on target living

308 Pages·2010·8.22 MB·English

C H R I S J O H N S O N ’ S
™
on target living
NUTRITION
the power of feeling your best
The Promise of
On Target Living Nutrition
On Target Living means achieving a balanced life with increased energy and vitality by
blending intelligent nutrition, balanced exercise, and restorative rest and recovery.
In On Target Living Nutrition, health and ftness expert Chris Johnson cuts through
the current landscape of dieting and deprivation. Chris blends just the right amount
of nutritional and physiological information with a sensible program that anyone can
begin immediately and follow for life, while feeling happy and highly satisfed. Chris
gives the reader powerful information centered on the On Target Living Food Target.
Nutrition is the core of the On Target Living Nutrition program, but Chris also gives the
reader additional tools for building a solid foundation of better health, including a complete
step-by-step exercise section and a full chapter on mindful eating and motivation.
On Target Living Nutrition gives the reader knowledge, skill and motivation to im-
prove their health, to feel good and have better energy throughout the day, and to
control their weight. Simply—On Target Living Nutrition will give you, The Power to
Feel Your Best!
COPYRIGHT © 2008 BY CHRIS JOHNSON
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any other
information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
Printed in Taiwan
C H R I S J O H N S O N ’ S
™
on target living
NUTRITION
the power of feeling your best
Written by Chris Johnson
Design by CiesaDesign
Published by
ISBN 978-0-9727281-4-0
On Target Living, Int’l
Haslett, Michigan
2
table of contents
Acknowledgments/Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Introduction: The Power of Feeling Your Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Diets don’t work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Section 1: CHANGING YOuR LIFe .......................... 11
Chapter 1: We’ve Been Led Astray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Why is our health at risk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Help has arrived . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 2: Why Diets Don’t Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Scenario 1: Exchange/low-calorie diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Scenario 2: Low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Scenario 3: High-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The 80/20 rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 3: Old Thinking—New Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Old Thinking: Skip meals to lose weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
New Thinking: Eat small meals frequently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Old Thinking: Cut calories to lose weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
New Thinking: All calories are not created
equal—quality counts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Old Thinking: Eliminate fat from the diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New Thinking: Cut unhealthy fats and incorporate healthy fats . . . . . 27
Old Thinking: Eat anything and take supplements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New Thinking: Focus on high-quality foods frst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Summary of old and new thinking: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 4: Healthy Cells Are Happy Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The cell membrane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mitochondria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Nucleus of the cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 5: Alkaline/Acid: Balancing the Body’s pH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How do an acid-forming diet and high levels of stress
lead to all of these health problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
What causes acid and alkaline to become unbalanced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
What can I do to balance my acid and alkaline levels? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 6: Going Organic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
What does “organic” mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
How do you know it’s organic? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
How much does it cost? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chris Johnson’s on target living NUTRIT ION 3
Chapter 7: Laying the Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
The three building blocks of your foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 8: Let Food Be Your Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Bonnie’s journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Medications can help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapter 9: Aim for the Food Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
USDA’s Food Guidance—MyPyramid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
On Target Living Nutrition: Food Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Section 2:
THe CORe OF ON TARGeT LIVING NuTRITION .......63
Chapter 10: Fuel Your Body with Carbohydrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Are carbohydrates healthy or unhealthy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Types of carbohydrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The carbohydrate continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Carbohydrate chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The glycemic index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Why do we crave carbohydrates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The lowdown on sweet stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
How many carbohydrates should you eat each day? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Chapter 11: Build Your Body with Protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
What is protein? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Benefts of protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
What kinds of protein should you eat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The protein continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Chapter 12: Heal Your Body with Fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Medical research supporting healthy fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Where have we gone wrong? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Why is eating healthy fats so essential to optimal performance
and good health? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
The categories of fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Improving the quality of fat in your diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
The bottom line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Chapter 13: Check Your Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Soda pop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Coffee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Tea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Juice .......................................................................................................................................122
Sports drinks ...................................................................................................................122
Energy drinks .................................................................................................................. 124
Alcohol ................................................................................................................................ 124
Water: Your body’s drink of choice .................................................................. 124
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 127
Chapter 14: The Key to Healthy Bones ..................................................... 128
What weakens bones? .............................................................................................. 129
What can you do to keep your bones healthy? ........................................ 130
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 132
Chapter 15: What Should You Feed Your Kids? ................................ 133
Tips to get started ....................................................................................................... 134
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 136
