• The food database has been updated to include more foods. The offering will now include more than 200,000 items from various grocery stores, restaurants, and other stores.
• A new Advanced Search feature will help improve the search interface. Over time, it will better customize search results to better reflect what people are looking for, will take into account misspellings, and ensure a better overall experience. You can also filter the search results by a number of different parameters.
• The Nutrition area under My Plan has been updated with a new look and feel, as well as with some improved functionality. This update will bring your recently and frequently eaten meals to the forefront, making the process of logging meals much simpler. (NOTE: There will be a popup explaining a few of these changes when you next log in to the Transformation Tracker; to prevent this popup from displaying, simply check “Don’t show again”)
• The interface where you upload your before and after pictures has been improved, allowing you to more easily upload photos and crop them, all within the browser.

We are also announcing the official launch of a mobile app, which has previously been available only in testing. This app is available in both iTunes and Android markets. With the app, you have:

• The ability to use your mobile device to scan barcodes on food packaging, automatically uploading that food’s nutritional information so you can input it into your meal tracker.
• All the benefits of the search and food database upgrades to the website, mentioned above.

To add the mobile app to your device, search for “Make Life Better” or “Unicity” in the iTunes store or in the Google Play market (formerly known as the Android market). While the updated app has been sent to the respective app markets for approval, it may take a few days for those to become available. Be aware, the old version of the app will still be available until the new version is officially approved.

We are excited about these updates and hope they improve your experience. If you have already finished the Transformation experience, we have made the tracker available to you for an extended period of time, allowing you to use the tracker and enjoy the enhancements.

Unicity International is excited for Ashley, her accomplishments, and her upcoming trip. We’re also excited to officially announce the three winners of this quarter’s contest.

The winners are:

First Place—Ashley Okerlund

Second Place—Carol Moore-Smith

Third Place—Enzo DiGiovanni

Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who has participated in the Get Slim Now Transformation!

Read her story below:

If I had listened to all the people who said they could never lose weight after their last child, I’d have lost all hope. It’s been more than two years since I’ve been with Unicity (shortly after my 4th child), and I’m now down 4 pant sizes and 2 shirt sizes! My body is now the size that fits my frame. The scale didn’t move too much (only 15 pounds, so I’m glad I didn’t focus on that) but my clothing did, and my life did, and that’s all I needed!

Unicity products are remarkable to me. I couldn’t have achieved these results without them! I’ve incorporated many of Unicity’s products into my life, but my first love was Bios Life Slim and 4-4-12. Looking back, I realize now how remarkably different I feel, look, and live. It’s an easy thought for someone to just eat fruits and veggies and lean meat, but the truest trick for me was in controlling those cravings and balancing the blood sugars. When you’re operating from one craving to the next—with highs and lows in blood sugar swings—you’re not really living.

It’s great to feel so good again. This has been so much more than just trimming down; as a Massage Therapist, I’m well aware of the fact that too much excess fat on our bodies puts added strain on joints and pulls our bodies out of alignment. I’m most grateful that in this balancing, I have said goodbye to the depression I was dealing with and have a way to prevent the diabetes that my whole family has sadly been dealing with.

When something great changes in you, you can’t help but want to share it with others. What a gift—to be able to be healthier for my family and myself, but also help those who want to attain that same health.

Since I have felt more in control of one area in life, it has given me the desire to work on the other areas that could have used a little fine-tuning. I look back over the last two years of being with Unicity and am proud of making progress in many areas. By having better health (with the use of Unicity products and the Transformation program) I’m much happier with the newer chapters of my life’s story.

This whole transformation has been quite surprising for me. I just thought I had a few pounds to lose! WOW! What a difference. I feel like I’ve been dusted off, shaken up, and have a new start in life! I look back to how drained I was from morning to night. Instead of having a constant energy drain (which by the way, drains those around you) I now have energy to give to others.

I have always enjoyed 4-4 (since it’s my birthday), but thank you for giving me something to add to those numbers: 4-4-12.  The use of Bios Life Slim and following 4-4-12 has made the biggest impact in my life and the life of those around me.

To get people interested in attending and hosting Mixers, I started with people who were already familiar with Bios Life Slim. Some had stopped using it, but they were impressed with my results from the Transformation.

I worked to cover all my bases; I put invitations in mail boxes at work, sent out dozens of e-mails, and even used good, old fashioned mail for few invitations—each requesting that they RSVP. I then e-mailed reminders the day of the Mixer and always encouraged them to invite guests; I reminded them that if their guests sign up for the Transformation, they make the money.

I have found as people through their own Transformation, their confidence increases and I am able to encourage them to have their own mixers. I will give them a Mixer kit if they commit to having a mixer in the next two weeks, and I encourage them to go out of town to hold mixers with family or friends. If they anxious for their first mixer, I’ll pair two people up so they can support each other.

My mixers are electrifying! I try to have as many managers present who are able. Many of the guest haven’t seen me or the other managers, and don’t know about our Transformation results. They are always impressed and that sets the mood.

After I show the introduction on the DVD we tell about our results. We cheer, hoop, and holler for each other. Sometimes we do a little twirl to show off our results. We have fun! 

We talk about our 13-week experience that it was easy, we ate real food, we love the recipes, the tracker, and that we could eat out. We joke that we want to marry our coaches! Guest are able to taste the products. We share some of our favorite recipes with the Lean Complete. We tell how we are addicted to the Matcha. We share how many Transformations we each have sold so the guest will see how easy the referrals add up.

