FAQ's

What happens at the end of the 90 Days?
If many of you want to continue, we'll continue working together!  Don't worry...this is about taking one step at a time.

Why should I purchase the books you suggested?
Well, have you ever heard the expression "you don't know what you don't know"?  I had been on so many diets in the past that I thought I was a weight-loss expert!  The only trouble was, I couldn't seem to lose any weight.  So much for my expertise.  Even now, I am not an expert.  Dr. A has been my go-to expert on my own journey.  He has changed the way I think about my own health and given me the tools to make better choices, understand truly why I need to care for my health, and...I've actually lost a ton of weight with him by my side.  (And not just in the form of a book, I've had numerous opportunities to interact with him in person, too!)

Who is Dr. Andersen and why should I trust him?

Dr. Andersen is the tenth physician Board Certified in Critical Care.

He did his internship at Grandview Hospital where he was selected as the Outstanding Intern of the Year. He was to become a leading internal medicine specialist in cardiology or pulmonology, but decided instead to enter the emerging subspecialty of critical care.  He insisted that to truly take care of an extremely sick person, you needed to be well-versed in all organ systems and how they relate to each other when a patient is sick as well as healthy.

He trained in open heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic and then went on to train for two years at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami (considered to be the premier training program in the country in surgical intensive care), and went back to the institution where he began his post graduate training, to set up the open heart program and surgical intensive care unit.

It was here that Dr. Andersen developed a profound understanding of the pivotal role that nutrition plays in disease and health.

For eighteen years, Dr. Andersen directed the Surgical Critical Care Program at Grandview and was Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology. BUT…In 2000, he made a monumental decision to leave his hospital-based practice to devote his full energy to helping people to become and to stay healthy.

Leaving his prestigious medical career to stop TREATING disease and start PREVENTING it, he became the co-founder of Take Shape for Life and has built an integrated support system that helps people make the necessary changes in their lifestyles to create optimal health. 

Have you ever had success helping people lose weight with Option #1?

People lose weight ALL the time preparing and planning their own meals.  I even lost some weight that way.  It is not impossible.  But it will require a lot of hard work, which I find most people THINK they want to give, but really don't.  So, as long as you are prepared for that hard work, then of course you can lose weight!  I will give you all of the tools I have available to me to help you make that happen.  But, I would also suggest to you that your greatest goal should be to learn and implement good habits, first and foremost, over the next 90 days and not pressure yourself to lose a huge amount of weight.  Make your greatest goal to take one step at a time and to work slow and steady toward each of your goals.  Life change is most important!

How can using Option #2 actually TEACH me long-term health?

Like many of you, when I first heard about the meal-replacement option, I said it is the LAST thing I would ever do.  I didn't understand how it could help me.  There are many reasons now why I am so glad I decided to use them:

1. They are all perfectly balanced to fuel the body properly and supply me with all of my daily vitamins and minerals.
2. They were convenient and easy to use, which made my weight loss doable and sustainable. (I call it my healthy fast food!)
3. They got me far away from addictive substances like sugar, white flour, fast food, and chemicals that are added into many processed foods.
4. While using them I could focus on only preparing one meal a day for my whole family.  That seemed manageable.  I began to learn how to cook healthy and eat healthy without being overwhelmed.  
5. It will always be about YOUR choices.  No one can promise you that you will lose your weight and keep it off, however...you have a much greater chance of maintaining your loss if you've set yourself up for success from the start; worked with a health coach to support you to your goals and keep you there; learned the habits of health and made huge strides in the way you think about health.  The meal replacements are simply a tool--not a magic wand!

Why do the meal replacements aid in effective weight loss?

No, there are no secret drugs infused into the meals.  They are just solid, good nutrition.  

Here's the best benefit to them.  Eating every two-three hours and fueling your body with the exact nutritional formula of each of the meals will put your body into a natural fat burning state.  Fat, as it turns out, is a very excellent source of energy.  It also aids in satiating hunger.  So, while I am using the 5/1 plan to work toward weight loss, I am burning my own fat for fuel and I'm not hungry.  BAM!  Those are awesome benefits!

I don't think I can afford to use the meal replacements.

That's what I thought too!  Of course, everyone spends money differently, but we were spending a TON of money on food.  And I don't just mean at the grocery store.  We were eating out A LOT--sometimes grabbing coffee from a coffee shop, lunch out at a restaurant, vending machines or convenience store snacks, and then dinner out too!  Sometimes we'd even throw in an ice cream run in the evening.  Maybe you weren't that extreme, but the honest truth is...most of us don't have a clue how much money we spend on food.  By using the meal replacements, we were saving money.  We ordered our food for the month, it came to our door and we had little need for much else.  It costs around $11.50/day to use this tool, but that is all of your food, except for one meal a day.  I don't know about you, but I spent more than that to go see a movie last week...or to order one meal at a restaurant.  At ANY time throughout the 90 days, you are welcome to talk with me about whether this would be a good fit for you!  Don't forget that starting on the 5/1 plan also comes with the benefits of me (or someone on my team) becoming your personal health coach.  If you like the support you're getting on the blog, you will probably LOVE having more personal, one-on-one support.

How do I feed my family and teach them healthy habits if I'm using replacements?

I know!  This was one of my first questions, too!  Here's what I've learned--my children and husband wanted me to lose weight and be healthy first.  Initially, I was making them all the "old" foods we had always had and I was eating my healthy stuff.  But it only took a few weeks to realize, they were longing to try my lean and green dinners.  Suddenly, my children were eating foods I never thought they would try--AND LIKING THEM!  My husband starting seeing my transformation, and although no one would have thought he had an ounce of weight to lose, he decided to begin the 5/1 plan too!  He saw how it was changing my heart and my mind toward food, and he didn't want to get left behind. He went on to lose 35 pounds and also get his certification in health coaching.  I now pack my children healthy lunches and I am aware of the nutritional value of food.  I think I had the only first-grader last year who knew what a protein is and why it was the best choice for his mid-morning snack at school.  Imagine my surprise when my kids wanted celery instead of french fries at a restaurant.  So, how do you help your family the most?  By leading by example!