Mix It Up Experiment

Mix It Up ExperimentOver the last few weeks, I have been teasing my readers of The Biz Buzz of a Guinea Pig Program that I was going to start asking for people to participate in.  It’s time for me to let you know a little bit more about this experiment.

First of all, I am renaming it to The Mix It Up Experiment, and after you read this, you will understand why.

I have been receiving more than a few emails wanting to find out more; even some saying sign me up when they don’t know the first thing about it yet!  ::giggle::

I have to admit, most of the ones wanting to join in are from people who already know me and my ways.  They know I research a ton; they know I put my whole heart and soul into finding out new information; or taking old information and combining it to make something new.

This experiment comes from combining lots of information already out there into a unique way of eating.

Let me give you some background on how I devised this experimental way of eating.

One of my principal precepts is ANY diet will work, as long as you follow the rules.  I know I am not the only one who has lost weight on Atkins, South Beach, Pritikin, Zone, or insert whatever diet you have tried and lost weight.  They all work.  Why?

I believe the reason is twofold … First –  it works because once a particular diet is started your eating style is vastly changed from your previous way.  That makes the body wake up and take notice.  It makes the body (metabolism) work harder, and with a heightened metabolism and the right foods, signals the body towards a healthy weight.

The second reason is more often than not, one of the macros (carbs, fats or proteins) is low and the other two high.  Again, this puts the body in a state of confusion.  A body in a confused state stays revved up and is what a body needs to function optimally. To reduce weight, there has to be an imbalance. For maintenance, the macros should be about even.

I thought to myself, why not create a regular occurring imbalance keeping the body confused?  In doing so, make the body work harder, increase the metabolism, feed it good healthy real foods, and let it find its way to a healthy weight.

One of my other precepts is grazing (eating every two to four hours).  It is an excellent way to rev the metabolism.  Plus it keeps hunger at bay.  My working theory was – If you could combine grazing with confusing the body by offering it different macro settings and throw in a little food combining rules; the result would be a healthy eating plan using real foods which help the body find its optimal healthy and happy weight.

Like anything else, this program has rules.  If you are interested and can commit to the rules, you are a good candidate for the program.

Rules

  • The No No’s include:  No alcohol, sugar or artificial sweeteners (pure liquid stevia allowed), corn, wheat, dairy, soy, caffeine, or any “diet” processed foods.
  • No calorie counting. It is encouraged, however, not required.  The diet’s focus isn’t about counting calories!
  • The Yes Yes’s:  Eat at least 5 times a day, with the first meal/snack being within 30 minutes of waking and then each 2-4 hours after that.
  • Some grains are allowed, in fact are necessary to sustain the confused body state.  Some allowable grains include: wild rice, steel cut oats and quinoa.
  • Data is a required portion of this experiment data. Your commitment to daily check ins and reports are imperative (a private forum will be available for this use).
  • Weekly weigh in weights recorded every Monday. You may weigh daily if frequent weight fluctuations will not derail your motivation or commitment.
  • Average losses are between 1.5-2 pounds a week – if the rules are exactly adhered to every single day.  This is not guaranteed, however, preliminary findings indicate this is average.
  • Your time commitment is four weeks.  This experimental four week period was carefully chosen with no holiday periods involved.  I will be available to assist you through any social situation.
  • I need clean data. Stick to the plan as formulated. If there are any questions, concerns, life situations, or suggestions, please ask me first before attempting any deviations.  Together, we can make anything work.
  • Start date is September 15, 2014 (forum will open on September 3rd to give enough time to prepare).
  • There is nothing on this plan that is out of the ordinary.  Nothing processed.  Just real foods.

Now the technical stuff.  As you can imagine, this has taken a lot of work, I can’t do this for free.  I shared this plan with a few clients in a beta test group. The next step is to expand the experiment’s test group in order to observe a more rounded view of possible outcomes. I can only accept 25 people into this expanded experimental study group.

