an infomercial you find on social media.
That being said, my familiarity with anatomy and physiology from my EMT course, my personal review of our changing diet (as an amateur historian), and reading dietary science articles, research studies, and the like have demonstrated a lot of truth in what he talked about in this very book.
A lot was what he discusses about the medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical industries was discussed in the book “Over Treated” I read several years ago and have a review of on this app (GoodReads). Their discussion about those industries (which “Over Treated” also goes into the medical insurance) and how their power and influence forces effects on actually medical care, health care, and what they have been doing to regular people in America for DECADES.
This also goes into the correlational (different from causational, which establishes proof of effect) results of some of things RFK Jr had talked about and the need for research looking for cause and effect relations between what’s in Americans’ food and their (our) health…
So, yeah, I would recommend this book and then recommend continuing your own deeper research, as this is just a starting point.
That being said, my familiarity with anatomy and physiology from my EMT course, my personal review of our changing diet (as an amateur historian), and reading dietary science articles, research studies, and the like have demonstrated a lot of truth in what he talked about in this very book.
A lot was what he discusses about the medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical industries was discussed in the book “Over Treated” I read several years ago and have a review of on this app (GoodReads). Their discussion about those industries (which “Over Treated” also goes into the medical insurance) and how their power and influence forces effects on actually medical care, health care, and what they have been doing to regular people in America for DECADES.
This also goes into the correlational (different from causational, which establishes proof of effect) results of some of things RFK Jr had talked about and the need for research looking for cause and effect relations between what’s in Americans’ food and their (our) health…
So, yeah, I would recommend this book and then recommend continuing your own deeper research, as this is just a starting point.
October 12, 2022
Common sense (ain't so common!)..explained exquisitely!
I came to Dr Ovadia's book with some knowledge, having read Taubes, Teicholz, Bikman, Berry, Westman, etc. His personal story is of significant interest, as I have family members in a similar boat. His before/after picture (Twitter) is especially compelling. In this book, he walks the line beautifully between explaining how the human body works without so much biochem that you need an advanced degree to comprehend. He provides open and honest tactical guidance - because he has walked in these shoes. His experience on both sides (doctor and patient) affords him a unique perspective. He present what he has learned from both roles...which admittedly, could feel overwhelming and hopeless from anyone else.... into straightforward, inspiring and, importantly, feasible steps for ANYONE, no matter their current level of metabolic health. In fact, my 78 year old Dad, who is in severe metabollic distress and understands very little about why, found the book so easy to read (aka digestible..pun intended) and compelling that he took it home with him. With any luck, it may just be the start of a new journey! Great book to begin learning, and I am very grateful for Dr Ovadia, his story, and his continued work!
I came to Dr Ovadia's book with some knowledge, having read Taubes, Teicholz, Bikman, Berry, Westman, etc. His personal story is of significant interest, as I have family members in a similar boat. His before/after picture (Twitter) is especially compelling. In this book, he walks the line beautifully between explaining how the human body works without so much biochem that you need an advanced degree to comprehend. He provides open and honest tactical guidance - because he has walked in these shoes. His experience on both sides (doctor and patient) affords him a unique perspective. He present what he has learned from both roles...which admittedly, could feel overwhelming and hopeless from anyone else.... into straightforward, inspiring and, importantly, feasible steps for ANYONE, no matter their current level of metabolic health. In fact, my 78 year old Dad, who is in severe metabollic distress and understands very little about why, found the book so easy to read (aka digestible..pun intended) and compelling that he took it home with him. With any luck, it may just be the start of a new journey! Great book to begin learning, and I am very grateful for Dr Ovadia, his story, and his continued work!
March 17, 2024
I have read many health and diet books and I must say that this was one of the best or maybe even the best. He is not suggesting any particular diet but explains the importance of eating whole food. He explains all the different diet patters and their advantages and shortfalls. He even says that all of them can work if they are done clean and depending on the person.
Almost all of the points in this book is not really new knowledge but it is summarized in a comprehensive way. The books is written in simple language and isn't very long which allows readers to finish it in a short time.
If I had to recommend to ine of my friends who is new in the topic one of all the food/health books I have read, it would be this one.
Almost all of the points in this book is not really new knowledge but it is summarized in a comprehensive way. The books is written in simple language and isn't very long which allows readers to finish it in a short time.
If I had to recommend to ine of my friends who is new in the topic one of all the food/health books I have read, it would be this one.
