My Bouari Weight Loss Experience - Day 9: Doing it Right

Sorry to those following these posts. I was supposed to update yesterday but was overtaken by some errands which spilled over into today. Anyway, I have some good and bad news to report. As you can see from the picture above, I've lost some more weight. So this makes a total of 8.6 pounds that I have lost so far. That is the good news. The bad news was, yesterday, I was at 146.4 and had been hovering between that and 147 for the previous two days. My weight loss had plateaued, and this was days ahead of what was usually the case. Why, you ask? I wasn't really following the meal plan in the program booklet.

I had an appointment with my health consultant yesterday, and as it happened, the founder of the Bouari program who drew up the nutrition plan, Dr. Carol Ann Chaney-Bouari, was there. The health consultant for the Tukwila branch of the program, Alan, was also there. It was a very interesting hour or so, as we really went into the plan in the booklet, with the sample menu and the acceptable food list.


You know, I had mentioned earlier that I did not want to change my routine too much so that I could get back to it after my 30-day program ended. But that was a bad decision, and was actually sabotaging the program. The Bouari protocol, if followed closely, with the suggested food choices, is supposed to raise the body metabolism. By eating my usual foods, especially bananas, carbohydrates and dairy products, I was drawing my body back to its usual slow way of processing the food I eat.

For instance, Carol explained that the banana is a high-glycemic fruit, which means that it supplies the body quickly with sugar, but is also easily converted to fat. One thing that she pointed out to me in the suggested menu plan is the requirement to eat some protein with almost each meal. It could be an egg, a small portion of chicken breast or steak, some shrimp, and fish. Each meal is also supposed to have some of the acceptable fruits or vegetables.

Another way I had been cheating on the plan was in the amount of liquids I was taking. I needed half an ounce of water per body pound but was barely taking a third of that. It is required to help regulate my system and also flush out metabolized substances.

I came away from the discussion much more aware of the science of how the body works, and how I could help my body to perform better. I had complained that there seemed to be too much eating going on, with three main meals and two snacks. However, my health consultant, Joni, made an analogy of the body to how the car works.

Food is fuel to the body, and like a car, the body needs fuel. However, we decide the kind of fuel we give to the body. The Bouari protocol, with the meal plan, teaches one how to give the body premium fuel. Simply reducing portions of the wrong foods, or starving oneself, is analogous to running on adulterated fuel or worse, on empty. (By the way, Joni may be coming over later, so you may leave your questions or comments for her.)

I loved that analogy, and now I'm very excited and looking forward to a healthier weight loss experience.