Every once in a while, I do a review of a product or book that I like.

Today’s post is a review of Geneen Roth’s latest book – Women, Food and God.

And I am willing to bet that my review will probably be the only one written by a great big muscley 245 lb health & fitness blogger.

I am not exactly Ms. Roth’s target demographic.

And that’s okay.

Because, even though I wasn’t interested in the new-agey Oprah-esque multi-denominational God speak, this book struck me as being a powerful tool for every person who:

1. Eats when they’re not hungry
2. Eats too much food when they’re not hungry
3. And beats the heck out of themselves for eating too much food when they’re not hungry

And that’s a heck of a lot of people.

In this book, Ms. Roth offers up her own unique version of mindfulness training as a way to not only help her readers regain control over their disordered eating patterns, but also by understanding why they eat the way they do, regain control over the thoughts, feelings and preconceptions that led them to overeating in the first place.

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Note

At least once a week, I get an email or comment from someone telling me that successful weight loss is as simple as “eat less & move more”.

I used to rebut these simplistic comments by launching into a spiel about disordered thoughts, emotions, brain chemicals, hormones, neural plasticity, etc…

But, not any longer.

The mind is quickly becoming the new frontier in obesity treatment. And as that frontier is examined, outdated beliefs such as calories in/calories out will eventually die off as being too simplistic.

And even if Ms. Roth’s new-agey approach may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the principles behind her approach are worthy of a serious look by anyone unhappy with the current relationship with food.

If that’s you, pick up a copy at your local library (free) or from amazon ($13)

For more info, I have included a video of Geneen discussing her book.

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Women, Food and God is a post from: Health and Fitness articles

Oprah has given up on dieting after reading  Women Food and God, the latest book by Geneen Roth.

And, if history holds true, millions and millions of women may soon be putting down their diet books and picking up this new approach to mindful eating.

At the present time, I am waiting on a copy of this book to be delivered, so I can’t give you a complete review.

But, I am a big fan of mindful eating as a powerful weight loss tool.

So, you can wait for the review or you can take a chance, spend $15 and see if Oprah & Geneen are onto something here.

The following video should give you a pretty good idea of what the book is about

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If you like what you see here, click here for updates

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Related Posts

• My Unconscious Mind is Making me Fat – Part 1
• My Unconscious Mind is Making me Fat – Part 2
  
• My Unconscious Mind is Making me Fat – Part 3
• The status quo is broken
• The Evolution of Health Habits
• How to beat emotional eating
  
• Want to be happier?
• Your brain on meditation

Oprah Ain’t Gonna Diet No More is a post from: Health and Fitness articles

During the show, Oprah and Dr. Oz showcased some of the science and technology devoted to extending human life. And, for a health & fitness nerd like myself, it was fun to watch.

If you missed it, here is a synopsis.

Pretty cool, huh?

But what I found most interesting was the discussion about the Life Extension Diet.

For those of you who don’t know about the Life Extension Diet, here is the abridged version:

• Restrict your caloric intake
• Get those calories from highly nutritious foods

Simple.

Except, this is how Oprah’s viewers were introduced to the diet:

Click on the image to see a video showing what it's like to eat like our calorie restricting hero.

A skinny, middle aged guy weighing and measuring everything he eats….and if that wasn’t bad enough, he peels an apple for his breakfast.

And what’s so weird about that?

Because he threw out the apple and ate the peel.

Seriously

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, apple peel.

These people need to hire a better marketing company.

They need to:

• Down play the caloric restriction – people don’t like being hungry
• Upsell the sizzle of the steak

• Make my mouth water over bowls of luscious fruit

• And hire some sexy celebrity(ies) to glam things up a bit.
  

I mean, seriously, who is more likely to get America hooked onto the Longevity Diet?

Matthew McConaughey

or this guy…

and be honest.

You know that sex sells better than brains any day of the week.

