Guru Gilbert

Recently, Time Magazine featured an article by John Cloud, entitled ‘Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin‘ that is generating a ton of buzz.

I addressed my thoughts on this in my Daily Inspiration the following day and I strongly considered doing so on this blog but I didn’t want to contribute to the buzz because it doesn’t deserve the attention.

But when I received an email from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) I felt as though it was my responsibility to address this to the world being that this is what I do and have lived since I was in 4^th grade.

This is just too important to ignore. The email from them said: “Last Friday, an article appeared in Time Magazine making statements that we believe run counter to fact and the public interest. The article claimed that exercise, contrary to the research with which we are all familiar, is not an effective health tool, particularly as it pertains to weight loss…”

They continued, (addressing the fitness professionals on their mailing list):

“Your assistance is needed in getting the right health message out to the public. Also we encourage you to adapt our letter to the editor and submit it to your local news outlets, helping readers and viewers get the best evidence-based facts and information.”

So here I am. Never fear MyBodyTutor is here! I’m going to make this as simple and concise as possible.

Ridiculously enough, this debate made the rounds last year and the year before that as well. It’s nothing new!

Of course, the media loves stories like this because it’s attention grabbing. It makes you stop in your tracks and say, “Wait a second. What? Exercise won’t make you thin?” It’s written for people that don’t really want to change. Sadly, that’s most of the population.

Here’s the deal: To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Energy (food) in must be less than energy (movement) out. HOWEVER (Yes, that is a big however, if you eat certain types of foods the amount of calories you consume doesn’t matter all that much. For example, our body processes chicken very differently than it does, say, candy.

[For my nerds out there:  This is what’s known as the Thermic Effect of Food. The energy used to burn the food we eat is known as the Thermic Effect of feeding. Proteins have a thermic effect of about 30% while carbs have a thermic effect of about 15%. Meaning it takes a lot more calories to process and digest, say, chicken breast than it does candy. If you consumed a serving of chicken that was 200 calories, 30% — 60 calories — may be required for digesting it. Not to mention, we feel a lot more satiated when we eat proteins. Plus, our ability to regulate ourselves is greatly increased when we eat certain foods. Where as when we eat, say, cookies, the combo of salt, sugar and fat can make it very hard to control ourselves.]

When we exercise intensely – it can make us very hungry, even ravenous. There in lies one of the problems.

It’s called overcompensation. If you exercise say for 30 minutes at a moderate pace – you may burn 200 calories. And you’ll (most likely) overestimate how hard you worked. (Most people think they worked out harder than they really did. Most people also think they eat better than they really do.)

And if you think it’s now okay to eat a donut** just because you exercised you just negated your entire workout for purposes of weight loss. (I’m not even going to mention the gazillion and one benefits exercising has on our health, fitness and over all well being. This is just about weight loss right now as was Time’s ridiculous article.)

[**With the right plan you can absolutely enjoy donuts and still lose weight. BUT, you have to build it into the plan. That’s a big part of what we do. Never eating your favorite foods isn’t sustainable. We help our clients lose weight while enjoying their favorite foods guilt free!]

(Ugh. I can’t resist. Here’s a few benefits of exercise.)

Or, why not slog down a Gatorade to aide in your recovery. Whoops! There goes your workout. (Sports drinks are only necessary when you are running marathons and the like!)

Which leads to the real problem at hand:

Food (or drink) as a reward.

This is the problem we all have. While you’re working your tail off exercising, you might be thinking about how hard you’re working. And because you’re working so damn hard – you might feel you deserve a reward – a food reward.

In fact, exercising might make you feel that you deserve food as a reward a lot more than if you weren’t exercising at all. After all, you’re working your butt off! “I’m working my butt off and I can’t eat junk?!?” you say to yourself.

That will make you feel deprived.

Because you still believe food is the reward! It’s not your fault. We’ve been conditioned to think of food as the reward since we were infants. But when food is your reward that leads to bad news!

So all of this brings me to several important points:

1. Food isn’t a reward. It’s fuel. Sure, it can be a source of love and joy. And if it has to be one – let’s make it about fresh food. Indulge yourself. But with real food!

