Mel - 9 weeks of progress
Mel at the start of her journey (top) and when she had finished a 9 week coaching block (bottom)
Today I want to introduce you to MEL!
Mel came to see me in early August this year with a goal to try and tone up a little and learn more about nutrition and exercise. Although she had lost a significant amount of weight on her own prior to seeing me (30kgs since 2017) , she still felt a bit lost as to what to do next - she was struggling to shift the last bit of weight and change her shape.
She wasn’t eating breakfast, and when she did it was bacon and eggs. Her plant food intake was low - not having enough fruit and little in the way of whole grains. Mel admitted to having quite a sweet tooth and had a mentality around not wanting to waste food which would meant she would often end up over-eating to avoid wastage. Her energy levels weren’t the best and she felt absolutely buggered by the end of the day. She had tried keto but could not sustain it - and if you’ve read anything else I’ve posted on this subject you know how much I despise Keto!
In terms of exercise, she was already in the habit of going to the gym but would spend most of the time on the treadmill or trying out some of the weight machines.
After an initial consultation, Mel decided to invest in a package with me which included nutrition education, coaching, a meal plan, exercise prescription (a 9 week training block broken into 3 x 3 week cycles) and some PT sessions. Mel set herself up for success straight off the bat by investing in the support she needed to reach her goal - she went all in and it certainly paid off. So without further ado - here is some of what Mel achieved in 9 short weeks with me…
Starting weight - 70kgs
Body fat mass - 27.6%
Muscle mass - 28kg
Weight after 9 weeks - 67kgs
Body fat mass - 23.4%
Muscle mass - 28.4kg
Total loss of 3kgs and 4.4% body fat
and a gain of 0.4kgs of lean tissue (muscle)
More about Mel…
169cm tall
32 years young
3 kids
Works part time
Initial exercise - cardio machines at gym, some weight machines at gym but no structured exercise program
Now - 4 x structured weight training sessions & 2 x cardio sessions per week (walking/ jogging)
Looking at your transformation photos - describe how you feel seeing your change? To have to take photos to begin with is quite daunting and something I never really did BUT I'm glad I did as I def seen results by the end of my 9 weeks and was pretty happy with what I was able to achieve.
I learnt that I'm capable of doing something for me, and have the determination to keep going even when things get tough.
What did you learn about yourself in the process? The most surprising thing that's come across is the amount of food I can actually eat and still manage to lose weight haha which was never my goal.
What was the most difficult challenge? Most difficult change for me was the food side, I'm not a cook nor do I have passion for cooking BUT I soon realised it got easier haha now I'm cooking larger meals and freezing them..
How has your mindset changed? My mindset- Having her program has been a massive shift in my mindset I now know that things won't happen overnight and that it takes hard fucking work, so in that sense no more excuses and get it done always forward xxx
What healthy habits have you created and what have you learnt along the way?
Healthy habits - hmmmm don't even know where to start.
Breakfast is a big one for me never thought I'd be eating before 7 ever haha.
Barcode reading.
Overall better shopping choices.
Daily exercise is a must even if it's a walk.
Meal prepping.
And hope there's more to come..
Would you recommend Rachel from EmpowerMe and why? I actually already have recommended Rachel.
It's my absolute pleasure to highly recommend Rachel from EmpowerMe nutrition, she is amazing at what she does and will support you every step of the way with a no bullshit approach. I'm feeling stronger and healthier than ever, no more feeling bloated.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time learning from Rachel.
What would you say to readers who might think 'I don't have the time' or 'I could never do that' - To anyone that wants to change or make changes but feels like they can't or they don't have the time stop bullshitting yourselves, one thing I've learnt is that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to it.
Mel has been an incredible client to coach! At times she felt like giving up - and this is totally normal. I tell my new clients this when they start - that it will be hard and you may feel like giving up. This is because we tend to resist anything that is new and pushes us outside of our safe comfort zones.
But thankfully with some support, Mel cracked on and learnt a lot about nutrition - the importance of eating enough - plenty of plant foods - adequate protein and fuelling her body at the right times of the day to take her energy levels up a notch. She learnt how to lift (free) weights in the gym to build the shape she wanted to see! Just look at the change in her shape in just 9 weeks - amazing!
Mel also won STEP-TEMBER - a challenge I ran with my clients for who could get the highest amount of steps in September. Mel averaged approx. 22k steps a day for the whole month and took out first place with pride.
I think what made Mel so successful in her journey with me was her mindset - she refused to give up and once that initial resistance waned, she really started to come into her own. Having a structured exercise program for Mel was a really important step in her journey - I taught Mel how to lift weights with proper technique so that she no longer has to stick to machines. She is now deadlifting 75kgs and squatting the same - having started at only 40kgs on each exercise. Huge gains there and many more to come I suspect :)
Lucky for me (and her), Mel decided to continue with exercise coaching to continue to see her body transform and gain more shape. I am super excited to see what the future holds for Mel!