So, with that in mind, here’s my attempt at marketing the new and improved…

Ultra-Longevity Diet

• Endorsed by Matthew McConaughey
• Loaded with sizzling steaks and fruit smoothies
• Guaranteed to give you limitless energy & vitality
• You’ll live longer than you can even imagine
• And your sex life will be off the charts….

All for the low, low price of $19.99

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If you like what you see here, click here for updates

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Related Posts

• The only reason to hire a personal trainer
• The Most Amazing Weight Loss Story
• Think Yourself Thin….The Complete Beck Diet for Life
• A Better “Best Life” Weight Loss Plan
• Diet Book Confidential…The Oprah Winfrey / Bob Greene Edition

The New Ultra-Longevity Diet is a post from: Health and Fitness articles

In yesterday’s post, I rambled on and on about Oprah’s “Best Life” weight loss plan.

And what I found most unique about her new weight loss plan was her focus on how our emotions and thoughts impact our relationship with food.

While I and others have written about this before, somehow I think that Oprah’s opinion carries just a little bit more weight with America’s obese.

In fact, because of Oprah’s influence, I predict that the next big wave of popular diet books/programs will all include some form of psychological/emotional/spiritual philosophy.

And this could be a good thing…or it could be just another gimmick to sell books and supplements and pills and gym memberships and…..well, you get my point.

We all know, that for most of us, losing weight is not as simple as reducing our intake by 500 calories and increasing our output by 500 calories. If it was, all of us would be lean and fit and earning extra money posing as swimsuit models.

While weight loss is easier for some of us and incredibly hard for others, we all know that it isn’t simple. There are many factors at play.

And, as a personal trainer who relies on word of mouth to earn an income, I need to figure out which of those factors are keeping my new clients from being as fit and healthy as they want to be.

If they don’t see results, my bills don’t get paid.

But, seeing as none of you are my clients and, in the spirit of everything being free on the internet, I hereby present to you, my multi-faceted, mind, body and spirit, guaranteed to work, new and improved for 2009 Health Habits Weight Loss Plan.

Enjoy.

And if you are reading this prior to January 16, could you please click here and throw me a vote for Wellsphere’s Health Blogger Award. As of today, I am sitting at #16 and I could use a little charity.

The Plan

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When it comes to losing weight, it always comes down to lifestyle.

I can give you the most effective diet and exercise plan known to man (just send $19.99 to…), but unless you are willing to address your negative lifestyle influences, you and I are wasting our time.

You might as well join a fat acceptance group and learn to embrace your inner fatty.

Your Formerly Fat Lifestyle

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To begin, I am going to break your Formerly Fat Lifestyle into 3 parts:

1. Physical
2. Mental / Emotional / Spiritual
3. External

Let’s start with the physical:

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Nutrition

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This may sound strange, but thanks to our Western Diet, most overweight people are actually undernourished. Overfed, but undernourished.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that the food that most of us eat doesn’t even deserve to be called food. Sure, it provides calories, but it doesn’t actually provide the nutrients that our bodies need to perform at their best.

As a result, even though our bellies may be full, our cells are screaming for more. And in their quest for more nutrients, they call on a whole bunch of hormones and brain chemicals and food-related memories to MAKE YOU EAT MORE AND MORE AND MORE.

So, one of the first things I do is to change the types of food my clients are eating. We don’t even discuss calories. For most people, improving the quality of their diet drastically reduces appetite.

Note – I will go into much more detail in future posts, but if you can’t wait, check out these archives:

• The New Non-Diet Mediterranean Diet
• Why Do I Crave Carbs?
• Fit after Fifty: Does Workout Nutrition Make A Difference?

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Exercise

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This may sound strange coming from a personal trainer, but up until fairly recently, human beings had no need for “exercise”. Our ancestors stayed fit through their daily activities.

But, unless you are planning to quit your desk job and take up a life of hunting and gathering, you NEED to exercise. You will never get enough exercise in your day to day life.

