Ask Raphael: How to Set Goals

Hi Raphael,

You mention the importance of having goals a lot, and I’d like your feedback on how to set goals. I never seem to achieve what I set out to do as far as weight loss and improving my fitness level. Any guidance about how to set goals would be appreciated. Thanks — Debbie

Debbie,

Every January, I post a goals thread on my Exercise and Fitness support forum on eDiets. I then work with every eDiets member who posts their goals and help them to revise goals if necessary. Once the goals are in place, I work with them to get to their goal. However, structuring the goals correctly is vital.

This is what I look for in goal setting:

Choose 1-3 goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and based on a Time Frame (SMART). Never set more than 3 goals because the mind tends to lose focus when there are too many goals; keep things manageable.

The goals can be short- and/or long-term, but they must be measurable. I like to see dates (beginning and ending) as well as anything that’s measurable and important to you such as scale weight, body composition, percentage of strength increases or participation in events such as road races. It can even be an increase in cardio time, days, etc.

Think of the three most important things you want to accomplish, and it should come to you pretty quickly. If it’s fewer than three goals, that’s fine. Focus is the key.

Here is an example of how to set goals:

1. Decrease from 200 pounds to 170 for a total of 30 pounds. Average fat loss of 1.25 pounds per week. Start Jan. 1, 2010 and achieve goal by July 1, 2010. (Note: Keep fat loss to 2 pounds or fewer per week)

2. Begin a running program and run one mile in eight weeks. Begin Jan. 1, 2010 and achieve goal by Feb 28, 2010.

3. Drop 5 inches off my hips. Begin Jan. 1, 2010 and achieve this goal by April 30, 2010.
Continuous and updated short-term goals are also part of the process so you can tweak the goals even further with something like this:

- Decrease from 200 pounds to 170 for a total of 30 pounds. Average fat loss of 1.25 pounds per week. Start Jan. 1, 2010 and achieve goal by July 1, 2010. I will begin with a conservative and attainable 4-pound loss in the month of January.

As you can see, it’s not about setting goals and never looking at them again. The goals must be reviewed on a consistent basis in order to set and achieve short-term goals.

Here is an example of how NOT to set goals:

1. I will get in good shape in 2010.
2. I will get to my goal weight.

The above is too general. There is no way to measure success – there’s no specificity. Avoid writing these types of general goals.

Goals can only be achieved with a plan of action. The plan must include exercise that you find enjoyable and that is based on progression. If you dislike traditional exercise, then seek out different forms of movement such as DVD classes, dance classes, etc.

You must also have a structured nutrition program. The diet is a must because this isn’t a hit-or-miss thing. You have to know what you’re eating and you have to have a plan.

If you aren’t a member of eDiets, please review all the delicious meal plans we offer. If you wish to make life even easier, take a good look at our award winning Fresh-Prepared Meal Delivery program.

If you join, I encourage you to use all of the eDiets resources that are part of your membership: assistance from me and our registered dietitians as well as all of the great perks we offer.
Take ownership of your goal (s). Contemplate what you want to achieve and think about what you’re going to have to sacrifice to get there.

I encourage you to set goals and to really put your heart and soul into this. Try to visualize how you’ll feel when you hit your short-term and long-term goals. Try to really connect with that elated emotion. Becoming physically fit is important, but so is the sense of emotional fulfillment you’ll feel from achieving your goals.

Best of luck and happy new year!

Have a fitness question you want answered? Email Raphael at askthetrainer@ediets.com and you could have your question picked! And if you missed a previous column, see the archive here.

Make NOW your time to do something about your weight. eDiets can help make weight loss a little easier. Let our nutritionists and fitness pros guide you! Click here for a FREE diet profile.

10 Proven Fitness Resolutions for 2010

By Raphael Calzadilla
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

Here we go — ready to storm into 2010 with great fitness resolutions. Is your resolution to get fit? Lose weight? Feel more energetic?

In my 16-plus years of personal training experience, nothing sets a person up for failure as much as an open-ended, generic fitness resolution.

Resolving to lose weight is sort of like asking you what your career aspirations are and you answering, “to become famous” or “to do well on my job.” There isn’t an action plan or any real goal you can sink your teeth into.

