We dont need no stinkin’ hook!

by

Look Ma! No dieting!

Oh people. First and foremost Im veering wildly off-course here.

Im phone blogging, Im not editing, Im throwing caution to the wind and words to the internet without my usual “write.stop.put.away.edit.edit.publish.repeat” format.

Is this because it’s the first day of SUMMER AROUND OUR HOUSE?

Is this because I caint sleep because a loved one is gearing up for something superbigkindofstressful today?

Is this because I just phone-read a post by Roni Noone which struck a chord?

I’d say yes. To all three.

In Roni’s post she quotes from an email we recently received from our literary agent.  Words which others may have read and grown deflated sparked Roni & me to shout YES!! THEY GET US!!

“…people are really excited about you [Carla] and Roni as authors. They love your style, LOVE your platforms and think you’re a winning combination. The main hangup right now, is that this book doesn’t have that one big dieting hook that will draw people.”

You see, Roni & I are entirely, one hundred percent OVER the notion of a ‘hook’ or diet plan.

The book we’ve pitched is, essentially, a healthy living handbook.

It’s part sharing our stories, it’s part sharing YOUR stories (oooh alert! alert!), part journal, part healthy living resource.

In it we chat about our experiences, share writing exercises, and coach readers to make small changes in the way they view food, fitness and self-confidence.

The book is about babysteps.

Layering of new healthy habits, one upon the other, until POOF! the reader realizes how far she’s come & how much she’s changed/evolved without (all together now!) a dieting hook.

For me the very notion of this sans-diet plan living was born when I discovered the concept of a FITNESS MISSION STATEMENT.

I realized, just as I had a personal, business, family and spiritual mission statements, I needed a framework for the healthy living part of my life.

A framework which was not a specific diet or exercise plan (in the XYZ number of sets & reps or calorie-counting sense of the word) but a series of sentences which provided the backdrop to my days.  A healthy living lens through which I viewed each 24 hours.

Once I created this statement—ANYTHING I DID WORKED BECAUSE I HAD CREATED IT & COMMITTED TO IT. (ok so Im shouting into the phone.  youll have that.  sorry).

Whatever approach I used for diet & exercise worked because I knew my goals, I OWNED my goals, I’d worked through my shit muck, & I had an overall healthy living framework for my days.

For Roni & me it isnt about selling a hook but a comprehensive, lasting approach to healthy living created by you as you work alongside us through the book.

It’s the realization if you dont invest the time to discover more about yourself before you decide which approach to take —- NOTHING will work.

I saw with my training clients if they didnt spend time with me in the office FIRST detailing what they wanted, why they wanted it, how they’d attempted it before and why that didnt work—they frequently failed.

My clients who spent time gazing inward before we hit the workout floor (learning why past attempts may have failed, pondering what sparked them to succeed before, thinking about who they are, what their goals are etc)  succeed at a far greater rate.

They created their goals. They owned their goals. ANY APPROACH WORKED (from Pilates to Body Pump. From South Beach to Paleo) because we’d fashioned an overall approach to healthy living tailored only for them.

So, in my loving, rambling, android phone-blogging way I throw it back to you:

I dont need no stinkin’ hook.  I believe we dont need no stinkin’ hook. Im tired of the one-size fits all dieting hook.

What do YOU think?

 

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Comments

  1. Totally agree. I’ve always thought that fitness and health is about finding what works for each individual. For me, it’s running. For the next person, however, it’s something entirely different. For me, it’s not paleo or Atkins or any plan, it’s about eating whole foods. For the next, however, it is one of the above. So I think you guys are giving people what they need, the anti-plan, a blueprint to find what they need/what works for them. Good for you!

  2. I am definitly in agreement with you, but from working with nutrition clients 90% of people want the hook. I work with clients to do just like your book, make small changes a little bit at the time, but the majority of people just want the “fast plan” the “diet fix”. It’s SO hard to change people’s mentalities to show them that small changes really ARE the way to go. I love you and Roni and *I* don’t think you need a hook, but we *may* be in the minority.