NEVER.

And when it comes to weight loss, not all exercise is created equal. Oprah was on the right track when she decided to cut back a little on the cardio training and replacing it with more resistance training. While cardio is vital for the health of your heart and lungs, it is a poor choice for weight loss.

Now if only we could get her to quit the bodybuilding-type program Bob has put her on. Considering her goals and her schedule, she needs to find a program that maximizes fat loss and strength and minimizes bulk and wasted time. And her current program…is at least 5 years out of date.

For most of my clients, we are trying to:

• Build strength without bulk
• Focus on functional strength that improves “real life” activities
• Improve balance and coordination
• Increase short term and long term metabolism
• Improve joint mobility and muscular flexibility
• Increase speed, quickness and agility, and oh yeah…
• Burn a lot of calories

And like I said before, I will be going into more detail. Here are some links for the impatient:

• High Intensity Resistance Training
• Exercise: How Much is Enough?
• Why Personal Trainers Get Results

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Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

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At first, this topic may not seem to have much to do with a weight loss program.

But when your knee is killing you because a tight IT band has caused your patella to track laterally and grind away causing pain, inflammation and swelling, you may see the benefit of including some pre-hab / re-hab training in your weight loss program.

We are all getting older. As kids, we could abuse our bodies and count on them bouncing right back. As adults, we need to use some of that wisdom we are supposed to have been accumulating to avoid the problems before they happen.

More info to come. Here are your links:

• Structural Balance
• The Components of Physical Fitness
• Fibromyalgia Pain Relief

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The Mental/Emotional/Spiritual aspects of weight loss:

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This is the part of Oprah’s new program that I found the most interesting.

Whether or not it proves to be effective, Oprah’s search for the mental/emotional/spiritual reasons behind her eating disorder is a big step forward.

click pic for Oprah's weight gain confession

And while the psychological community debates whether or not disordered eating patterns (like Oprah’s) constitute an actual psychological condition, it is obvious to those of us who struggle with obesity, that obesity and emotion go hand in hand.

So, as part of Oprah’s new weight loss program, she asked herself 5 not so simple questions:

1. Why are you overweight?
2. What are you really hungry for?
3. Why have you been unable to maintain weight loss in the past?
4. What in your life is not working?
5. Why do you want to lose weight?

And assuming, that she/you/me answer those questions on a deep & meaningful level, we may be able to understand or even release some of the emotional “stuff” that has been contributing to our weight gain.

Or maybe not.

While I think these 5 questions may be psychologically enlightening and a source of motivation at the start of your program, I question whether they will have any staying power. What happens in 3 months when the initial “aha” moment has worn off?  How is knowing the “truth” about your weight gain going to keep you from falling off the wagon?

You need some tools to take you from enlightenment to realization.

And one of those tools could be the Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Weight Loss Program by Dr. Judith Beck.

In fact, it’s likely that some of you may already have seen this book. It’s been one of the big sellers at my local bookstore. And with good reason.

If people are excited about Oprah’s new psychological/emotional approach to weight loss, they should be overjoyed to find Dr. Beck’s program.

Next week, I will post a review of the book.

But for now, I will let Dr. Beck provide a brief description of her plan:

Most people struggle with losing weight and keeping it off because no one ever taught them how. It’s not just a matter of willpower and a healthy eating plan. To be successful, you have to learn a set of cognitive (thinking) and behavioral skills. Other weight-loss programs assume that dieters know how to keep themselves from cheating. Dr. Beck respects that dieters are human; she expects mistakes and her unique program teach dieters exactly what to do immediately following mistakes, and how to solve and prevent them in the future.

