Over the course of thirty years, I have been trying to lose 20 pounds to no avail… although I’ve always watched my weight, steadfastly dieted for two days straight, and lost momentum on the third day. With the cycle of dieting and eating, my weight fluctuated up and down depending on the day’s food intake. But I always wanted to get back down to my “playing weight.” It clearly remained a pipe dream. I just couldn’t lose those 20 pounds.
I finally took the bull by the horns and joined the best weight loss program I could imagine! Finally, after all the triumphs and tribulations, I was able to easily stick to a healthy regimen that allowed me to finally get rid of those 20 miserable pounds.
For three months, I was able to diligently stick to a healthy weight loss program that was satisfying, rewarding, and nutritious. But then I faced failure. Although I tried having the recommended portion-controlled standard protein and vegetables daily, my body craved more variety and texture than the foods I was getting in the program.
Then I was fortunate to find the “Take Shape for Life Program,” which was easy to follow and nutritionally balanced. The program required me to have five satisfying meal replacements a day every 2 ½ to 3 hours. What amazed me was how satiated I felt after eating. That allowed me to rigidly stick to the regimen. Each meal replacement has the exact same nutritionally balanced proportions of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber to satisfy your appetite.
And I looked forward to a daily home-cooked meal of beef, chicken, fish, or eggs, any protein food with 3 1/2 cups of vegetables. The number of meal replacements plus the whole-food daily meal had put me into a fat-burning zone… in my case, kosher-fat burning, since all the products I eat are kosher.
People ask why they just don’t look at the Take Shape menu, replace the items, and go from there. Read your labels! I am an avid label reader and the protein bars sold in supermarkets and even in health-food stores contain a minimum amount of protein, usually two to five grams, with carbohydrates hovering between 20 and 25 grams, while the calorie amount is typically higher: 140 to 160 for one bar.
In contrast, the Take Shape for Life bars are all 12 grams carbohydrates and 15 grams of protein, at 100 to 110 calories… so, they’re portion controlled with a totally balanced nutritional equivalent at a lower calorie count. That allows for satisfaction of eating without requiring or looking for additional foods right away.
I’ve always eaten calorie portioned foods/snacks from the grocery store, but they all left me feeling hungry and wanting more. In contrast, the Take Shape For Life meal replacements are satisfying and after having the allowed portion, you don’t crave another one as you do with other foods… it really works and I was able to hold off another 2 1/2 hours for the next meal replacement. Of course, I also had to drink water. Have eight full glasses daily, or tea, Crystallite, or coffee when you find the time to drink in between.
I recommend the Take Shape For Life health regimen because it gets the job done, and you will realize your goal weight. Once you get there, you go into transition/maintenance mode, and slowly start adding more fruits, more dairy, more grains, all under guidance of a nutritional staff and coach. Don’t worry about calories. Just follow the regimen, and you will succeed. Weight loss can range from two to five pounds the first two weeks and one to two pounds thereafter, depending on the individual’s metabolism and stature.
Just a tip: For the long term, don’t focus on every ounce you gain or lose. Motivate yourself with the responsibility of avoiding health problems by staying in your correct Body Mass Index (BMI)…the BMI is an indicator of if you are within your appropriate weight range to avoid undue health problems. The perfect score is between 20 and 25. Any score below 20 would be considered underweight and a score above 25 would be considered overweight.
After you achieve your goal, you can also calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to determine the number of calories to consume based on your lifestyle. Overall, the science of maintaining the right weight is simple: calories in, calories out… when one consumes too many calories, it will overload the system and turn into fat and increased weight gain.
As a health coach, I have come up with additional tricks to enhance food and keep it satisfying.
*I prepare an ice pop daily of freezing water with flavorings like Mia that contain no calories. It’s so refreshing! I usually have it at night and look forward to it daily.
*Instead of adding mayonnaise with a whopping 100 calories for a tablespoon to tuna, substitute either non-fat plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream.
*For the portion-controlled cereal, I add almond milk, which contains only 30 calories for the serving and it is pareve as well… Yum! I can enjoy it after a meat meal too, since both the cereal and almond milk are 100% pareve!
For all these great ideas and more, and to find out more about the program, go to www.dietcoachfree.tsfl.com or e-mail [email protected].
By R. Lynn Kaplan
