You see there is some interesting data that shows that eating habits are seriously contagious.

I mean how many time have you justified eating something YOU KNOW you shouldn’t eat simply because someone you were with was eating it.

Been there.

Here are two highlights from the new data:

• You are 37% more likely to be obese if your SPOUSE is obese
• You are 57% more likely to be obese if your FRIENDS are obese

(So I guess if your spouse and your friends are obese you are in trouble!)

Check out this infographic…

So what this clearly tells me is that we are HIGHLY influenced by our environment.
So while our fat friends might make us fat (indirectly of course) the converse is also true- our fit friends will make us fitter and more healthy.

Extreme Example: Would you hang out with people that did crack every day?  Of course not, crack is unquestionably unhealthy.  Why would you ever  knowingly surround yourself with people or things that influence you negatively?  Unfortunately many of us do it every single day.

Know this:  You have control over your environment.  I’m not telling you to ditch your friends or your spouse, but it might be time to take a look around and evaluate your surroundings.   

I have “fired” friends for multiple reasons, but with the same basic root cause: They were negative.  They either had negative or destructive habits, or were just perpetually negative about life.

I don’t need that shit-  and neither do you.

Surround yourself with only positive things, and positive people who encourage and celebrate your successes. 

To that end, you should check out our Fanpage at http://facebook.com/carterfitness to hang out with positive people with positive and healthy goals.  We have a great time, so stop by and say hi.

Got questions or want to talk about how you can improve your environment? Shoot me an email anytime or drop by the fanpage.

-Josh

But together we can fix that (and it will be easier than you think).

Tomorrow I will shot you how you can easily shed those unwanted pounds FAST – revealing your tight tummy, firm butt and tight thighs just in time for summer (and that bathing suit you have been avoiding).

I will actually be PAYING YOU to drop fat. (true story)

Stay tuned.

-Josh

PS:  If you just can’t wait.. if you are a real action taker and know now if the time for you to get lean, tight and toned then call me now at 818-766-8888 and I’ll put you on the “action takers” list to get priority notice (and lock in one of only a few slots) of this new program that is *guaranteed* to get you in shape for summer FAST.

You see I frequently consult with clients who tell me they feel flabby, fat and soft, low on energy, HATE looking in mirrors and photos and basically they think they look a lot like a “BEFORE”.  I know how they feel, I have been there myself. 

When you scroll down and see how great all these people look and feel you will probably see someone you know – or more likely see someone who looks a lot LIKE YOU. Also, these are all REAL people that I personally trained – not fake internet BS (I hate that crap.)

-Josh

PS:  Tomorrow I’ll give you the next hint at how you will be the next “before and after” photo to be featured.  You will blow your friends minds when they see your new beach-ready body. 

This is Part 2 of our successful dieter strategies so let’s jump in shall we…

Get Slim Habit #4 – Be a realistic optimist

ACCEPT that fact that weight loss isn’t easy and that there will be ups and downs.

Much like the stock market…as long as you have the mindset that you’re "in this for the long-term" (whether it be 12 weeks or 6 months), this will help you have the right mindset and give you the best chance at being able to handle obstacles.

Get Slim Habit #5 – Activate the Reward/Punishment Game

When in life does winning not have rewards? and when in life does losing not have consequences? So..reward yourself every time you make a good size dent in your goal – and if you don’t reach your little "mini-goal" by that deadline you created for yourself, punish yourself by doing something you don’t wanna do.

Ex. My ultimate goal is 20 pounds, but I reached my 4 pound weight loss mini goal in the 14 days I said I was going to so I am going to REWARD myself by buying those shoes I saw that I loved! (loving yourself is powerful)

Ex. My ultimate goal is 20 pounds but I did NOT reach my weight loss mini goal of 4 pounds the past 14 days so I am not going to my "Friday night out movie with twizzlers" ritual and instead…I am going to do 20 minutes of interval training cardio, eat a healthy dinner and do better next week.

Without REWARDS and CONSEQUENCES there is NOTHING- no motivation to succeed and no fear in failing. Change that NOW!

Get Slim Habit #6 – Movement leads to Meal Improvement

This one is the most valuable one in my opinion. I have seen hundreds of women say "I wanna diet hard first ad lose like 10 pounds, then I will start a workout program"

BLUNT STATEMENT – Dieting harshly without movement will make you feel like SH$T. You think that’s gonna motivate you? make you look better and feel more healthy? last long? Hell NO!

It’s just a way to procrastinate a little longer with the whole "workout and exercise thing" – Sorry to be blunt but if ya don’t move and exercise correctly, no amount of dieting will get you toned and sculpted.

In 15 years in the fitness biz specializing in weight loss and body toning for women, simply MOVING and starting an exercise/fat-loss/body toning program FIRST WITH NO CHANGES in diet EVENTUALLY leads to a better diet and a body transformation.

WHY?

Because moving makes you FEEL good – when you FEEL good – you WANT to eat good – then when both of those things are dialed in you start to not just FEEL good but LOOK good!

