Balancing life as a stay-at-home mom with two young boys is no small feat. Add in the desire to prioritize health, rekindle a love for running, and learn a new way of eating—it’s clear that Jana’s story is nothing short of inspiring. After struggling with fatigue, weight loss plateaus, and a love for food that made traditional diets challenging, she turned to Stay Fit Mom to find a sustainable way to fuel her busy days and her running goals. Her journey is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and how the right nutrition plan can transform not just your body, but your energy, confidence, and overall quality of life. Let’s dive into her story!

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

Jana: I’m a SAHM. My husband and I have two boys, aged 5 and 3. A typical day for me starts with coffee, feeding the kids, and rushing one or both of them out the door to school depending on the day. I grab an easy breakfast and get started with errands, chores, and playing with kids. 4 days/ week I work a run into my schedule when I can get someone to watch one or both boys. I spend a lot of time in my car doing school drop-off and pick-up so I make sure the rest of my time is active and productive, or purposefully restorative. I cook dinner most nights. After the kids are in bed I make the next day’s lunches and maybe get a little time to relax with my husband. Weekends are a little slower and more family focused. We love to be outside together when weather permits. 

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

Jana: I saw some of Krista’s meal prep reels on Facebook at a time when I was in a cooking rut and gave them a try. They were good so I wanted to learn more about SFM. It took a while for me to give it a shot. I tried counting macros on my own for a bit but got nowhere. Cost was a big factor for me- if I was going to pay all that money I was going to have to fully commit. Another factor was my love for food. I love fancy restaurants and off-the-beaten-path places- you know, the non-chain ones where it’s extra hard to track macros. And I’m not a recipe girl. I like to get in the kitchen and wing it. So that had me pretty nervous about SFM. But I was also pretty desperate. I was tired all the time. I couldn’t lose even a little weight using methods that had previously worked. I just wanted to feel good again so I knew I had to try something different. 

SFM: We know that you’re a runner! How’d you get into running? Tell us about your training schedule and any races (if any) that you’ve done.

Jana: “One step at a time”. That’s what my dad always says when it’s challenging, and that’s how I got into running. He’s my running inspiration. As a kid I would go with my dad to the high school track and run a mile with him. Then I’d go play in the sand pit while he kept going. He ran his first half marathon at age 40 and still runs today. He’s my favorite running buddy. I’ve gone through phases of being a runner and falling out of the habit throughout my life. I trained for a half marathon 11 yrs ago and it was cancelled due to an ice storm. Then life happened and kids came and I stopped running. After starting with SFM, I slowly came back to running and decided to train for the half marathon again. I started slowly, just trying to get my steps in less time. Eventually I built up to a schedule of 4 days per week. Mondays and Wednesdays are usually 4-5 mile hilly runs, hill sprints, temp runs or speed intervals. Fridays are usually 3-3.5mile easy runs. Saturdays are my long distance runs. In December I finally ran that half marathon! It felt so good to finish what I started. I plan to run another half marathon in March with a goal of beating my December time.

SFM: What were your biggest goals when you started the program?

Jana: I really just wanted to feel good again and regain my confidence. I wanted to lose 10-12lbs because I thought that seemed small enough to be realistic. Now I’ve lost 15lbs and I think I’ll feel even better if I can lose 10 more.  

SFM: How has the Stay Fit Mom program supported you in balancing running, nutrition, and recovery? What improvements have you noticed in your running?

Jana: I never realized before how important my nutrition is for my running.  I never realized the tiredness I would feel immediately after a long run and even the next day could be managed with better nutrition. Also the balance of eating to lose weight while maintaining energy for running is so delicate, and I’ve never quite managed it on my own before. Running used to make me so hungry that I would just counteract all the exercise with too much food and not lose any weight. I want to be lighter because carrying extra weight is hard on my joints when running. But I also need to feel strong and energized. Now that I’m eating the right foods in the right amounts, I feel full and energized, and I am still losing weight!

SFM: How has learning to count macros changed the way you approach nutrition?

Jana: I’ve learned something useful from every diet I’ve ever done. I came into this with a decent understanding of balance. I knew what kind of foods fit easily into a healthy diet, and what foods would take more effort to balance. But I made a mental switch with counting macros. It has helped me view food as fuel for my body so I can tackle what’s ahead of me and achieve my goals. I still have plenty of treats though when it’s worth it! I’ve also learned a lot about biofeedback trends and how important it is to pay attention to how my body is feeling and responding. What I think makes macros so great for me is that my nutritional goals can flex with my body’s changing needs.

