Would You Watch Me Lose 40 Pounds?

Byjoel

I’ve got a confession to make.

I am fat.

That’s not P-H-A-T as in “cool”.

That’s F-A-T as in chunky, large, and overweight.

On top of that, I am not physically fit.

It’s no surprise.

As an online entrepreneur who spends a lot of time in front of a computer, I’ve become sedentary.

It’s a fairly common story.

Once upon a time I was both slim AND physically fit.

In fact, you might be surprised to discover that I ran a marathon when I was a teenager. I completed a 26.2 mile run in Montreal in the late seventies.

In college, I stayed fit by doing aerobics.

But then it happened.

I got married. We had children. Life got busy.

And I put on weight.

In 2003, I got sick of being overweight. I peaked out around 215 pounds and thought it was time to do something.

Long story short. I got myself down to 180 pounds. I was feeling good.

And then I went on a Caribbean cruise. That did me in.

Since that time, I have ballooned up to 225 pounds.

Yikes!

I have been on medication for high blood pressure for a number of years.

And I get winded walking up several flights of stairs.

It’s time for a change.

After all, I’ve got the rest of my life ahead of me.

I want to be healthy for my family, for my business and for the work I have yet to do.

The bottom line is I need to lose about 40 pounds to get where I want to be.

And why exactly am I telling you this?

I’m not a fitness expert. I don’t aspire to be.

I’m not a nutrition expert. I like to eat foods that taste good and are bad for me.

But what I am is a regular guy who has the same struggles that many of you do.

My goals as an author and speaker have always been to inspire, to educate and to entertain.

I believe you must first inspire people in order to open their hearts so they can receive what you have to say.

Then you must deliver valuable content that can be put into use by anyone listening or reading.

And it helps if it goes down with a spoonful of sugar. This is especially present when I am on stage as I like to clown around.

Anyhow, as I have been thinking about the next step in my journey and realizing that taking care of myself must play an integral role, I have had an idea.

What if I made my quest for better health a public exercise?

I am considering using the web, video and social media to hold myself accountable to do what I need to do.

By broadcasting regular videos to you, I could accomplish a few things…

1) I would be “putting myself out there.” It’s one thing to make a commitment to myself. It’s another to know that many others are watching to see what happens.

2) My quest could be an inspiration to others with similar needs. That would fulfill the first goal of my professional career.

3) I could use this platform for others to learn alongside me. By interviewing experts and discussing the issues that revolve around better health, I would fulfill my second professional goal to be a source of valuable information. Topics would include everything from cravings for sugar and how to eat out, to setting goals and choosing the right exercise regimen.

4) I could encourage those who follow to help me in supporting a worthwhile cause along the way. That would fulfill my goal to “do good stuff.”

5) Finally, I think it would be entertaining and a lot of fun. How many New York Times Best-selling authors and international speakers do you know that would put themselves out there like this? Yes, it’s scary. But I see so many positive things happening as a result. I am almost feeling compelled to do it.

So there you have it. That’s the gist of what I am considering.

Here’s the question for you.

Would you be interested in watching me go through this process?

Would it be inspirational for you to follow along?

Do you want to talk about the issues surrounding health in today’s world?

Or could you care less what I do?

As I said, I am not trying to portray myself as a health expert of any kind.

I just know I need to make a change.

And I am going to make that change.

The question is do I want to invite everyone into the process.

If I do invite you in, who knows… it may change you as well.

What are your thoughts?

As always, I am eager to hear your comments.

Thousands of people read my blog and emails each day, but only a small percentage actually interact and leave comments.

Would you please take the time to share your thoughts with me today?

This would be a major step for me and I really need to hear from you.

Note: PLEASE do not use comments to pitch me on the latest diet fad or network marketing program. I am not looking for advice at this time, or another business to get into. I will not approve comments with links to MLM programs and such. Thanks for respecting this request.

With that said, let’s hear from you!

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187 Comments

  1. Go for it. Nothing like public pressure to keep you on track. I’ve done the weight loss (190 down to 165) and been keeping it off. Start with simple, easy things.
    Eat just a bit less so that you are hungry before each meal.
    Do push-ups while the water gets hot for your shower.
    Brush your teeth after dinner so you don’t snack.
    Stop buying junk food – out of sight out of mind.
    Look to lose a pound a week on average. If you beat this, great. But this lets you splurge one day a week and gain a pound when you lost two already.

