More often than not, when clients hire a Clar-e-ty Coach they are seeking some type of weight loss or body recomp goal and/or desire a better relationship with food.
Which is a totally viable and achievable goal in many cases!
Usually these clients have tried various diets in the past (Keto, Intermittent Fasting, WeightWatchers, RP Strength, etc.) and have achieved results. However, after their “diet” ends and they go back to eating the foods they’ve had to cut, they start seeing the scale rise a few months down the road.
This doesn’t mean this person has failed whatsoever, but that this person wasn’t taught or educated on how to build sustainable nutrition habits that will last a lifetime, or how to incorporate foods they love into their day-to-day. And that’s not that person’s fault at all!
Everyone is SO different. Everyone has different goals, different non-negotiables, different dieting histories, different eating preferences, different jobs, different schedules, different lifestyles.
Which is why, at Clar-e-ty, we preach the power in individualized nutrition coaching.
Is it doable to lose 20lbs in 30 Days following your cutting template? Maybe.
Is that the healthiest approach? Nope.
Will you be eating foods you enjoy? Nope.
Will you see quick results? Maybe.
Will you be miserable and hangry? Probably.
The key question is, will you be able to sustain that weight loss progress you’ve made once your “diet” is done?
Maybe, maybe not, but more than likely not because you haven’t had an expert to make the right adjustments for you along the way, or educate you on what real dieting looks like and how to achieve the real and lasting results we all desire!
And today I want to talk about one client’s journey over the past two and a half months working with Clar-e-ty. As I mentioned, everyone’s nutritional needs and the way their diet needs to be periodized is unique to them.
But this client is crushing it and I’m so proud. They’ve learned SO much in the past two and a half months working together and established the habits and practices they will need going forward instilling lasting results.
And they look pretty dang amazing, if you ask me J.
So a little bit of bragging to be done because this client rocks, but overall this blog is meant to provide you with the proof that dieting and progress takes time. Building new habits takes time. And education and getting real results that you can adhere to long-term takes TIME.
The reason this client has been so successful is because they’ve trusted the process and they are committed taking the time required to see lasting results.
So without further ado, it’s time to meet Winnie!
Winnie’s Journey With Clar-e-ty Over the Past 2.5 Months
Winnie came to Clar-e-ty having tried the RP diet app, which was successful initially, but became too strict and then easily fell to the wayside. She also tried intermittent fasting for 2 months, but saw no changes and no progress there.
Being a mom of 3, a healthcare worker, and having to navigate her children’s online learning through a pandemic, Winnie desired education on how to make better choices around food, some weight loss, and for someone to hold her accountable to her goals.
I could tell right off the bat that Winnie was more than willing to commit to the process whole-hearty and had a lot of potential for growth. Being a healthcare worker and mom of 3 just shows how selfless Winnie is. The biggest lesson Winnie needed to learn was how to show up for herself and I loved having the opportunity to show her how to do that through her nutrition.
Winnie’s Starting Intake and Prescription
Winnie’s starting average intake, as you can see above, was roughly 1,075 calories. She had trouble finding time to eat and sitting down to get in more than two meals per day. Most mornings consisted of just a protein shake, or nothing at all, so it was my job to work with her on some ways we could add meals into her day-to-day while still including the Pandesal, Ube Mochi, Pancit, and all of the traditional Filipino foods she wanted to enjoy with her family. Winnie also has a sweet tooth (so do I), so figuring out how to keep the sweets in her diet was also a non-negotiable for her.
Another huge priority of mine, as Winnie’s coach, was going to be getting her intake up via a reverse diet. I had Winnie’s maintenance sitting at almost 2,000 calories, so it was vital to get Winnie’s intake up from her 1,075 calorie initial intake before we specifically targeted weight loss. We could have easily brought her intake down to 800-900 calories, and she probably would have lost a few lbs quickly, but this would have been detrimental to her health.
At Clar-e-ty, we are NEVER willing to sacrifice someone’s health and biofeedback for quick results, so 9/10 new clients start out with a reverse diet to get there intake up to as close to their maintenance as possible. From there, in Winnie’s case, we can cut calories from 2,000 down to 1,700-1,800 calories and get results while following a plan that is not only easier to adhere too than 800 cals/day, but also isn’t going to tank her biofeedback and make her feel like dog poo.
Considering Winnie’s goals, her initial plan was portions-based. We wanted to first educate her on how to include three to four balanced meals into her day-to-day, what her food was comprised of, get her moving, and get her prioritizing herself before calorie/macro targets were added. It’s all about mastering the basics so that clients aren’t overwhelmed in the onboarding process.
As the weeks progress and clients feel more comfortable and are adhering well to the plan, new habits are created.
As I mentioned before, Winnie was committed to the process so we started slowly adding portions to her plan, first protein, then carbs and fats, and here’s what happened…
Increasing Intake
Slowly and steadily over the past two and a half months, we’ve worked to increase Winnie’s overall intake. We first added in portions of protein, then carbs and fats. Once Winnie was including a veggie/fruit at every meal, she had three to four balanced meals with protein, carbs, and fats each day, and she was feeling ready, we added calorie and protein targets for her to hit.
