Editor’s Note: Rich Mullins is an Amway Independent Business Owner and a 2011 NEW WAY NEW YOU™ (NWNY™) participant. He wanted to let everyone know how excited he is about his amazing results using the NUTRILITE Weight Management Program, so here’s Rich:
I am very excited to be back after getting our results at the NUTRILITE Center for Optimal Health in California. I lost 54 pounds and eight inches in the last 12 weeks. During that time I did a fair amount of travel, including a cruise! I was amazed how easy it was to go about living my life, eating so much, and exercising so little, and getting such great results. Most people didn’t even realize I was on a weight management plan.
My wife Jaz and I are already back in our routine, winning the day following the NWNY plan and I’ll lose another 100 pounds by December!
I am really blown away at how easy it has been to take control of my life. My eating has been out of control for so long I truly doubted that it was possible. I am excited to share this opportunity with others so they can experience not only an improved quality of living, but a renewed hope in life itself!
Awesome job Rich! We’ll be sharing more of Rich’s story, along with our other nine participants, right here on the blog in the next few weeks.
Any conversation about weight loss invariably touches on topics like calories, food and beverage choices, fitness, exercise (types and intensity levels of), will power, even amounts of sleep. What often gets overlooked are the supplements and weight-management products that can help you achieve your weight-related goals.
I take CLA 500 and SLIMMETRY. What about you? Which NUTRILITE products do you use? Take the survey. If you don’t see your NUTRILITE supplement or product on the survey, write it in at the bottom. In a couple of weeks, I’ll publish the survey findings. And stay tuned for a future survey on sports nutrition and fitness.
I’m a strong advocate of positioning yourself for success. When it comes to weight-loss, investing time into preparation and planning will not only help you in reaching your goals, but they also will be essential in keeping the weight off. Planning and preparation are skills that require daily commitment. However, a small investment in these daily habits will yield BIG results. If you are not prepared for obstacles in your journey, the odds will work against you. Cravings, for example, are largely preventable. If you struggle with occasional food cravings, here are 2 solid tips that will help you overcome them!
Eat 5 smaller meals a day
Instead of eating our typical three large meals, you will eat five-six small meals each day. Since you will be eating more frequently, you will need to scale down the portions. By eating more frequently you can recharge your metabolism by continually fueling your body with healthy and nutritious food. Although it may seem counter-productive, doing so will help prevent you from becoming overly hungry. When you prevent yourself from becoming overly hungry, you’ll suddenly experience less and less cravings.
I’ve created a chart that outlines a typical day of eating. Regardless of your schedule, you can make this plan work for you! Go ahead; adjust the timing to fit into your lifestyle. The idea is to be eating a snack or meal every 2 ½ – 3 hours. If you need more or less time between eating, switch it up a little!
Just be sure to consistently snack and ‘graze’ throughout the day within a reasonable time frame. Remember: The key to making this work is adding an abundance of fruits and vegetables into your diet. The fiber and water content they supply will keep you feeling fuller longer. Also, your overall diet should be structured on lean proteins, complex-carbohydrates, and balanced healthy fats. This will give your body the proper nutrition it needs to become a weight loss machine!
Pack and carry a cooler with you daily
Now that we have our plan in place, it is time to talk about plan execution: How can we prepare ourselves for success? Easy, pack a cooler. Yes, you must pack a cooler and tote it along with you daily. It is crucial that you always have pre-packed meals/snacks ready to eat. Packing a cooler will ensure you will stay on track with your weight-loss goals. Having nutritious foods available will prevent you from mindlessly grabbing empty calories when temptation strikes. Additionally, by carrying your meals and snacks with you, it will be easier to adhere to your eating schedule. When you are eating on schedule and fueling up on clean, whole, nutrient-dense foods, cravings will take a back seat.
Meet Tony Ventura, one of ten NEW WAY NEW YOU™ participants, who’s learning a lot on his weight-loss journey.
“This program has helped me to understand the importance of eating and exercising appropriately, as well as to nourish my body,” he said.
Tony is following the NUTRILITE® Weight Management Program Better Balancer™ Plan, which includes an easy-to-follow meal plan, recipes, meal replacement options, snacks, supplements, and daily 4-3-2-1 workouts (four minutes of cardio, three minutes of resistance training, two minutes of core/ab exercises, and one minute of stretching).
So far, Tony has made dramatic improvements to his health and hopes to lose 30 pounds by the end of 12 weeks. The NEW WAY NEW YOU group reunites this Sunday, so we’ll let you know if Tony reaches his goal! Even if he hasn’t lost the full 30 pounds he intended, the positive steps he’s already made toward improving his health will serve him well as he continues his journey.
Watch Tony’s “before” video captured at the end of January.
Front row, left to right: Lynn, Nadia, and Betsy.
Back row, left to right: Tony, Susan, Abby, Rita, Nina, Matthias, and Rich
Last night, ten people met for the first time and are about to embark on a life-changing journey together.
The 2011 NEW WAY NEW YOU™ program kicked off last night and continues through Thursday in California and for the next 12 weeks with participants taking their new knowledge home with them. The ultimate goal for participants is to learn new healthy lifestyle habits, while focusing on individual weight-loss goals. Nine AMWAY™ Independent Business Owners (IBOs) were chosen to take part in the program, as well as one AMWAY employee.