I’m not a big fan of lots of resolutions and goals. If you have 1-3 resolutions, you’re on the right track. Focusing on a few fitness goals will bring greater results than a list of 10 that make you feel overwhelmed.

Limiting the resolutions, being focused and maintaining consistency is the key. I’m going to help you by providing 10 resolutions. All you have to do is fill in the blanks where necessary or modify the resolution based on your fitness experience.

Remember, don’t choose all of them. Just 1-3 resolutions is all it takes.

Let’s start with a contract. Yes, that’s right; you have to make a written commitment.

I (place your name here) hereby resolve to implement the following fitness resolutions:

1. I will lose 4 pounds per month for a total of ______ pounds by (place the date here).

2. I will work out three times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes for the months of January to March. If my schedule allows, I will add a fourth day in April. (If twice per week is more realistic, than go with that. The key is consistency and what’s realistic based on your lifestyle.).

3. I will increase my endurance by two minutes per week so that I can powerwalk an additional 16 minutes per workout session by March 1, 2010. (You can choose any form of cardio, but there must be a realistic time increase and a time frame goal).

4. I will perform resistance exercise twice per week for 20 minutes using a whole-body workout routine.

5. I will find a video tape that I find fun and will do it twice per week for the months of January and February. (This resolution is for those who dislike working out. It provides a fun element and a short-term goal. I’m positive you’ll want to continue after February, but the short-term goal takes some pressure off.).

6. I will find a group exercise class such as spinning, aerobic dance, jazzercise, etc.; sign up for the class and commit to two days per week for 30 days.

7. I will increase my flexibility by stretching three days per week for 7-10 minutes (flexibility is important and it doesn’t take all that much to improve upon it.).

8. I will go for two 15-minute walks per day from Monday to Friday. One walk will be at lunch time and one walk will be after dinner. (This fitness resolution is for those who are so busy they can’t make it to the gym).

9. In early January, I will hire a personal trainer for two sessions per week for a total of 20 sessions. (This resolution is for those who need a good push and some teaching and motivation to go along with it).

10. In early January, I will join eDiets and sign up for the fitness and exercise program (then choose two additional goals above).

I know you can do this. Now, how bad do you want it?

As always, please check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Did you know that incorporating exercise and fitness with your diet plan can boost your weight loss and help you lose faster? It’s true! Find your best fitness and diet plan combination by taking our quick Free Diet Profile now!

A drug-free competitive bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health-and-fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. in communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.

Like this post? Check these out, too:
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Make Resolutions Succeed: 6 Terrific Tips

By Dr. Nancy Tice
eDiets Contributor

Along with saving money, quitting smoking and behaving in a more saintly fashion, Americans’ favorite New Year’s resolution is, of course, losing weight; a disproportionately large number of us make a resolution to lose weight for the new year.

New research shows you’re 10 times more likely to reach your goal if you make a pact with yourself to change, rather than simply have a desire to do so. People who make resolutions and succeed in reaching their goals have the same number of slip-ups as those who resolve and fail.

One of the reasons many of us fail is that we try to use a short-term approach to solve a long-term problem. We secretly believe we can begin a diet, lose weight and then resume all our old bad habits. We fail to realize that weight management is a lifestyle challenge that can’t be achieved without permanent changes.

There’s no magic cure. Losing weight and keeping it off requires a major commitment of time and energy. As they say, sometimes the truth hurts, and we have to gear up for the contest if we’re going to stay on the winning track.

Second, we may have the best of intentions, do all the right things and then we crash into a faulty diet mentality thinking, “I’m not losing weight fast enough!” We get impatient. Why? Well, what do all the ads say? “Drop 10 pounds in a week!” Having been brainwashed to expect rapid results, we get demoralized when we don’t see the weight drop off quickly. We need to adjust our expectations about successful weight goals. Gradual loss (1 or 2 pounds a week at the most) is more likely to be permanent.

Another reason we fail is that we don’t exercise. We give in to all the excuses such as, “I don’t have the time” or “I get enough exercise during the day.”

Research studies have shown repeatedly that exercise is the key to weight management success. Exercise is, without question, the best thing we can do for ourselves, both physically and mentally. It’s the modern panacea. Yet almost two-thirds of Americans don’t get enough exercise. Without regular exercise, our weight-loss attempts will fail.

So, how can you maximize your chance for success and make this the last year you need to make the resolution to lose weight?