Winnie was already somewhat familiar with tracking macros. However, coming off her portions-based plan, I wanted her to feel like she had a little more flexibility with hitting macros, BUT would also continue to use what she’d learned about having balanced meals 3 to 4 times per day going forward (aka habit stacking).
Winnie has mastered her protein and calorie targets over the past few weeks, and is now ready to tackle adding in carb and fat targets in the coming weeks. Here is what Winnie’s current intake looks like:
As you can see, VERY different from when she first came to Clar-e-ty. Her average intake is now sitting at 1,950 calories. That’s almost 1,000 calories more than when she started!! But important to note that these calories weren’t just added overnight. We upped her intake 100-150 calories per week to get her to where she’s at now during her reverse diet.
Even though we weren’t actively targeting fat loss, Winnie, as you can clearly see in her progress photos, Winnie LOOKS AMAZING. She’s one of the lucky ones who has lost weight during her reverse diet! She’s eating more food than ever before and still seeing results. HUGE WIN!
Movement
Winnie was already pretty great about prioritizing movement, but going into January, she started a 30 Min per day Movement Challenge that worked wonders for her not only physically, but also mentally!
Once the end of January hit, I challenged her to continue her 30 Min of Movement per day into February and then March.
Winnie moves differently every day. Sometimes her 30 Mins of Movement is dancing, sometimes it’s walking with her family, sometimes it’s yoga, or stretching, and sometimes it’s a CrossFit style workout, but the point is, Winnie is MOVING! Not only do I hold Winnie accountable to her movement, but she holds herself accountable through movement as well. Another HUGE WIN!!
No More Restriction
Instead of taking the sweets/treats out of Winnie’s diet, we learned quickly how to navigate including sweets into her day-to-day. If she was craving sweets, she had the sweets!
The biggest challenge we troubleshooted with Winnie’s cravings since they were late at night, was whether, or not she had enough nutrient-dense food that day. If Winnie had missed a meal, or just had a protein shake for dinner, cravings were high because her body needed sustenance!
We didn’t want to cut sweets out altogether, so here’s something I had her ask herself BEFORE reaching for sweets/treats and 30 mins after her last balanced meal:
“Are you actually hungry, or just bored? Are you actually craving the sweets, or have you had enough nutrient-dense food today, and is your body just craving real nutrients?”
If she had a balanced meal beforehand and had fueled herself throughout the day, there’s no reason why she can’t enjoy a Girl Scout Cookie, or two, or a serving of ice cream, or some Ube Mochi if she wanted it!!
Winnie no longer deprives herself and is in control of her hunger and cravings because she now knows that when her body is craving food, she hasn’t provided it with enough nutrients that day and it’s time to eat!
Winnie is still incorporating treats into her day-to-day and still getting results. Pretty neat right?
Winnie Today
Because Winnie is so dedicated to the process and willing to adhere to the plan given to her, she’s seen fantastic results. She’s put in all the work and implemented the habits needed to see progress.
Winnie openly communicates with me when something isn’t working, has an open mind, and is always willing to try something new. Winnie trusted me when I added food to her intake because I educated her on why she needed more food and why her cravings were high.
Winnie also trusted me and even reframed her mindset around the scale when a few weeks into her plan, she wasn’t seeing the scale move. She was patient and started celebrating non-scale victories like fitting better in her clothes, sleeping better, and having more energy instead of focusing solely on the scale.
Winnie’s eating MORE FOOD and enough food to support her lifestyle, her clothes are fitting better, she’s feeling better in her own skin, she’s moving more, she knows how to fuel her body, she has more energy, she’s in control of her hunger and cravings, AND still seeing results without depriving herself. Once Winnie starting prioritizing herself and her health and her results came.
Winnie is now in a place where, if she still wants to target weight loss, we are able to do so not only because her intake is up to her maintenance, but because she has instilled and practiced the habits that require long-term results.
She has a healthy mindset around food and can now handle the stress of a cut because of the work we’ve done over the past two and a half months.
Winnie is even educating her family on how to create balanced meals! AND reiterating what she’s learning with Clar-e-ty about eating enough food to support your needs and hunger and cravings levels to her husband and children!! HUGE WIN!!!
What You Can Learn from Winnie’s Story
As mentioned previously, everyone is different. Sometimes reverse diets take 2 months, sometimes 5 months, sometimes 8 months. It all depends on that person and what their previous dieting history is.
Winnie is one of the lucky people who still saw weight loss in a reverse diet, but that’s not always the case and that’s OKAY!
But Winnie has been so successful because she understands there’s SO much more to nutrition coaching than food. It’s all about cultivating health and wellness habits that lead to lasting results.
WHICH TAKES TIME. Sometimes months, sometimes YEARS!
And Winnie is dedicated and committed to doing so.
To say I’m proud, is an understatement. Winnie has gone above and beyond over the past few months and it’s an honor to have the opportunity to be her coach.
I had to take this week to brag on Winnie, but I have so many clients like Winnie! All of my clients rock in their own way and are seeing amazing successes because they know what it takes to achieve their desired results.
Are you ready to have accountability, crush your goals, and cultivate lasting results like Winnie?
Apply here to work with a Clar-e-ty Coach and let us help you achieve the results you’ve been looking for.
Resources and Coaching:
Online Coaching here.
[Free] Nutrition Guide here.
Recipe & Macro Guide here.