By following the Cognitive Therapy techniques dieters learn to:

• think differently and overcome common dieting pitfalls and sabotaging thoughts
• eat favorite foods while steadily losing weight
• feel in control in the most challenging situations
• feel confident in their ability to follow a healthy diet and exercise plan
• remain motivated to maintain weight loss for life

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

But, to be fair, I am a little biased. While I don’t agree with every part of Dr. Beck’s program, I have,  in the past few years, weaved aspects of Dr. Beck’s program into my own pseudo-psychological mind control program. And it has been very successful.

In fact, one of my clients is following Dr. Beck’s program. In the coming weeks and months, I will be reporting on his progress.

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The External Stuff

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Time Management

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So, you have the perfect nutrition plan and the perfect workout plan and your thoughts and emotions are all pointed in the perfect  “let’s get ready to burn off some body-fat” direction, but…… you are swamped at work and the kids need to go to soccer practice and you just don’t have time to make it to the gym and you “had” to stop at the Golden Arches and pick up one of those new McCoronary meals.

And the next thing you know, you have gained another 10 pounds.

Let’s face it.

Your regular day to day schedule does not have any available space to add in daily exercise and meal prep and meditation and sports massage and all of those other things that you should be doing to get your body in tip top shape.

Something is going to have to go.

You need to prioritize.

You need to exercise. Cancel something else.

You need to eat real food, not grab take-out on the way home from work. Cancel something else.

You need to calm your mind…be it meditation, prayer or even a good foot massage. Cancel something else.

If Oprah can do it, so can you.

It won’t be easy.

But you need to make this commitment to your health.

And it doesn’t stop there.

There will be other roadblocks in your road to physical fitness.

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The Cost

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Each January, like lemmings, hordes of people trudge down to their neighborhood health club and fulfill their new Year’s Resolution by purchasing a brand new 1 year membership.

And 60 days later, 80% of those people are never heard from again.

Weird, huh?

But wait, it gets weirder.

We may be the worst trainers in the world, but damn, aren't we sexy?

In the past 10-15 years, the biggest money maker in the fitness industry hasn’t been those wonderful people who overestimate their desire for fitness.

It has been the personal trainer.

And boy, have they made a lot of money for the health clubs.

And boy, can they cost you a lot of money.

But, if you find a good trainer, who has a good reputation and is willing to stand behind his work, the benefit can outweigh the cost hundreds of times over.

Remember, if you are going to pay for fitness, make sure that you are paying for results…not promises.

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Social Support

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• Will you be able to stick to your diet as your husband shovels another slice of greasy pizza into his pie-hole?
• Will you stick to your workout schedule when your kids demand a ride over to their friends’ house?
• Will you go to bed at a decent hour when your posse has just fired up the dvd player for a Quentin Tarantino movie marathon?
• Or will your family support your decisions to re-gain your health?, and
• Will your friends join you at the gym in a show of support?

Unless you have some sort of unshakable iron will, your friends and family will impact your weight loss success or failure.

So, you need to sit down and discuss your plans with those people in your life who might just throw a monkey wrench into your weight loss plans. Let them know that you need their help. Let them know that your health  is at stake. Let them know that you love them and appreciate them and…..

Get them on board. You know them better than I do. Figure out what buttons need to be pushed and get pushing.

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Okay, that’s all for now.

In the next few weeks, I will be fleshing out the bones of this “better than Oprah’s” Your Best Life weight loss plan.

In the mean time, if you have any questions, please comment at the end of this post

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If you like what you see here, click here for updates or Share this Post with the rest of the world.

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Related Posts

• Oprah’s Best Life Weight Loss Plan
• Diet Book Confidential…The Oprah Winfrey / Bob Greene Edition
• Physical Attraction, Sexiness and Health…The Female Edition

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A Better "Best Life" Weight Loss Plan is a post from: Health and Fitness articles

Mark my words people; you are about to see a huge shift in the “weight loss” industry.

Yesterday’s Oprah Winfrey show is going to completely change how people (mostly women) approach weight loss.

Soon, every diet book and weight loss program is going to include some form of psycho/spiritual approach to determine the hidden motivations behind your extra flab.