1. Make a commitment: Achieving and maintaining your healthy weight requires a lifelong commitment. It requires concentration, time and effort. Make sure that you’re ready to make the necessary permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons. No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure — often from people closest to you — may actually make matters worse.

You must want to make diet and exercise changes to please yourself. As you’re planning to launch new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems that may be in your life. It takes considerable mental and physical energy to change your habits. So, make sure you aren’t distracted by other major issues in your life, such as marital or financial problems.

Timing is key to success. You need to be at a point in your life where you’re ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss. Keep in mind that no matter how prepared you may be, you’ll occasionally overeat or eat foods that you should avoid. Rather than let a setback derail your efforts, accept that it happened and get back on track. Don’t expect to be perfect — and never give up.

Motivate yourself by focusing on all of the benefits of losing weight, such as having more energy and improving your health. Then look at the negatives, such as finding the time to exercise, and come up with creative solutions.

2. Draw on support from others: Ultimately, only you can help yourself lose weight, so you have to take responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support from your spouse, family and friends.

An ideal support person might be someone who also is participating in a weight-loss program, such as another eDiets member. Some people fare better with professional support, such as from a dietitian or personal trainer. eDiets offers support and access to professionals to help you accomplish your goals.

3. Set Realistic Goals: Focus on health instead of weight as your primary measure of success. When you’re thinking about what you expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Set weekly or monthly goals and track your progress. Remember that you’re in this for the long haul. Anything you undertake too intensely or too vigorously quickly becomes too onerous, so you’re more likely to give up.

In addition, make your goals “process goals,” such as eating judiciously and exercising regularly, rather than “outcome goals,” such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable — you’ll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

4. Learn to enjoy healthier foods: Liquid meals, diet pills and unusual combinations of foods aren’t the key to long-term weight control and better health. Instead, learn how to eat a variety of healthy foods. Adopting a new eating style that promotes a healthy weight for you must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean decreasing taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation.

5. Change your lifestyle: It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to incorporate these behaviors into your life. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place.

Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine. To assess your eating behaviors, ask yourself if you tend to eat when you’re bored, angry, tired, anxious, depressed or socially pressured. Look at your eating style and shopping and cooking techniques. Were you taught to clean your plate? Do you eat too fast? Do you eat while watching TV? See if any patterns emerge to identify possible triggers for overeating.

After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won’t get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you’ll deal with them and whether you’re going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

6. Celebrate your victories: Set small reachable goals and reward yourself when you get there. Maybe buy a new CD you’ve been wanting or a massage. Or buy a new best-seller novel and curl up with it.

So, get going! No more excuses, fad diets or junk food. Sign up with eDiets today and start living a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Nancy Tice is a psychiatrist with extensive experience furnishing medical information and writing articles for online services. She did her medical training at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

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Make Diet Resolutions Reality: 10 Tips

By eDiets Staff

The New Year is at hand and you’re so determined to stick with your weight-loss resolutions that you’ve even written them down… in permanent black marker!

Sure, you’ve gone through the same drill year after year. Come Jan. 1, you break out the carrot and celery sticks and push the chips and cookies to the back of the pantry, determined to shed that spare tire once and for all.

For a whole week or so, you’re “good” — you cut calories and find time for a rigorous exercise regimen. But then, in a moment of weakness, you down a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream. And then, in another weak moment, you gobble several slices of greasy stuffed pizza. To make matters worse, you skip a workout — or five.

It’s all downhill from there as you throw in the towel and resolve to try again – next year.

Does this frustrating scenario sound all too familiar? Don’t give up the fight. Like millions of other overweight men and women, you’re the victim of a few common dieting mistakes.

This year, get it right with expert help from eDiets and well-versed contributors like Katherine Tallmadge, author of Diet Simple: 192 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits and Inspirations. When the Washington, D.C.-based nutritionist isn’t busy improving the health of congressmen, diplomats, journalists and cabinet members, she’s serving as national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Katherine’s updated best-seller is chocked full of proven weight-loss pointers backed by recent science and research. Diet Simple also offers 29 new recipes — including desserts and party foods — and easy-to-follow tips for all.

Katherine tells eDiets the most important thing to remember is to keep it simple.

