Proven Success: Healthy Nest Nutrition Natural Weight Loss

Case Study
Client: Susan (names have been changed for privacy)

Stats: Female, 58 years old, empty nester, still working but nearing retirement, busy, travels a lot (and enjoys it), eats out for social connection multiple times per week. Exercises. Has gained 20 pounds during the menopause transition, now feels thick and uncomfortable in her own skin and her clothes don’t fit. Susan would like to NOT buy new clothes. She wants her body back, or a more comfortable body going forward.

Goal: To lose 20 pounds and support continued weight maintenance as a lifestyle.

Outcome: Consistent 1-1.5 pound weight loss over about 7 months, while continuing to travel and meet friends for meals weekly.

Here’s what we did:
Fuel + Celebration: Susan was living in celebration for more than 60% of her meals. She was celebrating her new empty nester status with restaurant meals multiple times per week. She had stopped going to the grocery store consistently because she was traveling and eating out so frequently. This had become a cycle. No food in the house was the ticket to go out. So, Susan began to schedule her social connections both in restaurants and other places as well (lots of walks). She also switched the types of restaurants she ate at (more farm to table, less bar/casual). Some of her restaurant meals became fuel meals (protein and veg/salads with protein) by ordering differently. Every week she strategically chose 1-2 celebratory moments, but the rest of her meals were chosen for fuel whether they were at restaurants, meals picked up from Whole Foods Market, or throw-together meals she made at home.

Make-Ahead Fast Dinners: Because we were trying to encourage meals at home, we had to come up with a big varied list of doable fast prep meals that worked with her lack of time to cook. Make-ahead meals were her answer (cook once, eat twice). Susan settled on a combination of seasonal, delicious and easy sheet pan dinners, slow cooker mains and hearty salads with grilled chicken or fish.

3:30 Snack: Strategically placing a MUST HAVE afternoon snack was key in Susan’s success. She had been struggling with getting overly hungry through the afternoon, and then overeating through dinner and after dinner into the evening. Front loading her food through the day AND ensuring a nutrient-dense snack between 3-4 pm really helped to curb the evening eating. Gaining control of this problem was a huge confidence booster, body balancer and weight loss help.

Magical Macros: Susan’s macros ended up being 20% carbs, 55% fat, 25% protein. We dialed in how much starch and non-starchy veggies she needed to eat to feel energized. How much protein at how many meals she needed to be full, and how much and good ideas for incorporating more fat into her diet throughout the day. Adding avocado and heavily dressing her salads and snacking on cashews were perfect to hit her fats.

Intermittent Fasting: Lastly, since Susan didn’t like eating first thing in the morning, we suggested she start her main meal between 13-14 hours after dinner, frequently around 10am, so her eating schedule was 10am breakfast, 12:30pm lunch, 3:30pm snack, 7pm dinner. This schedule worked beautifully for Susan.

Susan’s successful lifestyle habit changes:

• Grocery shops weekly (click + deliver if time constrained)
• Breakfast after an evening fast
• Planning and prepping for dinners 4-5 days per week (changes seasonally)
• Picking up an afternoon snack at the beginning of the week for the week
• Walking dates when the weather is nice instead of all restaurant dates with her girlfriends
• Still follows her macros pretty closely (which have now changed because she is in maintenance mode vs. weight loss mode)

At Healthy Nest Nutrition, we are all about digging to find your issues and creating habits and lifestyle changes that are sustainable, do-able and delicious.

Our Natural Weight Loss Program’s low and slow philosophy allows you to create your new habits and then solidify them over time as you lose pounds. When you’ve completed the weight loss piece, you’ve also created the lifestyle piece, seamlessly. Works like a charm and we’re proud of it.

Reach out and see if our programs are right for you. Schedule a free consult with a holistic nutritionist.