The week before Thanksgiving, hubby gave me an early Christmas present… A six-week nutrition and personal training program with the Certified Nutritionist at Gold’s Gym. It was something he knew I was very interested in and I was so excited. It was the perfect gift as despite my progress in the Gold’s Gym Challenge last year, my weight had gone up some. I don’t have as much of a problem with the fitness side of things as I do the food side. This girl loves to eat, and eat I will. Have I mentioned that I am an emotional eater??
It started with an orientation with Liz. I am lucky to call her friend as well. I told her when we met for the orientation that if she wasn’t who she was, I would probably have not been interested in the nutrition end of things. But she loves helping people and it shows in the time she takes in getting to know clients and writing nutrition plans for them.
At my orientation, I weighed in higher than I did at the end of the Gold’s Gym Challenge last year but thankfully, not my highest ever. I knew going into it that joining the 2018 Gold’s Gym Challenge was a guarantee. While I cannot compete since I am an employee, I still love the atmosphere, the comaradarie, and the friendship of being a part of it.
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My first week of my nutrition plan was the week of Thanksgiving. Many people asked what I was doing! But for me, it kept me from digging a deeper hole for myself. I had a plan and I stuck to it.
After seven weeks of meeting with a nutritionist, here are ten reasons why you should do the same…
1) You will learn that processed foods are not necessary. Seriously, I’m not lying. I love bread and chip so many other processed food but after seven plus weeks on the plan, I am here to tell you that you don’t need them. I haven;t had white bread, or chips, or pasta, or bad carbs since I started and I don’t miss them at all.
2) My stomach thanks me daily. If you eat the right foods, whole foods, you WILL feel better. I’ve probably spent half my life feeling bloated and just blah. Little did I realize how much of what I was eating played a part in that. In addition, I take a probiotic each day.
3) Nutrients are best in whole food form. When you eat healthy, you reap the benefits of healthy nutrients and your body thanks you. The morning smoothie that I have is a big part of this. I look forward to it every morning because it is so delicious.
4) Following the nutrition plan makes life EASY. Liz provides me with a day by day meal plan AND a shopping list. I never realized how stressful it was trying to figure out what I would eat each day, each meal. Tell me what to buy and what to eat each meal and I am a happy girl.
5) Eating healthy is not boring. Liz puts time and effort into each meal plan. She also provides original recipes to suit your needs. I have loved every one of the recipes he has given me. She also writes her recipes so that there are leftovers, which is a lifesaver for me. As early as I get up for work during the week, I need a time-saving plan and she does just that.
6) You are what you eat. Really, it’s true. Sugar feed so many bad diseases and health issues. If you can prevent that from happening, why wouldn’t you?
7) You will sleep better. Falling asleep has rarely been a problem for me. What is a problem is when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep. Eating whole foods and skipping processed foods has had quite an impact on my sleeping habits. And since I get up at 4am during the week, I am very thankful for this.
8) You will save money. So many people complain that eating healthy is expensive. But think about what you save on eating out. Since I started with Liz on my nutrition plan, I have eaten out maybe 4 times. I realized throughout this that I really do enjoy cooking and it makes life so much easier not having to figure out every single day, what am I going to eat.
9) Eating healthy inspires you to work out. Think about it…. If you go to McDonald’s and eat a burger, fries, and soda are you ready to hit the gym after? Eat healthy every day and your body will crave more.
10) More than anything, eating healthy is an investment in yourself. It’s not a diet, people. It’s eating real, whole foods. It’s taking the time to fuel your body instead of feed your body. When you eat the right foods, you do not have cravings for junk food. You did not have the need to hit the drive-thru or buy sweets at the store. Your body will thank you every single day.
In the first six weeks of my nutrition plan, I lost almost 10 pounds and just shy of 3% body fat. I cannot credit my nutrition plan enough for this. As someone who has struggled with their weight almost their entire life, from high school on, it is a lifesaver to learn how to eat to be satisfied and not crave all the bad junk that I just don’t need.
My second round is starting Monday January 22nd and I cannot wait. Liz has changed it up a bit, based on my participation in the 2018 Gold’s Gym Challenge which means three bootcamps a week. In addition, I have three races coming up that I will be running. While I am not trying to set any records, I do want to feel good in my body as I run each one.
It’s a wonderful thing to feel good in your skin. Hubby is obviously very supportive of me in this and continues to cheer me on. And just today, I had two members comment on my weight loss. That makes me feel so good.
If you are local, I would love for stop by Gold’s Gym Largo and see what it has to offer not only a membership, but also for Nutrition. It will be worth your time – and your well-being – to check it out.