“If you want to lose weight, the key is finding strategies that you can easily work into your lifestyle,” she notes. “Don’t make sweeping overhauls that are doomed to fail. People who fail end up going on extremely rigid diet plans. They’re depressing diet plans or pills or supplements that they can’t keep up.

“Don’t try to change too much at once. Set goals that are realistic and simple enough,” she said. “Studies show that people are more successful at keeping resolutions that are widely believed. In fact, a recent study found the success rate of resolutions is 10 times higher than the success rate of adults desiring to change, but not making a resolution.”

First, make a resolution. Then boost your odds of success by integrating these 10 simple secrets into your life.

1. Defuse calorie bombs! Get rid of the foods in your house that you have a problem controlling. Bottom line: If that saves just one 500-calorie binge per week, you could lose 7 pounds in a year.

2. Irritate the waiter! Shake up the usual order of things in a restaurant by ordering your entree before drinks or appetizers. This will take the edge off your appetite so that you’ll order more modestly. Count on saving at least 400 calories per night out. Bottom line: If you “irritate the waiter” just once a week, that adds up to losing 6 pounds a year!

3. Hit the ground running! Wake up in the morning, yawn, roll out of bed, go to the bathroom, have a drink of water and slip into your workout clothes. Don’t check email or phone messages. Start moving. Then you’ll have your exercise finished before you’re even awake. Bottom line: Do it for just 15 minutes a day and lose 10 pounds in a year!

4. Get sexy lingerie! After accomplishing just one of these strategies, reward yourself — or ask your spouse to — with something that’s not a box of chocolates or an elaborate dinner out. Make the substitution just once a week and you’ll save at least 1,200 calories. Bottom line: Lose 18 pounds in a year.

5. Say no to food pushers! Take a positive approach. Sample the offered food, but tell your host, “This is delicious. I’d love to have more, but I’m wonderfully satisfied and can’t take another bite.” Be positive, yet firm. Bottom line: If you resist a food pusher once a week, and decide not to have the 500-calorie dessert, you can easily lose 7 pounds in a year.

6. Afternoon delight! If you’re hungry in the afternoon — even if it’s close to dinner — eat something! Do it now. Approaching dinner in a ravenous state is asking for a binge. It is especially important to eat an afternoon snack if dinner is late. Bottom line: A planned snack can save you at least 300 calories a night.

7. Breathe deeply! Before you eat anything, take your food to the table. Sit down, close your eyes and take three or four deep breaths to relax your mind and body. Listening to your body’s real hunger signals is one of the keys to long-term weight maintenance. Bottom line: If being deeply aware of your body and the food in front of you causes you to eat two fewer slices of bread than usual, you’ll save 160 calories.

8. Eat then shop! When you’re trying to lose weight, nothing is more hazardous than shopping when you’re hungry. Foods that would never catch your eye when you’re in your right mind will suddenly look very appealing. Do yourself a favor. Eat, then shop. Bottom line: My guess is that if you go shopping twice a week, and if you manage to eat before leaving home, you can count on saving yourself at least 300 calories each trip.

9. More snacking, fewer calories! People who snack between meals find it easier to lose weight because they actually take in fewer calories. Snacks keep you satisfied so you’re less likely to experience runaway hunger or emotional cravings. Snacks have to be planned. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself stuck with whatever’s available. Bottom line: If your healthy snack keeps you from your usual vending machine pick-me-up, you’ll save about 250 calories right there. Do it every day and you’ll lose a lot of weight in a hurry.

10. Eat by the clock! Your body gets hungry every three to five hours. Impulse eating, or bingeing, is usually a result of poor planning. If you eat at regular times and never let yourself get too hungry, you’ll be less likely to overindulge. Eat five times a day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Just three meals can work too, provided the meals are balanced, and your breakfast, lunch and dinner are roughly equal in calories. Bottom line: This is a very significant change. You can lose tremendous amounts of weight just by planning meals carefully and sticking to a regular mealtime schedule.

If you need help planning out what and how often to eat during the day for weight loss, eDiets can help. Our plans are customized to your specific needs. Learn more about how eDiets can help you lose weight today!

