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It was on Mother’s Day, 2011, that Karen McMillan made a decision that would change her life.
At the time, she weighed 225 pounds and had a rash of health issues ranging from irritable bowel syndrome and arthritis to exhaustion and acid reflux that prevented her from lying down while she slept. She had raised five children – some of whom were becoming parents themselves – and couldn’t keep up with them anymore.
The decision? To commit to the Ideal Protein regimen offered by Campbell River’s Custom Contouring Body Spa. She had seen friends “shrink and shrink and shrink,” and all touted Ideal Protein as the key.
The weight loss method promises to burn fat while supporting the body’s muscle mass through a precisely balanced diet and healthy lifestyle education, all with the support of a trained coach.
Initially, Karen thought owner Tana Doleman’s claims about the program were wildly overblown.
“I thought, ‘What a nutbar’,” Karen confesses. “We laugh about this now.”
They laugh because over the course of the four-phase program, Karen lost 54 pounds in three months and her health problems faded away. During the first week, her husband informed her that she had slept lying down, something she hadn’t done in years. Within a month, her irritable bowel syndrome was gone.
Karen gained such confidence in the services offered by Custom Contouring Body Spa that she has worked there since starting the Ideal Protein program five years ago. She is now the clinic manager and an Ideal Protein coach and treatment specialist.
Custom Contouring also offers body contouring treatments such as the Lumicell Wave 6, a machine Tana has dubbed “the goddess” for its ability to target unwanted cellulite. Karen and Tana understand that many people view these weight-loss and toning techniques with skepticism, as they both once did.
Tana turned to body contouring when the combination of daily, strenuous exercise and eating well wasn’t helping her lose the weight she gained after having two children. She and a friend found a business in Parksville that offered the Universal Contour Body Wrap – it was so effective that they would often make the drive south for the detoxification and inch-loss treatment. She wanted to make the service available to friends and family locally and so she opened Custom Contouring in Campbell River in 2009, adding the Ideal Protein method to her business soon after.
Karen also uses body contouring treatments to help maintain her current weight, including the Universal Contour Body Wrap and the Slim Smart Pro, an electronic slimming machine that simulates a natural workout, which she swears by ever since a car accident made physical exercise a challenge.
“It’s been a lifestyle change,” Karen says of the decision to take care of herself. “It’s not a magic wand, it’s not a vaccine – you have to do the work.”
Custom Contouring Body Spa is located at Suite 120 - 520 2nd St. Contact Tana or Karen at 250-287-0727 or email