The Best Breakfast For Weight Loss
Can you take us through a typical day before you decided to level up your life? Steve: Taco Bell, pizza, beers, cheese on cheese on cheese, tons of take-out…sounds like a typical diet for many people struggling to lose weight. Was there a specific moment when you decided to make a change?
My blood pressure was kind of high. My cholesterol was creeping up. I struggled with being out of breath with the simplest of tasks. Walking anywhere in Boulder for long periods of time meant open-mouth breathing. Oh, and learning to snowboard was nearly impossible. There were days we’d drive the two hours to the mountains, I’d go down the bunny hill once, and be done for the day - I didn’t have the physical or mental stamina to try again.
I’d then sit in the lodge and drown my sorrows in chocolate brownies while my husband would go down the blue and black runs by himself. Super fun for both of us. Steve: Blah, yeah that’s no fun. So, you eventually decided that “enough is enough,” and ended up on Nerd Fitness! Was this the first time you had ever tried getting in shape?
Christina: Definitely not. I’ve kind of lost count of how many times I flirted with weight loss and getting fit. 2 The single teacher income diet - I lost 50 lbs in six months only to gain it back when I could afford food again. 3 Weight Watchers - I was used to body shaming from my mom, I figured, “Why not let strangers do it too? ” Turns out this was less than ideal for my self esteem. I know WW works for some, but my particular experience wasn’t great.
4 Various exercise VHS tapes from the 80s and 90s - My faves included Tony Little and It Figures with Charlene Prickett, because nothing motivates you like a built dude with a ponytail, or 80s leotards coupled with bad music! 5 Beachbody shakes - I found the shakes to be excellent when mixed with a half pot of coffee, two tbsp of peanut butter, and a cup of half and half. No idea why I didn’t lose weight, hahaha.
6 Cutting calories without tracking or learning - For some reason, I believed that even though I had no idea how much I was eating regularly, I could guess my way through calorie restriction. This did not work. 7 Complaining - “Why am I so fat? Why can’t I lose weight?
There must be something wrong with my metabolism. Why is exercise so difficult? 8 Wishing the fat away - “Maybe if I skip dinner I’ll lose a pound or two. Maybe if I skip dessert I will lose weight. Steve: Thanks for sharing your struggles honestly with me (and now the world!). I’m curious: what made you decide to take the plunge and jump on board with Nerd Fitness and our coaching program? Christina: Prior to NF Coaching, I mentioned to my husband I needed help.
After all of my failed attempts above, I knew I couldn’t do this on my own and wanted guidance. I live in Colorado, land of the uber-fit, but I felt like none of the options available really meshed what I needed. I didn’t enjoy exercise and just couldn’t relate to fitness junkies. The NF Coaching announcement came at a perfect time, and I was really pleased to see that the program wasn’t just personalized workouts, but also that my coach Jim would help me with my nutrition and mindset.
And you saw how I used to eat - I definitely needed help in that area! Steve: Amen. We all know we need to exercise more and eat less, it’s actually DOING it consistently that’s challenging. Christina: I told Jim about the equipment I had available (or lack thereof) and my goals, and my schedule, so he built a program that fit into that exact situation. We did a lot of body weight to start with, no gym for me! Steve: Let’s talk nutrition: What’s been your nutritional strategy?
Christina: Definitely more of an “if it fits your macros” (IIFYM) type of deal - I try to shoot for 130g of protein and under 80g for carbs and fat. I married an Italian who loves to cook; we quickly realized totally cutting pasta out of our lives wasn’t going to work.
So Jim helped me to be smarter about everything. We time our big Italian meals on days we do a lot of physical activity, instead of every day which was always my problem in the past. I also had to cut back my cheese addiction, which was super sad. I too follow a “mental model” macros-type diet. What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?
Up between 5AM and 6AM, drink one cup of coffee with turmeric, cinnamon, and pepper, eat a small breakfast (normally an egg and some protein with one slice of really skinny bread). I then do some work and housework, bodyweight training around 10am, drink a protein shake, drag husband out for a walk, then eat lunch around 12:30pm (lots of protein). I then do more work, tutor in the afternoon, sometimes volunteer at a feral cat colony, and then dinner (protein and veggies), relax, and bed. Much more structure in my life, and amazingly, I get things done.
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