Disclosure: I'm a big Robb Wolf fan and a low-carb practitioner, so I did not exactly sit down to read this book as an outsider or as a critic or a skeptic. That said, I have been disappointed by the last three ancestral health related books I have read (each by authors who were writing their "next" book) so I did open the work a little concerned that it might kind of suck.
I read the first 60 pages or so in print, then shifted to the audiobook version for the next several chapters, then finished up with the print version. I thought the audiobook version was excellent. The narrator did a great job representing Robb's "voice." In fact, it might be the most I've ever enjoyed an audiobook that was not read by the actual author. The authors always do it best themselves, but the reader Kaleo Griffith deserves an honorable mention here.
As for style points, Robb mixed in just about the right amount of anecdotes, mild profanity and comic relief to keep me engaged even through some of the heavier content. There was a little too much, "In this book, you will learn" stuff in the first chapter or two, but that ironed out quickly once the introductions were over. And the book didn't beat me to death with gobs of basic stuff I already knew. The paleo sales pitch was barely there, which was great. Robb didn't just retread The Paleo Solution with a few new paragraphs and some updated geek speak. In fact, I was left with the feeling that he wrote this book for me and the thousands of mes he likely deals with all the time.
"Dude, paleo is awesome! I totally believe it, and I feel great when I do it! But then I get bored or sloppy or drink too much or I'm weak or whatever, and so I'm still a little fat and lazy after four years on a f***ing diet..." I can relate to this silliness, and I felt like the book both acknowledged my existence and offered me a fresh way to look at my own approach to diet.
For the beginner, the content is spot on and consistent in every detail with the ancestral health philosophies on food, sleep, sun, movement and healthy human interaction. His chapter on cheating and his section on the 30-Day Reset are some of the best health writing I have ever personally read. I believe the 7-Day Carb Test (which I will soon do for myself) will eventually become low-carb canon. And he even throws in almost 100 pages of recipes if you're into that sort of thing. The references and index are thorough, so you can do some further reading or easily look up a good Robb Wolf quote.
Wired is not a picture book full of oversimplifications and over-promises. It will ask you to work for what you earn, but it's written so well that it won't feel too much like work. In fact, if you're an unserious sicky or fatty who is not yet ready to make a change, I'm not sure I even want you to read this book yet. Read something else for now and come back to this one when you're plugged in. If you are ready though, this book is going to make a ton of sense to you. As Robb says in the book, "If you give the program and, more specifically, yourself a chance, you might be shocked by what you can achieve."
If the goal in writing this book was to help serious people understand why they have health and weight struggles and then help them to understand how they can best determine for themselves how turn things around in a lasting way, then Robb Wolf crushed it with Wired to Eat.
Wired to Eat: Turn Off Cravings, Rewire Your Appetite for Weight Loss, and Determine the Foods That Work for You
4.5 | 1,151 ratings
Price: 15.75
Last update: 07-17-2024
Top reviews from the United States
Rachel Higgins
Spectacular Book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2017
Tuit Nutrition
Can't eat just one? You're not alone. Find out why!
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2017
Lisa
Highly recommended for those wanting more info on metabolic/digestive health issues and healthful eating
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2017