Turbo-Charge Your Life in 14 Days Paperback – April 4, 2005

I must confess I was deeply skeptical about the whole "juicing" thing for many years. It's lately become obvious that this was due to a lack of education on my part, and a lack of motivation to acquire that education. I've been at various times a body-builder, swimmer, runner and cyclist (all recreational, nothing professional) and thought I knew a good bit about nutrition. I've believed for a couple of decades that a high-protein, moderate carb and low-fat diet were ideal; this suited me well, since I've always enjoyed egg-white omelettes, lean steaks, grilled chicken, etc., and I've never really enjoyed eating veggies.However, between "Forks Over Knives", a thought-provoking (to say the least) documentary about food, nutrition and lifestyle; "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", a rather different, but equally intriguing documentary by Joe Cross; and Jason Vale's books, I've slowly come to realize that far from being knowledgable about diet and nutrition, I have been pretty much an ignoramus - I have not merely been wrong about nutrition, I've had it utterly backwards. I wonder if you can imagine how hard it is to do a 180-degree turnabout on something like this in your late forties? It definitely didn't come easy, but the films and books were so logical and internally consistent, I just had to find out more.Even after seeing the documentaries, my deep skepticism wouldn't allow me to "buy in" completely. I decided to "just dip a toe in the water", so to speak: I found Jason Vale's "7lbs in 7 days" app in the iTunes store, bought a Breville RM-BJE510XL Certified Remanufactured 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor and went shopping for produce. The juicer, by the way, is a *superb* piece of kit; it performs brilliantly, looks fabulous and is worth every penny of the full retail price. The refurb unit is currently discounted about US$70, and the one we got was indistinguishable from new - not a mark on it, everything in original packaging, etc. If I'd bought it "new", I'd never have known the difference.The first juice I made looked -- to my uneducated eyes -- unappealing, at best. Did I mention I never cared much for vegetables? This stuff in the glass was dark green, foamy, and looked "lumpy". I tried it anyway -- and was rocked back on my heels by how *fantastic* it tasted! In spite of the appearance, it was not only delicious, but smooth and silky on the palate. I admit that some recipes appealed to me more than others, but not one of them was unpalatable to me. The first three days were (as predicted) a little uncomfortable due to psychological hunger pangs and caffeine withdrawal headaches, but I persevered; day 4 and on were a complete breeze and I was *amazed* to see the scale marching steadily down at the rate of 1lb/day. By the end of the week I was bouncing out of bed eager to get my "juice fix" and get going with my day.After the "7lbs in 7 days" experiment, I acquired the 14-day program and followed it. The rate of weight loss slowed, but continued; it was a good re-introduction to eating solid foods, and much to my astonishment, I found myself *wanting* to eat more veggies, more fruits, and less meat. It appears I'm slowly turning vegetarian, and if you'd told me two months ago this would be happening, I'd have busted a rib laughing, as I considered myself a confirmed and incorrigible carnivore. At the end of 3 weeks I'd lost a total of 12lb and 2" from my waist, reduced my resting heart rate 10bpm, and reduced my BP from 136/88 to 117/75. My fat-measuring Tanita scale says I've lost 7% of my bodyfat without losing any lean mass -- talk about a worthwile investment! I should add that, due to a rolling work schedule, I had only a handful of opportunities to excercise, so it's clear to me that the change in diet was responsible for _at least_ 90% of the improvements. If I'd managed a couple of quick workouts per day during this time, I'm sure I'd have had even better results.I've since read more of Vale's work, including the book being reviewed here, and got something worthwhile out of everything I've read. All my concerns were answered, and my results were better than the programs promise to deliver. I consider myself a convert and juicer for life; my diet now consists of 90%+ fresh fruits and veggies and maybe 5% meats (mostly fish), a little cheese, yoghurt, etc., I feel much healthier, have much more energy, sleep better, and get up every morning without a struggle -- even after only 4 hours sleep some nights. My lovely Significant Other also tried the program; she's dropped 4 dress sizes, looks fabulous, and has had to get the strength of her hypertension meds reduced because her BP has been getting too low; she's a juicer for life too.If you're "on the fence", don't delay another minute: get one of Vale's books (this one, or "Juice Yourself Slim" would be my top picks), get a (good!) juicer, and get started!

I got the kindle version to follow up 7lbs in 7 days and it is really good. Great meal plans, well organized and easy to execute. I would say a must buy if you do 7lbs in 7 days program of Jason Vale it will enable you to keep the weight off for good and educate you on real health. A very basic and real approach to weight loss and health. Even though this book was written before 7lbs in 7 days you can see how Jason used it to fine tune and improve 7lbs in 7 days.

lots of good advice but it is too wordy. Most of the stuff he talked about can be found in most books. I was looking for something unique and when it comes to health, sometimes less is more. I believe he had too many examples and littles sayings to suit me and the cursing was a turn off.

Jason Vale is fantastic at telling you how juicing works. A very simplistic way of writing and lot of great simple content. You must read before you dive into the juicing. You must understand first how your brain is totally attracted to sugar and animal protein because you have been conditioned to believing this. If you want to loose weight and get some nutrition into your system, I suggest to read all his books. I am a rawist and was searching for avenues to help others. I am super fit and love juicing. I love the authors story as he had mayor problems and cured him self with juicing. He also has a clinic in Brazil as well. :)

Excellent book

Have always been fit, lost my way & felt myself getting out of control, first book of Jason's Lose 7lb in 7 days, was just what I needed, went onto Turbo-charge your life & it has, feel great, back to walking, gym and my golf has even improved, just love all the juices/smoothies, & other recipes.

I did the entire plan for 7 days, as recommended. While stomach did flatten during the week, this is not much of a feat - it is already fairly flat. My problem areas remain around my hips and bottom...Anyway. The juices are delicious, but I quickly grew tired of all the sugar! Could really use more leafy greens and veggies. half a pineapple in a juice is way too much for me. So I cut back on some of the sugar parts.It is true that you probably won't want all of the juices/smoothies. One day I only had 2. But I think some of that is sheer boredom. I did come out of this craving healthy foods. All i wanted the whole time was an avocado-tomato-cucumber salad. And when I finally had one it was amazing.However, since this is often the bottom line, TOTAL POUNDS LOST: zero. And I'm 5'6'' and 160, in case anyone was going to suggest that I had no weight to lose. I am in shape from power yoga, but with some extra padding, for sure.I was also really tired the whole time. So, maybe worth doing. But I'd recommend his other, more life-style based books instead. Love the way he puts things so simply.

A read this book after doing the 7lbs in 7 days pragramme (also by Jason Vale). Both books were easy to read and very enjoyable, I personally find Jason's writing style to be very motivational. I acheived amazing results, lost a lot of weight but more importantly feel better than I have for years. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their diet and their quality of life. If you have tried lots of different plans before, this one will be the last one you need to buy because it does exactly what is says on the tin.. :)