  2. Great idea Joel – I believe it would be very motivational for many people.
    Your timing is Amazing for me – I too have a significant amount of weight to lose and started my new program yesterday. I also need accountability and motivation. I look forward to your program and the information you provide to help everyone working on improving their health.
    Thanks for having the courage to Put Yourself Out There!!
    Steve

  3. Hello Joel,
    I am sure you are getting a ton of advice from all experts out there..!!
    One tip (something I researched and tried):Reduce your daily sugar intake to about 15 grams.I know..not easy.I love fruits and almost include in all my meals.Now I am cutting down.one tip would be to reduce your intake of fruits,fruit juices,dried fruits…etc.
    Best of luck
    Karam Abdalla

  5. What I’d like to know about are motivations that work for you and why they work for you.
    Here’s what I tell patients.
    1. First and foremost, DON’T change your entire diet abruptly. That’s a recipe for failure.
    Remember:
    2. Taking it off and keeping it off absolutely requires lifestyle change.
    3. It isn’t a short term project.
    4. Do one change at a time.
    5. Don’t start by removing things from your diet. Start by adding one thing. Perhaps a vegetable or rice or corn. Systems are changed just as much by addition as by subtraction of an element
    5A. Eventually, you will want to target some dietary items for replacement. For instance: fast food.
    Look at weight loss as having several components.
    6. Discovering and learning about food. You’re in for a culinary adventure not torture by deprivation. You get to try new recipes for “normal” foods, pre- WWII ethnic food recipes (the way our grandparents or parents ate before market forces made beef relatively cheap), making different things the main course.
    7. Don’t weigh yourself often. The scale numbers are a red herring. The numbers that matter are lab results, clothing sizes, and people who ask if you’re going to the gym or something.
    8. Find a physical activity you would do for the sake of enjoyment and do it regularly.
    9. Change snack foods. Instead of wheat thins use celery for dips – the taste of the dip lasts longer for one thing.
    MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: If you fall off the wagon, so what? Get back on the wagon. Life is for living, not obsessing about calorie counts or your quantitative differential between perfection and reality.

  6. Hey Joel! Good on you!
    40 lbs? No problem. You can accomplish that in 8 weeks (maybe less) easy.
    I myself once lost 70 lbs without ever giving up food I love. THAT is the key to it all… most people go on some rigid regimen and there’s no way to maintain it for any length of time.
    You said not to offer any advice, so I won’t. But if you would like to know how I did it myself, and also helped my mother (who lost 86 lbs when she was diagnosed diabetic) to do the same, let me know. You know how to reach me.
    Good luck!!
    Lisa

  7. Joel I just finished my weight loss journey by losing -88 lbs and I’m keeping it off and now I’m paying it forward by helping others do the same. I’m a free certified Take Shape For Life Health Coach. I blogged You Tubed, tweeted and facebooked my journey too. It has helped my build my coaching business.
    I would love to work with you. Best part is I lost all my weight without ANY exercise. The program is easy to follow and you lose 2-5 lbs per week men even faster. It’s doctor tested and has been around for 30 years because it works.
    Let me know if you need any help!
    Natalie Jo
    http://www.nataliejo.tsfl.com

  8. Here’s some encouragement for you Joel. Phatty, phatty, phatty. You know phat in a good way. 🙂
    The best way to loose weight is to eliminate salt and sugar, and eat seven small healthy meals a day. We get enough salt and sugar from the processed foods we eat anyway. This is similar to a diabetic diet or it has been referred to as the way the pioneers ate. The meals after breakfast, lunch and supper are more like small healthy snacks. Breakfast, lunch and supper are not large. In the early 1980s I lost 50 pounds this way. In 1994 I again lost 40 pounds with this diet. Both times I didn’t have to exercise at all. Besides losing weight I felt a lot healthier with lots of energy. I have just started back on it and plan to stay on it the rest of my life. It’s hard to go out for dinner on this diet though. When I go out sometimes I take my meals with me.
    I’d follow your progress Joel
    Mike

  9. I found it very interesting when a Danish comedian (and internet marketing guy) ran Comedy Kuren, and lost weight down from 192 kilos to 92 kilograms. That program was worth watching because he also had issues where he had run fraudulent programs – and gave him a national prize as one of the most innovative programs on Danish television.
    In a similar way, just as Next Internet Millionaire is interesting, so is the issue of integrating health as an important part of success in online marketing.
    I am just as guilty as yourself. If not even more. I ran across the 140 kilo barrier without any problems, and know my muscle weight is at around 107-110 kilos, so I need to go through the exact same process. If I were located in the US I would almost do a challenge about who could loose the most in the same amount of time, but that’s just my personal competitiveness coming into the picture.
    I wish you the best of luck, and of course your quest for weight loss is worth watching. You and I have occasionally disagreed in many aspects (politics etc), but I do respect your validity as an inspiring blogger, so getting involved in your weight loss process would be interesting.
    Knowing your usual perfectionism you no doubt already have the domain ready for kick-starting the idea. 😉

