Spoke too soon - found out why my posts were not posting and fixed it

Holiday party tips

Hello, So now that Christmas is upon us, the holiday parties are the focus of spreading that cheer. And really, it is hard to pass them up. Let me give some quick tips and revelations.

The average alcohol drink will set you back from 100 to 800 calories! And that is just for one drink. HO Ho doesn’t sound so fun the next day after you gained a few pounds for a few hours of joy. And that yummy spiked eggnog comes in around 400+ calories!

Now lets add in the holiday cookies and cakes and well it goes on and on.

How does one have fun and still stay on target?

1) Between each drink of alcohol drink a glass or bottle water. This helps with keeping your more sober as well.

2) If you will be going to many parties set up a food theme strategy. For one party tell yourself that this will be your sweets events and have your sweets – hopefully within reason. Same goes for other parties. Maybe one you will indulge more with the drinks, another maybe take the healthy road and eat the veggies and dips if available.

3) While mingling stay close to the healthy foods since you will be apt to pick as you mingle.

4) And if you are dedicated and stick to the healthy food go for it. Your goals will stay true to the body you want inside and out.

5) Eat first before you start drinking. You’ll be least apt to consume those high calorie drinks.

6) Dance the night away if available. A sure way to burn calories and limit access to that food and drink.

My answers might surprise but I have learned that if you take away guilt and empower an individual during these types of events you will have a greater chance of success. In my business I have had great success with these types of strategies.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT
Perfect You LLC

Thanksgiving survival guide

Ah, the joy of stuffing our faces among great company. Yes Thanksgiving is a few days away and for most of my clients this time scares them.

You see they have been on target with all their goals and they know that Thanksgiving is a day to EAT.

I will share some tips that I relate to them to make this day of thanks happy and not stressful.

1) The average person will consume 3,000 calories at the dinner. WOW! It takes 3,500 calories to gain a pound so this number is significant.

2) Do not skip breakfast or a small lunch before the feast. If you think that this will save you calories you are off track. It will make you more hungry later and you will then over eat. Plus no matter how much you starve yourself realize that ingesting 3,000 calories is way more then the body can handle at a sitting so it will be put away in the fat stores of your body. So by "saving" those calories you have done nothing but make you eat more. Eating before will make you less hungry and yes likely to over-indulge. I am sure this bursts a few bubbles of your Thanksgiving attack.

3) Sample everything. What I mean by that is take a small helping of "everything". By engaging your taste buds to a variety of foods and textures you are less likely to over indulge in 4 helpings of sweet potatoes. Plus you are more likely to eat more healthy choices.

4) Watch the bread it is the killer of many successful diet strategies. If you love bread choose a multi-grain variety and dip in olive oil or use a butter substitute. Any never touch your bread till you have eaten 2/3 of your meal. By the time you get to your bread your feeling of fullness should just be about starting to register.

5) Don't skip the desserts. But rather use the same strategy you used with your meal plate. Take a lot of different items just assure that they are small slices or portions. And use a napkin to hold them all (if possible). This forces you to manage those portions more effectively then a plate where you could layer the sweets on to.

6) If there is a fat-free option available jump at it: Example: fat-free ice cream to top that apple pie etc.

7) Eat your meal as some traditional Italian families do: Eat in small focused sittings. Like soup/salad first then leave the table and come back 1 hour later and eat the main course etc. The same applies to waiting 1 hour for the dessert. This strategy works so well that this one step alone could make your day must more pleasant and less stomach bulging.

I hope my tips help you out and actually allow you to enjoy a day of feasting without all the guilt.
And for all you hard-core exercisers out there I remind you of my TV workout. In the search window in the top left corner (of my BLOG) just type in tv workout and you will be taken to the article.

Enjoy and I wish all my followers a rewarding Thanksgiving Day.

All my best,

Eddie Camaroto

Second opinions

Second opinions matter

Even though I have my own in-home Personal Training business I still continue to work at one of the best “medically” structured gyms in the state. And because of my position there I see dozens of members daily and many share with me their stories of dismay.

I meet people whose Physical Therapy was cut off too soon and they never questioned why. Or others that were told nothing further could be done for them and they would just have to live it. We, as a society, for the most part, have forgotten that we are empowered to take ownership over our health and quality of life.

But sad as it is I meet TOO many that just accepted what they were told. I see this more with the older population who grew up with the belief that doctors were the experts and the final say on care.

