This registry does not list all of their test
subjects. In order to make it you had to lose over
30 pounds AND keep it off for a year. So they did
a good job qualifying success.

What they found was intersting.

And the numbers they compiled don’t lie.

The findings are listed into 10 lifestyle changes.

Here are the 10 habits of these successful weight
losers:

1. 98 percent of registry participants reported
that they modified their food intake in some way
to lose weight. Ok, kinda obviousl But you must
change your eating habits in some way (i.e. fewer
calories) to lose weight.

2. Most registry members reported consuming less
high-fat dense food groups and more low-fat dense
food groups resulting in a lower daily calorie
intake and greater weight loss. Eat lighter and
cleaner. Stay away from fried, high fat foods and
eat more fresh fruits and veggies.

3. 94 percent of registry participants reported
increasing their physical activity. Again, kinda
obvious. More out, less in.

4. 90 percent reported exercising, on average,
about one hour per day. Note the difference of
activity and exercise. Yesterday a client ran 1
mile and also played in a basketball game. She
asked if the game counted for cardio. I said no.
Walking your kids around the block, golfing and
gardening are all activity. But exercise is
strength and cardio training. There IS a
difference.

5. 78 percent reported eating breakfast daily.
I’ll venture to say they didn’t eat donuts.

6. 75 percent of registry participants reported
weighing themselves at least once a week. The
interval can and should vary, but measurment of
progress is essential. It helps you stay
accountable and also provides motivation, which fuels your efforts.

7. 62 percent watched TV less than 10 hours/week.
More TV means a more sedentary lifestyle. Do you
know how much TV you watch? Try tracking it. I bet
you’d be surprised.

8. 42% of the sample reported that maintaining
their weight loss was less difficult than losing
weight. This is VERY IMPORTANT. Because I see this
mistake all the time.

In the beginning, when you’re trying to lose
weight, you CANNOT afford to cheat. You MUST
remain committed to your program and keep the ‘dial turned up’. Then, once you’ve reached your goal you can afford to cheat here and there. If you start to backslide you simply ‘turn the dial back up.’

9. Nearly all registry members stated that weight
loss led to improvements in their level of energy,
physical mobility, general mood, self-confidence,
and physical health. I won’t begin to list the
benefits of losing weight and getting in shape. You’re smart, and I’m sure you know there are TONS of them. Life is better when you look good and feel good about yourself.

10. For those who did regain weight, weight regain
was due, at least in part, to failure to maintain
behavior changes. This clearly tells us “diets”
don’t work. If you don’t continue to pay attention
to your health and fitness you will backslide.

There’s a lot of wisdom in these 10 strategies.

In the book Switch by Dan and Chip Heath, they
discuss how one guy helped solve a major
malnutrition problem in Vietnam back in the 90s. He did so by looking at the “bright spots” of other villages without the problem.

He didn’t try to solve all of the other underlying problems; poor sanitation, rampant poverty, ignorance to nutrition, etc… He looked to the villages that did not have any malnourishment followed their success.

You can learn a lot by finding the “bright spots”
and then implement them in your own life.

Stop trying to find more time – you’ll never find it. Stop trying to set aside enough money – you’ll never have enough. Stop trying to fix your problems. Make a few changes that other successful people have done to lose weight.

In addition to the weight loss registry mentioned
above our very own Bootcampers, maybe
some of them your neighbors, are another place to
find bright spots.

Sometimes we need to see the possiblities. We need
the motivation and inspiration of others that have
gone before us.

I hope the findings from 5,000 successful weight loss subjects and that of your very own neighbors motivates you to create change in your own life.

To your weight loss success,

The Bootcamp Team

P.S. So you didn’t start fresh on January 1st. Big deal.
It’s never too late to start. Get your free trial here.

Time to take an honest assessment of where you are
in life, and decide what you’d like to achieve
in the upcoming year.

