Body For Life - Does Body For Life Work?
Body For Life Overview
The original Body For Life book was a bestseller written by celebrity trainer and health expert Bill Phillips. Although he is still connected with the Body For Life diet, and his books are still very popular, the official website is operated by Abbott Laboratories.
The Body for Life site is extremely informative and lengthy with many different categories and links. The main focus of the site is the Body For Life Challenge which, with the guidance of the Challenge book, is designed to transform the mind, body and life in just 12 weeks. The site contains all the information needed in order to sign up for the challenge which takes place in 12 week cycles. Challengers must post ‘before’ pictures of themselves on the challenge community site and keep a track of their progress which can be shared with their fellow challengers.
The food and nutrition section of the website contains recipes, articles and nutritional guidelines while the exercise section has downloadable fitness instructions, including the Body for Life official challenge workouts. There is a large ‘success stories’ page plus free access to informational podcasts and newsletters.
Body For Life – Product Description
Body For Life is not selling a product per se, although the company obviously recommends that the user buy the accompanying books and dietary supplements. In fact, the meal plans as shown on the site all include EAS products which are featured on the Abbott Laboratories website. EAS manufacture a number of supplements and meal replacement bars and shakes, all of which are fairly costly.
The Body For Life diet plan consists of eating six small meals a day (a combination of ‘real’ food and meal replacements), plus a recommended 4 hours of exercise per week. By following this plan, clinical studies have shown that dieters lost an average of 11lbs in weight and experienced a 21% decrease in body fat over 12 weeks.
Body For Life Advantage
- The Body For Life plan is motivational by engaging the dieter in the ‘challenge’
- The diet encourages healthy, steady weight loss
- Exercise is strongly emphasised with this plan
- A good variety and amount of food is allowed
- The Body for Life book is reasonably priced (approximately $25.00 depending on the retailer)
- The consumer can register on the Body For Life site at no cost
- The Challenge offers prizes and rewards
Body For Life Drawbacks
- The Body For Life diet does not offer much personal counselling or coaching
- The dieter has to be committed to making the diet work for them
- The EAS complementary products are expensive
- It is confusing as to whether Bill Phillips is still associated with the Body For Life Challenge
Body For Life – The Bottom Line
While some individuals may like the challenge of being in competition with fellow dieters, others may be put off by the thought of being under pressure to ‘transform’ themselves within 12 weeks. The Body For Life plan would really only suit people with a tremendous amount of will-power and self-motivation. Anyone needing a more personal approach would be advised to seek a more personal and structured diet plan.