  3. AGREED.

    I have every diet book written here and still have 50 pounds to lose by way of proof.

    I like the mission statement idea!

  4. These days, I am extremely leery of any hook other that making health a lifestyle. Gimmicks don’t work, short term deprivation doesn’t work. Realizing that moving more & eating better is what draws me in & keeps me reading. Just my 2 cents.

  5. PLEASE DO NOT fall into that DIET HOOK to sell a book! I agree with you 1000000%. It’s about the inner you! finding your passion for life, fitness, health and running with it. You are an amazing example of that. Cheers to YOU!

    • Yes to this. I think if you and Roni did more blog-to-book it could work, too?
      No hook, but call to actions as you do at the end of posts!

  6. I know when I purchase diet books I skip to the diet and don’t read most of the rest.

    I like the idea of a workbook and feeling like we are working together to figure this out, Miz.

    I wonder if I could do this without dieting?

  7. Wow…just wow. I’ve been working through this lately but haven’t posted about it because I couldn’t seem to find the words (you had all the words).

    I realized recently that I just couldn’t diet anymore. I thought my motivation was gone, that my 90 pound loss (from dieting) was all I could lose, etc.

    Seems like any “diet” I tried lately to get the scale moving down started to backfire. It didn’t matter if I did strict paleo, strict low carb, strict low calorie…I rebelled within days.

    I finally figured it out about a week ago. I was tired of rules and didn’t want to reach my goals following them because I knew if I did, I would have to follow them for the rest of my life. I’m not willing to diet for the rest of my life. Healthy food, yes…follow rules and numeric equations, no.

    So, I stopped dieting. No more, “eat all of the xyz in the house because your diet starts tomorrow.” No more, “that’s on your plan…eat tons of it despite not being hungry.” No more, “oh, if you eat that, you’ll have ruined the whole day.”

    It’s not easy to shut up the “diet head” but I’m taking it one day at a time. I’ve eaten exactly what sounds good and not what I felt I should. I’ve eaten for energy and what will fuel me until the next meal. I’ve learned to add some foods back in that I missed while at the same time realizing how they make me feel. At heart, I eat and feel better with mostly paleo foods, I’m just breaking away from the paleo-only mentality. Oh, and I’m talking about foods like beans and occasional oatmeal….not candy. 😉

    Sorry to ramble away in your comments. 🙂

  8. Thousands (?) of books with ‘hooks’ published that sold millions of copies. And look at the weight/fitness level of the population (including myself!). It’s not what we need. It doesn’t work.

    • YES and the next book will be WHAT IS THE SOUND OF ONE LEG SQUATTING??
      really though.
      that is the hook.
      there be none.

      • I wonder if you could create a hook which gives publishers a sense of a plan but which stays true to your roots?

        I like the Fitness Statement thing, Carla.
        I am going to try writing one today and will let you know if that’s your hook.

        You know, because I’m sure the publishers want my opinion.
        Ha ha

  10. You gals are right on. The most reliable way for anyone to get healthy is to develop the ability to listen to themselves – listen to their body about what kind of movement feels right and the nice after-effects that reinforce this. Listen to yourself about what food you really really want. You know, those foods that make you feel good for hours afterwards, not just a quick titillation. This is exactly what I use and teach in my healthy coaching work. There is no other system that is as easy to use in the longrun. Or as successful for longterm results! You guys have it right when it comes to giving people a real plan for longterm fitness success! Stick to your guns!

  11. AGREED! I won’t read a book with a hook. Does me no good whatsoeva…. A workbook that guides you through the process for your best plan is perfection. A much needed alternative to the current – Try Me I am the only Answer books currently available.

  12. I haven’t commented in a while because I’ve been reading from my phone but here it goes:

    I think this needs to be written. I am a fan of you and Roni and the healthy way you lead your lives.
    I also am a believer in the way you are both human.
    You both fail and persevere.

    That is what hooks fail to help is with.

