Drop Two Sizes: A Proven Plan to Ditch the Scale, Get the Body You Want & Wear the Clothes You Love! (Women's Health) Paperback – April 23, 2013

I started lifting weights over a year ago, after living a very sedentary life. I had initially tried Couch to 5K but discovered that I actually hate running. Someone suggested that I lift weights to lose weight and I started a different program, New Rules of Lifting for Women. (The author of Drop Two Sizes is the wife of the person who developed the New Rules/Women program.)I completed the Drop Two Sizes program according to the calendar outlined in the book (3 strength workouts and 1 metabolic workout/week for 12 weeks). I had already been lifting and want(ed) to build more muscle, so I was able to start with 15-20 pound dumbbells. I loved everything about the workouts! They were intense and I ended up sore most days. I looked forward to every single one -- not something I've ever said about any other workout routine! Not that I'd ever had one; New Rules/Women was the first time I almost stuck with something, but I stopped it to jump over to Drop Two Sizes -- and stuck with that one all the way through.I did not follow the menu. I used it as a guide and ate similar types of items, especially focused on eating at least one to two cups of vegetables with lunch and dinner, something I'd never done before. I love veggies now, and the greener the better!The day before I started, I went shopping and tried on jeans that fit, then bought the pair that was labeled two sizes smaller. I took photos at every "jeans check" marked in the calendar. Thank goodness, because I couldn't tell the difference without seeing the photo evidence! I know that seems strange, but my mind still saw my "old" body no matter what. By the end of the 12 weeks, I fit into my new jeans. I was astounded. I was 2-3 sizes smaller, depending on the brand.I finished in September 2013, and have maintained that same size. I moved onto another lifting program after Drop Two Sizes, but I injured myself and had to stop. I didn't want to give up lifting, so I decided to do Drop Two Sizes again but with lighter weights and less intensely, listening to my body to tell me what I could and couldn't handle. It's taken me far longer than 12 weeks this time but I'm almost done. I haven't lost more sizes but that was not my goal. I haven't injured myself further and have been able to heal, all while staying in shape and continuing to do fun workouts. It has been the best "rehab" for me.I am a huge fan of this program, and highly recommend it!

I bought the book, read it, and then googled the DVD version, since I work-out better to DVDs. While reading the initial part of the book, I thought, is she talking to me? I mean, everything she said from being dissappointed with the scale, to doing upteem cardio to lose weigt, was exactly what I was doing. So I am listening this time. I hid my scale. I took my measurements, and I took front and side pics of myself. I agree, many of us have negative images of ourselves, and sometime some of us think we look fatter (incl me), than we actually are. That's why she says to judge your fitness by how your clothes are fitting, not the scale. She also asks you daily what positive thought did you do that day, how did you destress etc, so it's total well-being, not just fitness. You eat a LOT--it fills you up, but it's all fresh veggies and protien, and water. I did the first workout this morning. I have to be to work by 5:30 or 6:00 am, so I am working out at 3:00 am every morning. I felt Rachel was right beside me as I lifted the weights and sweated. She talked me and encouraged me thru every single rep. I felt empowered, like I could actually do this whole work-out! She was very motivating to me as a 48 year old female, and prior Soldier. I hope you give it a try. Start small--do what you can, but push yourself. Surround yourself with positive sayings, and pictures as you work-out. Find your 'mantra' or 'mission statement' and when you feel like giving up, repeat those. It's not easy, but you don't feel alone when you're doing this work-out. Everyday you have to check-off your list if you ate the right amount of servings, drank water, did something good for yourself etc. I did tear off the front page of the book, as I just didn't like the image--but that's just me. I hope this brings someone a positive change in her life. Best wishes and Rachel, thanks for working to empower women in this area.

Not too long ago, I too was scrolling through these reviews, wondering if there was any way I could lose weight successfully simply by reading a book and doing (let's face it, fairly simple) exercises at home. I'm happy to report, the answer is yes! Yes, I can! Since beginning this program 4 weeks ago, I've lost 13 pounds (I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself on it, but I did - once. Old habits die hard!). My pants are loose, I have tons of energy, I feel less hungry, etc. Everything the book says is true, if you just follow the diet plan and do the workouts.My only complaint - and the one reason I can not, in good conscience, give this book five stars - is that its Kindle format does not allow the user to jump back to the page they were on after having clicked on the links leading to recipes and exercise plans and such. It seems like an easy enough functionality to include, so not having that capability seems like an obvious oversight. If you do end up buying this on Kindle, be prepared for A LOT of scrolling.On the other hand, the Kindle format makes it really easy and convenient to do the exercises (though, I would add, not having the rest periods and suggested number of sets on the individual exercise sections also seems like kind of a dumb oversight).All in all, I am VERY happy with this purchase. I am definitely down one size, and I have two more months to go. I love the daily menu plans, the exercises are just challenging enough, and I feel great! I highly recommend this to anyone who is bored to death by their gym routine, and in a nutrition rut.