Hangry No More
Read the story of Andrea Evans, who reveals how our nutritionist Margaux taught her about healthy and balanced eating instead of constant dieting.
I started working out (mainly lifting weights and running) consistently when I was around 19 years old. I managed to lose fat and build muscle without paying much attention to what I ate. This all worked for me until I was in my late 20s. All of the sudden, I was gaining weight, my clothes were too tight, and I wasn't happy with my body composition.
Having never followed an eating plan or diet before, I sought help. I was given a meal plan from a trainer that listed out very specifically what I was to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner plus 2 snacks, totaling 1200 calories that was low in fat and carbs, same thing everyday. I did lose weight. But as someone who loves food, having no variety was not fun. I was constantly "hangry" and quickly was bored with tilapia for dinner every night. I found myself binging on my favorite foods about every 2 weeks, much to the frustration of my trainer.
I thought that was my only option when it came to meal plans so then I tried to go it alone. I followed this 21 day sugar detox that was super restrictive and very low carb. I felt like I was dying at CrossFit every morning. I cut out certain foods deemed as "bad" but then found myself overeating on the "good food." I ended up gaining the weight back that I had lost. Turns out, portion control matters.
Completely inundated with nutritional information from trainers, internet articles, and friends, I was at a loss. I reached out to Margaux for help at the end of last year. She had me record 3 days worth of food and then we reviewed my log together. She made some small suggestions, one of which was to eat more carbs. We set small goals for next time and I left feeling like I had a real game plan. I really like her approach where no food is totally off limits. I started feeling like I had more energy for working out and throughout the day and my weight slowly but steadily started coming off. I lost about 10 lbs over 3-4 months.
In addition, a couple weeks ago, my doctor ordered some routine blood work for me for a lipid panel to test my cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. High cholesterol and high triglycerides run in my family. So my doctor likes to have my levels checked every 3-4 years. I cannot express the excitement and happiness I felt when I got my latest test results. My total cholesterol dropped a whopping 50 points and my triglycerides were down 56 points from 3 years ago! Margaux's suggestions of more lean meats, incorporating meatless meals, balancing carbs and protein, and regular small treats really helped and is a way of eating that is completely maintainable.