For more help with your diet resolutions, continue to these posts:
– Complete Weight-Loss Checklist
– How to Get Started on a Fitness Plan
– Controlling Your Hunger

Your Health Checklist for 2010

By Shawn McKee
Staff Writer

Every year you make a list of things to change, and every year you change some things while leaving the rest for next year’s resolutions. What you need is a checklist — something that prioritizes the important things you need to do this year, this decade and for the rest of your life. Like an owner’s manual for your body…

Luckily, Dr. Manny Alvarez has just what you need. He’s the author of The Checklist: What You and Your Family Need to Know to Prevent Disease and Live a Long and Healthy Life. A combination of extensive research and common sense, The Checklist is a step-by-step guide that skips straight to the important facts, tests and precautions that should be observed in every decade of life — from prenatal to postretirement.

Whether you’re a sporty new model or a garage-kept classic — or even if you haven’t been following the recommended maintenance program — it’s never too late for a tune-up or too early for an overhaul.

“Early prevention is the key to good health,” says Alvarez. “You’ll feel better along the way, and when you get to your senior years, you’ll be able to live a healthy and joyful life, instead of being hobbled with disease and medical problems.”

He outlines a very specific preventative strategy based on your age, showing how to maintain your body in each decade to reach your next significant milestone healthier and happier than you thought possible. Alvarez wants to erase the concept of age and have you cruising like a well-kept classic instead of a rundown jalopy.

One of the biggest priorities in keeping you running on all cylinders down this long and winding road we call life is streamlining yourself from the start, he says.

“If obesity starts as a child, it will certainly have implications later in life,” Alvarez says. “As you get older, being obese becomes increasingly more challenging. You’re dealing with the cumulative stress of excess weight, plus, the higher incidence of eating disorders, diabetes, gastrointestinal and joint problems.”

He recommends what he calls “nutrition from conception.” He suggests tackling preventable problems — such as obesity — from an early age to stave off the consequences that accompany hauling excess weight around for several decades.

The tenets of his program are simple: nutrition, exercise and big-picture implications of your actions. One important aspect of this is taking the fear out of living. Get preventive tests to acquire early recognition of problems on the horizon.

“Don’t be afraid,” he says. “The earlier it’s caught, the more treatable and curable the problem will be.”

Just like life itself, maintaining your health is a constant process, and the choices you make when you’re young will affect the way you live when you’re older. Alvarezexplains it with this analogy:

“The results will be better the earlier you start — like return on your investment. The earlier you start saving, the better your return. The earlier you start taking care of yourself, the better you’ll feel down the road.“

If you’ve spent the last 10, 20 or 30 years as the pedal-to-the-metal, free-spending, live-for-today type, don’t worry — it’s never too late to change. So what exactly are you waiting for?

If all you require is a roadmap to hit the highway to better health, you’re in luck because eDiets is like the last gas station before a bridge to oblivion. Don’t be afraid to stop and ask for directions.

Highway to Health

20s: “This is an important decade for developing the right habits: eating right, not smoking, exercising and knowing future problems that can arise from your lifestyle choices today. You are at the peak of your physical health, so develop proper habits for the rest of your life.”

30s: “Now we can assume responsibility for our lives and our health,” says Alvarez. “Age issues begin to arise. Start thinking about your first oil change — start focusing on preventative tests like skin checks, cholesterol readings, regular trips to the gynecologist and real attention to weight management.”

Alvarez calls this the most important decade — the “make-or-break” years.

40s: Family and professional obligations lead to stress, which becomes a major factor in mental and physical health in this decade. Your time restraints lead to a lack of exercise and time to prepare healthy meals, which contribute to obesity. It’s important to recognize how stress affects your medical conditions, sexual function, weight and overall well-being.

“This is when most people suddenly realize they need to take care of themselves, which is good because it’s really never too late to start doing something good for yourself.”

50s: “The most important thing is to listen to your body. You’ll experience changes in metabolism, hormones and be at increased risk for diabetes, which makes the preventative tests for certain at risk organs like prostate (men) and breast cancer (women) even more crucial than before.”

60s and Beyond: Retirement can be a new beginning. So focus on the big issues: heart, cholesterol, lungs, eyes, hearing, colon cancer prevention and macular degeneration. For the most part, if problems can be identified early, they can be managed appropriately.

“Be proud of getting into this age bracket,” says Alvarez. “Now just remember this: Youth is a state of mind. You can be old at 30, and young at 70.“

Notice the warning signs along the roadside, follow the health highway and, most importantly, keep on truckin’.

