FAQs

QUESTION

I am 28 years old, played ball in college and was fit and trim.  Graduated age 24 and I am now a financial advisor in Boston, married with a 3 year old.  Here is the problem, I have a gut and I am 25 pounds over my college days,  just 4 to 5 years ago.  I certainly do not exercise like I did but I go to the club several times a week and try to bike outside from home when I get a chance.  My dad has a big gut and I feel like I am a chip off the old block?  What do you think about that?  And I think my diet is actually pretty good.

– Gary

ANSWER

Exercise is important however I am not going to let you blame your weight gain on less exercise than in the college days.  85% of our body composition is diet related and therein lies the trouble for you.  It is entirely possible that you inherited daddy’s slower metabolism which can be triggered in individuals at certain stress times in their life.  Call it a genetic predisposition for what you “got” that you do not want.

Your weight gain issue can be corrected but you may be that unique individual who will require a very specific dietary protocol, based upon your individual needs. I want to encourage you Gary to come in, fill out our diet history and we will perform a sophisticated Tanita body composition analysis so we can determine what is specifically required to allow you to let go the belly fat and keep it off.  It will be easy for you Gary, especially at your age and with your obvious desire to turn things around for yourself.

– SOTA

QUESTION

I am what you call a YoYo dieter and I have done so many diet programs that the thought of wasting more money on another weight loss diet makes me sick.  And it is not just the money, it is the feeling of me being a complete failure, I get all excited about losing weight and then when I get hungry after the first few days to a week, I just pig out and quit. I weigh 220 pounds at 5ft 5 and it is all in my butt and belly and arms and face.  Probably 80 pounds, makes me sick because 10 years ago I was 140 pounds a looked amazing, compared to now. Overheard some folks talking about SOTA in Starbucks but I am too embarrassed to even call your office.

– Karen, 53

ANSWER

Karen, I wish I was able to talk to you more, about a number of issues, to better figure you out.  This is what I am suspecting with you, and why I bet you have failed on so many other diets:  You mention that you get so hungry after the first few days to a week on a diet that you just “pig out” and what I am suspecting is that you were following low calorie diet programs? I can imagine you were literally starving yourself and not getting enough food, and especially not the right kind of food that your unique body type specifically needs.

You should never be hungry on a diet, if a client tells me they are hungry on the SOTA Weightloss® dietary protocol then that is a signal to me that we need to add another food product to help make the process of them slimming down easier and more certain. I am sorry for your past experiences, and this will not happen to you with the SOTA Weightloss® dietary program. Every person/body is unique, no two people react the same metabolically and therefore individual dietary needs must be taken into consideration. Sometimes it can take a few days of a new dietary protocol to figure a client out which is why we urge our new clients to keep in frequent communication with their SOTA Weightloss® coaches, for any uncomfortable experience that first week. You are not a failure Karen, you have just had some unfortunate dietary challenges that can be corrected.

Most people do not understand that what they “got” as it relates to stubborn weight issues/obesity, is not their fault.  You were most likely born with a genetic predisposition for what you “got” and your obvious dysfunctional sugar handling issues, must be metabolically dealt with in a very different way.

– SOTA

QUESTION

My husband George is 66 yo and he has what they call sleep apnea and high blood pressure, cholesterol, and….  He is not healthy and he sits all day in his chair watching stupid television shows and eating snacks.  I am 10 years younger and very active and I want to be more active and do more things and travel and this is not what I bought in for 25 years ago when we married.

He was dashing and handsome 25 years ago and he swept me off my feet, we would go dancing and travel and have fun doing things all the time.  12 years ago our only son died in a car crash and George went into a deep depression and has really not come out of it.  He is no longer drinking as he did for first 5 years after but he did put on 20 pounds a year for those 5 years, he has over 100 pounds I am guessing, that he needs to lose.  He will not diet or exercise or stop eating the junk he buys himself at the store.  This is probably more of a plea for me wanting help than him ever accepting any help, what do you suggest that I do?

– Sandy, 66

ANSWER

This is a tough one but it sounds to me like George has never let go the trauma shock over the loss of your son.  If he could be open to it, some professional counseling might be very helpful, perhaps a doctor who does EMDR or EFT, something like that to help release the shock that I am confident he is still holding onto.  In a non-challenging manner, try walking (talking) George down memory lane, into those days when you both first met and the things you did together and allow him to remember in his mind what he looked like and how active and fit he was.

