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CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS

House Call: How do You Break Bad Habits?

Aired January 18, 2003 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And now it's time for your house call.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is.

O'BRIEN: This is going to be a regular feature on CNN SATURDAY MORNING and SUNDAY MORNING or AMERICAN MORNING WEEKEND. Just what is it we call this?

COLLINS: This show is called WEEKEND A.M.

O'BRIEN: There you go, WEEKEND A.M.

And here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta to guide us through and bail us out.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to both of you.

Yes.

O'BRIEN: So go to it, Dr. Gupta.

COLLINS: We are glad you're here.

GUPTA: And I'm so excited to be here and speak to you guys.

COLLINS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right.

GUPTA: A very nice set here this morning.

We're going to do this show every weekend 8:30 to 9:00.

Today we're going to be talking about new year's resolutions. It's only January 18. Most of us made our new year's resolutions and already broke them.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GUPTA: No question about it. But how do you break bad habits? How do you develop good habits? And, most importantly, how do you stay motivated to do both?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GUPTA (voice-over): Have you ever said this before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my new year's resolution is quit shopping so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make more money.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to go on a diet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I get, oh, maybe through February and then it's all downhill after that.

GUPTA: It's an American tradition to make and break new year's resolutions. One reason we break them? Well, studies show that our personality is already pretty much set by age 25.

DR. CHARLES RAISON, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Addictive things make a home for themselves inside a brain and once they've scooped out that space, people are often left with a pretty intense sense of emptiness.

GUPTA: He says when making a resolution, have a precise plan and set realistic goals.

RAISON: You know, losing three pounds a month, four pounds a month, actually, if you did that for 12 months, you'd lose 50 pounds, right? So I mean that's a spectacular project. But, you know, people, if you think you're going to lose 10 pounds in a month and you look at your success as a failure, your three pound loss, you know, you don't benefit from the success you've had. Success breeds success.

GUPTA: Avoid tempting situations. To quit smoking, stay away from bars. To lose weight, stock your fridge with healthy food so you won't be lured into a fast food joint on your way home from work. And even if you break your resolution, don't give up. Brush yourself off and start again.

RAISON: The good thing about sticking to things is, like everyone in life, it gets easier overall the longer you've done it. Every day that you've succeeded is a day that the hold of that thing on you diminishes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Oh, gosh, I think that maybe he was saying that after the age of 25 it's really hard to actually keep new year's resolutions because your personality is so set.

We're going to get to the bottom of that, no question, with the help of some guests.

O'BRIEN: That is totally depressing.

GUPTA: I know. No...

O'BRIEN: You've got to be kidding me? Twenty-five and you're set?

COLLINS: Well, you're only like, what, 28?

GUPTA: Yes, what you are complaining about?

COLLINS: Right? O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, that's right.

GUPTA: We're going to get to the bottom of that, though, with the help of a couple of guests. You're going to recognize these folks. Denise Austin, good morning to you in D.C. You've seen her, hear her.

O'BRIEN: Was she set, was she set at 25?

GUPTA: We're going to find out.

O'BRIEN: She hasn't made it to 25 yet either.

DENISE AUSTIN, "PILATES FOR EVERYBODY," HOST, "FIT & LITE": Oh, yes, 45, you guys.

COLLINS: What?!!

O'BRIEN: Get out of town.

COLLINS: No.

AUSTIN: I am 45 years old.

(CROSSTALK)

GUPTA: Look at that picture on the cover of the book.

O'BRIEN: Who can do that at 45? Right there, look at that.

AUSTIN: I am 45 years old and you can do it and you can change, you guys.

GUPTA: And we're going to find out how from you, no question.

AUSTIN: We'll teach you how.

O'BRIEN: Oh, my aching back.

GUPTA: Yes, looking at that picture. Author of "Pilates For Everybody," you just saw the cover, and host time of, host of Lifetime's "Fit & Lite."

We also have another guest, Bill Phillips...

O'BRIEN: I thought that was pilates. It's Pilates? Pilates?

