In the articles, they always make it appear as if being the big shot CEO of a prominent company allows them to live an incredible lifestyle filled with financial prosperity, excitement and success—which I’m sure holds true for a small percentage.

In reality, however, most of them have lives that are full of headaches, ulcers, sleepless nights, loads of stress and long hours away from their families—all of which negatively impact their health, well-being, happiness and inevitably lead to weight gain.

Although I didn’t quite make it to the Fortune 500 with my Silicon Valley based trucking company, I discovered through my own experience exactly what the majority of those CEOs go through. And after many years of enduring the breakneck pace of a same-day delivery company, I finally made the decision to switch the focus of my company to overnight services to make life easier.

My purpose? To reduce my stress levels, keep myself from having a nervous breakdown and to get my body back into balance.

It wasn’t easy, of course, and it took some time to make the necessary adjustments, but it was the best decision I ever made because it changed my life for the better. After the transition was complete, I had a lot less stress; I slept better at night; my mind was fresh and clear on a daily basis; and, I had the energy to work out at night—which allowed me to start dropping all the extra weight I had accumulated over the years.

The take-home message of this personal story is not that you shouldn’t pursue your desires or reach for high levels of success, because personal achievement is what keeps us feeling alive. Only that it’s best to live and strive for the accomplishments you want in a way that keeps stress, anxiety or other unhealthy issues to a minimum.

Although this may be easier for some of us than others, it is still a real possibility if you take the time to sit down and think about how it can be done. The easiest way to do this is to first identify what kind of stress you’re experiencing.

Is it the result of a temporary event or situation that will change or pass at some point in time? Or, is the excess stress due to something that is not necessarily temporary, such as a relationship or a job?

Since most temporary situations will likely change at some point, the simplest thing to do is to find ways to vent or reduce the short-term stress you’re experiencing. Some easy ways of doing this are:

• Exercising or working out
• Communicating or talking it out with others around you
• Visiting natural settings such as a lake or a park
• Using relaxation techniques such as breathing or meditation (you can also checkout my LeanQuick™ guided imagery CD here)

For other types of stress that aren’t so short-term and won’t resolve so easily, you’re going to have to make some decisions and take some action to improve your situation. This may include:

• Ending a relationship that isn’t working or getting some space to think
• Avoiding certain people who make you feel stressed out
• Delegating tasks to others if you’re overwhelmed
• Changing jobs if your current one is impacting your health
• Finding a new approach to achieve the result(s) you desire

However you choose to do it, your best bet is to start reducing the amount of stress in your life as soon as possible. This will not only give you a boost in your mental clarity, which will help you to make the best decisions possible, but it will also benefit your body by allowing it to create the optimal internal environment for weight loss.

• You don’t have to make any changes to your current lifestyle!
• You don’t have to exercise to get a beach-ready body!
• You can eat whatever you want—no dieting necessary!

All you have to do is (insert their B.S. claim here) and the pounds will magically melt away right before your eyes!

I have two words for them: If only! (I bet you thought they were two different words—maybe they should be!)

After almost two decades of researching and trying just about everything known to man to lose weight and carve out a six-pack, these statements still give me mixed feelings. On one hand they make me laugh because they’re so ridiculous, but on the other hand, they make me mad because I know they’re tricking people into thinking they can lose weight and keep it off with a bottle of lies—or in this case, a little package of sprinkles.

If you’re not familiar with the product, Sensa was developed by a doctor named Alan Hirsch and is actually very different from most others. Unlike most diet pills that claim to melt fat or speed up our metabolism, this one boasts the ability to decrease our appetite by getting our hypothalamus to release hormones that suppress hunger.

In most instances, a doctor creating a weight loss product would give it greater credibility because we always want to assume that doctors have our best interest at heart. In this case, however, it does more harm than good because they display—and even encourage people—to continue eating all the unhealthy foods that created their problem in the first place.