The excitement we create in these Mixers isn’t much different than the excitement I felt when I first learned about the Transformation. As I sat in the audience at the Summit and listened to the pilot participants, I wanted to experience it for myself. My goal is for my guests have that same feeling and want to experience it for themselves.

These Mixers are easily replicable. As we add new participants, they bring with them new friends and family. We continue to look outside of our community. We currently have sold 50 Transformations in nine different towns and four different states. And we’re exciting to continue moving forward.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. milk
• 4-6 Ice Cubes
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Lean Complete
• 1/2 tsp. Banana Flavor or 1/2 Banana, peeled
• Handful Walnuts

Put all ingredients in a blender, puree until smooth, and enjoy!

Is sugar toxic? We are frequently asked about the sugar and fructose in our products; but recently a well-known endocrinologist, Dr. Robert Lustig from the University of California at San Francisco, posed this hypothetical question from a scientific perspective. As a society, I don’t think we’ll like the answer (see his interviews here and here).

We cannot overestimate the importance of glycemic control. The ability to control or manage your body’s ability to metabolize glucose is paramount. A seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates the relationships between glycemic control and hazard ratios regarding various disease diagnoses, including mortality rates. The paper can be found here (subscription required). As expected, poor glycemic control—or high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values—had a linear relationship with increased hazard ratios for diabetes diagnoses. The researchers also found linear relationships with hazard ratios for stroke, coronary heart disease, and even with death. These data certainly corroborate Dr. Lustig’s and others findings.

How then can we better control our blood sugar levels? Think of the three things we address in Transformation: nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle. In each these three areas—with the help of your trained coaches—you are learning what to eat and how much of it to eat (including reducing your sugar intake), how to help your body become more efficient at using energy (achievable exercises), and lifestyle choices that remove obstacles from proper nutrient processing (sleep and stress management). As Dr. Lustig states, this has now reached pandemic levels and we need to not only live the program but share the program with as many people who need it as possible. Will you be the one to make a difference for someone in need?

You may be asking, “How does one celebrate 4-4-12 Day?”

Here’s how:

• Pledge to tell 4 friends and 4 family members in 12 hours (any 12-hour period on April 4th, 2012) about Bios Life Slim—especially Bios Life Slim’s role as part of the Make Life Better Transformation—and the 4-4-12 principle. Help them lose weight, feel great, and get in the shape they need to reach their own goals.
• Use this day to commit (or recommit) to living the 4-4-12 principle in your own life. Take advantage of those fat-burning zones and get into the best shape of your life.
• Join the American Heart Association in celebrating National Start Walking Day—also on April 4th—since we all know you’ll get the most out of living 4-4-12 when coupled with regular exercise.

Franchise Partners should submit their personal experience with sharing the message of Slim’s role in the Transformation and of 4-4-12 by e-mailing us at MarketingTeam@Unicity.net. Stories are due by 4 p.m. on 4/12 (April 12th) and the submission that best shows the success of sharing 4-4-12 will win a New iPad!

Join us in celebrating 4-4-12 and in making a difference in people’s lives!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. milk
• 4-6 Ice Cubes
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Lean Complete
• 1/2 tsp. Orange Extract or 1/2 Orange, peeled

Blend together and enjoy!

As a wife and a mother of two young children, I wanted to be an example of living a healthy lifestyle. I knew that when I was going to start my Transformation with Unicity, many aspects of my health and wellness needed to change. I had no energy, little confidence, and zero motivation. It was apparent to me that my bad habits of eating unhealthy, drinking soda, and little physical activity left me very tired and unhappy. This desire to change and be an example to my family also sparked my desire to transform what I normally saw when I opened the fridge and pantry.

I’ve tried multiple workout plans in the past with many programs focusing little attention to areas such as adequate sleep, proper hydration, eating healthy, taking sound scientific products, and ultimately looking towards an end goal. All of these programs gave me little to no results, all while I continued to struggle with the highest weight that I have been in my life.

Fortunately for me, I was introduced to the Get Slim Now Transformation program and was assigned a wonderful coach who gave me the encouragement, guidance, and education I needed to help make my transformation a success. Unicity’s program focused on all the right areas. I now manage my time more effectively by exercising every day, planning and eating healthy meals, as well as taking Unicity’s products. Some of the most important changes I made to lose weight, lower my cholesterol, and reduce certain blood levels came down to hitting it from all angles—clean food to fuel my body, weight training to build muscle, and cardio to burn fat.  Out of these three elements, my diet was probably the most important aspect as I incorporated Bios Life Slim into my meals. In the end, my physique and lab results were outstanding!

On this journey, I have found that I love weight training. I plan to continue lifting weights now that my Transformation experience has come to an end. However, this is not the end for me; in fact it is a new beginning. I am excited to continue with the knowledge I have gained and to challenge myself to see what better improvements I can make in the next 13 weeks. I have set even higher goals for myself to run a half marathon this summer and continue with weight training. I love working out and eating clean and healthy. My life has truly been transformed.

Thank you Unicity!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. milk
• 4-6 Ice Cubes
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Lean Complete
• 1/2 tsp. Root Beer Concentrate

Add all ingredients in your blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy!