Life often takes an unexpected path. For Rebecca, the journey began as a young 18-year-old weighing 118 pounds, leading her to a challenging point in her 50s, tipping the scales at 158 lbs.
But this isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about a woman exploring countless diets, searching for that perfect fit. Rebecca’s story unveils the struggles, revelations, and insights that transformed her relationship with food.
Join us as we delve into a tale of perseverance, discovery, and the power of informed nutritional choices. If you’ve ever felt lost in the vast world of dieting advice, Rebecca’s experiences might offer the clarity you need. Let’s journey together.
Meet Rebecca
My name is Rebecca, and I live in the small village of New Lenox, south of Chicago.
Optimising Nutrition has changed my life, and I wanted to share my story with you!
What’s Your Why?
Over the years, I gradually gained weight.
Thirteen years ago, at 53 years old, I was around 40 pounds overweight, and my body fat percentage was 43%. In contrast, I weighed about 118 pounds at 18 years old.
Nonetheless, I knew I had to change something when I hit 158 lbs, which pushed me to try a low-carb lifestyle.
When I first went low-carb, I wanted to lose weight and look good, regardless of how it affected my health.
I have reached my goal weight several times over these past 14 years. However, whenever I started eating ‘normally’ again, I would regain most of what I had lost.
As you can imagine, it was frustrating!
Over all those years, I could never figure out how to maintain my goal weight. This drove me to do some more research. I realised I had become Type-2 Diabetic. I became as concerned about my health as I initially had been about my appearance. This motivated me to search even harder for a solution.
Previous Diet Attempts
Over the years, I’ve tried many weight loss methods, including:
- The South Beach Diet,
- NutriSystem,
- LA Weight Loss,
- The Ice Cream Diet,
- The Hawaiian Diet,
- Deal-a-Meal,
- The Schwarzbein Principle,
- The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet,
- The GI Diet,
- The Nautilus Diet,
- The Pritikin Diet,
- Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating,
- Weight Watchers,
- The Zone,
- Atkins, and
- different variations on long-term and short-term fasting.
On some of these diets, I would lose weight but gain it back as soon as I stopped. On others, I would not lose any weight at all. But none seemed to give me the lasting results I hoped for.
Additionally, most of them revolved around ‘eating less and exercising more’, which left me hungrier than before I started, with intense feelings of deprivation.
Throughout those 14 years of dietary trial and error, I never really experienced satiety.
Rebecca’s Into to Optimising Nutrition
In 2016, I found myself circling 154 pounds (again!). This led me to develop a fasting protocol where I would have to hit a weight and blood glucose target before eating again that day. If I were over in either one, I would fast until the next day before reweighing and rechecking my blood glucose.
I was blogging about my results, and an online friend said she had seen my story. Somehow, Marty Kendall—the founder of Optimising Nutrition—featured it on one of his sites. This prompted me to meet Marty (online), and we started interacting and sharing results.
Initially, I did not use any of Marty’s programs around this time as he was developing them and because I was involved in my own.
But in 2023, I finally decided to jump in and take a Macros Masterclass, followed by a Micros Masterclass.
Surprising Learnings
Through the Macros Masterclass and Micros Masterclass, I learned much about the factors that promote satiety in our food.
I also unlearned many things that I had previously believed after strictly following low-carb and keto. I had become very dogmatic and rigid about low-carb eating.
I was surprised to learn that if I ate nutrient-dense foods—or foods defined as those with more nutrients per calorie—I was consistently satisfied and did not have to limit my carbs strictly.
At the start of the Macros Masterclass, I ate extremely low-carb. However, I steadily increased the nutrient-dense carbs I consumed until I reached a healthy intake where I could easily maintain my body composition.
Surprisingly, I also learned I could ‘get away with’ eating about three times the carbs I’d been restricting myself to for years while still losing weight and maintaining excellent blood glucose levels.
Now, at 70 grams of carbs per day, I’m still low carb compared to the ‘normal’ amount of carbs on the ‘Standard American Diet’, which is around 300 grams per day!
The Results
When I joined Optimising Nutrition, I was only a few pounds over my goal body weight and body fat percentage, so my weight loss results are not dramatic. To date, I have only lost three pounds on the scale. However, after participating in the Macros Masterclass and Micros Masterclass, I have lost 5.1 pounds of body fat and gained 2.1 pounds of lean body mass. This was just from dialling in my macros and micros without adding resistance exercise!
Today, my body fat is 25.2%. My goal is 25%. But these days, I am less focused on the number on the scale and more on improving my body measurements and composition. Below is a chart of my change in body fat from the Nutrient Optimiser app.
I have lost ¼” around my neck, 1-¾” around my waist, and 1” around my hips.
Non-Scale Victories?
As far as non-scale victories go, I consider it a real win that I finally learned how to eat in a healthy way that does not make me feel deprived while still giving me normal blood glucose while improving my body composition.
Although I have only been eating this way for a couple of months, it ‘feels right’, and I genuinely believe I can maintain this way of eating for the rest of my life! I would consider this ‘win’ to be consistent eating habits I can adhere to for the long term, rather than another ‘named diet’.
Another non-scale victory is the confidence I’ve gained when I look in the mirror and see I am no longer overweight. Health issues aside, it feels good to look good!
Rebecca’s Advice
Don’t be afraid of asking too many questions! If you are someone who likes taking things slowly, you can do any of these programs at your own pace and get the results you are looking for.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the information available, especially when there are so many things to unlearn, but you don’t have to master it all at once. Take it one step at a time! Making slow and small positive changes in a positive direction are still improvements from where you started, and they compound with consistency!
On the flip side, there is plenty in the classes to keep you stimulated and moving if you love numbers, data, and all things technical (like me!). This is an excellent environment to nerd out, have fun, and share your journey with a supportive community!
Whether you want to progress slowly, speed along, or move forward between the two extremes, I know you will feel welcome and part of the community. So many people here have been where you are and are eager to help!
If you’re ready to take back your health and make progress on your goals, sign up today! Our Welcome checklist will help you navigate the free resources and courses. Join Rebecca and our community of Optimisers who are changing their health one day at a time. See you on the other side!