I figured I’d back up a step or two and talk about why, out of all the programs out there, Precision Nutrition was the lucky group to take on crazy ol’ me.
Part of it, like I mentioned in my last post, was just serendipity; PN’s email showed up right when I needed to see it. Funny how life works, right? While I hadn’t hit rock bottom, I had finally come to see that I couldn’t continue on the path I was on. It’s too easy to sit on the couch and eat bon-bon’s all day, ya know?
So, once the PN email had caught my eye, I did my due diligence and searched online for non-affiliated sources for review. And – I have to say – I didn’t find a whole lot out there in the way of first person experience with the program (that wasn’t on the PN website, of course — and, which is why I started this blog). I did find a few, though, and without exception the opinion of the program was high, even taking into account the monthly fees.
Still, I wasn’t sure. I probably read every last bit of the website — and more than once, at that. I liked their attitude about food and lifestyle — from what it sounded like, they weren’t going to push a specific diet on me (Paleo, low carb, vegan, etc), but rather go about creating nutrition habits that would make me a healthier eater. More whole and fresh foods, less crap and processed food. And really, isn’t that what every successful diet shares? Seems to me that’s the most important part of it.
Another factor was it seemed like they weren’t going to push a whole lot of supplements on me. I knew it would annoy me if I was paying $100/month and then after signing up was told, oh, by the way, you need to buy another $100/month worth of our vitamins and if you don’t, you won’t be considered “compliant” with the program (and thereby wouldn’t be qualified for either the cash prize or money back if not satisfied). Turns out that they are pretty gung-ho about fish oil and probiotics, but have also been straightforward in saying that you can buy it from anywhere and get any brand you like, so I’ll withhold judgment for now. Perhaps it’s the best thing since sliced bread (heh, see what I did there?).
The most important part of why I decided on PN? The fact that I had to commit to a full year. I know myself… had I done something like Weight Watchers (which I had considered), I knew I’d bail out either when it got hard or when I made a little progress. I need daily accountability. I need someone looking after me. I need to know that there will be someone looking for me if I disappear (you have to provide an “emergency” number so that if you go missing, they have someone to contact (!!)) and I definitely need someone handing out gold stars for good behavior. The idea of small teams with coaches that could get to know me personally really resonated with me.
Oh, and yea, there’s that cash prize thing I referred to. Grand prize? $25,000!!! Yup. I’m in it for the green. Talk about motivation! I’m already figuring out how to spend my winnings…