I will be providing:

  • A private space to post your daily stats.
  • A list of the rules for each day of the plan (it’s per week in 3 stages, rinse, repeat).
  • Charts and forms to help your menu creation and data tracking discovering what works best for your body.
  • Support from me (your personal coach) through a 5-days a week forum (member helping member on Saturdays and Sundays) during the entire duration of the experiment (plus the period of prep work before).
  • As an optional bonus for those wishing to take advantage, I will provide Skype Online Text Chat three days a week 6-8 AM Central Time Zone.  Must have a Skype account to participate.

For about the cost of a trip to get a pedicure, you can have the above for just $39.95 for the four weeks – $49.95 if interested in the Skype bonus.

If this is something you are interested in, please sign up here to get on the list.  If you are already a Bod Squad client, just reply to your daily email and tell me you are interested in this experiment.  If the rest of you have any questions, feel free to contact me using this form.

20 Comments on Mix It Up Experiment

  1. Karen says:

    I have been on this for 4 weeks, with a net loss of 5.5, (a little less than the average, but more about that in a minute). I like this way of eating and Biz has attempted to make the plan work optimally for me. I have had to improvise a few times but it’s been easy to get back on track. Even though I am experiencing an illness (which I think has affected the losses) during this experiment, the losses and the way of eating are very easy to follow and I like it! One of the things I like best is the variety. Some of the days are not my favorites, but I know that in another day or two I can eat what I do like. The rotation keeps me going and feelings of deprivation are negligible. That is a bonus on any eating plan! I am sold on this “experiment”. It works! Thanks, Biz!!!

    • Biz Buzz says:

      Thanks Karen! I am thrilled that together we found a way to make this work for you! Thanks so much for being a willing subject to my wild and crazy ways! ::giggle::

  2. Rachel says:

    I have to admit that I was very apprehensive. I have been off of high glycemic fruits and vegetables for so very long believing that they were the enemy. Biz has taught me that almost any food does not have to be that way. I am at the lower end of the range for the average losses. I am losing about 1.5 pounds a week, but I have only been doing this for about 2.5 weeks so far. What is amazing is that because you change up so often during the week, I don’t get tired of anything. And Biz laughs at me because I am complaining that it is too much food. It’s not like I am on a diet, and it is much easier to follow than HCG. I have to say, I am tired of doing HCG.

    • Biz Buzz says:

      I think your last sentence could be the mantra around these parts. I think more than one person is tired of doing hCG! Glad you were willing to try something new, and glad it’s working so far! Yeah you!

  3. Marcia says:

    can’t wait to start!!

    • Biz Buzz says:

      HA! Me too!!! For you I mean! ::giggle::

  4. Krissie Shields says:

    I have only been on this for about 10 days, and I can say that for sure you will never get bored because your days are always different. This plan has helped me clearly see how my body reacts to certain kinds of foods. I also was very fearful of any non P3 food but now I can see that healthy grains are not as evil as I once thought. I also have really been able to tune into my body and start to recognize true hunger and even more importantly, fullness and not just eating to finish my allotment of calories for the day. I also agree with Rachel above because it is too much food and I couldn’t finish it all. I never thought that would be the case for me.

    • Biz Buzz says:

      Thanks Krissie! I know this has been a little difficult for, based on your schedule. It is a lot of planning involved, and a lot of eating! I appreciate you being willing to give this a shot! I need data from every kind of social and health lifestyle! Thanks for working with me!

  5. Karen says:

    I, too, have been telling Biz it is too much food! :giggle

    • Biz Buzz says:

      When do you ever hear that about a losing weight plan? ::giggle::

  6. Mary says:

    I am another one who tells Biz that it’s too much food. This is a great plan to heal your body and to lose weight just eating normal food. I was so shocked when on the first day I lost 2 lbs eating grains and fruit!!

    • Biz Buzz says:

      Thanks Mary! Glad you gave this a shot! And had such great results from it! Carry on!

