Get Fit! Oprah’s Trainer Shows You How

Fitness guru Bob Greene knows staying motivated and staying in shape can be a challenge, even if you've got solid fitness and weight loss goals -- and a wildly popular television show.

As Oprah's trainer, he helped her slim down and stay motivated. It paid off -- she was a svelte 160 pounds when she appeared on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine, in January 2005. But life and a thyroid problem intervened, and she got back up to the dreaded 200-pound mark.

So come January, Greene and Oprah are back to work, determined to stay motivated and drop the weight once and for all. Greene is scheduled to be the first guest Jan. 5 on "Oprah's Best Life Week" series designed to help kick-start viewers' fitness, weight loss, and other goals. The next week, Greene will be on the Oprah.com live webcasts.

Also, Greene's new cookbook is out this holiday season -- a tool to help followers of his Best Life Diet stay on track while trying to eat right.

Greene walks the walk. He fits in regular workouts despite training high-profile clients, writing for Oprah's magazine and web site, and having a busy family life. As the cover photo on his new cookbook shows, he's in shape.

Lack of motivation? Not a problem. He's woven dozens of no-fail tips into his life. Here, he shares some of the best -- and perhaps surprising -- ways to stay motivated with weight loss and fitness goals.

1. Ease Into Weight Loss

When most people decide to lose weight, they typically go cold turkey on the Chunky Monkey and chips and dive right into a Spartan menu highlighting vegetables and cottage cheese, determined to do an overnight overhaul of their diet.

Wrong approach, Greene says. Gradual is better. "Don't radically change your entire diet overnight," Greene says. Phase in healthier foods a little at a time.

"Don't give up all your comfort foods at once, and don't look at snacks as foods that get you into trouble," Greene says. Eating right can and should include snacks, he says. "Snacks are effective weight loss tools. They bridge hunger and help you not to overdo it at a meal."

2. Skip the Scale

It's a knee-jerk reaction. You've been on a diet for oh, 24 hours, and you're eager to see your progress. Of course, you'll weigh in.

Think again, Greene says. "Stay off the scale for the first month to six weeks," Greene suggests. This will be a challenge, he knows, for most people, who can't wait to see the pounds drop off quickly.

But the scale actually gives you a somewhat inaccurate idea of what is going on -- you may have lost water weight only, for instance, or you may get discouraged if the downward slide is not as great as you hoped for.

If you are dying for feedback on how your weight loss goals are shaping up, focus on how your clothes fit, Greene suggests.