by Lucy | Nov 2, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
I joined Well Balanced Nutrition because I had gained weight and my clothes were not fitting. I wanted to lose weight and get back to my weight from a year ago. I am a very self-conscious person and always compared my body to other people and was not happy with who I was.
I started doing one-on-one appointments with Lucy and she is amazing. Lucy listens to you and the goals you want to accomplish and helps you get on track. She explained to me how the well-balanced plate works and helped me eat more healthy foods, while still enjoying the foods I love.
I have a dog and he loves to go on walks and I always found an excuse to not be able to go on walks and Lucy told me about the 5-4-3-2-1 (The 5-second rule). Since implementing the 5-Second Rule, I take my dog on walks – he loves it – and it keeps me active and moving as well.
It has been an amazing journey for me, I have made progress since meeting Lucy. I eat more vegetables too. Before, I didn’t eat many vegetables and wasn’t up for trying new things either. Now, I portion my food and I am trying new things, such as recipes from Skinny Taste Cookbook. I am still a picky eater but much less than before. I go on walks with my dog and I have joined the gym and go 3 days per week, which that is a big milestone for me.
I have also learned to love myself and my body more. I’ve stopped comparing my body to others. We are all different, we do not know what other people are doing to maintain how they look or how long it has taken them.
We each have a different journey we embark on to get where we want to be.
For me, I found that I want to be and feel comfortable with the clothes I wear. Compared to where I was a year ago, I feel comfortable where I am right now, I feel confident. Also, I found something that I like to do which is donate blood and platelets and you must maintain a certain weight to donate.
Thanks to Lucy, I have been able to stay on track and know what to do if I get sidetracked from my goals. She has been amazing in helping me find what works for me and what doesn’t. She also helps me figure out what to change when I feel stuck and want to give up. I have learned how to eat the things I love while still maintaining a well-balanced style. For me keeping a routine works best and helps me stay on track with my weight. Well-Balanced Nutrition is just the best.
Let us know how we can help get you unstuck! Click here to get started today.
by Lucy | Sep 12, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
Tuesday, Sept 12, 2017
Larry is one of those guys that you instantly like and want to hang out with. When I had the pleasure of meeting Larry in June, he told me about how hard he tries to eat properly and the steps he had already taken for his health.
When he first started to focus on his health, Larry joined a gym, included more activity such as training for local races, and started tracking his food with an app on his phone. His efforts paid off, and he reached a healthy BMI.
While in grad school, Larry picked up a habit of studying at Starbucks with a hot cocoa and peanut butter cookie (and stopped a few of his healthy habits). Within a year, he had regained nearly 30 lbs and knew it was time to get back in action.
Luckily, he finds listening to music and exercise to be a great stress reliever. It was easy for him to get back into exercising more often. He also decided to set healthy boundaries around his social time, and now his friends know not to offer him unhealthy foods on school nights.
I asked Larry to share his story. Below you will find some words of encouragement and how he uses the HALT method – including a mindful pause to ask if he is hungry, angry/frustrated, lonely, or tried – to stay on track.
What brought you to Well-Balanced Nutrition?
“I started working with Well-balanced Nutrition because I felt my eating habits were hindering my fitness goals. Although I’m fairly active and try to eat healthy (most of the time), I wasn’t seeing much carry-over on the scale.
I knew I was on track when I became more mindful regarding my eating habits. Using the HALT method has really made me think about nutrition in a way that not only makes sense to me but makes me think about why I am eating in addition to what I’m eating.
I’m still human and learned when I get off track, and I try not to “beat myself up too badly.” When I am hanging out with friends and family, it’s not unusual for food to be around and sometimes I’ll overindulge. I’ve tried to realize there is an ebb and flow on this fitness journey, so I try and get back on track.
Best strategy I’ve learned
The best strategy, tool, tip, or technique I’ve learned on my well-balanced journey is the HALT method. Thinking about nutrition using the HALT method makes me connect my mood/feeling with what I’m consuming. Many times, it’s made me redirect my food intake to doing something like walking the dog or taking a bike ride.
Everyone is different. We can all take different avenues to get to our nutrition and fitness goals. Just don’t give up.”
Are you ready to make a transformation like Larry? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure. It may be the path you’ve been looking for!
by Lucy | Aug 22, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
Cassandra has been on her own wellness journey for some time. She has dealt with many health concerns at a young age and through diet and exercise she has found healing. When I first met Cassandra she was already on the right track. It’s been an honor to support her along the way and help her sustain the lifestyle that makes her feel best. Here she tells her story.
