My husband, Mike, wrote a blog recently that explained how we entered the weight loss business and referred to my personal experience with the program.  Surprisingly, Mike’s account of how we got into this market is accurate.  It’s a bit personal for me so I was sensitive to what he was saying.  Yet, he’s right… I did lose weight fast, I did notice remarkable improvements in my menopausal symptoms and I was amazed with the results I experienced when I started the ketonic body program to lose weight based on science instead of emotion.

What do I mean by science versus emotion?  Well, I’d tried many of the popular weight loss programs including counting points, buying pre-packaged meals, using magic supplements, swallowing fat burners, eating metabolism boosters and even making lifestyle changes such as increased exercise.  What I learned was that nearly all diet programs worked if the goal was to lose weight and nothing else.  Yet one of the biggest differences to me was what kind of weight I lost.  I wanted to lose fat and maintain muscle.  I wanted to maintain my hair, my nails and I certainly didn’t want my organs to suffer.  Because of this I looked at the science behind each philosophy in the marketplace.

I researched dozens of programs and learned that what those programs failed to tell me was the truth.  I wanted to know why their programs worked yet I couldn’t get straight answers.  Many programs work on a simple low calorie theory… okay, I get it.  Everybody says that, but can they back it up? What will I really lose?  And how?  I didn’t want to hear hype.  I wanted some facts. 

Everyone knows that if I eat less I should probably lose weight.  Then I looked at diet and exercise combos.  Again, I was confused.  Can exercise really help me lose weight?  It basically requires me to exercise off 3,500 calories to lose a simple pound.  Really?  Do you have any idea how hard it is to burn off 3,500 calories?  The average person burns about 100 calories per mile, so I’d have to run 35 miles per week to burn off a simple pound.  And that’s if I also keep my calories under control.   That’s just silly, and not me!    

So exercise is scientifically a slow way to lose weight.  And most of the weight loss programs on the market follow either the silly exercise format or a restricted calorie diet, neither of which are based on realistic science when it comes to health.  That’s the real difference.   Do you want to simply lose weight, or do you want to lose weight in a healthy manner?  Nearly all diet programs help you lose weight, but what do you lose?  If you aren’t using science then you don’t know what weight you’re losing.  Way too many programs help you lose weight yet when you look at the science you find that the weight loss is indiscriminate and comes from your skin, your nails, your muscle and your organs.  Not good.  It turns out there is a known way to lose the fat and not the good parts of your body while you lose weight.  Just follow the science.

This is why we really liked the ketonic body program.  Over many years of research and testing various products and protocols we developed the ITG Diet plan.  No magic.  No secret pills.  No toxic shots.  No fairy tales.  No suffering.  Just science, tasty products, real food, and a protocol that’s easy to follow. 

The best part of our program wasn’t just the scientific weight loss.  It was the effect it had on my menopausal symptoms. After just three weeks on the plan I not only saw significant weight loss but I also noticed that my hot flashes and attitude were under control.  Trust me… this is a great side effect.

Years ago and eager to figure out why this was happening I went straight to Dr. DeCosmo who quickly informed me that many of the menopausal symptoms that might be making our husbands’ lives difficult were caused by the junk hormones released by the pancreas.  This sounded good, but what did it really mean?

It turns out that the pancreas is a very interesting glandular organ.  Not only does it help us control our blood sugar via the insulin it releases, but it also releases a lot of other hormones that tend to make our female lives difficult during the change.  I’ve learned how to control my menopausal symptoms to the point where I know when I’ll have challenging interpersonal moments and when to expect those hot flashes.  I gained this control over my body in 2006 and it still holds true today.   I know that when I have too many carbs, or too much wine..  I will have some hot flashes.   However they are never as severe as they were years ago..

Dr. DeCosmo explained the science behind weight control, the pancreas and menopause.  Now I have control of these issues and I’m maintaining my size 4/6. 

The weight loss is wonderful yet the side effects of our plan are a fantastic bonus.

Today I love what we do.   I enjoy working with clinics, physicians, coaches and dieters to help them improve their health, emotions and lose weight.   This is the true reward of our plan, which is to share with others not only our success stories but their successes!

Laurel