Let me share some personal stories of clients that were told nothing else could be done and then they were lucky enough to see me.

1) One client just went through breast cancer surgery and was given the drug Tamoxin. It is given as preventative maintenance for 5 years after breast cancer surgery. Standard protocol. My client was told that the Charlie horses that were keeping her up every night and I mean every night would be something that she had to live with – it was a known side effect. After three sessions with me she sleeps through every night and is still on the medication. I have given back her life when others said deal with it. All she needed was the proper massage to fix her. She was looking at 5 years of this. I fixed her in three hours.
2) My stroke victim client has her right side paralyzed from a stroke 11 years ago. She was told she would never walk, talk, or move again. Guess what after 4 months with me she talks, walks, and is fast becoming a survivor. Our sessions end in tears of joy with every little progress.
3) Or my client that was told nothing could be done about their skin infections that crippled their legs every month or two. After the proper exercise regiment and a simple application of Vaseline to their legs they have been pain and symptom free for 2 months now. He has lived with this condition HIS WHOLE LIFE! Not so anymore.

I consider myself more educated then most Personal Trainers. I have skills in massage, chiropractic and holistic healing but the fact that I hope I have driven home here is you need to get second opinions (one pro and one con). They only believe the con if you fail at your resolve to get better. I have only taken three clients of mine but I have dozens of stories that all ring the same bell. I fixed them when another professional said they couldn’t. If they never met that second opinion (ME) they would still be in the crippled states. So many clients have come to me with years of trying to battle weight gain and after a month or two with me they see 30-50 pounds off their bodies (and it STAYS off). I gave them hope and never ever said there was nothing else I could do for them. I do not believe in failure – period. There is ALWAYS a way folks. Always!

Please take a hard look at any condition that some professional told you to live with and see if just maybe there is hope with asking the same questions again with someone else.
Please NEVER EVER give up hope.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Perfect You LLC

Diet plans

Current diet plans

This week I wanted to touch a little upon some current diet plans. By no means could I touch upon all of them since there are literally hundreds.

As a Personal Trainer it is my duty to coach my clients in proper nutrition. After all I can train them to success but if they go home and eat three pizzas a night they will never see true results.

I do need to state to you all that while I am very knowledgeable about nutrition I am NOT a certified nutritionist or dietician. We all need to protect our liability. Please take any of my advice and confer with your doctor or nutritional expert.

Weight Watchers:
All and all the best diet plan I have seen and the one that all of my clients have seen success with. It is also the one I see the longest weight loss with.
Pros:
1) Actually teach their members how to eat and match foods.
2) Great meeting support system.
3) Great website loaded with great recipes and support channels to help your success.
4) Allows one to eat normally (within a point range) thus boosting acceptance to new eating patterns.

Cons:
1) Their packaged food is very high in sodium and even Weight Watchers admits this and states to use their food in moderation.

South Beach:
Many have had success with this program but not as much success long term like the Weight Watcher approach.
Pros:
1) Attempts to teach its members about food sources and nutrition.
2) Great website with many tools to help you succeed.

Cons:
1) Expects its members to eat from their packaged food (most times). In my opinion the food is way too high in sodium and once one stops eating the pre-packaged food they are left with the possibility of eating wrong again and misjudging portions.
2) Food from them is expensive over the long haul. Take that money and use it for a gym membership and you will see more permanent weight loss.
3) A high percentage of clients regain their weight after 2 years. Some even more then when they started.

Atkins:
Based on a low-carb diet and this diet scares me very much. It forces you to eat more protein sources then most older people can handle due to liver and kidney issues. I DO NOT recommend this diet for anyone. Your body needs carbs. In fact the recommendation is 150 grams of carbs a day and optimally up to 350 grams a day. Your muscles use carbs as their primary energy source (glucose break-down) and this diet limits your energy for muscle growth.
Pros:
1) People do lose weight on this diet – especially in the first 1-2 months but then it slows and success rates start to falter.
2) It is rather easy to follow and makes eating more pleasurable. In this diet meats are good.

Cons:
1) Very risky for a big slice of the population. Could cause health issues.
2) Does a poor job at teaching “correct” eating habits.
3) In my opinion is based on pseudo-science. Yes, you will lose weight limiting carbs but the potential health risks far out weigh the diets pluses.


