Why did you create TruSage and how does it work?

Dr. A: I created TruSage because almost everyone knows what they should do but they have not been able to make themselves do what they know they should – specifically as it relates to losing weight and keeping it off.

When it comes to losing weight and other goals, it’s not a lack of information that stymies success. In fact, if anyone wants to get more information on carbs, calories, fat content or diet programs, ask an overweight person. They know everything about weight loss !

And yet, a startling statistic from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published in 2009 states that 98 percent of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back, and more. It’s because of this discouraging success rate that I invented TruSage.

It’s scientifically proven that everyone needs daily follow-up, accountability, prodding, support, new tools to deal with emotions and stress, feedback, interaction, personalized solutions and experiential learning . And that’s what TruSage provides.

TruSage delivers right to your phone when and what you need most to help you lose weight and keep it off, stay motivated and active, deal with cravings, minimize emotional overeating and develop an honest, healthy body image that will be with you forever.

After 15 years of research and experience, I learned that the last 10 percent of the process that moves people from failure to long-term success is often the critical missing piece. TruSage is that piece needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle as it pertains to dieting, exercise, counseling, group therapy, medication, surgery and/or medically supervised weight loss programs.

I tried doing the follow-up live, but we had such a high demand that we couldn’t handle it – even with six full-time staff.

With help from the experts in medicine, psychology , software , algorithms, personality, coding, interviewing , automation, wireless technology and research, we worked on this program for 15 years to reach achieve the most effective communication with the content and technology.

Will TruSage work to support any type of weight loss program?
Dr. A: Yes! Every weight loss program may be helpful, yet they are all missing the same thing, the support necessary to keep people motivated to keep it off for life!

TruSage delivers personalized, interactive, daily experiential support to keep people motivated. It helps them become successful, resourceful, positive, and friendly towards themselves and their bodies, while integrating the proven "how-to’s" that break the old, unwanted patterns.

We have worked with people on every diet , from Jenny Craig to Weight Watchers. We support all healthy diets and exercise programs. We know that how you feel about yourself and how you take care of yourself emotionally and physically on a daily basis is the best predictor of your abilities to lose weight and keep it off.
This is because no matter which weight loss program you are on, it is secondary to the relationship you have with your body and your self – which is the number one predictor of success, both immediate and long-term.

Why do most people fail at weight loss?
Dr. A: They never figure out why they gained weight in the first place. But the pent-up emotions that likely caused the weight gain still sits with them and affects them every day.

Resolving emotional issues requires learning new skills and tapping into inner resources for self-acceptance, letting go, and developing new successful solutions.

People who battle with their weight don’t make the connection between the emotions and the stress that can lead to overeating. So they miss out on resolving the underlying problems.

Often this causes them to struggle with reaching their potential in relationships. So, food becomes the replacement for love and overeating is the result. This is the number one reason for gaining weight — trouble with trust, love and acceptance in primary relationships. It is also why people regain the weight even after trying so hard to lose it.

The most important relationship we can cultivate is the one we have with ourselves. When those struggling with weight loss don’t reach their potential in their relationship with themselves, overeating is the next best thing.

It’s a vicious cycle. With the unwanted pounds, overweight people continue to have a hard time learning how to be loving toward themselves, their bodies and their souls. Love is defined as being friendly, caring and compassionate to both ourselves and others. And loving oneself is the master key to losing weight and keeping it off.

So many people who lose significant amounts of weight regain it after a year or two. They become discouraged. Can TruSage help these individuals too?

Dr. A: Yes. TruSage has helped these individuals too.

Most people who lose weight and gain it back have done it by dieting and exercise. Those are two legs of the stool, but people need to " add on" the third leg — the self-care elements that are integral to TruSage, such as self-acceptance, TLC, friendliness to your body and more.

We have worked with many people who had to lose 100 pounds or more. They had lost weight many times before and had always gained it all back. After TruSage, they lost the weight and kept it off for good.

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Brian Alman, Ph.D., bestselling author of Keep it Off, is a world-renowned medical weight loss expert and creator of Keep It Off For Life ( www.keepitoffforlife.com ). This innovative program provides personalized phone coaching to help people lose weight and keep it off.

He studied at Suffolk University in Boston and later earned his clinical psychology Ph.D. at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. Working since 1997 at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, Dr. Alman conducted a double blind, scientific study on long-term solutions for weight loss.

Dr. Alman helps people resolve underlying issues with food and eating that are often the result of unhappy childhood experiences. At Kaiser Permanente he has worked with Dr. V. J. Felitti, a co-author of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study on the relation of childhood trauma to problems later in life. An ongoing collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control, the ACE study is the largest scientific study to analyze the relationship between multiple categories of childhood trauma and negative health and behavioral outcomes. More information on the study can be found at www.acestudy.org .

Since 1979, Dr. Alman has been in private practice in Southern California. He provides training to professionals from all disciplines in stress reduction, pain control, dealing with difficult people and situations, peak performance, problem solving, eliminating dependencies and addictions and achieving and maintaining healthy weight for life. Dr. Alman has authored many books, tapes and videos, including Self-Hypnosis: The Complete Manual for Health and Self-Change, published in 14 languages worldwide.

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