Being married to a dietitian who loves to cook means I typically eat healthy homemade meals. I try to get 4-5 days of swimming or weight training as part of a normal exercise routine. Although I was pretty active, I wasn't able to shed the extra 15-20 pounds that I wanted to lose.
I typically try to follow a dairy and gluten free diet as we have found they gave me bowel issues or left me run down and groggy. As part of my job I often have to travel which means I often eat out a lot, making it difficult to follow my diet. Sharing my frustration with my wife (Beth) she lovingly mentioned that maybe we need to try something else. She mentioned that nutraMetrix had a TLS Weight Loss program. We looked through the 21 day challenge and I decided to give it a shot. I've done cleanses in the past but what I liked about the TLS program was that it didn't include counting calories or points and it allowed for servings of protein and unlimited vegetables. We ordered the kit which came with everything I needed for the program.
I decided to start the program during a week that I was working from my home office. The first few days of the challenge was just that, a challenge. No grains, no sugars, and no strenuous activities challenged my daily routine. After a few days the supplements kicked in and really helped to curb my cravings. The included menu plan really helped me to identify and categorize the "good" and "bad" types of foods that I had been eating and provided me with a good plan of attack. After the first week I had lost 7 lbs!
The second week of the program moved from a detox cleanse to implementing a healthy diet lifestyle. Again I was home which made it easy to plan and prepare approved menu items. I continued my nightly walks for exercise and made sure I was getting a good night's sleep. Beth was such a help during my cleanse. She is a wizard in the kitchen and was able to find so many recipes which incorporated foods from the "approved" list. I felt satisfied, refreshed, and was really starting to see the weight benefits totaling 12 lbs in total loss after week 2!
The third and final week was going to be the real challenge. I had to travel for the week and attend a corporate function. This typically means bagels and pastries for breakfast, catered sandwiches with chips and cookies for lunch followed by drinks and bar food for dinner. Not the type of environment a dieting food junky should put themself in. Although I was concerned heading into the week, I found that the supplements continued to curb cravings and the meal plan helped me identify the proper foods. It wasn't easy to eat right, but in every situation I was able to find foods that worked within my list of healthy food choices. Not only was I feeling better, but my coworkers were taking notice and are now looking at TLS themselves. At the end of the week and the challenge I was down 15 lbs!
I am a few weeks post challenge and have been able to maintain my current weight even though my travel schedule has picked up and I have added a few carbs and alcohol back into my diet. The challenge and diet plan helped reset some of the bad dietary practices I had picked up over the years. I now realize how important a balanced diet is to maintaining a healthy weight and that exercise alone can't make up for all of the bad food choices I make. If only I had heeded the advice of my dietitian wife sooner :).