I began the Ideal Protein Diet Program on June 11, 2010 under the supervision of Dr Cindy Boyd and Coach Tanya Garcia at Symmetry Chiropractic, and my Kaiser Physician, Dr Victor Villacorta. The weight loss challenge seemed daunting. Yet I had seen my daughter’s great results, was highly motivated to improve my health, and was convinced that the professional support and scientific basis for the Ideal Protein Program were solid. My results at 4 months are:

Metric / Characteristics	June 8, 2010	Oct. 11, 2010	Change
Weight Loss	256 lbs	200 lbs	56 lb loss
Waist Circumference	44 inches	36 inches	8 inch reduction
Blood Pressure	High, on medication	Normal range	Off medication
Blood Sugar	High, on medication	Normal range	Off medication
Cholesterol (HGB-A1C %)	High, 7.1 %	Normal range, 5.6%	Off medication
Hands, Hip & Knee Joints	Occasional pain	Pain-free joints	Loss of temporal pain
Morning Stretch-15 Exercises	Difficult & stiff	Easy	Regained flexibility
Morning Walk, 2.5 miles	45 minutes	37 minutes	Long stride, quick pace
Sleep Apnea	6-year problem	Gone	Sleep without CPAP
Brain Functions	Less focused	More focused	Clearer thinking
Emotional State	Feel stressed	Significant stress reduction	Calmer state of being
Taste Sensation	Dull, bland	Sharp, restored	Enjoy food more

Thank you Dr. Cindy Boyd, Tanya Garcia and Lisa Hogue at Symmetry Chiropractic for helping me restore my health!

Sincerely,
Tom Fernandez
Redwood City, CA

I first heard of Ideal Protein when I noticed the transformation of a coworker. I asked her about the program and she and I met for lunch and she told me all about it. She kept saying, “it’s really something” over and over and now that I’m on phase four I can say the same thing, it is really something.

It is a weight loss program but it is truly a lifestyle change. Once I attended the information seminar conducted by Dr. Boyd and understood how my body works and how my pancreas works I was totally on board. I had recently completed a meditation course and I decided to use the fasting component of IP in concert with the meditation practices to improve both experiences. I have learned a lot about hunger. About over eating and under eating and have come to the conclusion I like feeling empty more than I like feeling full. Immediately my heartburn disappeared, I sleep better, my nails and hair are stronger, my blood pressure has dropped, I’m calmer and happier. The whole experience (although very challenging at times) has been completely positive because I finally have a process to heal my body and to overcome an issue that has plagued me my whole life. I started out as a chubby kid and have never had a moment where I haven’t been overweight.

I could not have taken this journey with the level of commitment that I have if I did not have the one on one weigh in counseling sessions with Tanya and everyone in the office has been positive and supportive. Because of my success I am changing my health goals to include a greater level of fitness with more challenging workouts and the intention of losing more weight after the New Year.

–Dorothy Calimeris

After only 3 months on the Ideal Protein diet, I have realized amazing results. I lost 40 pounds and untold inches— especially in my midsection. My wrists even shrunk- a change that required me to remove links from my watchband. In addition to the weight loss, my cholesterol level has dropped, and I no longer require medication.

Dr. Boyd and Lisa offered ongoing meal suggestions and not once did I feel deprived by the diet’s restrictions.

The variety of meal choices coupled with its flexibility made the process feel more like a long-term shift in overall eating habits, and less of what we’ve come to know as a short- term ‘diet’. I have increased awareness of the nutritional information on packaged food, and I am making better food decisions.

I feel confident entering phase 4 (real life) and seeing continued improvement in my over all well-being.