Lets do Lunch:
This is a new diet one of clients has started and it really has some appeal to it. Though I have not researched it enough to give an opinion on it yet. I do like what I have seen and read about it. Plus my client is loosing a phenomenal amount of weight with it in a very healthy way. I will report on it later when I feel more comfortable with its success.

Grapefruit, Pineapple, Cabbage soup, Mickey Mouse surprise:
Please if you are doing any of these crazy un-sound diets please stop. Yes you will loose weight in the first two weeks or so because of their nature but these diets are silly and over time you will only do you body harm.
P.S. No there is no Mickey Mouse surprise diet but I thought I would throw it in because the other diets are just as silly.

I am sure I will see rebuttal about how some of these diets did work for some of you. But whenever I hear that I always ask about the exercise routine, the healthier habits they started while dieting, etc. In must all cases it is these other changes that truly made the difference.

The point is if you just watch what you eat, eat a variety of foods, and keep a food log all of you (except in rare cases) will see weight loss.

The reason you always hear this same message for all of these years is because it WORKS.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Perfect You LLC

Weight loss 101

Food Diaries

Hello, one of the most successful things you can do for yourself in your quest to loose weight is to keep a food diary. Though, I have written about this in the past I am compelled to keep pushing it on you all again and again. It really makes all the difference in keeping weight off and learning to eat right.

With the advent of the Internet and sites that track your food it has become even easier to accomplish this. A few posts ago I outlined three sites that provide excellent food tracking logs.

One real world example I can give you is that I have a client that is training with me currently. They give 110% during our two 1-hour sessions a week but every now and then they would put on 3-4 pounds overnight. Well it wasn’t until they accepted my advice and started logging their food that we discovered the culprit. In their case I discovered – after careful examination – that on the days they gained weight they were taking in over 4,000mg of sodium and over 50 grams of saturated fat. They “thought” they were eating healthy and for the most part they were. But we all underestimate the impact of what is contained in our foods. That is why a diary becomes so magical when loosing weight. It allows us to see everything in detail and make conclusions.

I challenge you to keep a food diary for just week through the sites I recommended. I will even sweeten the pot and offer you the benefit of sharing that log and letting me review it for you so I can point or uncover eating trends. I usual charge $50 dollars for this service but I am willing to forgo that to help you out.

By the way my client no longer sees any weight gain and continues to keep a diary daily. In their case I discovered that sodium was making them retain water. Some of the population is susceptible to that and they were one of them. They have learned what a powerful tool a log is to their success.

As a Personal Trainer I give people back their lives, I mend them and make them stronger and healthier. My clients call me a magician because of the results they see when they work with me. But really it is always my clients that have the magical art – I just show then how to conjure up a healthy potion and spell to succeed.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Perfect You LLC

Nutrition websites

Websites that can help your nutritional goals

This will be a very small article tonight since I want to only address some really great sites that I use daily with my clients to help them with their nutritional goals.

1) http://www.sparkpeople.com/
2) http://www.mypyramid.gov
3) http://www.weightwatchers.com/

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Perfect You LLC

General Nutrition

What is nutrition

When I start training a new client the biggest barrier to their success is nutrition. It always seems that a person will let me put them through a very challenging workout but they will not let me dictate what they can eat. Food it seems has a very powerful connection that is hard to change.

Over time I AM able to change their habits but it is really hard to do.

So let me write this article, as I would talk to my clients.

First and the most important component of nutrition is discovering what your BMR is (Basal Metabolic Rate). There are multiple sites on the web that you can enter in specific information and uncover your BMR. Basically, your BMR is the absolute minimum calories you need to take in EVERY day to satisfy your bodies operating requirements “if you do absolute nothing per day but breath etc.” And I have to tell you that 75% of all of my clients that are trying to diet do not come close to their BMR. When one takes in fewer calories then their BMR they are going to keep gaining weight. This is biological science. You cannot fight the laws of nature! So for ¾ of my clients, I need to tell them to eat more. Well, you can imagine how that goes. But for the clients that heed my words - they discover weight loss is rather easy. Give the body what it wants and it will regulate your weight, as it should. Of course such things a thyroid issues etc. can prevent this but for the most part the statement is true. You need to eat to lose weight.

Get your BMR reading ASAP and start eating at least that to be successful in your weight control goals. Don’t do it and the statistics will be your enemy and you will not lose the weight you so eagerly desire.