It’s a sad fact that the majority of folks NEVER
see those resolutions come to fruition. That’s
why today, I’d like to share with you a few tips
that will help you stick with your resolutions, no
matter what – creating a NEW YOU in 2012!

The major reason people don’t follow through on
their resolutions is FEAR. Change is scary, and
committing to change is a scary endeavor. But
follow these tips and you should be able to nip
fear in the bud and actually accomplish what you
set out to achieve in 2012!

Get Serious - If you make “another resolution”
it’s going to be just that, another resolution.
Make a resolution because you want to change
something. Don’t do it because everyone else is or
because you feel like you have to. Get serious
with yourself and do it because you want to.

Chunk It Down - However big your resolution is,
chunk it down into bite size pieces. Let’s say you
want to lose 80 pounds this year. Chunk that down
into a smaller increment. Try losing 15 pounds in
the first 2 months. Or if you want to improve your
relationships focus on one at a time. This way
you’ll build momentum and have a higher rate of
success.

Relax - You’re setting a resolution to make this
year better than the last. Don’t put yourself on a
tight rope with no net. If you fail with your
resolution you won’t be any worse off than where
you stand today. Take a deep breath and keep it in
perspective.

Have Fun - Yes, this is very important. Think of
something you hate. It could be doing laundry,
cleaning toilets, or even running on a treadmill.
Now picture yourself doing that every day. It’s
terrible! You wouldn’t last. The more fun you can
build into your resolution the easier it will be.

Research - You gotta do your homework. Talk to
your friends. Find out what they’re doing. Find
out what they’ve done. Were they successful? Talk
to your doctor, a personal trainer, a financial
advisor, etc… Get on the internet, read some
books or magazines. Get the info you need to make
your resolution work this year.

Get Help - You can never have enough help. And you
should never be afraid to ask for help. It’s what
smart people do. Telling yourself your resolution
and going it alone is a recipe for failure. Ask
the right questions to the right people and you’ll
be a leg up.

Resolutions are tough. But do not be afraid. If
you’ve failed in the past, try and learn from what
you did wrong and make the necessary changes.

Remember that nothing happens without action.
Action, no matter how small, will help give you
the momentum you need. And once you’ve started
taking action, you’ll have a better understanding
of what you need to do to get to your final
destination.

So this year, set some resolutions… and follow
through until you’ve achieved them!

Happy 2012,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. If you want help, we’re here for you! Join
us and many other St. Louis women for your free
trial. Starting your day early and exercising
are two great resolutions!

That’s the amount of money companies are making
peddling weight loss suppleme…err… scams.

You may have fallen victim to handing over your
dollars to them. The weight loss results they tout
are staggering. 40 pounds in 30 days, Joe Blow
loses 150 pounds, and many other similar results.
There marketing is very good. Shady at best.
But still good.

25 mil was revenue from ONE company! A
few days ago the FTC filed complaints on 10 other operations just like it.

Which puts it in the HUNDREDS of millions.

The saddest part; the crap they sell doesn’t even
work.

Solve the worlds weight problem and you should get
a BIG check. Sell snake oil and you should go
to jail.

Try as we may, we can’t redefine ourselves
overnight. That’s too easy. If that worked then
all of the late night infomercials and fitness
dvd’s would work.

But you CAN redefine yourself steadily, over time.

A very successful client of mine sold his
business for millions of dollars a few years back.
An article in the paper dubbed him as an overnight
success story. After talking with him, he said the
article gave him a chuckle because in reality they
were “a 10 year overnight success.”

That statement made me think. It opened my eyes
that as much as we might see overnight successes
or hear about 30 day weight loss stories, the
reality is it takes steady, constant, and yes,
disciplined action.

Read that sentence again.

It takes steady, constant, disciplined action.

Let it soak in.

Because until you buy into that you will continue
to search, try, and fail at whatever it is you want to do. And waste a lot of money in the process.

STOP believing in crap. Start accepting diet
and exercise does it.

