Client Spotlight on Tammy – Tackling Hormones, Allergies, and the Middle-Age Bulge
Tammy came to me at the end of January frustrated with her inability to lose weight despite a very active lifestyle. Tammy had never had a weight problem until she turned 40 and gained 35 lbs. despite not changing anything about her diet or exercise. Tammy was no stranger to the gym and worked out hard doing a variety of exercises to stay in shape. She “watched” her diet trying to include lots of vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. Despite her efforts, Tammy just couldn’t lose weight and kept losing and regaining the same 5 lbs.
She suffered from seasonal allergies, reflux, sleep apnea and TMJ. She came to me at 184 pounds and 36% body fat. Her goal was to lose belly fat, fit into her clothes and get to 20-22% body fat.
I took a thorough look at her diet asking a lot of questions to really get a good picture of how she was eating. Her CrossFit coach had her eating egg whites every morning and she had been off grains for several years but she had dairy in the form of a whey protein shake, yogurt and cheese. She told me egg yolks tended to give her reflux so having so many egg whites in the morning along with a lot of dairy in her diet made me suspect she might have some inflammatory issues from foods. In addition, I also saw that she was inconsistent on weekends often including grains and meals out. She did not watch macros or calories so didn’t have a sense of how much she was eating or if she was overeating one particular food group. She also found herself hungry at night so meal timing would be an important thing to consider as I did her plan.
Tammy began her program with BodyDesigns Two-Week Detox Plan. As she was logging her food, I immediately realized she was trying my recipes and really eating an amazing diet. I came to find out that she loved to cook and so the transition from grabbing protein shakes, bars and quick meals was easy for her. At the end of her two weeks, Tammy had already dropped 13 lbs. And felt great.
Her next step was to challenge dairy, gluten and eggs. By the second day of her dairy challenge she became very lethargic and had a stuffy nose so she decided to keep dairy out of her diet plan. Next, she tried grains and felt foggy, tired and somewhat depressed. She already knew that her allergies had improved somewhat in the past without the grains so this confirmed her decision to stay grain free. Since eggs already caused reflux and she no longer had it, she decided to keep them out but is able to include them in baked goods in smaller amounts.
She continued with a Lifestyle Diet Plan customized to her likes, dislikes and habits. She cooked and come up with amazing recipes. I continue to be so impressed with her dedication to finding delicious foods to eat and feed her family while sticking to her Lifestyle Plan goals.
Tammy has lost 28 lbs. in the past 10 weeks and is nearing her goal weight. Her body fat went down by 10% and she lost a total of 13 1/2 inches. She did all of this with the stress of COVID-19 too. She also found alternative ways to stay fit and exercise when her gym closed.
When I asked Tammy why she was successful this time after her long struggle she told me:
1. This time I didn’t go on a “diet”, I just changed how I ate for life. Since I love to cook this was really just a matter of getting back in the kitchen and having fun with new foods and recipes.
2. Being accountable to my food each day I was able to stay on track. In the past I had been “good” but I wasn’t really watching and weekends were often a free for all. That made the difference in really being able to get my body into a fat burning mode and keep it there.
3. Feeling good, sleeping better, having zero seasonal allergy symptoms and eliminating reflux were just icing on the cake and I feel great and love my foods so I want to continue this lifestyle.
4. Keeping my net carbs down but not my total carbs allows me to enjoy a variety of foods in a balanced way and it is easy to feed my family at the same time.
From my experience, I think as Tammy got older her metabolism changed and she needed to adjust her macronutrients to help keep her hormones balanced. You can also find hormone replacement therapy at New You Medical Center and get treatment for your hormonal imbalance. In addition, the fact that she had seasonal allergies and reflux was a clue to her having some gut issues which made me suspect dairy and eggs were also a culprit for her. These things all turned out to be true but without really eliminating and doing proper challenges there is no other way to make this determination. Seeing for yourself how your body reacts with the challenge allows you really embrace the changes you are making so they become a lifestyle not a diet. Here is a hormone expert and you should learn about his explanation on hormonal issues and learn how it should be treated.
Congratulations Tammy! You are my inspiration when I see your new recipe creations each week. Keep up the good work and I am sure your goal is going to be reached very soon.
Are you looking to transform your health? Mary works with clients all over the country developing personalized nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss and health. If you’re ready to get started on your journey to health and wellness contact her today!
Visit BodyDesigns Two Week Detox Plan or BodyDesignsbyMary for more information.
