Client Success Story: Eric H.
Eric H.
Cass City, Michigan
Began “Couples” Meal Plan with wife in March 2018
“About 2 ½ years ago my wife and I tried Crossfit for the first time. My wife had already run a marathon and had been quite active. Me, not so much. We kept going back though and I started to see some results. I didn’t change my diet however and eventually got to a point where I plateaued.
Fast forward about a year and I was introduced to Madz through the head coach/owner of our box and his wife who had gone to school with Madz’s husband. My wife and I decided to give her program a shot and we were not disappointed. Right from the beginning we were tapped into a wealth of information. Madz has spent a great deal of time researching and compiling her Meal Manual and it shows. There’s always great information located in it and whenever we ask she adds new restaurants and recipes.
I’ll be the first to admit that trying to form newer healthier habits is much easier said than done. I struggle with it almost every day. However with Madz’s help I’ve been able to get great advice and guidance to make small changes and substitutions. It’s nothing major but when you take them and add them all together all of a sudden you’re making progress. I’d recommend Madz to anyone and if they’re skeptical I’d say just hear her out and try to put what she says into practice. Don’t let perfect get in the way of good or great and remember that you don’t have to move fast to get there, you just have to keep moving once you start.”
Boasting a stature of 6’7”, Eric is a force to be reckoned with. While I might say that he wasn’t overly eager to make certain dietary changes, he has trusted me throughout this process and is always willing to give my seemingly-crazy ideas a shot. A previous soda drinker, Eric has made huge strides in his beverage intake by a) reducing his intake of soda in general b) mixing ½ regular soda with ½ diet soda on the rare occasions which he does enjoy a pop c) implementing unsweetened green tea instead of fruit juices and d) relying on naturally-sweetened water flavor options when needing a bit more taste than that of plain water.
Thinking back through our time working together, one of my favorite weekly calls with the Hanbys (you met Eric’s wife, Susie, a couple weeks ago 😊) was our call after they had spent several days with Eric’s family in Michigan. A huge fan of Chinese food, the Chinese buffet in Eric’s hometown is definitely one of his favorite spots. In the past, Eric admitted to consistently eating two plates of the fried options when visiting this restaurant. This time, he was so excited to tell me that he filled his first plate entirely with greens/ veggies!! His second plate was ½ veggies + ½ fried treats, which sounded PERFECT to me! I am huge on not restricting yourself to the point where you feel deprived, as this often results in some form of negative backlash (usually, binge eating and an entire downward spiral). Thus, I considered a reduction from 2 plates of fried food to just ½ a plate of fried + 1.5 plates of nourishing foods to be a HUGE victory!! On this same call, Eric seemed a bit reluctant to tell me that he had enjoyed 1 piece of cheesecake over the several days he was there…umm, hello?! Compared to the multiple pieces he may have enjoyed in the past, I was elated about this! I am definitely not one to encourage omission of sweets over the holidays. Eric’s ability to enjoy such treats in moderation excited me greatly!!
As we continue to refine Eric’s eating habits, our methods evolve accordingly. Presently, Eric plans a weekly menu of his lunches and dinners and submits to me for review prior to the start of the week. His ability to plan ahead has improved by leaps and bounds! I love it!! Our current area of focus is squeezing in two snacks/day, to ensure that he is consuming enough protein (around-the-clock) to support the awesome amount of muscle mass that he has built through his consistent workout regimen. Already down a total of ?? pounds and MULTIPLE pant sizes (this picture is of the SECOND size of pants he has grown out of in the last year), I am super pumped to see Eric’s continued growth in his dietary decisions and shrinkage in his physical measurements! Eric- you da man, dude!!