The WildFit challenge was a very effective program that has been life changing. The 20 lb weight loss and 4" inches reduction at my waist were good and better than expected, but the most surprising results were in overall health. During the program the following changes occurred:
- a chronic sinus blockage/respiratory problem that I had since my first tour in Afghanistan in 2006 had completely cleared up
- inflammation in my right hand and left knee that caused stiffness and pain was gone
- bending over to pick something up or tie my shoes no longer caused me to grunt
- skin was not pale but healthy looking
- persistent mild skin rash on chest and forehead cleared
- teeth sensitivity disappeared, gums no longer bled when brushed
- lethargy disappeared and energy levels remained high all day
- no more fatigue during workouts
- and the weirdest thing of all, creases in my earlobes (causing them to bend out away from my head) that I first noticed about 15 years ago (and remember reading something about them being a sign of risk for heart disease), had disappeared and my earlobes had flattened out.
During the last week of the challenge I took the experimentation portion to test the results (and clean out my refrigerator) and was surprised by how quickly some of these things reversed.
- sharp stomach pains while eating ice cream (definitely on the never list)
- cardboard taste when eating pasta
- huge food coma after the first heavy carb meal (crashed immediately after for about an hour)
- brain fog starting to creep back in
- after third day my right nostril was blocked
- teeth sensitivity came back
- could feel the beginnings of acne forming on my upper lip
- while the reactions were not as severe as Eric described, and I may have been hoping for more dramatic, they have given me the feedback I needed to permanently alter my lifestyle to choose to be healthy.
While I achieved the same weight results from another program in the past, the combination of food and marketing education, focus on mental and physical responses, and structure of making deliberate changes over time set the challenge apart from anything else I've tried, and for the first time "get it" with regards to the relationship between food and health. That is the foundation for lasting change. Thank you very much for offering the program.