The IBOs sell NUTRILITE® products through their business and we’re providing them product to use over their 12-week journey in exchange for sharing their story with us, and with you!
We’ll dive deeper into the program in later posts and provide periodic updates on how everyone is doing in reaching for their healthy weight goals, but for now, here’s what some of this year’s participants and experts shared last night:
“I really want to take care of me and set a good example for my kids,” Abby said.
“It’s confusing to know what you should do,” Susan said. “Now I’ll know what’s right for me. As long as I see that it’s working for me, then I’ll be an advocate of the program.”
“This is something that I let get out of control and this is my opportunity to take back control,” Rich said.
Nutrilite Health Institute Lead Fitness Consultant Sean Foy said he knew that participants might have tried to lose weight in the past.
“Our hope and our prayer for you is that this is the last time,” he said.
“This program has saved lives and changed lives, for sure,” said Diane Paetz, Nutrilite Health Institute Fitness and Wellness Consultant, and exercise guru to the group.
Julianne Downes, Registered Dietician and author of the NUTRILITE Weight Management Program eating plans, said it’s important for participants to focus on balance in their lives and that even a weight loss of ten pounds would provide tremendous health benefits.
“I hope to see a lot less of you in 12 weeks,” Downes joked.
And finally, Nutrilite Health Institute Preventive Health Physician Dr. Kip Johnson shared with the group that food isn’t the enemy, but learning the best way to eat for your body could spark major changes.
“Food is fuel. Our body has to have it. Food is our friend, it just can’t be your best friend,” Johnson said.
There was a lot of learning, a lot of sharing, and that was just the first night! The group is at the Center for Optimal Health today to gauge their current state of health, tour the facility, and get even more learning time with the experts so they’ll go back home knowledgeable and equipped to lose weight the healthy way – stay tuned!
But, is it possible to lose weight by eating snack cakes, chips, sugary cereals, and cookies? Technically, yes.
Mark Haub, a Kansas State University professor of human nutrition recently proved it. For 10 weeks, he ate a sugary snack every three hours, in place of meals. He continued to eat vegetables in front of his kids at dinner to at least try to maintain a good example.
In two months, he dropped 27 pounds by consuming less than 1,800 calories per day and lowered his BMI from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is in the normal range.
Before you dash out to the nearest gas station to stock up, the important lessons to focus on here are pieces of advice that nutritionists have been dishing out for some time now: calories count and everything in moderation.
Your body burns off a certain amount of calories every day through normal activity. Take in more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight. Take in fewer calories than you burn and you’ll lose it.
As for moderation, eating a piece of chocolate or a handful of chips here and there won’t make you gain weight, provided you’re keeping your total calorie count in check through balanced eating and exercise.
So, even though you might be able to lose weight eating the way Haub did, there’s no way to know how that type of diet would impact health over the long term. I know I always feel better when my diet has a lot of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocado. Eating this way naturally keeps your total calorie count lower, plus by selecting colorful fruits and vegetables you get the added bonus of phytonutrients, which are packed with health benefits, something that can’t be said for sugary treats.
For a healthier alternative to simply and safely cut calories, check out the NUTRILITE® Weight Management Program eating plans: Better Balancer, Carb Reducer, and Fat Trimmer.
Well, it's been a week and I'm down a pound and a half, to 194.5.
Positives: Ran three times, avoided candy, ice cream, sweets.
Need to work on: shrinking my meal portions and avoiding excessive afternoon snacking at work. (An apple is fine. An apple, a granola bar, and an IFYL Almond Nut Bar — yesterday's afternoon snack — is too much.
Challenge for the next week: Need to maintain the momentum. Can't reward myself for my weight loss with food. Aim to run three times.
I've finally done it, and while I hoped it wouldn't come to this, it was inevitable: I'm back to wearing my big pants.
I've gained a few pounds recently. And while I considered myself a dedicated runner — I ran my first marathon last year — work, grad school, home activities, etc. have whittled away the free time I've had for fitness. I've run twice in the past six week. Unhealthy food choices and overeating has contributed to the 10 lbs. I've put on since the summer. My three belts are at their last holes. My pants fit like Spandex tights (avoid the mental image, because the picture is not a pretty one), and I've had to start wearing pants I once considered baggy. My weight of 196 lbs. on my 5' 10 ½" frame is not healthy.
So I'm doing something bold: Committing openly that I'm going to lose 20 lbs. I'm not going on a diet. I'm just going to eat better, and work out more, and stick with it.
I need to do this because genes and history have not been kind to me. Consider the evidence: My family has a history of obesity, morbid obesity, and heart disease. Both grandfathers died of heart attacks. My late father survived two heart attacks. My mother has had two. And last year, my brother died of one. He was 49.
In addition to other posts on fitness and health, I'll report weekly on my weight status. Hold me accountable. And if you're trying to lose weight, or want to start now, let's do this together. You're welcome to share your story and your progress.
My efforts begin as soon as I hit "submit." The faster I get out of my big pants, the better.