Then I get thank you testimonials LOL (tooting of my horn I know)

REMEMBER: "If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you"

-Josh

Ever wonder why only some people reach their weight loss goals and others can’t seem to stick to something (or anything) to save their lives?

The following are 6 diet strategies that make all the difference when it comes to being successful or failing.

And the cool thing is these success strategies are scientifically proven (and tested in the real world) so all you have to do is read this, implement this and have patience.

Get Slim Habit #1 – Be VERY specific

Being vague is the worst thing you can do like saying "I wanna lose a few" , that’s like saying "Hi pilot, can you take me somewhere over there please?" lol – we all need a DESTINATION.

Your brain starts giving attention, energy, focus and will power only when you are clear and specific so SAY THIS instead-

"I want lose 20 pounds and go from 155 to 135 in 10 weeks so that will take me 2 pounds per week. "

Now… THAT is specific!

Get Slim Habit #2 – Create an "OK" to Eat Plan

It’s the same as saying create a "IF" / "THEN" plan.

While eating out if I find myself ordering dessert because everyone is talking and will be staying at the restaurant a little while longer, I will order a cup of tea or…

If I’m at a business lunch I will always order the grilled chicken salad so I can focus on the meeting and keep it simple.

Research shows you will be 2 to 3x more likely to succeed at weight loss if you have an OK to eat plan and plan out the SITUATIONS.

Get Slim Habit #3 – Track your success

You should monitor your progress (not obsessively)

I recommend doing 1 of 2 things. Either weight yourself NO MORE then ONCE per week (weighing yourself everyday or multiple times a day is so crazy I need 100 pages for it so I’m not even getting into how nutz-so that is) in the morning on an empty stomach with little or no clothes OR…

if you’re not obsessed with the number (as you shouldn’t) than simply put on the same pair of skinny jeans once a week in the morning on an empty stomach. Evaluate how you "feel" in them.

Keep a written journal of how you felt until you write the words "They finally fit!"

Well, I hoped you liked PART 1 of the 6 Habits of Highly Successful Dieters.

Stay tuned on tomorrow for Part 2!

REMEMBER: "If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you"

Talk to you tomorrow,

-Josh

Friday night started out like most.  Tired from a long week, and fatigued from a grueling Friday evening workout. 

So far so good.  Then it was good news / bad news.  The bad news was my loving wife Denyse was down with a cold.  The only thing worse than me having a cold is her having a cold.

Actually, it truly is worse when she is sick because she takes care of everyone, so when she is out of commission the house quickly falls apart with 3 Carter men running around unchecked.

Which brings me to the good news:  The boys were off at a friend’s house for a sleep over. Halleluiah.  I love my boys but I also like a break every now and then.

Denyse wasn’t hungry, so I was on my own for dinner.  Ok, no biggie.

But have you ever looked in the fridge and seen NOTHING you want?  It was just one of those times when A) I just wasn’t that hungry and B) Nothing looked good.

But then it caught my eye:  A un-opened pack of Trader Joe’s applewood smoked bacon (we had been out for what seems like forever.)

Not exactly a balanced meal.  But it is organic, and has no nitrites – (so not your average low-quality bacon- this is the good stuff and fits within my goals.)

So I figured I’d grill up the whole thing, save what I didn’t eat for salads and what not at a later date.

<<<====== I even took a pic.

I ended up wrapping four or five slices in some Romaine lettuce and chased it down with a lemon sparkling water and called it dinner. 

Denyse wrapped herself in a blanket and we settled in to watch “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (which was very good, but damn creepy.)

After the movie we both went to bed as normal (this time with less trouble since the boys were elsewhere.)  I fell asleep watching the Simpsons as I usually do but a few hours later something changed.

I was starting to have trouble breathing, my chest was getting tight.  At first I thought “Great, now I’m getting sick – thanks Denyse.”  But quickly I figured out something was wrong.  I got up stepped outside to get air, but I was starting to freak out.  And a 250lb trainer freaking out is not cool.

I decided a trip to the ER was in order, I had to force Denyse to stay home (she was sick enough) and told her to keep her cell nearby so I could update her.

Off to the ER.  Fill out forms, more forms and more forms. I’m still not breathing great, I think I’m getting worse (probably in part due to whatever was happening and in part due the panic setting in.) 

I’m uncomfortable as hell, and still more than a little freaked out.  A nurse finally talks to me then and then finally I get taken to a bed. Waiting waiting waiting.  Then the doc shows up. 

The view as I wait ===>>>

I tell him the night’s events, he listens to my chest, pokes and prods me and then asks if my face being swollen is also new.

WHAT? 

Why yes, that is new (I verify with the iPhone, I look like a cabbage patch kid with stubble.)

He has the nurse stick an IV in me with some drugs that I can’t pronounce, injects me with something and he says I’ll be fine and he’ll be back to check on me in a while.  Well at this point I most certainly WAS NOT fine, and was starting to lose what little cool I had left.

I then got a text from Denyse and the drugs finally kicked in.

I’m now calm(er).  The doc seemed un-phased by my condition, so that alone made me feel better too.  I drifted off to sleep waiting for him to come back. 

