The client of the month for April is one of the OG clients of Strive Fitness and Performance....Jenn Puggini. She has rocked her nutrition over the last 6 weeks and has lost an astounding 65 lbs within that time.....Before everyone asks; "What did she do", lets talk about Jenn's journey thus far.

Jenn has been with us on and off for about 3 years now. She is one of the most positive and bubbly personalities we have here at Strive. Although she is insanely strong, she has struggled with her weight and overall confidence over the last couple of years.

She has gone through a couple of challenges, but the consistency was not there.

Over the last year, her confidence took a hit and her life stress became very apparent. As always, she put up a great front, but she became dependent on food to feel better when it came to her emotions. She even had to take a break from the gym.

About a 2 months ago, she reached out again to me to say that she needed help and that now was the time for change.

65 lbs in 6 weeks is amazing!!! Everyone's first reaction is of course,

What diet was she on?

What work outs was she doing?

So on and so on...

It was not a 21 day or 6 week challenge that promised her a fast weight lost. It was not a restrictive meal plan that put her in a miserable spot and almost guaranteed a rebound later on (most do).

To be honest, I wish I had a perfect or special product that she did, so I could promote it.

What got her the results then?

She became honest with her snacking and emotional eating and she checked in with me weekly to talk about her progress and what she was struggling with.

She became honest with her struggles (unlike before when she said she was following the plan when she was not....Most people fall into this category), and she was not a lone, she was consistent with her check ins and she followed our plan.

Our plan was simple....

Pay attention to the snacks and fast food. She sent me a picture and a written document every week (when she did not, I sent her a text) and she made sure she was getting protein in.....That is it

SIDE NOTE: Jenn has returned to the gym and PR'd her bench press and her 1 arm snatch 🙂

I am super proud of everything Jenn has done and still is doing....Keep on rolling

Mary Therese has been with us here at Strive Fitness for over a year now.  She came to us as the typical female, one who has tried every diet known to man.

I started my first diet when I was around 12 years old and a relative told me I was too fat.   I have dieted on and off most of my adult life. I have gone to meetings, checked in online, gone to specialty clinics, taken diet pills, eliminated complete food groups, bought expensive shakes, done 3 day diets, 14 day diets, cabbage soup diets and so on. 

After several of our challenges we found that Mary Therese was maintaining here weight at around 1200 calories (not surprising her diet history).  I reached out to her and brought up the idea of a reverse diet.  Basically our goal was to take a break from DIET MODE and focus on the long term goal of weight loss.  We wanted to gain as little weight as possible so I told her this was going to take a couple of months

Oh, hell no!”  was my first thought when he told me we were going to increase my calories and I may actually gain some weight.  But he said that we would monitor it closely and he wouldn’t let things get out of control.  I had more than a moment of panic because I knew I absolutely COULD NOT eat more than my 1400 calories a day because I gain weight. 

I thought about it a little longer and decided that I was not looking for a quick fix – something that I still remind myself of fairly regularly.  I wanted something for the long haul. 

During the course of about 20 week reverse diet, we increased her calories little by little.  We started with getting her protein where it should be (about 1 gram per body weight) and then increased her carbs and fats up a little each week.  

Like many people, she was really edgy about gaining weight during this process, so we monitored her weight everyday through daily weigh ins and calorie/macro tracking.  Anytime her weight went up, we stayed at those numbers and then continued with the process when her weight stabilized.  

I learned the importance of meal prep as well.  I had dabbled in it before, but making sure I have the right foods readily available really makes a difference when you decide you have certain amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to hit.  I also found a couple “go to”restaurant meals – especially by the few places near my office – so when the opportunity comes up to go out to lunch, I can still join my co-workers and continue to enjoy life.

It was slow – but over the past 20 weeks, I had averaged half a pound a week in weight loss.  But more importantly, it was mostly fat loss and I had not lost performance in the gym.  Most of the afternoons, I was not feeling sluggish.  I eat more.  That was a huge “ah ha” moment.  Because although I thought it was “only” 10 lbs., my next thought was if I keep going, in a year it would be 20.  And I was pretty happy about that.

We ended our reverse diet goal right before summer and right before her vacation.  She did amazing and over the course of 20 weeks; she lost 10 lbs, gained performance, lost body fat percentage all while eating more food.

She can now maintain her weight at 1900 calories and her body is ready to lose weight during out next challenge, which Mary Therese will describe the amazing outcome:

By October, I was more than ready mentally and physically to go into diet mode again. We set my macros at 1400 / day; formerly what I was living on, so I knew it wouldn’t be that tough to keep that up for the scheduled 6-week plan. Again, protein was key. However, this time around I was also able to fine tune my nutrition because of the incredible videos Derek puts together and the online support group. I learned about the importance of timing my starchy carbs (still working on that), and more important – how to use My Fitness Pal as a planning tool as opposed to just a logging tool. That was a game changer for me. I don’t do it always, but when I do, I have the best results. My gym habits did not change during that 6-week period. But, by taking the time to increase my daily calorie limit, I was able to lose just over 10 lbs. and 6% body fat in that period. To say I’m very happy with those results is a huge understatement.

