Meet Skip
Sports Performance Director at TEST Sports Clubs, husband, father, active community member and POP Warner Coach. Skip is a busy man who likes staying active.
The Contest
Here’s the 411 on Skip…As the Sports Performance Director at TEST Sports Clubs, being fit IS Skip’s job description. So, as you can imagine, looking and feeling healthy is extremely crucial.
However, after years of wear and tear from playing football during his formative years, Skip’s body was at less than optimal health. He was stressed, tired, irritable, overweight – and those were just the visible symptoms!
Not the type to sit around and wait for miracles to happen, Skip tried out several fad diets, including the Atkins Diet on which he lost 100lbs (half of which was muscle, not actual fat). Of course, as we at Solaris Whole Health have advocated time and time again, diets don’t work – individualized nutrition does!
Low and behold, Skip wasn’t able to sustain his weight loss, eventually gained it all back and it was in this condition that he found himself at our doorstep.
In the spirit of athletic competition to which Skip is so accustomed, he proposed a friendly wager with a fellow compatriot (the wager being bragging rights, of course). The contest was simple – see who could lose the most weight and keep it off. Skip’s weight loss weapon would be Stephanie Solaris, founder and director of Solaris Whole Health and his opponent’s would be low-calorie dieting.  To the victor go the spoils!
The Plan of Attack
When new clients join Solaris Whole Health, the first piece of data we collect from them is a form they fill out called the “Health Profile Questionnaire†(HPQ).
On the HPQ form is a long list of potential health issues that a client might be experiencing (i.e. indigestion, headaches, bloating, chronic cough, etc.). Clients rate each symptom according to severity (scale of 1-4, 4 being the most severe). The more severe the symptoms or health issues are, the higher the scoring will be. Skip scored an 52. He was experiencing fatigue, mood swings, very sore muscles and joints, and presented with metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, cholesterol, high fasting glucose and triglycerides).
The first health concern Stephanie addressed was Skip’s mood and stress levels. After years of physical and mental stress, Skip’s adrenals were extremely fatigued and his biochemistry was off balance. His body was craving certain foods, specifically chocolate, to give him a quick burst of energy.
“After we addressed his mood and stress through supplementation and food/mood awareness, we worked on his body composition,†says Stephanie. “We usually see the symptoms decrease first.  Once this happens, the body is ready to start letting go of the fat.  As you can see in Skip’s HPQ progress (see chart below), his symptoms decreased immediatey with the proper supplementaion and nutrition; and his weight followed.â€
Two weeks into the program, they began work on Skip’s body composition. Much to his chagrin, he actually gained scale weight.
“I was gaining weight and said, ‘Whoa, whoa, I think we’re going the wrong way!’ †Skip recalls.  Even though the scale said Skip was gaining weight, he was actually losing pure fat and water, and developing more muscle (which we all know weighs more than fat). For Skip’s body composition chart, see below.
Eventually, Skip began losing scale weight as well.  “I had to get him to eat a potato,†recalls Stephanie, “After the Atkins Diet, he had developed a fear of starches. We need quality starches to feed our brain and keep our energy up during the day.  It was very difficult to get him to start eating starches again, but he eventually succumbed.  Skip lost even more weight, and had increased energy and vitality!â€
The Outcome
“Within 4 months I saw my blood pressure go down, stress level go down, body weight and body fat percentage go down, and my joint pain disappear!  The biggest thing is,  I have ENERGY ALL DAY LONG,†says Skip.  “My whole family is eating better and they are all losing weight and feeling better.  Other than looking good and feeling great, there was an amazing added bonus: I was able to ride on a roller-coaster with my son. It was the first time I had been able to fit on one since middle school.â€
Needless to say, Skip won the contest.  He lost 54 pounds of pure fat and water and gained 4 pounds of muscle mass. Congratulations to Skip on his double win – to his good health and beating that other guy in a contest!