Local Resident Finds Lasting Weight Loss Success

For many people struggling to lose weight, the bathroom scale can become a tyrannical weight-loss coach that keeps them chained to a prison of sorts. On one hand, if the right number appears, it promises glamor, sexiness and a return to youth. However, if the number only yo-yos, it brings little confidence, helplessness, and no hope of escape. This is no longer true for Chuck Doolittle, 58, of Redlands. “For most of my adult life – about 30 years – I spent being at least 100 pounds overweight. With the difficulty in keeping the weight off, I sought just about everything I could get my hands on that I thought might possibly make a difference,” Doolittle said. “I’ve invested money and spent time with other diets, and though they seemed to serve a purpose to an extent, what I didn’t realize was what I was putting in my body, that is, I didn’t know what I was eating. “Looking back now, I know I was eating fewer calories, but I felt frustrated because I was always hungry. I did lose weight, but it boiled down to my putting the weight back on because when I finished a diet, there was no real plan that was long-lasting that I could now go do, and so I ended up falling back to my default mechanism which was to just eat whatever I wanted,” Doolittle admitted. “The frustrating thing for me with the diet plan compared to the 20/40 Project was that I didn’t know where to go from there, and with the 20/40 Project, I realized there was something else to do – I don’t have to look at food as this big confusing mass of overabundance of choices that I’ll never figure out or that I’ll never conquer.” When Doolittle heard about The 20/40 Project, it caught his attention because it was promoted as one of the hardest things a dieter will ever do, which is in complete contrast with all the other diet plans he’d tried. According to Sam Benavides, owner of Better Life Fitness and creator of The 20/40 Project, this weight-loss program is different from most diet programs out there in that it addresses the hard truth of why people gain weight in the first place, and then gives them a life-long way out. “Most diets fail to provide a long-term solution to obesity because they’re afraid to get to the root of the problem,” Benavides said. “Actually, there’re really two problems at work – first, the food we love is addictive; second, diets don’t address the toxicity issue! These are the reasons people gain weight over time; and using the ‘calories in versus calories out’ principle and painting the effort as easy to do, as most diet programs do, fixes neither,” Benavides states. What is most surprising about the weight loss industry is that although there have been many medical breakthroughs, most weight-loss programs and diets still use the scale as the measure of success. “Due to the fact that an inch of muscle weighs more than an inch of fat, the scale only tells part of the story; the real measure of success is how well your metabolism functions to maintain healthy weight and metabolic dysfunction cannot be seen on a scale,” Benavides said. But using the scale as the measure of weight loss success is the path of least resistance for those companies seeking to put profits ahead of true weight-loss success. With the 20/40 Project, the focus is on triggering the body to heal itself, once that begins to happen, the weight takes care of itself and the scale is moot, Benavides explained. Knowing first-hand how that’s true, Doolittle described it this way, “My whole life I was always bound to a scale, I always felt like I needed to be getting on that scale, even though I didn’t want to get on that scale because most of the time I never liked what it showed me.” With a tone of frustration, Doolittle continued, “The reality is I hated the scale, I still hate the scale! But after the 20/40 Project, I’m no longer on the scale! I know that since I finished the program I’ve continued to drop weight, although I couldn’t tell you exactly how much because I’m not getting on the scale, but I can tell because of my belt and my clothes. And so I’m not bound to (the scale). I don’t want to be bound to that because this scale was a part of my personal little hell.” Without realizing it, Doolittle had succumbed to the popular opinion that thin means healthy and that the scale is the ultimate determinant and final word on “thin”. But during the 20/40 Project, Doolittle was able to gain a new perspective on the relationship between food, health and weight. He was able to look back at his life experience and talk about his struggle objectively. He shared a glimpse into his very intimate relationship with food. “I had called FOOD my four-letter word. Many times in my life I’d wished food wasn’t necessary. I’d felt most of my life like an alcoholic, only with food. I felt like I couldn’t get anywhere near it, because once I did, I didn’t know how to control myself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overindulged for the sake of overindulging. I always thought it was MY weakness, my flaw; I felt like it was my cross to bear, that is, my mom is obese so I’m going to be, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” But as food clarity and common sense replaced shame, fear and frustration, Doolittle found hope in defeating his foe. “Food has always been an insane topic for me and so [now] I feel like I have found something that I finally can embrace. I don’t have to get up in the morning and worry about what I’m going to eat, I don’t have to worry about going to the grocery store and buying something I shouldn’t be buying because that’s just not on my radar now. I think I’ve gotten past the point of the addiction, at least to sugar, because I’m not feeling those cravings.” That last point is like Doolittle’s final conquering blow to the to the bathroom scale, rendering it completely obsolete – all thanks to the 20/40 Project. Doolittle now feels an enormous sense of freedom. For Doolittle and his 30-year struggle with weight, knowledge IS power – power to escape the hell he lived while being emotionally shackled to that bathroom scale. So in many respects, his life is starting afresh – a second chance at true health and happiness. So what is The 20/40 Project? As Benavides explained, “The project is a six-week educational and experiential class that is designed to help overweight individuals lose 20 pounds during a 40-day exercise and nutrition program.” He emphatically stressed, “There’s no counting calories, no restrictive diet menu, no supplements, no shakes, no shots, and certainly no surgery to mess with your internal organs! Just a new way of looking at food, getting more physical activity, obtaining tips for stress management, and making better, wiser healthy choices.” This sounds simple, but because it involves a lifestyle change in most cases, it’s not easy. Benavides continued, “The two things that make the 20/40 Project so hard for some people is that first, it asks you learn the truth about REAL food and physical activity, and second, it requires you experience detoxification. But the payback is everything anyone ever wanted in a ‘diet’, that is, a healthy, sustainable weight loss strategy for the rest of your life.” The next classes will be held every Sunday evening through Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. and include weekly weigh-ins, food samples, live power-point presentations, and hand-outs for discussion; as for exercising, you can join a Better Life Fitness group three times per week, or train at home using videos sent to your email. For more information, email Ashleigh at ashleigh@blfhealth.com or via phone at (909) 222-5462.