Before Coaching and a plan
16 months of CRUSHING the plan
Rea has seen a lot of progress, but it is impossible to really see all the progress she's made when much of it is internal: Mental, emotional, personal narratives, belief system, habits and mindset. Change that goes that deep, that truly transforms us long term, takes longer than 3 months. Here is a brief reflection Rea wrote as a long term client, the major takes-aways and her personal list of things to keep her grounded--the things she's learned, in a nutshell.
Hi all Rea here!
For those of you that may not know, I'm a 36 year old homeschool mom to my three kids, ages 7, 5 and 3. After my last babe, I was the heaviest I'd ever been, and the most determined to do something about it. I have been working with Amber for over a year now, and so much in my life (not just my body!) has transformed since then.Â
So if you're keen, let me take you on the journey of my growth and transformation over the last year through working with Amber!
Before I started on this work, my relationship with food and my body were completely different than what they are now. My thoughts on how it all "worked" regarding nutrition and health have evolved so much in just 16 short months. Before working with Amber, I was a runner, did loads of cardio, and did some light weight training. I would constantly try to stay at or below 1200 calories a day, no matter the workout intensity.Â
I would look at my body and focus on what I wanted to change, instead of its beauty and strength. I would be so full of fear when it came to eating "too much" food. I never ate enough protein!Â
When we first started working together and she gave me my first set of macro goals, I'll admit I really panicked. Fear flooded me! What would happen if I ate that much, more than I ever have (on purpose) in my life!? I would surly balloon and get even heavier than I was, was she crazy??
Still, I looked at Amber's transformation photos and tried to lean in and trust her and the process. She did it by doing the same things she was coaching me to, so I went with it.
And something miraculous happened! I actually did NOT gain body fat! I began to feel like a real human again. The brain fog lifted, my runs got faster and longer. I began to lift heavier and have so much more energy even on nights I did not sleep well (as any mom of 3 can relate to!). Even my PMS symptoms, while they were mild, completely vanished, and my cycle would start and take me completely by surprise if wasn't keeping track on the calendar.Â
My life had done a 180, and I hadn't lost a pound yet! She had earned my trust, and I was a hooked.
But even still, when we went into my first cut phase, those familiar nerves returned. What if somehow it didn't work? I had tried to be in a calorie deficit so many times before this with no success, how would this be any different??
But it was. So. Different! The pounds melted off, so easily. I was floored, grateful, elated and so very relieved my body was not broken after all.
So after a year of being guided by Amber, these are the top things I've learned:
Because I was severely under eating for years, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not (prioritizing my own food was not something I used to after the kids were born, and it's sadly so common for new moms!) my metabolism was in a freeze state. Dropping my calories lower and lower did absolutely nothing besides make my body more stressed and hold on to them harder and make me feel worse and worse.
I would never run farther or lift heavier if I did not give my body more food, because food = fuel!Â
And the more food I ate, the more I would really ignite my metabolism, which is what creates fat loss! (And why I wasn't seeing any changes before). My metabolism was struggling hard the way I was doing it.Â
It was a mind-blowing, life-altering realization! Amber DID tell me that's what would happen, but seeing it and living it for myself was next level!It restored my trust and faith in my body, and helped me feel so much more relaxed and at ease about my relationship to food.Â
Her method is the absolute opposite of that "conventional"'weight loss mentality of always needing to maintain a deep calorie deficit to lose weight and not gain it back, and has truly given me so much emotional freedom around food and my body.Â
There will always be excuses and reasons you can't be successful, being a mom to 3 who don't go to school has it's scheduling challenges for sure! But when you stick with it, and you begin to feel better, and look better it becomes an infectious non-negotiable priority in your daily routine.
The desire to be consistent and show up daily with my food tracking and working out has given me so much flexibility in how to make that happen. I've let go of rigid "schedules" of when to work out. Sometimes early mornings are great, but other times the kids wake up early or don't sleep well at night, so that time is out. And instead of throwing the towel in on a work out that day, I flow with ease to find the next pocket of time where I can make it happen. Because it's that darn important, folks! Showing up for yourself is such a big form of self love, and that's exactly what you do each day as a coaching client of Amber's!
At first I thought of this coaching as another monthly weight loss subscription, but it's so much more. It's truly a monthly investment in transformation to a better version of yourself.Â
They say it takes about 60 days to create a new habit, so on the other side of those two months could be a version of yourself you didn't know existed, or haven't been in touch with for a long time.Â
Here's a short hand, running list of things that have helped me stay on track over the year or so- I'll add to it as things pop in Â
Planning my day before the day gets started! Hugely important especially when I first started because I didn't really have an idea of what the certain amounts of food I needed to eat (or not eat) to hit my goalsÂ
Don't worry too much about veggie tracking unless in a cut, but track fruit! Sneaky carbsÂ
Learn to track alcohol properly or just don't drink at all because it's awful lolÂ
Feel free to swap your super day if you have something coming up. Family bbq on a Sunday? Swap the day! Don't stress over itÂ
The best time to start something is yesterday but the next best day is today! So literally don't worry if the day before didn't work out and you didn't hit your goals. Start fresh today and let the past go because it actually does not exist anymore!
Walking 10k steps at least, feels so goodÂ
Lots of water 💫
AND...Your Body will thank you,
Love, Amber (And Rea)
Kommentare