As Utah Weight Loss Company Celebrates 10-Year-Mark, Its ‘Anti-Dieting’ Mission Gaining Traction

LINDON, Utah - April 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Despite the popularity of exercise and diet programs, more than half of Americans are overweight or obese. As of 2012, Gallup reported (http://www.gallup.com/poll/160061/obesity-rate-stable-2012.aspx) that 26.2% of Americans were obese and 36.1% were overweight, while only 35.9% of Americas were at a normal weight.

If the diet industry is thriving, why are dieters struggling? The owners of IdealShape (www.idealshape.com), a Utah-based weight loss company, have an answer: people aren’t building a mental foundation for weight loss.

“Successful weight loss starts in the mind, and most popular weight loss programs don’t address that,” said Carla Meine, IdealShape CEO. “Learning what to do, nutrition- and exercise-wise, is the easy part. Figuring out how to make changes in a sustainable way is the hard part.”

Carla and David Meine founded IdealShape in 2003. Carla was named one of the “30 Women to Watch” by Utah Business magazine in 2009 and is involved in several local entrepreneurship groups. David is an author and Certified Hypnotherapist specializing in weight loss.

Celebrating IdealShape’s 10-year anniversary this month, David and Carla Meine have redoubled their mission to help create a shift in the way people see dieting and weight loss.

“It’s taken 10 years and we’re making a lot of headway,” said Carla Meine. “People are finally realizing that they’ve been on low-fat, low-carb diets forever and keep putting the weight back on. We’re finally seeing people get comfortable with what’s going on at a psychological level and using mental tools to take control.”

To date, IdealShape has helped more than 50,000 clients lose weight. Customers have lost up to 140 pounds on the IdealShape plan. The IdealShape team attributes this success to ‘brain training’ and lots of engagement with customers.

While IdealShape sells up to 400 items a day via its website—including its popular meal replacement shakes and bars—the support doesn’t stop there. IdealShape offers free exercise plans, hosts weekly webinars, runs an active social media community and created an audio hypnotherapy program recorded by David Meine.

“It’s not just about pushing shakes, it’s about changing lives,” said Carla Meine. “We’ve learned that means teaching people how to create permanent, positive habits and behaviors so they don’t get caught in yo-yo cycles. And it means providing support during their transition.”

Last year, IdealShape launched a nationwide weight loss contest for customers and flew the year’s 12 winners to Park City, Utah, to share their success stories and compete for the grand prize: a Caribbean cruise.

“Hearing the contestants tell their stories of how we helped them achieve their health and weight loss goals was a tear-jerker. It was an incredible experience, and an ‘aha moment’ for our employees—what we do really does matter,” said Carla Meine.

With a rapidly-increasing customer base and a new book just published in January, IdealShape’s mission to help people lose weight effectively is gaining traction.

“It takes a while for people to understand the role the mind plays in weight loss. It’s a movement and it’s going to take a lot longer, but we’re feeling the shift,” David Meine said.

The book, “Think: Use Your Mind to Shrink Your Waistline,” written by David Meine, is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, iTunes, ThinkBook.com and is being released as an audio book on audible.com.

About IdealShape:

Founded in 2003, IdealShape creates nutritional meal replacement shakes, meal replacement bars and weight loss supplements. The family-owned company is headquartered in Lindon, Utah, and has 16 employees.

To interview David Meine or Carla Meine, visit www.idealshape.com or www.facebook.com/idealshape.