All because of this.

Wow, you really have to hand it to Oprah.

It takes a lot of guts (no pun intended) to get up in front of millions of people and talk about the 40+ pounds that you have packed on in the past year.

And now, we’re all going to be watching to see if her quest for balance is going to help her drop that weight and whip that soon to be 55 year old body of hers into shape.

So, What’s the Plan?

♠

Unlike past attempts at weight loss, Oprah isn’t simply diving into another Bob Greene approved diet and weight loss program.

Before she even begins to change her lifestyle, Oprah had to take a long, hard look at the emotions behind her weight gain.

And in her own words:

“It’s not about the food. It’s about using food—abusing food,” she says. “Too much work. Not enough play. Not enough time to come down. Not enough time to really relax.”

Over time, she discovered what she was really hungry for. “I am hungry for balance,” she says. “I’m hungry to do something other than work.”

And as the new year gets off to a fresh start, Oprah is making the commitment to have more joy and balance in 2009. “This is the year of hopefulness,” she says.

Oprah’s says her new goal isn’t to be thin.

“My goal is to be the weight that my body can hold and be healthy and strong and fit and be itself.”

Healthy and strong and fit…sounds good.

So, once again I ask, what’s the plan?

Oprah's New Plan

• Oprah is scheduling time in her schedule for “me” time. Insteading of booking back to back meetings, photo shoots, television show tapings, Oprah and her assistant are making sure to include scheduled workouts, meals and other self-care activities.
• Oprah is also scheduling her nutrition for the week. In fact, in the video, we see Oprah’s detailed weekly food schedule taped to one of the cupboards in her office kitchen.
• Her nutrition plan involves 5 daily meals based around chicken, fish and vegetables.
• Her exercise plan has been altered by reducing the amount of cardio-vascular training and replacing it with an increased amount of strength training.

And of course, Oprah wants YOU to jump on board:

But before you rush out and buy overy Bob Greene “Best Life” approved health & fitness product on the market, Oprah and Bob want you to answer 5 little questions:

1. Why are you overweight?
2. What are you really hungry for?
3. Why have you been unable to maintain weight loss in the past?
4. What in your life is not working?
5. Why do you want to lose weight?

And Oprah doesn’t want to see any obvious, surface answers like…”I am overweight because I like to eat donuts while watching re-runs of the Oprah Winfrey show.”

Dig a little deeper people…we expect some tears and some truly deep personal insights.

Click here for your official “Bob Greene’s 5 Questions” Workbook

In Conclusion

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• I think that Oprah’s massive social influence is going to cause a huge change in the weight loss industry.
• I think that for effective weight loss, most of us do need to look beyond diets and exercise and look at how our emotions and thoughts affect our eating and exercise habits.

• However, I also think that Oprah and Bob’s approach may prove to be too simplistic to be effective. To be fair, they are marketing this program to millions and millions of people. This makes it a little tough to personalize.
• I also think that Oprah gave the impression that since she has done the emotional work to discover her need for balance, she is on the path to effective weight loss and improved health. I think that she may be in for a few rude surprises along the way.
• And I think that her buddy Bob knows that. Where Oprah seemed supremely confident about her chances of success, Bob seemed a bit more circumspect about the whole affair. This earned him huuuuge points in my estimation – for what that’s worth.

In tomorrow’s post, I am going to lay out the approach that I use with my training clients to help them achieve their “Best Life” _tm.

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If you like what you see here, click here for updates or Share this Post with the rest of the world.

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Related Posts

• A Better “Best Life” Weight Loss Plan
• Diet Book Confidential…The Oprah Winfrey / Bob Greene Edition
• Physical Attraction, Sexiness and Health…The Female Edition
• Is Oprah a big, fat hypocrite?
• 2009 Fitness Trends

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Oprah's "Best Life" Weight Loss Plan is a post from: Health and Fitness articles

What makes a personal trainer successful?

