Weight Loss & Wellness Blog

It's Saturday. You've got to get the kids to soccer practice, pick up the dry cleaning, buy stamps at the post office, go to the grocery store, drop off books at the library and head to the auto shop for an oil change. What can you do to fuel your body on those errand-filled days? 

Susan Carter had tried the South Beach Diet but with no results. She had lost weight with NutriSystem two different times. On the most recent attempt, she had lost 25 pounds in 3 months. After a blood test revealed that her triglyceride levels were the worst they had ever been, however, Susan's doctor advised her to stop.

A friend of Susan's was having success on the Ideal Protein Diet and told her about it. Now after just a few months on the diet from 7Company herself, Susan is experiencing the right kind of impact. Not only has she lost 61 pounds, she's also gone from size 24 pants to size 14 pants. Despite not working out, she claims that her muscles are more toned now than when she had exercised in the past and that her legs look slender now.

After one month of being on the diet, Susan is also no longer waking up with headaches; and she's stopped using a sleep apnea machine. She says that she's not as tired and that she gets up and down stairs more easily. Additionally, Susan finds that she handles stress better and is not as cranky or irritable. Her triglycerides dropped over 200 points in one month's time, her cholesterol level has decreased significantly, and her blood pressure has returned to a normal level.

Susan loves the reactions she's gotten from others, including her 7-year-old son who praises her and tells her how beautiful she is. Susan's 10-year-old daughter comments on how she can put her arms around her now. This is a long ways from the recent experience of looking at a photo of herself from the day before the diet and her son's blunt assessment of, "You were fat." Susan works as a substitute teacher at Aldie Elementary and gets compliments there every time she works. In fact, Susan lost close to 20 pounds in one month to become 7Company's Biggest Loser for July. After this distinction appeared on Facebook, a number of people messaged Susan to find out about her story and to ask about the cost of the diet.

After a lifetime of struggling with her weight, Susan has discovered the solution from 7Company. Her favorite Ideal Protein foods include the peanut butter crunch bars, southwest cheese curls, dark chocolate pudding, and chocolate drinks. Susan also likes cooking the omelets and makes them plain or with red peppers.

Susan has more milestones to go though. She'd ultimately like to lose 73 more pounds and realizes that this may take her as much as one more year on the diet. Susan highly recommends the diet. A woman at work and her daughter are beginning the diet, and Susan is meeting a mom from her son's soccer team at 7Company to get her started on the diet. Susan is surprised that it's not more well-known.

Susan, we're getting there, and with more stories like yours, the word is spreading.

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

Karen Wayne is on the move. A Rotarian breakfast here and a Women’s Club lunch there are all in a day’s work. Chamber events followed by a Red Cross evening gala are no problem for Karen.

Karen has a long-term association with the American Red Cross that goes back to when she was eight and collected pennies for the organization. This commitment continued to run like a thread through her life from the time she served as a volunteer during the Vietnam War all the way to her current position as the Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Loudoun and Prince William Counties.

Karen has a stressful job and describes herself as a stress eater. Furthermore, she can’t afford to be sluggish and needs to have a lot of energy in her role.

Karen also found herself in need of a diet that would work for her as hard as she works. She started on the Ideal Protein Diet in April after seeing several friends experience success on the program. The pivotal moment came for Karen when a friend took her by the hand and personally introduced her to Jennifer Seven of 7Company Weight Loss & Wellness Center at a Sterling Women’s Club meeting. She began the program right away.

Karen has lost 44 pounds already despite her active social life. She’s learned techniques to deal with the frequent meetings and events that revolve around food. Karen has learned to ask for plain chicken and bring her own salad dressing. She’ll bring an Ideal Protein bar and grab coffee at a breakfast meeting instead of relying on an uncertain menu.

Karen likes what she’s seen from 7Company, including the focus on a healthy lifestyle, getting recipes that she can use, and adding “real food” back into her diet. She’s also enjoyed Ideal Protein peanut butter bars and puddings that help to satisfy her sweet tooth and bottles of Sweet Leaf Stevia peppermint or vanilla that she’ll use to flavor a glass of water. Karen hopes that others who have battled weight gain will give the diet a try.

Karen has loved the different reactions she’s gotten from family and friends and feels like she’s a walking commercial. One cousin responded after seeing her: “I wanna go on that diet!” After posting photos recently on Facebook, Karen received comments that she looks good and that she looks young. At a Chamber event she waved at someone who indicated be their “Who is that woman?” reaction that due to her weight loss that they didn’t recognize her; Karen had to speak to them before they realized who she was.

In fact, Karen has had such success navigating the culinary hazards of the non-profit circuit that she’s upped her goal from what she originally set. If Karen tackles this with the same vigor and focus she does her life and work responsibilities, we have no doubt she’ll continue to succeed! Go, Karen!

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

As a member of a college diving team, Mike Hruby exercised six days a week. When his career ended so did the workout schedule. At the age of 22 Mike found himself with more time for relaxing, eating pizza, and drinking beer. Without the intense exercise routine of a college athlete to provide balance, his weight began to balloon. In fact, over the next two decades Mike doubled in size.

Mike's first quest to change his health started in 2010 with personal training.  His knees were weak from carrying the extra weight. While Mike gained in strength, he had basically traded fat for muscle and hadn't lost weight. A couple of friends suggested that exercise was not the issue but diet. They had seen others have success with the Ideal Protein diet from 7Company and recommended it to Mike.

Mike had said for years, “When God makes a diet where the food tastes good and I don’t have to exercise, that will be the diet for me.”

Well, Mike started the plan on February 1st. He calls this is his first serious effort to lose weight by changing his diet. Any previous attempts were ones Mike classified as being selfishly motivated. He selfishly wanted to lose weight, but he also found that he wanted to cheat because, after all, that was a way to get what he wanted too. This time was different though. Mike discovered a greater motivation: he wanted to honor God by bringing his body into discipline and order.

What he’s gotten in return are incredible results. In his first month on the Ideal Protein diet, Mike set and currently holds a 7Company record for a male by losing 38 pounds in one month. In total Mike has shed 90-95 pounds and says that he’s halfway to his goal. He’s committed to staying on the plan until he achieves the goal of being “half the man” he was.

Mike says that his eating habits have changed and that he’s eating better quality food, including fresh vegetables that he cooks himself. He also enjoys the Ideal Protein foods like the dark chocolate pudding, omelets, and peanut butter soy puffs. Mike likes to use the pudding and the omelet mixes as bases to make other dishes. He has modified a few recipes to make them IP-compliant and has come up with his own for gyro meatballs and his creative version of eggs benedict.

Mike now gets compliments on his weight loss and likes the reactions of “Wow! You’ve lost a lot of weight!” He is happy to share with others that he’s found success using Ideal Protein. Mike also receives encouragement to continue toward his goal. Knowing how far he’s come, it’s only a matter of time. We’ll be cheering you on, Mike!

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?