Spring with FitFluential this year turned out to be pretty amazing, I got to attend the #FitBlogNYC and met so many wonderful people, I briefly met the Tone It Up! girls, AND I also got the opportunity to go to Bob Harper's launch party for his new book" The Skinny Rules". So much has happened since then, I'm still playing catch-up with all of the FitFluential gloriousness! The launch party was back in mid-May, before the party I met up for a quick dinner at Whole Foods with some of my lovely blogger friends, Meredith from Dare You To, Carlyn from Just Keep Sweating, and Cat from Breakfast to Bed. I made a colorful salad with chopped turkey breast, Caryln had a veggies burger with sweet potato fries, Cat had a nutrition bar, and Meredith had sushi and seaweed (That right there is one of the many reasons I love eating at Whole Foods, there is really something for everyone). We enjoyed our dinner and then met up with Nicole from Making Good Choices.

We headed over to the event, it was held at LAFCO, a beautiful candle and fragrance boutique in New York City. The place smelt really amazing, it was a very unique place to have a book launch. We had a pretty decent sized group of bloggers there. We all chatted and got to know one another better over cocktails. I sipped on Svedka vodka, soda with a splash of cranberry and a lime. They also served beautiful petite passed hors d'oeuvres. They had cauliflower soup shots, mini rice cakes with cheese, spinach and cheese balls, and some sort of small pastry with banana over the top. I didn't have any of the treats because everything seemed to be topped with some sort cheese, but all who did indulge said the food tasted great!

While we waited for Bob to make his appearance, Meredith spotted some former Biggest Loser contestants. She knew exactly who they were and went over to mingle with the weight loss stars, which looked amazing by the way! Bob finally made it to the event, it was so exciting to see him in person! He was very handsome with his facial hair and stylish glasses. His publicist walked him around the room to mingle with all of the important people first. He then gave a small speech mostly just thanking all of the people who helped him write and publish his book. Then after that he made a point to go around and talk to everyone else in the room. I think we were the last people to talk to him since we were all standing near the front of the room. He was very friendly and took a couple minutes to talk to everyone in our group. We all took a lot of great pictures with him, it was all very exciting!

On the way out I received a gift bag with copy of his book "The Skinny Rules", his Total Body Transformation DVD, an adorable Psycho Bunny hat, Eau D'italie bath salts and a lovely scented candle from LAFCO.

In the book Bob reveals the rules of getting and staying skinny. Here is a quick snapshot he from an interview he did with the Huffington Post...

Actually, this isn't only a rule book. Part I of the book is "The Skinny Rules" -- the 20 principles you need to read, understand, and really try to live by. But then I've also created Part II, "The Skinny Way" -- a day- by- day menu plan that will get you through the first 30 days of living by the rules. And Part III, "The Skinny Tools," houses the recipes and tips that you'll be called on to look at, cook, and consume! My intention is to take the guesswork out of losing weight for you. After the first 30 days on the program, you will have lost weight and you'll be more confident in eating and living according to my rules. By then you're likely not going to need all of the handholding I provide in this book. You will be on your way to a skinny life!

- Bob Harper's interview with the Huffington Post

Have you read "The Skinny Rules"? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

xoxo - Amber