goHealth.org with Take Shape For Life and Medifast

In my keep on track last week I shared that I was turning 45 years old on Wednesday.  What came of that revelation was a number of pleasant birthday wishes and also some interesting comments from clients of all ages. What has always struck me as a phenomena is how some people in their 40’s look, feel, talk, think and act like they are getting old while others, well into their 70’s and beyond look, feel, talk, think and act young.

If you didn’t know your age, how old would you be?

Suppose you developed a very rare form of amnesia that wiped out just the memory of your own age.  Naturally, being very concerned about not knowing your age, you seek out a doctor who specializes in this rare condition.  He asks some questions and runs some tests and then comes back to you and, based on his expert analysis, tells you your age. What do you think he would say?

I can’t count the number of weight loss “before” and “after” photos I’ve seen over the past five years of coaching optimal health.  I’ve seen a lot.  But it probably won’t surprise you when I say in every single “after” photo the person looks much younger.  And for those who I have known personally along the way, and including my own story, not only do they look younger but also talk, think, act and feel younger.  Which begs the question, do we have the power to choose our age?  If the answer is yes, which I believe it is, it’s got to start with getting to your ideal weight.

Think and Grow Thin

The message of Take Shape For Life is that anyone can create optimal health in their life.  In the creation process, you are not trying to get away from something (like being overweight, on medications, etc.) but moving toward a vision of health that you have created in your own mind.  And by moving toward your vision, something that did not exist previously comes into existence.  Just this morning I heard this quote.  It’s by Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching.  He said:

“When you correct your mind, everything will fall into place”

I like this quote because it makes clear the secret to getting what you really want.  It’s in the way you think.  I’ll play devil’s advocate to make the point as it pertains to losing weight.  Let’s say I offered you $10,000 per month to strictly follow the plan until you hit your goal weight (a BMI of 25).  How do you think your body would react?  There’s no doubt you’d lose weight quickly and feel really good.  You would get healthy and look and feel younger too.  But so often people get pitted against themselves because their internal dialogue says otherwise; the mind is not correct in thinking you can’t; in thinking there is something preventing you from having what you really want.

Making 2010 YOUR Year

This is it!  This is your “second chance”; this is your hope for authentic change.  Losing weight is the easy part.  I believe that.  By following the plan specifically, you’ll lose quickly and safely with low-to-no hunger and good energy levels.

Everyday we make hundreds of little choices that support larger choices but how often do we actually consider this? Are the little seemingly insignificant daily choices supporting what you really want in life?

Fundamental Choice

“Fundamental choice is the choice upon which all other choices rest” – Robert Fritz

A fundamental choice is what defines our state of being.   It’s where we stand.   It’s our choice to be free and healthy.  It’s what we’re willing to fight for!

Let’s take an example: Say you try to quit smoking but you never really made the fundamental choice to be a nonsmoker. In this case nothing will work, even methods others have found successful. Soon you’ll be back to your two-pack-a-day habit. If, on the other hand, you do make the fundamental choice to be a nonsmoker, just about any method will work; in fact, you’ll find yourself attracted to those methods that work particularly well for you.

It’s the same with any fundamental choice. Once you make the choice to be healthy, you’ve made it your business to act in accordance with your goal.

“You’re taking full responsibility for your actions rather than letting circumstances drive your decisions. You become the author of your own life story” – Dr. A’s Habits of Health

Reality Can Be So Enlightening!

Is there anything else in your life as important as optimal health? For twenty years Dr. Andersen served as director of surgical care at a large hospital. The patients he managed would very likely have died without the intense, interventional care he provided—a full gamut of Star Wars medical technology, invasive monitoring, potent intravenous medications, and sophisticated nutritional intervention.

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Did you have a good holiday weekend?  I sure hope so.  We took a daytrip to the mountains yesterday and during the drive my wife, Joy, read this article to me from TIME.com called: Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. It’s well written; again reinforcing why so many struggle with “diet and exercise” as the answer to effective weight loss.  To lose weight through exercise alone you would need to work out strenuously for ninety minutes every day.  In which case you’ll be much hungrier each day and end up replacing just as many calories—if not more—than you just burned through exercise.

What, No Exercise?