  14. You don’t need a hook! GAH! That’s frustrating. In my mind, I cringe at the word “diet” altogether. The definition of that word has changed so radically that I think people automatically think diet=deprivation. I think it’s wonderful that you want to show people that a healthy lifestyle, whichever way that works individually, is the way to go. If only more people would promote that as opposed to the next get-slim quick hook. We’d all be better off. (I could go on for days…)

  16. I don’t like the notion of a hook per se (at all), but I do want to leave a book such as the one you described with a plan.
    Is there a plan I can fill out for me at the end?

    I hope this makes sense 🙂 I want to finish the book and know where I am going even if it is not a diet.

  18. I love you and Roni. If your future publisher won’t publish your book without a hook then you do need one. It doesn’t have to be a false hook but rather a true to you hook that will bring the reader in and then give them all the great information in your heart and mind. Find your hook.

  20. I think that you are evolved in your thinking beyond the typical “dieter.” That is, IMO, and I’m sure in yours, a good thing. A great thing. But I can see where a publisher might not see it as a commercial thing. Despite knowing that it really is about a lifestyle and not a diet that ends, I think so many are still looking for the quick fix. They want to drop pounds fast. Fast results. They don’t want to think.

    BUT, I’d rather read YOUR book. Because everything I have read from you and Roni has been worth reading. And thought provoking. And as a classic yo-yo dieter, I know that the other thing, the quick fix, the thing that would have a hook… doesn’t work for most people and hasn’t worked for me.

  21. I want a diet hook because I’m in a constant state of panic about my weight. Which is why I should probably be treated like one of your clients and calm down and go through my stuff.

  22. I think what you described can be made to sound like a hook in book publishing terms, without losing the integrity of your vision. “The Discovery Diet?” “Dieting from the inside out?” sumpin…

    • I agree. I’d be curious if you address the choice of no-hook in the pitch?
      Also, if houses read your blogs as they make the decisions?

  23. So many thoughts on this running around in my head, but since I don’t want to leave a 5 page comment, I’ll just say:

    We don’t need another hook book!
    But the book you want to write sounds exactly like what I need at this point in my journey, so as others said, frame your idea as a hook and write the book you want.

  26. I know there is no hook, but I think we are so used to the idea that there is a hook that it may hard to believe that we can succeed without a hook. Could we be where we are in knowing that there are no hooks without having tried and failed with so many hooks?

    • I only speak for me (as in not roni or our agent) but I think what the houses meant was a hokk by way of an entire section of THANKS FOR READING. HERE’S YER DIET PLAN at the end. (Roni?)

      Not something we could feign….to my chagrin 🙂

      • I agree. But I also think a clever title that is a faux hook would maybe work. That’s why I pitched the non-diet diet. SOmething like that may be enough to win them over.

        • I’ve been reading your blogs for about a year and, if I were to summarize your “hook” (er, message), it might be something like “Your Health: Daily Choices, Daily Successes.” I think the idea of losing a lot of weight and/or getting and staying healthy for the rest of your life is overwhelming. But taking and celebrating one choice at a time might help empower people to just get started. My .02.

  28. I have thought and reflected, on so many occasions, about many of the things you have written in this post! I agree with you 100%! I really, REALLY enjoyed this. It hit the spot, BANG on! xo

  29. I might be in a minority but I run in the opposite direction when I see “the hook”. In my Fit Mom mind, the hook equates a formula to being nothing more than a gimick and those rarely sustain anyone over a long period of time.

  32. One more thought 🙂
    Is your hook the link in your post about the creation of year-long habits broken down into months?
    I may be too far off base.

  33. Agreed! The book you and Roni are writing sounds like you both – refreshing, honest, down-to-earth, and real. There IS no formula except the obvious: to eat real foods and move more (with a few more specifics, but you know what I mean). 😉 Definitely agree that it is one healthy choice and habit on top of the other – such a process and there is no hook for that time and growth to get to that point where it’s not just about a bikini or stomach gone but a lifestyle. Thanks for sharing this!

