Since joining the nutrition program, Desmond lost over 15# and 7% body fat and has transformed his cholesterol levels from dangerously high to healthy. In addition, Desmond is also proud of how much more he knows about nutrition and how to fuel his body properly to perform his best in the gym, at home and at work.
What prompted you to get the nutrition coaching?
I thought my nutrition was good. I was not overindulging in food and I was (very) slowly losing weight. When I found out that it was part of 6’s six-week challenge, I was intrigued. After my first meeting with Alysha, I learned that I can take small, actionable steps and refine my nutrition. That’s when I decided to jump in.
What have been your results so far, either on the scale, or the non-scale victories?
My non-scale victories are gigantic compared to my “scale” victories. In November 2019, I was walking around the high 230s when I started with 6S Fitness. I had been as high as low 260s (I stopped weighing myself after getting to 255). I just did a body scan at 6S in January 2021 and I weighed 212. I had actually been as low as 202 at the end of 2020. I walk around at just under 13% body fat when my body fat was in the high 20s at the beginning of my weight loss journey.
In terms of non-scale victories, where do I even begin? My cholesterol went from dangerous levels (that I was required to take medication) to a very healthy range. The other big victory was learning TONS about nutrition. I can now make decisions to enjoy life yet still remain healthy for the rest of my life. I can enjoy almost any kind of food and still stay healthy and you don’t get when you simply get a diet on paper with little guidance. 6S and Alysha empowered me.
What are you most proud of accomplishing over your nutrition journey?
I was once told in therapy my genetics would prevent me from losing any weight and to give up that pipe dream. I am proud that was VERY INCORRECT! It is ENTIRELY up to me (for better or worse) to manage. My excuse for not trying hard before was that everyone on YouTube had personal trainers 5 days a week, all meals prepared, had the most expensive supplements, that’s why they have abs and look like Greek gods. Knowing that I am in control of my body and no one can take that away from me is incredibly empowering. ALL of us are in control of our physical health.
What about in other aspects of your everyday life?
I have lots more energy. I used to wake up at 1 pm on weekends. Now, getting up at 10 am is considered late for me.
I rarely snack now. That is one of the best things about the nutrition program at 6S. You learn so much that you make decisions for yourself. Alysha never told me not to snack.
The biggest effect on my life, like I said above is CONTROL. I have applied that mentality to my other areas of my life and my professional work is better, and my creative writing life is better. It’s weird, when I fixed my eating, drama elsewhere literally got scared and ran away!
What is one thing that you learned since starting nutrition coaching?
Besides the above stuff, here’s another interesting thing. A current WWE wrestler, when asked how he was able to transform his body, one thing he talked about how important it was for him not to have any sauce when he would go to Chipotle. I thought he was just spewing nonsense instead of admitting that he hit the genetic jackpot (honey dill sauce is like 120 calories a pack and it takes 3,500 calories to gain one pound). I’ll happily enjoy two packages of sauce!
However, after Alysha pointed me in the right direction to learn about proper nutrition, I was shocked at the amount of fat, lack of protein, and sugar in these sauces. That would sabotage my entire day because it would push my macros up too high over my diet. But the WORST thing is that I could have gotten those macros from healthier foods, so that little package of sauce robbed me of my chance to benefit from better calories. MIND BLOWN.
What would you say to someone considering nutrition coaching with 6S?
DO IT. The knowledge about your body you will gain is worth so much more than the results on the scale. This world is full of volitivity, so learning that you have control over your body is tremendously empowering. This will affect your mental health in profound ways (in addition to your physical health). I would say go in trying to learn as much as you can because it IS possible for us non-nutritionists to learn enough about our bodies to make healthy choices on our own.
There’s a library of info waiting for you at 6S, get it and then happily have a Starbucks Chestnut Frappuccino, medium size with extra whip cream (after speaking with one of the Dietitians)!
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