–Tony Hoffman

Eureka! I finally found the answer to shedding those last 12 pounds, which I have been carrying around for years. This fall I signed up for the Ideal Protein plan. With the guidance of my fabulous coach, Tanya, and the great selection of IP foods, and following the program from Phase I to Phase 4, I was able to shed those pounds. Believe me, I have tried many plans over the years and spent a lot of money, but decided to give one last try and it worked! It’s simple, straight-forward, and fast. All I needed to bring to the plan was focus and commitment. Also the capable staff at Symmetry Chiropractic offered continued support and incentive plans along the way, which helped me to keep my eye on the “prize”. My goal was not just the weight, but to fit comfortably into a single-digit size! The bonus is that I lost many inches and now am wearing pants without elastic waist and am size 8. Another bonus is the education regarding how we should eat for a healthy and happy life. I feel great, look adorable and am completely happy! Thanks to everyone at Symmetry Chiropractic, who helped and encouraged me along the way. Could not have done it without you!

To good health!

–Joyce Beck

I have dealt with allergies my entire life. There were good days and then there were bad days, but for the most part I could control the symptoms. Over a year ago, my symptoms were getting stronger, more frequent, and took longer to disappear. After a year of testing and elimination diets, my allergy list grew from a few items to what seems like several pages. Gluten, shellfish, yeast, and night shade vegetables are the major culprits, but if you think about what those foods are in, the list is endless. My biggest struggles were products that are labeled gluten free, but are still manufactured on machinery with wheat or shellfish. Yeast and gluten are in most foods, typical breads, pastries, pastas, to soy-sauce, balsamic vinegar, wine, and beer; my diet became heavily dependent on fruit, protein powder, eggs, and greek yogurt. Somehow still being on this limited diet, my body was gaining weight, about two pounds per month. I have exceptional high levels of cortisol and perhaps the stress from eating everyday added to the problem. I noticed that I was generally feeling better, my nails and hair were growing stronger, but sometimes my GI system would still be inflamed at times. As much as I would work out and eat healthy, I was bothered by the number on the scale as it grew month to month. My cousin’s wife told me about the Ideal Protein program, and how it could possibly help with my inflammatory issues as well as the number on the scale. It definitely has helped with those two things, but it has also taught me lessons that I was not even expecting. The diet cleared my system, and when I mean cleared, I mean I’ve never felt my body be in such harmony with itself. The hives, the swelling around my lips and eyes, the inflammation in my GI, and my mental being all improved. The stress of thinking about what to eat disappeared because there was a plan and nothing else mattered. The plan was similar to my limited diet which helped. I found new foods that I didn’t even know I was allergic to. It was easy to isolate what the new contaminants were by being on the diet. The weight was coming off slowly, and it stopped my two pound gain per month. It was easy to get into the routine and just check off the daily regimen. It helped me understand my body and what it meant to be in balance. What I thought was healthy before was not actually healthy at all. I would often like a certain food and only eat that particular food for weeks at a time. Yogurt, bananas, and zucchini for example, I would eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because it was easy and I knew it wouldn’t hurt me. But although almonds are a healthy food, eating only almonds doesn’t make a healthy diet. What this program has taught me is to balance my nutrition and understand what “healthy” really means; getting the right balance of nutrients into my diet on a daily basis and in the right amounts. Once you understand this concept and once you take charge of your daily intake of nutrients, the weight comes off and your body and mind will feel better. Not only did it help isolate food contaminants for me, it helped me isolate the sources of stress which in turn did so much more than anything I could have asked for in this diet. Controlling the diet is just half the battle, controlling the sources of stress is the other half. Understanding how these sources contribute to your eating habits, your mental well-being, and finding ways to alleviate the stress in a different way is a huge factor to continuing the program successfully. I would recommend anyone who is struggling with food allergies and weight issues to give this program a try; to make an effort to take control of your life, what you put into your body, to consciously think about your daily routine, and what steps you can take to improve not just your physical health, but mental health as well. Once you can find that balance, the benefits go beyond just seeing results on the scale.

