AIM employee loses 75 pounds with AIM’s Lean Team,
a new exercise regimen, and improved eating habits

Phillip Jermann finally reached his limit when he weighed in at 252 pounds.

“And that’s just when I finally weighed myself, so I know I was more than that at one time,” says Phillip. “I am the laziest guy ever; I don’t like to do exercise at all. I was even very athletic in high school and then I went to college and I just ballooned.”

Phillip, a biologist at the AIM corporate office in Nampa, Idaho, began trying to lose weight around the time AIM was developing AIM fit ’n fiber®, which provides a satiated feeling that can help reduce appetite. Phillip took it regularly until the end of 2008 and lost about 20 pounds just from that one small change. It wasn’t until fall of 2009, when his weight was still somewhere in the 230s, that he decided it was time to really focus on losing weight.

“At that time I started adding the ProPeas to the fit ’n fiber,” says Phillip. “I added exercise to that and also started counting my calories every day. In January (2010) I started to get into it really hard, and I’ve been doing it from January until now.”

Fortunately, Phillip had some extra motivation. From this past April to June, the employees at the AIM corporate office held a weight-loss contest. Phillip didn’t have the confidence to participate in the company contest in 2009, but this year he was already on his way to a healthier weight.

“Because I’m super competitive, as soon as the fitness challenge started my first thought was, ‘I am going to beat everybody.’ It helped to keep me motivated for sure,” says Phillip.

Phillip began his exercise regime in January by walking during his lunch breaks at work. He would drive to a pond nearby and walk around the track once or twice. Eventually, one lap turned into two, and two turned into three. From there he began to jog, and now he runs from the AIM building to the track and jogs almost five miles a day, five days a week.

Phillip won the office fitness challenge and is now working on his long-term weight loss goals. Though getting in shape wasn’t easy, his biggest struggle with the lifestyle change was watching what he ate. 

“The diet was the hardest part,” says Phillip. “I watch Food Network; I like to eat, I like to cook, I like things to taste good. But I ate out all the time and I ate the worst foods.”

Phillip has found that one of the best ways to combat hunger is by using the ProPeas and the fit ’n fiber at different times during the day. He still eats regular meals, but the products keep him full and satisfied in between.

“If I’m hungry between breakfast and lunch, I’ll make some fit ’n fiber with some ProPeas,” says Phillip. “Or if I’m feeling hungry in the afternoon and I want a snack, that’s when I take the products. So it’s not at the same time every day, but I just use them when I feel like my body needs it.”

Now Phillip has more energy and more self-confidence, and only three pounds to go until he reaches his goal of being 175 pounds. The best advice he can give to someone hoping to follow in his footsteps is to use the products.

“Some people are taking maybe one product like Herbal Fiberblend and they think that’s enough, but they don’t get the satiety or that feeling of fullness,” says Phillip. “Then when you add that to the ProPeas and you’re getting that protein source that’s low in calories, it sustains you. So you feel full from the fit ’n fiber and you have protein for your body to burn … people don’t realize how much help those two products are.

“There’s no such thing as a magic pill, so using those products is the best thing to do. And the second is counting calories. I’ve counted everything I’ve eaten since January. I use free websites online to track my calories every day.”

Phillip thinks it’s possible that some people try the two products together and don’t see results right away, so they stop using them. He emphasizes the importance of understanding that weight loss doesn’t happen overnight.

“You’ve got to have some kind of plan,” says Phillip. “I’d say to myself, ‘I need to write down what I’m putting in my body, I need to take my products, and I need to burn some of it off.’ Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the door at work, or walking a mile every day … just do what you can do.”

This testimonial should not be construed as representing results everybody can achieve.