Client Success Story: Sarah L.

Sarah L.

Laurinburg, NC

12-Month Individual Meal Plan

“All of my life I have been active and always looked for things to do to keep me moving and to satisfy my competitive spirit. I joined my second home and family at AYM CrossFit in Laurinburg. It didn’t take long until I was attending classes almost every day and joined in as one of the coaches. But even with my working out so much I still had a body that I wasn’t proud of. At the time if you were to ask me about my nutrition I would have said “It’s not too bad”; however, looking back now I can see that there were A LOT of holes in my nutrition that I completely overlooked. 

When I have lost weight in the past it was because I was super strict and not enjoying the process of eating healthier. So, of course it was short-lived which further hindered my self-image and made it that much harder to “get back on the wagon”.  Luckily, a friend of mine began working with Madison and raved about her knowledge and positivity throughout her weight loss process. After contacting Madz and working with her for the past 6 months it’s safe to say that she has completely flipped my idea of nutrition.

In my head, I always approached it with- you either eat for fuel or pleasure, but with her meal guide and food suggestions she helped me find a happy balance. I never felt deprived or that I was missing out anything. It’s all about being flexible and being honest about life. When I had a “not so good week”, she is quick to find something positive to take out of it and offers great suggestions to help get back on track. What I love most is that she wants to know you as a person and understands that it’s not just about the physical eating, but the mental and emotional aspect of the person. 

Since working with her I have lost several inches, gotten stronger, and increased my aerobic capacity. But what I’m most happy about is learning how to enjoy the process and to have a much more positive self-image and outlook on a healthy lifestyle. 

She has been a huge part of my health journey and would recommend her services to anyone looking to, not just lose weight, but to learn how to live a healthier life the right and enjoyable way for you.”

For those of you who do not know her, Sarah is an absolute CHAMPION in the gym. It has been my honor to work with such a high-level athlete in matching the quality of her diet to the quality of her training regimen. Self-admittedly, Sarah has a history of cycling periods of great eating with periods of…not-so-great eating. One of our primary areas of focus has been finding a balance between nourishing foods and moderate splurges to make this more of a stable, consistent effort, rather than falling back into the yo-yo dieting trap. Sarah has done a super job of intentionally varying her food choices so as to not get burnt out on any healthy options. This is vital!! At times, we have also put into place a daily “treat”. Planning to enjoy one miniature chocolate candy at lunch each day has really helped keep all other dietary decisions on track at various phases of our work together. Sarah has self-control enough to limit this splurge to just one piece, which is important for employing such a strategy. She was able to acknowledge that the taste of that chocolate was enough to satisfy her sweet tooth, and that having any additional treats didn’t really present additional value. This strategy worked great for us because knowing that she was “allowed” to have the chocolate a) didn’t cause feelings of guilty for eating it and b) prevented feelings of restriction from trying to abstain.

Sarah also does a super job in her honesty of reporting. If something goes awry, she is not afraid to admit it. This has enabled us to talk through a number of diet-related scenarios and brainstorm strategies to employ when similar situations arise in the future. We have also worked to distinguish the difference between seldomly-occurring, extra-special occasions vs. situations that arise more regularly. For example, a one-day camping trip with her family that occurs very infrequently is a more acceptable situation for eating flexibly than a dinner at her friend’s house that occurs each week. The ability to enjoy events like the camping trip (not feel guilty about indulgences had in celebration of the special occasion), and to then get right back on track with our efforts upon return home, is an area in which Sarah has demonstrated immense growth.

Sarah’s dietary efforts and determination to reach her goals has been very inspiring to other members of her CrossFit gym (and to me!). This has been a very cool thing to see! Though we each have our own goals that require great focus to achieve, it is important to not see these goals with tunnel-vision in a way that prevents us from helping others achieve their personal goals, too. It has been a blessing to watch Sarah inspire others to reach their own unique goals, while not losing sight of her own. Thank you, Sarah, for this reminder that we are always better together! 😊