THE WOMEN’S BOOK (BY LYLE MCDONALD) SUMMARY

I recently bought Lyle McDonald’s monumental book, called simply and aptly The Women’s Book (although the full title is The Women’s Book: A Guide to Nutrition, Fat Loss, and Muscle Gain), and it’s the single most comprehensive book I’ve ever read on the topic of nutrition for women (and as I outline in my article, on professional development, I’ve read a lot of books — about 70–80 per year).

And although I have 28 pages of notes that I took from that book, in this article, I’ll summarize the most interesting and actionable points.

Ready? Let’s go!

• If the index finger is shorter than the ring finger, the person was exposed to more testosterone prenatally. If it’s the opposite, the person was exposed to more estrogen.
• The magnitude of the effect of a hormone depends on 3 factors:
• The amount of the hormone itself. The more the hormone is present, the greater its effect
• Hormone affinity: how well a hormone “fits” into its receptor. The tighter the fit, the greater the effect
• Receptor sensitivity: how sensitive a receptor is to the hormone
• Estrogen improves insulin sensitivity, so during the estrogen-dominant part of the cycle, women can have more carbs. Aren’t you glad you’re reading this article?
• Progesterone increases metabolism by 100–300 calories per day, but with it, also cravings
• Functional Hypothalamic…