It takes most people at least a few months, and often longer, to substantially change their weight and health. But the most important change happens in our minds. Lasting health requires a change in beliefs, thoughts, and habits, and that doesn't happen overnight. We're committed to making sure the new you is the permanent you. So when you face unexpected obstacles months from now, we'll still be there supporting you. Instead of letting bad habits and chronic diseases creep back, let's keep them away for good.
3. We meet online twice a week in the beginning and less often after that
For the first two months, we'll meet via video twice a week. One session will be for learning and supporting each other while the other will be for cooking. You'll also do movie nights each week on your own.
The learning sessions will last about an hour, and the cooking sessions will last one to 1 1/2 hours. Movie nights will consist mostly of watching food documentaries and average about 1 1/2 hours. After eight weeks, you'll have a good foundation, so we'll be finished with the cooking classes, reduce the group sessions to once a month, and cut the movie nights to twice a month.
Over the course of a year, there will be 18 learning and support sessions, 8 cooking classes, and 28 movie nights for a total of about 72 hours of content. By the end of the program, you'll be a different person.
We'll cook together because that gives you complete control over what goes into your mouth. You can learn to love not just eating healthy food but making it too. We'll teach you how to make food fast - for when you're in a hurry - and how to make it slow for maximum comfort and taste.
4. We use group sessions because they work.
There is power, camaraderie, and energy, in a group. Members can learn from and support one another. If you want more personal attention and accountability, you may also add private sessions with a coach who specializes in nutrition, behavior change, and weight loss (private sessions will be priced at an hourly rate and are not part of the pay what it's worth to you program).
5. You can only do this program once.
Don't take this the wrong way, but we don't want your repeat business. We want you healthy and happy for the rest of your life. When something works and you are committed to it, once is all you need. So we only accept people who commit to doing the entire program, which includes regular group sessions, individual movie nights, cooking, experimenting with real food, and tracking your progress. No, we won't ask you to eat bugs or run marathons. But we will help you make gradual and manageable changes that will add up to big results.
6. We don't sell weight-loss drugs...
Only four percent of uses ever reach a normal, healthy weight. In fact, about 80 percent of users stop taking weight-loss drugs within six months, often because they no longer want to deal with side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, acid reflux, fatigue, stomach pain, and headaches - or the more serious risks of kidney problems and pancreatic inflammation that can lead to cancer. For those able to tolerate the drugs, weight loss stops after a year. Yet the average loss in a year for those getting the maximum dose is just 34 pounds. Yet they, or their insurance providers, still have to shell out big bucks just to sustain that minimal weight loss. When they do stop taking the drugs, the unwanted pounds come right back.
2. You can do it from anywhere.
10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The best evidence currently available indicates that many supplements lead to worse health outcomes and shorter lives. It appears the healthy and protective elements in food such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants are designed to work with each other and don't usually have the same effect if consumed on their own. So as nice as it would be to eat ice cream all day yet still get the nutrients you need by taking powders and pills, that's not how our bodies work.
...or processed junk food that pretends to be healthy.
Processed junk is bad for you no matter who makes it or how many claims are plastered on the container. The so-called "healthy" meals, bars, and drinks sold by many weight-loss and "health food" companies are unlikely to benefit your weight, health, or wallet. Our bodies were made to eat real food that grows slowly in nature from the sun, soil, and water, and not man-made products made quickly in factories.
7. New groups start every few months, and you have to apply to get in.
If you are interested in joining us, we suggest you apply as soon as possible. That will increase the chance you can get into a group and give you time to ask your doctor to monitor your health changes so he or she can adjust medication levels for things like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. If your doctor is unable to do so, we can refer you to a physician who specializes in lifestyle medicine and can meet with you over the phone or video to track your progress and adjust medication levels.
Being sick is expensive. The average American spends about $2,500 out of pocket on health care each year. Employers and the government spend another $12,500 per person. Still, 40 percent of us have health-care debt, and most people who file for bankruptcy cite medical bills as the primary cause - even if they have health insurance.
Unfortunately, all that spending has not made us healthy. Most people take at least one medication, two thirds are overweight, and the majority die from chronic disease instead of old age. Yet 80 percent of medical spending goes to treat chronic disease that is preventable and usually reversible. We'll help you make better lifestyle choices, so you'll likely live longer, have a better quality of life, and have more money to enjoy it.
10. This program could save you a bundle and add years to your life.
8. Your genetics don't matter nearly as much as you think.
Many people think if their relatives were obese or had health issues such as high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, they too are doomed to the same conditions. Yet lifestyle usually controls health far more than genetics. The maxim, "Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger" is on target. Most of the time, the right lifestyle will override unfavorable genetics.
If you are looking to lose weight, you may have tried a variety of diets, lost some pounds or regained some health, only to go right back to the way you were. The problem isn't a lack of willpower. It's following a bad strategy. If you try to lose weight and get healthy by restricting how much food you eat, your odds of failure are 95+ percent. Food restriction is one reason diets don't work and aren't fun. So if you've tried "healthy eating" but it didn't work, you're in for a treat, because it isn't what you think. It's a lifestyle change that involves eating more - not less - of the foods your body was designed to eat. Once you do that, the pounds disappear for good, you feel better, and your health returns.
That makes it accessible to everyone. While there's a lot to be said for immersive programs that take you outside of your normal environment, you still have to learn to succeed where you live. So we'll help you change your environment as much as possible - and teach you how to deal with things you can't change. You will never do this alone. We'll be right there with you every step of the way.
You can do it when you make it fun!
