Business-plan

My time is very valuable and too much of it would have been required to read the whole book. I have to believe that this author knows what he's talking about, because he has been published many times, but I was not impressed with his writing style. It was very difficult to get into because he spent a lot of time focusing on what he was going to tell us later. By skipping pages and doing spot reading I did learn some, but there were too many typos and he was too wordy. I prefer the writing style of William Bond in Going Solo.

I have tried to continue to stay fit in my 20s and 30s by running and doing aerobics on and off for years. However, I never thought about how I truly looked or felt until I saw Jim Karas on Good Morning America. His question to Diane Sawyer, "Do you really want to look like that?" resonated with me.

I bought Karas' book and read it in one sitting. Though the subjects he discusses--among them, strength and resistance training, calories, food, etc--are not new, his approach is. Food is "revenue." Muscle is "capital." Weight-loss is "profit." Calories out are "expenses." You are "CEO" of your body. Somehow this made sense to me in a way it never had before.

Karas crystalizes the idea that getting fit and taking care of yourself is not something you try for two weeks or two months. It must become part of your life and, as Karas repeats throughout the book, to stay on plan, you must stay focused on "calories in - calories out = body weight". You are either on plan or not on plan--the switch is either "on" or "off." You realize that, like it or not, there is no "in between." Previously, I thought I could exercise when I had time or felt like it, eat like an 18-year-old at age 33, exercise to eat...and still be fit. Not so.

Is fitness and/or weight-loss simple? No. The hard part is flipping the switch, being real with yourself, and staying focused. Karas provides a plan for being "in the weight-loss business" (what I have also termed being in the "fitness" business). He gives terrific examples from experiences with clients and from his own fitness journey. Karas' approach is appealing to goal-oriented people because he helps you establish realistic goals, get on plan, and stay focused. He is also brutally honest. Weight-loss is not magic. You must be ready to embrace a plan and take responsibility for your own fitness.

When I purchased this book, I was just beginning work with a one-on-one trainer at a fitness/wellness center. The book helped me make a connection between my lifestyle (too much aerobic exercise, not enough strength training, too much food/overeating) and why I didn't look the way I wanted. It helped me calculate my basal metabolic rate and the total calories burned each day--something I'd never thought about . Being a woman, I also gained new insight into how much muscle women lose as we age and what we can do about it.

Anyone who is serious about fitness and/or weight-loss but who may need the information presented in a different way to get on plan and stay on plan should give this book a try.

Forget all those quick-fix weight loss programs out there. The Business Plan for the Body offers the reader the only true method for losing weight and keeping it off: monitoring calories and including exercise in one's life. I had forgotten this in light of all those fancy programs that promise you the world. Even some of the point-based programs give you too many calories; though I stayed within my points, I wasn't losing. It was frustrating, to say the least. I stumbled upon this book and have been delighted with its easy-to-read format and sensible suggestions. I lost 52 pounds in my early 20s using a very similar behavior modification program, but somehow I lost sight of the importance of "calories in--calories out." Jim Karas has reminded me of that, and has also given me a solution to the muscle loss that I am sure I am now experiencing in my late thirties. I only have ten pounds to lose, but I know this will do it for me and keep me on track. I've been on the plan for a week and though I only lost about a pound and a half so far, I can already see a difference in my body. I can get into a skirt that I couldn't two weeks ago! That works for me! I fully plan to incorporate this program into my lifestyle. Yes, it may seem simple and elementary, but we've forgotten the critical importance of the lowly calorie in favor of monitoring fat grams, sugar, carbs, etc. Get this book! It could change your life! (By the way, I ordered three starter products from SPRI and it only cost me $17--hand weights and the exercise ball were at Target for just $10 and $17 respectively. Not bad for a beginner's home gym!)

I've personally met Jim and he is refreshingly on of the most genuine, caring, and honest people I've ever met. He is truly an inspiration.

Both of his books offer some tough advice about weight loss (no gimmicks here!) His solution is the only to succeeding at long-term weight loss. Jim is constantly informed of new research and incorporates it into his writings. He is a contributing editor for Good Housekeeping magazine.

A tip I would give readers: Carry this book with you as if it were your Bible. I'll be honest, I tried once and failed. But I revisited the book and found it motivating once again. Now I re-read passages daily to keep me going! It works!!!! Don't fall for gimmicks and fad diets. The truth is right here! You will never need another source for weight loss.

I highly recommend you buy both of Jim's books: Business Plan for the Body and Flip the Switch. Both offer invaluable information.

I found the book to be good, though a little terse. It instructs the user well on how to create a good business plan, but only provides a single example. Generally I thought the book to be pretty good, but at only 40 pages the price is really stiff. The book's worth 14.99.

I've been looking for this book a long time. Here I found the final details to finish my BP. Very intuitive.

An excellent guide for business planning. Provides detailed steps and questions which provoke entrepreneurial thinking. A highly recommended companion to Bygrave's Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship or Zimmerer's New Venture Formation. You will not regret spending money on this book!!