GUPTA: Pilates. I think it's pilates. We'll have to ask Denise.

AUSTIN: It is.

O'BRIEN: Pilates?

GUPTA: Bill Phillips, good morning to you from New York.

BILL PHILLIPS, FITNESS EXPERT, "THE BODY FOR LIFE SUCCESS JOURNAL": Good morning. Good morning.

GUPTA: Yes, a fitness expert. You recognize this guy because you've also probably seen the cover of his book, "The Body For Life." Recognize that picture?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GUPTA: He looks pretty buff there.

O'BRIEN: He's got some guns.

GUPTA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Man.

GUPTA: He's got a new book coming out, too, "Body For Life Success Journal."

Good morning to both of you.

Thanks for being with us.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

GUPTA: You know, before we get to you, I want to quickly go over the top 10 new year's resolutions. We actually went out there and tried to figure out what the top 10 are. And let me show those to you. I think we've got a list right here.

Lose weight. No big surprise there.

Stop smoking, number two.

Stick to a budget, number three.

Save or earn more money, number four. We could all do that.

Find a better job. Heidi, Miles, take this on that one.

COLLINS: After today, you never know.

GUPTA: Become more organized, number six.

Number seven, exercise more.

Number eight, be more patient, Miles, with others at work.

Eat better, number nine.

O'BRIEN: Are you dissing me on our new little set here?

GUPTA: My first day.

O'BRIEN: You come into my living room and dis me?

GUPTA: And, 10, become a better person. We could all do that.

A quick question from both of you, Denise and Bill. Denise first. You know, one thing about new year's resolutions is that they are so vague, most people's resolutions are so vague and therefore so hard to keep. Have you got a quick comment on that, Denise?

AUSTIN: Well, first of all, you've got to make a plan. You've got to stick to it. And make it that you have a blueprint. You can't just say oh, I'm going to lose weight. And where do you begin? You have to have what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You have to have an exercise plan. What time are you going to exercise? I'm going to exercise every morning at 6:30 for 30 minutes.

You really have to make an appointment with yourself to get yourself in better shape and to lose the weight.

GUPTA: God, I think I'm motivated already.

AUSTIN: OK.

O'BRIEN: Is everybody up now?

GUPTA: Good morning to these folks.

O'BRIEN: Is everybody up? Forget that coffee, just listen for a minute, will you?

AUSTIN: Come on.

O'BRIEN: Holy cow.

GUPTA: Bill Phillips, good morning again to you.

What do you think about that? Are these new year's resolutions, because they're so vague, are they harder to keep because of that?

PHILLIPS: Absolutely. I agree with Denise and I think that people need to take a very positive approach. And I also think that people should focus on what they're going to gain, not what they're going to lose. So when you say I'm going to lose weight, what you're really saying is that I'm going to gain health, I'm going to gain energy and I'm going to improve.

GUPTA: Right. And you don't...

O'BRIEN: It sounds like spin to me, you know?

GUPTA: A little bit.

COLLINS: Yes, but that's also like the first three letters of diet are D-I-E.

O'BRIEN: Die.

(CROSSTALK)

GUPTA: I've never heard that.

O'BRIEN: That's the other spin, right? Yes.

GUPTA: I'll have to avoid it. You know, but you don't...

AUSTIN: Try not to know you're going on a diet, though. Try to think you're going to eat healthier, you're going to feel better. I honestly just eat a good breakfast, lunch and dinner and then try not to eat late at night. Don't think of it like you're on a diet. Think of all the ways you could eat healthier. Just do one thing every week. Maybe this week try to eat five fruits and vegetables every single day. Each day of the week try to make sure you're getting those five servings every day.

GUPTA: All right, Denise, we're going to hear a lot more from you and Bill.

We've got a lot of questions, e-mails, phone calls. A lot of people are interested in this stuff, becoming a better person, being more patient, all those sorts of things. We've got a lot of that coming up.

O'BRIEN: I would kill for Bill's guns.

GUPTA: Those are huge.

O'BRIEN: Man, man.

