My Isagenix Essay

This post is part of the challenge that I engaged in as part of starting a dietary program through a company called Isagenix. My wife began this about three and a half months ago, in a quest to lose some weight.

I initially joined her in order to be supportive. Also, I was curious, as, having been a long time fitness enthusiast, I was intrigued by the program.

My wife has successfully lost over 45 pounds so far, and is more motivated than I've seen her in a long time. She has also begun strength training again, and is often the one initiating the suggestion to do a workout, which is exciting to see.

When I began my program, my goal was not weight loss. In fact, I joined mid-stream to working towards the goal of increasing my body weight over a 30 month period from 170 to 180 lbs, with that increase being in the form of muscle.

I have been monitoring my progress utilizing bod pod measurements, and so far the gain has been in the form of muscle. This is based on gaining 1 pound per quarter for 10 quarters. The bod pod measurements are to ensure that the gain, is in fact, muscle. Should future bod pod measurements indicate that I am gaining fat rather than muscle, then I will change my goal accordingly, as the over arching goal is to gain muscle while maintaining either the same or even more favourable body composition.

When I first began this challenge, I had allowed myself to slip off my chosen path and was at 178.2 when the target at that point would have been 173. As of this quarter, my goal is to be at 174, and, as of this morning my weight is at 174.2.

Previously, I would have been very skeptical of meal replacement programs such as this, and my preaching would have consisted of eating "real food". I would also have been pointing out that these types of programs fail to have someone learn about nutrition and develop habits that can be kept for a lifetime, and thus, dooming them to gain all the weight back and then some, as soon as they fell off the program.

My thoughts have changed somewhat (see a previous blog post entitled "In Defense of Fad Diets") in that, the idea of worrying about gaining weight back before you've even lost it in the first place, now seems to me to be a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.

Also, the regaining of weight, I now feel is as a direct result of going back to old habits, and not, as a result of the diet itself. Also, I've come to think that the criticism of any program on this basis, is somewhat unfair, as statistics show that 95% of all people who lose weight, regardless of method, eventually gain it all back and then some. So, virtually any program could be criticized for this.

What I would now tell people, is that when you begin any journey that involves formidable challenges, you should not underestimate your challenge, and you should go in, knowing that the odds are not in your favour, and that the commitment that it will take to reach your goal, one day at a time, will be both one of the hardest things you will ever do, and for the same reason, the most rewarding. However, anyone looking for any kind of quick fix, is doomed to failure before they start.

I would also like to touch on my earlier point, about such programs not allowing someone to become sufficiently knowledgeable about nutrition. In my case, I already had a much better understanding of this, than most people before going in.

For this reason, I've already had considerable success, but despite this knowledge, my success was often a case of falling off the wagon, and then getting back on, albeit, not allowing myself to stay off too long. Nevertheless inconsistency was my constant nemesis.

What this program has allowed me to do is create far greater consistency in my results, and really level out the up and down pattern that had been my previous experience.

And what my previous knowledge has allowed me to assess is that the program espoused by Isagenix, is in fact based on much of the same science that I had been previously pursuing, but with the added benefit of making much of it "automatic". The simpler a program, I believe, the greater the odds of compliance.

I particularly like the "cleansing" portion, which I think of as their version of intermittent fasting, which I believe is one of the key pieces of the program.

I cannot make any kind of an evaluation of all of the various ingredients, herbal and otherwise, contained in all the Isagenix products, as I am not qualified to do so, but I have no reason to believe that anything is harmful, and that it is, in fact a program that overall, is a quantum leap of improvement over the way most people eat. (wish list: wish there were bars that did not contain any sugar alcohols as sweeteners, as those do not agree with me)

I've combined this with proper high intensity strength training, which I'd already been doing for 35 years. I am particularly enthused by the pre workout supplements, that I know have allowed me to do better in exercises, and I am anxious to see, with my next bod pod reading, whether all this will translate into added muscle. Of course, Isagenix is only one variable that could affect my body composition. Other factors, such as what I eat over and above Isagenix, as well as my sleep patterns and workout designs (frequency, volume, intensity variables) can play significant roles in this as well.

I plan to continue my Isagenix journey, and am grateful for both my progress and for my wife's success.

This challenge itself, involving the before and after photos and this essay, is in itself part of the success formula. This is one part of a very impressive support group, that naturally comes with the program, as you can track the success of others on an ongoing basis, and support groups have been proven to be pivotal in any life long change. I am looking forward to the next challenge.