The Engine 2 Diet

The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds

By: Rip Esselstyn

Narrated by: Daniel May, Leslie Bellair

Lose weight, lower cholesterol, significantly reduce the risk of disease, and become physically fit - in just 4 weeks.

Professional athlete-turned-firefighter Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition - several had dangerously high cholesterol levels (the highest was 344!) - he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse. By following Rip's program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol (Mr. 344's dropped to 196), and improved their overall health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in this audiobook. With Rip as your expert coach and motivator, you'll transform your body and lifestyle in a month. His plant-powered eating plan is based on a diet of whole foods, including whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

This invaluable audioguide features:

• Dozens of easy, mouthwatering recipes - from pancakes to pizza, Tex-Mex favorites to knockout chocolate desserts - that will keep you looking forward to every bite.
• Pantry-stocking tips will take the panic out of inevitable cravings and on-the-fly meals.
• Guidelines on menu choices that will allow you to eat out, wherever and whenever you want.
• Rip's simple, firefighter-inspired exercise program that will boost your metabolism and melt your fat away.

Medically approved, easy-to-follow, and amazingly effective, this diet is designed for anyone who wants to make heroic strides in his or her health, weight, and well-being - all without heroic effort.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2013 Rip Esselstyn (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Want to be as strong as a Texas firefighter? Or as healthy as a professional triathlete? Then follow the wonderful advice of Rip Esselstyn, who is both. His book can save your life - whether you're a man or a woman. Highly recommended!" (Dean Ornish MD, Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Clinical Professor of Medicine, U of California SF, author, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease)

Rip's Work Has Made My "Going Vegan" Easier

I learned about Rip from the documentary "Forks Over Knives" on Netflix, which discussed his dad's work and the work of T Colin Campbell. I read The China Study and also read dr. Dean Ornish's book the Spectrum. Following my dad's quadruple bypass surgery at age 55, and knowing that the apple does not fall far from the tree, I knew I had to do something different with my eating lifestyle. I am now 63 years of age and in great health, but it was not until Rip's book The Engine 2 Diet that I decided to go vegan. I also bought Rip's new book, "Plant Strong," and I look forward to reading that for updates and new recipes.

Very well composed

I love the way the information comes across. I immediately get it and I'm in. For quite some time I have been trying the heavy protein and low carb and have gotten nowhere but within almost 2 weeks on The Engine 2 Diet and I have lost 8 pounds. The energy is coming back and now I am wanting to exercise which I haven't had to do for the 8 pounds so I foresee a large weight loss coming up. This is something I can stick to and enjoy.

Informative

I loved the hand holding he gives to start this lifestyle change for every one

Great resource for plant-based living

In terms of books about veganism, this one is right in line with the other well-selling ones in its class. Though it doesn’t really break a ton of new ground on the subject, I still think it’s a great early resource for folks trying to eat more plant-based. I also think it shines as a result of Esselstyn’s captivating storytelling.

In it, there’s a little bit of everything — science, research, personal tales, recipes, etc. All of these things combine to give the reader a good view of Esselstyn’s life as well as veganism itself.

What I think is probably the best feature of this book is that it’s very approachable. It’s something of a mainstream take on what many would consider a crunchy subject. It’s also short in length, which keeps it from being intimidating to those looking to learn more about a plant-based lifestyle.

I definitely recommend it, though it will be more beneficial to those who have not yet read many of the other great books in the category.

-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head”

We all need a little engine that could!

Getting back to basics of natural eating for wellness. This is a book I will most likely listen to more than once.

Accessible intro to plant-based eating

I think this is a good basic introduction to the plant-based whole foods approach to eating. Rip tackles a lot the fundamentals, including the reported health benefits, and his own "studies" of people going on this kind of eating plan for a month. He is not a scientist and so the science is fairly light, but he does cover some of the important studies, including his father's, the China Study, and some others that support this way of eating.

As someone who knows a lot about nutrition, dieting, and some of the science behind the various approaches to eating (low-carb, low-fat, paleo, etc.), it wasn't really geared toward me, but rather at those who generally don't have a lot of nutritional knowledge other than what they read in an occasional magazine article or see on TV. People who may not be following any real eating plan other than eating what they like or even just eating the "Standard American Diet" with some minimal nods to not going overboard too often.

The book delves into exercise, into how to maintain the lifestyle when on the go, food management at home, stocking the pantry, etc. In other words in covers a lot of the bases here.

I will say, that for people with health issues like me, who are looking at the health benefits in particular, Rip's newer book, The Engine 2 7-Day Rescue Diet, is a little more useful. It's a little more a full-throated manifesto, it is more humorous, and also pushes a much less compromising approach to starting. That book is for the harder-core folks, like myself, those who have no issue jumping onto something new in a 100% way and maintaining it for weeks or more, just to see how it will work. I bought both of these books, and listened to the 7-Day Rescue Diet first, so in comparison this one seemed a bit more laid back. If I had listened in a different order, that might not have been the case!

Informative

This book was enjoyable all the way through. Very informative and encouraging. Stories were relevant and entertaining.

book is ok but NOT audible customer service

What would have made The Engine 2 Diet better?

Giving customers the accompanying reference material without having to spend over an hour with customer service

Would you be willing to try another book from Rip Esselstyn? Why or why not?

Maybe. Other books had the reference material in the publisher information section. This book doesn't and that was a bad decision by the publisher because Audible customer service is really bad.

What didn’t you like about Daniel May and Leslie Bellair ’s performance?

They were fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Engine 2 Diet?

Too many testimonials.

Any additional comments?

NO

Be careful what you do to your body and how abruptly you do it.

Rip is a good salesman, and probably a good fire fighter, but be careful how you apply his advise.

I jumped into this diet just as suggested - to the max for 28 days. Now I am 3 months into a severe case of gastritis. I lost most of my bodyweight and struggle to maintain needed daily calorie intake because I can’t tolerate fat, dairy, seafood, most of the fruits and vegetables, sugar and even salt or spices.

Basically living on a bowl of rice, chicken breast and some cooked leafy greens and carrots for the last 3 months barely managing the symptoms and waiting for a gastroenterologist appointment.

The key is balance and tradition. Eat whole foods, eat it with passion and slowly. That’s all it takes. Meat is just fine if you consume it in moderation.

I am done with health advise from modern writers - they just don’t have the data and push their theories to be tested by people like myself.

Somewhat sound concepts

In general, the diet proposed is going to be healthier than most American diets, but despite basically frowning on processed foods, it still suggests things that are certainly not healthy.