The Petite Advantage Diet (35 page)

And what better way to relieve stress than to get a massage. I am a huge fan of massage, whether you get one from a trained professional, a partner or friend, or give one to yourself. Massage brings blood to your muscles, which helps them repair, especially when you are performing strength training. It also relaxes your muscles. This will help to de-stress your entire body. If done the right way, you can massage the area where your chest muscles attach to your shoulder muscles to help improve posture.

Again, as a Petite, your body gets hit that much harder by an influx of stress hormones because of your size. Think of two fireplaces, one big and one small, with the same amount of wood and flame. Clearly the smaller fireplace is going to heat up more than the larger one, because the fire is confined to a smaller space. The flame is that much closer to the brick or stone. That small fireplace is you and that flame is the stress response in your body. That’s why, when stress literally “lights you up,” your body and mind get hit that much harder.

I
chose to close this book with a simple concept: It’s your choice. It’s your choice whether you want to live your life in your present body or make a change. This book has taught you a number of lessons that only you can choose to apply to your life.

First, I taught you that
selfish is good
! Truer words have never been spoken, especially for Petites. You have to own that and understand, once again, that, when you are selfish,
everyone
benefits.

Next, you learned about metabolism–your weapon of mass reduction. You have to rock it. Come on, as a Petite you can choose to rock that metabolism and it will reward you with weight loss. That’s a great payoff if you ask me.

From The Math you learned that small changes can result in pounds dropping off–for good. These changes are sometimes tough to swallow, but necessary. You can’t eat like the big people, but you can look amazing and be lean and strong. It’s the card you were dealt–not the Jack of Spades, but the Queen of Hearts. I will even go so far as to say that it’s the Queen of
Lean
Hearts. You can choose to play that card.

Then you learned the rules of the Eating Game: Chow big to stay small. I’ve given you a lot of meal options to choose from. I love to eat, don’t get me wrong. But even I have to be careful at six feet tall. You just have to be that much more aware.

My eating plan gives you many choices. You must choose why, where, when, and what you will eat. Just follow the plan. You have only one thing to lose–
weight
!

The chapter on eating out will help you make the right choices to take control of The Monster. I love to eat out and so should you. You can enjoy eating out and still stay totally on plan–and have fun. Enjoy. Just be ready to make the right choices in each and every situation, which I feel I have prepared you for.

And remember to look out for liquid calories–Public Enemy
^#
1. Just know they are poison. Truly. With the exception of some low-fat milk and wine, you really should eliminate them. Is a glass of juice really worth it? Your choice.

Choose to make exercise your BFF. You will totally shrink if you give it a try.

Make a good choice when you partner up. Yes, there is strength in numbers. You may have done this with or without success in life. Trust me, when it comes to weight loss, there is no downside to choosing the right partner and having that person help you drop big pounds.

These lessons will all help you make the right choices to achieve your weight-loss goal and accomplish your first “recomposition.” After that, your biggest problem will be losing your voice in the clothing store when you keep saying to the saleswoman: “Don’t you have this in a
smaller
size?”

A
s this is my fifth book, I find that the dedication and acknowledgments actually become harder, not easier. With a first book, you basically thank the people who helped you get published in the first place. As you move forward, you think a little bit more about “who really helped me to make this happen?”

So, here is my “happen” list:

To my team of trainers in Chicago and New York, thank you for proudly raising the bar on the “Karas” brand. I know it’s not always easy pumping out session after session, but you clearly do it with integrity, honesty, and true passion. You also rock the Jim Karas Personal Training uniform, which inspires me to take my own body to the next level … and I’m 50.

To their leader, Phil Chung, whom I call “Philippe.” You teach me a lot as a leader, a father (he has a brood of three children under the age of eighteen months), a partner (along with his amazing wife, Abby), and a person. The expression “the sky is the limit” clearly applies to you. Let’s keep working together to get there, in every respect.

I must also give a “shout out” to Kristen Freiburger, who is not only our director of marketing but is also our Petite fitness model in chapter 8. I hope Kristen finally marries Chris Hiller, her boyfriend, who skillfully helped me with the meal plan, shopping list, and recipes. And a second “shout out” to Andrew Gallagher, who helped me create this exercise program.

Next, to my BFF, Cynthia Costas Cohen, MFA. Not only did she coauthor my last book,
The 7-Day Energy Surge
, but she is also a guide / sister / brilliant therapist to me in life and has no problem saying to me regularly, with all good intentions, “What the fu&&%k were you thinking?”

Finally, to my two personal “Petites,” Olivia and Evan, who also happen to be my children.

Olivia, I marvel at your commitment to your gymnastics (she’s nationally ranked, so I’m allowed to brag) and equally to your friends, your school, and to life in general. With the slight exception of when you are a “fishwife” to your brother and me (can you please give us a break every now and then?) you bring me not only joy, but great admiration. I wish I had your confidence and focus when I was your age.

Evan, right now, you aspire to be an artist, actor, soccer player, and circus performer. That’s an ambitious list. While I may not be that keen on the circus choice, I do respect your passion, conviction, and “hey, this is me” attitude. I only hope you let me know before college if circus performing is your true passion!!!

JIM KARAS is a lifestyle and weight-loss expert who combines a degree from the Wharton School of Business with over twenty ears of unparalleled success in helping people look and feel their very best. He is the author of three
New York Times
bestselling books, including the number one best-seller
The Business Plan for the Body
. Jim has been the fitness contributor on ABC’s
Good Morning America
and is frequently seen on
The View
and
The Dr. Oz Show
. He has been a contributing editor for
Good Housekeeping
magazine and has written feature articles for countless other national publications, including
O, the Oprah Magazine
.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

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