I am a big picture person. I talk a lot about mindset and concepts that reinforce the big picture. I do this because, in my own mind, I’ve always needed to see the big picture BEFORE taking actionable steps. You will hear lots of health and wellness advocates, {including myself} use terms like “moderation,” “balance,” or “healthy,” but what do these concepts really mean practically in day to day life?
I went on my insta-story to conduct some research of my own. I asked my followers to define “healthy” and out of all the responses I received, no two answers were the same. Possibly my favorite response was, “This is a tough question.”
Yet when someone who is overweight facing REAL health problems, actively seeks help from a friend or EVEN a doctor, they are bombarded with EITHER abstract concepts that mean different things to different people… “Just eat healthy. Just eat balanced. Just eat in moderation,” OR what might be WORSE, a low calorie/restrictive diet plan that destins them for failure.
One client of mine recently visited her medical provider and while there discussed options for weight loss. His recommendation to her was to meet with their weight management program to be placed on a 1,000 calorie per day diet. While I KNOW not ALL medical professionals are dishing out this LUDICROUS advice, the fact that ANYONE would say this not only frightens me but GRIEVES me. Health care providers are given a level of trust that ordinary members of the community (such as myself) are NEVER given, which means people WILL listen to what their doctors say.
To the dangerously obese patient walking into this doctor’s office facing the early onsets of diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and heart disease, I am SORRY, but I also want to thank you. YOU are the reason we work hard at what we do. It is because of you, I passionately write blog post after blog post proving there is a better way.
Not only do we have medical professionals on the SFM staff (Amy Gearin, DMD, Lee Ann Coffer RN, Chris Gifford, PharmD) but we have also brought many clients through our program that happen to be medical professionals. Most recently Dr. Ashley Lakin who said the following about Stay Fit Mom.
“I’ve learned more about nutrition in the past 9 months from you and Tracy than I did from medical school, residency, and fellowship all combined.”
Why would Dr. Ashley Lakin say this?
Our program takes these BIG picture concepts and breaks them down into DAILY actionable steps that support the big picture long term.
Our clients learn what eating “balanced” for their body really means when they get a custom macro count that shifts their protein, carb, and fat intake overtime into balanced proportions.
Our clients learn the concept of “healthy” by not only reading the nutrition label for ingredients but ALSO looking at the macronutrients so they are able to discern if putting that food into their body is worth it. This may be the most empowering tool of all.
Flexible dieting allows for and encourages the big picture concept of eating in “moderation.” It means our clients are not guilted into eliminating ANY food group. It means that food has no moral value. It means that you can choose whole foods in the right quantities 80% of the time AND also eat foods that for so long have been demonized as “bad foods” while still making strides towards your goals.
Our clients work with a coach week by week that keeps them accountable. They are provided a tracker that they fill in daily so they can see for themselves what this abstract concept of “consistency” really looks like.
Not only are our coaches keeping their clients accountable but they are ensuring based on the data collected throughout the week that their clients are getting ENOUGH food to fuel their bodies for their hectic lifestyle. They are ensuring their bodies build muscle which speeds up their metabolism to combat {as much as possible through nutrition alone} the muscle deterioration and slowed metabolism that naturally occur, especially if we are UNINTENTIONAL as we age.
Today, the studies and data on macros tend to be on a very small sub-population of leanish athletic 30 year olds, but at Stay Fit Mom we have data from all walks of life: mothers, grandmothers, people who don’t work out at all, people who are SICK and people who are 100+ pounds overweight. And ALL who have implemented the program have benefited from eating balanced, healthy, and in moderation.
Let us teach you a tool that will help you discover exactly what these abstract concepts really mean for your body and your life. Let us help you use nutrition to combat sickness.
No, it’s not easy, but it is the BEST shot we have. It’s a tool that you can take with you FOREVER. It is a tool that will teach you to instill healthy habits within your family and that’s where the real impact is.
Join our next coaching group here.
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