Tip: How else can you reward yourself besides food?

2. If you exercise (and yes, of course it’s worthwhile for so many reasons!) don’t throw away all of your hard work with poor eating. You literally can negate a hard work out with 10 bites!

3. The best exercise of all: Keep your mouth shut. (I know this is a lot easier said than done. The rationalizations and justifications we come up with are brilliant! We will always fool ourselves. Enter MyBodyTutor!)

4. Thinking about how intensely I exercise makes me want to eat healthfully because I know how hard I work and I don’t want to waste my time. I want to get all of the benefits that exercise yields.

5. When we eat sugar, fat and salt we get a temporary rise in dopamine. But of course, it’s very fleeting. (Which is why once you start, it’s hard to stop. We want more and more!)

However, it’s been proven that we get the same feeling of reward and pleasure from exercise. So if you can look at exercise for the immediate short term benefits of pleasure – like you might do for junk food – it becomes a treat to workout. Not a sacrifice.

6. Going back to point 3 – who wants to workout and workout and not see any changes in your body? I see so many people in the gym that look exactly the same month after month – even with a personal trainer!

Obviously their diet is lacking. And of course, they’d be even bigger if they didn’t exercise. But what a waste!

In short: Exercise is critical in helping you to lose weight because it burns lots of calories. It can help to create a calorie deficit. But only if you don’t overcompensate!

In fact, diet is 70-80% of the battle. If you can’t control yourself like John Cloud, you’re not alone. Most people can’t.

But he shouldn’t make ridiculous claims.

Instead, he should admit that he needs help. Sadly, most people can’t do that. And that’s the first step to getting in to the shape you want to be in.

Sadly, most people can’t admit when they’re totally wrong either. And in this day and age, when 2/3 of the American population is overweight, the last thing we need is messages like this being put out there. There is enough conflicting information.

So John can you admit that you need some help? I’ll tell you what. I’ll work with you for free. All I ask is that instead of making bogus claims like exercising won’t make you thin – you tell the world that what they really need is daily and personal accountability.

A very hopeful,

-Adam Gilbert
Chief Body Tutor
MyBodyTutor, Inc.

MBT is doing very well thankfully, despite the economy! In fact, I hate to say it but the economy is actually helping my business.

I think it’s partly because everyone understands the transformative potential of eating right and exercising and everyone knows that exercising and eating right pays off big in their quality of life.

I think it’s partly because although MBT is the perfect compliment to a personal trainer, and as helpful as a personal trainer is, most people don’t need someone to hold their hand in the gym for $60-225 per session. But what people do need is someone to make sure they get to the gym.

I also think it’s because people are starting to realize that 70-80% of their results will come from what they do in between their workouts outside of a gym setting! You know those people you see in the gym with their trainers month after month looking no different than when they first started? Clearly, their diet is what’s holding them back.

And I think ultimately, it’s because MBT solves a huge problem. Businesses that solve problems have advantages over businesses that don’t in tough economic times.

As I’ve said, getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently!

Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard and is a huge problem! Because it’s very easy to make excuses and it’s even easier to rationalize those excuses.

And I know if I solve that problem – and I believe I have better than anyone else in the world – success for my clients is inevitable!

As a client just wrote to me, “Thank you so much for your Daily Inspirations! I can’t tell how much they help push me in the right direction each morning. Also, it’s so easy to make excuses and just to know that I have you to answer to (so to speak) on the Daily Feedback each night really helps me stay on track. Thank you! I’m so excited for my new way of life!”

Once in a while, I’ll meet someone who doesn’t understand the value of MBT. They are hoping for the secret pill or the magic formula. 9 times out of 10 that same person will say, “Oh I know what to do! Eat xyz….!”

But of course – they aren’t doing it…consistently! And they aren’t in the shape they want to be in. And they hate how they look and feel. But hey, they know what to do!

This is why I’m so hesitant to write a book. We don’t need another book telling us what to do. We don’t need another book telling us why we should be eating right and exercising. What we need is a book that nudges and persuades us on why we should keep on going because that’s the hard part! And most people don’t want to actually change. They want to talk about changing which is very frustrating.

