Jorge Cruise on Practical Weight Loss

ByABC News via logo
May 30, 2003, 3:41 PM

June 2 -- Fitness expert Jorge Cruise struggled with his weight as a child. He was picked on and referred to as "fatty butt" and insult which only fueled his emotional eating.

When Cruise finally found his own path to healthy eating and practical fitness, he shared it with the world in his first book 8 Minutes in the Morning.

In his new book, 8 Minutes in the Morning for Real Shapes, Real Sizes he addresses all of the obstacles everyday people face when trying to become fit on their own.

Read chapter one from his latest book:

Are you short on time and have more than 30 pounds to lose? Frustrated with complicated, expensive, and time-consuming weight-loss programs that require you to count calories, starve and deprive yourself, buy expensive exercise equipment, go to the gym, or perform movements that hurt your knees or back?

You've come to the right place. Welcome to the first weight-loss program specifically developed for busy people with real shapes and real sizes. how it all began

It had been less than a month since I appeared on CNN and Good Morning America, and my JorgeCruise.com Web site was crazily abuzz. In those few weeks, membership to my site jumped from 3 million to 3.4 million Cruisers. More than 450,000 people had joined my Web site in less than a month. I was amazed! Before I knew it, I received a call from my publisher, who told me that my first book, 8 Minutes in the Morning, had hit the New York Times best-seller list.

I felt proud to know that my childhood struggles with weight and the related emotional pain-whether it was being picked on by other kids, not being able to keep up in gym class, or hearing myself referred to as "fatty butt"-had served a purpose. If it weren't for those initial struggles, I would never have dedicated my life to helping others lose weight and get healthy and happy.

So many people had e-mailed me, telling me how my program helped them to consistently shed 2 pounds each week. I read thousands of e-mails from people who had lost 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 pounds with 8 Minutes in the Morning. They thanked me for a nutrition plan that allowed them to eat delicious foods, an exercise plan that took only 8 minutes to complete, and an overall program that was simple to follow. They loved being able to lose an average of 2 pounds each week in just 8 minutes a day. They were busy people, and they told me that this was the first weight-loss program that actually fit into their busy lives.But I began to notice a defining trend to these e-mails and letters. Almost none of those who wrote to me had lost more than 30 pounds. I began to wonder why. my awakening

I didn't have to wait long for the answer. A few e-mails and letters began to trickle in from people who wanted to lose more than 30 pounds. More and more similar e-mails and letters soon arrived. Then, it seemed everywhere I went-whether it was Indianapolis, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Kentucky, St. Louis, New York City, San Diego, or Los Angeles-full-figured people began pulling me aside and telling me their stories, needs, and desires. They opened my eyes.

They would tell me, "Jorge, my sister bought your first book and has lost 15 pounds. She is very happy. But I have more than 30 to lose. I need your help because I can't do some of the moves in your program. They are too advanced." Other men and women were making similar comments. Others wrote and told me that they became out of breath when trying to do my original 8 Minutes in the Morning routines that required them to switch back and forth between laying, sitting, or standing. Some complained of knee or back discomfort with particular exercises. Others said using dumbbells was not practical for them when they traveled.

There it was, the answer to my question. It was as if someone had flipped on a light switch and I could finally see the reality. I realized my first weight-loss program simply didn't work well for people with more than 30 pounds to lose. At that moment, I realized that I had really developed an initial program for the average person who wanted to lose less than 30 pounds. For full-figured women or men, these exercises were too hard on the joints, particularly the knees.It all came together one day when I picked up USA Today and read the following headline on the front page: "6 in 10 Are Overweight; Health Fallout Is Feared." The story went on to quote new statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, statistics that placed a startling 65 percent of American adults in the overweight or obese category. The story quoted the same definition for obesity that I had seen years before when I studied weight control science and nutrition at the University of California at San Diego and when I studied biomechanics at the Cooper Institute in Dallas. It defined obesity as being 30 or more pounds heavier than a healthy body weight. Bingo! I got it. I knew what I had to do.

Designed for You

I realized that millions of men and women needed a weight-loss program designed specifically for those with more than 30 pounds to lose. They needed a simple weight-loss program designed for real shapes and real sizes. That realization led to the creation of this book.

Welcome to the revolutionary weight-loss program designed for your body shape and size. It requires no exercise equipment, no aerobics, and no trips to the gym. I tested all of my Cruise Moves in 8 Minutes in the Morning for Real Shapes, Real Sizes on people just like you. They work. They won't feel uncomfortable. You'll love them.

In addition to an exercise plan custom fit to your body, 8 Minutes in the Morning for Real Shapes, Real Sizes also offers my special Cruise Down Plate eating system. It's an extremely simple and delicious system that will help you shed pounds. The Cruise Down Plate will bring back the joy of eating without calorie counting, deprivation, or starvation dieting. You'll be able to eat all the foods you love-and still lose weight!

But it doesn't stop there. I've learned from my millions of clients that the best eating and exercise program in the world will never work unless you first make a change deep inside, a change that will help you to effortlessly fuel your motivation for weight loss. This deep inner change is so crucial that I've spent two entire chapters of this book-chapters 2 and 3-laying out the framework needed for you to make it happen. Once you flip this deep inner switch, you'll literally train your brain for weight loss. So get ready to lose 30 or more pounds once and for all. You'll feel fantastic in just 8 minutes a day! I hope you're as excited as I am about this program. I know you'll love it.

My Background

Well, believe it or not, I haven't always looked like the photo of myself on the cover of this book. Just look at the picture of me on this page, and you'll see what I looked like as a kid. At that time, I was traveling quickly down the road to an unhealthy life. I'm convinced I would easily weigh well over 300 pounds today if I had not changed my eating patterns and lifestyle.

So, you see, I know what it's like to feel embarrassed about extra weight. I've been there. And so has my dad, my sister, my grandfather, and my grandmother. We were a family of large people, that's for sure.I grew up in Southern California in a Mexican-American home. My mom was from Mexico and my dad from Pennsylvania. Both sides of my family loved to eat huge food portions. In our home, food and love were woven together as tightly as a silk cocoon. Because my mom loved me so much, guess what she did? She fed me big portions. And because I loved my mom, I wanted to make her happy, so I ate everything she fed me. My mom's mom, Abuelita Maria, also lived with us. And, of course, she loved me, too. My mom would feed me one meal, and before I knew it, my abuelita (grandma in Spanish) would feed me another. I consumed enormous quesadillas, bologna sandwiches, and nachos. If I didn't eat everything on my plate, mom or grandmom took it very personally. I soon lost touch with my true hunger and began to eat not as a way to fill my belly, but rather, as a way to fill my heart and my soul.