Once a month we love to highlight Stay Fit Mom Clients that are doing incredible things! This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Kate. Kate came to SFM ready to trust the process and trust her coach, and jumped right in with both feet.
Coach Laura quickly found a solid maintenance range with calories for Kate because she hit her numbers daily, week in and week out, without fail. Kate’s long-term goal is to get strong and build muscle, so Laura recently did a cut to prepare Kate’s body for a build this fall. During her cut, Laura reduced her calories from around 2600 calories to 1900 over the course of eleven weeks, and they are now in the process of spending some time at her new maintenance in preparation for her build. Kate has seen amazing fat loss AND muscle gain as she has consistently hit her numbers and pushed hard in the gym. Coach Laura says, “Kate’s can-do attitude has made all the difference in her success, and she stays laser-focused on her goals. It is so rewarding to work with Kate and witness her unlocking new levels of progress each week as she continues to put in the work!”
Tell us a little bit about your story. Work? family? What’s a typical day in your life look like?
Kate: I’m a happily single 52 year old woman. I’m a psychotherapist in private practice. I work telehealth and love my work! A typical day for me involves a trip to the gym to lift weights, a couple of walks to move my body before and after seeing clients, and work on my dissertation. I have two young adult sons. Both are busy building their own lives as young adults so it’s the perfect time to focus on my work and health goals. I work for myself, from home so I set my own schedule. I love that I don’t have to pack up my lunch and snacks to go everyday. I have no excuse for not hitting my macros! I schedule breaks to walk. These are important to me, they are good for my physical health and my mental health. My friends are fellow gym rats and this helps because we support each other and have similar goals.
How did you find Stay Fit Mom and what made you decide to take the leap?
Kate: I went through a difficult separation and divorce in late 2019. When my kids were younger I loved cooking from scratch. After the separation I lost the motivation to take care of myself. I didn’t eat terribly, but I definitely wasn’t eating enough. The stress and trauma of life at that time took a toll. I was the heaviest I’d ever been by the summer of 2020. I had been doing some searching on macro counting last year. I dabbled a little with it on my own but had no idea what I was doing. I was slowly gaining the weight back that I lost after my separation and divorce. I came across Krista’s cookbooks on the Stay Fit Mom website. I knew a little bit about counting macros and loved that her recipes were all macro calculated and in My Fitness Pal. I was really lax about cooking for myself at this point. It just didn’t seem worth the effort for one person, but I knew I had to do something before my weight was back where I started. I bought two of her cookbooks. I am gluten free and appreciated that she has a cookbook that is all gluten free recipes. I loved the recipes! I loved that the recipes were ‘normal’ food, no crazy ingredients and were healthy and delicious. I knew I needed a coach if I hoped to have any success with macros and gave myself that gift for Christmas. Honestly I took the leap because I’m not getting any younger and I need to invest in my health and wellness to hopefully live a long, active, healthy life.
We know that Counting Macros isn’t easy, especially in the beginning. What advice do you have for women that are leery of it all?
Kate: My advice for those starting out first includes time for planning. Figuring out your macros the night before is a must! It took a decent amount of time in the beginning to make everything fit the numbers and I never wanted to feel rushed in the morning trying to plan my food for the day. Second, don’t try to play around with too much variety in the beginning. Variety is the spice of life, but for macros having a few go to recipes and snacks for the week makes planning much easier. I used Krista’s meal prep cookbook heavily in the beginning. I made two different recipes, a lunch and a dinner recipe every week. Then I ate those meals for five days. My variety came from my breakfast and snacks. Even those were pretty predictable because it helped me feel more confident that I could hit my numbers. Another tip is when planning your macros for the day, is to start with what you know you really want to eat first and fit the rest around it. Finally, how do you know that macro counting won’t work for you if you never try it? I want you to think about where you are now struggling with your health, wellness, and weight. Where will you be if you don’t try this? I love the saying, “Choose your hard.” Counting macros is hard in the beginning, it takes time and planning. Feeling tired, overweight, frustrated, and stuck in your health journey is also hard. Which hard will you choose? I know where I was before Stay Fit Mom, I yoyo’d with the same 20 pounds or so year after year. I was great at losing weight but not keeping it off long term. What good is it to lose weight if you just gain it back. Counting macros provides food freedom and is so worth the effort it takes in the beginning.