Ask him if he would like to change, to lose 25 pounds and feel better?  With any person who has the challenge of 100 pounds to lose, you want to take it gentle, with what I call “baby steps.”  Talk about just the first 25 pounds, he will be able to visualize 25 pounds.  Ask him if he would like to go for just a very short walk with you a couple of times during the day, simply to get him up and out of the chair and out of his trance state.  As you two go for your walks, spend your time finding things that you both can see, hear or smell, that you both can be appreciative of, thankful for and grateful of.  Do not walk too far, remember baby steps, and then encourage him and support him and tell him that you love him.

After a week or two of him changing his mental emotional environment, you can start to discuss a doctor to help him with his shock of loss.  I wish you and George the very best.  If there is not an SOTA facility near you, you may call our SOTA AT-HOME phone number (214) 792-9700 and we can work with George from the comfort of home. 

– SOTA

QUESTION

I just turned 50 and it was a time for me to reflect upon my life, guess what?  I am fat!I am 5’6” and when I turned 40 I was slim and beautiful and I weighed 135 pounds and I could wear anything and look amazing.  Guys were always gawking at me where ever I went and I liked that, it never bothered me.  But It was almost to the day that I turned 40 that I started to notice my behind started to get bigger and I could feel it in how my pants would fit.  So I started exercising and it did not change anything, my butt and thighs got bigger and it was not muscle.  For the first time I noticed cellulite and I hate it because then I had to wear clothes that did not show my thighs. I was getting fatter!

Now I turn 50 and I sit here with 40 pounds on my butt and in my stomach and even under my chin, ugh!!!!!  I cried on my 50 B day.  I can tell you that diets do not work for me and neither does exercise. My question is, do some women just get fat due to hormones being off or early menopause or what??  My doctor who is fat, tells me to keep exercising, a lot of good he is for nothing.  So I read about your Sota method and I am eager for some magical “state of the art” dietary approach to effectively slim me down and allow me to feel younger and healthy again, but I must admit, I am skeptical.

– Jennifer

ANSWER

Skepticism is good Jennifer, being gullible is not.  I have heard your story so many times and I can tell you that you have already “Awakened.”  I say this because to Awaken, is to become aware and you are definitely aware of the issue, you became aware at age 40 and then you slowly added stubborn fat-weight for a decade.  Now at age 50 you are at your “tipping point” where you are interested in serious options for a 180 change in what you “got” that you no longer want.  And so I say to you frankly, you are as good as slim again, because you have come to the right place.  85% of our body composition is diet related and so remember that.

You obviously have a slowed metabolism that was triggered at age 40 for some reason or another, which will require for you a unique and individualized dietary protocol specific to your individual metabolic needs.  This may sound complicated but it is not, it just means that there is a secret to slimming down effectively for many individuals who do not fit the mold.  A healthy diet, Jennifer, will not allow you to lose this fat-weight.  You are actually my favorite type of SOTA client because you have awakened, and you are at your tipping point (committed and determined) and are able to tap into some constructive anger directed at your status quo, which will help to propel you forward into what you do want.

50 is still young Jennifer, things are going to be great for you and I believe you will be one happy beautiful 51 year old woman on your next birthday because you will be reflecting a younger and healthier looking new you!

– SOTA

QUESTION

Hello, we like your website and the SOTA makes perfect sense to us from a head space perspective. I am a 35 year old stay at home mom of two and Doug, 35 is a dentist who works 4 days a week and when not playing with the kids he likes his computer games. In college, Doug graduated at 160lbs, he is 5’9,  and I was 120 lbs at 5’5.  I am now 142 lbs., all in my buttocks and Doug a 185 pounds in his belly and his face, believe it or not.

We have been so busy the past 7 years that we actually just realized how fat we are getting. Neither of us could fit in our formal clothes for a wedding recently, we had to go out and buy what we called fat clothes. A wake up call for us both and we want to get back into our college weights.

Doug has heard about the SOTA from his patients and they all seem very happy he says, and we both would like to give it a try.

