When you’re facing stressful situations caring for yourself, through diet and exercise, can be the first thing people let go of. This month’s client spotlight, Lucy, found a way to prioritize the health of her daughter who was undergoing intense medical treatment while macro counting herself. Let’s hear how she did it!
Tell us a little bit about your story. Work? Married? Kids? What’s a typical day in your life look like?
Lucy: I work part time as a project manager for a local marketing company. I have been married to my husband, Brian for 6 blissful years with two beautiful, wild, little girls, Violet (4) and Anniston (almost 2). I head into the office 4 mornings a week while my husband is home with the girls, then we switch and he goes to work from 3-11 p.m. It is a crazy schedule but allows one of us to be home with the kids at all times and avoid daycare costs.
How did you find Stay Fit Mom and what made you decide to take the leap?
Lucy: I have been following Krista on Instagram for quite awhile and we use the Stay Fit Mom cookbooks regularly in our home. It was an affordable option to give me the accountability and support I needed to make some changes. I started with the back to school challenge and moved into coaching after that.
We know that you did our program while your daughter was undergoing serious medical issues. How did you manage caring for her, hospital stays and hitting your macros? What advice do you have for someone having to hit their macros on the go and during high stress times?
Lucy: My daughter was undergoing treatment for a Wilms tumor, a cancer of the kidney, in the city over an hour away from our home during my time with SFM. I had originally signed up for the back to school challenge thinking that we were nearing the end of treatment. Things quickly changed and not only did we extend treatment but moved to a more intense chemotherapy regimen that required week long stays and many hospital/clinic trips. We did a lot of prepping from the meal prep cookbook and I would pre log my entire week when I knew we would be in the city. I made sure to have prepped snacks in the house and wrote the weight on them to quickly enter into MFP. I’d fill a lunchbox with those if we needed to head to the hospital. Most importantly, I gave myself grace during a trying time. One, two, three days of not hitting your numbers isn’t going to ruin all the progress you’ve made. Having the foundation and knowledge allowed me to stay on track during an insanely stressful time. It also gave me something to control in a time where I felt like I had no control over a lot of things in my life. The end goal is to make this a lifestyle, not a diet.
How has your macro counting journey impacted other areas of your life?
Lucy: Feeling good in my skin again has been the biggest benefit for me and having the knowledge to eat intuitively at times when I couldn’t track precisely.
We know that you’re ready to begin this journey on your own which is exciting! What habits have you solidified that you know you’ll be able to maintain?
Lucy: I have solidified the habit of making sure my body has enough nutrients, specifically protein. I know that under eating is my biggest downfall, especially in stressful times. Logging food isn’t restrictive for me, it’s a fun puzzle I get to complete every day to fuel my body with what it needs to thrive.
You’ve got a race coming up. Tell us about it and how we can support you?
Lucy: I am running my first ever half marathon on November 12 on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team in Boston, Massachusetts. As a team, we are hoping to raise $5,000! I hope you will support my efforts by making a gift to my run and, in doing so, help bring an end to the challenge of cancer, specifically childhood cancer. Your support of my run will help fund essential cancer research and compassionate patient care at Dana-Farber. Many thanks for your generous support and encouragement, it means the world to me! Donations can be made through this link and I’d so appreciate it if you would be so kind to share this link with friends, family, and colleagues, to help us reach our goal.
Tell us about your experience working with the Stay Fit Mom Coaches:
Lucy: I did one round with coach Holly and one with Coach Taeya and both were great! I was kept accountable each week and really pushed to get those green days. I think the adjustments that were done really helped my body get where it is now. I was given tough love when needed and both coaches provided me with an abundance of information to really help me succeed. I’m so thankful for them!
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