Yesterday, I had the privilege and opportunity to interview and chat with Chris Powell, Transformation Specialist from Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, about his new book Choose More, Lose More.  Chris has a degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.  He is well known for his show as well as his regular contributions to Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show, and his first book: Choose to Lose.

Chris is just as personable, knowledgeable and friendly on the phone as he appears on tv and in his books.  His passion for helping people with their journey is amazing.  He really works to transform people into loving and appreciating themselves.  A specific approach he uses is his process of Carb Cycling.  It is an easy to understand eating plan that can be customized to fit any life style.

Chris and I talked about how he met his beautiful wife, Heidi, and how much of a role she plays in his success – or their success, as he says.  Heidi is a life coach and trainer, as well as a busy mom of 3.  Their partnership in raising their family, working on Extreme Makeover:WL, training clients and building their business is very apparent and Chris is excited that Heidi will be making many more t.v. appearances on the next season of EM:WL (starting May 28).   He says the best thing he ever did was marry her – “someone smarter than him.”

I had a chance to ask Chris some specific questions about his new book and his approach and here are his responses.

How is this book different from Choose to Lose?

The first book he wrote, Choose to Lose, is more of an introduction to his concepts of carb cycling and getting mentally prepared to make the journey.  This book is full of real life tips and is more of a manual of how to use and adapt the process into your life.  When he wrote the first book, he didn’t want to overwhelm people, he wanted them to learn about his ideas and the buy into his process.  This book Choose More, Lose More, gives options and builds on the first book.  There are more workouts, exercises, meal plans, recipes and lists.

In the first book, he focused on the mental and emotional journey that takes place with transformation.  In this book, Chris consolidated the mental portion into 4 concepts that are very strong but more simplified.  He wanted the second book to address what people were missing from the first book.  They wanted more options to fit their lifestyle and this book has 4 different plans that fit peoples’ needs, as well as tons of tips and layouts to use.  

What seems to be the biggest challenge for people following your program?

The biggest challenge seems to be for people to understand how to fit a carb cycle into their lifestyle.  As soon as they understand that it can fit and it will work, they are set.  People who travel need different options than someone home to cook and this book lays those options out.  Another challenge is just getting started and into the grove of a healthy lifestyle.  That is why he breaks down the steps and asks that you start with only 5 minutes a day. 

By starting small with tiny promises and simpler paths, you are much more likely to succeed. 

Do you and Heidi or your own children eat according to the carb cycling format?

Chris and Heidi have young children that eat mostly healthy whole foods.  Chris follows fit cycle as he is an avid cross fitter and is all about performance.  The Fit Cycle allows him days to build muscle and stay lean.  Heidi also follows the fit cycle because she is so active.  He developed the fit cycle because he wanted to show people how he eats, as a very fit and active person.  By following this plan, he is able to meet his goals. 

I really like the “promise worksheets and exercises” you have in your book.  Do you ask that your clients fill out the same lists that you share in your book?  What advice do you have for trainers when working with clients in general?

Chris said he always uses the promise worksheets.  He said that diet and exercise mean nothing until you get this together and start making promises you can keep with yourself.  That is the most important and hardest part  Once that is started, then you can use diet and exercise, but until then, it won’t work.  Chris said he has noticed that most people have good integrity with others, except when it comes to themselves.  He works hard with clients to change this at the beginning of their journey. 

Chris says “all the power is in you and transformation is so much more than weight loss – it has everything to do with fixing broken promises.”  His soul goal is teaching people how to love themselves – something that is usually very hard to do.

Chris starts many clients with a 5 min. promise to move.  He teaches them that 5 minutes means 5 minutes, not 4:59 – that the value is in their promise.  Then he builds on this. 

Like I said, Chris was just as great as he seems, so compassionate and real. 

His new book just went on sale yesterday (5/7/13):

CHRIS POWELL’S CHOOSE MORE, LOSE MORE FOR LIFE by Chris Powell
Hyperion Hardcover / On Sale May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2484-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4013-0523-9

Also check him out at:  www.chrispowell.com

Twitter: @RealChrisPowell
FB : http://www.facebook.com/realchrispowell

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