EAT WHAT YOU NEED.

I did 30 days of clean.

And I mean CLLLEEEAAANNN.  

Spick-n-span kinda clean.

Gallon+ water-per-day clean.
No-red-meat clean.
Drinkin-down-a-blender-full-o'-veggies kinda clean.
I committed to 30 days of clean using the principles of the Transitions Lifestyle System. 
My Results: Down 10lbs.  Down 4% Body fat.


And might I add, I'm thrilled that my AWESOME wife was along for the ride and was incredibly supportive.  I remember as a teenager, just starting out with powerlifting, realizing the body's ability to transform, sculpt, and change by choosing different movements and different foods.  The choice of foods is about viewing food as fuel for your body.  A fried of mine, Danny Aguirre (RAW United Powerlifter/Nutritional Educator) says, "It really comes down to '[people] eat what they want, not what they need.'"   It is possible to change your body.  There is no un-lucky star, there also isn't a magic pill. 

Be coachable. 
Be committed. 
You can do it! 
Make the commitment!
http://www.tlsslim.com/

Here is some feedback from some folks that did. 
     Mike LaRe - Fort Myers, FL
     2/6/12
      For years I tried to crack the code to controlling my consistent weight gain and loss of good health. It wasn't until the third week of the TLS system that I realized just how bad of shape I was in; both mentally and physically. Years spent thinking the food being placed into my body was good, pretty much every part of my routine was well below par and I had no idea.
    Through TLS and particularly the pivotal coaching and assistance from Ron and Rhiannon, this average guy was able to drop weight fairly easily and consistently and just as importantly, learn how to eat properly. Their tools have given me the ability to recognize, once and for all, what is good and what is not. I can say this because it worked and there were no magic pills, no starvation, nothing short term. Everything taught is now part of my life and these lessons will carry with me always.
     Thank you both and appreciate everything you have done.

     Pat Thomas - Poland, OH
     2/3/12 - via text
     Saw my doctor last Friday and had my bloodwork done on Tuesday.  My A1c went from 13.8 to 8.2, my cholesterol went from 485 to 120 , my triglycerides went t from 1294 to 220.  I am stopping Byetta injections this week to see if I can just use metforman and keep my blood sugar down where it is.  Then if that works over a few weeks I will cut my metforman in half.  So far I am thrilled and my doc is too.  I actually like working out.

How to take the Challenge out of the 30-day Challenge!

As the Kari Kardio 30 Day Challenge winds down, I'm sure we've all been on and off the scales, pondering how sweating could mysteriously cause weight gain, and wondering why we weren't programmed with an intuitive understanding of what our bodies require us to eat to lose body fat.

So what challenges have you faced?   My struggles included  family in town, road trip, plane trip (even though I never actually boarded a plane), rugby match (beer is usually mandatory), Super Bowl, sunset toasts, not to mention the stress that comes with day to day living.

So did you draw a hard line and take no prisoners?
Maybe you were a proper mediator and found an appropriate compromise?
Or you gave your self a "day off" to "splurge" with the promise of perfection in the following days.

Whatever you did, please take a minute, and realize that no matter how you did, or what you did or didn't do, you are IN THE GAME!  And that is the most important thing!

So recognize that it is a misnomer to call it a Challenge.  Think of it as more of a "wellness binge" or a "veggie bender", pat yourself on the back, and be so proud of your accomplishments and achievements as your own personal victories.

Win or lose.

Be happy.

That's all there is.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1910