Today, we’re following up with some of my recent weight loss success stories from my daughter, Gabby and one of my clients, Kathy! Gabby and Kathy decided to make some big changes in relation to their health this year and their transformations have been incredible to witness. These two have used my nutrition coaching to lead them, but have found unique ways of exercising and eating right that fits into their lifestyles. I’ll be asking them some questions about their experience and any advice they’d like for the world to know.
Let’s start with Gabby
Can you state your starting weight and your current weight?
My weight loss journey began earlier this year in February. The most I weighed was 273 pounds. Currently I am at 209 pounds, so I’ve lost over 64 pounds in less than 8 months.
What motivated you to embark on this weight loss journey in the first place?
Early this year, I was unhappy with lots of things in my life and one day recognized that my happiness came from myself and my choices, not from other people or external factors. I remember the day I decided that enough was enough. I was eating at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants with my mother, Patty, after we had taken a beautiful walk around Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. For the first time in a long time, I felt so happy in this moment. Looking back now, I can see that my body was thanking me because I was nourishing myself with physical movement, wholesome food, and love from my mother. I wanted to feel this happy all the time and luckily my mom was just the person I needed to talk to in this moment. She encouraged me to live every day like this; to move my body, to heal myself with food, to fill my days with love and positivity, and to create a life worth living for.
This is my mother’s superpower: she has an ability to make you believe in yourself even when all hope feels lost. I was in a dark place in my life, and my mom managed to shine a light towards me that’s been guiding me since to a better place. Weight loss is such an emotional journey in one’s life and Patty is exactly the person you want to have in your corner to support and uplift you along the way. She is motivated by love, is a wealth of knowledge, holds no judgement, and will be your personal cheerleader on this transformation journey.
Could you share the strategies or techniques you found most effective in achieving and maintaining your weight loss?
I truly believe that my physical transformation comes directly from creating an overall awareness of my life: what I was eating, what I was doing, how I was thinking, who and what I was surrounding myself with. It was this reflection that made me realize the unhealthy patterns I had been subscribed to that prevented me from feeling good and becoming the best version of myself. My body – and everyone’s body – is always sending messages, trying to communicate, and often we are not listening to this intuition. The body wants to be taken care of through physical activity, wholesome foods, mindfulness, and rest, and when we provide this for it, our lives will be changed for the better.
Never did I approach this transformation as a “diet” or some sort of challenge, for I believe that these mindsets can be limiting and detrimental to our overall wellbeing. For example, when I was in high school I followed a strict diet with a set goal in mind: to lose 30 pounds. I remember how hard this time was for me; I was incredibly restrictive with the foods I ate, I was often hungry and had very low energy as a result, and I dreaded working out at the gym because it felt like a chore. As soon as I hit this goal and lost those 30 pounds, I celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory and suddenly all my hard work had unraveled in just one dinner. I quickly gained back that weight over the course of the year, developed an intense craving for those rich foods I had deprived myself of, and lost all of my motivation to work out and eat clean, and this trend continued for many years of my life.
Looking back, I can see how having a strict diet mindset can actually be destructive in making long-term lasting changes in oneself. In order to become your best self, you have to show up for yourself in a meaningful way, to not simply lose weight, but to take care of your body so that it can provide a long, lasting and beautiful life for you to live. It is not a diet, but instead a lifestyle change that will look different for every person and their unique body type and lived experience. I’ve lost double the weight I did during my “diet” in high school by simply listening to my body, taking care of myself, being patient and loving towards myself during this process, and having fun along the way!
Did you incorporate regular physical activity into your routine, and if so, what types of exercise did you find most enjoyable and effective?
I became curious about yoga and started attending classes last summer, about two to three times a month. Earlier this year when I decided to make some changes in my life, I became a bit more serious about yoga and signed up for a membership at a studio. Quickly, I became hooked to my time spent on the mat and found myself attending vinyasa flow classes almost every day. Besides the physical health benefits, yoga is an incredible activity for creating awareness in your every day life and holding space for yourself. I don’t think I would be as successful as I have been in my weight loss journey if it weren’t for the valuable lessons I’ve learned about myself from my yoga practice.
Besides yoga, I’ve become curious about so many different types of movement and have had a lot of fun exploring myself through them! So far, I’ve taken many different classes, such as: cycle, barre, circuit weight training, dance, tai chi, breathwork, and many more. I even started playing pickleball with a group of friends too! I really love trying new things, making friends along the way, and letting go of any expectations you have of yourself. It’s healing to get to celebrate my body rather than pushing it to its extreme like I have done in the past.
