How do I love thee, let me count the ways......

So, I make no secret of the fact that I'm a BeachBody coach and that I LOVE Shakeology.  But there's so much more to say about it than it tastes good and is good for you.

I've tried a lot of meal replacement shakes in my time. 
Most of them were empty calories with synthetic vitamins added back to try to salvage the nutritional value (like Slim-Fast, in it's various forms, or Carnation instant breakfast).  A few were better -- I used to like others -- 10 years ago I was briefly an HerbaLife distributor -- but now all of their products are full of isolated soy protein, which I believe is of no value and for many people could actually be harmful.  At the time I discovered Shakeology, I was actually drinking a Venti no-water Chai latte from Starbucks every morning for breakfast.  Not actually a meal replacement shake, but hey, I'm sure I get just as much out of that sugary glass of milk as I ever got from Slim-Fast.  

A little background about my life and my journey to this point.  I've always had metabolic problems.  I have two autoimmune diseases and have seen complications from insulin resistance.  I spent 2000-2005 getting my PhD in biological chemistry -- and was always sick and didn't know why.  Neither did the doctors.  But this led me to do lots of research on nutrition and disease states when I wasn't working in the lab.

When I got a real job in 2005, I could actually afford to buy some of the supplements I've always wanted to try and moved to a community that encouraged eating various vegetables from local farms (Madison, WI).  I started doing a BeachBody workout video -- this was before they had coaches.  My health greatly improved.  It was over this time that I realized the importance of nutrition.  

In 2009, I went through much turmoil in order to change my life, including divorce, moving, new job, deteriorating health, and 5 days in the hospital when I was supposed to be teaching.  I knew that the Starbucks for breakfast wasn't good for me, but I lacked the motivation to do something else.  I was a biochemist and I knew better, but I didn't do it anyway.

In late November of 2010 I made a decision that I HAD to do something or I would never survive the five years as an assistant professor trying to reach my first tenure.  I started searching the internet for meal replacements -- something to take the place of my chai (which was $4.50 at the time and is almost $5 now, I believe).  I was quite disappointed in what I found.  I went to HerbaLife, thinking I'd become a distributor again and get the product for 50% off.  10 years ago I'd loved their formula 1 shakes -- but now they were full of soy.  :(  Soy makes me immediately have to nap, so not so good for breakfast.  Who needs all of those extra estrogens anyway?

I then stumbled upon Shakeology.  I was impressed by the ingredients.  It was chocolate.  And there were so many testimonies from people.  I had pretty much already decided to get it.... then stumbled across two testimonials from people with ulcerative colitis and several more from people with IBD.  None of them were having problems anymore.  Just a year earlier it was UC that put me in the hospital for 5 days.  And led me through two rounds of prednisone and various medications to manage my condition.  

I decided I was going to do it.  I was going to DO something for myself.  I knew there was no way I was ever going to be better if I didn't take things into my own hands.  No drug would ever make me better because drugs DON'T make you better -- they just mask what's wrong.  And I was so tired of being 32 years old and taking 10 prescription drugs everyday. And if I was going to do it, I was going to do it up right.  Coaches get 25% and I planned to buy a bag every month so I was going to become a coach.

I decided all of this without ever talking to a BeachBody coach.  I don't even know that I knew any.  It was just by chance I mentioned this to my friend Brandy and she said "My friend Jeff is a coach".  And since I could specify who I wanted to be my coach, I put him as my coach.  We'd never met.  But we soon would and have pretty much been together since -- although that is a totally different blog.

Can I rave for a second about what's IN the shakeology?  It has enough vitamins and minerals that I tossed my multivitamin.  It contains powdered pomegranite, acai berry, blueberry and bioflavinoids -- some of the most potent natural antioxidants on earth.  It contains ginko powder and maca root to naturally boost your energy (and rev up your libido ;-) ).  I'd purchased maca root before, but it was a waste because I didn't really know how to use it.

It contains flax seed and chia seed, both excellent sources of essential fatty acids we desperately need in our diet and fiber that helps to control your appetite.  It contains spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae, which are used to detoxify heavy metals like lead and mercury.  It contains anthocyanins from grape seed that are potent anti-cancer molecules. 

It contains a TON of probiotics.  I can't say enough about this.  These are the "good bacteria" people are always talking about in yogurt.  I had spent good money on probiotic supplements.  I never remembered to TAKE them, as they were in the fridge and all of the rest of my drugs and vitamins were on the counter.  But I've read SO much research about the effect of correct gut bacteria.  Studies about making fat mice thin and thin mice fat just by exchanging their gut bacteria.  Studies on the importance of gut bacteria for making vitamins you need (like vitamin K2).  Studies about the positive effect of probiotics on gastrointestinal problems (the reason you get sick on antibiotics is that they kill your good bacteria).  I was truly STOKED about the probiotics.  That's another supplement that I would actually take and not have to buy separately.  

It contains amylase, lipase, protease, lactase, and a few other digestive enzymes.  These enzymes help you digest your food.  And they work.  If you don't believe me, try papaya capsules the next time you eat something that's not sitting well in your belly.  They work like magic.  :)

Not every day is a good health day now, but many many more ARE than were before.  Since starting the Shakeology, I have stopped taking Bentyl (for irritable bowel syndrome), Zyrtec (which I'd been on for about 8 years), I stopped taking Buspar (which I'd been given as a SECOND antidepressant in April of 2010), and I've reduced the amount of Prozac I'm on by half with my doctors full blessing to go off of it completely.  And when I work out at least 3-5 days a week, pretty much every day is a good day.  If I'm not working out as much, I have bad days here and there.

Now, I look around me and I see so many people that are unhappy.  Depressed, overweight, diabetic, hopeless.  I was there just awhile ago (ok, I'm still overweight but I'm no longer considered obese).  This has helped me SO much.  I want to share it with all of you to the point that I've sent out samples to tons of people at my own expense.  I wish that I could give it to you all for free, but I can't.  I can only tell you how great it is and hope that some of you will try it because you're tired of feeling this way, too. 

I really do get disappointed when I talk to people and they just want the next "magic bullet" to fix themselves.  I'm a biochemist.  I'm trained in this.  Trust me, there is no magic bullet when you don't take care of yourself.  You can drink Shakeology and get extra nutrients and feel better but if you follow it with horrible food it can only do so much.  I want to scream from the top of a mountaintop that you will NEVER be well if you continue to eat badly.  Almost all of the modern American diseases are preventable but no one cares.  They would never give up their fast food, fried food, ice cream even for a guarantee of no diabetes or heart disease. But this is yet another blog for yet another day.


If you want to talk about Shakeology, get at me.  You can contact me through my website and the "contact me" button.  If you decide you want to do it, you can purchase it in the same place.  If you decide you want to be a coach, get the 25% discount, and share health and fitness as a lifestyle with others, contact me about signing up as a coach or do so here.  If you or your spouse is active duty military, contact me through the website because you can become a coach for free, no start up or maintenance fees for the entire time you're active.

Again, I'm not trying to be some annoying person that markets their stuff all over the place just to make money off of you.  I WANT you all to be healthy.  I WANT you all to be happy.  And I believe that I can help you.  But I can only do that if you want it and if you let me.