  10. We overestimate how much we eat, and we underestimate how much burn. The result we get fatter.
    What is the best weight loss method ? The one that works for you, that you can stick to. The one that fits around your life, not that you fit your life around the diet.
    Diets fail because they restrict and deprive.
    The moment I stopped thinking of foods as good or bad, or that I had somehow slipped form a diet because I had a pizza, I started to lose the weight.
    Mindset is important, you have to stop thinking of foods as good or bad. As John Barban says, the poison is in the dose.
    I just focused on eating less. I learnt how many calories I actually needed ( it’s much less than we all think ) and worked on the basics of calories in v calories out. Now there are plenty of people happy to tell me it’s not that simple, but the fact is after 65lbs of weight gone. I don’t listen to the ” advice” anymore. You are a successful guy, so I am sure you learnt long ago, to not listen too much to the well meaning friends who tell you something can’t be done.
    I am not going to tell you one diet over another, I will only say focus on eating less.
    In my case I used intermittent fasting once or twice per week, I still do, and it is easiest thing I have ever done, I also think it is the perfect internet marketers diet but that is me, all you have to do is figure out a way to eat less for YOU.
    Good luck with your own weight loss journey, and if you want to know more about becoming a retired dieter, well you know where I am 😉

  11. That would be a good idea with your blood pressure.
    You do realize that as you age your metabolizem changes. It slows down to a dull roar, thus you gain weight.
    I have similar problems.

  13. That sounds like a great idea. I could sure use a bit of inspiration about now. I also lost 50lbs 3 years ago and it is creeping back up.
    No more sugar, no more sugar, no more sugar ….. that is going to be my mantra.
    Oh … and no white flour and very little dairy. Go for it Joel. I hope you succeed. Lots of us will be watching with interest.

  14. HI Joel,
    I was inspired to do this myself around the end of May. I have now lost 40 pounds and I feel awesome.
    I actually started a blog to track my progress at http://www.burnthefatproof.com and I have been updating pretty regularly.
    You can’t imagine the feeling that you will have when you knock this off.
    I wish you luck and make sure to post regularly and enlist the help of the people on your blog not to let you off the hook.
    Here’s to Your LifetoSuccess,
    John Clark

  15. I’m going to watch you do it, Joel! Putting yourself out there is so gutsy – it really adds the pressure – right when you want a spoonful of Ben & Jerry’s, you’ll have your followers to answer to – that’s gotta be even more effective than the public weigh-in part of Weight Watchers.

  16. Two years ago I saw a video of you playing games on a computer in the games room of your offices.
    You were sitting on a couch as you were playing, and I said to myself that guy is getting to be a fat slob. I left a comment. Sometimes in between you were on a video while vacationing with your wife and kids in Australia, Sidney. You complained on the size of the hamburger it was too small in comparison to what they serve in the States, I thought Joel that hamburger size was made especially for you. That seat you were sitting on? you were propping yourself on the table. I left a comment. Then last I saw you on a video at a conference, I laughed cos you are entertaining inspirational and a likable nutter. I also saw you were fatter, I mean fatter slob, than the year before, I thought no! not my successful mentor, so I yelled out in my head “Joel go for a run” but you did not listen, you stayed indoors with your dog Socrates and played computer games all day again.
    I suggest an alternative route to your “Thin Your Fat In Ethiopia” or better still a person of your recognition I suggest your staff call Oprah TV Show to have you on her show, And you will announce a new discovery on loosing weight. You will do away all diets and fitness program the world has ever created. You will herald in the NEW LOVE YOUR FAT TO DEATH THINNING PROGRAM. And this is how it must happen on the show. Oprah rolls a big fat round mirror on the stage for you, you drop all your clothes off in the nut and stand in front of the mirror. I and all the audience jump about with laughter for and hour when we saw where the real fat is?
    After the nuisance you look at your stomach you cuddle it, massage it, kiss it and say I love my fat stomach, thank you for telling me i eat too much, I promise I will go to the toilet every night.
    Then you will turn around and Iook at your butt, you grasp with both hands with a tight grip and say I LOVE MY BUTT, it is a beautiful sexy butt, Oprah do you think my butt is sexy? Of course she wont say a word, she would be in fits of laughter. Shes never looked at anyones butt except Steff especially on her show. The point you will get across to love yourself with all that big fat fat.
    Love your fatness, your bigness, your unusualness at that point of time in life. Most people are hung up about loosing weight. In my view, the simple truth is they dont love themselves, they hate their fat. In short the solution is to love your fat hug it embrace it, thank it be grateful treat yourself well and the fat will go away nicely in return for a Brad Pitt suprise.
    Joel I know what ever you set your mind to you will get there, just have fun the way. I will miss your cuddly fat, please keep all your now fat clothes, I want to auction it on Trademe.
    Cheers
    Tim Koia

  17. Hey Joel,
    This is my first post to any of your blogs and I have been reading them for eight months now. I just knew you would get many comments to your post as I started reading it. However, one of the reasons that this is my first post is because personal health is one of my passions. I am no fitness expert or anything but I always try to do the best I can on my own and what I can learn. I would say I have never really “let myself go” but I will say that it can be harder to maintain your health lifestyle than just doing it for a couple of months. I am sure you know this but whatever you do don’t get off track again because it can get much harder to get back to where you were. Also, I want to say that by “Putting yourself out there” in this way, you will not only accomplish the positive things you mentioned in your blog but also will make the relationship you have with your readers much stronger. I feel like you have already been doing a great job of maintaining a close relationship to your readers and on those who take action on the things learned from you, however, this definitely brings it up a level. It can only do good for both you and us. Congratulations Joel on making the change.

  18. Well Joel you have indeed painted yourself into a corner here but no doubt that was your intention, nothing like a little bit of public pressure to perform. Hats off to your step forward on that new path to better health and being proactive hence being able to send me e-mails for another 100 years.
    However health is not just about your weight hence I strongly recommend you read a new book (July) by Dr. Buttar “The 9 Steps to Keep the Doctor Away”available on Amazon or his own site https://www.the9steps.com. By far the best book on health I have read in years as his evidence shows how the toxicity that surrounds us in this modern world will eventually lead to the major killers of heart disease and cancer. The same evidence also has drastic effects upon what we do for our children especially how these same toxicities have lead to the explosion of ADD and autism. He is also the first to successfully treat these same conditions in his clinic through diet and a detoxification process. He also has a long list of terminal cancer patients still alive. His approach will definitely get you off of those blood pressure drugs. The focus of this book is all about prevention so that you don’t need to come to his clinic to fix it later versus showing the science behind why the choice is now or later not “if” you are going to have a serious problem.
    Obviously loosing the weight is a step down the right road but how else you make lifestyle choices could easily have an even greater effect on your longevity. Have you known a Skinny person that has died of cancer too? Note he is not selling anything other than some common sense and myth busting science to wake us up before we become a statistic by making better health choices contrary to the average. I might add for all the readers, is not that mainstream thinking and behavior what has gotten you in this position in the first place? Meanwhile we all watch as friends and family members needlessly die before their time. There is a clear message there, expecting different results by doing the same thing is a sign of insanity, not?
    My best wishes to a successful mission Joel and may it offer encouragement to others to follow along with you. As suggested you should make it a competition for the biggest internet looser. 🙂
    Eat good stuff.
    Trevor Chilton

  21. You’re brave, or is the word gutsy? You and I are fighting the same battle. I’m on a quest to lose 30 pounds – and I’m not having any fun. Have you ever seen what 3 ounces of meat looks like?
    I wish you well on your quest and I’ll monitor your progress and listen to any tips you discover along the way.
    ~ Tom

  22. Hey Joel–
    I need to lose 20 pounds. I suffer from the same affliction — sedentary lifestyle. If you decide to go for it, I’ll be right there with you trying to lose weight as well. We can be an inspiration for each other. I’ve been trying to lose 20 pounds for around 20 years now. Think I have a chance?

  23. Hi Joel, G,day champ, good for you for getting ready to do something about it. I am a University Qualified Exercise Physiologist (no not one of them pumped up zips who call themselves personal trainers), a real Personal Trainer. It is always nice to hear when a person of your connections and influence take a positive message to the world … especially about health.
    I would be delighted to offer you any assistance/advice on how to go about your regimen correctly (so we don’t loose you to apathy or ??? worse) Your success in this venture will be keenly watched by Millions, I wish you all the very best and I would love to assist in any way. for free …. because it will not only help you… It may possibly help millions.
    ZEN… “to know and not to do….. is not yet to know”
    Go for it Joel
    Paul