May 13, 2022
I won't make this long because it doesn't have to be. Dr. Ovadia is doing "the Lord's work" if you will! If you want the truth about our health, the capitalistic medical industry, and how to improve your health in ways you haven't even thought possible, while still maintaining the diet of your choice whether that be vegetarian, vegan, low-carb (Paleo, Keto, Adkins, etc.), carnivore or any other diet plan you are choosing to live by.
This is a must-read if you want more energy, mental clarity, and heal diseases that you never thought you could like adult-onset diabetes or Crohn's disease to name a few, then don't waste time cracking open this amazing tome by Dr. Ovadia!
This is a must-read if you want more energy, mental clarity, and heal diseases that you never thought you could like adult-onset diabetes or Crohn's disease to name a few, then don't waste time cracking open this amazing tome by Dr. Ovadia!
July 29, 2023
This is the perfect book to learn how to improve metabolic health and the one I will be recommending to most people. Many books go into the scientific details of how the body works which can be overwhelming for people. In this book he explains things well, but also keeps it very simple so people can easily implement the changes and improve their health. While the doctor is on a mostly carnivore diet himself he explains how to tweak any popular diet, including a vegan diet, to reverse metabolic dysfunction. With an estimated 90% or more people being metabolically unhealthy this book should be at the top of the bestseller list.
August 3, 2024
In Stay Off My Operating Table, Dr. Ovadia shares the complete metabolic health system to prevent disease and optimize your health, a system that the diet and drug industries don’t want you to know about. Unlike quick-fix, “7-day,” radical diets, Dr. Ovadia’s approach is a sustainable, long-term solution that works.
As a heart surgeon who used to be morbidly obese, Dr. Philip Ovadia has seen firsthand the failures of mainstream diets and medicine. He realized that what helped him lose over 100 pounds was the same solution that could have prevented most of the thousands of open heart surgeries he has performed—metabolic health.
As a heart surgeon who used to be morbidly obese, Dr. Philip Ovadia has seen firsthand the failures of mainstream diets and medicine. He realized that what helped him lose over 100 pounds was the same solution that could have prevented most of the thousands of open heart surgeries he has performed—metabolic health.
May 1, 2023
There isn't much groundbreaking or new (to me) here. Most advice is common sense, or so vague and broad as to not be very helpful. There's a lot of unsubstantiated statements, where he will source some of them but provide none for far too many.
I'm unsure whether I believe an animal fat heavy diet is good for heart health, this book failed to convince me.
Overall I recommend this book to first time readers of this genre, as the general advice is solid. I'd just be weary of throwing away your personal doctor for not accepting your new carnivore diet in order to book Dr Ovadia instead.
I'm unsure whether I believe an animal fat heavy diet is good for heart health, this book failed to convince me.
Overall I recommend this book to first time readers of this genre, as the general advice is solid. I'd just be weary of throwing away your personal doctor for not accepting your new carnivore diet in order to book Dr Ovadia instead.
April 3, 2023
Metabolic Health Can Give Families Competitive Advantage
This is the secret weapon for westerners to get ahead in business, athletics, and as a family. We can increase productivity and positive vibes throughout our lifetime if we quick poisoning our bodies. Primal animal based eating could save our country from the real pandemic: obesity. Quick read and worth it to dig deeper into why low carbohydrate living is a major habit to instill in your daily life.
This is the secret weapon for westerners to get ahead in business, athletics, and as a family. We can increase productivity and positive vibes throughout our lifetime if we quick poisoning our bodies. Primal animal based eating could save our country from the real pandemic: obesity. Quick read and worth it to dig deeper into why low carbohydrate living is a major habit to instill in your daily life.
October 14, 2023
Stay off my Operating Table
Philip Ovadia
I was interested in this book mainly because of members of my family died relatively young from heart disease
It is an excellent book reconfirming what we have all been taught is wrong and I highly recommend it if you want to live a long and healthy life. It is presented well. Not too long and not over scientific also.
Thank you
Highly recommended.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
Philip Ovadia
I was interested in this book mainly because of members of my family died relatively young from heart disease
It is an excellent book reconfirming what we have all been taught is wrong and I highly recommend it if you want to live a long and healthy life. It is presented well. Not too long and not over scientific also.
Thank you
Highly recommended.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
October 22, 2023
The science is sound and I have found it helpful. It would have received another star if it hadn’t said the word “American” so often. It made it sound like America was the only part of the civilised world.