No exercise for the first three weeks on Phase One.  Getting into the fat-burning state requires certain conditions.  If you increase your energy demands too soon you’ll add stress, slow down your weight loss and sap your energy. You must first focus on getting into a solid, consistent fat-burning state, without having to worry about damaging your knees or back.
Once you’re on track with weight loss, you’ll be in a much better place physically and mentally to increase your activity incrementally through fun choices that will help build muscle mass and burn calories.  This is something that can last you the rest of your life—at a healthy weight!

Choice Means We Can do it or Not

(Whatever “it” is)

Right now, whatever your circumstances may be, you can make a profound, fundamental choice for optimal health.  It starts with asking the question “Do I want to be optimally healthy?”  Never mind whether you think it’s possible or not because optimal health is available to anyone who chooses it.  Optimal health is simply creating health in your own life though daily choices.  Chapter 4 of Dr. A’s Habits of Health is entitled “Health Is All About Choice.”  He explains the difference between primary and secondary choices.  We also learn how to use structural tension to propel us toward our primary goal.  On Tonight’s live webcast I’ll be discussing this topic:

Get to Your Goal Weight so You can Get on With Your Life

Tonight’s LIVE webcast is for those people who want to make health a primary choice in their life.  I’ll be joined again by John and Cheryl Tooke who together lost 176 pounds rather quickly and now enjoy life at a healthy weight.  We’ll share with you personal insights and successful tips that you can use right now.  So much of this is in seeing the big picture and in believing that you can.  We’ll also be showing you the fun side of living the habits of health.  It’s TONIGHT at 7pm Mountain time, 30 minutes.  Click Here To Register Now

Taking Shape For Life

Our LIVE webcast last Tuesday was a big success, my highest attendance ever, and I’ve been getting a lot of positive comments and feedback ever since!  The webcast was the first part with John and Cheryl in which we set up the basics of getting into the fat-burning state.  John and Cheryl also shared their personal experience in losing 50 pounds and 126 pounds respectively.  It’s very motivating to learn from their stories.  Anyone can choose optimal health!   This is the recorded link for our webcast from Tuesday.  I’ll have it available for just one more week, so if you missed it, you can watch now:  Click to watch “Taking Shape For Life”.

Visceral Adiposity

Last week we talked about visceral adiposity and how our bodies—for survival—are designed to consume calories, store fat and conserve energy.  The “store fat” part of this equation has a lot to do with insulin.  Insulin is a fat-storing hormone.  When you consume calories, insulin will convert blood glucose from the food you ate and store it as glycogen.  Insulin will also prevent your body from using fat as an energy source.  So what you eat and how much you eat will either put your body in a fat-storing state or a fat-burning state.

The Perfect Balance

Phase One, the weight loss phase, is a set of specific eating protocols that will allow your body to consume your excess fat for energy; in other words, a perpetual fat-burning state.  How great is that?  Because you are eating every 2.5 – 3 hours your insulin never spikes way up nor does it drop too low.  This combined with the fact that our meals are very low on the Glycemic Index and include essential fiber means you should not be hungry and have plenty of energy while you are losing 2-5 pounds per week. Is that you right now?

If Not YOU, Why Not?

Hey, this program works!  There is no doubt that ANYONE who follows the protocols of our program WILL lose as much weight as they want plus learn the habits to keep it that way.  But unfortunately, for some people, despite early success they just can’t seem to stick with it long enough to realize their goal.  I’ve had clients do fabulous on the program in their first few weeks/months and then just go AWOL.  It’s not because they planned to fail but rather failed to plan a weekly personal course and stick with it week after week until they get what they truly want.

You’ve got goals for your health and we’re here to help you attain them.  There is strength in numbers!  Staying on your own personal course, week after week, will be greatly enhanced by a community of support, in essence, giving you the tools and cheering for your success. Join us LIVE every week to learn, listen and succeed!

Starting Tuesday, September 1^st, at 7pm Mountain time, I will begin a weekly online support webinar.  The meetings will be held LIVE every Tuesday at the same time.  It will be easy to attend from the comfort of your home or office; all you need is a computer with a high-speed connection.  If you don’t have a computer and/or high speed connection you can call-in to listen only.

For more information, please e-mail me at eric@gohealth.org and on the subject line please refer to: support webinar