To your weight loss success,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. Do you need to lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds or
more? We can help. It’s a proven program that even
your doctor would recommend. Give us a call for more
details, 314.800.7607.

Regardless, it will be helpful to know what the OK
amount of alcohol is. So keep reading and learn
something to help your weight loss efforts.

Or bookmark this and come back after Thanksgiving.
(Or the New Year if you really plan to imbibe).

Can you drink alcohol and still lose weight?

Yes, you can. But don’t go and make yourself a
martini just yet. There’s more to it than that.
You still have to be smart about it.

I always laugh when I see beer commercials touting
3.2 grams of carbs in beer. Or when they compare their beer to a martini served in a thimble. It’s cute and obviously resonates with the weight conscious drinker. But that shouldn’t concern you.

There are two things to consider when drinking
alcohol. Calories, specifically those from carbs,
and alcohol content. Which one do you think
matters more? Let’s take a look at both.

Calories - All drinks have calories; beer, wine,
and liquor. But it’s the cocktails that should
scare you the most. Any popular mixer will contain
most of the calories and ALL of the sugar.

Take a daiquiri for example, or any fun colored
frozen concoction. An 8 oz. glass will have almost
500 calories and over 20 grams of sugar! You can
see the damage you could do by drinking just a
couple of those.

Alcohol - It won’t make you fat. Yes, read it
again. Try throwing back shots of tequila and see
if you gain weight. You won’t. But add in some
sweet and sour mix, a salted rim, and 4 baskets of
chips and salsa. Now we’re talking weight gain. Bienvenidos body fat!

I have an alcohol rule for losing weight. 1 drink
2x/week OR 2 drinks 1x/week. You get to choose.

Why is that my rule? Because of this one very
important fact… Concern yourself less with the
calories or sugar of what you’re drinking but
think about the metabolic priority drinking does
to you.

You see, alcohol is metabolized before anything
else in the body. So have a few drinks with dinner
and you’re body will go after the alcohol first
before the carbs, protein, and fat.

This is exactly the opposite of what exercise does
to your metabolism. An intense workout will create
that afterburn effect which keeps the metabolism
ramped up after the workout helping you burn calories long after your workout.

So stop thinking about carbs or even calories and
think metabolically.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when drinking.

==A glass of wine should be 5oz. A typical red
wine glass holds 12-14oz. Although you might think
you’re getting lucky when the bartender tops off
your glass, you’re not.

==If you’re drinking a cocktail opt for real
mixers. Use real lime juice, lemon juice, and diet
tonic or soda. Most if not all pre-made drinks
will be chalk full of sugar and calories.

==If you’re really trying to be aggressive with
weight loss, keep your drinks for special
occasions. Get out of the habit of having a glass
of wine with dinner or winding down for the night
with a drink. Make it more of a treat than the
norm.

The entire Bootcamp Team would like to wish you and your family a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!!!

Cheers,
The Bootcamp Team

The American College of Sports Medicine released
it’s survey results for the top fitness trends of
2012.

I listed a few of the top 20 here with my comments.

Educated and experienced fitness professionals.
This trend will never fade. Trainers aren’t looked
upon just for the Hollywood elite anymore.
Trainers are for everyone. Just as plumbers,
accountants, and dentists are too. Smart people seek solutions to their problems from experts.

Strength training.
Jack LaLanne and Au-nold helped introduce this to
the American landscape. It’s changed a bit but the
foundation is still the same.

Fitness programs for older adults.
Research shows baby boomers to have made more
income leaps than any other generation before. You
can retire with all the money in the world, but if
you can’t enjoy the fruits of it then what’s the use? And you don’t take any of that money with you when you die. Think about it… if you’ve managed to create financial independence then you want to travel, be active and get out and do things. Your health and fitness is vital for that.

Exercise and weight loss.
As I’ve said before, you can’t outwork a bad diet.
You need both diet AND exercise to lose weight.