– Sammy and Doug

ANSWER

Hmmm, “give it a try?”  That is a phrase that I do not like to hear Sammy, and so what I will do is first and foremost allow you to “change your mind” and let go the concept of “giving it a try” and shift your self-talk into, “we are both dedicated and committed as a team, to do whatever it takes to let go of this fat and return to our college weight!”

Can you hear and feel the strength and power behind the words “dedicated and committed to do whatever it takes?” Versus the weakness and uncertainty in simply “giving it a try?”  The first step in any process to lose weight and change lifestyle is for a person to develop strong desire to weight loss. The SOTA Weightloss® protocol represents a complete turnaround in attitude, behavior and actions.

The successful client who embraces their personal decision to change their mind is at an extremely high probability to be successful and to find their process of slimming down fun, exciting and certain.  It is really all a mind game and you want to put the highest odds in your favor with powerful personal self-talk and also in the words you use as you discuss with others your plan/process to slim down.

It will be easy, Sammy, to achieve your ideal/healthy weight because you are ready, and the wedding clothes that did not fit was your tipping point. Sorry to hear you had to buy new fat clothes, those clothes will be the first thing you donate to charity when you start your SOTA Weightloss® dietary solution, you will never be able to wear them again because they will never fit.

When I have a couple come in for weight loss together it represents to me that they are going to have a great time engaging the program as a team, supporting and encouraging one another along the way. It makes the process easier as well on the SOTA Weightloss® nutritionists because couples are literally a joy to have in any facility. Time flies by guys, 3 months is nothing, snap your fingers and it is gone. Snap your fingers right now and notice that the past 3 months are gone, just that fast.

– SOTA

QUESTION

How long would it take me to lose 30 pounds?  I am getting married in 3 months and the type of wedding dress that I have always wanted makes me look like I am pregnant.  Help! and tell me what the Sota thing can do for me.

– Ann

ANSWER

Let’s see: 3 months is 12 weeks = 84 days.  If you could start the program tomorrow and you followed our recommendations exactly, because we do make the program very easy for a person to follow, and you will find your hungers and cravings naturally controlled.  Then I would expect you to lose around 3 pounds a week, I would recommend  a full 12 weeks for you, to take you right up into your wedding day.

As you slim down with our custom designed program you will lose only fat-weight and you will look good, our clients do not look emaciated as they slim down, they look really good.  Do not start the program however unless you make the commitment that you will not gain the weight back again.  To keep lost weight off for life you will want to adhere to the SOTA Weightloss® program maintenance weigh-ins for as long as you desire and at no charge from the state of ideal healthy weight. I am confident you will drop the weight Ann, no doubt about it and you will look absolutely amazing in that beautiful custom made tight fitting wedding gown.  Congratulations!

– SOTA

QUESTION

I am 32 years old and I have been holding onto “baby weight” (35 pounds) since after the birth of my daughter 10 years ago. I have tried a number of diets and on a couple of them I actually gained weight.  My doctor tells me that many women like me experience a slowing in metabolism after child birth and losing their weight becomes a fruitless endeavor…  I do not like to be told I am a helpless fat mom, I still have the hope of looking like I did before getting pregnant and at 32 I am not old.

It is so frustrating for me, demoralizing maybe is a better word.  My sister is two years older than me and has two children and she has zero issues with her weight.  I would like to go to one of your offices but I just do not want to be sold on something that is not going to work on me.

– Misty

ANSWER

Hello Misty!  You ARE very young, at age 32 and I suppose your doctor has done a thorough medical workup on you.  If you are healthy, then there is no reason you cannot slim down to your pre-pregnancy fit-weight. I can appreciate your frustration and I understand how demoralizing the situation of stubborn weight gain can be for anybody. You can lose the “baby weight” and the SOTA Weightloss® program can help you achieve your goals, I am positive of that.

When you do begin the SOTA Weightloss® program I want you to start this process with a determined commitment to following the program exactly, that means 100% compliance to everything we advise. You will find that our program is not about you being hungry or you starving between meals, with our dietary approach we keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day, without hungers.

