This month was so bittersweet because of the off-boarding of one of my clients, Allie. Working with her has been so rewarding and I will miss our check-ins, although it’s always so wonderful to see a client accomplish their goals and feel confident maintaining their healthy lifestyle post-coaching. Allie and I started working together in October 2023, and she has been a perfect example of the amazing physical and mental results that can occur with consistency, hard work, and trust in the process. Let’s walk through her 9-month journey.

Allie’s Initial Goals:

Understand how to properly fuel her body’s nutritional needs

Find a workout routine that allowed for both weight lifting and modalities such as Yoga and Pilates
Get leaner/improve body composition

When working with a new client, I always make sure to understand their goals – not just the what, but the why. Allie had previously lost 15 pounds over her first year and a half out of college, but felt she had hit a plateau. I learned that she had been tracking food in My Fitness Pal prior to coaching. She was fairly consistent with protein intake and tried to keep her overall intake to 1400-1600 calories per day, as she was wary of potentially overeating. Allie exercised regularly, but didn’t fully understand how her programming affected her goals or desire for improved body composition.

Based on Allie’s initial activity level and starting weight of 133 pounds, I estimated her total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), otherwise known as maintenance calories, to be ~2100 calories per day. TDEE refers to the total calories an individual burns in a day. This expenditure comes from internal processes such as digestion, breathing, physical activity – everything! TDEE is impacted by a variety of factors including age, weight, height, sex, activity level, muscle mass, and nutrition habits. Therefore, because Allie was eating between 1400-1600 calories, and her estimated TDEE/maintenance was 2100 calories, we started our journey together in a reverse diet.

We gradually increased Allie’s intake over the course of 5 months. Yes, 5 months! Restoring metabolism and establishing a new maintenance is not an overnight fix. Allie’s initial calories were set to 1695 and slowly increased all the way up to 2205. This gradual increase is important to note because if I had suddenly told Allie to begin eating 2100 calories when she was used to eating 1400-1600, she likely would have experienced poor digestion, uncomfortable fullness, possibly low energy, and other less-than-optimal biofeedback. However, a gradual increase paired with progressive overload helps the body metabolically adapt and respond positively through a fairly stable scale weight, sustained energy, strength gains, and other biofeedback wins.

You may have noticed we took food up to 2205, but Allie’s estimated maintenance was around 2100 calories. We made this increase because Allie had continued to have such positive biofeedback – she was consistently making progress in the gym, loving the physical results of lean muscle mass she was seeing, and energy levels stayed in a good spot. We knew we wanted to be able to enter a deficit in the future and I always ask clients:

“Don’t you want to be able to enter a deficit and see results while eating the most food possible?”
I’ve never had someone say no 😂.

Once we hit 2205, Allie’s biofeedback began to slip. She was having a hard time hitting her intake for the day and feeling sluggish. This was an indicator that we were over maintenance and her body had pushed food about as high as it could in this phase. We brought food down slightly toward her true estimated maintenance of 2100 and stayed there for several weeks.

At the end of March, we entered a slight deficit. We approached this very similarly to the reverse and made small, incremental macronutrient adjustments every couple of weeks. Her lowest caloric intake during her deficit was 1565 – which is literally higher than what she was eating to maintain her weight at the beginning of working together. The best part? Allie enjoyed several vacations and regular untracked meals throughout her deficit and was still able to progress. She even hit a new low weight the day after vacation – talk about low stress, low inflammation, and GOOD biofeedback!

Let’s look at the scale over Allie’s journey —

A couple things to point out about the scale —

Fluctuation stayed within 9 lbs, with most data recordings being within a 5 lb range – this is not a drastic change, yet pictures reveal totally new body composition.
The scale is simply one measure of progress and biofeedback – and it’s not very impactful on its own. Without other measures such as progress pictures, strength gains, and mindset shifts, it may look like not much progress was made. That is why I always encourage clients to ditch the “goal weight” ideal. We may see the weight they want to see or we may not – but with consistency, I can promise that we will see progress toward both the physique and health benefits they desire.

We have been slowly exiting Allie’s deficit over the past several weeks, with plans to be fully back to maintenance by the end of August. This slow and strategic exit will allow Allie’s body to adapt metabolically so she can maintain her results at a higher intake. Because of Allie and I’s time working together, she is well-equipped to finish this exit on her own. On Allie’s last day of coaching, I wrote her specific macronutrient increases to consider on a projected timeline to help maximize her exit and maintenance success.

Here’s what Allie has to say —

Q: What are you most proud of from the beginning of your coaching experience to now?
A: I’m most proud of the transformation I made in my nutritional habits and physique. I was able to mend my relationship with food by sticking to the protocols you gave me and ate more than I thought I could while still losing body fat. I’m also so happy with the transformation my body has gone through. I feel super fit and capable and I look so much more toned now.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of getting a fitness and nutrition coach?
A: 100% do it!!! It was incredibly educational for me and what I’ve learned will stick with me through the rest of my life! I thought for sure muscle growth and fat loss was something I could do on my own, but having specific protocols made personally for me was incredibly helpful. It also held me accountable and the weekly check-ins were so helpful for reflection and how fitness goals can fit into my life through all the other changes I was going through.

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from your coaching experience?
A: My biggest takeaway from my coaching experience is that commitment and dedication to my health is so important. I’ve realized that feeling strong and capable is incredibly important to me and I will continue to practice everything I’ve learned from you!

Inspired by Allie’s story?
Ready to put an end to that plateau you see in your health & fitness?
Ready to prioritize your health WHILE living a life you love?

Book a free 1:1 consult call today!