Case Study 101 – ‘Ditch The Diet’ Weight Loss Results

‘Ditch the Diet’ Weight Loss

Meet Lizanne….

Lizanne came to me as she wanted to get back to feeling great again.  Her weight had been steadily increasing over the years even after a rigorous exercise schedule and she was feeling fed up with working so hard and not seeing any changes to her weight.

Her self-confidence was being affected as her clothes were getting tighter.  Lizanne said she was ready to invest in her health, especially as she was getting older.

After a free 15-minute health review, Lizanne signed up for my three-month package , downloaded my health app and was 100% ready to make changes to support her health and stabilise her weight.

What Can Prevent You From Losing Weight?

Aside from what you are eating and how active you are, there are other underlying imbalances that can prevent you from dropping a dress size.

• Stress – when your body is in fight or flight more and consistently releasing cortisol and adrenaline in response to day-t0-day stressors, this will have a direct impact on your blood sugar regulation, thyroid health and how well you absorb nutrients.
• Thyroid – thyroid hormones are responsible for metabolism within every cell of the body.  If it isn’t working efficiently, it can affect how easy or hard it is to lose weight.  Learn more about thyroid HERE.
• Blood sugar imbalance – excess blood glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen and released when needed, but if these stores are full, glucose gets stored in fat cells
• Oestrogen dominance – if oestrogen isn’t cleared from the body effectively, it can cause oestrogen dominance and an imbalance of sex hormones.  This can promote insulin resistance.

What Did I Find?

After eliminating thyroid imbalance using functional testing, it was clear that there was other factors at play.  Notable findings:

• Severe cravings
• Low energy
• Eating under stress
• Bloating
• Headaches

It was clear that we needed to work on regulating Lizanne’s blood sugar to help increase her energy and prevent cravings.

We also needed to address stress.  I couldn’t take away Lizanne’s day-to-day stressors but I was able to give her stress relieving techniques and educate her on the body’s need to feel rested before weight loss happened.

Adipose tissue stores toxins so before we addressed weight loss, it was important to get the bowel movement regular to enable toxins to be excreted and not reabsorbed (which can cause further health issues)

Daily bowel movements are so often ignored, but so important.

My Approach

• It was clear that Lizanne’s busy working schedule didn’t need the extra stress of a huge dietary overhaul so I took things step-by-step to help her to make changes, without causing too much disruption to her busy life.

• Understanding WHY your body is holding onto weight is key to making changes.  If you know what is going on with your body, it gives purpose behind why you are doing, what you are doing.

• I also wanted to show Lizanne what her current macronutrient status looked like so I uploaded her food intake to show her what nutrients she needed to increase and those that needed reducing to help her body rebalance.

• I use measurements and weight as a guide to weight loss because weight can vary over a month due to factors such as hormones and water retention and, so this is a more accurate representation of weight loss.

• The body often holds onto weight due to nutrient deficiency (which can be the case in yoyo dieting – read more here) so ensuring there is optimal nutrient intake is crucial before a weight loss protocol.

• Keeping active is important for stabilising weight but if you are already under a great deal of stress, adding high intensity training can increase the stress response so low intensity, relaxing exercises can sometimes be more beneficial.

The Steps I Took

1. I started by focusing on Lizanne’s breakfast to help stabilise her blood sugar which helps to reduce cravings, snacking and fatigue
2. Simple steps were taken to improve detoxification by increasing fibre and hydration
3. I created a supplement protocol to help improve tension headaches
4. Meal prep and meal planning strategies were put in place
5. I expanded her diet to improve overall nutrient deficiency and diversity
6. We started looking at time restrictive eating around Lizanne’s schedule but focused on a ‘no-guilt’ approach if she couldn’t achieve this daily
7. I provided recipes and resources throughout, tailored to Lizanne’s specific needs
8. Lifestyle and relaxation techniques were implemented to reduce stress
9. We progressed into some Intermittent Fasting after an assessment of Lizanne’s macronutrient intake

Lizanne Saw Positive Changes Immediately

Progress after 9-weeks

✅  She lost 3 inches off her waist and 2 inches off her hips

✅  She lost just under 7lb

✅  Her headaches had significantly reduced

✅  She no longer had sugar cravings, but craved healthy foods

✅  She was having a daily stool movement

✅  Her bloating, abdominal pain was 80% better

✅  She loves smoothie bowls (and assured me she didn’t at the beginning – winner!)

✅  She was drinking more water and had ditched sweeteners for good

Lizanne’s words

I can’t rave about Becky enough. She has been so supportive and hugely informative throughout.
It has all been done in really easy and manageable chunks to ensure that it is sustainable. The recipes are delicious and I am eating foods I thought I would never eat and I now crave them!
I am in smaller clothes already and this just the start.