Greenberry Shakeology fashion photo shoot.

I started the 90-day experiment with the basic idea that I would just lose some weight and report back to you on how I did it. I had no idea that I would end up feeling differently, thinking differently, and loving myself more than ever. This is what happened….(err, besides the fashion photo, of course).

Weight Loss and Body Composition

I lost 7.4 pounds during the experiment. That may not seem like impressive poundage until you consider that I barely did any cardio. My workouts consisted of about 25% pure cardio. For the remaining 75% of my workouts, I stuck to what I love most: Yoga, Pilates and weight training (including body weight exercises).

Although I didn’t purposely avoid cardio for the sake of the experiment, a 7.4 pound weight loss in the virtual absence of cardio is beyond not too shabby. I started at 172.8 pounds and have been holding steady at 165.4 for the past two weeks. This non-movement in the scale does NOT bother me, because in these past two weeks my body composition continues to take shape. The lean-slimming of my body has not stalled at all. Sure, there are those notable areas in my arms and stomach, but what really sticks out is my thighs and knees.

First off, I didn’t even know my knee-area put on weight until I noticed the fatty parts disappearing in these last 90-days. I freaking LOVE my knees! As for my thighs, the slimming and definition is almost scary. I feel like my body is morphing into what it was before I had children – but only better, because now there is a true focus on fitness like there was NOT in my early twenties.

The final seal of sexy-body approval came from Health-hater husband. He gave me a “you’re looking good, honey!” body compliment while I was getting dressed in the morning (chicka-bow-wow!).

Eating Habits: I love, love, love not being hungry all the damn time. My days no longer center around how to manage hunger with mastermind plots of 5-6 small meal a day or lack of concentration because I’m hungry like the wolf. Sure, I still get hungry (that’s my cue that it’s time to eat), but it’s a controlled, non-ravenous kind of hunger. I recently chatted with a reader about what a typical eating day looks like for me. This is what I shared with her based on what I was eating that particular weekday:

• 8:45am Breakfast: Greenberry Shakeology (made with almond milk and frozen strawberries)
• Optional mid-morning snacktime: Clementine. I’m not necessarily hungry mid-morning, but fruit is still important.
• 1:30 pm Lunch: Grilled Veggie sammich with pesto, plus side of sweet potato fries.
• 4:00 pm Snack: Green tea or half of a P90X protein bar (But not everyday. Some days I’m still full from lunch, so I pass on the snack. I only eat midday snack if I’m truly hungry.)
• 6:30pm Dinner: Whatever hubby makes – tonight it’s roasted chicken with broccoli.
• 10:00pm Night snack: Chobani Greek Yogurt or bowl of healthy cereal.

On most weekdays I do skip the morning snack, so I go from 8:45am to 1:30pm without the dire need to chew. This obviously limits my calorie intake for the day. I typically use Shakeology 5 days per week, not 7 days, so my monthly supply actually lasts longer than 30-days.

Gung-ho, Postive Attitude: My Shakeology Experiment page details key info on two Shakeology ingredients for boosting mood and combating depression: Camu Camu and Sacha Inchi. Although information on these natural Peruvian ingredients is interesting, I didn’t feel it pertained to me too much, because I’m already a happy person. But then something happened. I felt compelled to start lifting up others. It was like a motivational fire lit inside that I had to share with the world – and it’s still burning right now. This is evidenced by the non-typical Yum Yucky stuff I started posting about, like It’s Time to Crawl Out of Your Cocoon Now and Do You Have the Balls to Take Action.

Feedback From Peeps About Shakeology

Throughout these 90 days I shared my enthusiasm for Shakeology with a ton of fantastic people via Email, Facebook and Twitter. I also gave out samples. It’s been a fabulous time that will no doubt continue. There are a handful of people (about 15%) who sampled Shakeology and did not like it. But that is totally okay! Is there any food in this world that 100% of all people enjoy? Nope – not one, so I do not that that personally. Some gave feedback of a colon cleansing affect. Many loved the taste, but most prefer Chocolate over Greenberry flavor. Some are now Beachbody coaches on Team Yum Yucky, enjoying their own monthly supplies.

Product pricing is a thorny area with some folks. A 30-day supply is $119.95 for non-coaches and $89.96 for coaches. When I became a Beachbody Coach the pricing felt thorny, indeed. It took me five long weeks to embrace the cost and actually make my first purchase. Yet now, considering the price breakdown, it’s really not all that expensive. Non-coach pricing breaks down to $4/shake. Coach pricing breaks down to $3/shake. It’s so easy to spend that kind of money (or even more) on a crappy meal or Starbucks slurping-fest.

The overall feedback suggests that Shakeology is NOT for everyone, and I do agree. It’s all about deciding what’s right for you, what your needs are and the actions you’re willing to take. Based on the results of my experiment, if you primarily need to lose weight or take control of your eating habits, you need to be doing your own Shakeology experiment. Other areas Shakeology will help with is mood, menopause, sexual dysfunction and cholesterol, to name a few. What’s wonderful about Beachbody is that you can use Shakeology for a full 30 days (use up the ENTIRE bag!) and then request a refund if you aren’t happy with the results. How’s THAT for a money back guarantee?

But as for me? Shakeology is no longer an experiment. It is a lifestyle.

Links to Explore:

• Check out the Shakeology website.
• What Doctors Are Saying About Shakeology. (video)
• Contact me for more info on Shakeology or becoming a Beachbody Coach.