The Program part 2

Rough Breakdown

While the entire program is something like 1.5 to 2 years long, the active part of it is about 21 weeks.

During these weeks, we're on shakes for 18 of them; 12 weeks with shakes and little else, then a week with one less shake a day, one real meal, then a couple weeks with two less shakes a day with two real meals, eventually ending with no shakes left and only real food after 18 weeks.

Every week, there is a mandatory class discussing various aspects of changing our lives.  Back before the pandemic, these classes had mandatory physical attendance at HRH but that switched to GoToMeeting teleconferences.  Honestly, these were excellent, and I know a number of people from out of town were very happy because they were otherwise looking at having to book hotels in town to deal with the logistics around class day.

A rough breakdown of the weeks:

1. Orientation, virtual meeting logistics, initial documentation package.
2. How to mix the shakes and preserve their nutritional efficacy, and when to have them (basically, within an hour of waking, and every 4 hours.)
• Discussed shake schedule.
• Started on the shakes the following day.  Nothing but 4 shakes/day for 12 weeks, then entering a transition phase to reintroduce real food gradually over the following 5 weeks.
3. Smart Exercise
4. Accountability, support systems, and boundaries
5. Building an exercise program
6. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness.
7. Understanding your metabolism.
8. Transition discussion, regarding how to start building a balanced meal.
9. Emotional Eating and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
10. Transition to Solid Foods
11. Coping Skills for Emotional Eating
12. Meal Planning
13. Managing Cues and Triggers
14. Label Reading
• Transition started the next day, with 1 shake being replaced by 3oz of protein and 2 cups of low-starch veggies.  Chicken, turkey, fish, just not beef, as apparently the body reacts oddly when sudden faced with digesting beef after such a long break.
15. more Meal Planning, with frozen foods
16. Self Esteem and Body Image
17. Preventing Weight Regain
18. Eating Away From Home
19. another discussion of Self Esteem and Body Image, with a social worker from the Surgery program

After the active part of the program is done, you still have access to your dietitian and kinesiologist, and likely others running the program though I haven't tried.

I continue to have monthly calls with my dietitian and kinesiologist, to ask questions, give them updates to my status (weight, measurements, calories/day, etc).

I also talked to my GP, and he is getting me monthly blood tests.  This was done primarily during the calorie-restricted part of my personal efforts, but after the next few tests, I expect we'll be slowing those down.

We also have a monthly "support forum" call, where attendees from the program join a call, the host goes over some refresher content from the weekly presentations above, and then usually a few people speak up about their experiences.

Next:  My Experience