I have been on a health kick for almost eight months now. I've improved my diet, kept up a regular exercise program, and settled in at a comfortable weight after dropping fifteen or so pounds. I was very happy with what I learned from Weight Training for Dummies, and I've started to see some definition in my arms and shoulders, but I haven't been able to make much of a dent in my spare tire (I cut nearly two inches from my waistline, but there's still a lot of flab there).

So I was intrigued to discover The Testosterone Advantage Plan. The title borders on obnoxious, and there's a macho get-the-girl attitude that pops up here and there, but the book's subject matter makes a heckuva lot of sense. The volume is divided into three major parts: the background and philosophy, which argues that increasing testosterone through diet and exercise will maximize muscle gain and fat loss; the diet plan, which suggests consuming as much protein as your body can process (but no more, Dr. Atkins!), dividing the remainder of your calories evenly between carbohydrates and healthy fats; and the workout plan, which consists of three stages to be completed over nine weeks. There are lots of simple recipes and sample menus, and the exercise descriptions and photographs are very good.

I started the diet today (I'm modifying my existing diet rather than follow their menu explicitly), and I'll start the exercise regimen tomorrow. Based on everything I've read about weight training and nutrition, both in this book and others, I think this will be the best training program I've tried so far. I'll report back in a couple of months with the results.

[2003-10-30 - I just finished the 9-week plan, sticking very closely to the exercise program, and a little bit more loosely to the diet plan. I maintained my weight, which was what I wanted, and I built strength in some areas (I can do 8 chip-ups now, which more than doubles what I could do before). My arms and shoulders are a bit more defined, but I don't see any other changes to my body shape (my chest, bicep and waist measurements are exactly what they were two months ago). So the book didn't live up to its claims, but still, I'm not unhappy with the results.]