“Fat is where its at”! LET’S get rid of it!

In every life, a little fat can change your way of living. We all have had a reason to diet (or at least trim a few pounds, for an event or occasion). In my house, we have probably been exposed to every diet plan that has been developed. In fact, I think we own every diet book ever written! One of the problems in buying a book or joining a diet program is that many of us that do, often don’t change their outlook on eating habits. The key to changing what we look like, is changing what we eat and “why”.

In fact, it is the “why” that is the key to any change of habit. When I had my heart situation four years ago, it was the way my cardiologist asked for the “why” that allowed me to quit smoking instantly (after over 40 years of doing so) with no turning back. My wife, Jane, is a dieter. Perhaps, she may be called a “professional dieter” as she has tried every program out there. When she heard about  the new “Ideal Protein” diet and the happy results that others have had, she said this was the one she wanted to do! It would be sure to work!

I went online www.idealprotein.com so that I could read up on the idea and the concept, as well as the investment. The diet is based on science, which I was impressed with and so I decided to find out more. Being a reporter, and writing for several papers, I made an appointment to meet with one of the “franchisees” who, as it turns out, is just down the street in Glenview. In fact, we could walk to the office for our weekly visits (if the need arises). His branch is called “Results 22”. The name stems from the idea that it takes roughly three weeks ( 21 days) for the average person to alter their lifestyle, thus on the 22nd day, they will begin to see results. Clever idea and now, we will see just how that works.

I met with Ed Reardon, who has this office as well as two others to learn more about the program that Jane wanted to enroll in. Part of what our meeting entailed was learning about the concept and why this diet was unique and different from the others. Ed has a special scale, which he mentioned on several occasions is very costly, BUT, what it does to help the patron is worth every penny that Ed spent to get it. It doesn’t just weigh you. It gives you an InBody readout showing “body fat mass”, “Dry Lean Mass”, “water levels” and an analysis that allows us to see what areas we need to concentrate on so that we can attain our ultimate goal- great health ( and loss of weight). They do go together!

Both Jane and I did this and at our orientation each component was explained. One of the key areas is “Visceral Fat Levels” and we talked about where our goals should be. Ed then explained the foods that are available thru the program and we were handed our RED BAG (this contains the” essentials” supplements(for 4 weeks), salt, a shaker for our mixed beverages, fizz tablets (assuming 2 per days)*, drinks and variety packs.  During the initial period, we can find certain items that will be more satisfying than others, and since they all qualify, why not select ones you enjoy?

*We lose electrolytes during our normal day, and the FIZZ tablets are designed to bring back what we lost. They work and are flavored- pick the ones you enjoy the most. For me, the mango is the best.

Doing the program together is great as it keeps us on track and no one can look at the others plate and feel that they are getting cheated. By the way, we have had a few dinners so far and they are using real food- shrimp one night, chicken the next and I think tonight is pasta. I have to tell you that so far my energy is better than it was prior to the start and I am not hungry!

On Saturday, we will go in for a weigh in and to pick out the food items that we want. I will post the results as well. To see more about the program, visit  www.results22.com where they will help you “change your life”, one habit at a time! The food you see on this page are all part of the Ideal program!

WEEK TWO BEGINS

Saturday morning (last), Jane and I went to the office/store to meet with Ed and see how our first week went. The first week, by the way had some withdrawals and we dined on some items that were part of our “sample bag” ( we have now found winners and losers in the foods offered, with more to try).We both had our turn on the scale, which is far more than a scale. It measures much more than weight allowing us to see in writing are progress and then Ed speaks with each of us on the highs and lows of the week. Ours was pretty solid with both of us seeing a loss- Jane 8 pounds and I only 4 1/2 pounds.

Our energy levels were greater than I had expected and my only habit to watch was my nightly cocktail. Even though I had a FIZ after (replacing electrolytes), Ed said to “cut it down to three per week” just to be safe. I agreed I would, after all, Jane lost more than I did and men are supposed to lose faster!

The program allows us to eat “real food” in addition to the items designed to make the program work. In fact, if you look at the dinner plate here, you will see that we added a potato pancake ( really potato puree mix- 100 calories and despite no applesauce or sour cream, very tasty and a great addition to the dinner). We are both looking forward to Saturday morning’s weigh -in and to see the continued success of the Ideal Protein Program with “Results 22”.

Week Three begins

Another weigh-in and guess what? Another loss!