Overall, Sensa sounds like a great concept if it works as well as they claim, which I highly doubt. But even then, there are still a number of issues this product creates:

1) Since you’re not altering the underlying habits that caused the weight gain in the first place, you have to continue using the sprinkles (assuming they actually work) to maintain your results. Can you say “dependency”?

2) Eating poor quality foods—like the ones displayed in the infomercial—leaves you feeling tired, fatigued and gives you short bursts of energy that cause you to eventually crash. That means eating less would make you feel even worse!

3) Most people who eat “the foods they love” lack the correct amounts of vitamins, minerals and life-giving nutrients their bodies need to function properly. That means eating less would leave them even more undernourished!

4) In spite of the amount we eat, certain foods inhibit our body’s natural ability to use fat as energy because they stimulate so much insulin—sugar-laden and processed foods specifically. (Like the pancakes, pizza and burger with fries in the infomercial!)

5) Becoming dependent on products to provide us with a result puts us in the mindset of looking for shortcuts and miracle cures instead of actually resolving our issues.

6) Products that are marketed like Sensa convince us that we’ve been working too hard and are putting forth too much effort to lose weight. This approach mentally weakens us and conditions us to give up when we’re faced with challenges.

7) Short-term solutions = short-term results instead of permanent ones!

The reason for this sudden change is that I’ve noticed I’m starting to burn more muscle tissue than anything–which, overall, is not good for my body or my metabolism.

Although it might sound like I’m taking a step backwards and putting a halt to my progress, ultimately, a nice break will catapult my long-term success for three reasons:

1. Taking a break from a calorie deficit will allow me to get my body back in balance, which will give my body a much needed break.

2. Building more muscle will greatly increase the speed of my metabolism, which will boost the number of calories (and amount of fat) I burn on a daily basis.

3. Eating enough food to meet my daily energy requirements (a.k.a. going back to my baseline food / calorie intake) will increase the likelihood that my body will burn a greater amount of fat for energy once I return to creating a calorie deficit.

Since my primary aim is to put on more muscle without adding fat, my plan is to increase the number of calories I eat by 250 daily and drop all the cardio for now. Then, once late June comes around, I’ll return to a calorie deficit and pursuing my two bottom abs.

Does that mean I’ll be going off of my eating program and having whatever I want?

Of course not, because consuming processed and sugary foods will only put my body into fat storage mode. Instead, I’ll be sticking to the same natural and low-glycemic foods I always recommend to everyone with one slight difference–I’ll be eating enough calories to create a neutral energy balance, which basically means that my body will be burning everything I take in.

Even though it may seem counterintuitive, one of the greatest (and hardest) lessons I’ve learned about getting lean is that you shouldn’t be afraid to take a short break when you stop making progress. It might feel like you’re slacking off in the beginning of course, but ultimately, your body will thank you for it and reward you with better results later.

The number one caution with taking a break is that you have to realize that that’s what it is, a break, and not an opportunity to give up or go on a see-food diet. The other thing to keep in mind is that you have to be committed to returning to your efforts once you’ve had your rest and your body is back on track.

If you do this periodically without losing sight of what your main focus is–which is getting leaner or losing weight–you’ll find that your results will come much faster and be beyond excellent once you go back to your deficit.

In their quest to provide us with the same taste and texture we’re used to (instead of thinking about food quality and nutrition), they often turn to alternative additives that are considered GRAS (Generally Recognized AS Safe) or are FDA approved.

Although it may sound like they have our best interest in mind by including these additives, many times they don’t. Instead, their main concern is developing a profitable product to put into the market place that the public will accept (or in their terms: will sell like hell).

What is most misleading about ingredients or additives that are considered GRAS, is that many are not without negative side effects. Take Truvia for instance, which is one of the newest brands of “natural” zero-calorie sugar substitutes available today.

Without getting into the specifics of how it is manufactured (and unnatural), it is basically a combination of two primary ingredients: Rebiana, which is a processed form of Stevia, and Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. In addition to those two ingredients, it also contains what is stated as “natural flavors” on the nutrition label. (Only God knows what those are!)

