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Interview with Jim Karas

Aired January 06, 2003 - 14:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Not many of us are getting to the gym, a problem that apparently starts early in life, and the numbers prove it. Fifteen percent of 6 to 19-year-olds are considered overweight or obese. That fact comes to us from an American Heart Association report released just last week. So why aren't we going to the gym, and what can we do to make our health a top priority? Fitness consultant Jim Karas wrote the book "Flip the Switch." He's also been named among the best personal trainers in the country by "Allure" magazine. He joins us live from Boston this afternoon -- hi, Jim.
JIM KARAS, AUTHOR, "FLIP THE SWITCH": Hi. How are you?

PHILLIPS: All right. I understand you've made Diane Sawyer not only lose about 20 pounds, so we're paying attention here at CNN.

KARAS: That's good.

PHILLIPS: All right. Hey, listen. Let's talk about all these diets and why so many people fail these diets. What's the problem?

KARAS: I think the biggest problem is unrealistic expectations. Most people start a weight loss program and they think, I'm going to lose ten pounds in ten days, or they think tomorrow I'm going to totally change my eating and my exercise, and that's simply unrealistic. I urge people to take it slowly, and make small changes throughout the coming weeks that they can stick with and in the long run really make the difference.

PHILLIPS: All right. In your book you talk about the life-long struggler and the slow gainer. Tell us about those individuals.

KARAS: Correct. Sure. Many people, myself included, have struggled with their weight their entire lives. They woke up, they started as children, and they always were having to count their calories, start endless diets, and have always had this be a struggle.

The slow gainer, which actually Diane Sawyer falls into, as do many other people, is someone who really never did have a weight problem in their teens or their 20s or even their 30s, and then slowly but surely, they wake up one day and they say, What happened? I'm 20, 25 pounds heavier than I was. What am I to do? So then in this book, I go about giving both of those different categories the action plan to ultimately achieve weight loss success.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jim. As you can imagine, we have received tons of e-mail, so let's get right to them. This one comes from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) California.

KARAS: OK.

PHILLIPS: Parnel (ph) says, "Even when I lose weight, my stomach area doesn't diminish in proportion with the weight I drop. How do I focus on this area of my body?"

KARAS: I think there's a two-pronged approach to that. First of all, there's a little bit of genetic patterning going on, so he may have to reduce his body weight and body fat content more because a lot of it is residing in that individual area. You really can't spot reduce an abdominal area, but what he should try to do is go about a low calorie eating program, but then perform strength and resistance training throughout his entire body. That way he will change his body's composition. You may not notice, Kyra, but I'm a very big advocate of the strength training over the cardiovascular exercise to really lose weight, because only creating lean muscle tissue, which occurs through strength training, is the key to boosting your metabolism, and that's really what weight loss is all about.

PHILLIPS: I did notice that point you made in your book -- sometimes you just can't get in the mood to do that cardio, so I like your advice.

KARAS: Good.

PHILLIPS: Carrie Major (ph) says, "I am interested in speeding up my metabolism. What are some things that I can do? I already work out on a regular basis."

KARAS: OK. There's a couple things she can do with her food. First of all, eating small meals throughout the day has been historically shown to increase your body's metabolism. Look upon it like stoking a fire with logs currently throughout the day on an ongoing basis.

The second thing she can do is eat some spicy foods because case study indicates that helps to boost the metabolism. So does increasing your lean muscle tissue, once again, so make sure she's performing the strength training and actually both green and black tea can give her a jump start to burn some additional calories.

PHILLIPS: All right. That's a spicy food idea. So stay away from those pills right, Jim?

KARAS: Absolutely. The pills really do nothing but wreak havoc with your metabolism. I think they are a last, last, last resort for the severely obese who only should be doing it with a doctor's supervision. It is really not for the normal person who just finds that they've put on some weight.

PHILLIPS: All right. This comes from John.

He says, "I am afflicted with gynecomastia -- male boobs -- and my question is, what is the best way to target my chest area? I want to get rid of that fat that is accumulated there." KARAS: Once again, similar to our first question. There may be a little bit of genetic patterning going on. What I would recommend that she do is really take a measurement of that area. Then start to perform more exercises for the back of her body. She may find that immediately when she works the back of the body, which is something I talk about a great deal in the book, it may improve her posture and actually help to eliminate some of the appearance of that body fat in that area. So I would really hit the back muscles.

PHILLIPS: I'm getting a cue -- I am saying that I shouldn't have said "boobs" on live television. That's OK, right? Hey, we're talking about the body.

KARAS: That's OK.

PHILLIPS: Thank you. All right. Here we go. This one is coming from Alora (ph). "Hi. I wanted to know, how does a woman slim down for her outer thigh, the back thigh, under her buttock. Also, my mom is 34. She wants to lose weight, can she still drink a little bit of wine and lose weight?"

KARAS: I'm so glad. I'm going to answer number two of this question first. I saw your segment on wine and absolutely, because the key to gaining and losing weight is the calorie. The calorie is king. So if you'd like to allocate some calories each and every day to some wine, I say that's absolutely fine. No food should ever be a no. And in my food plan, nothing is a no. I just want you to be smart and count calories.

To answer your first question, there are some exercises actually that I show in my book that are called hip extension and hip abduction. This is when you stand and extend your leg out to the side or extend your leg straight back. This can be done with your own body weight, or you can actually use something called a spryexa (ph) ring which is a tiny circle, rubber circle that you place around your ankles and perform these exercises. It can really make a difference if she consistently does them.

PHILLIPS: Jim Karas. The book is "Flip the Switch." I know you've had one best seller already.

KARAS: That is right. We're going for two.

PHILLIPS: Here is the second book -- there you go. Thank you so much for your advice -- we'll check in with you again.

