Total Wellness UPGRADE: Faucheaux’s Ideal Protein efforts provide healthier outlooks

Published 12:03 am Saturday, May 27, 2017

LAPLACE — A self-described “gym rat,” Holly Faucheaux became frustrated when everything she knew about diet and nutrition began to fail her once she reached her 40s.

She tried Weight Watchers and NutriSystem but nothing seemed to work.

Then her doctor husband, Antoine Faucheaux III, told her to look into Ideal Protein.

The Ideal Protein starter kit includes 28 packets of food, one month’s supplements and a shaker bottle.

“To be honest, I rolled my eyes,” said Faucheaux, a surgical technician. “I said, ‘Yada, yada, yada. If it helps your patients lose weight, fantastic. I’m not your girl. See ya later.’”

Now, six years later, Faucheaux is a firm believer.

Not only is she maintaining the weight she wants, she has taken over her husband’s office at Rue de Sante Women’s Center, where she helps a roster of about 45 clients follow the plan.

Once she looked into it, Faucheaux discovered it was a common sense approach to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle overall.

“I was impressed,” she said. “The good part about this company is it continues to grow and change.”

Developed by Dr. Tran Tien Chanh, a general practitioner and sports physician in Paris, the diet stresses low carbohydrate eating with lots of vegetables and the right amount of protein, designed to help clients reach and maintain a healthy weight. He also recognized the links between obesity and health issues, including diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol issues.

It bills itself as a “total wellness plan.”

Followers move in phases, from weight loss to maintenance while turning the body into a fat-burning machine.

“A lot of times, you can do any diet and that’s great, you’ll lose weight,” Faucheaux said. “But you also lose muscle besides the fat. When you gain it back, you gain the fat back but not the muscle. This is a muscle-sparing diet. That is what makes a difference.

“Then, it’s a whole protocol, a whole lifestyle. We want you to think beyond just losing weight. Our whole focus is health, actually. I get a lot of people off of their diabetes medication. I’ve gotten a lot of people off of their cholesterol medication. Their blood pressure is much better. That’s what we’re about.”

Faucheaux’s Ideal Protein clients receive weekly one-on-one nutrition counseling. They also can purchase nearly 70 food products to help them achieve their goals, including salad dressings, snacks, protein shakes, salt alternatives and even macaroni and cheese.

As Faucheaux points out, the program is ever-changing to keep up with modern technology.

This month it introduced a new, free comprehensive smartphone app, which connects to a Smart Band worn on the wrist.   Clients, who must be at least 17 years old, are able to log their food and water intake in the app, as well as access fitness videos.

The Smart Band logs sleep and activity levels.  All that information is sent to Faucheaux’s computer to help her monitor her clients.

There’s even a new scale which measures body weight, fat and body mass index and connects to the Smart Band and the app.

“It’s all HIPPA compliant and, as a coach, I’ll be able to access all my dieters’ info and communicate directly,” Faucheaux said, adding she is one of the first in the nation to get the new technology.

There is a one time, first time consultation fee of $150. A starter kit, which includes 28 packets of food, one month’s supplements, a shaker bottle and some extras costs $245 (tax included). Other food items and the gadgets may be purchased separately.

Beginning June 5, Faucheaux will hold weekly information sessions, which are free and open to the public. The 30-minute sessions will be held at 6:30 p.m. each Monday at the Rue de Sante Women’s Center, 301 Rue de Sante in LaPlace.

For more information, contact Faucheaux at 504-533-4952, visit idealprotein.com or email simplyidealweightlosscenter@gmail.com.