Curious to see how my body would react to Truvia, before doing any research on it, I recently decided to experiment with it for myself. The first day I used (3) packets at different times of the day and I was ok. The second day when I had a few more packets, however, I started to notice my body feeling really blah.

And by blah, I mean my stomach was extremely distended and sore and I felt bloated, which are the same exact side effects I get whenever I consume Splenda or any of the other artificial sweeteners. My assumption, in the case of Truvia, is that this is the Erythritol at work because it is known to create digestive issues.

After feeling lousy that second day, I decided to search the Internet to see what other people had experienced while using Truvia. Not surprisingly, a lot of others had the exact same issues that I had-plus many others that were even worse.

Some of the side effects others experienced include:

• Bad breath
• Tiredness
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Back, neck and shoulder pain
• Hives
• Itching
• Gas
• Diarrhea
• An increase in the desire for refined carbohydrates (sugar)

So much for Truvia’s natural claim!

Thanks to this experience and further research, I have once again realized that substituting alternatives for many of the things we shouldn’t be putting in our body in the first place isn’t the smartest practice.

Instead, it is simply best to limit the amount of products we consume that are full of sugar, fat, salt and all the other ingredients our body does not tolerate well. This is not only the best choice for weight loss reasons, but also for general and overall health reasons.

Having been stuck in their situation myself for over two years, I know how frustrated they feel. After all the time I wasted, I finally figured out that the endless bouts of cardio weren’t working for me and were actually becoming unsustainable. The more cardio exercise I did, the more I had to do to continue to see meager results.

Finally, after my muscles shriveled up and my body refused to burn any more fat, I reached the point where I couldn’t work out for more than two hours a day because I was burning out. Every day I felt tired and fatigued, and I was severely lacking energy. Although I was determined to get the six-pack I’d always wanted, I finally accepted the fact that all the excessive exercise was doing me more harm than good.

After taking a week off for mental sanity, I decided to try something new. Instead of slaving away for hours on end doing more and more cardio, I would work out with weights for 40 minutes and then do 20 minutes of cardio exercise 5 days a week.

At first I felt guilty because I was working out less than half the time I had been exercising previously. But, once I started to feel better and see results a lot faster, I realized that this approach was allowing me to have the energy to push myself harder and work out for shorter periods of time.

The end result?

I was able to work out more intensely, move faster and burn more calories in far less time without wearing my body out – no more survival mode. Not only that, but I also wasn’t experiencing uncontrollable eating binges either, which had been a problem when I was working out for two hours at a time because of the massive calorie deficit I was creating with all of the excessive exercise.

Today my workouts are basically the same. I still hit the weights for 40 minutes a day 5 days a week, and then I follow it up with cardio on the elliptical machine for a medium to fast paced 20 minutes. This workout is absolutely perfect for three simple reasons:

1) Every week I can see more lines in my midsection, which is an indication that I’m getting leaner.

2) My strength is remaining constant, which is allowing me to push heavier weights and maintain my muscle.

3) I feel good every day – no more suffering or feeling like I’m falling down!

If you’ve been hesitant to lift weights, women especially, due to the fear of getting “bigger”, I can assure you that doing dumbbell workouts (like the ones in the members’ area) will not give you huge muscles. If anything, it will help you to become leaner, firmer and fitter – which are basically the things we all would like to be more of.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After chasing my tail all these years trying to be something I’ll never be (naturally anyways), I’ve realized that the time has come to be realistic. I’m not one to give up when it comes to taking on a challenge, but in this case, because of my genetics and the fact that I could never be that way without performance-enhancing drugs (aka Anabolic Steroids), I’ve decided that the only rational and logical thing to do is to let this fantasy go.

Looking back, I can see that my desire to be a “big” bodybuilder has sabotaged my efforts to stay lean and attain a six-pack in many ways. Not just because most of the guys in the magazines take drugs, which creates a false impression that others can be like them if they take the supplements they endorse, but also because of all the food I’ve unconsciously been convincing myself to consume in the process.

At different times in my life I would be making great progress getting lean and come close to having a six-pack. Then, I’d see a picture of a bodybuilder I admired and would abandon my efforts to pursue bigger muscles. Now, after all these years of spinning my wheels and getting nowhere, it’s finally time to move past this old desire and have the six-pack I’ve always wanted.

I’ve been working on bringing out my last two abs for about seven months now and my progress has been steady but slow. At first it didn’t make sense, but now I understand why. In the forefront of my mind I’m always thinking about having those last two abs and how great it’s going to feel when I finally do.

But, in the back of my mind, I’ve still been striving for that teen fantasy of being a “big” professional bodybuilder–which I now realize was creating a mental block for me and preventing me from burning that last bit of body fat necessary to show all six of my abs.

Coming to terms with this reality wasn’t easy, of course, but I know letting go of this old desire was the right thing to do. Having said that, what’s stopping you from having the results you’ve always wanted, and what do you need to let go of?

Is it a sense of comfort and security you get from being overweight?

Is being overweight a punishment for something you did in the past?

Is eating foods that cause you to gain weight just a bad habit?

Or is there something more?

An unconscious desire?

An old decision made long ago?

An act of rebellion?

An old emotion?

If you’re not quite sure, I would highly recommend that you find a quiet space to do some deep thinking soon. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do, or what do I need let go of to finally lose all of this weight once and for all?”

And if you do know what that something is, like I did, then maybe it’s time you made the decision–as tough as it may be–to finally let it go.

I’d be making great progress working out five days a week for an hour at a time. Then, in an attempt to speed up the process, I’d start pushing myself harder and extend my workouts to ninety minutes because I thought burning more calories was better and would get me to the body I wanted faster.

To make matters even worse, I’d sometimes go back to the gym a second time at night to do an additional hour run on the treadmill. Basically, I was training like an Olympic athlete for two to three hours a day, seven days a week–but still eating the same as I had been when I was working out for five.

As a result of this lethal combination (too much exercise and too few calories), my body would usually go into survival mode after about two weeks. This would cause me to constantly be tired, feel extremely weak and fatigued and eventually, I’d end up in a binge that caused me to gain even more weight.

After a few years of riding this roller coaster and playing tug-of-war with my body, I finally figured out that taking your time losing weight is the best thing to do. Not simply because it’s healthier and keeps us from stressing (which actually interferes with our progress while losing weight), but also because trying to rush the process causes us to make a lot of mistakes that can cost us even more time.

Once I finally got the lesson that trying to speed things up wasn’t going to work, I changed my exercise routine so I could workout more intensely for shorter periods of time. Typically, this meant hitting the weights for about thirty-five minutes with sixty to ninety second rest periods between sets, and then running on the treadmill or doing the elliptical machine at a medium intensity pace for an additional twenty (minutes).

Overall, this new workout program was much better and much more effective for three reasons:

1) It allowed me to get leaner over time without tiring out my body or obsessing
2) I was working out less than half as much and getting excellent results
3) I wasn’t starving myself, going hungry for weeks at a time or binging anymore

The take-home lesson: If you’re in a hurry to lose weight, you’re already in the wrong mindset and probably setting yourself up to fail. Any time you’re working out excessively, going hungry for too long or stressing about how long it’s going to take to lose the amount of weight you want, you’re headed for trouble.

Although it’s natural to want to get rid of all your excess weight as quickly as possible, keep in mind that it’s better to chip away at body fat steadily and progressively over time. Otherwise, you may just spend the next few years spinning your wheels, being frustrated and getting nowhere.

While I was going through this seemingly lifelong experience, it felt like my situation was hopeless and that I’d never reach the vision of the body I had in my mind. Now that I can look back and laugh, however, I can see that the struggle I endured was really a great blessing in disguise.

