This is possibly the worst eating day of the year, even more dangerous than Thanksgiving.

At that holiday, at least there is turkey and vegetables and some decent stuff to eat.

Today, it’s just a crapfest and don’t be offended by me saying that. You know that I am right.

So, start by eating 2 eggs, some fruit and water for breakfast. Then, have a salad with some lean protein and very light dressing for lunch.

Bring crudite to your party and munch on more protein, like some nuts and lean meat. Stay away from all the salty carbs and glop that many people eat and serve.

You will thank me in the morning.

And watch the drinking. Keep drinking 2 ounces of water for every ounce of wine/alcohol.

Good luck.

JIm

We are now offering “Cardio-Free” studio classes in our offices on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.

I sit right outside the studio and am amazed by the number of people who say, “I haven’t worked this hard in years.”

It’s really essential to push the intensity when working out. Without it, you are basically wasting your time.

PLUS, if you are working out, with or without a trainer, and not seeing results, then it’s time to switch up your routine OR your trainer.

The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting new or different results.”

Don’t be insane!

Jim

Australian researchers tracked 8,800 people for 6 years and found that those who watched 4 hours were 46% more likely to die of any cause and 80% more likely to die of heart disease than people who reported spending less than 2 hours a day in front of the tube.

The researchers say, “it’s not the sweaty type of exercise were losing,” as many of the participants did report getting 30-45 minutes a day of exercise, “it’s the incidental moving around, walking around, standing up and utilizing muscles that doesn’t happen when we are plunked on a couch in front of a television.”

There is an emerging body of research that shows how prolonged periods of inactivity can affect the body’s processing of fats and other substances that contribute to heart risk. You can avoid that by simply avoiding extended periods of sitting.

Take away? Stop sitting while doing things or at the very least, sit on a ball. I am right now and my whole staff does in my Chicago office.

Jim

February is the PERFECT time to get a jump on losing weight.

We all know the horrible statistic that most people fall off their “New Year’s Resolution” within the first few weeks.

So, this is the chance to really make it happen in 2010.

First thing you have to do - agree to ONLY eat on salad plates for one week.

The research is so compelling that the smaller the plate/glass, the smaller the portion.

So do it. I am.

Jim

It’s freezing here in Chicago and I can see the weight gain on a lot of people in town.

Many people WAY overdue the comfort food at this time of the year in this part of the country. That is why so many flip out by early April when they try on lighter clothes and realize they have gained weight.

The best thing you can do for yourself in these “dark” days of winter is to:

1. Weigh yourself everyday
2. Turn the lights on bright and head outside the moment you see the sun
3. Exercise

I’m off to workout right now.

Jim

I am SHOCKED by the amount of liquid calories I see people drinking, and some of them are my friends and clients.

I have said it over and over again, but juice, soda and sports drinks should be abolished. Ditto with tea products with SUGAR. Again and again people say, “but Jim, you tell us to drink tea” and I say, “That’s right, but not tea with 250 calories a bottle!”

Come on everyone. And your kids should not touch the stuff. Mine virtually never get it except once a month I let them split a Sprite.

jim

I constantly hear people talk about their exercise program and not address their eating.

Bottom line - Weight loss is about 75% diet and 25% exercise.

Now, to be clear, without my interval based strength training program, your metabolism is doomed if you simply diet.

But, you have to realize that to lose weight, you must take a detailed look at your eating in addition to embracing the right style of exercise.

And you should all have been on the scale this morning.

Jim

I wrote about this in both “The Cardio-Free Diet” and “The 7-Day Energy Surge,” but a research study showed that eating an apple before breakfast, lunch and dinner will enable you to lose weight.

In the study, the participants had to eat the apple 30 minutes before each meal, and after 12 weeks, the average person lost 14 pounds.

Why?

Because apples are packed with fiber and water. Just about any fruit would probably work, but I like apples and pears the best as they are the heaviest fruits and the heavier the fruit, the more it may fill you up.

So in this crappy, cold, rainy weather that seems to be all over the county, just go out and buy some apples.

It’s really easy. Give it a try.

Jim

I think what has happened in Haiti is devastating, but we have our own disaster happening in the States and, unlike an earthquake, WE have the ability to stop it.

It’s obesity. It’s killing us. 200,000+ Haitians are presumed dead. It’s a true disaster. But a similar disaster is happening to us and we are doing it to ourselves.

We will die fast because of obesity.
We will live in pain because of obesity.
We will bankrupt the health care system because of obesity and our unhealthy children will end up paying for it.
We will go blind from diabetes and suffer more heart disease, amputation and organ failure because of obesity.

I applaud celebrities, stars, networks and everyday people for helping the Haitians during this terrible time.

But after that situation is rectified, or at least on the mend, let’s turn our attention to our problems here at home.

Thoughts?

Jim

I just need to comment on the sick extremes we are experiencing in this country.

On one end, we have a 23-year-old-girl, Heidi Montag, having 10 plastic surgeries, and she was a pretty girl to begin with. That’s the insanity. She felt that she had to look BETTER to compete in her industry. I think she will be very, very sorry in the future that she touched her body like this at such a young age.

Then, on the other end, I spent the weekend in Las Vegas where the average person is just huge. I mean, so many people were in electric carts just because they couldn’t walk, not because they needed them. All you can eat buffets now offer all three meals for $20. People just sit and eat all day.

Why has it gotten to this? It’s scary as I have two children and want them to grow up healthy. It’s going to be a challenge as even some of the kids that I know are already huge.

A few girls at my kids school are clearly over 200 pounds, and they are in 7th grade. Just think of what their future will be like.

Sorry for the tangent.

Jim