Book Nook: 'Total Body Transformation' review

TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION: Lose Weight Fast -- and Keep It Off Forever!, by Michelle Bridges. Zinc Ink, 242 pp., $23.

Michelle Bridges, a trainer with 20-plus years' experience and author of seven books, is famous in Australia for her role in its version of "The Biggest Loser," as well as her online 12 Week Body Transformation.

She may help you defeat your excuses about exercise ("Don't start bargaining with yourself," she writes), help you set goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based) and cut negative self-talk ("there's a whole lot more of me to love").

"At some point you've just got to go for it and say, 'I am going to do this! And no minor setback is going to stop me,' " she writes.

THE SCOOP Bridges likes strength training, which "is invaluable in a weight-loss program if it is done properly, that is, with sufficient speed and intensity to get your heart rate up." She also recommends running, cycling, boxing, rowing and group classes.

THE BOTTOM LINE She demonstrates exercises, suggests workouts and an eating plan. Recipes include pan-fried shrimp and scallops. The stunning before-and-after pics of her clients might motivate you.