    However, I do like what Heather said above about thinking through if you want to get the book published…perhaps there’s a way to engage the reader while being totally honest about the process! “Jumping through hoops,” as it were, but with integrity. 🙂

  34. Of course I love this especially today…you know why..and there is a hook….a BIG HOOK…

    You two are the ones to show the world that the bait doesn’t matter…

    You are teaching people to fish instead of giving them a fish!

  36. I agree, Carla. You are living proof that the process is the goal. America needs your wisdom.
    At 53, I finally figured out that getting healthfully to my numbers is more important than achieving a result. Finally, I have adopted a lifestyle and I KNOW that I never actually reach a goal. Sticking with it day in and day out IS the goal.
    You live the truth, so pass it on.

  37. Yeah, I pretty much just want to copy and paste what I wrote on Roni’s post.

    But I won’t, because I *swear* I can come up with two well thought out comments in one day. Watch me.

    We don’t need a hook. We need to rely on ourselves more and believe that we really know what’s best, it’s just a matter of practical application. We have everything we need inside of ourselves to get where we want to go. We just need to start.

    Whew. I did it!

  38. I don’t need a hook. Isn’t healthy living hook enough? I like reading books and then the author will roll out the spiel of “you have to eat this way and do X for exercise” to be successful when all I want is some inspiration.

    Time to self-publish. You will sell enough to get picked up by Amazon.

  39. Like I said in my comment on Roni’s post…your idea is a GEM…the truth…what we all need! I know the right publisher will see how amazing the concept is because you are both living proof of a commitment to yourselves.

    I love it and wish you the best my friends! 🙂

  43. …a comprehensive, lasting approach to healthy living created by you as you work alongside us through the book.

    I think that IS your hook, no?

    Your “hook” is precisely what all the research says about people who are successful maintaining health/fitness/weight loss long term – there are no gimmicks, it’s about a total change in perspective.

    I would totally buy your book! I would READ your book. I would dog ear it, and carry it around with me everywhere.

  44. I skim over the “diet” part of all the fitness books I own. Or ignore them completely. LIFE is about applying the basics (eat protein, complex carbs and good fats. Move every day.) to your own circumstances.

    Life it NOT about applying someone else’s plan to your own circumstances.

    It’s about consistency and commitment, not someone else’s words.

  45. Yes yes YES!! No Hook! I’m so tired of people looking for a hook (myself included) and then finding out the ‘hook’ doesn’t work, being disappointed, feeling bad about themselves, and then looking for another hook and starting all over again.

  47. I think those who know you don’t need a hook, but to get the masses to pick up your book and look at it long enough to buy it, you do. I hate the idea of needing a hook because it’s all about the daily steps, as you say. But….if adding a hook will help you get a deal, and sell books, and help someone who buys your book who might not otherwise be helped, then the hook would have been worth it, yes? Is there a way to create a hook around your philosophy?

  48. I think if you have a proposal you have a hook.

    Can you share what your approach is to ‘diet’ even though you don’t call it that?
    I know you believe in IE. Could you find a RD who would add a chapter about that?

    Just a thought.

  49. You KNOW I agree. No secret. No hook. Just healthy living. Your life in and of itself is and inspirational guide. I cannot wait to get my hands on your best-selling book. (see what I did there?) xo

  50. I am totally with you! That’s why I had most popular fashion magazines, it’s all flash, no long term results! Lately I’ve been going back to basics and reading about basic nutrition, basic exercise science. Without knowing the hows and whys, how can a gimmicky hook really work in the long run?

  51. I never needed a diet or a hook or a book (by crook)- to live a healthy lifestyle and work/play/exercise/compete. My life doesn’t need a “how to” manual-and those that think they need it, really don’t. my opinion.

  53. Ah, the hook. I have spent many years looking for the hook, the loophole, the magic bullet.

    There is no hook. What worked for me 5 years ago doesn’t now because my circumstances are very different. Right now the only hook is a damn lot of hard work and experimentation.

