Shay Butler

I want to preface this review by saying I'm not a Shaytards fan. Not really. My girlfriend is the fan. She's the one that bought this book. I've been exposed to my fair share of Shaytards through association, though. I've watched plenty of vlogs from start to finish with her over the years. I know all the kid's names. I'm very familiar with these people, but I'm not a fan. My feelings towards Shay and his vlogs are mostly apathetic in nature.

This book is basically Shay's personality in microcosm. There's nothing of outstanding intelligence here, but nothing you could call dumb, either. Shay is, from what I've seen, a man of average intelligence. There's lots of factual inaccuracies about what's good and bad in regards to food. Shay is often wrong about things. There's lots of repetition of ideas. Shay often repeats himself.

But the good parts of Shay shine through as well. Shay is endlessly optimistic, driven, and great at motivating people. Turns out, those are great qualities to have when writing a weight loss book. Shay is by no means an expert on health, and he admits as much throughout the book. I think that really helps set it apart. The overriding message is that you don't have to be an expert. You don't even have to consult an expert. You don't have to be perfect, either. You just have to make an effort. You just have to do the hard work, even if some of that work is misplaced, and even if you fall off the wagon sometimes.

It ultimately doesn't matter that Shay is still holding onto bad 1980s science that says (unprocessed) red meat is bad for you, when it's actually one of the best things you can eat. It's that mindset that also led to him giving up pop, which is bad for you. With so much information about food and health out there, much of it more conflicting and vague than the status of red meat, the idea that you can be wrong about some parts of the equation and still succeed is a powerful one that ultimately transcends weight loss and becomes a message about life. Don't worry about doing something wrong, just do it. We all need to hear that from time to time, I think.

Beyond that, there are (to my surprise) many practical tips in here. Just little things you wouldn't think of, but that make doing the hard things easier. For instance, Shay says you should drink a lot of water at night before bed (he also says you should force yourself to drink a gallon a day, which is silly, but Shay is often wrong). He says even if you have to get up to pee in the middle of the night, you'll feel way better when you wake up. I tried this, because what the hell (I also tried the gallon thing while he was actually doing it, before the book came out). I have found this to be entirely accurate. It may as well be a fact. Put it in the fact books. The difference is night and day, and it's advice that goes against the common sense of not drinking before bed.

So, in summation (that's what smart people say right?), this book is better than a non-fan like me expected it to be, and almost certainly worth reading for an actual fan.… (meer)