That’s why my wall is covered with before and after photos. That’s why writing a post like this where I can highlight a client who has truly changed her life is so much fun to write. To remind me that there are people who really do want to change how they look and feel.

And that’s why getting recognized for my concept/idea in national media like Thrillist is so rewarding. Check out what Thrillist had to say about MyBodyTutor here. I must say it’s pretty cool being featured in a publication you read. And when they reached out to me I was, well…thrilled! (It also made the best of the best for the month of May!)

Part of helping people stay consistent is helping them overcome any issues that prevent them from staying consistent. Caroline knew it would take time. She understands that losing weight is all about consistency. That it’s repetitious. Doing the right things meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day!

And I guess that’s why this means so much. Because people are finally starting to realize there are no shortcuts. There are no get rich quick schemes. If you set out to get in shape in a way that you don’t see yourself doing 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now why bother starting? It’s not sustainable!

Caroline is now a model. Look at her pictures! If you want to read her case study check it out here. Just like all of the other case studies featured on my website she’s brave and courageous for not only starting a journey to a better Caroline but for also sharing it with the world!

First off, writing a bestselling book has nothing to do with writing. In fact, I can confidently say my writing is better than 99% of the health and fitness books out there.

Not because I’m such a great writer but because they’re all co-written. And co-written books (famous person’s name with…) are products. Not books!

They are created quickly to take advantage of the popularity of that ‘famous’ person.

Smart move indeed, as that’s obviously what people want.

See, most people want to talk about being healthy and fit, how they’re going to start exercising next Monday, about the ‘latest’ fad diet or exercise contraption, and how they’re going to really stick with it this time and finally lose that weight!

But, sadly and unfortunately, most people don’t want to actually do any of those things!

Talking about it with your friends and family makes you feel better. It creates a sense of forward motion. We’ve all done it. We do it with all the things we don’t want to do.

I’ve read countless ‘diet’ books. And I still go to Border’s and spend hours reading, all while shaking my head in amazement. I’m not amazed at the ‘famous’ people for putting their names on a book and selling it. I’m amazed at all of the people who constantly fool themselves by buying these books!

And although I get a kick out of reading the same book over and over in between different covers, I get the biggest kick out of reading the reviews.

In my opinion, the measurement of a good book is if it changes you for good. Who cares if you ‘see the world differently’ for the 5 hours after you’re finished reading it? The real question is if it changes how do you things indefinitely.

Like I tell my clients, I couldn’t care less if someone loses weight and then gains it all back. My goal is to help change my clients. I want to help them get and stay fit!

But most people are searching for that hidden secret and don’t want to work for it.

You want the secret? Here it is! Free of charge for the entire world to read and share: Eat right. Exercise and do those two things consistently!

If you can do those 3 things you’ll be in great shape. No question about it. Of course, that’s so much easier said than done and exactly why I started my company.

Do we really need more tactics? Do you really not know that fast food isn’t good for you? I’m sick and tired of all of these books telling you what you already know. We all know what to do (for the most part)!

That’s not the problem! The problem is that we don’t do it! Or, we don’t stick with it! And that’s the key to successful ‘dieting’!

And even though I hate the word diet, because that means it’s not permanent, it’s the truth. If you start something and feel you won’t be able to do it in 6 months, 1, 3, 5 years from now IT WON’T WORK!

It will not be sustainable. And you’ll find yourself being one of the 95% of people that quit.

The trick is of course to let go of your ego and admit you might need help, start something that is sustainable…and…wait for it…keep going!

And that’s exactly what my book would be mostly about. To nudge, push, and persuade you on why you should keep going! (Because if your thoughts don’t change, you’ll never change!) It would also be about why it’s so hard to keep on going! Without the right mindset and psychology, it’s impossible to make a “diet” a permanent lifestyle.

Not so much the tactics.

I’m also the first one to say that the only way to change how you look and feel is to change what you do. However, many people don’t want to actually change.

They want to talk about changing. And make themselves feel like they’re changing.

But not actually change.