    The closest thing to a “hook” is the revelation that you have to find out what works for you. I’M pretty sure I know exactly how I could be the healthiest I can be, but it does not work for my lifestyle, so I choose to add the extra degree of difficulty. A life without tacos and vodka is not worth living for me. 🙂

  54. It would so refreshing to see a book with no hook. Health and fitness straight up. No gimmicks, no false promises, no craziness. The truth just the truth and that to be healthy and fit takes work but it’s so worth it.

  55. The sad fact is that publishers aren’t in business to help people. They’re in business to move products. And a book that says, “Sorry, achieving your goals is going to be a very long, very difficult process,” no matter how true it is (and we all know it’s true) is definitely going to be a hard sell.

    That being said, I don’t think we should confuse the term “hook” with “super easy lose-weight-fast diet craze.” It will take more work to sell the hard sell, but I don’t believe it’s impossible. Plus, your platform is strong (something I didn’t have at all when I went through this and something I thoroughly underestimated the importance of until too late.)

    Shoot me a note if you want to chat more. 🙂

  56. This is what is wrong Carla – there always has to be some gimmick or hook as you say… what happens – people will try anything to lose weight – they do it short term & don’t learn long term lifestyle changes that will work FOR THEM & then put the weight back on because they can’t live long term with the hook! Your book is what people need – how to do it with small changes that are sustainable long term!!!! How to fit it into what each person does in their life. We all have different lives. Some work multiple jobs, some have multiple kids some work & have kids, some have other issues.. I LOVE THE IDEA of yours & Roni’s book! I wish media would get a clue!!!!!

  57. The hook is that you have to do the work on the INSIDE of yourself first so that food is just fuel and you move your body because it makes you feel better when you do.

    I’d buy a healthy living guidebook/handbook from you two in a second. (Kindle or e-book edition, please.) Then I’d turn around and buy a copy for my will-be-20-next week year old princess daughter – I’d give anything to have learned how to live a healthy life before I abused my poor body for 25 years!

    • YES!!!

      this:

      The hook is that you have to do the work on the INSIDE of yourself first so that food is just fuel and you move your body because it makes you feel better when you do.

      It is that. I always tell anyone who will listen we ALL need to approach this a few iterations back from where we want to.
      forget the foodplan.
      forget the workout selection.
      go through the inner “muck” 🙂 and find what drives you and what has and has not worked and create that mission statement (or whatever you choose to call it) and then ANYTHING WILL WORK.

      (slips off soapbox and tiptoes away :))

  58. Damn girl you hit it right on the head. Looking inward is the key to moving forward. I actually HATE the hook, “the hook” is overdone, overplayed and the reason why there are fewer success stories than there should be. I see that one-size-fits-all fitness and eating plan at the back of the book and I pass right by it. It works for few but not for all and certainly not for me. I would rather read something inspiring and soul-searching because that is what the fitness/health journey has been for me and when you see the success stories (from the non-quick-fix types), that’s what it is for them. I wish someone would have told me THAT. Instead of giving me a “hook.”

  59. Ps. Ironically Isn’t the fact that you don’t have a “hook” actually your hook?? The fact that you don’t have a hook IS what draws people to you and why the book would ultimately succeed. Just saying.

  60. Tell it, woman! People try to avoid all the hard work of WHY things haven’t worked before. They want to blame the diet plan, the trainer, the exercise DVDs, ANYHING but themselves. The secret is not in any particular diet or set of exercises. It’s in the commitment of the person doing it all.

    And posting from your phone is hard!! Even writing this comment is a pain in the butt.

  61. Well, i tried all the stinkin’ hooks. When i finally lost it and kept it off, it was when i abandoned the hooks.

    Agree with you mightily.

  62. I like the notion of anything can work, pilates, paleo, etc. I used to and know many others still do get too focused and honed in on one “miracle plan”, then try to tailor their goals to that. Backwards! You need to know your goals first and then find an enjoyable way to achieve them.