After a few days on the program, your body will shift over to burning body fat, as we restrict the sugars in your diet.  This enjoyable state of fat burn is a blissful state to be in and is characterized by an increase in energy and no hunger, any additional calories your body may need, it takes from your body fat.  You can do it Misty and you will find that once you do reach your ideal/healthy weight, that you will become a candidate for the SOTA Weightloss® program maintenance weigh-ins, which will help ensure that you do not gain the weight back ever again.

– SOTA

QUESTION

I was reading your website and want to know what you mean by fast weight loss, in other words, how is fast and slow weight loss quantified?

– Samuel

ANSWER

Average weight loss for the industry is considered 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week.  Weight loss greater than that would be considered faster weight loss.  It used to be thought that “faster” weight loss was not healthy and new research today disproves that idea/myth. Faster weight loss is most beneficial from the perspective of the weight loss client being excited about their progress and not being bored to death with slow weight loss for all their efforts.

Take for example a man needing to lose 60 pounds of fat-weight out of his belly, very common condition for a lot of men.  At a slow weight loss pace of 1 pound a week, this poor gentleman would unfortunately be looking forward to in excess of a year to get rid of his belly fat and slim down. With a faster weight loss approach, at a 4-5 pound average per week, this enthusiastic gentleman will find himself belly flat in 12 weeks/ 84 days!   A woman averaging 3 pounds per week would let go of her 36 pounds of fat-weight in 12 weeks vs. 9 months at the slower pace of 1 pound a week.

Men typically lose fat-weight faster than women because men have more muscle. Those who follow the program exactly as laid out, have the best weight loss numbers and the easiest time on the program.  We are NOT a calorie restriction diet, we teach you how to let go the sugars.

Once you enter the enjoyable state of fat burn you find your hungers and cravings diminish greatly and your body shifts into a different physiology for energy fueling. There are “exact” secrets, so to speak, to successful long term weight loss for a lifetime. The reason I say secrets is because 75% of Americans are overweight and or obese.  Coaching and support is essential for the average person to successfully slim down into their ideal/healthy weight and then maintain that weight loss-for a lifetime.

– SOTA

QUESTION

I have been on lots of diets and I have lost a lot of weight but I always end up gaining it all back plus.  I carry my weight in my butt and upper legs and my tummy.  My husband is as thin as a rail and I am fat, I do not even like standing next to him because I know he makes me look huge.  I have been thin before I had me my kids who are now 28 and 25.  The most weight I have lost since kids is about 50 pounds, I got tired of dieting and quit and I had another 50 pounds that I know I needed to lose.  I gained it all back of course. What is different about your SOTA diet to keep me from gaining it back?  Thank you for your time.

– Leticia, 49

ANSWER

I think I may have the “secret” for you Leticia. As I like to tell my clients, “you cannot change your weight until you change your mind!” In other words, 85% of weight gain and weight loss is mental, emotional, habit and behavior, which takes us into the issue of desire and commitment. Your desire to change Leticia must be greater than your desire to stay the same and therefore some work must be done at the start on your headspace as it relates to desire, commitment, determination and persistence. Are you ready and willing to change up your lifestyle or do you want to continue to be controlled by those negative habits and behaviors? It is not at all difficult, it simply requires a decision by you that what you want to do, is change your mind.

The SOTA Weightloss® program is about you awakening or becoming aware of the problem. Your decision to take that all important action step to begin the SOTA Weightloss® program signifies a reversal — a complete turnaround in habits and behaviors. No diet system is going to do it for you, you are the one who makes the decision to eat what you eat, that does not serve you well. A large part of weight gain is basic ignorance as to what you really do need to eat, to lose the weight. I cannot blame you or anyone for being confused about what foods you should and should not eat.  If you want to add to this confusion, simply google healthy diet and up will pop all kinds of “expert” advice on what you should do but it will not help you slim down.

A person losing stubborn weight needs a coach and they need to adhere to a system that works, that is easy and affords the person losing weight, a fast and safe weight loss experience. I would want the program to be as easy as is possible and I would expect my client not to have hungers or to feel as if they are starving on the program.

There also needs to be a system in place for maintenance weigh-ins once a person does reach their ideal/healthy weight and maintenance weigh-ins once a month and at no charge, from the state of ideal healthy weight.  In other words, we want nothing to get in the way of a client coming back for frequent accountability weigh-ins.

I hope this helps with your questions and I am positive you can make the transformation if you really want to.

– SOTA