–Michelle J. Liu

“After 20 years, the miracle happened at Ideal Protein”

I have tried EVERYTHING since 1994 (when I weighed 226 lbs.) to get to my goal weight of 150 lbs. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on diets (doing many 3 and 4 times); bought every gadget off infomercials; and even thought about gaining more weight to be obese enough to qualify for gastric bypass, because NOTHING worked. Then a friend told me he was going to try Ideal Protein, and I decided to give it a try. It was the ONLY program that did not have the disclaimer in fine print saying, “Your results may vary.” I jumped into the program the first week of October, and by February, I was within 3 pounds of goal! It was easy and, for me, effortless. The reason I didn’t officially reach Goal until April 15th, was because I got scared of not being able to maintain it.

Because it took 20 years to find what worked, this was uncharted territory. But now my mindset is that this is a “Gift from God” that I intend to wear proudly, use every day, and never, ever return! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone at Symmetry Chiropractic who has helped me on this journey and will continue to help me maintain this gift!

–Terri Abrahamson

“IP Changed My Life”

In November of 2009, my husband and I attended the Boyd Thanksgiving. Cindy had only been on the diet a short time and she looked phenomenal. I knew I had to start Ideal Protein soon. In January of 2010, I broke a bone in my foot while choreographing in my living room barefoot. When I had surgery to place a pin in my toe, I weighed 186 lbs. I was disgusted. So with a pin in my toe and 6 weeks with out dancing, I began Ideal Protein in full force. The first week was the roughest, but Lisa answered every single text message I sent her. After losing seven pound my first week, I knew I was doing the right thing. My husband was a huge support; he would prepare some of my meals and my grocery shopping. The tough regiment of the diet started to become more routine and easy. I was very patient with my weight loss. I weighed in only once a week with Lisa. My weight loss inspired some of my fellow dancers to also begin the Ideal Protein Diet and they were successful with their weight loss journeys. I took advantage of being in Cindy’s office by getting adjusted. I knew that when the pin came out and weight came off it would be hard for my body to adjust. My situation was a huge challenge and with the help of the Symmetry Staff and my husband I persevered. By April the pin had been removed, I was ending Phase 3 and I had lost 32 lbs. I went from a size 10-12 to a 4-6 in a matter of months. It is hard to always make the right decisions, but I think about how hard I worked to lose the weight and nothing will make me go back to the way I was before. Since losing the weight my confidence has really picked up. I dance and teach at Dance/10 Performing Arts Center in Alameda 6 days a week. In January 2011, I auditioned for the Rockette Summer Intensive and I will be in NYC this June to train with the Rockettes. If Lisa and Cindy had not changed my life, I would have never had the courage to audition.

Thanks Ladies!

–Cristine Rottach

As I sought out a new chiropractor, I found Symmetry Chiropractic. Little did I know that this simple action would change my life so drastically. After my first chiropractic consultation, both Dr. Boyd and I agreed that I needed to take some weight off. I have always struggled with my weight, so I was a little skeptical as I have tried so many ways to lose weight and I always eventually gained the weight back and more. So I agreed to begin my journey through the Ideal Protein protocol. When I began, I was in a state of high stress. I am one of those individuals who gets thrown all the life challenges you can think off. I had suffered a rare ectopic pregnancy a couple of months prior, my father had recently had undergone a quadruple bypass and is diabetic, meanwhile I struggled with trying to achieve the balance of self preservation and being a working mom.

Looking at my father’s poor health at the ripe age of 54, I saw my future and it frightened me. After my first few weeks of the protocol, I was amazed at the results. I had lost 9 pounds in the first 10 days! Working with Stephanie, my coach, has enabled me to recognize the triggers of my bad eating habits and I am much more cognizant of them and how to manage them. As the weight shed, my clothes got loose, and I wasn’t as tired and lethargic. I looked forward to playing with my son after work. My husband has noticed how much happier I am, in general.

3 months later and 40 pounds lost, I feel like a new and improved version of someone I once recognized. I feel energized, positive and very optimistic about the tools I have been given to living the healthiest life I can. I look forward to continuing my relationship in regards to my back issues and love the fact that Symmetry Chiropractic provides ongoing workshops and services to help you maintain a healthful, bright life.

–Sharisse