After about a year at what I deem as my "crisis weight," & with far too many pairs of ill-fitting pants in my closet, I knew that it was time to do something different. I had considered myself to have stellar eating habits & because I have been a 30-mile per week runner since 1998 with 7 full marathons completed since 2004, I wasn't sure what more I could do to lose the extra 12-15 pounds that had somehow crept up on me. Shouldn't the running & healthy eating habits be enough? Jeez! I came across a Weekly Plus special for Biovive Medicine & decided to give it a try.
As a lifetime Weight Watcher, I didn't think there was anything more to learn about dieting. Calories in, calories out, watch your portions, exercise regularly, etc. While all of that may be true, it unfortunately was just not working for me. After meeting with Kimberly for my initial consultation, I immediately realized that I wasn't in Kansas anymore. Similar to what I believe is the Paleo, South Beach, or even a more healthy version of Adkins, this plan reduces carbohydrates which allows the body to enter into a state of ketosis in an effort to burn fat more efficiently (the excellent nutritionist staff members - Kim, Jen, Heather, Holly, Stacee, & Ally - probably have a better explanation, but that is how I understand it to perform). What I didn't realize was just how many carbohydrates I was consuming per day; particularly in the form of fruits & vegetables! An apple here, a banana there, another fruit cup from Starbucks, a giant salad - I might as well have been eating slabs of bread! This plan allowed me to restructure my eating habits so that the main focus of my meals were in the forms of lean protein & my reduced carbohydrates intake was in the form of fruits & vegetables. Weekly weigh-ins with the nutritionists helped me to maintain focus & ask questions. I also love the instrument used for the weigh-ins as it provides a body composition analysis that reflects an overall picture vs just a number.
It definitely took some time to get used to, but I lost an average of 2 lbs per week & have continued to lose through the maintenance phase. My body fat percentage has dropped 10%, my BMI has been reduced 3 kg/m2, & in all, I have lost almost 20 lbs total.
Make no mistake, this plan does require discipline! Your calories are restricted in the Weight Loss Phase & I can guarantee your current manner of eating will be tweaked. With that said, it worked for me & I believe that I will continue to eat this way for the rest of my life. So long grains...I really don't miss you too much. read more