Why Cassandra decided to go vegan…
“My well-balanced nutrition story officially began March 31st when I first met Kristen. However, there are many events that led to this, but the most integral piece was my recent decision in February of this year to go vegan; or more appropriately fully plant based/animal product free.
For many, this would be a drastic change. But for me I haven’t eaten mammals in close to 14 years and I probably ate poultry or seafood 3-4 times a week. The change to a plant based diet was influenced by health conditions to include gastrointestinal issues, asthma, joint pain, and acne. Guess what!?! I’m only 27! The final straw was when I developed hemorrhoids from my GI issues. Sorry for the overshare, but pain is a GREAT motivator for me!
Over the years, I’ve learned different things about my body and what it doesn’t like. Such as dairy!!! It causes asthma flare ups and fun break outs. I knew that my current diet was contributing to much of my complications and wanted to make a change. So, I decided a vegan diet.
The next two weeks of adopting this eating style, I noticed a difference in my GI issues. At the time, this was my main reason to turning plant based. Though I was eating a plant based diet, I also knew there was a lot of information that I needed in order to make this lifestyle a permanent success. This is where Well Balanced Nutrition comes in! Kristen has been amazing and informative.
I had many struggles with this transition but the two primary struggles were working 3rd shift and cooking; cooking probably 
being the greatest. Meeting with Kristen has helped with developing strategies for when to eat, as well as setting realistic goals when it comes to cooking. I’m no chef and have no desire to become one but I’ve found that cooking is a necessity for me especially since I try not to eat too many processed foods.
I admit I initially was a bit overzealous due to my extreme nature and became quickly overwhelmed with the cooking piece. However, I’ve been granted permission to just keep things simple! This has really worked for me in the past weeks while I leave the culinary arts to the professionals.
This has been a journey that I look forward to continuing with Well Balanced Nutrition! I’m starting to have simple go-to recipes, getting on track with an eating schedule and beginning to not be so overwhelmed in the kitchen. All of my health issues have gotten better and I attribute the improvement to my eating as well as regular exercise. I’ve also lost 20 pounds and dropped two sizes. Weight loss has been a goal for me during this journey but it has not been a primary focus. The weight loss and smaller size are just icing on the cake–an eggless, dairy-free cake that I don’t have to bake! -Cassandra.
Are you ready to make a transformation like Cassandra? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure.
by Lucy | Aug 15, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
I first learned about Well-Balanced Nutrition (WBN) at a Health Fair my company had last year. I went because I really wanted to adopt a new and healthier lifestyle. I signed up for the email newsletter [Motivational Monday] and shortly after I met with Lucy for a one-on-one appointment.
I knew I wanted to be healthier but talking with Lucy helped me pinpoint exactly what milestones I wanted to achieve on my journey. I feel like Lucy is a great person with an exuberant passion for teaching her Well-Balanced friends and clients how being healthy can be fun. She helped me figure out what my goals were on this journey. Now that I am more on-track, meeting with Lucy is like I have my own personal “cheerleader.” She has knowledge and insights to share with me along the way.
I knew I was getting on track when I started feeling healthier and craving fruits and veggies instead of those “quick fix” snacks like chips, candy bars, etc. Now I am eating healthier and including small healthy snacks during the day to keep my metabolism in a constant “burn” mode. Also, I could tell I had more energy towards the end of my work day. Opposed to when I was eating less healthy foods, such as those afternoon carbs binge with a side of sugary soda. I even started making healthier choices when eating out instead of choosing high-calorie fast food (hello, endless broccoli at Red Robins!).
The best strategy I have learned on my well-balanced journey is to have fun! Try new things, mix it up, and learn to laugh at yourself!! Like the first time I ever made homemade chicken fried rice and used waaaayy too much black pepper because, well… that’s what the recipe called for! Let me just admit that I actually Googled “can you die from eating too much black pepper?” Let me assure you, my Well-Balanced friends, you cannot!!! (Unless, you inhale it in large volumes!)
| When I get off track, I try to remember why I began this journey. I have cravings, sometimes bad ones. I’m still human! |
I started working with WBN because I wanted to learn more about my new healthy lifestyle and not just a temporary diet to achieve a specific weight goal. I mean, sure, everyone wants to lose weight, don’t they? But my main goal was making sure my heart is healthy because heart disease runs in my family. It is also stated by the CDC that heart disease is the “…leading cause of death for both men and women.” That’s scary!
I have cravings just like anyone else and sometimes I give in. Most of the time, I think about how many more memories and life experiences that I can be around for if I live a long healthy life. I also remember that I can positively impact the people and the world around me. Woah! 🙂
I really want the tribe to know it’s okay to have “set backs” or “bad days” because what matters is that you are trying to be healthier! If you’re reading this, I’m pretty sure you are successful at it already. So, don’t beat yourself up for having a weak moment, a “cheat day,” or even a “cheat weekend” if you’re on vacation, or going through something emotional. Just shake it off and “Keep on Truckin’!”
