Fitness trainer Bob Harper enjoys reading "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb"
When you write articles at a blog as often as I do and then have them show up all over the Internet, you are bound to get the message out to a whole lotta people. And obviously I have with about a quarter million pageviews registered in my first year online thanks to the devoted readership that so many of you have given my blog.
But little did I know that one of my faithful readers at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog is somebody that we all know and love from the hit NBC television reality show "The Biggest Loser." He is personal trainer and health advocate Bob Harper.
Bob has endeared himself to so many people with his charm, good looks and encouraging attitude with the contestants on "The Biggest Loser." You can tell he really cares about the people he is working with and wants to teach them to make good lifestyle choices for themselves so they can overcome their obesity and any subsequent health problems that may come with that.
I had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with Bob Harper last Fall when the bestselling book "The Biggest Loser" was released and I found him to be an honest and refreshing voice in this obesity debate.
Little did I know the respect and admiration was mutual.
On Friday, I got an e-mail with a subject line stating, "Hey it's Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser." My first reaction was YEAH RIGHT! As if THE Bob Harper is gonna be e-mailing me. But just out of sheer curiosity, I decided to open the e-mail and see if it's another one of those spam scam e-mails or what it was about.
To my pleasant surprise, it REALLY WAS an e-mail from Bob Harper and he had some nice things to say about me:
I have been reading some of your article's on the Internet and just wanted to thank you for your support and kind words. It's great to see people trying to help in this WAR against obesity here in America. Keep up the good work.
Bob
WOW, how about that?! Bob Harper reads my blog! Ha! That's trippin' me out. But I guess there are so few people willing to share the truth so openly about diet, health, weight loss, fitness, and nutrition that my writings do kinda stand out.
I don't even pretend to know an inkling as much about those subjects as people like Bob Harper do, but I am thrilled to know someone like him appreciates the efforts I am making here to help educate and encourage the masses about healthy lifestyle choices.
Contrary to popular belief, the health debate is not really about arguing the merits of low-fat, low-calorie, or low-carb. It's not about which diet plan is the latest "it" thing to be doing. And it's not even about cutting out your carbohydrates, fat grams or calories. What it IS about is getting people to understand why they need to make changes in their life before it's too late.
Had I not started my low-carb lifestyle in January 2004, it is very likely I would not be here today. I'm sure Bob would tell you the same thing about Ryan Benson, Matt Hoover, and all the other "Biggest Loser" contestants he has seen on the brink of succumbing to the ill effects of morbid obesity. It's not a fun place to be in and I NEVER want to go back to that place again. And I WON'T!
What can we do to help others get to this point in their own life? Exactly what I've been doing already for over a year at this blog -- sharing my personal experiences with weight loss including the ups and downs that come with it and just being honest about the struggles and how I was able to find the strength to do it and keep it off for good.
I never sugarcoat what I believe people need to hear because you deserve better than that. If something I write about sounds hurtful or makes you angry, then GOOD! You are being convicted in an area that you need to work on. While I also try to provide ample encouragement to boost your confidence in your weight loss journey, I will never just tell you what you want to hear so you'll like everything that I write about. I would be doing you a great disservice if I EVER did that and I care about you too much to do that to you. You can take it to the bank that I will not be doing that...EVER!
Anyone who tells you losing weight and keeping it off is not going to take any effort on your part is lying through their teeth. It doesn't have to be a difficult process by any means, but you will need to make up your mind that this is what you want to do and then execute that belief.
It's one thing to WANT to lose weight, but yet another to want it so badly you will refuse to allow any excuse or obstacle to stand in the way of your success. That's why I succeeded and that's why Ryan and Matt succeeded on "The Biggest Loser." Adopting a CAN-DO attitude can really go a long way. This is a philosophy that I'm sure Bob Harper endorses for all of his clients as well with great success. It's time to make it happen for YOU!
So take heart if you are struggling with this weight loss thing. It's not a hopeless cause and you are not alone in this battle over obesity in America. I'm always here to offer a listening ear and a gentle voice of hope that things will be okay and you will overcome your weight problem just like I did. E-mail me anytime at .
After all, if people like Bob Harper enjoy reading my blog, then I MUST be doing something right! :-D
