About

Steve’s Story

Before there was a “food guy” or anything “56”, I was a 27-year-old waiter needing to make some immediate changes with my health. After a routine visit to my doctor, I learned I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and my doctor wanted to categorize me a pre-diabetic. I had never heard this term used about anyone before my doctor sat down with me. He also suggested I lose at least 25 lbs. I remember feeling so overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. I called my grandma, seeking advice, just to learn that she and my grandpa were dealing with similar health concerns. I was inspired to help my grandparents make better choices and hopefully break this unhealthy family legacy. I knew I had some work ahead of me. Change has not always been an easy thing for us. When you grow up in the south and you’re used to southern food, how in the world do you make them healthy?

Now 48 lbs. lighter, my heart is overflowing with admiration to my community who joined me on this journey to become healthy. Over the past few years, I have met some incredible people who have helped mold this “56” lifestyle into what it is today. It is amazing when a group of like-minded people come together to accomplish a mission of healthy living.

Carrie’s Story

In October 2015, I was in the process of instructing a yearlong pre-diabetes program through a local gym/ insurance group. We were instructed on exactly what the participants needed to do. They were to follow a low-fat diet and exercise 30 min daily. The goal was to lose 7% of their body weight and if they succeeded they would decrease their risk of diabetes by 54%. The program had a lot of positive aspects to it, but unfortunately, after 10 months I became very frustrated because the participants weren’t releasing weight.

I was sharing my frustration with my friend, Steve “The Food Guy” one day and he suggested that we take this group that I had been working with and combine them with some other friends and family. We took a “56 day” journey on eating low glycemic foods, supplementation, detoxing, learning to cook and learning a new healthy lifestyle through some of the biggest eating holidays of the year…Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas! The results were amazing! This group that I had been working with for 10 months that had hardly lost any weight ended up releasing between 20-30 pounds!

I was sold…not only because I had seen with my own eyes their results but because of my own personal results. I did not need to release any weight. I considered myself very healthy. I am a nurse, a fitness instructor and a busy wife and mom to 3 kids. I HAVE to be healthy, right? My personal health issue was inflammation. I had gone to the doctor several times with pain in my wrists and ankles that would hit me out of the blue. X-rays were normal, blood work was normal, so why was I hurting so bad? I followed the food list and made changes in my own life with supplementation and within 3 weeks I had my “aha moment” when I realized it had been a few days since I had experienced any joint pain.

For almost 3 years now I have seen and heard testimony after testimony of people getting their health back. #thenext56days is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of learning how to balance your blood sugar, how to decrease your inflammation, how to detox, how to release weight, how to learn to cook your favorite meals “56 day” style. It’s about support, it’s about accountability. It’s about a community coming together to become healthier. We’re excited that YOU are about to start your journey for the next 56 days!