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• Having a whole bunch of bestselling diet & fitness books?
• Being recognized on television as a  fitness guru?
• Having food producers pay you for your “Best Life approved” stamp of approval?
• Being Oprah Winfrey’s official personal trainer?

OR

Having your clients

• Transform their bodies
• Maintain that transformation
• Understand their own personal prescription for fitness

• Refer you to all of their friends, eventually leading to
• many best selling fitness books, an appearance on Oprah, etc…

How did America's Personal Trainer, Bob Greene "let this happen again?"

So, is Bob Greene a successful personal trainer?

OR

Is he simply another well meaning? diet guru / snake oil salesman?

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Well, according to this email that I found in my inbox this morning, Oprah’s longtime trainer Bob Greene is about to reveal his foolproof, back-to-business plan….just in time for your New Year’s Resolution Diet Extravaganza!!!

And what is that foolproof, back-to-business plan, you might ask?

Bob Greene Pearl of Wisdom #1

In the 25-plus years that I’ve been helping people slim down, I’ve noticed a few common traps that cause people to fall off the wagon. (Incidentally, they’re similar to the reasons we fail to lose weight in the first place—and I’ll tell you about them in my “Back to Business” Plan.)……

Science, too, is starting to help us understand why certain people may be wired to relapse.

Recently, in fact, experts have started comparing the struggle to slim down with the difficulty of breaking an addictive habit. Research suggests that it often takes a number of attempts before people are able to kick cigarettes or give up alcohol for good; this might also be true for weight loss.

The National Weight Control Registry is conducting an ongoing study of more than 5,000 men and women who have succeeded in maintaining an average loss of 66 pounds for more than five years—and among them, 91 percent had tried and failed before. The average total number of pounds lost (and re-lost) by a participant through various diets is a whopping 565!

So here’s the good news: Instead of thinking, “I’ve failed over and over again, why bother trying again?” take your relapse in stride and stay positive no matter how many attempts it takes you. Each new effort brings you closer to the one that might really work. The key is to stick with it until you achieve your weight and health goals—that’s my definition of a true success story.

Health Habits Translation

• Weight loss is not easy for a lot of people.
• Food addiction exists – the hows and whys are under debate
• The diet that works for me may not work as well for you
• So, be prepared to try a few different diet plans and don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the results that you were hoping for.

• Oh, and buy all 3 of my new books…available just in time for your 2009 New Year’s Resolutions

But what if your bank account is running a little low after your most recent Christmas present spending orgy?

Don’t worry.

Bob Greene and Oprah are going to tell you exactly what you need to know about whipping that doughy body of yours into shape starting January 5, 2009.

But, if you can’t wait until then, Bob has a preview for ya.

Bob Greene Pearl of Wisdom #2

If we follow the link over to Bob’s “Back to Business” Plan, we see three 12 week diet and exercise plans geared towards beginner, intermediate and advanced dieters.

Let’s look at the beginner plan.

Weeks 1 & 2:

Food Switch: Replace soda with water, unsweetened iced tea, or fat-free milk. Diet soda is okay, but limit the amount, as it may encourage cravings for sweet foods.

Cardio: Fifteen minutes of activity such as walking or riding a stationary bike five times a week. You should be working hard enough so that you can talk, but not for very long.

Strength: None. Starting a strength-training program can stimulate hunger. That’s why I recommend waiting until you get a few healthy diet changes under your belt.

Traps to Avoid: Don’t be tempted by a shortcut (a fat-burning pill, a fad diet). It may work for a while, but to lose weight permanently you need to move more, eat less, and figure out the emotional reasons you turn to food.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 1 & 2

Replacing soda with lower calorie beverages is a great way to eliminate empty calories from your diet. The loss of caffeine may be a problem for some Coca-Cola junkies.

Starting with some low intensity cardio exercise is a prudent start for a beginner. Diving right into a complicated program of diet, cardio and resistance training can sometimes overwhelm a newbie.

