When Debra Ann Ross Lawrence was diagnosed with a budding case of lupus at the age of 34, she was determined to find a better way to deal with her condition than relying on drugs. Her search for an alternative lead to her stumbling on the secret to a healthy lifestyle, and armed with this newfound knowledge, she wrote a book on her secret. I recently had the opportunity to read The 3:00 pm Secret: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams, and here are my thoughts on it (warning: there are some spoilers):


In case you didn't figure it out for the title, The 3:00 pm Secret has to do with that you're eating at what time of the day. More specifically, Lawrence looks into our backwards way of eating -- we eat a small meal (or no meal!) at a time when we need the most energy (morning) and we eat our largest meal right before we're going to be inactive for an extended period of time (evening.) In fact, Lawrence points out that this is exactly what Sumo wrestlers do to gain weight -- they skip breakfast, work out all morning, then eat a huge meal and take a nap so they can store the meal as fat. So this way of eating seems kind of silly, doesn't it? No wonder there's an obesity crisis.

So the secret is to curtail evening eating. In fact, Lawrence suggests that for at least five days a week, you should stop eating at 3pm. Sounds extreme, doesn't it? Maybe, but maybe not. Lawrence, an engineer, has obviously done her research and cites many reputable sources who back up her claim that you don't really need calories in the evening. Though of course, you should talk with your doctor before cutting out dinner. You know, just to be on the safe side.

Ok, so it's well-referenced, but is it feasible? Here are a couple of things to consider:

• You can have two 'free' days a week, so if you like going out for dinner with friends on the weekend, go for it.
• If you're hungry in the evening, feel free to treat yourself to a healthy snack, like a piece of fruit or bowl of soup.
  
• While you're adjusting to the lifestyle change, the 3pm cut-off is flexible. You can stop eating at 4pm or 5pm if that works better for you.
  

Alright, it sounds doable. So I tried it out myself, with mixed results. Cutting off my eating at 3pm didn't work for me -- I was starving by the time I went to bed and there's nothing worse than trying to drift off and being woken by a grumbling tummy. But I have been applying this principle of small dinners to my eating habits for a while now--whereas my dinners of the past used to be the main meal of my day, I've cut them down to a point where they're pretty much just larger snacks now. And you know what? It works. You really don't need all those calories at night.

So what I'm getting at here is that I think this program can work quite well, but if 3pm doesn't work for you, don't be afraid to tailor the program so it fits your lifestyle a bit better. The principle is still the same.

But for anyone who thinks that they can cut out dinner and that's all it takes to get healthy, there's a catch--It's a lifestyle change and you need to adopt healthy habits. This means getting lots of sleep and practicing good nutrition--eating things like lean protein, fruits and veggies, whole grains and healthy fats. Not sure where to start with healthy eating? Lawrence has a few samples menus that will help.

And of course, there's exercise. We all know that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But Lawrence recommends only 10 minutes a day--no less, and no more either. Why? She reasons that while anyone can do 10 minutes of exercise, if you force yourself to do more, your motivation will wane. I'm a bit of a fitness fiend so I don't know if I agree with this -- I do at least 45 minutes a day and I don't have a motivation problem. Maybe I am an exception though. Lawrence offers a bunch of exercises and even shows you how to do them herself in photos.

Ok, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of what I thought about the book:

• The principle? Solid, well-referenced and thorough. And Lawrence herself follows this plan so we know it works.
  
• The presentation? A little dull. The book cover is a wedding photo of Lawrence and her husband, and it's a nice touch but it didn't really grab me.
  
• The writing? It was grammatically-sound for the most part, but it lacked pizazz--the tone was dull. Lawrence tries to engage the reader by starting each chapter off with a look into the life of a fictional character, Isabelle, who decides to follow the 3pm secret and ends up seeing all her dreams come true because of it. This fictional story was a welcome break from all the science stuff, but it was pretty corny.
  

All in all, I'm glad I read it.

Want to find out what other people thought? Check out the reviews on Amazon.