CARBS:
So many of us have had it drilled into our heads that CARBS are bad and yes, the simple carbs are bad (sometimes) but complex carbs are what your body uses as fuel. Cut them out and you will suffer – I promise you that. You will suffer with reduced energy (muscles use carbs as their fuel source and you cannot change that). So what is the recommended carbs per day for a healthy individual? 125 grams a day but optimally it should be 350 – 400 grams or 55 – 65% of your daily caloric intake. After an intense workout the recommended carb intake is simple carbs. A bagel or white bread is actually a good thing to refuel your muscles.

FAT:
No more then 25 – 65 grams a day or no more then 25 – 30% of your daily caloric intake.

PROTEIN:
No more then 50 to 70 grams per day or 12 – 20% of your caloric intake. The media has conditioned us to eat more protein for greater muscles size etc. We have been introduced to the Atkins Diet that states that protein is good. And yes you will lose weight by increasing your protein intake for the short term but of the long term you will gain all that weight back. Don’t take my word for it - there is 10 years of solid science to back up my claims.

WATER:
Though no study to date has established an absolute requirement I do believe that 1-ounce of water per body pound is solid and safe. Again, this is based on solid science of what normal bodies require.

Some of you reading this article are going to snicker and do what they always do but for the few that heed my advice I will be hearing from you about how you finally lost that weight.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT
Perfect You LLC

Workouts for the seasons

This week I thought I would show you the creative side of workouts. I have devised a few fun things to do for each season. Though you may never have realized that these things produce fitness they do indeed. Hope you enjoy.

Winter:
1) Go build a snowman. Rolling a big ball of snow till it collects more and more snow is an incredible lower AND upper body workout. Plus you will burn an estimated 280 calories.
2) Do some snow shoveling for an hour and you will burn an estimated 400 calories.
3) Make some snow angels for an hour and you will burn an estimated 218 calories.
4) Best yet have a snowball fight and you will burn a whopping estimated 318 calories per hour plus let out some stress.

Spring:
1) Do some light yard work or gardening and you will burn an estimated 250 calories per hour.
2) Go for a nice bike ride at a moderate pace and you will burn an estimated 238 calories per hour.
3) If you are a golfer go play a round of golf and carry your own clubs to spark an estimated 265 calories per hour.
4) Pick your favorite trail or mountain path and go hiking for an estimated and whopping 380 calories per hour.

Summer:
1) Go for a refreshing swim and you will burn an estimated 413 calories per hour.
2) Go for an intense jog and you will burn an estimated 472 calories per hour.
3) Head down to the basketball courts and dribble your way to an estimated 472 calories per hour.
4) Take your usual aerobic routine outside and let the sun shine on you. Doing so will burn an estimated 413 calories.

Fall:
1) Go for a walk in your community and admire the beauty of nature and the colored leaves. All while burning an estimated 240 calories per hour.
2) Rake up some of those leaves for an hour and you will burn an estimated 218 calories per hour.
3) If you clean out your own gutters from all those leaves for an hour you will burn an estimated 250 calories.
4) And if you are trying to get in the last few lawn mows of the year take heart that you will burn an estimated 202 calories per hour.

All of the items above do indeed burn calories but they also get work your body in different ways that is great for fitness.

I am sure you can think of much more items that should be on this list. I have provided just a sampling. Be creative in your exercise approach and you will never get bored and you will always be at the top of your game.

Note: Most of the calories were calculated using the following profile:
135 pound female age 35 and five foot five. They were provided for example only. Your profile may be more or less then my example.

P.S. for the romantics out there squeeze in a minute kiss here and there and you will burn an estimated 26 calories. J