Overall, a safe and sensible start to a weight loss program.

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Weeks 3 & 4:

Food Switch: Trade in your white bread for 100 percent whole grain, in addition, try incorporating whole grain pasta and brown rice into your diet.

Cardio: Add five more minutes to each workout session, for a total of 20 minutes, five days a week.

Strength: None at this time.

Traps to Avoid: Exercise is tough. You can shed pounds by just cutting calories, but among successful long-term weight losers, 90 percent exercise regularly. Physical activity also improves mood, sleep, even sex.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 3 & 4

Dumping the Wonder bread in favor of 100% whole grain increases your intake of fiber, slowing digestion, increasing fullness, decreasing hunger and reducing your chances of developing colon cancer. Another no-brainer. Way to go Bob.

Gradually increasing the volume of cardio training is smart. Nothing like a case of shin splints to derail a beginner’s cardio program. Take it slow and easy and let your body get used to these new demands.

I can’t believe that Bob is still avoiding resistance training.

A program designed around natural body movements – squatting, pushing, pulling, lunging, reaching, climbing, twisting, etc.. is vital to increasing the beginner’s quality of life.

Overall, I would still give Weeks 3 & 4 a passing grade.

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Weeks 5 & 6:

Food Switch: Cut out trans fat (look for it on labels—or for “partially hydrogenated oil”). Find baked goods and spreads without it, or make your own, using healthy fats, such as olive and corn oil.

Cardio: Add five more minutes of cardio to each workout, for a total of 25 minutes, five days a week.

Strength: Start with eight moves that work the major muscle groups—triceps extension, biceps curl, squat. Do one to two sets of eight to 10 reps for each, three times a week. Get all of Bob’s fitness moves!

Traps to Avoid: Have you thought about the emotional reasons behind why you overeat? You’ll keep relapsing if you don’t. Try keeping a journal to help get at the deeper issues you need to address.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 5 & 6

Cutting out trans fats – another no-brainer. No one needs to eat this junk.

A little more cardio…good

And finally some strength training…oh no…Bob, what are you doing?

You finally introduce strength training, and this is what you give to a beginner interested in burning off body-fat?

• A bodybuilding style program designed for hypertrophy
• Exercises that require a gym membership
• Exercises that are the opposite of functional training
• Exercises that are mislabelled…Oprah’s incline crunch looks suspiciously like an incline sit-up

Oh, Bob.

Overall, I have to give Weeks 5 & 6 a failing grade

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Weeks 7 & 8:

Food Switch: Switch from fried foods to roasted, sautéed, or baked. Try roasted potatoes, baked (and lightly breaded) chicken, and vegetables sautéed in olive oil.

Cardio: Add five more minutes of cardio to each workout session, for a total of 30 minutes, five days a week.

Strength: Continue with your strength training routine.

Traps to Avoid: Your initual enthusiasm may be wearing thin—so sudden work demands or an injury can throw you off your program. Figure out now how you’ll respond to such setbacks.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 7 & 8

Eating less fried foods…good

A little more cardio…good

Same resistance training program…bad

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Weeks 9 & 10:

Food Switch: Skim the fat from dairy: Go from whole or 2 percent milk and yogurt to 1 percent or fat-free versions. Also try calcium- and vitamin D-enriched soy milk with no more than 100 calories per cup.

Cardio: Add five more minutes of cardio to each workout, for a total of 35 minutes, five days a week.

Strength: Add another set of eight to 10 reps to each of the moves in your routine.

Traps to Avoid: You’re beginning to appreciate the work involved in weight control. Many people set out to lose 20 to 30 percent of their total weight, but 10 percent is more realistic You may want to revisit your initial goal.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 9 & 10

Reducing your saturated fat intake by switching to 1% or skim milk products….

At first glance, this seems like a good idea…less saturated fat equals less calories equals less junk in the trunk…right?

