Over and over again, I am asked how it is that I can read and post on the guestbook, answering beginner questions–the very same questions hundreds of times a year. I am also asked how I eat six small meals a day, how I “find time” to exercise, and “how long are you going to be on this diet?”

They don’t get it! They just don’t get it! And, I think lots more people don’t get it either. Body for Life, to be effective, must be for life. It’s not like it’s a life sentence of despair or sacrifice either, it’s just a different and far better way of living–living longer and more healthy–than the way others do it.  It’s also a different way of thinking and approaching life. It is a way of thinking about and planning out each day before it gets there–leaving less to chance, and leaving far less room for frustration and failure. It is a life filled with compassion for others, love of self and others, and a life filled with small victories each and every day. What more could you ask for?

So, the reason I spend so much time on the guestbook is to try to help people to read the book, to understand that BFL is truly a lifestyle, not just a quick weight loss program, and that it truly is a way of transforming yourself physically and mentally and completely. I try to teach the Power Mindset, and the tremendous importance in a strict and rigorous diet for the first twelve weeks, and the fact that rest is every bit as important as workouts. I hate to see people make a difficult and lengthy commitment only to see little results during their 12 week challenge because they failed to undersand some of these terribly important principles.

In and on and off way I did Body for Life for several years, stopping when I was sick or injured, which was fairly often. But, for the last few years, since early 2004, I have led a life committed to the principles of eating six small meals a day, doing 3 cardio sessions a week for 20 minutes each, doing roughly 2.5 hours of resistance training a week, and trying to follow the mental principles as well. In spite of all that, my life was derailed by a significant depression and some injuries from December 2005 to August 2006.

When I got back on the wagon and began living again like I should, after 8 months of being a spectator in my own life, the principles and the routines came right back to me. From that time on, I’ve done well and have lived a life of joy and fulfillment.

If you’re new at this, I’ll just ask you to trust me here: If you try hard to adhere to the plan,  if you eat the small meals 6 times a day, and commit that you’ll exercise hard, and  that you won’t do a bunch of silly extra things to try to lose weight quicker, you’ll see tremendous changes in your own appearance, and your mental condition as well. Moreover, I think you’ll also see the value of keeping BFL as your permanent lifestyle. Give it time, and it will grow on you! I know it will, because many of the people who read these blogs are dyed in the wool, long time BFL’ers who do this just as naturally as they used to live another kind of life before they found BFL.

In fact, I hope those people will leave some comments that might help you newbies become like the rest of us, strong and victorious. All it takes is intentionality–plan, prepare for, and execute the events of each and every day, making a record of your goals, your results and your observations each and every day. You’ll be amazed–you really will. It’s simple, but boy is it powerful!