We don't share many before and after progress photos because it doesn't help people understand everything outside the calorie deficit that goes in to achieving the results in a manner that they can sustain for the rest of their lives. However, Amy's testimonial does an excellent job of highlighting the mindset shifts that occurred after starting the SnS method and realizing that this program is about SO much more than weight loss.
Amy started this program with the goal of weight loss like most clients, however, we explained that because of her history of under eating, yo-yo dieting and thyroid issues, we would need to prioritize healing her hormones and reversing the metabolic adaptation that occurred in order to achieve her body composition goals. We did NOT promise her a specific timeline for these phases, because nobody can predict how little or long it will take to rectify these issues as every body is unique with different lifestyles, stressors, hormone levels and history of dieting. She agreed and was eager to engage in the learning process, that was so different from the fad diets she had tried in the past. We ended up increasing her total intake by 500 calories per day in order to match her energy intake to her energy output, which allowed us to see improvements in all her biofeedback markers from energy to sleep. Throughout that phase we also worked on building lifestyle habits that would allow her to maintain her results long term such as educating her on her eating habits to build confidence in her ability to eventually detach from weighing and logging food and eat intuitively while maintaining her goals, as well as identifying and managing the triggers that create a stress response in her body to optimize sleep, which she struggled with in the past.
By committing to the healing process, we were able to help her achieve a total weight loss of 25lbs WITHOUT dropping below 1637 kcal/day, which is MORE than what she was eating prior to starting with us! Clients who chronically under eating (whether it's intentional or the byproduct of busy mom life) are not able to see results even though they are in a large caloric deficit because their metabolism has already adapted to that lowered energy intake in order to keep them alive - this is why the period BEFORE the cut is SO important to see the desired results. Read about her experience below
"I came into this process wanting to lose my extra baby weight...what I have gained is so much more. The fact that I have lost 24 lbs since I started is not lost on me at all, but what I am most excited about is how I FEEL right now! Confidence is sky high, feeling comfortable in my own skin again, and so many better habits that have been formed. It's completely transformed the way I eat and how I look at food, I'm on my phone and watching TV less, stretching nightly (still can't believe it took me so long to do it), reading in bed most nights, improved sleep quality, improved energy. It has truly given me my "mojo" back to do crossfit...I didn't realize how much I missed pushing myself and competing with my friends, but wow...there is such a difference in my mental and physical capacity to perform each day in the gym.
I just can't get over how you start with one mindset of "I just need to lose weight", but over the past 6 months, it's changed so much more, and was so much more than weight loss.
And now my mindset shifts to building muscle, which excites me so much! Also, eating more food sounds pretty awesome too. I can't wait to continue onto this next phase, and learn how to truly do maintenance.
Every single day, I am just so shocked at what has happened over the past 6 months. The transformation is really crazy to me, physically, mentally, emotionally.
It's really hard to express in words the gratitude I have for this program. Thank you so much for your commitment to me and your expertise and advice throughout this process! Knowing I could message you for anything, plus had you cheering for me every step of the way has been amazing. It has truly changed so many aspects of my life for the better. I never doubted the process because I knew how much knowledge you brought to the table, and how much care and effort you put into my plan. The continued feedback and education you have provided, as well as all the encouragement that has been given has been very appreciated. I have so much love for this program and so much respect for you guys! Thank you SO SO much! My goals during this program were all smashed, so it's exciting to make new goals."