  7. Melody says:

    This is day 22 for me and I have lost about five pounds. During this time we have had lots of company and eating out. For me it feels like a plan I could stick with. I like it. The carb days are like Wow! I can eat the high glycemic fruits, veggies, and grains and still feel good. And after the weekend of having more fats in the diet it kinda feels like a cleanse. The protein days in the middle mix it up and keep it interesting. It is fascinating to pay attention to my body and see how it responds to each stage. It does take a lot of planning, however, is well worth the effort and actually helps me feel like I am in control and in charge. There have been a few days of not following exactly sometimes by design and sometimes not. I have found it easy to get right back on track. My body seems very happy with the variety and balance between all the food groups. With company, traveling, eating out, and food allergies I have been happy with the results, the energy I have, and the way I feel. I highly recommend this. Thanks Biz!!

    • Biz Buzz says:

      Thanks Melody for your vote of confidence! It’s working rather nicely, I must say. Yippee!!!

  8. Vicki says:

    The thing that I really like about this plan is the variety of foods. I’m eating foods that I haven’t had in years and loving it. If there is a Stage that you aren’t fond of, you know it’s only a couple of days, you can do anything for a couple of days. I’m enjoying some new foods and getting a little more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.

    I recently had a health fair at work and even though I was 9 lbs heavier than last year, my cholesterol was the lowest it has been in many years, BP was normal (it’s usually low), Blood Sugar was fabulous, ratio for cholesterol was 3.0. All in all my body is healing. I also stopped my long term use of some medications – woo hoo!

    This is a plan that I can continue with for life, there is plenty of variety and keeping the body guessing seems to be doing wonders.

    • Biz Buzz says:

      Vicki! It’s been great working with you in the MIUE! Your body has really taken to this plan and has loved it! Your numbers are phenom, although I know it’s not all directed to what you are doing with MIUE because you have spent a long while healing your body, but I am sure doing MIUE didn’t hurt either! Thanks so much for being a part of this!!!

    • Melody says:

      I agree Vicki. Getting to eat foods which have been on the “do not eat” list and feeling great in the process. What a treat!

      Great job on your numbers and being able to cease taking some medications. Sounds like a good plan for your health!

      • Vicki says:

        Thanks Melody & Biz!

  9. Melody says:

    I have been on the plan over 60 days. I like it a lot or I wouldn’t still be doing it. During that time frame we have had lots of company and done our share of travel. I have been able to work around all those events and still slowly lose in a healthy way. Even though there are times I pick up a few pounds with everything going on, by shifting to a new stage, over the course of the week, I can drop them quickly and even lose a bit more. It has been important to remember and calculate the weight loss from a week to week basis and not just day to day.

    It has been interesting to observe how my body responds to the different stages. Mixing it up keeps the menu interesting and my body metabolism charged. In addition, I have seen my body shape change over these past two months.

    Earlier this summer I had some health issues and had to be on an antibiotic regimen. Shortly after I began eating the Mix It Up way. With Stage 1 (high carbs) adding the starches/grains and fruits was a very important part of restoring my system. For me, Stage 2 (high protein) is often the days I lose the most weight. Stage 3 (high fat) is great to be on over the weekend, being able to add more foods and calories.

    I exercise most days and have not had any issues with lack of energy due to the diet. Having a variety of healthy real food choices is a one of the plan’s major strong point. I have many food related allergies and have no difficulty with menu options.

    I recently had blood work drawn and am anxious to see if there are changes from my June tests. I hope my numbers show positive changes like Vicki’s. ;~}

    This way of eating has given me confidence I can eat several different food types, maintain my weight, navigate through life’s events and be healthy!

  10. Pam says:

    It’s been 3 weeks or so since I started and I can feel the change. I mentioned it in Wed’s post from an intellectual place. Today I know the change is going on in my body. This experiment seems to be just what I needed. Thank God. I have a choice instead of relying on hcg. In the past I always turned to it out of desperation. That’s a place I’d like to stay away from. My weight loss in the 3 weeks is about 5 lbs. The plan is a breath of fresh air!’ I was telling someone the other day that this way of eating is a great way to achieve weight loss goals regardless of whether it’s a lot of weight or just a couple of pounds you’re aiming to lose. I think most importantly is how this plan makes me feel. I’m comfortable in my own skin (-:

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