KARAS: Great. Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 6, 2003 - 14:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Not many of us are getting to the gym, a problem that apparently starts early in life, and the numbers prove it. Fifteen percent of 6 to 19-year-olds are considered overweight or obese. That fact comes to us from an American Heart Association report released just last week. So why aren't we going to the gym, and what can we do to make our health a top priority? Fitness consultant Jim Karas wrote the book "Flip the Switch." He's also been named among the best personal trainers in the country by "Allure" magazine. He joins us live from Boston this afternoon -- hi, Jim.
JIM KARAS, AUTHOR, "FLIP THE SWITCH": Hi. How are you?

PHILLIPS: All right. I understand you've made Diane Sawyer not only lose about 20 pounds, so we're paying attention here at CNN.

KARAS: That's good.

PHILLIPS: All right. Hey, listen. Let's talk about all these diets and why so many people fail these diets. What's the problem?

KARAS: I think the biggest problem is unrealistic expectations. Most people start a weight loss program and they think, I'm going to lose ten pounds in ten days, or they think tomorrow I'm going to totally change my eating and my exercise, and that's simply unrealistic. I urge people to take it slowly, and make small changes throughout the coming weeks that they can stick with and in the long run really make the difference.

PHILLIPS: All right. In your book you talk about the life-long struggler and the slow gainer. Tell us about those individuals.

KARAS: Correct. Sure. Many people, myself included, have struggled with their weight their entire lives. They woke up, they started as children, and they always were having to count their calories, start endless diets, and have always had this be a struggle.

The slow gainer, which actually Diane Sawyer falls into, as do many other people, is someone who really never did have a weight problem in their teens or their 20s or even their 30s, and then slowly but surely, they wake up one day and they say, What happened? I'm 20, 25 pounds heavier than I was. What am I to do? So then in this book, I go about giving both of those different categories the action plan to ultimately achieve weight loss success.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jim. As you can imagine, we have received tons of e-mail, so let's get right to them. This one comes from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) California.

KARAS: OK.

PHILLIPS: Parnel (ph) says, "Even when I lose weight, my stomach area doesn't diminish in proportion with the weight I drop. How do I focus on this area of my body?"

KARAS: I think there's a two-pronged approach to that. First of all, there's a little bit of genetic patterning going on, so he may have to reduce his body weight and body fat content more because a lot of it is residing in that individual area. You really can't spot reduce an abdominal area, but what he should try to do is go about a low calorie eating program, but then perform strength and resistance training throughout his entire body. That way he will change his body's composition. You may not notice, Kyra, but I'm a very big advocate of the strength training over the cardiovascular exercise to really lose weight, because only creating lean muscle tissue, which occurs through strength training, is the key to boosting your metabolism, and that's really what weight loss is all about.

PHILLIPS: I did notice that point you made in your book -- sometimes you just can't get in the mood to do that cardio, so I like your advice.

KARAS: Good.

PHILLIPS: Carrie Major (ph) says, "I am interested in speeding up my metabolism. What are some things that I can do? I already work out on a regular basis."

KARAS: OK. There's a couple things she can do with her food. First of all, eating small meals throughout the day has been historically shown to increase your body's metabolism. Look upon it like stoking a fire with logs currently throughout the day on an ongoing basis.

The second thing she can do is eat some spicy foods because case study indicates that helps to boost the metabolism. So does increasing your lean muscle tissue, once again, so make sure she's performing the strength training and actually both green and black tea can give her a jump start to burn some additional calories.

PHILLIPS: All right. That's a spicy food idea. So stay away from those pills right, Jim?

KARAS: Absolutely. The pills really do nothing but wreak havoc with your metabolism. I think they are a last, last, last resort for the severely obese who only should be doing it with a doctor's supervision. It is really not for the normal person who just finds that they've put on some weight.

PHILLIPS: All right. This comes from John.

He says, "I am afflicted with gynecomastia -- male boobs -- and my question is, what is the best way to target my chest area? I want to get rid of that fat that is accumulated there." KARAS: Once again, similar to our first question. There may be a little bit of genetic patterning going on. What I would recommend that she do is really take a measurement of that area. Then start to perform more exercises for the back of her body. She may find that immediately when she works the back of the body, which is something I talk about a great deal in the book, it may improve her posture and actually help to eliminate some of the appearance of that body fat in that area. So I would really hit the back muscles.

PHILLIPS: I'm getting a cue -- I am saying that I shouldn't have said "boobs" on live television. That's OK, right? Hey, we're talking about the body.

KARAS: That's OK.

PHILLIPS: Thank you. All right. Here we go. This one is coming from Alora (ph). "Hi. I wanted to know, how does a woman slim down for her outer thigh, the back thigh, under her buttock. Also, my mom is 34. She wants to lose weight, can she still drink a little bit of wine and lose weight?"

KARAS: I'm so glad. I'm going to answer number two of this question first. I saw your segment on wine and absolutely, because the key to gaining and losing weight is the calorie. The calorie is king. So if you'd like to allocate some calories each and every day to some wine, I say that's absolutely fine. No food should ever be a no. And in my food plan, nothing is a no. I just want you to be smart and count calories.

To answer your first question, there are some exercises actually that I show in my book that are called hip extension and hip abduction. This is when you stand and extend your leg out to the side or extend your leg straight back. This can be done with your own body weight, or you can actually use something called a spryexa (ph) ring which is a tiny circle, rubber circle that you place around your ankles and perform these exercises. It can really make a difference if she consistently does them.

PHILLIPS: Jim Karas. The book is "Flip the Switch." I know you've had one best seller already.

KARAS: That is right. We're going for two.

PHILLIPS: Here is the second book -- there you go. Thank you so much for your advice -- we'll check in with you again.

KARAS: Great. Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com