With that said, I hope that you will feel free to forward a good article to your friends. Another way you can help others benefit from the fitness-related information and tools I provide is to encourage a family member or co-worker to sign-up for our newsletter.

No matter how you look at it… the more knowledge I can empower you with… the greater the likelihood that you will succeed with your weight and nutrition goals.

Today I thought I would share some do’s and don’ts on eating out. Whether it is a holiday, special occasion, lunch at the office or dinner with friends and colleagues… Eating out for many is a necessary evil.

For those of us who aren’t compelled by the J.O.B. to entertain by dining out…take this guide of tricks to keep you on your program and cut calories when you decide to go out to eat.

Never Ever SUPER SIZE: In America we already have portions that are way too big.  Plus you can save a few bucks too. Often times you can share the meal and just order your own salads. You get the taste and the satisfaction and then you actually get the portion you should receive. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and its well worth it.

Get the ‘New’ Menu: Maybe you don’t want to share with a client or a family member.  Many restaurants now have an “appetizer” menu. Two people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it’s still a ton of food!

Bail on the Bread: Unless this establishment has the best bread in town (I am guessing your not in Italy or France either)  skip it.  C’ mon you can show some will power- you can resist, if you want to. Try it just once and see if you don’t walk out of that restaurant feeling proud of yourself.

Stop Ordering Drinks: Soft drinks are a huge money maker for restaurants.  It costs them pennies and you get a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and act like they’re doing you a big favor by only charging you $1.29. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you’re ordering “to go” skip the drink. If you’re eating it there, ask for water, or at least switch to diet drinks. Never drink “fat pop.”

Why do you feel you need to eat in 6 minutes FLAT? Enjoy your meal. Take your time. Your body often needs time to catch up and a big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. If you eat like you are in the Hot Dog contest you body cant know when you’re satisfied. Take a bite then notice how many times do you chew before you start wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be much happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you’ll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger.

Start with the To Go Bag: Your food arrives but you shouldn’t start eating right away.  When the food is served, immediately portion off some to take home for tomorrow. As I said before… most restaurants in the US serve way too much. Your mom isn’t hovering over you to finish your plate or no dessert.  Ordered a great steak? Have it for breakfast with some egg whites.  Get the idea?

Order these two cool Books: Get a copy of Eat This, Not That! or Restaurant Confidential, and check out the calorie count of what you’re actually eating. If you eat out a ton and your belt is getting tighter…think that might be part of the problem? Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at just under 1200.  Are you kidding me?

So if eating out is part of your daily or weekly lifestyle,  how about giving these a try.  I promise you will notice the changes in a very short period of time.

A weather man is freaking out on television stating the obvious: It’s snowing.  It’s going to keep snowing and it might be a while for the roads to be clear enough for throngs of people to drive.  So you need to prepare for getting locked in your house for a few days.  Now everyone heads to the local grocery store to stock up.

Smart people buy items like extra fruits and vegetables and some eggs and chicken and of course, you need fat free hot chocolate when it is going to be 20 degrees, right?

What do most people get?  Bags and bags of crap!  Chips, cereal, pasta, gallons of milk and last but certainly not least, BREAD.

If you don’t know by now, white flour is a huge killer of any training program.  It zaps energy, adds unwanted fat, and is a huge part of the cyclical process of eating empty calories.

One of the first things I tell my clients when they start a program is to make sure that when they eat out (which a lot of my clients do because they are career-type people) is to tell the server at a restaurant to not bring them bread.

That is not to say that restaurants are the only culprit.  Your pantry is mostly to blame.  Toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, bread basket at dinner…you get the idea.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not preaching you should never have bread ever again (A person has to have a life).  What I am saying is 4-5 servings of any type of bread product every single day will make you gain weight, ensuring you never lose your unwanted weight which can lead to diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

So here are a few nutrition programming strategies I utilize to help me fight the battle of the bread and reduce cravings:

• Breakfast - Don’t automatically go for toast, bagels, or a roll.  Two or three hard boiled eggs over sliced tomatoes is delicious.  Maybe whip up a batch of oatmeal and add walnuts and berries.  My clients even add in protein powder for flavor and love it.  How about cottage cheese and pineapple? For an open mind the options are endless.
• Snacks - Pack them at home and bring them to work rather than the buying from the dreaded vending machine.  In less than 90 seconds, you can throw natural peanut butter, raw almonds, dried fruit (no sugar added), an apple or banana and baby carrots all in a bag and be out the door.  Now you don’t need the employee room bagels or donuts.  (Doughnuts may be Homer Simpsons favorite food but who wants to look like Homer Simpson?)  Spread the peanut butter on an apple and have at it.
• Ditch the sandwich as your everyday choice for lunch. Bring in a portion of last night’s dinner for lunch.  Salmon, broccoli and brown rice or maybe chicken from last night and a sweet potato are great options.  Lunch is simply another version of dinner.
• Bread is not a staple at the dinner table. Rather it is a once-in-while experience.  Choose healthy carbohydrate choices like salad, cooked vegetables, brown rice, or quinoa.
• Think that eating “100% Whole Wheat” is any better? Wrong answer.  It still falls in the category of refined flour (it’s just not bleached) and a huge contributor to weight gain.

So there you have it.  Shock yourself and see if you feel better and look more trim by only cutting out the bread for a week and then tell me about

When you are part of the top 1% of your industry you really need to raise the bar when you come home from a weekend like mine. I have been surrounded by peers and friends who are at the top of their game. They come to me for advice and I go to them for ideas and brainstorming. Together we all win and instill new ways to touch as many lives as possible.

