View source for Ssh! Lose Weight in 20 Minutes by Alex Buckley

{{infobox1
|title=Ssh! Lose Weight in 20 Minutes
|author=Alex Buckley
|reviewer=Madeline Wheatley
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=A compact guide that contains simple and practical suggestions to help people lose weight without making dramatic changes to their lifestyle.
|rating=3
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=128
|publisher=MX Publishing
|date=March 2011
|isbn=978-1908218285
|cover=1908218282
|aznuk=1908218282
|aznus=1908218282
}}

After years of limited exercise combined with a love of fine food, Alex Buckley was known to his friends as Fat Al. He followed a number of diet plans to no effect before coming up with his own solution, which is outlined in this book.  His message is basically an extended version of the long standing sound advice that to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more.  Buckley's suggestions break this broad truth down into achievable micro steps.  He provides tips on ways of sustaining weight loss by very gradually changing your behaviour.   The book does not offer detailed recipes or a programme of food exclusion.  It is very much about advice on small day to day choices and gradual change, written in a straightforward and easily accessible style.

All of Buckley's tips are underpinned by the ''ssh'' factor:  don't tell anyone that you are embarking on a new regime. That way if at first you don't quite make it, no-one will notice your lack of success and you won't feel so disheartened.  However, if you do succeed, your friends will notice your weight loss.  Psychologically, this seems a good idea.  It offers the chance of moving to a healthier lifestyle with the minimum song and dance!

So why have I only given it three stars? Well, at 114 pages this is a short book.  The first 44 pages include a substantial amount of repetition along the lines of ''XXX doesn't work but my approach does'', before telling the reader what the approach involves.  It was rather like reading an extended promotion for the book, which is a shame as the advice that follows is valuable.  This impression is also why I have suggested borrowing rather than buying the book, as the real gold is contained in approximately 70 pages, making the £9.99 price tag rather high.

If, like me, you are put off by the promotional aspect of the book's opening pages, do persevere.  The book contains many common sense pointers to lifestyle changes that could help achieve sustainable weight loss. Don't be fooled by the title, no-one can lose weight in 20 minutes.  But what you do for short periods each day can make a difference.

Thank you to the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion:

The Bookbag gave a 5 star rating to [[You Can Think Yourself Thin by Ursula James]], which uses hypnotherapy and a holistic approach to weight loss.

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