He finally returned, I’m not sure how much later.  But I’m feeling SIGNIFICANLTY better at this point.  So I finally asked him what it was.

His reply:  A food allergy.  And it had to be something I ate within a few hours of the symptoms setting in. The likely culprit:  Bacon.

Bacon- WTF???

I said c’mon – I eat bacon 1-2 times per week (although it had been a good 3 weeks.)  He said that although it is not all that common, adult food allergies can come on quickly.  He recommended I see a specialist to confirm.

Just f^*king great.  Bacon.

I was pissed but at least I could breath and they were sending me home

I was discharged (or whatever it’s called) so I headed home.  It was now quite bright out but not only had I had an unbelievably crappy night of barely being able to breath, I had also just been told it very well could be that I am allergic to one of the worlds most awesome foods.

I crawled into bed where I stayed until about noon. 

I now have the name of a good allergist nearby, and I will be calling her first thing Monday morning.

So it would seem for the foreseeable future bacon is off the menu.  I’m sure I’ll be tested for all sorts of stuff – I wonder what else I am allergic to. (Please God, not peanut butter too.)

-Josh

PS: For a good laugh click here to see my face all puffed up.

And now I am hooked.  What is it?  Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the awesome things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes, inspire and intrigue and just pin cool stuff.

You could say “Pin” is the new “Like”.

If you’re already on Pinterest you gotta click this ===>>> 

Need an invite?  Email me HERE and I’ll send you a “Pinvite”.

-Josh

Geri is 91 years old, so regardless of circumstance, being in the hospital while forging ahead into your ninth decade is not a good thing.

“What happened?”  I asked as my wife broke the news.

“Well, she stubbed her toe…” she explained.

Inside, I was thinking “big deal” , even at 91 how bad could that be?  But then she went on…

“And she didn’t tell anyone for a while…”

Ok, that probably isn’t good. And it wasn’t until then it occurred to me that Geri is diabetic, and has been for a LONG time.  So this was truly not good at all.

Denyse continued, “And so tomorrow she is scheduled to have her leg amputated.”

HOLY SHIT!  Amputated?  From a damn stubbed toe? 

Yup, amputated ABOVE the knee – all from a stubbed toe.  (And decades of a destructive yet preventable and curable disease. Don’t forget that.)

And with that we come to the point of the article: How this could have been prevented?

I have written about diabetes many times, and how destructive and debilitating a condition it can be.  But type 2 diabetes is predominantly a disease of self design brought about by poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

It does not come on overnight, it can take 10 or more years to really get going and thus is more commonly seen in older adults (usually 50+ years old). But you know us Americans, always in a rush.  So now we have seen an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes appearing in kids aged 12-14. 

The treatment and cure is simple:  9 times out of 10 (probably more) you can cure (and prevent) diabetes by modifying your diet (lose the carbs) and getting more exercise.  Simple right? So simple everyone should do it right?

Wrong.

You see there is a problem with that.  There is no money in eating right and exercising.  (Full disclosure, I obviously make money helping people get fit).  No REAL money anyway.  Like pharmaceutical company money.  We’re talking BILLIONS.

Why cure people when keeping them sick is SOOOO profitable?  Just give them a pill and they can continue to live the sedentary lives of eating shit food all day long. They stay sick – but they are alive.  And the drug companies continue to rake in the $$$.

Plain and simple:  There is no money in curing disease – only in treating disease– and it is shameful.

Back to Geri…

I came home Monday after the gym.  Denyse and her mother Linda were on the couch (watching the DIY channel or something equally painful). 

So I asked, “Any update on Geri?”

“She made it out of surgery, and she is doing ok.” Linda replied.

“Alive and kicking?” I replied which was instantly met with a groan. 

“Too soon?” I added. 

Thankfully after 20 years they are well aware of my twisted sense of humor.

Yes, Geri made it out of surgery and as of this writing is alive and kicking (at least with one leg.)  Geri is tough.  You don’t get to be 91 years old with out having some fight in you, and she still has some fight left.

The reality is that Geri will require 24 hour care for the foreseeable future.  And the road ahead will be tough.  Very tough.  My family and I send her all our love with best wishes for a speedy recovery.

And it is my true hope that I live to 91.  But I sure-as-shit don’t want to lose my leg (or any other body part for that matter) along the way.

So….

My message to you is simple : DO NOT put off taking care of yourself.  Yesterday you said today and tomorrow might be too late.   Do not wait until you are reliant upon drug companies to keep you living (but not truly “alive”).  You owe it to your family, but more importantly you owe it to yourself.

Right now, when you are done reading this do something good for yourself.  Go for a walk, work out, eat a vegetable, hell even just stretch and touch your toes.  Do something.

You are the only you there is, so take care of you- you will be hard to replace.

I said now.

Stay healthy my friends,
-Josh

PS:  In related news Tuesday was my Grandmother Dorothy’s 96th birthday.  I am happy to report she is happy, healthy and living well.  Happy Birthday Grandma!