  24. Joel,
    Good on you for the quest. Your family deserve to keep you around, so protect your ticker.
    Sure, do it for you and your family BUT REALLY:
    – for the public good
    – in a way that encourages people to join you, not to eat a chillidog and read about in on their iPhone. Get them losing weight too. Even a little.
    – use it to encourage giving – you donate something big from your POCKET, and from your empire, and encourage we readers to give something from their thin wallets (ask what we see as the greatest need)
    – THE BIGGEE – my suggestion – spend two weeks in a warehouse somewhere with 1,000 unemployed people from all demographics. Team them how to KaChing, not as a sordid reality tv campaign, but as a gift to God, to America and to the least of these. And if it works, retire from profit. Sell your business or put everything in a blind trust. You have enough grain in your barns. Make it your passion to hold these sessions right across America. In a year, train 1 million people how to make a living on line. In the end, train everyone who wants the knowledge.
    Do good? Here’s your chance, Joel.
    Bill
    Auckland (ex-Oklahoma)

  25. Joel,
    YES!! Go for it!
    There’s no better way to be inspired/motivated than putting it all on the line for public scrutiny and support.
    You have dedicated your life to inspire us, now let’s help motivate you to meet your personal goals in return.
    Plus, from a selfish perspective, we kinda need you around to continue with all the valuable info you provide.
    Best wishes! One step and one pound at a time, repeated daily.
    I accept your challenge to lose right along side you,
    Steve from Santa Barbara

  26. Hi Joel,
    You’re going to be flooded with advice on hundreds of ways to lose weight, but here is the most important thing to remember… the only thing that will make you lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. That means that you have two healthy choices, exercise more, or eat fewer calories.
    If you exercise more, you create muscle mass, which weighs more than fat but burns calories faster. This means slower weight loss overall, but allows you to eat more of the foods you love. Eating fewer calories will cause faster weight loss, but means that you must maintain the lower eating levels permanently if you want to maintain the lower weight. You can eat exactly the same foods you love, but just less of them. Even just 100 fewer calories a day will lead to long term significant weight loss.
    The key is to find a combination that works for you.
    You can accelerate the process by substituting healthier foods for others. Substituting brown rice for white rice is one example. Eating whole fruit instead of fruit juice or dried fruit is another one.
    Remember that moderation is important in all things… including moderation. If you starve yourself, your body reacts by burning fewer calories. If you occasionally let yourself consume as much as you want to, then your body will not go into starvation mode, and will continue to burn calories normally.
    You’ve taken the first two steps of three that will ensure that you meet your goal. Step one is to set a realistic goal. Step two is to tell as many people as possible about your goal. The third and final step is to set a penalty for failing to meet your goal that will make you work your butt off (literally) to meet that goal. That penalty can be embarrassing, expensive, or whatever else it will take to motivate you.
    In my case the goal was to lose 50 pounds in two months, and the penalty was that if I didn’t achieve that goal, then I would have to vote for Al Gore. It worked for me by simply changing my eating habits.
    I would recommend setting up a site like “LoseWeightWithJoel.com” where we can all participate in your journey, and encourage you and each other to get healthier.
    I’ve told you before when I’ve assisted you at seminars that you are one of my Internet Heroes, but I’m not sure I told you why. You have two things I don’t see very often in Internet Gurus I’ve met… a sense of humor, and a sense of Integrity. This blog just prove that point.
    Thank you,
    Bob Wright

  27. Joel, as a guy who has done this against all odds (while having hypothyroidism and MS), I have an offer to make you. I can share with you 1 on 1 how I lost over 55 pounds and kept it off steady as she goes, chronic illness and all. My weight has evened out at less than 160 for the last 2 years even though I’m 6’0. And I eat very well, but healthy. No pills no programs.
    But then I’d love for you to tell our story together after you succeed, since I’m an up and coming IMer looking to build my business, and having a story of success together would be excellent. I purchased both KaChing and Twitter Power by the way.

