40 days to transform your life? Wild claim or the latest best self-help book on the net?

The Butterfly Plan is the latest fad in the anti-ageing and weight loss arena. It does have some excellent advice but its author tends to pull the focus away from the message with her outrageous appearance. Leda Fox sports a fairly awful purple wig and refers to herself as The Purple Guru. She is an outspoken, forty-something, mother of five children from 4 years to 22 years. I wonder if she wears that hideous wig around the house. It must scare the children.

The Butterfly Plan was written by Fox in 2008 and has seen record internet sales as it is currently only available as an e-book. It claims to be a model for life transformation. It has certainly transformed Leda Fox's life. She was a fat, broke, alcoholic, suffering from post-natal depression. She now looks rather gorgeous (despite the wig) and has been giving advice to the rich and famous (one rumour has linked her with Nicole Kidman).

The book focuses on 'balance' rather than diet and exercise and emphasises the inclusion of purple food in every meal. This practice is supported by science and promotes a healthy weight and slowing of the ageing process by flooding the system with the compound - anthocyanin - the super antioxidant found in blueberries, plums, purple grapes, onions and cabbage.

The book suggests that generosity can heal depression; it offers a 'George Costanza' approach to beating addictions and even asserts that orgasm is better than any diet pill!

Th eight key behaviours for which The Plan offers guidance are -

Moving, Eating, Sensing, Loving, Flying, Daring, Thinking and Giving.

She suggests a daily diet high in protein with purple on the side, gentle walking, meditation, lots of cuddles, swapping bad habits for good, challenging fear, neurobics (brain workouts) and generosity to self and others.

My wife and I followed the plan and we did lose a substantial amount of weight and looked much brighter. I certainly felt pretty good afterwards.

Leda Fox claims to donate about ten percent of her proceeds to charities such as World Vision, Amnesty Intrernational and the Red Cross. This is part of her plan for prosperity. The more you give the more you get!

What I found most beneficial about the book and what made it different from others that make the same claims, was that Leda includes about one hundred pages from her own journal, documenting her transformation. The author really does take us inside her life. Most of it was very inspirational although I really did not need to know about the more intimate details of her marriage. Fox is very real, very earthy and 'no nonsense'. She is also extremely funny.

The most valuable advice contained in the book relates to relationships. It has some really touching stuff about parenthood. It helps you to see your parents in a different light and liberate you from some of the more negative aspects of "need for approval". I found it very useful as both a son and a father.

The book is very much oriented toward a female audience and I did find a lot of it far too girly for my liking but it still 'speaks' to men. If nothing else - I think I understand my wife a little better for having read it.

If you're feeling like a caterpillar - The Butterfly Plan might be your forty day metamorphis.