A Peek into My Story

The first time I ever tracked calories was right before med school. I was moving to a new city and I wanted to start fresh and feel good. 5 years living in NYC had left me…. Well, let’s just say I enjoyed myself!

I tracked inconsistently and was immediately deterred by the awesome food in my new city and then didn’t track again until about 6 years later when I was very motivated – my wedding was coming up! 

I returned to my old app, plugged in a ridiculously low number as my calorie goal, and went to town restricting food and running as often as I could. I paid no attention to macros because, well, I had no idea they mattered! I lost about 15 lbs in a few months and man, was I skinny. I was exhausted and hungry and cranky, but who cared? I was skinny. 

Fast forward another 2 years and my husband and I both read a book (link at bottom) that changed our lives about as much as a book can change a life (although I wouldn’t realize the full effect until another 8 years later when I quit my job as an ER doctor to become a health & strength coach) . We learned about appropriate calorie deficits, the importance of lots of protein, limiting cardio, and heavy focus (pun intended) on strength training with progressive overload and foundational exercises. 

Despite being a self-proclaimed gym rat since about age 14, that was the first time my body started responding in the way I had always hoped it would – building strength, creating muscle, developing real shape. My energy and sleep improved, as did my mood – although that could have just been because I finally loved my body. 

Since figuring it out, my body has done lots of wild things – including going through 2.5 pregnancies. Sometimes I veer off course for a little while based on what’s going on in my life at the time. But I never worry about getting back because I know what to do and I know that it works. 

Now, even the word “skinny” makes me cringe because it’s so far from what we should be aiming for. Skinny = low body fat & low muscle mass. Once seen as the ultimate body goal for women, now we know that muscle tissue is what gives us health – strength, energy, longevity. 

• More muscle = better insulin sensitivity.
• More muscle = faster metabolic rate and more calorie burn at rest
• Signalling proteins from muscle communicate with nearly every body system, including your immune system to help regulate your response to infections and even cancer cells.

You want to be healthy?
You want to be lean and eat things you enjoy while maintaining a body you love? 
You want to show your kids how to move and fuel their bodies the right way? 

Screw skinny – GO FOR STRONG 💪

If you or anyone you know is ready to commit to the process and trade fat for muscle the most safe, effective, and drug-free way, apply for my 1:1 coaching here.

Here’s the book I referenced: men’s version & women’s version.

And here’s a great macro guide to help you understand what each macro does for us, how much we need, and some examples of healthy options of each.