Section 3: STePS TO SuCCeSS .................................137
Chapter 16: Putting It All Together ............................................................... 138
Making the decision to change ............................................................................. 138
What do you want to change? ............................................................................ 139
Why do you want to change? .............................................................................. 139
Plan to succeed and succeed with a plan ...................................................... 139
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 143
Chapter 17: Write It Down ...................................................................................144
How to use the daily food log..............................................................................145
The bottom line ............................................................................................................145
Chapter 18: How to Read a Label ................................................................... 147
How long is the ingredient list? ........................................................................... 147
Do you recognize all the words in the ingredient list? ..........................148
What is the serving size? .........................................................................................148
What kind of fat? ..........................................................................................................149
What type of sweetener? .......................................................................................150
What is the balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat? ........................151
How was the food or beverage grown or processed?......................... 152
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 152
Chapter 19: Shopping 101 ....................................................................................... 153
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 155
Chapter 20: The Three-Hour Rule ................................................................ 156
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 157
Chapter 21: It’s Quality, Quality, Quality .................................................158
Incremental changes ...................................................................................................158
Quantity—calories do count! .............................................................................. 162
Quick-pick food list .....................................................................................................166
The bottom line ............................................................................................................168
Chris Johnson’s on target living NUTRIT ION 5
Chapter 22: Balancing the “Big Three” ...................................................... 169
Breakfast ............................................................................................................................ 170
Lunch .....................................................................................................................................171
Dinner .................................................................................................................................172
Snacks ..................................................................................................................................173
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 174
Chapter 23: Mindful eating ..................................................................................... 175
Increase your awareness .........................................................................................177
Build your mindful eating action plan............................................................... 178
References ........................................................................................................................182
The bottom line ............................................................................................................183
Chapter 24: Healthy eating on the Run......................................................184
Out-of-town travel ......................................................................................................184
Eating out ..........................................................................................................................185
The bottom line ............................................................................................................187
Chapter 25: Make It Yours .....................................................................................188
Chapter 26: exercise: The Fountain of Youth ......................................192
The bionic woman .......................................................................................................192
Why don’t we exercise? .......................................................................................... 193
Exercise and weight loss ..........................................................................................198
Posture alignment ........................................................................................................199
Getting started: How much exercise is enough? .....................................200
Equipment needs .......................................................................................................... 210
Sample exercise programs ......................................................................................211
Frequently asked exercise questions ................................................................211
Exercise considerations ............................................................................................ 214
The bottom line ............................................................................................................ 214
Chapter 27: Starting at Zero ................................................................................ 215
Chapter 28: Taking It to the Next Level ................................................... 219
Taking-it-to-the-next-level plan ...........................................................................220
Chapter 29: You Can Do It! .................................................................................223
Final tips for success ....................................................................................................223
Enjoy the journey .........................................................................................................226
AppendiceS ..................................................................... 227
Appendix A: On Target Living Recipes .......................................................227
Appendix B: On Target Living exercises ...................................................246
Appendix C: On Target Living Daily Logs ................................................287
Index ........................................................................................................................................... 291
6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS / DEDICATION
acknowledgments/dedication
There are so many people who were instrumental in the development and completion
of this book. I’d like to begin by thanking a few of my college professors: Dr. Louis Junker,
Dr. Wayne Van Huss, Dr. William Heusner, and Dr. Kwok Ho. Thank you for sharing
your passion and vision and opening my eyes to a life’s work in health and ftness.
To my personal training clients who I have learned from, been supported by, and
inspired me every step of the way.
To Lauren Ciesa, Michael Sundermann, Gerna Rubenstein, and Sandy Clark at
CiesaDesign for your hard work, patience, guidance, creativity, and vision in putting
this book together.
To my colleagues who have helped guide, inspire and keep the bar raised high.
Your passion and energy for helping people are what life is all about.
To Al Arens, my mentor, for your guidance and friendship over the years.
Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family who have supported me and this
project wholeheartedly.
To Bonnie Klinger—your transformation and spirit will change many lives;, it
has changed my life.
To my faithful readers and followers, whose letters, emails, and testimonials have
motivated me to expand my vision in helping people live healthier lives.