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT
Perfect You LLC

The Aftermath: Maintaining

The Aftermath: Maintaining

I have been about the same weight for going on 3 years now. I’m not going to lie & say it’s been easy, ‘cause it hasn’t; but coming as far as I did sure makes it far less difficult to stay focused. I know that I will never in my life be as big as I once was but I do find that I struggle to stay as disciplined as I was when I first started on my journey to lose weight. At first it’s easy because the results are motivation in themselves – enough to keep you going. Then you’ve got the added push from people noticing all around & constantly telling you how great you look and praising your hard work. But what do you do when you reach your goal & the dust settles? How do you keep from going back to where you came from or yo-yoing back & forth? To be honest, I don’t have a concrete answer. Anyone can sit & preach that you just have to keep doing what you’re doing – exercise & eat right. I’ve been there & I’m still here – it’s not as simple as it sounds. At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is remember that you are here to live your life & be happy. Yes, it’s important to be healthy but if it means you lose the joy from your life or feel like you are constantly restricted, you are dooming yourself by setting a trap for a big fall. Take things day by day & do what makes you feel good. Remember that it’s ok to ‘cheat’ and indulge once in a while. Make sure you aren’t being too hard on yourself. It’s a constant battle & it probably always will be, so do your best to roll with the punches. Tomorrow is always another day where you can start fresh, so don’t beat yourself up over whatever might have happened today. Remembering how far you came & the work you did to get here will help. I think the hardest part is when everyone gets used to the new you & all the praise & compliments slow down…maybe even come to a stop. You start to get comfortable…. start to slack off… That is when you have to remind yourself. Keep ‘before’ picturess & a piece or two of clothing from before you lost weight. When you start to slip, pull them out & remind yourself how hard you worked & why you did it in the first place. Focus on how good you feel, how different things are now & how much easier certain activities have become. In the grand scheme of things, your weight should not be the most pressing matter on your to-do list – we’ve all got much bigger problems to deal with. Don’t let it stress you out more than it should & never let it consume you completely. Take a deep breath & hit the reset button. Remember to take things day-by-day, ‘live, love & laugh’!!!!!

Melissa has the gift of producing weight loss for our clients. She has been there and conquered all the odds to transform herself. If you are having weight loss issues please reach out to Melissa. She just might be the ONE person in your life that can make a difference and give you back your life. She has been where you are - and she was able to rise from the depths to make her body what she always envisioned it to be.

Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

Tips & Tricks for Newbie’s

Tips & Tricks for Newbie’s

This is probably stuff you’ve all read before but the following is a list of some of the things that helped me in my quest for weight loss & a healthier lifestyle.

1) Eat salad with EVERY meal (preferably before anything else or in between bites of everything else).

2) Try chewing gum or hard candy whenever you have a particularly strong craving for something you really don’t need to eat (i.e. chocolate, cake, fried ravioli, French fries or whatever the case may be) .

3) Give into cravings every now & again (otherwise you’ll go crazy!).

4) Invoke the basic Kindergarten rule of sharing (like with desserts & other rich foods that have enough calories to feed a small army).

5) If you know something is your weakness, DON’T KEEP IT AROUND! As painful as it might be in the beginning, take a garbage bag & empty your home of any & all foods that could cause you to stray. Going forward, simply don’t buy those things. If they’re not around, you can’t eat them.

6) Like someone who’s trying to quit smoking, you are essentially trying to ‘quit’ an ‘addiction’ to food…. so whenever you feel the need to run for the cookies & chips or find yourself with one hand on the cupboard door (and for whatever reason you still keep the stuff around), DIVERT (as quickly as possible) to the crisper drawer of the fridge. Of course this requires making sure you have an ample supply of healthy alternatives like baby carrots, celery, fresh string beans etc.

7) Eat fresh fruit for dessert instead of cake, cookies, pie etc. Or at least MORE fruit than anything else (Eat the fruit & then have a few bites of [insert decadence here] if you must).

8) Never go to a party or social gathering on an empty stomach.

9) Never go food shopping on an empty stomach & ALWAYS make a list & stick to it!

10) In place of tortilla chips, try celery with salsa. Yes I know it sounds strange but you’d be surprised just how satisfying it actually is (all you really want is the crunch when you get down to it). Besides, celery & salsa is virtually calorie (& guilt free)!

11) Be firm with family & friends when they try to push food on you – yes, even Grandma – I’m not saying you have to be a jerk about it & always say ‘no no no!’ but you have to put limitations on what you give into or you’ll just set yourself back.

12) Be conscious of choices at restaurants & do your best to pick the healthiest thing you can find – ask about substitutions for things like French fries & white rice etc. (You can always steal a bite or two of the sinful stuff from whomever is eating with you). ;-)

13) Remember that it’s ok NOT to clean your plate! PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY!! If you feel full, wrap the remaining food up or throw it away (this is also ok to do…I know, I know, kids starving in [insert country], but there’s no way you could get the food to them before it spoiled so really, who would you be helping besides your fat cells?).

