Sometimes I have to remind myself that I have been on this journey for a long time. Over a decade, actually. I had to do that a lot as I read Oxygen’s Pick it Kick It
I was so excited to read this book because I am a huge Oxygen Magazine fan and have been for a long time. I think of all the women’s fitness magazines they are by far the best. The workouts are balanced, yet challenging. Clean eating is the name of the game when it comes to their recipes and nutrition advice. Not a lot of fluff (like how to shave your legs or flattering makeup for the gym) just quality fitness information and motivation.
So I expected a lot from this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the kind of clean eating twist to Eat This Not That
If I were just starting on my journey, maybe a few months in, this would be a good resource. While similar to Eat This Not That, there are some key differences. First, it is all inclusive. Not just fast food or the grocery store, but all options one might face in a day. The chapters are divided into meals (with one each for breakfast, lunch and dinner), snacks, eating out, stocking your pantry and “good for you” foods. Each chapter provides great substitutions that someone new to health and fitness could make that would help them keep moving in the right direction while adjusting to their new lifestyle. A few examples:
- Tuna roll instead of crunchy shrimp roll to save 50 calories and over 400 mg of sodium.
- Thin crust cheese pizza instead of stuffed crust pepperoni pizza to save 188 calories a slice.
- Taco Bell Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco instead of Taco Bell Grilled Stuffed Burrito with Chicken which will save you 470 calories.
These are great ideas for someone learning how to manage portions and make better choices. The Pantry section is also very helpful for anyone trying to clean out the junk and start fresh with clean eating staples. Also interspersed throughout the book are wonderful motivational stories from real people. Real women who have lost some pretty substantial amounts of weight, the right way, kept it off and reclaimed their lives.
When I look at this book through my current day perspective, over 11 years on this journey, I become disappointed. First, there are some things in this book that just don’t compute when compared with the Oxygen message. For example, when did Taco Bell anything become a pick it choice? Or Hamburger Helper, as suggested in the Dinner chapter, for that matter? When you look at those wonderful motivational stories, none of those ladies list anything like fast food or boxed meals as their pick it suggestions. I expected clean solutions and substitutes for what ails the common American diet.
Second, as a long time reader of Oxygen I was disappointed by the recycled content. Some of the motivational stories I have already read in the magazine. The pantry section is also from an issue of the magazine. The recipe section says “Exclusive Pick It Recipes”. However, I have made 3 of the recipes myself previously after seeing them in Oxygen. A couple of others I recognize, but have never personally tried. I love recipes, but this book gave me nothing new or exciting.
So I will give this book two ratings. The first would be as a person just starting my transformation, perhaps having never heard of the concept of clean eating or never having picked up Oxygen Magazine. From that perspective, I would give this book a 7.5 for helping the reader make better choices and providing some very inspiring stories. The second is from my perspective today, as a veteran traveler on this journey of health and fitness. I would give it a 2.5. A couple of interesting tips and maybe a recipe or two but nothing new or noteworthy.
If you’ve picked up this book already I would love to hear what you have to think. Leave me a comment to share or let me know if you found this review helpful.
