Turn Up the Heat: Unlock the Fat-Burning Power of Your Metabolism

Having said all these great things about the book and how it's changed my lifestyle, I want to point out a few caveats. (1) I would not follow the %protein, % carb & %fat guidelines he recommends without checking with a registered dietician or doctor first. I generally agree that people are probably not eating enough protein in their diet (I certainly wasn't), but some of the proportions that he suggests for certain body types may not be safe. Please, please check with a health professional before radically changing your diet. This also applies to the water drinking as well. I mentioned the spring water vs. distilled water issue, but I'm not a specialist and I advise you to talk to somebody who is. (2) Phil includes some sample meal plans for every week of the program. I think I got as far as week 1 or 2, and then stayed there. Had I continued, perhaps the changes to my physique would occur faster, but there were some things I just refused to do, like give up bread. Yes, Phil recommends that for certain weeks of the program, you do not eat anything with yeast + sugar, e.g., bagels, whole wheat bread, sour dough, ... only flat breads like pitas are allowed. Instead of cutting it out of my diet completely, I eat smaller portions and eat it with some protein. (3) For some weeks of the program, you're supposed to get the majority of your protein from fish. That sounds healthy, but I've just read a scary article ...suggesting that eating a lot of ocean fish (e.g., halibut, tuna, seabass and swordfish) can increase the levels of blood-mercury in your system to dangerous levels. Salmon, however is fine. I would look into this research to make sure it's valid. (4) Phil lost some credibility with me when I got to the seciont of the book which talked about supplements (and wouldn't you know, he sells his own line of supplements). I avoid that stuff since I am a big believer of eating "real food". My issues with supplements is that you have to keep on taking them to get the benefits (if any), they are expensive, and I'm not sure which of them are medically proven to "work" in a material fashion.

After weighing all the pros and cons, I still think this is a fabulous book. My advice is to read the whole thing through and then pick and choose what works for you. Everybody is different and you just have to use trial and error to find what your body responds to, especially in the long run. After all, fitness is a lifetime goal.


This is an education in nutrition--no more fad diets!!!!!!!!   October 22, 2003
Rosemarie Douglass (USAFA, CO)
44 out of 44 found this review helpful

Here it is short and simple...I never dieted my whole life. I have now reached that over 45 age and experienced some shocking changes. OK, I figured I would starve myself for awhile, etc. etc. Result? I got fatter. My husband brought me this book and my first instinct was to toss it out, but he made me promise I would read it. Here I am thirteen weeks later and two sizes smaller. I have not been hungry one day. I believe so much in this program that I encouraged my sister to buy the book and to talk to our Aunt who is almost 80 yrs old and obese. After 10 weeks my sister lost 30 lbs and 4inches around her thighs. My Aunt lost 20 lbs after just 9 weeks. She actually walked a flight of stairs that she hasn't done in years. Her doctor is ecstatic! They are both sticking to it and said it is really easy to follow this program. I won't get into all the lab results, but for example my ratio went from 3.5 to 2.7! The best thing about this program is that I feed my family everything I eat! No special grocery lists that gets so expensive. We all like the change in our nutrition. This is a realistic way of eating and exercising. This is a change of life that is attainable for anyone. Also, I have called Phillip to ask questions...he actually called me back! He is great! He really listened and helped me. Thanks, Phillip! You will be hearing from my mother and father-in-law soon!


Thank You, Philip Goglia!   September 11, 2003
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

Philip Goglia changed my life...he SAVED my life! I have struggled with my weight my entire life; I hit the 180's in middle school, by my freshman year of high school, I'd pushed up to 200lbs. I have tried hundreds [probably thousands] of approaches to weight loss, nothing worked (at least not for long), then I found "Turn Up The Heat" and Philip Goglia! I read the book, and as we all are at the threshold of a new diet i was filled with myriad emotions...hope, disbelief, intrigue...but I was hooked by one thing; Philip takes a scientific approach, a BIOLOGICAL approach to the body--his plan was like nothing I had seen before in the diet world [but have seen copycatted many times since--make no mistake--accept no substitutions...if you want the real-deal on metabolic weight loss, look up Philip Goglia...anyone else is just a second-rate knock off!] I followed Philip's instructions, I had a lipid profile done, I did the calculations, found my metabolic type, and began his 12-week initial program...that saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"...that had never meant anything to me, now it does. "Turn Up the Heat" puts forth a plan that is so simple, so comprehensible, and so easy to follow [eating real food, and more of it than I had ever eaten on a diet, or even off a diet]...if you follow Philip's plan, if you stick to it and don't cheat, you too will change your life; change it FOREVER. At the end of my first 12 weeks i had transformed from a weak, constantly exhausted 5'7" 220lb trying-to-fade-into-the-background shapeless blob; into a 5'8"[my posture is THAT much better!] lean 160lbs. I LOOK 10 years younger [I'm 38], I FEEL 20 years younger! I've kept the weight off [and continued leaning down...I'm well past my original goal of 140] for over a year. The thing about Philip's plan is that its not a "diet plan" at all; it's a learning experience. I didn't just diet, I learned an entirely different way of looking at eating, a realization of what food REALLY means in your body...and how my body personally uses foods...now I can gain, lose, build muscle, up my endurance...whatever I need to do toward whatever goal I am trying to achieve for myself. If you, like myself, have struggled your whole life; or if you've just put on a few pounds and want to take them off [and keep them off the rest of your life] there is ONE book you need to read, that book is "Turn Up The Heat" by Philip Goglia. Thank you, Philip; you changed my life forever!


How Phil's Plan Changed My Life   September 11, 2003
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

When I started on Phil Goglia's plan, I weighed 137 pounds and stood 5 feet tall. That's alot of extra fat to carry around! My cholesterol was 303 and my tryglycerides were 333! That is an unbelievable number to me now.After being on the program from April until June, my cholesterol had dropped to 260 and my tryglycerides were down to l43. I've lost 25 pounds! Now I'm at 110 and my cholesterol is 236 and dropping! I have recommended his program to other people who have said to me..."You look terrific. What have you done?" Anyone who wants to be healthy and fit had better get on this program because I've tried all sorts of other diets and they didn't work. I've been on lipitor and now I'm medicine free! My nails have grown long and strong and I feel better than I've felt in a long, long, time. I wouldn't go off this program for anything. Drink the amount of water he says to drink, cut your sugar down to 3 grams or less a serving, and follow the rest of the plan and you will see the same results that I saw. I love this program! Thanks, Phil, for giving me something that finally worked and got me off that expensive and dangerous cholesterol medication.


Awesome book   April 21, 2002
Dave Love (Marina del Rey, ca USA)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

I have worked both professionally and as an amateur trainer for over 10 years. This book is one of the best books on nutrition I have ever read. Unlike fad diets, it is based on science and offers a sensible food plan and regiment based on your body's requirements. After assessing your current metabolism the book shows you how to apply it using easy to understand food charts that you can learn very quickly and easily. Best yet, you can modify the food charts to fit your own likes and dislikes. No counting calories, no complicated menus and no starving yourself. If you adopt the authors advice you will soon find that you are incorporating a lifestyle which empowers you to maintain your weight and feel great doing it.