BY JD ROTH
FOR THE BETTER part
of my career, I have been
creating popular television reality shows that
revolve around people in
life-or-death situations.
They need to lose weight
and transform their lives. Most of these
people are hundreds of pounds overweight
and their lives are in shambles—yet somehow they maintain a spark of hope edging
them toward a new life. How do they ;nally
take the steps to change?
I believe the process I put them
through helps them to reach the point of
“I am going to change now.” It can be used
in almost any area of anyone’s life,
whether it’s starting a new career, tackling a goal that seems impossible or getting out of a bad relationship. We all have
the same voice in our heads that talks to us
all day and often cripples us with the fear
of “I can’t do it,” “I don’t deserve it” or, my
least favorite, “I am not good enough.” My
job has been to give people the one four-
Winning ideas from
the biggest losers
for a new you
JANUARY 2017 The Costco Connection 69
can be one of your best tools for change.
Starting with the belief that you can
change is the best ;rst step. If you think
you can, then you’ll ;nd ways to solve your
problems, meet your challenges and reach
your dream goals.
Life is lived in the mirror. That is
where the real work is done. Although it
can be painful, there is no breakthrough
without a breakdown.
Don’t let unhappy be your happy place.
Demand more out of your life. Don’t
accept that you deserve a terrible relationship, a job you hate and a car that barely
starts. You want more out of your life? Go
get it! Don’t get stuck in that cozy little
spot where nothing is ventured and nothing is gained.
Are you willing to look deep into why
you are not happy? Open up that door to
gain insights that can lead to change. Take
a risk and venture way out of that unhealthy
“happy” place.
Shake things up. One helpful way to
start changing is to change your routines.
In other words, shake up your life!
Start by cleaning your bedroom. Does
that burn calories? No! But the chaos your
brain sees ;rst thing every morning when
you open your eyes is a microcosm of the
chaos in your head. Empty the room completely and just put in a bed, a chair and a
dresser. Now, when you open your eyes in
the morning, the first thing your brain
sees is calm and organized. When you
change things like this, it’s as if you’re
rewiring your brain, and that’s good.
Do the same thing with other routines
in your life—which can actually be ruts—
and you’ll be sending a message to your
brain: This is the new me.
Stay with it. The only thing in life that
is not hereditary is your attitude. Every
day, wake up and have a good one. And if
you don’t, fake it until you make it. A positive attitude is infectious.
You have to keep making the right
choices, whether it’s maintaining a
healthy lifestyle or nurturing a relationship. You’ll ;nd that there’s nothing better than feeling like you’re in control. If
you’re serious about losing weight or
making other changes in your life, you’ll
stop taking the path of least resistance
and get to work! C
Costco member JD Roth is the author of
The Big Fat Truth (Reader’s Digest Trade
Publishing, 2016; not available at Costco). A
show based on the book will air on Z Living
(
zliving.com) in April.
©
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SPECIAL SECTION
FOR YOUR HEALTH
letter word we all need: hope.
Here are ;ve steps for changing your
life and finding what we all look for as
human beings: love, health and happiness. If these worked for the contestants I
met through producing The Biggest Loser ,
Extreme Weight Loss and other shows, I
know they will work for you.
Fix what’s going on in your head.
There’s no miracle diet or pill that can get
you to the point of change; you get there by
changing the way that you think. Fix your
head and your body fixes itself. Spend
more time looking in the mirror than out
the window at the view of the life you
“hope” to create.
Think you can. I believe there are two
types of people in the world: the ones who
believe “I can” and the others who say “I
can’t.” And both are right!
“I can’t” is a self-ful;lling prophecy.
But if you’re an “I can” type of person,
you’re going in the right direction, and
every glass becomes half full. The power of
positive thinking is strong, and your mind
Changeyourvıew