Sound crazy?

At first I thought so too. But, when I consider all that has occurred and how much my life has dramatically changed because of it, it’s plain to see that it was the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to me. All those years of struggle not only made me a much stronger person mentally and physically, but it also increased my self-esteem tremendously.

As a result, I’m more confident than I’ve ever been; I have success in every area of my life; I have a much more fulfilling relationship with my daughter; I was motivated to start SuperstarUniversity.com and now have a worldwide community; I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been and have the body I’ve always dreamed of. And, most importantly, I’m truly happy with myself and who I am, which, sadly enough, is a freedom so many people are not fortunate enough to have.

And it’s all because of a struggle I overcame that I once called a curse.

Taking everything I’ve just said into consideration, how do you see your weight loss struggle? Is it a tragedy and an obstacle that you can’t seem to get past no matter how hard you try? Or, is it the greatest springboard you’ve ever had that will one day catapult you to greatness and you just don’t see it yet? 

Whether you realize it or not, that’s a choice you make everyday with every action you take or avoid.

Not sure what I mean?

Consider this: when you stick to the Superstar eating program and follow your exercise routine, you move one step closer to the results and the body you want. But, when you’re persuaded by others (or that devilish little voice in your head) to “take a break” and eat whatever you want or skip your workout, you actually take a step backwards.

Sad, but true!

Although this may sound like a bit of a wacky idea to most people, our problems are actually good when we choose to see them that way because they can ultimately propel us to greater levels of achievement in life and reap big rewards for us.

Personally speaking, my life never would have become all that it has otherwise.

What most people don’t realize is that our life is like a storybook that we write a page in everyday. That means we each get to decide what’s on that page.

Is your story for today going to be a triumph? And will your biggest struggle become your greatest victory?

That, my friend, is for you to decide!

The site sells some kind of a recipe for a liquid diet and claims to help us lose a whopping 18 pounds in only 4 days—and of course they display a big picture of some skinny, in-shape guy!

Sounds pretty radical, doesn’t it?  I thought so, too.

As crazy as it sounds, after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that it really is possible to lose that much weight under specific conditions. To lose 18 pounds in 4 days you would need to:

a) Have about ten pounds of waste jammed in your colon

b) Be retaining about six pounds of water

c) Lose one pound of fat

d) Lose one pound of muscle.

See how misleading that is?

Sure, we would see numbers on the scale drop on an all-liquid colon-cleansing diet (assuming we were in the situation I mentioned above), but only about one pound would actually be from body fat.

In theory, losing this amount of weight sounds good to someone who just wants to see their weight go down—and it would probably do a person who is in that situation a lot of good. The problem in reality, however, is that they would end up right back in the same situation at some point because their eating habits and food choices are what created the problem to begin with.

In other words, the all-liquid diet that the site boasts of is merely cleaning the dieter’s system out—which isn’t a bad thing. The reason why this popular diet concept is so misleading for weight loss, however, is because most people who buy the recipe want to lose body fat and not just body weight.

Here’s the really sad part; in about two months, the people who try this recipe will be right back where they started because they don’t realize that the liquid diet was merely a quick fix. Sure, it did them some good for a short period of time because it cleansed their colon, but in the long run, they’ll only have wasted more money and ended up right back where they started because their lifestyle and habits didn’t change.

As I’ve mentioned time and time again, the only way to lose body fat permanently—which is the only weight that really counts long term—is to make progressive changes in our lifestyle. Among many things, this means:

a) Eating foods that keep our body in a fat burning state

b) Establishing healthy eating patterns by consuming 5-6 meals daily

c) Exercising regularly to keep your muscles and your heart strong

d) Persisting until you reach your ideal weight.

If you haven’t done so already, login to the member’s area and get started with Your First 7 Steps to Weight Loss Success now! The sooner you do this, the sooner you’ll be on your way to losing all the weight you want and creating a lifestyle that ensures your results permanently!