  28. Hey Joel,
    It’s pretty gutsy to put yourself out there. I would imagine that it will make you stay on track because you have to. I was once in a similar position as you. I became very sedentary, ate a lot of fast food (one of the worst things you can do for your health) gained a lot of weight, and I began to lose my health as well. It started affecting everything, including my bp, and as with you, I was getting winded just going up a flight of stairs also.
    The way that I changed my situation was first of all to get a big enough why.. which for me was looking down the road at what would happen if I didn’t. Tony Robbins has talked about this method for years. I realized that I HAD to do it.. and it sounds as though you’ve found that within yourself as well.
    The other thing I did was to get out a picture of me when I was 30 and totally buff and keep it on my desk so I look at it every day (I had an awesome 6 pack). Also, along with looking at it, I started to close my eyes and visualize myself looking like that again. I would imagine that when I looked down at my abs, or looked at my arms and shoulders that they were lean and ripped.
    Interestingly, I automatically started to eat better and to exercise. It was totally effortless. It’s as if the universe (God) kicked in all that was necessary for the change to happen, and it did.
    Needless to say, I’ve lost the weight, am now doing yoga and working out, am 25 lbs lighter, and have gotten most of my health back and it’s still improving, and my body is still building muscle and losing fat. I’m now 60 years old too Joel, so if I can do you most certainly can.
    Cheers
    Dr. John Michael Christian

  29. Joel,
    I think it’s great that you’re willing to “put yourself out there” for people to watch as you lose weight but I will tell you from personal experience, it ain’t easy. I’ve tried to blog about my own weight loss struggle and it gets really boring, really fast for YOU, not for your watchers.
    You asked if it would be something I would be interested in reading about and I have to tell you, no. I struggle with this issue all the time. I get tired of thinking about it. I probably wouldn’t read about your weight loss journey.

  30. I thought about doing something similar (I have 80lbs to lose), but it’s scary and exposing, even among the relatively small group of followers I have over all my social media. What you propose to do is amazingly brave, and I would definitely follow. ESPECIALLY as you aren’t pitching one program or method. Good luck!

  32. Dear Joel,
    You fat slob… (Ha, ha! everyone was just being so nice!)
    I love your idea of getting in shape and having your virtual community support you!
    Get in shape, share your progress you’ll truly be ‘phat’!
    Marge

  33. Congratulations, Joel! You have taken the first big step: You have admitted that you have a problem. I am right there with you, brother. I am an aspiring public speaker with a message to share, just like you … and I am carrying 30 to 40 pounds of excess ME.
    In 2001 I went to The D’Adamo Institute – you know, the place with the blood-type diet. That ultimately didn’t work for me, but I learned so much about nutrition and food choices that I shall carry that with me to the day I die.
    I hope you don’t go with a low-fat or low-carb diet. They don’t work. The only diet I’ve found that works is low-glycemic. You spoke about your sugar cravings. A low-glycemic diet, essential for diabetics, is the key for the rest of us as well.
    Best of luck, my friend. I look forward to watching your progress and sharing your success.
    In health and prosperity,
    Carl

  34. Hi Joel,
    Yes,
    Loosing weight is a personal issue; I have been fortunate to work in a warehouse and I keep moving all day long. Anyway, I know that sitting in front of the computer one also needs to break up the routine by doing something physical to burn off the needed extras which should be Fun. You have done it before and can easily hop back on track. First, be greatful that you realise the need and remember that you are showing leadership examples to your family and it doesn’t matter what the weather is, just go do IT!
    I know you will succeed!
    Walter

  36. Wow!
    Thanks to everyone for the wonderful feedback and encouragement.. and a few laughs.
    I appreciate you chiming in. And it is great to know that others will be inspired to take the steps they have wanted to take.
    Stay tuned… the best is yet to come!
    Humbly,
    Joel

  37. Sounds like a fantastic goal and inspiring for many people when you achieve your results! I would love to help you get the results you want 🙂 I am passionate about health and fitness and have been in the health/fitness industry for 16 years and I would love to write a programme for you. I just won NSW Fitness Professional of the Year( waiting for national result) and I am attending your event in Sydney this weekend so let’s start this week!
    I would love to offer you any personal training sessions and programme advice while you are here and then we can continue with your programme online as you travel the world as my fitness/lifestyle training website is being launched next month.
    I just helped a client of mine lose 18kg in 8 weeks as part of a radio challenge here in Sydney so now I’m up for a new challenge! Let’s start your regime NOW 🙂 I look forward to hearing back and to meeting you this weekend. You can check my credentials and company details on my website too 🙂
    Cheers,
    Edwina

  38. Dear Joel,
    Your story is my story…almost to the weight and events. I am a busy physician who is also entering into Internet Marketing, which is why I am on your list…and also spending too much time on the computer. By coincidence on this very day I vowed to myself to turn my life around and lose those pounds that seemed to creep up from nowhere. I don’t want to live this way.
    My weight also is 225 pounds–way to much. Let us therefore enter our programs together. Comparing notes from time to time could create a bit of competitiveness that will encourage each of us to do the hard things that must be done and then keep at it. Other list members may choose to join my challenge.
    My favorite method is the Nordic Ski Track and dieting…with the addition of the Chuck Norris Total Gym device that is also kept here in my home gym. It is just too easy for busy people to drift away from programs that we know will help us. These methods have kept me trim and served me well in the past and I am determined that they shall do so again.
    Remember that it takes only 21 days to turn a workout regimen into a habit and not a chore. Just keep at it.
    It is hard for a man in public life to admit to problems such as this, but with the ongoing encouragement of a loyal public support base you do indeed have an excellent opportunity for success. And by ongoing I mean exactly that….ongoing support. Not just once today.
    Regards from one who is also there to share with you and offer support.
    DLP M.D.