GUPTA: You can ask him yourself how...

O'BRIEN: I want to gain those guns.

GUPTA: All right.

O'BRIEN: All right.

GUPTA: At the end of this half hour...

O'BRIEN: Can I get 'em in a week?

GUPTA: Bill will tell us.

COLLINS: Probably not. You never know.

O'BRIEN: Right.

All right, we'll take your questions on breaking bad habits, how to get Bill's guns, whatever you want.

COLLINS: That's right. And we are going to reveal what our new year's resolutions were, even though Miles doesn't have any, and whether or not we're sticking to them.

O'BRIEN: Right, sticking.

COLLINS: Sanjay and I will tell you what ours are.

O'BRIEN: Spar low, folks. Go over it.

COLLINS: We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go, up.

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The number of people working out in health clubs have increased over the years. But according to ACE, the American Council on Exercise, some of them have it all wrong when it comes to working out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Main mistakes are people just using poor form. That's very, very prevalent. Also, people working at high intensities, maybe higher than they're able to maintain.

FEIG: Solution? Take your time. Concentrate on how as well as how often. Like Melinda, ACE says the motivating reason for doing this survey is to get people to exercise safely and prevent the likelihood of them returning to the couch.

For Feeling Fit, I'm Christy Feig.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a ritual. People make new year's resolutions just to break them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right, another installment of Bill's guns with Sanjay Gupta.

GUPTA: You're absolutely right. Yes.

O'BRIEN: Let's ask him how we do that.

GUPTA: Good morning. Right.

O'BRIEN: Are you going to do that for me?

GUPTA: We're definitely going to ask Bill how he got his guns.

O'BRIEN: OK, thank you. GUPTA: There's a lot of, actually, a lot of questions on this topic.

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: A lot of people want to keep their new year's resolutions and more than that, they want to break bad habits. And new year's day is a good time to start thinking about that.

So we decided to go to the streets and see what questions you had out there.

Here's our first one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do I stop snacking and motivate myself to actually get up and cook a meal instead of just, you know, grabbing a handful of Oreos or grabbing a Twix bar or something like that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: I think we're all guilty of that. Certainly on my way home oftentimes I stop by a fast food restaurant or something. I know, isn't that terrible?

O'BRIEN: No. No.

GUPTA: I know.

Bill Phillips, you have a formula for this sort of thing in your book, "Body For Life." What do you tell someone like this?

PHILLIPS: I think the biggest issue with snacking is that you're already hungry by the time you want to snack, which means you didn't eat when you should have so that your body had the nutrition and stable energy. So with "Body For Life" what I teach people is to eat five or six times a day, a balanced approach in your carbohydrates so that you're constantly nourished and you're constantly satisfied.

O'BRIEN: So French fries five or six times a day will work or?

PHILLIPS: No, never.

O'BRIEN: That's not going to get you there.

GUPTA: What kind of food -- but seriously, what kind of foods are we talking about and how do you work five to six meals into a work day? I think that's impossible for most people.

AUSTIN: Oh, it's very easy.

PHILLIPS: No, it's possible. Seven hundred thousand success stories...

O'BRIEN: Doughnuts. PHILLIPS: ... out there and you can do it, though. It's about planning and you learn how to make great tasting food. You enjoy that more than you enjoy French fries, I promise.

O'BRIEN: Oh, oh, no.

COLLINS: So, Bill, you're not really talking about snacking then? I mean you're talking about an actual light meal every time?

PHILLIPS: Right. Right. Small meals every five or six hours, nutrition shakes, nutrition bars can replace snacks. Nutrition shakes that are balanced in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are a great option.

O'BRIEN: So smoothies and, you know, power bars, that kind of stuff? Is that what you're talking about?

PHILLIPS: Both of those are a little too high in carbohydrate for what I suggest. But meal replacement shakes like, well, I don't want to mention brands, but a balanced approach in carbohydrates.

O'BRIEN: You can do it. Go ahead, mention brands. It's all right.

GUPTA: He's got a brand.