  64. I no longer buy “diet books” (you know, the ones with hooks), but I do read one from the library now and then. Quite often, I end up throwing them across the room.

    Um, please don’t tell my librarian. She’s scary, and I’m pretty sure she’s the one who’s had the lifting book I’ve been waiting for for six months.

  65. Sounds good. I’ve recently re-read an ‘If Not Dieting’ book and like the not-dieting approach (which in itself is possibly a hook!!!).

    I’m also trying the small-steps thing – adding in some mindfulness and habits until one day I forget they weren’t something I always did.

    I think there’s a lot of backlash agains the dieting industry and a publisher might like that ‘hook’. Selling something that puts the onus back on the reader (ie. we’re not selling you a plan or magic elixir) would definitely be different!

    Deb

  66. totally AGREE
    and speaking as someone who just reviewed 2 different ‘diet/lifestyle/health’ books…one had a ‘hook’ which made the book a HUGE FAIL in my eyes..because the hook was so idiotic & far fetched it just made it lame and while I’m running a giveaway on it, you don’t see my posting it! Then another, was just brutal heart felt honesty about her journey and what worked for her and that one I promoted! forget the danged hook…

  67. I like the idea of a calendar book like the post you link above.
    No hook and monthly exercises to make new lifestyle changes.

    Good luck!

  68. I think your book sounds exactly like what people need. Diet “hooks” don’t work. IF they did, everyone who wanted to lose weight/get fit would succeed.

  69. Oh Yes, Ms. Fit, you nailed it. I can’t tell you how much I agree with your statements… but I’m gonna try. 🙂 There’s no magic pill. There’s no formula – do this 3 x’s a day and you’ll be perfect. This lifestyle change is about you – what you want, how you feel, what you need. Answering those questions and getting to the truth. I did it. I lost 63 lbs being true to myself and not restricting. If I want chocolate cake, I have it. Just not every day. Just not 6 pieces. But on those days when I do eat the whole chocolate bar, I move on. Just like you are always telling us. I hope you get to do your non-diet book. I know it will rock!

  70. I *THINK* I would pre-order this book as soon as I possibly could! You are a wealth of knowledge and information.

  71. agreed. It’s a lot like when people come into counseling and we could feed them the hook of “one day at a time” well that logic doesn’t always work for every person. Instead we have to learn their story and find what will appeal to them. I think being a responsible fitness representative is the same thing. You can talk about what works for you, but then be willing to converse and assist with other methods as well.

  72. Weight loss is mental. So much. I love your idea. I was writing a book about changing the inside to change the outside (Put the project down though). Because that’s really what it takes for it to be lasting. Diets come and go, but until you fix what’s really broken… OK, I ramble. You don’t need a hook. I think a snappy title maybe. I. Can’t. Wait.

    • Is the hook inside changes = outside PERMANENT changes?

      Looking at your before/after it seems you’re selling maintaining.

      We can all lose weight, but not enough places (books or magazines etc) talk about maintaining for years.

      My .02.

  73. Keep up the fantastic work , I read few articles on this website and I believe that your web blog is really interesting and holds bands of excellent info .

  74. Amen! I agree with you and Roni 100%. “Diets” are one of the big reasons why people cannot maintain healthy weights. The “diet mindset” creates failure, and so more diets and diet books are sold and money flows into the diet industry. A hook? I’m cool with “never diet again, maintain your healthy weight forever, and learn to love good food and active living.” Works for me.

  75. I am sure you will figure out a way around this ‘hook’ thing. You don’t need it and it wouldn’t do you any justice at all. Your healthy living and understanding of how people need to do what works for them is so refreshing and makes people actually WANT to emulate you and your lifestyle without feeling like they could never do it or that if they did it wouldn’t be any fun.
    I think that’s it! The fun part. You really gotta’ include that because we all know how NOT fun it is to feel deprived, stressed and just plain tired of diet plans.
    Myself I don’t diet and never have, even as I maintain my 50 lb. weigh loss. After watching my mother do every stinkin’ plan under the sun and yo-yo down and back up higher than ever, I knew that dieting was not for me and would never have subjected myself to a diet plan book.