Children and obesity.
I’ve talked about this many times before. And my conversations with our clients that are Peditricians only bring home this problem even more. This problem continues to grow (no pun intended) and must be addressed.

Core training.
With the majority of Americans suffering from back
pain this is a BIG area of emphasis for us. We sit in front of a computer all day, are less active day to day, and have bigger waistlines. All
of these contribute to poor core strength, bad
posture, and back pain. It can be one of the
easiest fixes… IF it’s done correctly.

Group personal training.
This is why our Bootcamp is so successful! People realize the power of a group and make exercising fun. All of the components of our traditional one-on-one programs exist, but with the energy, fun, and SAVINGS of a group.

Zumba.
I can’t say I’ve tried this myself, but my wife has and she really enjoyed it. We also participate in St. Luke’s Spirit of Women Day of Dance expo. There was an overwhelming turnout and I’ve never seen that many ladies have so much fun! Zumba was a clear favorite.

Functional fitness.
This type of training has exploded over the past few years. It’s seeped its way into all areas of fitness. Functional training is ideal for the golfer wanting to improve his stroke to the stay at home mom wanting strength and mobility to carry kids and groceries.

ACSM lists these as trends, but some will NEVER die. If you’ve been reading my blogs and emails for awhile now then you know your program should consist of strength training, cardio training, and nutrition. Versions and modifications of these will come and go. But the foundation will never change. Real lasting results come from those three.

To your health,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. Jump on board with one of the top trends of 2012 and request a free Bootcamp trial. Join the other ladies that have totally changed their bodies and their lives.

I remember my Mom gave us a day and a half to eat
the candy we wanted. Then it went to the trash. At
the time I screamed child abuse. But, obvioulsy, I
thank her now.

These tricks are not portion guidelines. But moreso
tricks to sticking to the right portions. So, here
are 5 tricks, that you’re not doing now,
to keep your portions under control.

1. Eat With Smaller Plates
Yes, it’s really that simple. Eat your main meal
with a salad plate. Think about it… a lot of
restaurants, other than Golden Corral (it’s always
humored me that they can get away with a name like
that) will have small portions on a normal plate.
They don’t overload the plate and you can actually
see the white space.

Same goes with glasses. A serving size of juice is
4oz. That’s very little than what most people are
use to. It’s 4 or 5 sips. That beer mug you drink
OJ out of in the morning is enough for your entire
family.

2. Eat At The Table
Eating in front of the TV, while you’re doing the
dishes, or any other activity can easily lead to
overeating. Eat at a table, sitting in a chair.

Case in point: A recent study in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that playing
solitaire while eating dampened participants’
memories of their lunch (and made them feel less
full), which, in turn, may have caused them to eat
125 calories more when they snacked later on.

3. Chew Your Food
We all eat on the go at some point during the day.
No one, and I mean no one, has ever told me they
sit down for every meal. Sadly the 50′s are gone.
It doesn’t exist in our society anymore. Since
we’re in hurry, that also means we inhale our food
versus chewing it. Try to chew each bite 20 times.
Seriously, try it. It’s a challenge.

Digestion starts in the mouth with the salivary
glands. They start digesting carbohydrates
immediately. Have you ever chewed on full sugar
bubble gum? It loses it’s flavor and texture after
a few minutes doesn’t it? That’s because your
salivary glands are digesting the sugar.

Chewing also slows down your meal. It takes about
20 minutes for your brain to realize you’re full.
If you inhale food fast enough you can continue
eat and eat and eat. If you slow down and chew
your chicken you’ll give your hormones time to
alert the brain that you’re full.

4. Turn Up The Lights
When you go out for a romantic dinner the lights
are low and the mood is intimate. Restaurants do
this for a reason. The same reason casinos don’t
have clocks and easy exits. They want you to stay
longer and eat more. Studies have shown the
lighting in a room can affect one’s appetite. Make
sure the lights are turned up and you keep dinner
to one hour.