You’ve been crushing this process for months! And your consistency is UNREAL. What’s your secret?
Kate: I’ve only missed my macros two days since the start of my macro journey January 1, 2023 and they were related to a medical procedure. I made a commitment to myself when I started this journey at the beginning of this year to give it my all. I had tried so many different things, nothing crazy or extreme but my pattern was to dial in on my nutrition to lose weight which I could do successfully, but then I had no plan for how to maintain the weight loss. I went into this with a now or never mindset and planned to give it my all. What I did before clearly didn’t work because I couldn’t maintain my weight loss. I honestly take one day at a time. I work from home so I have no excuses for not being prepared for meals. My consistency has led to steady increases in my macros and my maintenance macros are very generous. This meant I could really fit most of what I wanted to eat in my budget for the day. I still had treats, I just wasn’t living off of treats. There is no reason for me not to hit my numbers. I look at my macros as what I get to eat in a day. Macros give me freedom and stability in my diet. I no longer question if I will make “good choices” each day. I plan my meals and snacks, eat what is planned and enjoy it all.
Tell us about your process while in a cut phase. Any advice for women that might be ready to go through a cut phase?
Kate: I just finished an 11 week cut on 10/17/23. I lost about 10 pounds in those 11 weeks. I knew several months ago that I wanted to see what I am capable of in the gym with the combination of strength training and the right macro nutrition. My coach Laura and I decided to start with a cut to lose some body fat. Cutting is a mental process as much as it is physical. My consistency is one of my greatest strengths going into a cut. I started with a 500 calorie deficit and then progressed to 600, and finished in a 700 daily calorie deficit. It was a choice I made, nobody has to do a cut. My best advice is be consistent, hit your macros faithfully every single day. Get your mind right. Being hungry all the time is hard. It affects your sleep, energy, mood, and workouts. You have to know why you are doing a cut. I decided to take one day at a time. I found out what worked for me. I delayed my breakfast so I could stretch my calories later into the day. I don’t sleep well hungry, so I have my last meal at about 8PM. I handle hunger better in the morning when I am fresh for the day. I focused more on whole foods and did not drink my calories. Finally fiber is your friend in a cut. It helps you feel full longer. Now my coach and I will reverse diet and work towards my bulk!
How has your macro counting journey impacted other areas of your life besides getting a new wardrobe?
Kate: My confidence and belief in myself is through the roof. I show myself everyday that I can show up and be consistent. I have gone down a size or two in clothing but what I really love is my progress in the gym and how the right macro nutrition impacts my body composition and strength. I’m not spinning my wheels in the gym anymore with the addition of macro coaching. I am actually working towards and achieving my goals. My workout routine has not changed. I’ve always loved the gym and working out has been a consistent part of my life for 30+ years. This year alone I have lost 16 pounds of body fat with macro nutrition and heavy lifting. I actually had a personal best with hip thrusts in my cut of 125 pounds. I’m excited to see where my strength gains go and we transition to a bulk.
Tell us about your experience working with Coach Laura specifically.
Laura:  I love Laura. We have never met in person, but she understands me and provides the support and feedback I need every single week. In the beginning I had a lot of questions and she always got back to me within a day or so. I’ve had different moments where my 52 year old body isn’t responding to what I’m doing in quite the way I want it to. Laura always reminds me of the long game that macro counting is. It is not a quick fix and that is why it works. At one point she said to me when I was frustrated with my perimenopausal body and fluid retention. “Imagine where you would be without macro counting.” Such a simple phrase but it spoke to me because of all of the years I’ve bounced up and down with that 20 pounds. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Laura’s steadiness and confidence in me and macros has helped me trust this process. A friend and I joke that waiting for Laura’s check in response each week feels like Christmas morning. I find myself checking my email excited to hear her feedback and our plan for the next week.Â
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