GMA: Diane Sawyer's Weight Loss Plan
N E W Y O R K, May 3 -- He's not only a successful personal trainer, Jim Karas is brave: He told Diane Sawyer she could stand to lose a few pounds.
The frank appraisal last winter surprised Sawyer.
"When he came into the studio, he basically said, `You don't want to look like that, do you?'" she laughed. "Nobody exactly talks to me that way around here."
Karas — the man who coached participants in Good Morning America's "Lock the Door, Lose the Weight" series last year — estimated that Sawyer was about 20 pounds overweight.
Sawyer admits she was about 10 pounds heavier when she first started anchoring GMA in January 1999. Unable to stick to a diet, she gained 15 pounds in the two years that followed and was beginning to get worried about her health before Karas made his remarks.
Trainer and 'Life Coach'
In the past three months, Sawyer lost more than 20 pounds following Karas's weight and diet plan. She calls him not just a physical trainer, but a "life coach," who helps people change the story they tell about their lives.
In his new book, Karas debunks many common myths about weight loss and fitness that he believes keeps people from getting themselves healthy and trim.
Ultimately, he says, you've got to "flip a switch" and resolve once and for all to change your life.
Karas — famous for charging his clients $10,000 to move in with them for a week and change their lives — owns Solo Sessions, a top weight-loss management firm in Chicago.
A 'Business Model' for Weight Loss
He says that people should draw up a "business model" and crunch the numbers to lose weight.
First off, they need to understand their own metabolism and determine how many calories their body really needs to be healthy. People who want to lose weight must either consume fewer calories or increase their metabolic rate through exercise to lose weight.
To become more calorie-conscious, Karas recommends learning to visualize the proper body proportions and recognize the importance of not overeating.