PHILLIPS: Yes, Myoflex (ph), Metrex, these types of foods. And the balance bars are good, too.

O'BRIEN: OK.

GUPTA: All right, we've got a lot of questions, as I mentioned.

Let's go to our first e-mail question, as well, about this topic. We want to throw this one to you, Denise. It's actually about smoking. Someone would like some suggestions on how to fight the urge to smoke. A real problem, especially when you feel like you're stressed out. Over the holidays a lot of people do feel stressed out. That's when you need to smoke the most.

Denise, what do you tell someone like that? I imagine you're not a smoker.

AUSTIN: Oh, gosh, no. I've never smoked. But the key thing is, is to try to find other ways to get rid of those bad habits. Like, for instance, if you feel like you're going to have a cigarette, why not go for a walk around the block? Anything to take your mind away from that. Ten minutes worth of exercise will do your body wonders. You'll feel better and you'll be less stressed.

So I just think you've got to find other ways. And think about your body. I mean your body, you're only here on this life once. You've got to eat right, you've got to exercise to feel the very best you can. Health is the most important. Take it a priority and think of all the ways you're going to feel better and getting rid of those cigarettes is one of the first ways to feel your best, have the energy to do everything you care about.

GUPTA: All right, well, I think that's actually really good advice. You know, people talk about, you always mention 10 minutes a day. And I think that's a really more realistic goal, getting your mind off other things.

COLLINS: That's nothing. Yes.

GUPTA: Yes, I could do that. Even I could do that.

O'BRIEN: Ten minutes of exercise?

AUSTIN: Everybody has 10 minutes.

AUSTIN: To start with...

O'BRIEN: That's not enough.

GUPTA: Start with 10 minutes is what she said.

O'BRIEN: You've got to do 30 minutes at least, I was told.

AUSTIN: No, no, no.

GUPTA: Yes, but she said start with 10 minutes.

AUSTIN: You start with 10.

O'BRIEN: You told me that, didn't you?

GUPTA: I might, actually.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.

GUPTA: Yes, OK. I didn't you'd remember. But, no, 10 minutes, you start with that and then you work your way up is what she's saying. Yes.

AUSTIN: You have something to build on.

(CROSSTALK)

GUPTA: That's very good.

O'BRIEN: OK, all right.

Well, we've got to get some commercials in here, shall we?

COLLINS: All right. That's right.

We'll be back in just a few minutes everybody.

COMMERCIAL

(INTERRUPTED FOR AN INTERNATIONAL REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, back to House Calls.

GUPTA: Yes, how do you transition from that to...

O'BRIEN: You don't.

GUPTA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: You just say back to House Calls.

GUPTA: Breaking bad habits.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GUPTA: Maybe they are more related than we think.

COLLINS: Maybe.

GUPTA: Breaking bad habits.

O'BRIEN: What is Saddam's resolution for the year?

GUPTA: We'll find out maybe, right.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GUPTA: We've, well, we've talked a little bit about how to break bad habits and we're going to talk a little bit more about how to develop good ones and how to stay motivated.

But before we do that, Heidi, you talked about your resolution earlier. What is it?

COLLINS: Oh, well, I'm a little bit like Miles, because I figure it is kind of setting myself up to fail, because I haven't figured out how to have a small baby and a job and actually be fit. So I think a lot about it, but I really don't act. So I have made resolutions for my dogs, who need to lose some weight. So by walking the dogs, then hopefully maybe I'll lose a little with that.

GUPTA: Sort of a translation of property.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: But you know what? We do have a legitimate phone caller.

Denise from New Jersey is on the line.

She wants to know specifically about stomach muscles, right, Denise?

DENISE: Yes. I'm 57. I weigh about 190 and I, it's mostly in my abs. I hate the way I look. I don't even go out and I dread the summer. I look pregnant. I don't know what to do. I'm depressed. I need to lose my stomach fat. Can you help? GUPTA: Yes, well, you know, this is not an uncommon problem. Sixty percent of the nation, we've talked about this so many times, overweight. And abdominal fat being some of the most concerning fat.