14) When you do feel full & decide to stop eating, get the remainder away from you as quickly as possible before you start to pick again. (ask the server to wrap it/take it ASAP…. mess it up with all kinds of condiments beyond edibility…. pour it in the garbage disposal …give it to the dog …. Give it to Mikey…. etc)

15) Do your best to view food as fuel for your body.

16) If you aren’t sure whether you’re hungry or not, try a cup of tea – cinnamon works best if you are also trying to dodge a craving.

17) S-L-O-W down!!! Pay attention to what you’re eating – TASTE your food as you chew thoroughly, swallow & repeat.

Melissa has the gift of producing weight loss for our clients. She has been there and conquered all the odds to transform herself. If you are having weight loss issues please reachout to Melissa. She just might be the ONE person in your life that can make a difference and give you back your life. She has been where you are - and she was able to rise from the depths to make her body what she always envisioned it to be.

Good luck!
Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

To Cut or Not to Cut

To Cut or Not to Cut

It is in my opinion that far too many people in this country resort to weight loss surgery as a ‘way out’ once they’ve gone too far. It seems like a rather poor replacement for more traditional methods of losing weight, the sole difference being the time & effort involved for effectiveness. Of course, there are cases that absolutely require the assistance of surgery, don’t get me wrong. It’s just the sort of thing that gets a bad wrap from overuse & system manipulation. If it’s something you’ve thought about doing for yourself, here are a few informational tidbits & pros/cons that might help.

A BMI of over 30+ is considered severley obese.

There are two types of surgery: Restrictive & Malabsorptive. Restrictive surgery involves making the stomach smaller thereby limiting the amount of food that can be held, which causes you to feel full faster. Malabsorptive surgery involves making the small intestine shorter which limits the amount of food that is completely digested. Increasingly, both procedures are being performed in conjunction.

There are certain procedures that must be addressed before being approved to go ahead with the surgery. Since most people cannot afford to pay for the surgery on their own, they will have to go through their insurance company in order to obtain assistance. It would be up to you to contact your insurance company to find out if weight loss surgery is covered & then provide all the necessary documentation. This can be arduous as some insurance companies require you not only to obtain written consent from a doctor that indicates a medical necessity but also documentation of attempts at less invasive forms of weight loss (i.e. diet monitoring, exercise attempts etc). You would most likely also have to undergo a psychological evaluation pre-surgery.

Recovery time and psychological reaction are things to think about as well; your life will be drastically affected. Surgery is never something to be taken lightly & aside from possible complications, you could be restricted from your normal everyday activities for 6 weeks (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on various factors such as the type of surgery & your personal reaction or any complications to the surgery). Fortunately, there are many support groups available for post-surgery.

Pros

Rapid weight loss for up to 24 months
Improvement of health conditions caused by obesity

Cons

Side effects (vomiting, nausea, weakness, increased sweating, faintness, dizziness, bloating, increased gas, gallstones and diarrhea)
Nutritional deficiencies
Complications to the surgery (abdominal hernias, infections, breakdown of the staple line, stretched stomach outlets, bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, marginal ulcers, pulmonary problems, spleen injury – may have to be removed completely)
Necessary avoidance of pregnancy - temporarily (women of childbearing age – the rapid weight loss & nutritional deficiencies can harm the fetus)
Lifestyle changes (not only the obvious diet & exercise modifications but also vitamin supplementation & regular periodic checkups for nutritional and digestive problems/issues)
A lack of the long-term effects on nutrition & the body.
Hopefully the above information helped you become just a little more educated on the topic & will assist in helping you make your decision. However, this is obviously an issue to be discussed in depth with your doctor & researched thoroughly to ensure it is something that’s going to be right for you.

This article comes from Melissa, one of my partners, who is an AFAA certified Personal Trainer. Her before and after pictures are a true inspiration of her dedication to what ever she puts her mind to. She has transformed her body and can do the same for you. Melissa is available for in-person Personal Training sessions as well as creating an eight week virtual (email) personal training program to help you meet your individual needs as you work your way to that "Perfect You". She could just be the one person that can truly inspire you to reach your goals. She is always available to answer your questions. Your heatlh is all you have in your later years - take a stand TODAY and make it your priority. Time waits for no one.

