Bonnie at 138 lbs. and holding steady after LOSING 27

Putting the Fiber35 Diet in Action:
A Personal Journey

There’s a story behind every weight loss success, and it came as no surprise that mine began pretty close to home. My name is Bonnie and I run the marketing department here at ReNew Life. In March of last year when Brenda released her new book and PBS special The Fiber35 Diet, I weighed 165 pounds.

I’d like to say that my weight was normal for my height, but I’m only 5’6” and my body frame is small, so I knew that I was carrying more weight than I should have been. Not only that, but I felt it.

I’ve spent nearly my entire career working in the natural health food industry, so I am aware of what you need to do to lose weight. Fad diets don’t work. Thermogenics make me jittery and aren’t healthy long term. And no, there is no magic pill. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to do it slowly so you develop lifelong habits—habits like exercising regularly to fuel your metabolism, using portion control, and snacking on healthy, low-calorie foods throughout the day so you don’t overeat at regular meals. You also have to use your mind to control your actions and remember that the food is not in control, you are!

When I decided to put the principles of the Fiber35 Diet into action, I learned that it’s not just about eating at least 35 grams of fiber a day, but instead taking each of the little things I’ve mentioned and putting them all together. Now it’s a little over one year later and I’m happy to say that I’ve lost 27 pounds and I’m currently holding steady at 138 pounds.

I went from a size 12 to a size 4-6, and I feel better than I have in years. As it turns out, all those good things they say about fiber improving overall health are true. Following a high-fiber diet lowered my cholesterol by more than 30 points, and eating several small, high-fiber meals throughout the day keeps my blood sugar on an even keel so my energy level is steady all day long.

The most important thing about my weight loss, though, is that I didn’t rush it. Because of the Fiber35 Diet, the way I eat now is a lifestyle, so it never feels like work. I exercise nearly every day, doing a cardio workout 5 times a week for 30 minutes and building muscle mass when I can with sit-ups, push-ups and triceps pushes; I know I should do more muscle boosting but I’m a working mom and time is always a factor!

Before, at 165 lbs.

I really don’t understand why everyone is in such a hurry to lose weight. People today are going to doctors and paying tons of money to eat 500 calories a day and get Vitamin B shots in order to shed the pounds, but the reality is that it’s so unhealthy. They drop all this weight really quickly, but there’s a huge downfall: the body gets used to eating so little and eventually goes into starvation mode. So instead of losing just fat, they lose muscle—the very muscle that supports their metabolism!

Honestly, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that if muscle supports metabolism (which is what burns calories) then the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the faster you burn calories. Everyone I’ve known who tried to lose weight with a quick-fix diet either couldn’t stay on it, or if they did, they gained all the weight back when it was over.

The other thing that baffles me is that so many people actually believe there is a magic pill out there that will make the pounds just melt away. Science has shown us over and over again that the only proven way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn each day. Ever wonder why all of those so-called magic pills out there require a healthy diet and exercise? Because the pill doesn’t work; only healthy habits work. The bottom line is this: You need to eat less than what your body is burning, and exercise helps. When you exercise regularly, you not only burn more calories, but your metabolism stays elevated for several hours afterward. Over time your metabolic rate will naturally increase because you are building more muscle. Sure, I know that exercise isn’t exactly fun, and if you’re like me even the thought of exercise makes you groan, but the truth is you just have to do it. Otherwise you start thinking about, and then before you know it you’ve talked yourself out of it, so just get up and get moving!

Fruit & Veggie Fiber • Natural fruit & vegetable fiber • Great-tasting fruit flavor • Mixes well in water or juice • 4 grams of fiber in each serving

The really important thing to remember when it comes to weight loss is that you never want to eat fewer calories than your body truly needs each day. Otherwise you will begin to burn that valuable muscle. This is why the Fiber35 Diet advocates never eating fewer than 1,200 calories each day. You also get to eat plenty of high-fiber foods, and the beauty of fiber is that it is an amazing friend to have on your side when it comes to healthy weight loss.

First of all, fiber has lots of bulk so it makes you feel full, and we all know that when we’re full, we’re likely to stop eating. Foods that have a lot of fiber are also incredibly nutritious and really low in fat and calories. Take fruit and veggies, for example. You can eat a whole bunch of delicious fruits and vegetables for a minimal amount of calories. So you feel satisfied, but you never have to feel guilty. That’s not all though. There are two other really cool things about fiber that you may not know.

First, fiber activates a powerful anti-hunger hormone called CCK that actually tells your brain to stop eating when you feel full. How’s that for a handy weight loss tool? And second, fiber actually helps eliminate calories from your food. That’s because fiber helps absorb calories from the foods you eat and speed those calories out of the body in your bowel movements. There’s even a study that found that for every gram of fiber you eat, you eliminate 7 whole calories. That equals more than 25 pounds a year, just by eating more fiber!

I am a living, breathing (and 27 pounds thinner!) testament to the fact that eating more fiber to lose weight really works. Still, maintaining your ideal body weight will always require a lasting commitment to a healthier diet and lifestyle. As Brenda says, you have to decide what you want and work for it every day. Putting fiber to work for me when I wanted to lose weight was the smartest thing I ever did, and you can do it too. It just makes sense every way you look at it..

For More Information on Fiber and Weight Loss, visit Fiber35Diet.com.