5. Eat At UN-Healthy Restaurants
Yes, you read that right. According to research
done by Brian Wasinak, author of Mindless Eating,
“We found that when people go to restaurants
claiming to be healthy, such as Subway, they
choose additional side items containing up to 131%
more calories than when they go to restaurants
like McDonald’s that don’t make this claim.”

Wansink calls this the “halo effect”. When you eat
at a healthy restaurant you don’t feel as
indulgent were you to eat at say, McDonald’s. This
caused customers to underestimate calories by 21%.
So don’t feel so proud by eating at Subway.
Regardless of where you eat be mindful of what and
how much you’re eating.

Implement these 5 tips today and you will lose
weight. I say that with confidence because these
aren’t just ‘drink diet soda’ kind of tips. I bet
you’re not doing the majority of these. And as I’m
sure you know, big doors swing on little hinges.

Best,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. Last nights game was by far the best sporting
event I’ve ever been to! And I have a feeling the
Cards will steamroll the Rangers tonight. Let’s go Cards!!!

What’s interesting about this study is they looked
at how much specifc foods led people to gain
weight over four year periods.

Can you guess what food contributed to the most
weight gain?

It wasn’t candy. It wasn’t ice cream or cookies.

Potatoes.

Fried, boiled, mashed… didn’t matter.

Dr. Mozzafarian, an professor of epidemiology at
the Harvard School of Public Health, said this is
likely due to starches and refined carbohydrates
procucing bursts in blood glucose and insulin.
This leads to an increase in hunger and thus
upping the total amount of food people eat at
their next meal.

Everyone I sit down with in our consultation
process hears me address this problem. I call it
the ‘Viscous Carbohydrate Cycle’.

And the consequences don’t stop with eating more
food. It’s also responsible for energy highs and
lows, lethargy, dizziness, and depression. And
there’s more. Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and
a slew of other bad stuff.

If you pass on the potato chips at Bread Co. and
opt for the apple or whole grain baguette, don’t
think you’re in the clear. Because there were
plenty of non-potato foods too.

The simple fact is this… we eat too many carbs.

We’re a carb laden socitey. And if you continue to
eat as you do, you will not lose weight, you will
not get healthy, you won’t pass Go, and you won’t
collect $200!

In all seriousness, you must control your
carbohydrate intake. I’m not saying go on Atkins.
But you must drastically cut your carbs.

This is one of the reasons why our clinically
proven, done-for-you nutrition plan works so well.
It’s a low glycemic, higher protein, precisely
desinged diet.

Ronni is down 14 pounds in 8 weeks, Anne Marie is
down 11 pounds in 8 weeks, Annie has lost 3 inches
in her waist in 4 weeks, Kathy lost 31 total
pounds and has remained at her goal weight for
over 2 years! And the list goes on.

If you would like more info on our nutrition
plan and find out how much weight you can expect
to lose contact me here.

To your weight loss,
Your Bootcamp Team

P.S. I haven’t posted in a while and there’s good reason for that. We’re currently in the midst of launching a new service. I can’t release all the details just yet, but it’s pretty exciting! This service will make personal training much more appealing and affordable for a lot of people. Stay tuned!

P.P.S. Cut the carbs!

But I do know Snooki. A name like that demands
attention.

Snooki knows a BIG secret to achieving weight loss
results.

But you know it too.

You might not know you know it. But you do know
it.

This secret isn’t some special piece of equipment
or any particular exercise. It’s not even a new
diet or supplement.

Would you like to know what this secret is?

The secret is sacrifice.

You see, sacrifice is essential when it comes to
losing weight. You must sacrifice something.
Often times many things.

Sacrifice is defined as ‘destruction or surrender
of something for the sake of something else’.

You can’t get something without giving something
(up) in return.

You know it.

I know it.

When it comes to your weight loss, it’s making
sacrifices that will help you get rid of the
pounds.