One of the most important things that I will emphasize is how important it is to your move your body every single day. That doesn’t mean an intensive workout at the gym where you push yourself past your physical limit. If you are not exercising frequently at all, I encourage you to start small as possible. Let this be a 20 minute walk, or dancing to a few of your favorite songs. What’s important is to continue to do this activity the next day, and then the next day, pushing yourself just a little bit harder each time. The resistance you feel at first will start to fade away as your body begins to get acclimated to moving, and soon it will be asking for more!
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their weight loss journey or considering making healthier dietary choices?
Focus on making one wise health decision every single day. I believe that the key to making this a lasting lifestyle change is consistency. By forming a habit to do something beneficial for yourself daily, you will transform your life, body, and mindset as it will become second nature to you.
For example, when I began to make a concious lifestyle change, I began attending yoga classes twice a week, cooking one or two meals at home, and making sure that no matter what I got 30 minutes of exercise everyday which was usually as simple as taking a walk. It was these small additions to my weekly routine that set the foundation for a lifestyle change. Now I attend around 5-7 yoga and fitness classes a week, cook all my meals at home, and exercise an hour or more every single day.
The most important thing about making a dynamic lifestyle change is to practice being gentle and patient with yourself. You will have weeks where you “fall off” and maybe don’t make the wisest health choices and that is totally valid! What matters is you, your body, and your experience. If you’re having a day where you’re feeling defeated, I especially encourage you to do something nice for yourself, whether it be taking a hot bath, going to bed early, journaling, and starting over the next day.
Here’s Kathy’s Story
Can you state your starting weight and your current weight?
I started in June 1, 2023 and have lost 13 pounds to this date, with a percentage of body fat loss of 4%.
What motivated you to embark on this weight loss journey in the first place?
I was having a hard time being successful with weight loss in the past. I tried many diets: keto, soup diets, low fat diets, etc. I would lose weight, but when I got off it, that weight just crept back (yo-yo effect) over time. I contacted Patty Martin over a year ago but could not justify paying at the time. I guess you could say I was cheap on money for my health but not cheap on buying clothes and other sorts of things that were meaningless. I came to a point in my life where I reached out to Patty again and went in for a consultation. There, I made my mind up that I really needed a professional nutritionist and most importantly a coach and medical professional to do it right this time.
How has Patty’s support impacted your journey?
I love the fact that I can meet with Patty twice a month, each time getting to be weighed on this amazing InBody Scale that measures Body Fat Mass, Skeletal Muscle, Total Body Water, and Percentage of Body Fat. I needed to be held accountable on this journey because I could not do this by myself, and luckily Patty has been a wonderful motivator. Patty taught me about the foods to buy, how to portion my meals, and provides delicious recipes with a breakdown of the calories, fat, protein, fiber, and carbs. It’s nice to have all this information written down professionally so that I could study this on my own and learn about the health of my body and how to better take care of it.
Did you incorporate regular physical activity into your routine, and if so, what types of exercise did you find most enjoyable and effective?
I found a workout plan that I could afford. I wasn’t able to hire a trainer, so instead I joined Hot Worx, which has studios all around the country. These studios are infrared booths with a virtual trainer, heated to 125 degrees. I take all sorts of classes, such as: plates, isometrics, barre, hot bands, core, warrior, and more. Even though the classes are only 40 minutes, the amount of calories I burned is high and by the end I am drenched! Not to mention that my skin is looking amazing as well, this studio is just a darn good concept that works for me.
Did you make any specific changes to your diet during your weight loss journey? If so, what were they, and how did you incorporate them into your daily life?
Yes, I completely changed my eating habits and now know how to cook healthy at home. I even eat pizza all the time – one of the many secrets of Patty will let you in on! I love to eat Mexican food, so I will take my special low-carb tortillas with me in my purse. Funny story: When I was eating with my son and pulled them out of my purse at the restaurant after the fajitas arrived, I thought he would be embarrassed, but I asked him if he wanted one he said hell yes!
I was concerned about having my wine, but after seeing how the sugar is no-go for my body, I’ve switched to this cocktail: tequila, Topo Chico and 2 limes. I love the fizz and I’m satisfied with only 2 drinks. I no longer have intense sweet cravings, and if I do need something sweet, I eat a special secret protein bar…you will get all the tricks of the trade from Patty!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience that you think could be helpful or inspiring to others?
If I could tell anyone anything, it would be to hire Patty Martin at Sugar Land Nutrition. Make it a commitment! My weight loss journey has been totally fun and motivating, I’ve felt nothing but pure satisfaction working with Patty. I hope I have inspired someone to take the next steps forward in taking care of the only body God has given us. I say AMEN to that!