If you need help planning out what and how often to eat during the day for weight loss, eDiets can help. Our plans are customized to your specific needs. Learn more about how eDiets can help you lose weight today!

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– 10 Best Ways to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions
– 75 Tips for Managing Stress
– How to Get Started on a Fitness Program

New Year’s Hottest Diet

By Shawn McKee
Staff Writer

This year’s hottest diet is not some crazy cleanse or cabbage soup diet, but several celebrities are already singing the praises of this balanced meal plan that will keep you satisfied while slimming you down. If you have tried a dozen different diets only to get frustrated, it’s time to try the Glycemic Impact Diet (GI Diet).

Kylie Minogue and Bill and Hillary Clinton have touted the benefits of the GI Diet to lose weight and keep it off. Kim Cattrall and Naomi Campbell attribute their flawless skin to the balanced diet that has helped them stay looking young.

But you don’t have to be a rich celebrity to get this great plan. For about the cost of a stamp a day, you can join eDiets and experience how effective the GI Diet is. You won’t have to give up the foods you love, dramatically overhaul your lifestyle or starve yourself to lose weight. In fact, you can practically eat all day and still lose weight!

“The main focus of the GI Diet is on whole foods,” says eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pamela Ofstein, MS, RD, LD/N. “The plan provides you with foods that are low in simple sugars while increasing your fiber intake. It also focuses more on vegetables and whole fruits, legumes and unprocessed grains (oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread), and avoiding highly processed foods.”

Several studies show that unprocessed, whole foods are digested and absorbed more slowly than refined, processed foods. Research also suggests that you can lower the risk for heart disease and diabetes by following a meal plan like the GI Diet. Is it right for you?

Try the GI Diet if:
You crave sugar and sweets.
You like to snack.
You have mood swings and/or irritability.
You’ve been feeling low on energy.
You want a lot of meal choices.

If you take a look at the GI menu, you’ll find a plethora of choices. It’s based on satisfaction, not deprivation. The diet is not meant as a temporary solution, but as a permanent, healthy way of eating. Check out this sample 2-day menu.

What You Can Eat
No foods are off limits, but you should reduce your intake of simple-carbohydrate foods such as sugar and sugary foods, like sweets, cakes, cookies and soft drinks. Since the GI Diet promotes proper snacking, you will be able to control your cravings and manage your hunger.

You can start your day with a Southwestern omelet, crunchy yogurt parfait or any of the other delicious GI breakfasts on this plan.

When you get hungry, snack on anything from guacamole to a mini-pita pizza. There are so many simple, delicious snacks available to you on the GI Diet.

Dinner doesn’t have to be boring: You can eat shrimp scampi, oriental beef stir-fry, balsamic salmon or any other delicious GI dinner. There are so many choices that you will never get bored or go hungry.

Get more information about the GI Diet here.

“I was convinced that there was no way that I could possibly get to eat all the food that the plan suggested and still lose weight,” says Keli R., an eDiets member who has shed 22 pounds with the GI Diet plan. “After reading all the articles on the eDiets Web site, though, I realized that it did make sense after all!”

eDiets’ Success Story Nancy R., owes her own 65-pound weight loss to the GI Diet and explains her life-changing success this way:

“I wore the extra weight like a heavy, cloudy drape. I feel lighter physically, and in spirit, and heart, too. And that affects everyone in my life! I can’t think of an area of my life that it hasn’t impacted.”

It’s time to take that first step toward losing weight and taking control of your health. Join eDiets today to make this the year you reach your weight-loss goals and lose 10 pounds for !

Ask Raphael: eDiets Boot Camp

Hi Raphael,

I’ve been hearing a lot about your Boot Camp DVD. In fact, a friend of mine told me that you’re available to help someone who uses the DVD. Would you tell me a little about the workout and the program? I’m sick and tired of not losing weight, and I need to do something about this! Thanks. — Lori

Lori,

Talk about perfect timing! You’ll see what I mean as you read further.

The eDiets Best Body Boot Camp DVD and online support program has been a smashing success. Many of the eDiets members who participated in the first 6-week program lost body fat and inches while increasing strength and endurance. One eDiets member lost an astonishing 16 pounds and one other member fit into a dress that she hadn’t been able to wear for over 15 years.

