To start with let me outline what I see as some of the pro's and con's of the program;
Pro's :
- It works, plain and simple. Want to lose weight fast, follow the program to the letter and you should drop body fat pretty quickly.
- It's simple. Not much thinking needed on this program. Follow the bouncing ball, take the supplements when it says and you only have to prepare a small meal (400 - 600 cal) once per day.
- There is lots of support from the closed group facebook page for those that need guidance on the program. Even though some of the advice that is given on these posts is either wrong or misguided they all seem to be there to help you along and keep you motivated.
- Cost, yes it's $600 for the 30 day program and then $300 per month to continue on, but if you account for the fact that it replaces many of your meals, you should either come out cost neutral, or for many people, a cost savings. Don't believe me?..... work out how much you spend on alcohol / fast food / processed food and eating out per month.
- Strict calorie restriction is supported with dietary supplements to make sure you are still getting the trace elements and macro nutrients you need to support your weight loss.
Con's
- Pills, pills and more pills..... I just can't handle taking the tablets or even cutting them open (time consuming) and putting them into shakes ect.
- I like to eat and chew my food, shakes are just not the same. Yes they are convenient way to replace a meal or even a way of getting the protein you need to support muscle growth. If you have the time, natural whole foods are always a much better source for those nutrients
- Lack of education about healthy eating post program. The Isagenix system is apparently a lifestyle change where you remain on the program for life. Nope, I don't think so....
- Network marketing bordering on pyramid selling. Like it or loathe it, you need to be a certain kind of person to sell this way. Personally I can't and it would do my head in to become an Isagenix consultant. But that's more to do with me than the system. I am sure it works well for many people who like that kind of thing and can make good money doing it.. If anyone wanted to do the program, let me know and I can put you in touch with the rep.
- Non peer reviewed "in house" research and assertions that claim that Isagenix helps you live longer, cleanse the body of toxins , rejuvenate cells, and potentially cure many clinical diseases. Some of this stuff just doesn't sit quite right with me.
- Fasting one to two days per week....yes it has a sound basis in scientific and dietary research. But barley eating for a whole day is a real struggle, let alone two! And yes, I know that as caveman we went days without eating which is part of our genetic coding. But as I have expressed to many people, even if you discard the deaths as a caveman from being eaten by predators and the advances in modern medicine over the past 1000 years, the life expectancy of a caveman was significantly less than we enjoy today. (sorry Paelo peeps, it's the one flaw I see in that caveman methodology too but I am really a fan of the clean eating thing)
- Sever calorie restriction that at times left me lethargic. There were days when it was difficult to get going, especially on "Cleanse Days". I tried to find that balance, but really it was a challenge that many will find way too difficult. Lets be clear, you still need to be disciplined on this program, this is not a magic pill.
On the last week of the program I just had to go off the tablets. I got really bad heartburn / re-flux which I just couldn't stand. I still lost the 3kgs in the last week staying on the shakes and watching the food intake. Include just one last cleanse day on the Wednesday and I was relieved to not have to do another one. Isagenix will tell you that the pills are a crucial part of the program for longevity but I personally reckon you can get that from just eating a balanced diet.
However, Isagenix isn't something I could provide a blanket recommendation for so won't be selling here at the center. For me it worked well even if it did require some significant sacrifice. Had I not committed to the rep that I would do the full 30 days, I may have piked out sooner. But in the end I am 12 kg's lighter in the month and overall 17 kg's lighter in 2 months. This means I can train harder and longer and also just that bit more committed now to shedding those last 15 kg's of body fat that I would like to see the end of.
What's next for me? Well I am going back to the higher protein, moderated carbohydrate diet that I know works well for me. You could say it's closest comparison would be the Paelo diet but perhaps just not to that strict extreme. Plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, nuts, steamed chicken and turkey breast, lean red meat and eating food as much as possible in it's natural state. So still staying as much as possible off the sugar, no bread, rice, pasta, alcohol, sweets ect. And in real terms this should be achievable for everyone. The aim is to get back the 1.3kg of muscle that I lost on Isagenix and still drop body fat. Yes it will be slower, no doubt, but probably more sustainable int he long run in my view. However I will say that the objective is now that much closer in sight and will acknowledge that I have Isagenix to thank for providing that impetus.
For now bring on Christmas day and then the boxing day left over food scrounge. It's going to be a real treat and a reward for all the effort, but I suspect my tolerance for high fat and sugar food will be relatively low compared to other years . Then it's two weeks of eating remote village grown organic fruit, vegetables, including local "delicacies as well as locally caught fish and lobster. Lets see what living in a remote Solomon Islands village and surfing 6 hours a day does for the waist line!
I'll do one more post just before xmas just to sum up what has happened post program to see what the effect of the return regular eating means for body composition before signing off for the year.
Until then...
Cheers and happy eating
Jason