My current game plan is to try to strictly follow maintenance through the holidays and not put that 10 lbs. back on. It has been a problem in years past. By mid-January, I hope to be ready for another diet period and drop a bit more weight.

Going back and forth between cycles of losing and maintaining, but having the plan to do so as opposed to it just happening to me, has helped me with the psychological aspect of dieting. I do not feel like I’m depriving myself. Pre-planning my meals has allowed me to plan for my ice-cream or pizza and still fit it in. I still feel like this is something that I will be able to follow for life.

It was amazing to see the final result of all the hard work and dedication Mary Therese put in over the past year.  She not only lost weight during the reverse diet, but she also maintained the weight loss over the summer.  The final result was losing more weight during our 6 week challenge and winning as the overall winner, dropping almost 6 % of her body fat

One of the biggest threats to someones weight loss goals is the dreaded holiday weight gain.  The weeks following Halloween through January 1st can feel like a sugar and and stress party that most people just try and "get through".

Two responses to that:
– You do not want to set yourself back or undo all the hard work you’ve already put in. If you’ve done this long enough, you know dropping body fat is a slow and steady process, but putting it on is certainly easier.
– You can avoid holiday weight gain with just a bit of strategy.

HERE’S HOW TO STAY ON TRACK DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Pick three to five days during the season where you’re not going to focus on your nutrition at all
There are some days during the season where it’s more important that you are just present, enjoying time with friends and family. These are not “cheat days” but an opportunity for you to just enjoy the spirit of the holidays and the company you’re keeping. If you have an extra half slice of pie, we won’t tell.

Examples include:
-Thanksgiving
-Christmas Eve
-Christmas
-New Year’s Eve

During these events, one should not worry too much about tracking or going through DIET MODE.  Instead, they should focus on enjoying time with loved ones.  Their goals should not be completely forgotten however.  Possible tactics on these days can include.

•  Eat until you’re 80% full
• Fill approximately 1/2 your plate with veggies, 1/4 with lean protein, and 1/4 with starches/grains
• Don’t hit the dessert table until you’re mostly full
• Don't make it about food.  Realize that these events are about spending time with your friends and family.  The food is great, but it should not be the focus.

 Keep it tight on other days
Realize that the "holidays" do not last for 2 months (even though that is how long we treat them).  They are in fact, single dates on the calendar.  Saying "whatever" during the holidays will for sure equal that 7-10 lb holiday weight gain that is the usual.  If you truly are focused on obtaining your goals over the season (even if the goal is to maintain), you should focus on being on point the rest of the time outside of the holiday events.  Staying on track with your nutrition on the days you don’t have an event is a major help in keeping you progressing during the holidays. Focus on self-care Sundays where you get food prep done and set yourself up for a less stressful week. This will make hitting your macros a breeze.

Think about this: if you follow the strategy above, you’ll have 6 to 10 less-than-perfect days with your nutrition during the entire holiday season. If you were to say “screw it” until January 1st, you’ll be looking at about 40 days of completely off-track nutrition. That’s 40 days to do some serious damage, undo some of your progress thus far, and set yourself up to be further away from your goals come January 1st, 2019.

 Mind your wine
Eating more indulgent (likely, less nutrient-rich) food, getting poorer quality sleep, and extending yourself with more responsibilities and to-dos is stressful on the body.  Adding alcohol on top of all that will only make stress, cortisol and inflammation more amplified.  Not to mention, when your inhibitions are low, that cheese plate and assorted dessert tray starts looking pretty tempting

KEY TIP:  Try NUTRITION CHECKS AND BALANCES:  You can still have your wine, but if you are committed you will find a way to not have much of the other indulgent foods like pie, candy etc.

A little bit of effort and strategy will go a long way this holiday season!

If you need more accountability during this season to avoid the common holiday weight gain, you can also partake in our ZERO POUND CHALLENGE and work to key your weight where it is and maintain your gains.

Here at Strive Fitness and Performance, we have made a huge impact in the Macomb County are in a very short time. In that time, we have worked with a variety of different clients.  We’ve seen what works, what doesn’t work, common struggles, and as coaches, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our clients’ results.

We fit our programs around our clients instead of fitting the client around a specific program.  We pride ourselves in treating people like people, not just another number, so we pay close attention to everything going on. We can see the signs, and we can usually tell in those first few weeks with someone new to the program whether it’s going to be smooth sailing, or if a new client needs to take a step back and take it little by little.

Your coach is always here to help, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have your own responsibilities. Your daily habits and actions dictate your results, and while we can give advice, support, and help along the way, the day to day execution is where the magic happens.

Looking at the common trends among our most successful clients, it’s pretty easy to tell within the first few weeks how well this is going to go. There are common habits and behaviors that let us know a client is probably going to see great success early and often.

