Frequently Asked Questions

The Slimdown is not a diet. Diets don't work, and they never will. This is an eating program, not a diet. There is no fasting, starving, cutting out your favorite foods, dropping entire categories of foods, nasty protein drinks or pills. On this program, you learn to use real food in your favor to liberate your body's ability to burn fat quickly. I show you how to eat the perfect combinations of muscle-building, fat-burning foods to ignite your fat-burning furnace. The best part is you will eat more food than you ever thought possible and lose more weight than you could have ever imagined. You end up eating 90 percent of the foods you love. They are prepared healthier, and they are eaten more frequently. No more dieting, and o more madness. On the Slimdown, you will feed your fat burning engine and send your metabolism on high!!!

The 21-Day Slimdown is a program you do for the rest of your life. However, there are times in life we feel a sense of urgency to lose weight quickly. It might be a beach vacation, high school reunion, wedding or a special date. Therefore, I created a unique program that allows you to lose a complete pant or dress size in less than a week without starving yourself. In the 7-Day Sizedown, I show you exactly what to eat, how to prepare it and when to eat it. By making a few subtle changes in your eating program and workout routine, the changes you see will be startling. The best part is I am there for you every step of the way to help encourage you to take it to the next level.

If you are reading this question, you have just made the biggest and boldest attempt you will ever make in becoming healthier, leaner and happier. On this program, you learn how to eat versus how to diet. You will never again allow food to control you or cause negative emotions or body image. The first step is to go one day at a time by using the 21-Day Slimdown. Each day you will learn just enough to promote you to the next day, and by the end of the third week you will have enough information to continue the program for the rest of your life. The tools I will provide you like the Cooking Guide, Healthy Meal Planner, videos, Exercise Guide, webinars, weekly blogs and more will keep you immersed continually in success mode.

Results vary from person to person. I believe it takes as long as it takes. Some people may lose 30 pounds in 30 days, while others may follow the same program and lose 7 pounds in 45 days. It is important that we stay in constant contact, and this program is designed for me to be with you every step of the way until you reach your desired goals and beyond. I believe many people require clarification. For example, if I suggest that an ideal meal might be fish, rice and veggies, and you ordered it from a cafeteria, there is a good chance a perceived healthy meal is now no longer the case. Another example is nuts and seeds. These are good as a garnish, but eating them by the handful could stall your progress. At the end of the day, how quickly you see results is dependent on how closely you adhere to the program. Some who follow it at 65 percent may see amazing results, while others might have to follow it at 80 percent to see the same results. It is never about perfection, it's about progress.

This is a great question, and it is why I want you to minimize being in high-risk situations. High risk is allowing yourself to go hungry and not having a good food choice available. I believe it is better to eat anything than to go hungry, even if it's half a burger, sandwich or a slice of pizza as opposed to starving yourself. The truth is there is always a place to grab something healthy. Grocery stores and convenient stores have things like fruit and nuts and sliced turkey. The list of healthy items you could grab on a quick run into one of these stores is endless. I am not a calorie counter. When I am in situations out of my control, I tend to encourage portion control and then get right back on the program at the following meal.

I have mixed emotions with this question. I haven't weighed myself in 15 years including doctor visits. I just don't want to know. Like many people, I allowed my mood to be dictated by a number on a scale. As a gym owner, I witnessed many people come into the gym in an upbeat mood only to hop on the scale, not like the number and immediately go from happy to miserable. Plus, weighing is only one form of measurement and doesn't always tell the entire story. That being said, I have seen the scale be a good indicator to keep some people in check. My suggestion is to weigh yourself no more than once per week at the exact same time before your first meal in the morning. Keep in mind that if you have been a chronic dieter your entire life, transitioning to a healthy eating program might increase scale weight slightly while losing inches simultaneously. This could happen for a few weeks, and then all of a sudden the weight can start dropping off your body as you learn to feed muscle while starving fat and increasing your metabolism into a fat-burning machine.

The best way to answer this question is food first! The quickest way to see results is by using food in your favor to burn fat. I am a believer in meal replacement shakes (IDLIFE is my favorite), and a protein powder second. There are also RTDs, which stands for "ready to drink." These are pre-made protein drinks available virtually everywhere. They are third on my list, and if all else fails, a protein bar will suffice. Many of them are glorified candy bars loaded with fat, calories and sugar. So what should you look for? 200 to 220 calories, under 8 grams of fat, less than 10 grams of sugar and between 15 to 22 grams of protein.