I designed four levels of high-energy workouts to get major results in just six weeks. The key to this program is the 1-on-1 support that I personally provide. I not only outline a specific plan for six weeks based on experience level, but I also make myself 100 percent available on the eDiets Boot Camp support board.

This is a private support board for Boot Camp participants, and I’m actively engaged on the board every day. I answer questions, review your progress, review your nutrition program and help get you to a realistic goal in six weeks.

I don’t just give you the DVD and send you on your way. Over the course of the six weeks, I provide appropriate increases in exercise frequency and intensity so you can progress as quickly as possible.

I also push people, coach them, motivate them and ask them to challenge themselves. It’s not only about a step-by-step workout progression for six weeks, but also daily contact from me and the ability to communicate with me to help you reach your goals.

I designed workouts for several different fitness levels. The Basic Training workout is perfect for beginners, the Battle Ready workout is ideal for intermediates and Advanced Camp is great for those who can handle a high degree of challenge. Plus, most exercises have a modified version for those who can’t perform certain moves due to physical limitations.

All the workouts are around 25-30 minutes. I created this workout time because I wanted to eliminate the “no time to exercise” excuse. You don’t need long exercise sessions to see results with the workouts I’ve designed.

I encourage you to join eDiets and sign up (Jan. 5 is the last day to join boot camp!). The next 6-week session begins Jan. 11. Also, when you join eDiets. you also can select from any of our online meal plans or opt for the eDiets meal delivery plan.

One of the things you may also like is that the exercise team I use in the DVD are eDiets members who I’ve personally worked with to get to goal. Cathy lost 115 pounds and Justin lost 65 pounds. I wanted a team comprised of real people who’ve lived through the ups and downs of the the weight-loss journey and who walk their talk.

A lot can happen in six weeks, and if you’re committed to make a change then sign up and make this short-term commitment to yourself. This will ignite your motivation and set you up for a magical 2010. I hope to see in the next 6-week program, Lori!

If you’re ready to improve your health, your body and your life, get your Best Body Boot Camp DVD now, and sign up for our New Year’s Class*, and see what YOU can accomplish in six short weeks! (Hurry, you have to sign up by Jan. 5 to get in!)

Have a fitness question you want answered? Email Raphael at askthetrainer@ediets.com and you could have your question picked! And if you missed a previous column, see the archive here.

Make NOW your time to do something about your weight. eDiets can help make weight loss a little easier. Let our nutritionists and fitness pros guide you! Click here for a FREE diet profile.

Starting a Fitness Program: Get Help

8. Summing It All Up. Ultimately, you need help. If you are getting sued, you get a lawyer. If you are sick, you call a physician. If you are looking to improve your health and become fit, you need a certified personal trainer. These people make a career out of knowing what needs to be done and how to do it. There is no way you can wade through all of the information available on fitness and nutrition while juggling all of life’s obligations… it can be overwhelming. Get help.

How eDiets can help you get fit today:

eDiets members: Log in and continue to eDiets Exercise & Fitness support board, update your routine with our Virtual Trainer animations.

Not a member? No problem! Get your own personalized fitness program and meal plan designed specifically for your needs by clicking here!

Starting a Fitness Program: Change is Good

7. Knowing When to Change Your Program. You must change your program every 3-4 weeks, depending on your fitness level. The average person needs a change around the third week. Do not skip this step. If you don’t change your program regularly, you will become used to it and your body will stop responding to it. Worst of all, you may become bored and stop exercising altogether.

Putting together a new and exciting fitness program is easy with the help of eDiets Virtual Trainer. Easy-to-follow animations and simple routines are just a click away!

Starting a Fitness Program: Motivation

6. Staying Motivated. Staying motivated is easiest with a partner, someone to work out with and call when you need nutrition support. But do some research before picking one: If your partner loses motivation easily, it will make success very difficult.

Family and peer support is also important. Research has shown that if you have support, success is likelier — and we want you to succeed! eDiets members can enjoy 24/7 support in our interactive Community, with more than 80 support boards, mentor programs and one-on-one help. Click here to learn more about eDiets great Community.

Another key element to staying motivated is having fun. Make your workouts fun by adding variety. Take up tennis or join classes at your gym; keep changing your workouts to stay interested.

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