    But your lifestyle is SO worth sharing and doing it in a way that will appeal to people who really want to change and grow and have fun doing it is so important. It is one of the many things that you were meant to do in this world, I think!

  76. No hook, no hook, no hook. That’s me chanting from the sidelines at your book signing. Unless you count yourself as the hook. People love to hear from inspiring people like you so they can find the fire to make a change in their own life.

  79. It’s the current state of the industry as a whole, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t change it!

  83. Yay! That’s authentic.

    I’ve been blogging about my (lack of) weight loss for 5 years and in that time I’ve launched numerous programs. They might all have worked for me, but they didn’t because I needed to first figure out who I was and deal with my muck. The world doesn’t need another diet book (with a hook) – we need books to help people get whole and healthy. I’ll buy your book (without a hook) in a heartbeat!

  84. I 100% agree with you and Roni. i have finally reached the point in my life where I’m no longer on a diet. i think we all know it’s not about a diet, but a way of life, a healthy way of life. keep pushing and i know the vision that you and roni have will shine through. i can’t way for the day for society to realize that dieting is just a crutch. it took me many years, but i’m finally there. good luck to you both, can’t wait for the book

  85. Wow I am very late to this!
    Could you incorporate some of your mothering tips?
    Is there a hook there which you’d feel rings authentic?

  87. I had to find the time to read this…because I KNEW it’d require more than just one read-through.

    Carla, you’re phenomenal. This is EXACTLY why I’m being as patient as I am in my own journey. This is EXACTLY why I’m going into the health & fitness/wellness industry. We need more people like you showing others…educating others…on why diets, er…HOOKS…don’t work. Hooks bank on people who are desperate. Hooks catch eyes…because that’s what they need to do. They need to be slick, catchy little things in order to get others to see them, and without them, all they’d have is statistics and facts. And what happens when they have just that? The truth: they don’t work. Healthy living is ANYTHING but one-size-fits-all.

    I love this. And I’m sharing this. 🙂

  88. AMEN AMEN AMEN!!! No hooks, no gimmicks, no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for YOU and only YOU is what matters. And it doesn’t have to be fancy or “popular” or anything like that. Own your health!!! LOVE this post (and that you blogged it from your phone!!)

  89. I think there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all diet and I think that in itself is an important message. It took me years of banging my head against brick walls, asking “why isn’t this working it’s supposed to work!!!!” before I figured that out. I think I have finally figured out the ‘what’ that works for me, still working on the consistency. You guys do your thing. That’s why people like you, after all.

  90. I love, love, love this post!!! As I’m working hard to stay motivated on this fitness wagon, I think this will help me immensely. I have my reason to want to be strong and fit. I want to keep up with my kids!!! Three kids – one 11yo girl and 3yo twin boys with so much energy and I love it! I don’t want to use getting older as an excuse why I can’t lift 34 lbs of love up to bed. I want energy (from my food) and strength (from exercise) to keep up with this crazy brood. And it makes me want to have more *ahem* fun with my sexy DH!!!

  91. I do believe this is your hook.
    When you create the proposal package y ou may need to make it a bit more sexy for publishers, but you can remain true within your pages Miz.

  93. Yes! Yes! Yes! Lasting changes don’t work with a “hook”. And I love this: “It’s the realization if you dont invest the time to discover more about yourself before you decide which approach to take —- NOTHING will work.” True dat.

  94. Takeaway: Gaze inward, formulate a mission statement, then take the leap. You’ll jump sooo much farther! 😉
    Thanks for a great article, Carla!

  95. Stand your ground! Your honesty, frankness and sensibility are what first drew me to you and have kept me here. Perhaps this is more about helping the publisher to see that gimmicks only work short term and you guys love your readers too much for that.

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