O'BRIEN: Sixty percent. Isn't that amazing?

GUPTA: Sixty percent. Actually, over that, I think, now, and also our kids. Thirteen percent of some of our kids, as well.

COLLINS: Right. That's a number that's been going up.

GUPTA: Bill Phillips, what do you tell Denise about this sort of thing, losing abdominal fat specifically? She can't even go out.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's not the issue. Abdominal fat is not the issue. The issue is how you feel, sweetheart, and you can feel better, you can improve your health and you do that by actually setting a goal, maybe a 12 week goal, and don't focus on one area of your body, focus on your whole life and how much better your life can be and how much better your energy can be. And you do that through having a little future vision, having some hope, maybe finding someone like yourself who's succeeded.

And you can do that through the "Body For Life," for sure. We've had over 700,000 people succeed and a lot of ladies have had wonderful, wonderful success. And I'm not talking about ab muscles. I'm talking about getting your life back on track.

GUPTA: Yes, and I...

PHILLIPS: And feeling good.

GUPTA: Right, Bill. And I've seen, actually, you've seen the pictures. I don't, normally I'm not a big fan of those before and after pictures, but I've got to say, the ones in your book are pretty impressive.

Denise, Denise Austin, what do you say to our caller?

AUSTIN: Well, first of all, I've had two babies so I can relate with abdominal fat. But one of the best things to do is to really think about good posture. Throughout the day -- I want you to exercise, but also throughout all of our times we're sitting or standing, think about this, pull in your abdominal muscles. Retrain those muscles to pull in.

Right now here's a great exercise for everybody to do. Pull in the belly button. Sit up tall, pull in that belly button, tighten up those abdominal muscles, tight, tight, tight, and then relax. And there you've done a great isometric exercise.

Throughout the day, think good posture and pilates is all about taking good care of your abs to keep your back healthy.

GUPTA: Denise, I don't know if you can see us over here, but we are all sitting up nice and straight. O'BRIEN: Ramrods, right.

GUPTA: General commander.

AUSTIN: Great.

GUPTA: We obey your command.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, Bill...

AUSTIN: Keep those abs in.

O'BRIEN: Bill, really quickly, how do I get those guns? What do I do?

PHILLIPS: Well, I can tell you how you get all the muscles in your body developed, what you should do...

O'BRIEN: Let me see yours. Let me see yours real quick.

PHILLIPS: Well, I've got a shirt on today.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. All right.

GUPTA: You can still them, though.

PHILLIPS: I'll show you.

COLLINS: Whooo.

PHILLIPS: I'll show you some abs.

O'BRIEN: Should I take steroids? What should I do?

PHILLIPS: Oh, for god's sakes, no.

AUSTIN: Oh gosh, no.

O'BRIEN: Oh, oh.

PHILLIPS: I'll show you some abs that are a result of never...

O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness gracious.

PHILLIPS: ... falling...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Look at that once, will you? That's a six pack if I ever saw one.

GUPTA: What's the big deal? Those look exactly like mine.

PHILLIPS: And that, that's the result of a whole lifestyle, though. But I'll tell you what, though, all kidding aside, posture is not going to cure depression. But I'll tell you what, a good healthy program can lift a person's spirits like you wouldn't believe.

O'BRIEN: All right, guys, that was fun.

GUPTA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: That was fun. Wow.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta on House Call.

GUPTA: Yes.

COLLINS: We love it.

GUPTA: Be back tomorrow.

COLLINS: Very good.

GUPTA: Denise Austin, Bill Phillips. Denise in D.C., Bill Phillips in New York, thank you very much both of you for being here.

COLLINS: Thanks, guys.

O'BRIEN: Showing some skin here on the morning program. All right, guys.

COLLINS: That will be the first and last time you ever see that.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GUPTA: All right.

COLLINS: At least with us.

GUPTA: Thanks a lot, both of you.

COLLINS: We're going to be back right after this, everybody.

Stick around.

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