This boot camp was an opportunity to work side by side with my peers developing new programming, creating new training techniques, and learn about new marketing and joint venture opportunities to truly make a difference in other people’s lives. Many of the big names in fitness are also well paid professionals. They are men and women, like me, who command top dollar for their time and training.

However the reason these people are so successful has nothing to do with how much they earn or how many zeros are included in their bank accounts bottom line. It is the transparency, loyalty, and passion they have for their clients and customers that enable them to succeed.

I continually stress the importance of goal-setting with many of my clients and all of you newsletter subscribers.  The ability to set clear and attainable goals is the most important tool to ensure the success of any accomplishment.

You may want to finally get into that bikini, lower your golf handicap to a single digit, get a raise at work, or do 100 push ups without stopping.  To successfully reach your goal, you must make sure you are clear and focused on the end result.

Many people choose to take this week off from work and spend time with family and friend.  And for many, this week is a time to decompress and re-energize for 2008.

In my world, I must prepare for the onslaught of clients with New Years resolutions and reinvent ways to keep them motivated after the first few weeks.  The good news is that I have a proven system that works for my clients.

AND by using a time-tested program to lose body fat and learn healthy lifestyle changes, I know that every single one of you will succeed.

So today I am going to teach you one of the methods I use for keeping people focused after the initial excitement of New Years resolutions wears off.

I want you to take out a sheet of paper or index card to carry it around for the next few days.
 
Now divide the card or paper into five columns and title the top of each column.  The categories in no specific order are:
• Career
• Health
• Education
• Finance
• Family
Over the next few days, until New Years Eve, I want you to write down things you want to accomplish in each area on that card.  They can be large or small, but all should be easily attainable.

Then on New Years Eve, before you head out to that great party, take out a fresh sheet of paper or index card and prioritize them from most important to less important.

Many of the items that are most important will take several steps and therefore will need to be at the top of the list.  For example, if losing 20 lbs is most important… well you can’t go to bed and wake up 20 lbs lighter.  You need to plan, download workouts, make lists for the grocery store, set out a calendar to ensure you get to the gym and make time for fitness.

When you look at your list you will be inclined to take the necessary steps to accomplish your goal.  Look over your list everyday when you wake up and before you go to bed.  Make sure you do a little something everyday to get closer and closer to reaching your goals.

You will see how easy it is to check more and more items off your list and ultimately build the lifestyle you want for yourself.

To help you with this project I am including an article on items you need to have with you in your car, luggage or around your office to ensure fitness success in 2008.
Results Only … it’s not just a name, it’s a lifestyle!

Bobby

I’m talking about your fitness levels but I guess you could use this question to analyze anything in your life.

Are you doing the things that will lead you to a healthier body, better fitness levels and lifelong habits?  Or are you sitting around, feeling tired, not taking charge and ignoring the obvious?

I hope you gave a “yes” to the first part of that statement.

Do you set goals in your life?  Do you hold yourself accountable?  Are you focusing on getting in shape, building or rebuilding your self confidence and leading a fulfilled life?

Or are you sitting around sulking, blaming everyone and complaining, “This is so hard” … blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I can’t run a program called Results Only and let you get away with that.  It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about health/fitness, your job, a relationship, your skills…

You’re either getting better or worse.

If you don’t make fitness a part of your weekly routine by doing a little something each day or if you slack off on eating right more than two meals in a row….

You are getting worse.

Why would you enjoy making it harder on yourself?   Why not make it easy?

Sure, that first day you go out the front door for a 2 mile walk might be challenging and you could be huffing and puffing by the end.  But you will feel better.  And yes, it will make a difference if you tell the waiter to please not bring the bread bowl to the dinner table as a deterrent from eating something you don’t want or need in your diet.

You already know the little things you can do each and every day to make life EASIER on your self.  You just need to make a conscious effort to do so.  It just makes too much sense.

Here are some ways to make small bouts of exercise and losing weight easier for you:

1. Make small goals and focus on achieving those first.
2. Park as far away from the front door of the store as possible.
3. Come up with a fitness program, no matter how small.  (Hint, hint – I have a bunch of them!)
4. Watch your fat and sugar intake
5. For most of us, add to your intake of fresh fruits and DOUBLE your vegetables.
6. Be consistent with your exercise program.
7. Believe that you can do this (or anything else you want to do, for that matter).
8. For most of us, TRIPLE your water intake.
9. Tell someone you are making some life altering changes.  They will ask you about them which will keep you on task.
10. Have fun with life no matter what you’re doing.  We only go around once!

If you do these, and by no means is this list complete, (I am sure you have a ton more ideas too) you will become successful, guaranteed.

Here is a little “Bobby Tough Love”.  If you are overweight, out of shape, have troubles moving around, etc……….

Whatever you are doing is NOT WORKING!

So change it!!!

As Nike says…. Just do it!

What does this have to do with you feeling and getting better or worse?

Just about everything.

Because if you are un-motivated, overweight, lazy, without goals or a routine …  there is no way you are getting any better …..

You only make it harder and harder on yourself each and every day to feel physically, mentally and emotionally fulfilled.

Everyday that you procrastinate on doing the necessary steps to getting and feeling better about yourself, you make it that much harder to get in shape and build a body right now you can only dream about.

So why not make it easier for yourself, and start today?

So get outside, go for a walk.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Get rid of the junk food in your cupboards.  Call a friend and meet them at the park for a stroll.  Doesn’t matter to me just…

Make sure you feel better!