Man, I hate diet books.
You know what I really hate though? Diet books by men. Urgh. Just eat three steaks a day and take a creatine shower before bed bro, you got this. Piss off.
Based on that opening, it may surprise you that I’m about to give a glowing review of You Can’t Screw This Up by Adam Bornstein.
I first came across Bornstein’s work after signing up to the Born Fitness newsletter in a time in my life when I felt like I was getting on with getting active but not getting anything out of it. He’s a relatable, conversational writer with a simple but unapologetic approach to getting the results you need across the holy wellness trinity of health, fitness and happiness. Dude is in good shape and has been helping others to reach the same for many years. But he manages this without getting too preachy or hashtaggy about it. He admits to dessert weaknesses and frequent take aways. He admits to going through sad times and being occasionally self indulgent. Sometimes, he skips a work out. Dude’s a pro, he hangs out with Arnie and the consistent message of his work has always struck me as concentrating on the steps of the journey, rather than the destination. Only in a way that sounds a bit less hippifed.
So here we are with You Can’t Screw This Up, not his debut book by a very long shot but the first to make it to my non denominational e-reading device (up yours, Bezos).
YCSTU first off, is a diet book but a modern day diet book which says hey, live your life like this and feel better rather than presenting a hardcore, misery inducing regime which will make you lose weight mostly in the form of tears and cash.
YCSTU is also not a diet book at all because there’s very little counting, no shaming and a truckload of focus on general, all over health before it even gets to the eating plans and recipes.
All you need to get on with the advice within, and trust me anyone can get on with this, is the book itself. You don’t need a load of new kitchen devices, two tons of gym kit or a sauna membership. You don’t need a degree in nutrition or an NVQ in catering to understand the science or reproduce the meal plans. You don’t need an excess of willpower or a spare four hours a day to construct your own vision quest to world domination via rock hard abdominals.
In fact the main premise of the book is to set yourself such small goals that it’s almost impossible not to start improving on your metabolic health and fitness, and thus probably drop some weight in the process. Because when it’s easy, well, you can’t screw it up. And more importantly you can do it forever, which is the missing quality from so many weight loss/’healthy eating’ plans (I’m looking at you, January Group Weigh In Karens).
There are plenty of recipes and meal plans in here but it’s the golden rules of plate proportions or meal planning or whatever you want to call it which have really stuck with me from the book. Said rules are easy to remember, easy to incorporate and most significantly based on making positive additions rather than focusing on restrictions.
I’m not going to give you more detail than this, because it’s the whole approach of this book that I am recommending, not a couple of easily plagiarised meal tips.
There is also life changing information as to the existence of peanut butter powder, which this greedy girl had never heard of and is now obsessed with. I take back what I said about not having to buy anything but the book, you need a peanut butter powder budget. Sell a kidney if you have to.
Recipes cover day to day meals and snacks as you would expect of course- with some notable yummo options of bacon and date pancakes, multiple delicious smoothies not based on celery and some chunky, delicious dinners. Peanut butter features heavily. There are also the expected fakeaways but in a truly bold move there is a whole chapter on actual takeaways. Or more accurately, ‘take out’. Yes, yes, Bornstein is American but let’s not hold that against him. YCSTU offers a very extensive list of ‘best choices’ when you find yourself eating out or dialling in. If you’re a UK reader, which I think most of you are, there will be a lot of establishments in this chapter that you’ve never heard of but that doesn’t make it worth skipping. You begin to recognise the bones of a better choice of food, cementing in those simple, achievable golden rules of making sure you add in the good stuff first before you start sweating the treats/carbs/butter/whatever your personal filth happens to be.
YCSTU does food yes, but as well as what you eat there is reflection and advice on how you eat, when you eat and you know what just forget it all and eat what the hell you want today but don’t let it destroy tomorrow for you. It’s a really refreshing approach to form better habits, and it’s so easy. I might suggest that all the bite sized advice makes healthy eating easier to swallow but I don’t want to be that person today. Ahem.
There’s also a comprehensive exercise plan if you care about that sort of thing, both for the gym bros and the tubby girls with only a small living room and their own bootyweight to make use of.
So what, I hear you cry, where’s the results? I’d love to tell you I read this book and shed a stone without so much as a sit up but that’s not the case. I started with the basics from YCSTU last summer and have since been steered towards a medical diet after having some wonky blood test results and you know what? Going on the medical set up was not noticeably different to the YCSTU advice I was already looking at. So I’ve kept it up, most of the time. I drink more water, take more steps, have better skin, better sleep quality and more energy than I did in August. I try to remember the easy rules. I’m less bloated, I’m getting stronger and yes, if you need the numbers, I’m down a dress size and 10kg lighter and Christmas indulgence didn’t throw me off track. I still hate everyone and everything, but less violently than before. Sometimes.
You Can’t Screw This Up is the kind of work that the world needs, especially in January when so many people feel a need to hit the self mutilation plans. I’ve said before I believe in being kind to yourself at this time of year, and then the rest of the time too but that includes making good decisions as well as comfortable ones. Kindness can be a bubble bath and a litre of Baileys in front of Bridgerton sometimes. But other times, it needs to be some vegetables, fresh air and a half decent step count. You can do both and still improve your health, and I highly recommend You Can’t Screw This Up if you are struggling to find this balance for yourself. And if you like peanut butter.
Man, I love peanut butter.
If it didn’t go without saying, this is my own opinion from my own little brain with no gifting, sponsorship or incentivisation from anyone or anything.
Food. Boom. 