Believe it or not, I put myself through this experiment! Twice!

1^st time was not really intentional, but it was good feedback and learning experience that I can share with you today.

Was this a smart move on my side?  

“I am going on vacation so I will eat whatever I want!”

This is one statement that it is not getting old! And this is what I did too the 1^st time.

Weight management has been on people’s mind since forever.

Weight is heavy to carry around and it limits you on many levels, not to mention the feeling of discomfort in many situations.

The obesity crisis started around 1976 and since then many actors and famous people promoted all sort of ideas to achieve the perfect body.

Marketing was always great! How about long-term effects?

From aerobic exercise, pills, diets, surgeries, workout equipment and prescriptions, I had seen it all.

Which one is the best?

The 2^nd round of weight gain, was a decision to experiment on myself as part of the 12-week anti-aging program I am doing every year for myself only – I am my own client.

So, how fast I can gain weight and how fast I can drop it off?

It is known that there are two major shifts in the human body at the molecular level that will impact the health and weight.

One is taking place in the mid 40’s and the other between 60-65.

I did this experiment before 40’s and once in my mid 40’s

Before 40 –

I dedicated one month to:

• deplete my body of nutrients
• Disrupts my sleep cycle
• Not having a workout schedule
• Stress out just because I wanted to

Total weight gain = 8lbs in one month

Took corrective actions by going back to my routine and went back to my normal – weight corrected within 3 weeks

After 40

One month of

• Eating fairly ok – went to 50% ok and 50% not ok – but ate out more, had desserts more often, enjoyed a glass of wine 2-3 times/week
• Reduced sleep from 7-8h/night to 4-5h/night
• Put myself into a polluted environment for 2 weeks
• I continued my workouts – 5x/week (this is different than last time when I interrupted)
• I spent 4-5 h/day in complete darkness, no windows
• Extreme stress – made a point of stressing for every reason – the mind is quite powerful when it comes to this.

Total weight gain 8lbs in 3 weeks

Took corrective actions like last time, but not one lbs. came down

One month later, with no weight budging and frustration building up because I was doing all of the things that worked before, I paused and changed the direction.

1^st thing was to analyze the test that reveals my predispositions

2^nd was to test and review the microbiome ecology

3^rd – got blood test done

4^th – ran one more test to identify what foods my body might disagree with

Based on the results of these 4 tests, I created a protocol that helped me drop the 5 lbs in one month.

Here is how delicate the biochemistry of the body is after mid 40’s.

Half way through that month, I decided to eat 4 pieces of Belgian chocolate after an extreme 3 hours workout. It was only 3 pieces after I burned quite a few calories.

What happened surprised me!

 1lbs was back on moody and stubborn. It took another month to drop that 1 lbs I got with the magic of 3 candies.

As you probably noticed, my workouts did not change at all during this time.

What changed was the diet which due to stress, lack of sleep, pollution and time away from sun has changed the biochemistry of my body to the degree that it was irreversible without o personalized approach.

It took me 2 months to drop 5 lbs by following a very personalized dietary intervention.

2 months with no sugar beside the 4 little Belgian chocolates, no coffee because based on one of the tests, my body prefers to enjoy it occasionally only, no alcohol, no deserts, good sleep, lots of relaxation techniques and time out in the sun.

2 months of following a dietary protocol that nourished my body and

• changed the biochemistry of my body,
• adjusted my hormones and
• replenish all the nutrients lost

2 months of taking professional grade supplements for my health – tailored to my needs.

Damage created in 3 weeks, was reversed in 2 months.

This is something to remember!

1. In order to achieve health or desired weight, you must avoid and step away from what got you here in the 1^st place. Figuring out what that is, could be the hardest part.
2. Damage and inflammation “built” in years, will take months to repair because you will have to find out and figure out how was the biochemistry of your body affected before taking corrective steps.
3. As you age, the biochemistry of the body is changing anyway. Being proactive will help you age gracefully and keep you away of self-testing and frustration of not understating why you are gaining weight, why aches and pains are more common and
4. If your weight increased over years without you making much change in your diet and lifestyle, you might need a deeper investigation into how to correct the biochemistry of your body.
5. The answer is not in another diet, unless you want short term results.

Working with a holistic professional who understands the biochemistry of the body, can help you with speeding up the process and get you to where you want to be a lot faster.

Food is power! Use it wisely!