“If I weren’t here (working out) I’d be sleeping.
It’s been a good decision. A no-brainer really.”

One of our clients said that after I
inquired about their program.

He sacrificed a little sleep.

Snooki is sacrificing booze.

“I just have to quit the drinking so much. If I do
drink, it’s going to be, like, vodka and seltzer
… maybe like two or three.”

Sheesh. Ok, maybe she’s not sacrificing all that
much.

What are you sacrificing to lose weight? What have
you ‘destroyed’ or ‘surrendered’ in order to lose
weight?

Fast food is a popular one. Sweets, eating out,
TV, the list goes on and on.

The fact remains, if you are not making any
sacrifices, you will not lose weight.

Taking a pill is easy. Buying some abdominal
contraption is easy. There’s no sacrifice in that.

Nothing good and lasting comes with ease.
Sacrifice is a must.

Now go make some sacrifices.

By the way, giving up booze except for vodka
is pretty weak. That’s like saying you’ll give up
McDonald’s except for the Quarter Pounder. Make
your sacrifice something worthwhile.

Jack was a fitness icon introducing fitness to men
and women long before it was considered cool.

Jack influenced the lives of thousands. He was a
walking example of health. He taught the benefits
of fitness and nutrition throughout one’s life and
even joked a few years back, “I can’t afford to
die. It would wreck my image.”
With all the fitness advice that’s available
today, including my own, I think Jack sums it up
perfectly.

“The only way you can hurt the body is not use
it,” LaLanne said. “Inactivity is the killer and,
remember, it’s never too late.”

Jack’s contribution to the health and fitness
industry will likely never be matched. He was the
ultimate trailblazer. And he not only talked the
talk, but he walked the walk.

When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than
1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes. At 60, he swam from
Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf in San
Francisco, handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat.
Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in
Long Beach harbor.

The guy was a health and fitness stud. And he’ll
be missed.

Rest in peace Jack.

Give this some thought. When do you think your
body needs nourishment? What’s the most important
time?

If you can make sure you eat the right foods at
these two times, you’ll greatly enhance your
bodies metabolic process which will help you burn
more fat and have more energy!

Before I tell you the answer I want to tell you
about a very interesting commercial I saw on TV
the other day. It was a commercial on Kashi
cereal.

Their entire angle to sell more boxes of cereal
was PROTEIN. “As much protein as an egg…now in a
bowl.” An egg has 6g of protein, a serving of
Kashi has 9-13g.

To my knowledge, no company has ever made a
comparison for cereal like this before. And my
guess is it will work. But regardless, it’s a
smart thing to do.

Why? Because ALL cereals are a bowl of sugary
crunch. Yes, Grape Nuts is a better option than
Frosted Flakes. But you’re still only getting
carbohydrates from both. And that’s not a good way
to start your day. Kashi is clearly
differentiating themselves from the rest of boxes
on the aisle.

Notice Kashi didn’t take a diet angle like Special
K or others. That’s why I like it so much.
They are appealing to a smart consumer. Someone
that knows it’s about exercise AND nutrition and
not some 6 week crash diet. That type of strategy
will create long-term, loyal Kashi fans.

So, the quiz question, what are the two most
important times of the day to eat?

I just gave you a big hint with the Kashi
commercial.

Breakfast and post-workout are the two most
important times to eat during the day.

Breakfast is where you ‘break’ the ‘fast’ your
body goes through while you sleep. So an ample
amount of carbs, PROTEIN, and a little fat is
essential. A complete, balanced meal like that
gets your metabolism revving and keeps you
satiated longer.

After your workout is very important too. You’ve
just depeleted your bodies energy stores and now
your muscles are screaming for nutrients. The
right nutrients will help you recover quicker.
It’s why we recommend Physique to our clients.

So remember, pay close attention to your breakfast
and what you nourish with post-workout. Doing so
will increase your metabolism, burn more fat, and
increase your energy!