Balancing a full-time job, raising three kids, and trying to prioritize personal health sounds nearly impossible—right? But for Chana, she’s made it a reality! Today, Chana shares the secret to working full time, raising a family and having great success with counting macros.

Tell us a little bit about your story. Work? family? What’s a typical day in your life look like?

Chana: My husband, Josh, and I have been married for 8 years and we have three daughters (5y, 3y, and 21 monthss). I’m a Project Accountant for a general contractor out of Chicago and have a flexible schedule where I can work from home full time while also taking care of our children full time. I have a bit of an odd schedule. Each day has it’s own routine and rhythm but I typically wake up around 5AM and we’re in bed by 9:15-9:30pm with work, school pick up and eating in in between!

How did you find Stay Fit Mom and what made you decide to take the leap?

Chana: I know Coach Lindsay personally. Almost six years ago I was in the 3rd trimester with my first baby and my friend (Nikki) started telling me about her sister in law, Lindsay, macro counting, and SFM. I started following along on Instagram and everything just made a lot of sense to me, more than any other food thing out there. I love to eat so when I’m told I can’t it won’t work but when I’m told I can eat anything I want I just have to make it fit, that’s A LOT more realistic. My oldest was born April 2019 and a few weeks later I decided to give it a shot and was consistently surprised at just how much I could eat while still losing weight! I joined again after having my second daughter in March 2021. My third baby was born in December 2022 and I started my third round of macro counting in February/March 2023. I did end up taking a break around June 2023 b/c I just couldn’t mentally handle all of the things on my plate and knew something had to be let go. I didn’t want it to be macro counting but everything else was child related. I started my fourth macro counting with Cassie in March 2024 and let me tell you GAME CHANGER!! 

What are some tips you have for other working moms who want to manage macro counting while raising littles?

Chana: have both succeeded and failed at macro counting and the BIGGEST difference between the two is meal prepping. I’m still trying to get back in my rhythm with it so I am far from perfection but having things prepped makes me SO much likely to hit my numbers and have an overall good and less stressful day. Meal prepping doesn’t have to be the entire meal, it can be the ingredient already chopped so it’s easier to measure/add – even that is a HUGE help!

It takes a little work upfront but I try to meal plan two weeks out (it follows our pay schedule so everything lines up easier for me). On Thursday night I’ll plan dinners for the next two weeks leaving 1-2 ‘leftover’ or ‘freezer’ meals per week. Any dinner that is SFM will get plugged into MFP right away. I pretty much have the same thing for breakfast every day (egg scramble + toast) and if it starts to get boring I switch up my veggies, simple but effective. Eventually I’d like to get back to where I am also prepping/freezing lunches but right now I’m having leftovers from dinner as my lunch (or chicken breast + veggies) and since most of my dinners are SFM that means most of my lunches are too! My afternoon yogurt (chia seeds, granola, blueberries, and raspberries) is a big savior but only when I have it prepped and ready to grab as we rush out the door to pick up my oldest from school.Tell us about your experience working with Coach Cassie specifically.

The second thing I’ve noticed between when I succeed and when I don’t is acceptance. SFM says it all the time and for good reason! I’m a big stress eater, wish I wasn’t but it’s something I’m working on. I love my children but having three littles as close as mine (I don’t know how people do it with an even closer gap) has STRESSED me out beyond anything I expected. Yes, working out helps tremendously but until a year ago I couldn’t find a gym that had affordable childcare and going to the basement treadmill didn’t help me get away from all the stress of taking care of children and home. If I have a moment when I stress eat I don’t let it ruin the progress I’ve made. I’ll be upset I wasn’t strong enough to not cave but then I move on. Dwelling on that moment won’t do me any good so I accept it, brush it off, and continue to work toward my goal. I’m in this for the long haul and I won’t let tiny slip ups get me.

What’s your most used, favorite SFM recipe?

Chana: The Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi is definitley a favorite at my house! In fact, I just served it the other night and my 5 year old went on and on during dinner about how amazing it was! It’s a BIG accomplishment if I receive positive feedback on dinners these days. I’d say the second runner up is the Dump Lasagna. I always plan a big portion for myself because I just LOVE this dish.

Besides shedding pounds and inches, what are some Non-Scale Victories that you’ve experienced?

Chana: I think the biggest NSV has been clothes shopping (say what?!). I had three babies in just over 3.5 years and have been deep in decluttering so I’ve been getting rid of clothes I don’t like or don’t fit. This left me with a very bare wardrobe…I’m talking wearing my husband’s t-shirts 24/7 b/c there was nothing else. I no longer felt beautiful and in the rare moments I did, it was for fancy occasions where we were dressing up. I hadn’t felt beautiful in the everyday for a long time. I decided to get a body shape analysis done to learn how to dress my body and in doing so I started to purchase clothes that made me feel GOOD when I looked in the mirror. When I feel good about what I see then I feel more confident and when that happens well, it’s just a snowball effect! With having three daughters I put a lot of pressure on myself to always talk about my body in a positive way (even if I struggle with it) and to teach them how to take care of our body and love what they’ve been given. I grew these three beautiful children and I never want them to think negatively about themselves so the best way I can teach them is by showing them. In a round-a-bout way, that’s what this shopping for new clothes has done. Sometimes they help me pick stuff out, we’ll have a fashion show, I talk about what’s comfortable and not, etc. It’s a fun experience for us and that is a HUGE victory for me.

Tell us about your experience working with Coach Cassie specifically.

Chana: Oh my day!!! Cassie has been such an overwhelming positive influence in my multiple rounds of counting. The round before the one I’m currently in I was just not mentally ready. At the time my daughters were 3y, 2y, and 3mos. I struggled every single day with hitting numbers and I felt horrible but every. single. checkin Cassie always made me feel like I was amazing and I was QUEEN! When I decided I had to stop tracking b/c something in my life had to give, I felt horrible emailing Cassie because I felt like such a failure but I remember receiving her response and just felt relief because again, she was championing my success not just in macro counting, but overall life and mothering. My macros are in a hold right now but I still look forward to her emails every Thursday.

What Coach Cassie has to say about working with Chana:

Coach Cassie: I have coached Chana on and off since March of 2022. (I think for a total of 3 rounds if I’m not mistaken.) And while she did GREAT the other 2 times, she really has found her groove for this current coaching session. The last 6 months she has been so consistent and patient with herself. She has no time frame this time around and it is really taking the stress off of her I think. She hits an overall average of 6/7 days per week and has lost 23+ pounds in 26 weeks. 

Chana makes her nutrition a priority! Plain and simple. She takes days off here and there for big events but she is a very social person and most of the time she plans and hits her numbers at parties/family get together. She has no excuses!! 

Chana doesn’t live this crazy macro focused lifestyle. She hits her numbers, gets good sleep and hits 9-10k steps on average per day. She works out a few days a week and I have her in a slight caloric deficit. All of that tied together = success! 

I look forward to her check ins and she is an all star client. I tell her she is my pride and joy!! I love that everyone is getting a glimpse of her and her hard work!