We’re beyond excited to share the journey of Josh and Megan with you all. They started our macro counting programs back in January 2020 and made incredible transformations. Today they’re no longer checking in weekly with a coach, but are using the tools they learned to hold each other accountable and continue to live the healthier lifestyle they created.
Tell us about you both!
We don’t share info like this often, but this journey has been an amazing one. If we can help answer any questions about this program, and share the benefits to help others choose this journey for a healthier life style, let’s get vulnerable!
Josh and I meet in high school, but went our separate ways after graduation. We met up years later and now have two amazing active boys together, 5 and 8 years old. We need to be fit and active for them! We try very hard to teach our kids that our weight loss journey is more about getting healthy and strong. We love doing anything outdoors together as a family. Since having our kiddos, our love for outdoor adventures has grown. We love camping, exploring, hiking, and traveling.
From the time we were dating, to when we got married, we have always loved working out together. Once we had kids scheduling to workout together got a bit tough. On top of that we had demanding jobs. While the kids were young Josh started traveling for work and I started a masters program. This really slowed down our workouts and look forward to the weekends together. We let loose most weekends. We ate what we wanted and just enjoyed the time together.
When did your weight loss journey’s begin?
We found ourselves in our mid 30s struggling to drop the weight. We LOVE food and social drinking. That didn’t line up with our goals of losing weight and created barriers with the many of the fad diets we tried. By no means were we over weight, we knew that, but we weren’t happy with ourselves.
I still weighed what I did during pregnancy 4 years after my last birth. When I realized this my self esteem tanked and my stress management was night eating. Then, when my Father’s cancer diagnosis returned, my mentality really planked to, we only live once. This turned into a free for all with eating. I knew I needed a shift and support. So, Josh and I decided for Christmas we would gift each other macro coaching with Stay Fit Mom and Dadbod. My cousin had introduced us to macros and her success was amazing so, I knew it was the way to go. I loved that Stay Fit Mom was local, easy to follow, and the support looked amazing. We went for it and signed up for the January 2020 session.
What was your experience starting out like? Did you struggle to understand the concept of counting macros and making all the food fit?
Thankfully we had been meal prepping on weekends for a few years, this was a huge advantage when starting macros. The struggle was weighing everything and creating a whole new outlook on food. Carbs are GOOD!? What!? We learned quickly how to start fueling our bodies better by eating more. Yes, we BOTH were under eating. We really had to increase our protein and fiber.
Do you think you would have been as successful counting macros had your spouse not jumped in with you?
I mean, we still would have rocked our own journey, I think, but I’m thankful we didn’t have to! We are both so thankful we did this together! We said it more than a handful of times through this journey, how thankful we are to have a partner working on the same goal. When you count macros, you talk non stop about it. Most importantly we would help keep each other motivated when we wanted to give in. But, we also got creative in the kitchen together. We made it work. Josh did carb cycling through his journey and we still made dinners and prepping work as a team and I applaud him on those cut carb cycling days!
Have the habits you’ve picked up since counting macros rubbed off on the rest of your family at all? What do your kids think about it?
I don’t think macros rubbed off on any other family. I think macros seems very restricted and time consuming to so many. We however found it really empowering to keep track of our nutrition. Our kids would mock us at times “Mom, does this have enough protein for you?”. Over time the conversations were amazing teachable moments, and I would hear them say “Eating for fuel”, “Eat the extra veggies”, or, “I want my night snack like mom”. Most nights, our night snack turned into protein shakes!
Who does all the food prepping? Does one of you like cooking more than the other? Do you tackle it together?
We tackle it all together. Team work makes the dream work! Seriously, though! Groceries with meals planned out on Saturday and prep on Sunday. We do the boy’s lunches or snacks just like we do ours. Dinners are planned for the 4 of us and thankfully we have boys who love to eat healthy and are not too picky. Teaching em young, I hope! BUT, I have to be honest, Josh is a way better cook than I am.
What are your favorite meals to make? Any recipes in particular you’ve found your whole family enjoys?
First of all, I need to mention we saved money doing macros because we ate so much at home! We’ve tried many recipes on weekends from the ninja exclusive recipes! But we love to keep it simple. We love pasta, tacos, meat and potatoes or rice we just add more veggies to every meal. It is so much easier to eat dinner on macros and not get tired of food!! It’s all about experimenting with recipes and My fitness pal as our support!
Tell us about your workouts. What do you guys do?
We love working out and it was frustrating working out without results for so many years! Josh wakes by 4 a.m. to workout at least 4 to 5 days a week. *Rockstar* I am up by 5 *err* 5:20 a.m. to workout 4 to 5 days a week. We love (when it is cooler) hiking or going for walks on the weekends.
How did quarantine impact your healthy lifestyle?
I must add, we are beyond thankful for macros during the Pandemic. I am not sure how stress eating and drinking may have looked without the support of SFM and Dadbod. We needed the support and accountability and it kept us focused. I thankfully joined an online workout program last year when Josh was traveling so I used my home gym I had set-up for that. When Josh stopped traveling he had to start the online programing as well. He really pushed through the harder programs and it was fun to compare how we felt after the workouts.
You’re both ready to take a break from the 1 on 1 coaching and tackle your new healthier lifestyle together. What’s going to keep you both motivated?
We loved the 1 on 1 coaching for the accountability, the change in numbers, and loved the positive feedback. We miss it immensely. Our motivation is not loose what we have worked hard for and to keep pushing each other.
What will your journey look like moving forward? Will you continue to count your macros?
Yes, we have continued to count macros and we check in with each other. When we fall off a day or two we challenge one another to get back on. We plan to start changing up our numbers and track the changes. We still have goals to reach. We have learned this is our journey, we need to love what our bodies are doing for us not just the appearance of our bodies. Everyone’s journey is individual but, we are grateful to have a new relationship with food for our health and a lifestyle that will last. It is a fun bond to have together we highly recommend couples jump into this journey together, when you are ready and able to.
Register for the next session of macro coaching with Stay Fit Mom today!
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