Maybe not. The fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) found in milk require fat for digestion. And considering that most Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, switching to skim milk may not be the healthiest thing to do. Stick to 1% at least, or go and get your Vitamin D elsewhere.

Regarding the exercise program, Bob increases the cardio a little more and continues with the same sad old strength training program.

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Weeks 11 & 12:

Food Switch: Consider cutting out alcohol as a way to eliminate calories. Instead of beer, wine, or a cocktail, order sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice (or another low-calorie drink) and see if it doesn’t make a big difference.

Cardio: Add five more minutes of cardio to each workout, for a total of 40 minutes, five days a week.

Strength: Continue with  your strength-training program.

Traps to Avoid: The pounds have come off—great. But now you find yourself skipping a workout and allowing a second helping here and there. Remember, weight loss is not a finish line but the beginning of a process in which you learn about yourself and improve your life. The longer you persist, the easier it gets.

Health Habits Review – Weeks 11 & 12

Less alcohol…some more low hanging fruit here.

Cutting back on booze is a quick way to reduce calories. For some of us, it also reduces our “fun factor”, but that is another story altogether.

And, Bob’s added another 5 minutes of cardio for the final 2 weeks of his Back to Business weight loss plan.

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The Final Verdict

Don’t waste your time following this plan.

In fact, don’t waste your time, buying Bob Greene’s books.

Even better, don’t buy any diet books….

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And don’t believe what Oprah and Bob are going to tell you next week.

It won’t work.

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And this is coming from one of the few men willing to admit that he admires Oprah.

That’s right, I said it.

I admire Oprah.

She is one of the few television personalities that makes her audience think. You may / may not like what she and her guests are saying, but most of the time, her topics are thought provoking.

And that has to be a good thing.

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But when it comes to sustained weight loss, she and Bob don’t know what the &$@#* they are doing.

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Think about it.

Without Oprah, Bob Greene is an anonymous personal trainer in Chicago.

With Oprah, Bob Greene is a multi-millionare personal trainer with a burgeoning health and fitness empire.

He should be highly motivated to keep Oprah as fit as a fiddle.

And yet…the weight came back.

And if Oprah can’t keep the weight off, who can?

Oprah has:

• Access to the best trainers in the world (Bob Greene)
• Access to the best nutritional gurus in the world
• Access to America’s doctor, Dr. Oz
• A fully equipped home gym(s)
• A personal chef
• Access to the best selling spiritual gurus
• Access to the most popular personal coaches
• Access to the psychiatrists who have devoted their practices to weight loss
• Access to the President-Elect, and
• More money than God

With all of this equipment and money and advice and healthy eatin’ and healthy livin’, how could she gain 40 lbs. in one year?

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Because just about everything that the experts have been telling us about weight loss (since WW2) is wrong.

• Counting calories doesn’t work
• Cardio-vascular exercise doesn’t work
• Eating more fiber doesn’t work
• Eating off of smaller plates doesn’t work
• Drinking a glass of water before eating doesn’t work
• Fat burners don’t work
• Cleansing your colon doesn’t work

So what does work?

Stay tuned.

Over the next month, I will be giving you everything you need to lose that weight for the last time.

Nothing to buy.

No email lists.

No signing up for anything.

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I will also be uploading pdf versions of the diet and training journals that I use with my clients.

Feel free to modify and share them as you see fit

And save the $15 you would have spent on Bob’s Diet Journal.

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If you like what you see here, click here for updates or Share this Post with the rest of the world.

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Related Posts

• A Better “Best Life” Weight Loss Plan
• Physical Attraction, Sexiness and Health…The Female Edition
• Oprah’s “Best Life” Weight Loss Plan
  
• Is Oprah a big, fat hypocrite?
• 2009 Fitness Trends

Diet Book Confidential…The Oprah Winfrey / Bob Greene Edition is a post from: Health and Fitness articles