Not as much as in week one and two, but as we learned, different. Weight loss should not be measured in “raw numbers” from a normal scale. It is the changes in our body composition that truly make the difference in this program. If our fat goes down and our muscle improves, we will feel better, our “electrolytes” will allow us more energy and we will trim our waists, hips, hops and other parts of the body. Of greater importance is that our internal needs will change (for the better). Our organs become less fat and that is where it is at! Our losses were 2 lbs and 3 1/2 lbs and as Ed told us, if we continue to have losses at this rate, our goals will easily be met.

One of the beautiful part of the Ideal program is that every person makes their own adjustments and in doing so, moves at their own pace. Both Jane and I are losing weight and changing habits ( eating and personal) that are ours alone. As Ed , who has been doing this for a while said, ” you both did a bang-up job this week”! Even though we did things that were off-course ( we did things that will become our course). I must say, I am feeling more energetic than ever and I think Jane is doing likewise. We are also finding some food favorites! Visit www.results22.com and/or www.idealprotien.com

WEEK 4

Just finishing up on week 4 and I am starting to feel excited. Not about the pounds, as most people would, but in fact about the “fat” ! In particular, the Visceral fat surrounding the heart. Ed has explained that for my age and height, I should be at a 10 or less, and I am now at 11 ( very close to hitting “ground zero”. While I am still not there, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I truly desire to hit one (making it the “loneliest number in my world”.

Again, this is not a pounds lost program, as much as a change of lifestyles, which is what we are doing. We know that as we progress, there will be a time when we can make adjustments to some of the foods that we are “missing” right now. Truth is, since the start, some of those are no longer “missed” at all. It’s like passing someone who still smokes. I would not want to have one of those either! Perhaps, my attitude and thought process has really changed. We are more hydrated than before, so some of the water that has been added to our system (making us healthier) is added to our scale poundage. This being the case, and our overall numbers are down, if we were to take away those water numbers, our numbers would be down even more.

The program is about change and one of the things we have noticed is that our sizes have changed. My pants are all large on me and Jane is wearing stuff she could not get into last year. That is success!

Week FIVE

Today was a milestone, as despite only having a NET weight loss of  10 pounds, my FAT weight loss was TEN POUNDS !

My inches have gone down slightly, but my energy is up and even with a few mental errors in which foods we ate, our numbers were great. Jane was a little disappointed in her numbers because the weight from last week until this was negligible. However, her inches went down and she is down a size in her “tops”. The problem is forgetting about the number of “restricted” meals (only one per day) versus the number of “unrestricted” food. The Ideal Protein diet is MORE than just a diet. It is a change of lifestyle and habits. One of the concepts is that following this regimen will get you to your goal and it is not a time frame that is the same for everyone. I am one point away from the ideal “visceral fat level” so my cardiologist is very happy. Maybe in the next few weeks, I will hit the magic number.

What adds to the enjoyment of the program is that we have someone to sit and discuss the elements, not just during, but Ed and his staff will remain our coaches into the future. Most programs do not offer this as part of the experience. This program is one with caring and where the staff has one goal- to exceed the expectations of those they serve!. Makes losing the fat much easier. Here is a photo of FAT. The photo is five pounds- I lost 10!

Week Six

Our schedule went thru a bit of a change this week. With the Highest of Jewish Holidays on Saturday, we skipped a few days until Monday (tonight) to do our weigh-in and check-list. Despite some alterations in our regular habits with the holiday and Jane’s elbow surgery, both of us were great. The beauty of this program is that if you do have an off-day, it is easy to get back on track just by making an adjustment or two. My week may not have been as strong as I would have liked, but despite making a few errors in judgment ( I broke the fast with grilled cheese and Sunday afternoon ate the black olives and tuna salad of a Subway , but NOT the bread) I still lost 1/10th of a pound for the 9 day period. PLUS weighing in the evening is a bit higher .

Jane had a great week, again despite having surgery and being on pain medication and an IV during her hospital visit. We both look slimmer, our measurements have decreased and our energy levels have increased. We know that our coach is happy  and that our lifestyle has been somewhat altered. We are not craving the items that we used to live for. Back in the days prior to joining “results 22, when the bread basket was brought to the table, we both dug in to make sure that the section was one we liked. Neither of us care, now. I am eating more salads and veggies than ever before and enjoying them! Again, losing ten plus pounds of body fat, as far as I am concerned, was my main goal- take another look at this.Are you carrying around some of this? The Ideal Protein Program will help you get rid of it!