This isn’t my first rodeo. Back in 2012 I began to focus on weight loss and eventually lost nearly 40 pounds. I was in the best shape I had been in throughout my adult life. My 2nd son was born in 2013, and I managed to stay healthy during my pregnancy, lose the pregnancy weight fairly quickly, and then lose some more. When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2015 I gained about 30 pounds, which isn’t a lot by most standards especially since I was very healthy pre-pregnancy.
The problem was that after I had my daughter the weight didn’t come off like it had after I had my son in 2013. I had set a goal to run a half marathon before she turned 1, and then a marathon before she turned 2. I accomplished both of those goals (yes, I celebrate those wins!), but the weight still didn’t come off. In June of 2017 I had a partial hysterectomy, which caused a slight shift in my hormones, and therefore changes in my metabolism.
After the marathon in January 2018, I had lost all motivation to stay healthy. Training for the marathon took a lot out of me, and as proud as I was of that accomplishment, I wanted nothing to do with running or cross-training, and I had already started to allow myself to eat more because well… when you’re training for a marathon and burning 1 million calories you get pretty hungry.
I have become increasingly uncomfortable over the last 4 years. It’s not just about how I look in the mirror, but how I feel throughout my day-to-day activities. I feel myself getting tired with simple things like carrying laundry up and down the stairs, bending over to tie my shoes, and putting on a pair of my “fat pants” that were getting tight. Though the worst thing was that my mental health was slipping, and quickly. I made a few attempts to implement some changes over the last year or so, but it didn’t stick until now. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but a switch flipped (perhaps the “fresh start” of a new year), and now I feel myself finally committed and motivated to change.
Having done this before, I figured I knew exactly what to do. I started with simple changes, but I compounded them each week. I gave up soda and fried foods, reduced my alcohol and red meat intake, and I increased my physical activity. Then, I started tracking all that I was eating through MyFitnessPal and trying to stick within a 1200-1400 calorie goal. Jon and I finally set up the gym we were planning to put together in our basement, and between working out almost daily and eating 1200-1400 calories I expected a significant calorie deficit, because in simple terms calorie deficit = weight loss.
The problem was that the weight was barely coming off. Jon was rapidly losing weight, but I wasn’t. Some weeks I would be down a pound or 2, but others I either didn’t lose at all or I lost very little. It was frustrating, and I felt like something was off. I had posted about it a few times on my Facebook page, and someone suggested speaking with a nutritionist. This was something I hadn’t thought of before because, like I said, this isn’t my first rodeo… But I felt like something was just not right, and I thought it couldn’t hurt to sit down with an expert and hear what they had to say.
The doctor who I normally use for gynecology specializes in multiple areas of women’s health and wellness (and also men’s health and wellness when it comes to that department). I had seen their services listed when I visited them in the past, read some great reviews, and I decided to give them a call to set up a consultation.
The 1-hour consultation was $110, but if you decide to work with them on a program they apply that $110 towards the price of the program you choose. Which I think is fair enough considering the amount of education/knowledge and experience they have to offer even within the 1 hour consultation.
During the 1-hour consultation my coach listened to my goals, questions, and concerns. She asked me questions about my lifestyle, including my relationship with food and activity level. Then, she made a suggestion for me for a program. She covered all of the programs that they offer, but made a specific suggestion based on my goals and lifestyle. Luckily, I don’t have much of a problem with overeating, so I wasn’t a great candidate for an appetite suppressant (like Contrave). I also am not interested in quick, dramatic weight loss that often can be achieved with the HCG diet, and since I am a runner, the Ketogenic diet was also not a good fit for me.
I went ahead and chose the program she recommended for me. It is a 6 month program that focuses solely on healthy eating habits and activity. I was actually averaging about 1123 calories per day, and with a 1 hour workout each day that was leaving my calorie deficit for someone of my weight and height at a well over 1000 calorie deficit. Long story short, this is NOT good for your metabolism.
When you do not consume enough calories, you may lose weight quickly in the short term, but over time your metabolism will adjust (or be completely decimated, if we’re honest). Our bodies are very intuitive and designed to sustain our lives through feast and famine as our ancestors frequently found themselves experiencing. Especially when you add in activity and you’re not eating enough calories, the body will go into “starvation” mode, the metabolism slows, and weight loss will eventually stall or you may even notice you start to gain body fat again as your body works to preserve it’s energy stores. I already knew this, but I still was thinking that the magic number of 1200-1400 calories would prevent that from happening.
I learned from my consultation that this is absolutely NOT the case. For a woman of my age, height, and activity-level I should be eating quite a bit more calories than what I have been. Eating more of the RIGHT calories will start to rev up my metabolism, and I should actually start to see more progress with weight loss as I slowly increase my calorie intake and keep my activity level the same.
The plan is to do this over the course of about the first 90 days. In the first 7 days (after my travel) I will do a liver detox (I purchased this in addition to my program). This is something that I really feel like my body needs. During detox I will be following a specific diet that equates to about 1,000 calories of clean (i.e. organic), nutritious foods as well as a protein shake, a fiber supplement (greens), and a supplement for metabolism support. This should release many of the toxins in my system and allow us to determine how my body responds to a slight calorie reduction before we start adding in some calories. After that I will receive a new template every 2 weeks to build myself up to eating somewhere between 1600-2000 calories depending on how my body responds. If, all of the sudden, I just started eating 1800 calories after eating an average of 1123 calories for weeks, I would likely gain weight, which is the opposite of the goal. Repairing my metabolism will take time, and I understand and appreciate that. I want to do what is going to be BEST for my body in the long run even if it means I don’t drop the weight super quickly like I might with the HCG or Ketogenic diet.
After roughly 90 days we should have a general idea of where my metabolic rate functions most efficiently. Once we find that “sweet spot” we will work on finding the right balance between a calorie deficit from exercise and a diet that supports optimal metabolic function.
I know you’re wondering about cost, so here is how it broke down for me. Keep in mind that this could vary significantly depending on the rates of your coach/nutritionist as well as the type of program you choose.
Initial 1-hour Consultation = $110
7 Day Detox Program Including Protein, Fiber/Greens, and Metabolism Support Supplements = $108 (Optional)
6 Month Healthy Habits Program including bi-weekly consultations w/my coach = $500
The Initial 1-hour Consultation and the 7 Day Detox basically offset each other’s costs, so the remaining balance I paid for my 6 Month Healthy Habits Program + 7 day detox was $498 after the application of the consultation fee towards the balance. Although the cost must be paid in full, it breaks down to about $50 per bi-weekly consultation session. That’s not a bad price to have an expert in the field guiding you every step of the way.
As soon as I return from my travels I will share my experience with the detox and first week of calorie reduction, and then keep you updated on my progress with the plan! I hope that this is as helpful to others as it is for me. I appreciate everyone’s support and words of encouragement on my posts!
Fit Body Fit Budget 