What sparked your interest in making a change to your nutrition?
Honestly, the number on the scale and the way my clothes didn't fit. I definitely noticed some changes in my weight as I approached and entered my 40's, as my body was entering a new season. With that new season, I could not eat like I was 20 anymore even though I was working hard at the gym. Then there was a nutrition meeting at the box a year ago, and Mary and I decided to go.
Together you and Mary held each other accountable, can you share with us the ups and downs of the progress and how you both were able to stay committed?
Mary and I really worked well as a support team for each other. We texted daily, sometimes hourly, about how hungry we were at the beginning and what we should eat and how annoying everyone else in our lives who didn't care about what they were eating were. It was hard to get going...I feel like that's the hardest part. Going to the store and getting what you need, then really committing to it as those around you eat whatever they want or wonder why you're weighing and measuring all your food. I've done past nutrition challenges at the gym, and won once, and promptly went back to doing whatever bad behavior I was doing. This is the longest I've maintained any change in diet, and I really attribute it to being personally ready to do it but also to having a buddy to do it with. When I hit a plateau on the journey, Mary was there to talk me off the ledge and hold me responsible to the changes I've made.
How has changing your nutrition effected you life in fitness as well as outside the gym?
At the gym, I'm stronger, faster, and more gymnastically able than ever before. I'm hitting PRs on a regular basis, even after being a crossfitter for 14 years. Outside of the gym, my primary care doctor, while never overly concerned about my weight and elevated cholesterol due to my activity level, was excited when I went in for my annual appointment in April. My total cholesterol dropped from 230 (in October 2022) to 189. I can keep up with my kids better than before, and I just feel better in general.
What advice can you give to someone who is overwhelmed by tackling their nutrition goals?
This time I thought of it more as a behavior/lifestyle change instead of a challenge with an end date. That was helpful for me to not give up once I started. I found tracking my food and keeping my eyes on my macros was really the main part of it for me. I was really over-eating, thinking I was burning off so many calories at the gym, and also making less than ideal food choices. I would suggest if changing it all at once seems overwhelming, to attack one meal, one snack at a time. Start with breakfast and see what is a healthy and sustainable change you can make there. You don't have to change everything all at once. And also, I really do love food and I still eat what I love. If there's something I want to eat, like let's say ice cream, I'll work it in and not feel guilty about it. There are definitely days when I know I'm not going to eat clean, and that's ok because I know I'll pick it up again the next day.
Check out Jackies Fitness across the years and recent Annie PR!!