Are you ready to make a transformation like Malinda? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure.
by Lucy | Jul 25, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
Latoyia is a successful and busy professional in Durham. She started working with Well Balanced Nutrition back in the Spring. Like many others, she had dieted in the past without a ton of lasting success. When we first met, I could tell she was ready to try something different, something more realistic and long lasting. I am blown away by her progress to date and I’m excited to share a little bit about her journey with you.
I really want the tribe to know…”I’ve learned that weight loss and fitness is a journey and about changing your lifestyle for the better. It’s not about following a fad to quickly lose weight and then reverting back to old habits. I’ve learned to be patient and realistic with my weight loss goals and that has been yielding success.” -LB
Being patient and realistic has paid off. To date she has lost 13 pounds. How? Partly because of her new habit of walking 3-5 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes fairly consistently. In the past, she had trouble sticking to an exercise routine but now she is being careful not to get too carried away with unrealistic exercise routines only to burn out. This time it needed to be something simple and fun.
Walking is something she really enjoys for a few reasons: it’s a way to socialize with other walkers in her neighborhood, her husband or sister. It can also be a time to listen to music and clear her mind. Another plus? She notices that she has more energy now. She has even started to include bouts of jogging into her walking routine.
She also found that starting her day with a simple, healthy breakfast and making her lunch on the weekends was helpful. Last but not least, she is keeping her trigger foods out of the house and staying hydrated with refreshing citrus water.
Even when she does less exercise or doesn’t prep her lunch in advance for a week or two, she’s learned to make the most of her choices and ends up getting right back into the game when she can. Here’s what Latoyia wants to share with you about her journey.
I started working with Well-balanced Nutrition because …
I was struggling to reach my weight loss and fitness goal on my own. I felt I needed more guidance and support.
I knew I was on track when…
I started to see my weight going down on the scale. It wasn’t a rapid decline, but even the incremental decrease was helpful in motivating me to continue.
I’m still human and learned that when I get off track …
I’m never completely derailed. I just have to pause, refocus, and start fresh the next day. I realized even in my “bad” weeks there were things I did right. I may not have met my exercise goal, for example, but I ate breakfast every day and had healthy lunches.
The best strategy, tool, tip, or technique I have learned on my well-balanced journey is…to keep foods that I tend to overeat out of my house and serve my meals on smaller plates instead of dinner plates.
Are you ready to make a transformation like Latoyia? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure. It’s your first baby step toward success.
by Lucy | Jul 11, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
I started working with Well-balanced Nutrition because…
I needed guidance on nutrition to help me meet the physical demands of my job and personal goals. As a hybrid athlete, I am constantly training in a variety of formats; from powerlifting to triathlon/marathon training, as well as teaching group fitness classes. I was also seeking help with weight loss and because I have a history of eating disorders and crash dieting and I wanted support to achieve my goals in a healthy, sustainable way. 
I knew I was on track when…
I was seeing a difference in my body composition. My weight fluctuates so even if my weight was down, I didn’t use the scale as the only measure of success. That being said, my body was (and still is!) feeling good and I was happy and comfortable with how I felt in my skin. I liked how my clothes were fitting and how my body was performing. I didn’t feel like I was carrying extra weight anymore and I also felt in control of my eating habits.
I’m still human and learned when I get off track I …
I have resources and support to help get me back on track. I no longer beat myself up for having slip ups but instead, acknowledge them, and move on.
The best strategy/technique I have learned on my well-balanced journey is…
Tracking my intake and using the HALT method when I get “snacky”. I use an app on my phone and it has been crucial for me. If I do not track my food intake, that is when I turn into a bottomless pit and overeat. It helps keep me accountable and it has taught me a great deal of discipline, in a good way. I feel like I have control. Along with that, the HALT method (Hungry, angry, lonely, tired) has taught me to pay attention to how my body is feeling. If there was a way to throw a “B” in there for BORED, that was certainly a big reason for why I would over eat. Learning to supplement those emotions with something other than food was a big help for me!
I really want the tribe to know…
There is no one RIGHT way to do something. Everybody is going to find something that works for them and that’s what matters. If you want to go paleo and eat clean, more power to you. If you are like me and find that tracking macros fits your lifestyle, then get down with your bad self! I want everyone to know that every BODY has different needs and different approaches to achieving success. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing and find something that works for you.
Are you ready to make a transformation like Rebecca? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure.