Otherwise, a great book with helpful pointers which reminded me how well I felt on the Atkins Diet. Shame I got cancer a couple of years later! The book advocates a carnivore diet without (as I remember) mentioning how a meat-heavy diet can be carcinogenic.
Otherwise, a great book with helpful pointers which reminded me how well I felt on the Atkins Diet. Shame I got cancer a couple of years later! The book advocates a carnivore diet without (as I remember) mentioning how a meat-heavy diet can be carcinogenic.
May 9, 2024
heart surgeon supports carnivore
I needed some support from a professional and Dr Ovadia delivered it in spades. I recently had a major heart attack and my cardiologist and my RN wife are both relying on nutritional info from the 1960’s. I’m at odds with them over low salt, low fat,stains for LDL, no red meat, etc. it’s an uphill battle at the moment but I’m building my case.
I needed some support from a professional and Dr Ovadia delivered it in spades. I recently had a major heart attack and my cardiologist and my RN wife are both relying on nutritional info from the 1960’s. I’m at odds with them over low salt, low fat,stains for LDL, no red meat, etc. it’s an uphill battle at the moment but I’m building my case.
September 15, 2024
An amazing amount of helpful information!
First the 12 myths about the healthcare industry that we have been told to believe. Incredibly interesting.
Then the review of the latest diets that are popular today. This was amazingly helpful information!! Practical and easily applicable.
It was a great bang for the effort. The book is under 200 pages and very readable for a non-medical person.
First the 12 myths about the healthcare industry that we have been told to believe. Incredibly interesting.
Then the review of the latest diets that are popular today. This was amazingly helpful information!! Practical and easily applicable.
It was a great bang for the effort. The book is under 200 pages and very readable for a non-medical person.
January 27, 2025
While the author claims he is familiar with works like Gary Taubes' he clearly didn't get the gist if it, nor of the carnivore diet he claims to "almost" be following.
"A day in the life of a metabolically healthy vegan" - nice.
The book is a short bunch of vague general, well-known by now truths interspersed with snacking, calorie talk and dairy, without anything concrete or scientific. You'd be better off reading some of the mentioned authors and works, like Nina Teicholz's.
"A day in the life of a metabolically healthy vegan" - nice.
The book is a short bunch of vague general, well-known by now truths interspersed with snacking, calorie talk and dairy, without anything concrete or scientific. You'd be better off reading some of the mentioned authors and works, like Nina Teicholz's.
February 2, 2025
The book is short, which is worth one point.
The writing is clear, which is worth one more point.
Five markers of metabolic health:
1. waist circumference;
2. fasting blood glucose level
3. blood pressure
4. HDL cholesterol
5. triglyceride
Principles
1. reframe health as a system, not a goal
2. eat real whole food
4. move more - the primary goal of exercise should be to build and maintain muscle.
5. sleep enough - you need deep sleep
6. relieve stress
Use carnivore diet.
The writing is clear, which is worth one more point.
Five markers of metabolic health:
1. waist circumference;
2. fasting blood glucose level
3. blood pressure
4. HDL cholesterol
5. triglyceride
Principles
1. reframe health as a system, not a goal
2. eat real whole food
4. move more - the primary goal of exercise should be to build and maintain muscle.
5. sleep enough - you need deep sleep
6. relieve stress
Use carnivore diet.
January 14, 2023
Simple Overview to Eating Better
It is so hard to envision eating a carnivore diet as being good for your health with everything that is engrained in our heads. Not sure if I will go carnivore but limiting carbs and sugars is something I can do. I still have a hard time envisioning a heart surgeon eating a carnivore diet even after reading this book.
It is so hard to envision eating a carnivore diet as being good for your health with everything that is engrained in our heads. Not sure if I will go carnivore but limiting carbs and sugars is something I can do. I still have a hard time envisioning a heart surgeon eating a carnivore diet even after reading this book.
April 29, 2023
great insight into a misunderstood area.
I had stumbled onto a low sugar, lower carb high protein food choices on my own. This book gave me some depth to why it had worked and some new ideas and optimisation.
It really works. You feel healthier, have more energy and don’t feel hungry. Some things that sound to good to be true are not.
I had stumbled onto a low sugar, lower carb high protein food choices on my own. This book gave me some depth to why it had worked and some new ideas and optimisation.
It really works. You feel healthier, have more energy and don’t feel hungry. Some things that sound to good to be true are not.
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