Who Is George Anyway?

Several years ago I was running an alcoholism treatment center. We were looking for a meal replacement option to use for breakfast. I thought if we could put together a quick and easy shake, our clients would be able to get the protein and carbohydrates we felt would be optimal for their recovery. My senior counselor, George, and I made up a mixture which seemed to fit the bill really well. The guys started referring to it as "George's Shake."

However, after a while, the guys started complaining about how much work it was to have to get all the ingredients and mix it up every day. I went on a quest to find a ready-made option. I went to the manufacturer of the protein powder we were using and asked them if they would make a private label sugars-free shake. They got so excited about it that they asked if they could make it as part of their regular product line. They did this and the product was distributed nationally through health food stores. It sold about 60,000 units.

A year later, a large corporation who was not interested in a small-production, sugar-free product bought the company. They decided against continuing to make the shake and broke their contract. I was left with our great idea and no way to formulate, produce and distribute George's Shake. I spent a year looking for a manufacturer to produce the shake according to my own specifications. I revised the ingredients based on research I had done in the ensuing years. I had a label designed that reflected our excitement about a sugars-free product. Because the shake had been so well received in its earlier incarnation, I was excited and optimistic about the revised product. I invested my life savings into producing our first batch of new shake. I felt as if I was literally putting my money behind my conviction about the value of the shake.

After nearly two years of intensive work, the new manufacturer shipped the finished product to me in Albuquerque. A large semi truck pulled up to my house. The driver said, "Where is your warehouse, Lady?" I smiled and said, "Um, don't have one." Then he said, "Where is the forklift?" I said, "I don't have one. Do you have any ideas?" So he unhooked the front of his truck and left the rear of the semi truck full of shake in my yard. A couple of days later, four of my friends helped me unload the shake and store it. This was 3 days before I was to leave on a 2-week book tour to promote The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program.
A couple of weeks after we had started shipping the shake, someone asked me why the shake was "blecchie." I was horrified, since I use it every day and couldn't imagine what the problem might be. I sent an individual letter to all the people who had purchased the shake and asked about their experiences. Surprisingly, I got some pretty nasty feedback. It kind of threw me for a loop. The negative feedback was so far from my own experience and the glowing reports of so many experienced people who were using the shake, I knew there had to be some missing piece.

It took some digging and detective work, but we found the culprit. It seemed that the manufacturer had decided to add a scoop (against my specifications) and worse, had added a scoop that was larger than the recommended serving amount. If the scoop was used, the shake tasted pretty bad. Worse than "blechhie."

The taste problem was a function of the proportions. The people who had disregarded the scoop or who had simply decided to personalize their mixture to taste loved it. When the shake was made in the right proportions, it was yummy. I knew that the particular combination of ingredients could not be beat for the sugar sensitive biochemistry. The comments from the people who had figured out the right proportions confirmed this.

So we gathered up more info from the people who loved it and designed these information pages to help you better use it. The shake, like most of what we do, has found its place through a lived experience. It is not magical solution, but is a simple, easy to use alternative to support your recovery.

Over time, I learned more about soy and found that using soy is not a good option for children and teens, so I went back to the drawing board. I spent two years researching whey and what differences come with production and manufacturing. We started a new line called George's Junior that we all love.

Real George died last year, a victim of alcohol relapse. But the hope and spirit of recovery continues in our product line. We loved George and we love the products that carry his name.