  39. Ha ha yes like the saying goes ‘Just do it!” Joel.
    I saw you in Sydney last year you looked fine to me but then again I’m a ‘fatty boom bah’ too, who knows you might even inspire people like myself me to move more than our fingers on a daily basis. Can you you make it fun to watch though … think Olivia Newton John fun and style your wardrobe back to the 80’s before you ‘get physical’ Joel. Take care.
    Cheers,
    Janet.

  40. Joel,
    Of course I would be interested in following your progress, not because I am a nutritionist, but because I am human! And as a human I love to share in other’s triumph and struggle. If you are going to do this in front of the whole world. Take a before picture, front sides and don’ forget the back-yes even your butt can look good once again!
    Record the date and keep them on your computer. Next take measurements of your arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs and date that as well. Weigh and record your weight and then (this is the most important step) put the scale away! Yup you got it..put it away, I mean for two moths at least! We are obsessed with weighing ourselves and think that is the ultimate goal-nope it is not!
    Use your clothes as your guide. Which brings me to your next task, go through all of your clothes and put them into sections 1. “what I was a year ago” 2. 6 months ago 3. three months ago. Starting with pile number 1, put into a suitcase or a box, followed by number 2 pile and then 3. When it is time, pull out the first set of clothes and those will fit first (get it?).
    In about 2 months time, or when you think you are not getting anywhere, is the time for your second picture, measurement and weigh in…this will be your inspirational tool to keep going! Believe me you will see a difference!
    Of course I can give you tips on food and stuff, and I will if you are interested, but I am interested to see how you do on your own journey!
    Keep it real and remember you are doing this not only for you, but for your family too!
    Good luck!

  41. Sounds like a fantastic goal and inspiring for many people when you achieve your results! I would love to help you get the results you want 🙂 I am passionate about health and fitness and have been in the health/fitness industry for 16 years and I would love to write a programme for you. I just won NSW Fitness Professional of the Year( waiting for national result) and I am attending your event in Sydney this weekend so let’s start this week!
    I would love to offer you any personal training sessions and programme advice while you are here and then we can continue with your programme online as you travel the world as my fitness/lifestyle training website is being launched next month.
    I just helped a client of mine lose 18kg in 8 weeks as part of a radio challenge here in Sydney so now I’m up for a new challenge! Let’s start your regime NOW 🙂 I look forward to hearing back and to meeting you this weekend. You can check my credentials and company details on my website too 🙂
    Cheers,
    Edwina

  42. Hey Joel
    Great going mate and the pleasure and honor would be mine if you choice to share publicly your weight loss journey, l would look forward to video, webinars or what ever you choice do if you go public on it, that is my support to you is to read and watch your updates while on this journey giving feedback and comments any way l can to help with this awesome journey, to the greatest success for you and your family.

  43. Hey Joel,
    Personally, I wouldn’t go public with it. Typically keeping your goals to yourself gives you a better chance of achieving them. I’ve written about this on my blog and it’s backed by science.
    http://dontstepinthepoop.com/keep-your-goals-to-yourself
    They say that telling people about your goals gives your brain the same satisfaction as achieving it. That’s been my experience.
    And as someone who has gone through the process of getting more physically fit, I think it’s more important that you achieve it for yourself. I quit smoking and then people just started noticing that I had stopped. All the times I told people I quit ended in failure.
    But why not compromise…you can chronicle it privately and then show how you did it afterwards.

