Life Alignment Testimonials

I'm writing to share the remarkable success that I've experienced with the digitally-encoded hCG diet under the supervision of Dr. Samantha St. Julian. As a physician specializing in preventive medicine, I have watched many diet fads over the years and seen many people hope and fail. Among the most notable have been those who have lost significant weight under the Atkins diet, only to quickly regain their pounds. All this time, I watched my personal weight creep up by 5 pounds each year. I no longer felt in integrity when presenting to executives espousing health, wellness and preventive medicine, given that I was teetering on the border of obesity.

Meeting Dr. Samantha St. Julian was quite by serendipity, through a friend who had successfully lost weight under the hCG program and looked absolutely transformed. Given a free morning in Kansas City, my wife and I took advantage of the opportunity to meet Dr. St. Julian personally and experience her freshness, radiance and wisdom. We also talked with others who had been on the program, as well as a nutritionist who said that Harvard University had carefully researched this diet and found it to be safe and successful. We realized there are people who prefer gradual approaches to life changes and other souls who are adventurous enough to jump off cliffs and make radical changes. We finally came down to that crucial moment of decision and chose to "Go For It!!!"

Dr. St. Julian's web site was invaluable . . . the brief guidelines, charts and food/calorie lists are solid.  Dr. Simeons’ “Pounds & Inches Manuscript" at times reads like an adventure story exploring the many ways to stray from the program and the value of curiosity and strict adherence.

Fat loading was fun, and quickly made us disgusted by the mere thought of fat. It also helped us comfortably get through the first three days of severe calorie restriction while we were traveling, buying frozen cooked chicken breasts at health food stores, and feeling a bit fuzzy-headed while changing planes.

What a relief to be in the safety and comfort of our home to truly settle into the heart of this stringent diet. We bought a Life-Source Compact Precision Scale, tracked our daily calories to get up to the "Magic Number" of 500 each day and began experimenting within the strict bounds of what we could eat. We found Miracle Noodles great for halibut stew and other indulgences. It was useful to constantly change the foods for lunch and dinner and to vary our recipes. In two months, the diet never felt stale. We kept choosing from column A (protein) and column B (salad or veggies). When really bored, we splurged on veal or lobster tail.

To our delight, the program worked!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a man, I watched my weight consistently drop by close to 1 pound a day.  My wife, a massage therapist who must use massage cream with her clients, was a bit hampered and consistently dropped only ½ pound a day. But steadiness proved vital, and she gradually dropped to her initial target of 15 pounds lost, as I hit my 30 pound loss goal.

At this point, we both looked in the mirror and decided this was not enough of a good thing. I see where people can easily become obsessed with weight loss - so it's important not get carried away. She upped her goal to a realistic 21 pounds and I to 41 pounds.

It was truly helpful to be shopping, cooking and eating in partnership. Nothing helps like a little encouragement and we began to enjoy trying on clothes that had been sitting in the back of the closet for years, and telling each other how beautiful we were becoming. Finally we got closer and closer to our goals. After two months, we hit our mutual goals - 63 pounds combined.

One challenge was eating out for business meals or traveling to a week’s professional conference. I found it invaluable to talk with the head of food services at the hotel where I would be staying, so they could get a printed copy of my diet to follow for pre-arranged breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The same was true with restaurants; I had to be able to describe to the chef what I could eat, and every chef rose to the challenge of preparing a healthy, compliant meal. Having talked with the kitchen in advance, I could tell the waiter that I wanted "The Kent Special." This was a valuable lesson. In the future, I will have no hesitation to ask for a special meal or have the kitchen put sauces on the side.

Early on in the program a physician friend told me: "Anyone can lose weight. The challenge is to keep it off. Let's see where you are a year from now."  I both resented his comments and took them as a challenge. I see that this diet has truly been an educational program to teach me about choices, moderation, and learning to create a sustainable lifestyle. Now that I'm in transition, I am eager to keep learning, to enjoy "tastes not platefuls," and to remember how much I can enjoy the pleasure of a low-calorie meal.

Thank you, Samantha, for your inspiration, responsive phone calls and emails. Without you life would be a lot less gratifying and vital.

Kent W. Peterson, MD, FACPM, FACOEM
Past Executive Director, American College of Preventive Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia