The best thing about being an adult is that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. If you want to order and devour the entire left side of the McDonald’s menu, you can do that. And though people might look at you in a funny or frightened way, nobody will stop you.

When you’re finished, or more specifically, about two hours after you’re finished, you will wish that someone had stopped you. But you’re an adult, right? It’s your job to say when. You make the decisions; that’s the best thing.

The worst thing about being an adult is that you are responsible for the consequences of your decisions. As a kid, you don’t have much choice about what you’re going to eat, when you’re going to eat, or how much you’re going to eat.

Your parents buy and prepare the food; they put it on your plate, and tell you to eat every morsel of it because, if you don’t, you’re somehow affecting the lives of children in a far-off, disadvantaged country.

You think, “I’m pretty sure kids halfway around the globe aren’t going to want this liver any more than I do, no matter how hungry they are.” So you sit there, spread the gross food around your plate, feed it to the dog, throw it behind the fridge…anything to get up from the table, and go play with your friends.

But you’re not a child⎯you’re an adult, and it’s like Halloween, Christmas, and Grandma’s house all rolled into one. You can have sweets, pastries, pizzas, ice cream, etc. whenever you want them, and depending on your financial situation, the supply is nearly limitless.

You can’t help yourself. You know you shouldn’t eat the way you do, but no one is there to tell you no, except you, and you don’t know how. That’s where Live in Fitness can help.

First things first, so that you don’t stop reading and start eating: When we say you can’t eat what you want, what we mean is, if you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you can’t eat the things you eat now in the quantities that you eat them.

We’re NOT saying that you can’t eat the foods you like. Granted, those foods have caused you a lot of pain over the years, but they have also given you a lot of pleasure. Food is one of the greatest pleasures there is; we have no intention of removing that pleasure and making your life miserable.

On the contrary, we’re going to teach you how to eat in a way that allows you to enjoy food in a responsible, healthy way…with no guilt and no regrets.

When you come to our fitness retreat in Long Beach, California, we are going to ensure that you’ll be experiencing a wonderful weight-loss getaway. We’re also going to teach you how to stay that way. This does not include starving yourself. Thinner is great, but healthier and happier are much better.

That’s why we have a proven program that can make you this way, and it has three primary elements to it: Behavior, Exercise, and Nutrition.

Making behavioral changes is vital because whatever you’re doing now isn’t working. You’ve probably tried countless fad diets and/or exercise equipment that promise to make you look like the people selling them, and they haven’t worked. That’s because the magic isn’t in whatever they’re selling⎯—it’s inside you.

We help you delve into the underlying issues that have kept you from succeeding in the past. Once they’re discovered, we address them and teach you to deal with them healthily.

Exercise is also vital. It’s no secret that regular exercise reduces your risk for serious diseases. The operative word is regular. When exercise becomes a habit, you not only feel better and have more energy, but you also look better…which in turn makes you feel better and have more energy. It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill, but instead of the ball getting bigger, you’re getting smaller.

Not to mention, you have to eat. And when you eat, you’re taking in calories, a.k.a. fuel. Your body is a machine that needs to burn that fuel. If it isn’t burned, it’s stored.

This can’t be emphasized enough: FOOD IS FUEL. If you want to feel and look your best, exercise and attitude aren’t enough; you need the best fuel. That’s why we have professional chefs and nutritionists on staff. They’re here to create a diet and prepare the food specifically for you.

This doesn’t mean you’re going to be eating tiny tasteless meals; you can still eat the foods you like. Only at our fitness retreat, you will learn how to make healthier versions of them and eat them in smaller, but still satisfying portions.

How we’re going to change your life isn’t rocket science, but it is science: psychology, biology, and physiology. Our program is not only three-pronged, it’s proven to work, and we don’t mean only while you’re here. It’s going to work for the long term.

When you get here, you can’t eat what you want. When you leave, you can, because what you want (especially how much you want) will change for the better. You will change for the better.