To All of my Future Clients...Everywhere

I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve listened to someone tell me, "I need a really good program that I can follow that will help get rid of this/these ___________________". (Fill in the blank with the word “gut”, “butt”, “hips”, “love-handles”, you get the idea...).

Here is my usual unemotional and deadpan reply: “Look, I can create the finest exercise program for you known to man, but in exchange I will require from you several things to complement and fully complete the effectiveness of that program...

Their usual, pre-scripted response is, “Like what?”; to which I dryly reply:

1.) Hard work - I need you to come in prepared to work hard and not waste your time or hard earned money while you are training with me. It will require you to push and pull to the fullest of your God given ability – at EACH and EVERY training session. Here’s the cold hard truth: If you’ve been fat for 3 years, it will, more than likely, take close to half that time to change your physique (16 months). Sounds like a long time, don’t it? Deal with it. However, effort, consistency and #2 will magically cut that time in half.

2.) Discipline – Please completely come to terms with and understand that in order to change your body (you know – the one you’ve been unhappy with for 5-10 years) you simply MUST follow certain behavioral modifications that will aid you in obtaining and achieving your goal of fat loss. This means ALWAYS thinking about making better choices at meal times and not feeding me a line of B.S. with respect to 'how little you ate.' We’re both adults and we both know the reason your progress has stifled is because you have repeatedly stuffed your face.

3.) Stop Whining - Yes, you! I need you to recognize that even though you may be 20-45 pounds overweight, THIS IS STILL THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY! You should be content in the knowledge that you are in a position where you can still do something about it. Believe it or not, as I write this, there are people out there who are looking for a box to sleep in tonight or picking food scraps out of the McDonald's dumpster you just came from. In fact, I’d wager that your garbage disposal ate better than ¾ of the population of the earth today. Remember, happiness is not having what you want; happiness is wanting what you have.

4.) Unlearn everything you read, heard, or have tried – I have been at this for over thirty years. Think about that for a moment. This is the only means for my income. Would I jeopardize your progress, or my reputation, by delivering advice that would get you anything but the complete success you desire? Let’s agree on this: you are in need of a new diet & exercise program because everything you have tried or believed in has failed. My guess is it has failed because you screwed up on numbers #1, #2, #3. You need solutions; I have answers. If you will follow the success formula I’ll provide, you WILL achieve the success you want...I guarantee it.

5.) Hard work - oh yeah, I’ve mentioned that already. Please, do not be intimidated by sweat: do feel free to skip your favorite treat and, by all means, feel free to park your Lexus further away from the entrance. If you think whatever you’re contemplating may in any way enhance your fat loss efforts, you have my full permission to “give it a go.” We’ll talk about it later.

God bless,
SP