SFM: Have there been any non-running benefits, like energy levels, confidence, or how you feel day-to-day? Share some NSV’s.

Jana: Oh gosh, yes! All of those! I’m more energetic, more confident, stronger, healthier, more positive and my mood is more even day to day. My Apple Watch told me my resting heart rate has dropped by 10 bpm! I feel like myself again for the first time maybe since I had my kids. I ran a half- marathon! Bonus: I fit in some old jeans again! 

SFM: What challenges did you face along your journey since August, and how did you overcome them?

Jana: For a while it seemed like every check in it was “my kid is sick” or “this week I’m injured” or  “we’re at urgent care again”- all these normal life things that just make you feel so out of control. But at the end of the day, the one thing I knew I could control was how I fueled my body. So I made sure I ate well. When all else failed, I ate well. And when that was hard, tomorrow was a chance for a fresh start. As a bonus, since I was so focused on eating healthy foods, I didn’t get sick every time my kids brought home a virus!

SFM: Do you have any favorite macro-friendly meals or snacks that fuel your runs?

Jana: I feel like “macro-friendly” might be slightly different for a long-distance runner. If I don’t get started eating my carbs early in the day, I won’t get there. If I have the time to digest before a run I like a bagel with cream cheese and fruit or a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter, sliced banana and cinnamon. I don’t like to be super full before a run. If don’t have as much time, I eat the Kind breakfast protein bars or SFM chocolate chip coconut protein bites for a pre-run snack. When I’m pre-loading carbs to gear up for a weekend long run I like to make SFM Mac and cheese or Mashed Sweet potatoes with bacon. After a run, I make sure and get a solid portion of protein. I like to make a shake with unflavored protein powder, cocoa powder, agave, banana, vanilla, and fairlife milk. I adjust amounts on each of those ingredients to fill in the gaps in my macros. 

SFM: What advice would you give to other runners hesitant about focusing on nutrition or macros?

Jana: Try it! If you feel like you could be stronger or feel better during and after your runs, it’s probably your nutrition! I love that my macro goals change along with my running schedule so my body can keep up with daily demands as well as fitness goals. Just try it! Worst case, you don’t notice a difference and go back to what you were doing before. Best case, you become a stronger, healthier runner!

SFM: What’s your most used, favorite SFM recipe?

Jana: The avocado toast is my breakfast almost every day, although I tweak it to use whatever type of bread I have on hand. And I like to pile some micro greens on top to get a jump on my veggie servings for the day. A new lunch favorite is the egg salad on a toasted English muffin. Let me just say- I do NOT like cottage cheese. But that egg salad is SO good.  I like to add celery instead of green onion. And sometimes I add sliced pickled jalapeños on top for a kick. My family really likes the Hawaiian sheet pan chicken or the Air Fryer Cod for dinner and I love how simple they are. 

SFM: Tell us about your experience working with Coach Kristi specifically.

Jana: Coach Kristi is SO POSITIVE! Every week when I check in and tell her all of the crazy things that almost knocked me off course, she finds the positive amid the chaos. Like when I had an injury and took time off of running. Her response was to point out how important recovery is and to praise me for listening to my body. She has a good understanding of not only counting macros, but also of adjusting nutritional needs for a distance runner. I always feel so confident in her advice whether she says to wait and see how my body responds over time or to make a change. 

What Coach Kristi has to say about working with Jana:

Kristi: Jana started in August and came in averaging

• 1623 calories: Protein: 81, Carbs 73, Fat: 67
• She weighed 166 pounds. She has lost 15 pounds!  

We worked her macros all the way up to 2,070 calories: Protein: 135, Carbs: 225, Fat: 70. (This does not include the refeeds we used on her long run and race days.)

Jana has been an incredible client to work with.  She embraced the process from the start and committed to high consistency from the very first week.  She trusted the process as we adjusted and increased her macros.  Over the first 6 weeks, she lost 3 pounds and 5 inches.  She navigated the holidays with intention and persistence.  Now, 24 weeks into her macro journey, she is down 15 pounds and is reaping all of the rewards of her hard work.  Even when the process felt slow, she celebrated how good her runs were feeling, increases in energy and the freedom to enjoy meals with her family.  Jana’s hard-fought consistency built tremendous momentum. Her runs kept improving and the scale started to drop really consistently from week 7 on.  Jana is a shining success story of what you can achieve when you commit to play the long game.  Her work ethic is unmatched and her positivity is infectious.  It has been a great joy to work with her and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!