A review of the Swim Bike Fuel Nutrition Plan

Kelly over at Some Random Thursday just wrote a review of her thoughts on the Swim Bike Fuel program, and I realized it was high time I did my own review.  Kelly and I have very different opinions on the program, but I’m in no way saying that her opinion is wrong.  I respect her thoughts.  I just wanted to present a different view.

So what is Swim Bike Fuel?  Well, if you’re a lady triathlete, especially a newer triathlete, you’ve probably heard of Swim Bike Mom.  Meredith A. is a fabulous lady who really presents the raw truth of training for a triathlon.  She discusses life balance and weight struggles, and one of the things I love about her is that she isn’t perfect and she’s happy to share that.

That said, like many of us, she found that her diet needed some work, so she started working with Meredith V., a nutritionist and all around lovely lady. Together, they developed the Swim Bike Fuel program.  Swim Bike Fuel is a 26 day nutrition program.  It’s not necessarily a weight loss program, but for many of us carrying around a lot of extra pounds, figuring out proper nutrition will probably lead to weight loss.

I joined the September group.  It wasn’t cheap, but I was at my wits end with weight loss.  I had been trying to lose weight for years.  Basically, once I got sick in 2010, all bets were off and my weight steadily crept up.  Some of it was stress eating.  I also blamed medications.  But I let it happen, and suddenly I was in the 180’s.  I’m 5’3″.  That’s not good.  So I tried Weight Watchers.  And I would lose a few pounds and gain it back.  I tried calorie counting.  I would lose a few pounds and gain it back.  I started to realize that my “lows” were just under 180.  I just wanted to say good bye to the 180 mark for good.  So in a fit of desperation, I signed up.

The plan is a 26 day plan, with one lesson a day.  The first lesson, I thought “Oh no.  This is obvious.  Did I just waste my money?”  But the lessons kept coming and on Day 5, I realized that I was already failing to follow Day 1.  And it got more into proper diet and emotional eating (I joke that I eat my feelings) and I realized that I was slowly starting to lose weight.  And yet, I didn’t feel like I was making MAJOR changes in my life.

One of the great things about the plan is the complete access to Meredith V. for the duration of the plan.  Each session has a private Facebook group, and while I wondered how she would give personal attention to all 100 people, she definitely managed it.  I can’t imagine how many hours she was spending answering questions.  There were also two “office hours” where the Merediths answered questions that were submitted, which were surprisingly helpful.  And recorded, if you couldn’t make the scheduled times.

Was it worth it?  To me, it definitely was.  I started the plan September 1.  I’m down almost 15 pounds since (soooo close to nailing that 15 pound mark).  Those 180’s are long gone and I hope to never see them again.  And that’s including a trip to Disney and a trip for a family funeral.  I did not eat particularly well during either and I’ve reached a bit of a plateau, but hey, I’ll take it.  I do think I made smarter choices than I would have a few months ago.  But the bigger key is that I feel better.  My skin is clearer.  I have more energy.  And the best part of the plan is that almost nothing is off limits.  (MV will tell you to avoid a few things, but hey, I haven’t missed them at all.)  I’m not calorie counting.  I’m not strictly logging what I eat (though if my weight loss stalls completely once I get back to really properly eating, I may log for a bit to see what the numbers look like).  I feel like I’m eating more food, but I think the key is that I’m eating a more balanced diet so I’m not dealing with cravings all the time.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Facebook group at first, since I’m not a huge sharer in groups like that, but it turned out to be great.  Why?  Because it wasn’t a standard weight loss group where everyone is at a different spot.  Sure, we were all at different places in our weight loss journey, but when it came to this program, we were all in the same place.  And we shared recipes and successes and failures and had a great time.

I’m not saying this program is for everyone.  Like I said, I’m not sure there was a whole lot that was “new,” but rather than dealing with contradictory information from many different sources, I just stuck with what we were taught, even if it seemed counter to what I knew (like not calorie counting, for example), and accepting that this was going to happen in baby steps.  And it worked.  There were definitely a few “A ha!” moments in there too, which I did not expect.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not magic.  There is no magic pill to weight loss.  But for me, this is what worked.  I’m a smart lady.  I thought I should have figured it out by myself, given all the research and reading that I did.  But I just couldn’t put it all together into a solid action plan.  So if like me, you’ve tried all the plans and you’re still struggling with weight or proper nutrition, check out the info and consider giving it a shot.