The New Diet Approach that Works – Shakeology?

I’ve been wondering, and maybe you have too, what is it about the new diet fads that come out every other month (or more), that drives American’s and others to buy these products?  Is it hope?  Self-Esteem?  Or truly undertaking a life-style change? i.e. better health, and a longer life.  Well, it’s a potpourri of all the above.  We all hope that we can lose our excess baggage, whether it’s one bag, or a whole cart of them.  Most of us deal with self-esteem issues, remembering back to those awkward, or embarrassing moments in high school, college, or work.  Some of these skeletons may even still come out of the closet to haunt us from time-to-time.  A large proportion of us in America, are also looking to get healthy, get fit, try to get in shape, and hopefully stay in shape.  Unfortunately, it requires a life-style change.  This is difficult for us in general as studies have shown that people are naturally resistant to change.  It is common sense for us to cut back on bad food, quick snacking on the sugary stuff, and take a consistent walk, for instance.  How can these diet products help us?

There are countless diet drinks which are sold to millions of American’s every day.  Many come with a guide for eating or exercise, some even with a website to go to for dieting ideas and advice.  But the facts indicate that obesity is still proliferating in America:

Study of 17,921 respondents of the total US Population of 270,371,000 63% are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25% 31% are obese with a BMI in excess of 30%

It remains that a catalyst for change that can make a difference in our quest to get healthy is required.  Team Beachbody fits that bill.  First, they set you up with the one of the most effective tools they have available, the Team Beachbody Independent Coach.  Once you sign up to be a Beachbody member, they you will be assigned a coach who will partner with you to help ensure that you meet your goals.  The coach will help you leverage their online store, Fitness, Diet, and Community tools to help you in the right direction.  This is the primary missing factor and failure point for most diet approaches out there today.  There is no coach available unless you contract out to a fitness club or personal trainer.  Make sense?

The Beachbody online community consists of thousands who are just like us.  They either have, or are going through the pain of life change, and are very supportive of each other.  No false pretenses, you can see that from the before and after pictures.   Beachbody gives you all the tools you need to achieve, and exceed your goals if you so desire.  An effective tool is Cash motivation with their Million Dollar Body game.  Each day someone logs a workout (i.e. walk, bike, swim, P90X, or otherwise) in their WOWY online workout tool, they can win up to $1,000 at the end of the day (if it isn’t the $1,000 day, then $300, or an iPod, DVD Recorder, etc.).  The monthly contest is where Team Beachbody club members can win up to $10,000 and $25,000 in quarterly and annual prizes.
 
What really makes some sense is their new product Shakeology.  On the http://www.beachbodycoach.com/revolution/ website, is a banner ad that you can click on, then look, and listen:

 “I lost 31 lbs with Shakeology, and 21 inches off my entire body.  It actually was a very easy way to lose weight.  The weight just seemed to drop off at a much faster than other times I’ve lost weight,  and I was able to get past a plateau that I wasn’t able to get past in years”  “I started out at 159 lbs, and I’m now 136 ½ lbs.  The Shakeology is the catalyst.  I mean that’s the one thing – I don’t know if it just fired up my metabolism, if it just got my whole body going – whatever it did, it worked.  I’m not the scientist here, I’m just the grateful recipient.”  “I’ve lost 18 lbs, and 5 inches off my waist with Shakeology – and immediately like in my first month I dropped 12 lbs.  Just boom, dropped off – and immediately, my body just felt incredible, was so tight”  “I lost 3 ½ inches off of my waist and 13 lbs…Whatever is in those shakes, ha, ha, ha, I was unbelievable, I was never hungry with those shakes, the Greenberry shakes, never hungry, it’s magic, I’m so excited right now because I’ve never seen changes like this before in my life.”

So it looks to me that the Diet approach that works is Shakeology.  But how does it taste?  Most of the time, you have to trade-off taste, for results.  We’ll only really know if we try it for ourselves.  So Sheila, a friend of mine who is a Team Beachbody coach, brought some into work one day.  I’m an ex-chocoholic, so of course, wanted to try the chocolate Shakeology.  She put in the Shakeology mix, soy milk, and a bit of ice, blended it up in her mini-blender, and poured it into a cup.  “Straws,” she said, “I always drink it with straws – better that way”.  I always drink shakes with straws too.  So I took my first sip and oh my word, I was in chocolate heaven.  Now I’ve had some of the finest chocolates from around the world, and this definitely met the bar (as a shake anyway).  I’ve also had my more than my share of health and protein drinks over the years that would make you just gag – Shakeology blows these away.

Sounds too good to be true?  How does it work?  What’s in it?  Let’s see what Beachbody says:

“This daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today’s highly processed foods.  At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing it to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.”

“Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn’t be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we’ve included in Shakeology. Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you’ll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being.
More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:

Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for optimal health”

Sheila convinced me so much so that I joined her ranks as a Team Beachbody Coach.  Since Shakeology is very new on the market, released in March 09, I’m sure it will be one of those products that become a household name.  At the writing of this article, I just ordered my first Shakeology – Chocolate, of course.  Time for you to make the change?  I challenge you to be the catalyst in your own life for the better.  Improve the quality of your life. Take my challenge, and try Shakeology.  Prove it out for yourself that it really is the new diet approach that does work.