I picked up the Kindle version not expecting much. I listen to Mike's podcast but figured this was just another cookbook. I was wrong. The cookbook is legit. The recipes are easy to follow and simple to make. There aren't a ton of ingredients in the recipes so you won't have to buy one spice you'll never use again. Because the recipes are simple, the macros are easily tracked if you're dieting. I was looking for new, healthy recipes to fit into my weekly routine and this book fits the bill.

So, this is the weirdest review I've written on Amazon. I'm really conflicted about the rating, which I will explain.

But first, here's the deal: you don't want this book. You want Michael Matthews' other book, Bigger Leaner Stronger (or if you're a woman, you presumably want his female-geared book Thinner Leaner Stronger, which I of course have not read). That book is excellent and contains every useful piece of information in this book and then some. If you already have BLS, this isn't going to get you anything useful. It's supposed to be a cookbook that goes along with BLS...but the recipes are pretty much completely useless for that purpose. The BLS program is basically a very high protein diet, and these recipes simply aren't any higher in protein than typical stuff. Just use normal cookbooks and/or grab some recipes from the web.

So that explains why I rated it one star: there are zero people who should buy it. Now, as for why I'm conflicted about that? Well...it also changed my life, hopefully forever. Because I didn't know BLS existed when I bought it. I bought some other cookbook and Amazon popped this up as a suggestion, and I thought what the heck. And then I read it, and the first part (before the recipes) was something of an epiphany. It's a scientific, evidence-based method for losing fat and building muscle, which immediately appealed to me. I quickly bought BLS and read it, then I built myself some meal plans, bought some weights and protein powder, and got to work.

It's hard. Really hard. This is definitely a "no shortcuts" method. But when I bought this book a few months ago I was 207lbs., which at 5'9" is....not good. I estimated I was around 25% body fat, which also is very bad. This morning I weighed 191, I'm somewhere between 15 and 20% fat, and I'm way stronger than I was. I look a lot better too. And I'm not remotely done. So, the system definitely works.

But to execute it you need the workout part as well as the diet part. BLS contains both of those things, whereas this book only contains the diet part and in less detail. And again, the recipes aren't actually useful. So, while I'm incredibly glad that I bought this book, nobody actually needs it. If you want to change your body and you're willing to work really hard to make it happen, grab Bigger Leaner Stronger.

I considered splitting the difference between the 5 stars it should get for changing my life and the one star that's my actual recommendation to people. I guess that would have been a 3 star review. But nobody reads 3 star reviews, and in any case I'm telling you not to buy the book. So 1 star it is...but if you're interested in this sort of thing, go buy BLS, which I'm definitely giving 5 stars!

Awesome recipes

Contrary to some of the poor reviews that reference the lack of creativity in the recipes, I'm not a bachelor and I have two kids. I'm also an entrepreneur and between my sometimes failed attempts at being a great husband, father, and employer, I've never made the time to cook. So with that said, I personally don't need elaborate recipes with sexy garnishes. In addition, I don't enjoy prep, cooking, or clean-up. For all those reasons, I love this book. I went thru it and highlighted the best-looking recipes with the shortest prep time. I throw the ingredients on Wunderlist (on a grocery list shared with my wife), she does the shopping, and with these quick and easy, yet tasty recipes, I'm trying to be a bigger part of dinner time in our house - something I've always sucked at. So if you want a huge cookbook filled with elaborate recipes to make in your commercial-chef-inspired kitchen, this might not be for you. However, if you're a busy and/or simple person who just wants good food that is super easy to make, ignore the other reviews and spend the relatively low cost for a ton of recipes that taste good, regardless of the apparent, sometimes-perceived "simplicity."

I like that these are high-protein recipes, but I'm not sure if I can trust the recipes. After flipping through, I settled in making the no-bake matcha green tea fudge bars first. I bought the almond milk and almond butter (already had matcha). Then, I realized that the recipe leaves out the quantity of matcha and protein powder that are supposed to be added. I could probably wing it and make something work, but it's not a good sign for the rest of the cookbook. I'll probably have to recalculate all the nutrition info so I can trust it.