Book Review: Fitness Confidential by Vinnie Tortorich

Since February of this year, I have been attempting to work my butt off. Literally. I'm not one for exercise. I hate it. But I got fed up with looking at my 30 pound overweight body in the mirror every day and so I decided to do something about it. So I joined a local gym. It's not one of those big chain places, but a somewhat new independent gym. I go there four days a week. Three days I do about 70 minutes on the elliptical and the other day I do 30 minutes on the elliptical plus 50 minutes of Zumba. In the beginning, my elliptcal workout started off has five miles per day, but over these months I've worked myself up to a minimum of seven miles.

I have never exercised this hard in my life or been this dedicated to it and I am immensely proud of myself. But in four months of exercising, do you know how many inches I've lost? None. Do you know how many pounds I have lost? Two and half. Two and a damn half pounds in four months. To say I am frustrated is an understatement. How is it possible that I haven't lost more? But I know why... food. Food is why I am overweight to begin with and food is why I can't drop it, despite all of my hard work. Yes I knew what the problem was, I just wasn't really sure what I needed to do. As an experiment I cut down on my carbs considerably (no more bread and pasta) and I immediately lost another two pounds in one week. Aha! There it is. Now that I had a better idea of what I was doing wrong, I needed to figure out how to proceed and do it right.

Then last week I was offered the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Vinnie Tortorich's Fitness Confidential book. The timing could not have been more perfect. Let me point out that I love to read. My Kindle is my very best friend. However I have never read any self help or fitness books before. I am almost strictly a romance girl with a little Game of Thrones and Star Wars mixed in (yes I am a total geek). So I really had no idea what to expect from Vinnie's book.

About the book.

America’s Angriest Trainer, Vinnie Tortorich, exposes the nasty underbelly of the fitness industry while helping you get into the best shape of your life. For over 20 years, Vinnie has been Hollywood’s go-to guy for celebrities and athletes looking to get fit fast. Now, in this hilarious and often r-rated memoir, he holds nothing back. What’s the best piece of fitness equipment money can buy? What’s the fastest way to lose weight: diet or exercise? Why are health clubs worse than used car lots? It’s all here. His take-no-prisoners approach to getting in shape started when he was a kid in Louisiana, where he was routinely teased and beaten after being crippled by a birth defect. He overcame it and, later, found his passion as an ultra cyclist, until a deadly disease nearly took his life on the eve of competing in the Furnace Creek 508: a brutal cycling competition through the heart of Death Valley. In FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL, Vinnie lays it all on the line. So get ready to get fit, get inspired and get the dirt with Hollywood’s most outrageous personal trainer.

I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. As I made my way reading through Fitness Confidential, I found myself laughing. A lot. I am fairly certain that the man next to me on the plane did not appreciate my constant giggling. This book was great because it wasn't just telling me what I needed to do in the typical boring fashion. This was a story. A story about where Vinnie Tortorich started and how he ended up where he is today. It's real and it's funny and because of that it was easy to relate to. I don't want to read a fitness book with a clinical tone that goes down through the steps of why I need to change my eating habits and puts me to sleep. I want a real story that happened to a real person. A story that shows how that diet and fitness routine worked in real life. And that is exactly what this book delivered. Of course he does go into what you should and shouldn't be eating (no I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read the book). Keep in mind that this isn't a get thin quick scheme or one of those ridiculous fad diets. No, this is so much better than that because it is a lifestyle change. A permanent one. In this book you will learn what certain foods do to your body and what you should be eating to maintain a healthy body and weight.

In addition to teaching us all about food, Vinnie also discusses exercising and how you can started on the right foot. He explains how to find a good gym and a knowledgeable, qualified personal trainer to help you reach your goals. After reading some of his stories about the big chain gyms, I am glad there are none in my area. My independent gym has been perfect for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book com both from informational and storytelling standpoint. I mentioned earlier that I already suspected that food was my problem, but I wasn't 100% what I should be changing. Fitness Confidntial armed me with the knowledge I need to make a positive change to my diet and ultimately my body. Plus I honestly don't think I will soon forget reading about Vinnie's grueling training for the most crazy, insane cycling events I have ever heard of. Or waiting with anticipation to see if he would finally cross that finish line. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, not just those struggling with weight like myself. But also everyone else, so they can learn what healthy eating and exercise truly is.

Now I know what you are thinking. What are my results after following Vinnie's advice? Well, let me be completely honest with you. As I finish typing up this review, I am flying somewhere over the United States on my way to Las Vegas with my husband to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Neither of us has ever been and you can bet my big butt that I'm going to be eating all kinds of things I shouldn't. So this is my last hoorah of eating crap before my new healthy eating lifestyle begins on July 2nd. I promise to report back in a few months.

Buy it!
Starting on Monday July 1st, the paperback version of Fitness Confidential will sell for $14.99 and the eBook will sell for $9.99, This weekend only (Saturday June 29th and Sunday June 30th) the eBook version of the book will be half price - $4.99! The eBook will be sold exclusively at Amazon.com.

For more information about Vinnie Tortorich visit: VinnieTortorich.com.