Good luck!
Melissa Gentile COO/CTO Executive Vice President Training, Customer Service and Product Development.

'The Breaking Point'

This article comes from Melissa, one of my partners, who is an AFAA certified Personal Trainer. Her before and after pictures are a true inspiration of her dedication to what ever she puts her mind to. She has transformed her body and can do the same for you. Melissa is available for in-person Personal Training sessions as well as creating an eight week virtual (email) personal training program to help you meet your individual needs as you work your way to that "Perfect You". She could just be the one person that can truly inspire you to reach your goals. She is always available to answer your questions.

'The Breaking Point'

I lost 100 pounds.

By myself.

People always ask me 'how'd you do it?' seemingly in hopes that my answer will be short, sweet & contain some sort of magical formula that will make them instantly drop 20 pounds.

Sorry, it doesn't quite work like that & each time I respond I meet disappointment & sometimes even a loss of interest in the matter altogether. The truth is, it took a lot of the same thing you hear being preached at every health club and on every episode, book, workout or meal plan that Oprah endorses. The 'magic formula' does indeed exist & it's actually quite simple; the problem with it is the time that it takes to work. That's where people turn a cold shoulder or give up in exchange for the never-ending 'Quick Fix Quest'.

Exercise + Smart Food Choices = Your Perfect Body

However, contrary to what most people believe, it's really not the magic formula they are, or should be searching for; after all, it is almost common knowledge nowadays. It's what I like to call 'The Breaking Point' that seems to elude most. It's not as if I didn't do what every other person out there on the Quick Fix Quest does - guilty as charged. Like so many, I was in constant search mode for the diet, the workout, the pill or the surgery that would have me dropping clothes sizes in a matter of weeks without changing a single part of the comfortable habits I'd settled into. And like so many, I met my fair share of disappointment & scams alike. Highly discouraging scenarios but not without value, for they sparked the realization that
the only way to get what I truly wanted (and this goes for more than just weight loss by the way) was through sacrifice. I finally accepted that you really can't 'have your cake & eat it too,' (without the inevitable excess weight piling on).

When I finally started to examine the 'why' behind my obesity & paying attention to the things that were part of my daily life that perpetuated the situation I obsessed about, things began to fall into place. For me, the biggest problem turned out to be lack of education in nutrition. I had absolutely no concept of portions. Once the biggest problem was identified, it became easier and easier to start changing things to get the results that I had so long sought after. I took baby steps & came to see that anything that seems too good to be true, truly is & a quick fix will NEVER teach you the lessons necessary for longevity. Only when you are ready to make a real
commitment to yourself, invest your time & energy, and make some sacrifices, will you appreciate & respect the results that you get.

That, my friends, is the 'secret'. Take your time! We as a society are so caught up in the culture of convenience that we fail to remember there is ALWAYS tomorrow - a brand new day just waiting for you to make or break it. Progress takes time.

Awareness + Determination & Commitment = The Breaking Point

Being aware does come with the price of energy expenditure, which is also too often the undoing of many ambitious intentions. Who wants to always have to stop & think before they do something that used to come as second nature (like eating)? However, like anything else in life,
once you get past the initial newness, less effort has to be expended and what was once so difficult & daunting takes the place of those unhealthy habits that were once so comfortable. In my experience, I have also found what works best for me is remembering how good the results feel. Whether it's the accomplishment I feel after a good workout, the satisfaction of a meal that won't make me feel guilty, or remembering how it felt the first time I put on a pair of jeans that
didn't have a double-digit size. I call on memories of hearing exclamations of compliment from people who noticed my progress or hadn't seen me in some time & couldn't believe how far I'd come and how amazing it felt to be able to do things most people take for
granted (like clothes shopping, sitting (and actually fitting) in the chairs at stadiums/theatres/etc. and walking through turnstiles without having to turn sideways to name a few).

Use positive reinforcement for yourself! Don't beat yourself up! We all make mistakes. It is much easier to err on the side of negativity for most people & that only serves to defeat us further. Focus on the positives & you can't go wrong! So you went ahead and ate the cake
today. You know what? There's always tomorrow! And if you want it bad enough, you'll reach the point where you know you're ready and suddenly you're unstoppable. The choice is up to you: continue on in a futile quest that perpetuates a cycle of self defeat and disappointment, or take the first baby step toward the goal that will change your life forever.

Good luck!! :)
Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service