Before we dive in, remember that you do NOT need to be perfect to see amazing results. Nobody is perfect, not even coaches, and we don’t expect perfection from our clients either. The best results don’t come from the people who hit their macros perfectly every day for 12 weeks; the best results come from those who build the proper habits and mindsets. After all, those habits are what help you keep your results for the rest of your life.

The following habits and actions are the things that are most successful clients do right away and often.  Even if you are not currently accomplishing these actions,  they are a stepping stone to reach for in the near future if you want to see success and results.

1. Successful Clients Own Their Mistakes

Any diet that expects perfection is simply setting you up to fail. You’re going to mess up, and that’s okay – success doesn’t require perfection.

What it DOES take are honesty and accountability. If you slip up and have a bad weekend, log it anyway and tell your coach what happened. Hiding it from us means we can’t help you.

If you leave a day blank or just decide not to log that piece of cake you ate from guilt or shame, while that may feel like a way to not confront what went on, it’s important to remember that’s not giving yourself, or your Coach, accurate information. Us as coaches, can only work with the information giving us.  I mean, imagine going to the doctors and not giving all the symptoms or your medical background, they may give you the wrong prescription and hinder your progress rather than help it.

2. Successful Clients Ask Questions

We are an open book here at Strive Fitness.  We education our clients every day with emails, facebook posts, videos and documents.  There is so much information out there about nutrition and exercises, and the majority of it is wrong or misguided.  This has led to the majority of the population following the wrong information and hurting their long term results.

We want our clients education and to ask questions so they understand.  The more educated you are, the better results you will get.  Happy clients, happy business....Make more of an impact 🙂

Eventually, you’ll reach a point where this is second nature, and you understand how to plan and track your macros. But in the beginning, as you’re still learning and building those habits, we expect you’ll have a lot of questions, struggles, concerns, victories – and we want to know about all of it.

Whether you have a super busy schedule, travel a lot, or are responsible for feeding a family of five, tracking macros can work for you.  Macros give us control of our diet, instead of depending on meal plans.  They also allow us to find ways to get past plateaus when they present themselves. (Read more about why we track macros)

Here at Strive, we help our online nutrition coaching clients adjust their nutrition to their lifestyle.  Through our coaching we help our clients get past their obstacles.

Below are some common obstacles our clients come across and how we suggest to overcome them.

I have a busy life and don’t have a ton of time for food prep

Create a ‘Sunday ritual’ (doesn’t have to be on Sunday) in which you set aside three hours to write out a menu for the week, grocery shop, and prepare meals for the week. If you don’t want to prepare all your food on Sunday and have time in the morning, create a ‘Breakfast Ritual’ where you prepare all the day’s meals and snacks in the morning.

If you’re not into full meal preps (like myself), try and figure out what meals can be fast and easy and what meals need to be prepped (watch me explain more here)

If cooking is not an option, use a meal delivery service that provides macronutrient information (Michigan Meal Prep Company for example).

I eat out frequently

Choose restaurants that have nutritional info in MFP or on their website. Otherwise, choose a meal with nutritional info that could be easy to estimate. For example, order a roasted half chicken with a side of vegetables and eyeball the amounts.  Instead of worrying about calculating numbers, worry about what your plates look like

Try to avoid meals that have breading or sauces. Otherwise, if you go to dinner with the knowledge that you still have lots of protein and carbs left to eat and not very much fat, choose something off the menu that could generally work (a lean protein and generous source of carbs, like chicken with rice and beans).

I travel a ton

It can be tough to make healthy food choices when travelling. However, you could choose restaurants that have nutrition info in MFP or on their website. Otherwise, it’s almost always a good idea to bring high protein, nonperishable snacks (jerky, protein bars, protein powder, dry roasted edamame, etc.) with you on the road.

I have a busy social schedule

Before you go out, try pre-eating a meal leaving over enough macros for the nibbling you plan on doing and drinks you plan on having. Otherwise, become the host! That way you can control the foods and portion sizes that are being offered. At the very least, eyeball and estimate the foods you eat while you’re at social events!

I get bored eating the same things over and over

So don’t! It’s called flexible eating for a reason. While some people prefer to eat the same things everyday to make things easy, it’s totally doable (and even encouraged) to have variety in your diet. Our suggestion is to MACRO PLAN.  Try to enter what you’re planning on eating early in the day so you can adjust portions to make everything fit. Then, all the thinking is done and all you have to do is eat what you entered into MFP!

I cook for a family and don’t have time to make separate meals

Thankfully, we have resources like SkinnyTaste.com and other food blogs that include all the macronutrient information for their recipes. SkinnyTaste is great because it has a recipe index and a huge database of recipes that can be made in under 30 minutes or thrown into a slow cooker for easy prep.

You could also go for convenience during that time.  Instead of cooking elaborate meals, go for easy.  Plan a meal with all the macros (protein, carbs, veggie and fats)

If you are really on point with your macro planning.  You could plan the rest of your meals, make them perfect and leave some room for the family meals.  That way you can still have mac and cheese (only a little) with your kids and still be within your numbers.