Last but not least, to my wife, Paula, and my kids, Kristen and Matt, for all your
love and support.
Thanks.
CJ
Chris Johnson’s on target living NUTRIT ION 7
foreword
How does one express his gratitude to someone who has helped him to achieve his
goals, gain confdence to overcome physical and mental barriers to strive for better
health, and help develop balance and symmetry in lifestyle, eating habits, body shape,
and posture?
One would expect a cardiothoracic surgeon to have no problem attaining and
maintaining the above-mentioned basic tenets of life, without diffculty, as if by sec-
ond nature. Not necessarily. Let me explain!
I was brought up in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, a small nation in the
middle of Africa. My parents, both of whom were doctors, always pushed us to do our
best—particularly in terms of our education—and helped me to pursue and achieve
my career goals in the face of all kinds of diffculties.
After completing high school in Kampala, which in those days was in great politi-
cal turmoil, I went to Bombay, India, to complete my medical degree. It was soon after
that that my parents were forced to fee Uganda due to the regime of Idi Amin. My
parents then immigrated to England after a short stay in India. I joined my family in
England upon completing a surgical residency in Bombay, eager to pursue my dream
of becoming a heart surgeon, inspired by Dr. Christian Barnard, who is responsible
for putting Africa on the medical map by performing the frst human heart transplant
in the world.
Not satisfed with the support and opportunity afforded in England, I immigrated
to the United States after a grueling, six-year surgical residency, which I had to repeat
to become eligible to practice heart and lung surgery in this country. Finally, after
having completed almost sixteen years of surgical residencies on three different con-
tinents, I settled in Lansing and have worked incessantly to establish myself in the
practice of my chosen profession.
It was during these years that I ignored my personal health and allowed the
vagaries of external forces to dictate my physical shape to the extent that, at six feet, I
weighed over 250 pounds and did not have the stamina to carry out even moderate exer-
tion. In addition, I used to get severe backaches and could not walk without becoming
winded. Furthermore, I contracted tuberculosis during a visit abroad and almost died.
God, however, had more in mind for me, and I gratefully recovered from the disease.
At this point I decided I should take better care of myself. But how? I tried a
number of dietary regimens, including Atkins, South Beach, periods of starvation,
etc., without any success. I also took up exercise, with the help of a number of train-
ers, but was not able to sustain my practice for long and lumbered back into my old
8 FOREWORD
habits of working hard, starving myself the entire day, followed by eating irresponsi-
bly at night. This pattern, which lasted for about four to fve years, did not result in
any improvement. In addition, I became so frustrated I lost all faith in my ability to
lose weight.
It was at this juncture in my life that I recognized I needed assistance and called
Chris, whom I had known for some time. From the beginning, Chris seemed to be
someone who knew not only how to help one achieve one’s goals, but also maintain
them. What impressed me most about Chris was his philosophy, which was all about
balance, perseverance, and focus on fundamentals. This approach permeates not only
Chris’s exercise training regimen, but also his weight-loss regimen, as is evident in the
book On Target Living Nutrition. In this particular book, Chris talks at length about
the balance between carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and the need to assimilate
good- versus poor-quality food. Chris also emphasizes the need for gradual, progres-
sive weight loss rather than rapid and, even worse, unbalanced weight loss, as recom-
mended by some popular regimens. This same philosophy is evident in his exercise
program, as Chris has focused on improving my core muscle development.
One would expect to understand this concept naturally, but despite the fact that
my mother used to constantly remind me to walk erect as a child, I could not do it for
any length of time until Chris helped me to develop my core muscle strength. With
this combined approach, Chris has helped me lose over thirty-fve pounds in weight.
I now walk erect, fulflling my mother’s wishes, and can run over a mile and a half
without diffculty. This may not sound like much to some people, but for me it is quite
an accomplishment, and something I could never do even in high school. More impor-
tantly, Chris has instilled the confdence in me to know I can accomplish the next
phase of my goal, which is to continue to lose more weight and maintain it, while liv-
ing a healthy life for a long time to come.
So, Chris, thank you very much for all you have done for me, and if my experience
inspires someone else to take the path to strive for excellence in health and ftness,
then I would be satisfed that the gratitude has been expressed to a small degree!
With much respect,
Divyakant B. Gandhi, M.D., FACS, FRCS
Attending Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery
College of Human Medicine and College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University