Thoughts on Making the Cut

Ok, so I have finished Jillian Michael's book, Making the Cut. I'll preface this with the fact that I have not attempted any part of the diet/menu yet. The BMR caloric suggestion of 1200 is a concern for sure...just feels way to low to maintain while working out. If all I did was breathe and sleep it might be ok.

I'll also say that this isn't a program if you are obese. This is for those looking to lose 20 lbs or less and are in fair shape...maybe done some training 10-20 years ago and looking to crank the clock back a few. There is also not a lot of motivational babble. So if you are looking for someone to jump off the pages to kick your butt off the sofa for 30-day, then I'd advise you to get a quality DVD set.

The book is well organized into four categories:

1. Starting - basic before picture, measurements, body fat analysis & fitness test


2. Science - her 7 rules, the routine and recipes


3. Sweat - 7 more rules, the routine and index


4. At Your Peak - geared toward those that want to peak thru supplements and diet (not for me)

One thing I like about this is that its an easy read, not a lot of fluff. She's pretty straight forward that this is an intense program and its effective due to her triple-threat approach:

1. Mentally: basically sharpening your thoughts, self-confidence and focus. If you have ever watched Jillian on TBL show you know she puts just as much into the actual workout as addressing the underlying causes of why these people became obese to begin with. We all have our demons which manifest to our bodies. So I like that she approaches this head on.


2. Nutritionally: thru expanding your knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating for your metabolic makeup. Again...I'll have to update this review later after I have applied it a bit in real life.


3. Physically: there is nothing new here to see if you've ever seriously trained for a sport. Most of these exercises are done lifting dead weight to develop strength, some pylo for flexibility and coordination and cardio for endurance.

Now some people that have read her book complained that:

• all these exercise would have to be done in a gym with a lot of equipment. I don't think so...most it of can be done at home with: some dumbbells, a stability ball, resistance bands, a chin-up bar, yoga blocks and a chair. (Sounds like P90X)


• there is no quickie guide to the exercises. True...this would have been helpful for beginners. I'd also say there should be more pics for each exercise...some is just description.


• complaints about the diet and menu (reserving my opinion on that)

I think the only thing I would add is that there should have been pics and descriptions of how to modify each exercise if you weren't doing this at a gym with all that equipment. Perhaps a workout DVD should be in her future...maybe she has one? However, don't confuse modification with variation - which she does outline. I'm only considering those that don't have gym access and need ideas on using simple and inexpensive items rather than a full set of iron.

Noticeably there were no real criticisms of her mental attitude rules and suggestions. Probably because she's spot on in talking about:

• Mind of Matter - changing your life by changing your mind


• Conscious Choice Making


• Daily Affirmations - in the present tense


• Taking Responsibility


• Visualization


• The Mind-Body Connection


• Eliminating Negative Self-Talk


• Eliminating Energy Leaks


• Do Unto Others - karma and judgements


• Daily To-do Lists


• Meditation


• Getting Organized


• Releasing the Past

She could actually expand upon all these areas, but her book just outlines the brief premise of each as it relates to creating your new body. If I remember correctly, Jillian's mom is a psychologist so its not surprising that she's integrated this side of mental attitude into her program. I like it a lot as it is aligned with much of the spiritual reading I have done.

Within the four major categories there are some rules in two sections (Science and Sweat):

Under Science the rules are:

1. Stick to Your Magic Number (caloric intake or BMR)


2. Eat for Your Metabolic Type


3. Eat Every 4 Hours (no meal skipping)


4. No Processed or Junk Foods


5. Beat the Bloat (Sodium and Water Consumption)


6. No Booze


7. Get It in Writing (track results)

Under Sweat the rules are:

1. Intensity, Intensity, Intensity


2. Mix It Up


3. Stick With It


4. Quality over Quantity


5. Pace Yourself - twice a day, and sleep and relaxation


6. Know When to Hold and When to Fold - the v-taper, long and lean & sinewy arms


7. Know the Techniques - split, circuit training, interval, supersets, combo lifting, pyramids & pylometrics

I'll recommend it as a quick read and solid reference. The jury is still out on the whole diet/menu section.