Weight Loss & Wellness Blog

Kathi Bird teaches classes on cake decorating so she knows a thing or two about sweets.  It’s just that now she doesn’t even taste her creations or those of her students.

Weight has been an issue for Kathi most of her life. In fact Kathi claims that she was blessed by her great, great grandma, a Cherokee Indian, with apple-shaped hips.

Prior to gastric bypass surgery in 2003 though, Kathi had ballooned to a weight of 254 lbs. She was able to get down to a weight that was healthy and worked for her. Then a number of family members passed away; the stress caused her to gain 50 lbs in a short period of time.

Kathi’s first exposure to 7Company and Ideal Protein were when she saw friends turn thin on the diet. She was motivated by a desire to be stronger, more active, and to rejuvenate her body, declaring that she wasn’t going to be “a fat grandma”.

Due to the gastric bypass surgery, 7Company has had to work with Kathi to adjust her diet, including allowing her to eat more restricted items. Still, Kathi has faced this with determination, saying that the food tastes great and she loves it, also adding that she’s “too old to do this again”.  Since February Kathi has lost 40 lbs.

Kathi likes that she doesn’t have to exercise on the Ideal Protein diet and has found the diet to be portable since one can get good, fresh produce anywhere, including on vacation. She especially likes the chocolate-flavored soy snacks and crispy cereal. One of her favorite treats is turning the chocolate pudding mix into a chocolate milkshake.

Kathi says that nothing has gone in her mouth that wasn’t on the approved list, and she’s found it motivating to see the weight come off. Kathi is a gardener who can now spend hours longer in her garden without feeling fatigued. Previously, she found it tiring to take a 40 pound bag of pellets up a flight of stairs to her pellet stove. After just one month on the Ideal Protein diet, Kathi would put the bag under one arm and run up those same stairs.

She’s become so passionate about the Ideal Protein diet and the difference it’s made for her that Kathi will be representing 7Company at Chamber and other community and women’s organizations’ meetings and events. She wants to show people her “before” photo and the way she looks now and get more people on a path to healthy living.

A few have already witnessed first-hand Kathi’s amazing transformation over the past few months and have started on the Ideal Protein diet from 7Company. Yes, it appears that three of her cake decorating students may no longer be eating cakes they’ve baked either.

What's your story?  Could yours be the next Ideal Protein success?

Gwen Pangle could no longer stand to look at herself in the mirror... Gwen says that every decade would bring another 10 pounds of weight gain.  She would start eating well and lose a few pounds.  As she approached the age of 55 this year, Gwen decided that all had to change.  Her journey began last fall when she saw Susan Lee at a Middleburg Women's meeting. 

Gwen began the Ideal Protein diet from 7Company on October 22, 2010.  She describes herself as being focused and didn't cheat: she stuck with the plan through Thanksgiving, her birthday, Christmas, and New Years, saying that it helps when you're getting results.  Gwen also credits the cooking classes and support sessions at 7Company for helping her through this time.

A former "carboholic" ("Hi, my name is Gwen, and I'm a carboholic."), Gwen now no longer looks to pastas, breads, and potatoes for comfort and support.  That's right; she's found the joy of vegetables.  One of the things Gwen likes best about the Ideal Protein plan is that it's "do-able" over the long haul, saying that since you have to eat to live, you have to find the balance. 

Additionally, Gwen has discovered that making appropriate substitutions is an important step toward reaching weight loss goals.  Gwen states, "Your head will always tell you something negative."  Gwen has found a psychological edge like drinking water with lime in a wine glass or filling a martini glass with water.  She's eaten Ideal Protein's BBQ Ridges and Salt & Vinegar Ridges as a healthy alternative for a crunchy, "salty" snack while watching a movie at home.  Gwen also claims that Ideal Protein's Chocolate Puffs have saved her life more than once (although there is no documented evidence of these life saving moments).  She is now inclined to serve a plate of veggies and a low calorie, low sugar Russian or Blue Cheese dressing when entertaining friends.

I asked Gwen about the moment when she realized she had achieved more with the weight loss than a lower number on a scale.  She said that it hit her one night when her husband wanted to take her to Alexandria for dinner.  He had bought Gwen a black, gold, and silver sequined mini-dress, size small for their night out on the town.  Her first thought was, "I can't fit into a small."  But she tried it on, and it fit!

Gwen says that now it feels good to not take up so much space.  In fact she's done a lot of cleaning out of her closet.  Looking at clothes that are now too big for her laying across her bed, Gwen felt as though someone had died.  With a newfound energy and perspective, she believes that the old Gwen has died.

Through the diet Gwen has lost 45 lbs, and she's now down to the weight she was at in her late 20s and early 30s.  Twenty of her girlfriends have seen the difference in Gwen and are now using Ideal Protein from 7Company.

Oh, and how does she feel about the mirror now?  Let's just say this, Gwen hardly recognizes the person she sees looking back at her.

What's your story?  Could yours be the next Ideal Protein success?