The fundamental difference is this is not a diet. This is a way of life - an eating program in which you learn to create the ideal muscle-building, fat-burning meal with the perfect balance of lean proteins, starchy carbs, veggies and healthy fats, and hundreds of combinations to prepare them. Programs of the past did not have sustainability, and this program is designed for just that. You will never finish it; you will just keep getting better and better at it. The best part is I will be there with you every step of the way. Failure is not an option. Between the basic program, the blogs, newsletters, the ability to reach out to me and much more, you will know you are doing something so good for yourself. We use your past to our advantage by learning from our mistakes. Know this: you have never failed. However, you have been failed by fitness fad fraud, misinformation and misguided diets. Now it's your turn to take control, and this program allows you to do just that.

You want to feed your body the highest quality foods along with the perfect combination of lean proteins, starchy carbs, fibrous veggies and healthy fats. Spreading those meals out to be eaten every 2 to 4 hours is the single most efficient way for all people to eat, and in particular people with diabetes, be it onset or insulin-dependent. That being said, it is always best to check with your personal physician and consult with a dietitian or nutritionist to help ensure your success to the highest level.

I owned a popular restaurant, my brother ran one of the largest grossing steakhouses in the U.S. and my other brother married a women who helped create two very popular chain restaurants. The reality is you can get lean eating out, but not unless you special order. For example, many popular chains now have "healthy menu" items. According to whom are these considered healthy? Some will say less than 600 calories per entre is a "healthy" restaurant meal. On my program, I will encourage you to have a cheat or treat meal. That being said, you can follow this program diligently yet sabotage your efforts by eating out too often and/or not special ordering. Sometimes one meal at your favorite eating establishment can be as much as 1500 to 2000 calories.

This may have been a viable excuse 10 years ago, but no longer. Besides community recreation centers, YMCA and community colleges, there are a host of gyms and health clubs that charge as little as $10 to $20 per month with no contract. Smoking one pack a day costs as much as $200 a month. Drinking two 12-ounce sodas a day cost up to $90.00 a month. Eating fast food once per day can cost over $150 per month and drinking a coffee at your favorite coffee house once per day can cost you $120 per month. Do you need a gym to walk or do some basic exercises? You can easily do these from the comfort of your home. The best part of this program is you will always want to strive to get better at it. A little bit of exercise can go a long way in helping you become healthier and leaner.

I would never ask you to do something I would not do myself. The problem with diets and what we have done as a society is place so much pressure on ourselves regarding the foods we eat - good or bad. Making bad food choices is part of a good food choice program. On this program, you give yourself permission to eat food. You're allowed to eat, and that is a good thing. You use food as fuel to accomplish your weight loss goals as opposed to dieting. How often I make a bad food choice is dependent on my specific goals at the time. If I'm about to go on a beach vacation, then I might cheat less frequently. Another way to look at it is I eat between 25 meals and an additional 10 to 15 snacks or mini-meals per week - therefore, 1 to 3 meals might be anything from a better bad choice to a completely decadent meal. This also allows for satisfaction and controlling what I eat versus a diet controlling me. When you eat to speed up your metabolism, you will burn through those calories like you never imagined. Another secret is if you have a cheat meal, immediately get right back on your good eating program and you won't ever miss a beat. Remember food is a good thing, and now is the time to eliminate the guilty feeling you may have had in your past as a result of dieting. This is a guilt-free program that will yield the best results ever!

Like you, I also travel. However, I actually get leaner when doing so. The reason is I am so locked into staying lean when traveling that the temptation to wander off in my own kitchen doesn't exist because I am out of town. I suggest bringing food with you wherever you go. On the day of travel, I bring one meal for every three hours of travel, plus a backup meal just in case there are delays, flight cancellations, etc. I also pack snacks like nuts, fruits and veggies. Prior to booking my hotel, I request a small fridge in my room. Upon landing, the first stop is the nearest supermarket, and I get enough healthy food items for the length of my stay. If there is food service at the hotel, I always special order when eating there (or anywhere else for that matter). Always pack workout clothes, and even if all I do is walk the perimeter of the hotel and do a few floor exercises, it is better than inactivity. Most hotels have a gym, and many have relationships with health clubs in the area for day passes. I also reload on my food for my return date. It boils down to a little preparation that goes a long way. Happy travels!