  44. Hey Joel,
    I’d love to read about your progress. In fact, i think I’ll join you with a blog of my own. You know weight has been a struggle for my entire life. Now’s the time! Thanks for the encouragement! Looking forward to celebrating with you!
    Trey Darbonne

  45. Hey Joel,
    Thanks so much for sharing. Deciding to do something like ‘lose weight’ is the first step to success and putting it out there publicly has a huge accountability factor. Congratulations on being able to be truthful to yourself about the state of your health. I agree though, that you have to do this for yourself.
    You have taken off the weight before so you know that you are quite capable of doing it. The question is ‘How are you going to maintain your new fit and healthy body once you reach your goal, this time?’ You do want to maintain it, don’t you?
    If you don’t mind I will just share a little secret with you, as I believe that you already know what exercise you should be doing and what food you should be eating to become fitter, leaner, healthier and stronger. The reason that most people #95% of the population# don’t achieve or maintain their ideal body, size, shape & health is because they never really look at the underlying issues. Why are YOU holding onto your excess weight? They just push the pause button for a while while they go on a “DIET” and then once they are finished their “DIET” they press play again and go back to all their unhealthy habits. Before they know it they are back up to their starting weight + some. Sound familiar?? Maybe you know a person or 2 that this has happened to.
    So Joel, the first thing that you need to understand is that you DO NOT want to lose anything. Your subconscious mind believes that losing something is really bad and it will go out of it’s way to help you find it again, because if you lose anything else in life #a loved one, your keys or wallet# you want to get it back. So when you ‘lose weight’ most people find a way to get it back.
    So in order to make this journey successful start by changing your vocabulary and focus on your increased health and not a particular number. So instead of saying “I need to lose about 40 pounds”, change it to “I am focussing on getting fit and healthy and any pounds that drop off me whilst on my journey is a bonus”.
    By sharing your journey you are not only being a role model for your family and friends you are being a role model for a whole community.
    I too love to inspire, educate and entertain, but my audience are people who want to create their ideal body.
    If you need anything along the way I would love to help out any way I can.
    I look forward to following your successes and failures along the way to reaching your goal.
    Dee 🙂

  46. Ok Mr. J
    I would like my feedback to be read by all your readers, YES!! as i noticed your body when you started a few years ago kinda looked slim and fit….but now you look a little over weight just putting it repectively and perhaps un-fit too….And not to mention i am in the same boat with a big belly and perhaps un-fit too….”something in common” hahaha N yep i use to have a gud bod too before i started internet….
    Ok!! here is my suggestion:-
    How about you do something like the internet millionaire however with losing weight…CALL IT BEACCOUNTABLELOOSINGWEIGHT and pick one geuss who is also fat to WIN and have the opportunity to train and loose weight with you and do it live…..or perhaps pick a few of your customers etc…. i think this will show how much you are serious and how much you care about us being your subscribers…..
    This will be only for internet viewers……
    Kind regards
    Lionnel :-))

  47. Hah, you struck a chord here fatty. A lot of us are in the same boat. I hit 280+ recently, now I’m down under 260 and on the way to my goal of 230. (I’m 6’4″ – all relative that’s low for me)
    Keep up the energy, nothing like being asked to be held accountable for something.

  48. Go for it – I think its great – so many people are in your position and why not – now that you have put it out there you are accountable and so many people will be watching.
    5 years ago I was the number 1 street dancer in Australia 5’4 and 52kg – I am now 69 kg (stopped dancing and well… had to go to work…) but I am starting Gym and personal training tomorrow so I’ll watch your progress and use it as a reminder to get my once ‘hot ass’ back in the gym and to stop eating the amazing cinnamon twists next to my work…

  49. I will follow you Joel! Actually I started “Body for Life” a week ago, so I may have a jump on you… or maybe not. I am 5’10” and weigh 224. I am hoping to drop at least 25 lbs in the next 90 days and then do a re-evaluation. Good for you for making the decision. Even after a week, I already feel more alive and I am sure you will too.
    You go Joel!!

  50. Joel
    I am on the same venture you are beginning. I myself needed to put it out there and tell the world what I was doing to hold myself accountable. I have 100 lb to lose. My friend, Dr. Laura Bertram introduced me to Juice Plus+ to help fill in the gaps of getting in the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables our bodies need. Since I started it in May, I have developed a huge passion for learning more about living healthy and eating better. Since starting the product. It has regulated my digestion, given me more energy, curbed my appetite and cravings. I now eat more fruits and vegetables and can walk past the junk in the supermarket without a problem. To date I have taken off just under 20 pounds and am plugging away to reach my 100 pound goal. Please keep in touch to support one another and visit my website to hear more about Juice Plus+. You may have already heard of it. There is a short 10 minute video on my site that explains what Juice Plus+ is all about. I am so excited to continue my journey to better health. Contact me so I can tell you how your chilren can receive Juice Plus+ free, and you can receive some free products as well. Look forward to connecting and holding accountability!

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