UP 7 POUNDS AND FITTING IN HER JEANS.
Most clients that come to me are not ready to truly pursue their goals.
Due to chronic over-dieting/calorie restriction, most clients that sign on with us aren’t actually in a position to further diet.
Sorry ya’ll.
If someone is eating only 1200 calories (in Jennifer’s case: 800 calories… sad story…GASP!), we aren’t really in a position to further cut calories. And in fact, this would be a disservice to the client. Not to mention, it’s unethical in my opinion, to have anyone eat below 1200 calories.
Meet my client, Jennifer. At 6 feet tall, Jennifer was only eating 800-1200 calories/day prior to meeting me AND gaining weight AND stressing big time over what/how much to eat. Over 3 months we gradually titrated her calories up to 2300-2400 calories a day and approximately 150-160g Protein, 185g Carbs, and 110g Fat.
In the process Jennifer gained 7 pounds.
BUT she also gained:
- More flexibility + freedom with her nutrition (she learned an all foods fit approach, and reduced the shame and guilt previously associated with food/fitness)
- Strength
- Lean muscle
- Fit into her jeans!! That’s right! The scale doesn’t always reflect improvements in body composition.
Jennifer and I also worked together to discontinue her birth control and have strategies in place to support hormones and her menstrual cycle. As a result Jennifer no longer sees wild weight fluctuations around her menstrual cycle. Previously she would gain 8-10 pounds around her cycle (yikes)!
Sometimes a client has to GAIN weight in order to restore thyroid + hormones. It doesn’t mean we have to stay there, but oftentimes it’s necessary initially. Especially if you come from a long history of diets, restriction, or disordered eating patterns.
Calories are kind of like money. The more calories you have, the more flexible you can be in spending. Life is a lot easier when you’re eating > 2,000 calories a day. Take it from Jennifer.
