Entries by Chet Zelasko

Strengthening Your Core

The most common source of pain for Americans is lower back pain, and your core muscles are the key to avoiding that achy feeling. Does this sound familiar? You sneeze or you’re bending over a sink brushing your teeth, and you feel a twinge that incapacitates you for the next few days. Yes, you could […]

Fitness: The Basics

Paula asked me a great question the other day: what are the exercises that everyone can do at home with minimal equipment to improve, or at least maintain, fitness? For all ages? Yes, okay. I can do that. It also helps that I recently started a routine that I do every morning for that purpose. […]

New Learning Opportunities for 2026

The new year brings new opportunities for me to teach and for you to learn. As I said in Tuesday’s Memo, the first webinar of the year will be Weight Loss Supplements. But there’s more—here’s what’s happening. New Member Benefits Since the radio station changed the format of my radio show to short podcasts, the […]

Weight Loss Myth Busted

There’s been so much written about weight loss, no wonder it’s so hard to know what really works. But there’s one weight loss myth that has been busted. You may have heard experts and gurus say, “It’s not about the calories!” They have blamed junk food and renamed it ultra-processed food; they condemned sugar intake, […]

Anticipate Roadblocks

As the new year approaches, I’m sure that you’re thinking about and planning for what you want to accomplish in 2026. We set goals for many aspects of our lives; although they could apply to any goal you set, I’ll keep my comments related to health goals. Plenty of books, videos, and on-line groups discuss […]

Merry Christmas!

Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, Happy Holidays from Paula, Jamie, Riley, and myself. This is the time of year when we focus on sharing goodwill with others.  While it’s a busy time of year, take some time to contact those people you haven’t seen in ages. That’s what I’ll be doing […]

Have a Little Faith

The Buffalo Bills were losing 21-0 in the second quarter this past weekend, and I had that sinking feeling that this was not going to turn out well. I told Paula I was going to do something else; I was recording the game so if they won, I’d watch it later. I recalled what quarterback […]

Can Cutting Calories Improve Your Mood?

In research like the CALERIE study, there’s a tendency to focus on physical changes but what about mood, depression, and quality of life (QOL)? Did researchers find changes in those variables as well? Let’s take a look. While the two-year span of the data analyzed varied slightly from other phases of the study, physiological results […]

Saving Muscle While You Reduce Calories

Several studies have been published from the CALERIE study data with even more interesting revelations, so I’ll review several over the next few Memos. I’ll start with changes in body composition in those who restricted calories (143 subjects) and those who continued to eat normally (75 subjects), often called ad lib or ad libitum. Remember, […]

It’s All About the Calories!

One of my long-held beliefs is that where weight is concerned, it’s all about the calories—and I’m happy to say that this study reinforces my belief. But when I’m wrong, I’ll tell you. Case in point: as I continued to examine the CALERIE trial, it became apparent I had made a mistake in the number […]