Meet Emily! When she isn’t chasing her two boys around, Emily is busy cultivating her homestead, growing and raising the food for her family. Before Stronger U, Emily would catch herself pulling and tugging at her clothes to feel more comfortable, but with the help of her coach, Katie, RD, Emily’s closet is filled with a new wardrobe of clothes that reflect her impressive 50 pound weight loss! Read more about how Emily and Katie worked together to help Emily reach her goals.
Tell us a little bit about yourself!:
I am a stay at home mom to two tree climbing, mud loving, adventurous little boys who always keep me on my toes. I have been married for almost 3 years to my best friend. I enjoy being outside in the sunshine playing with my boys and I really enjoy to bake! We have decided to become as self sustainable as possible and have a big garden (it’s only my second year ever gardening so fingers crossed it’s a success) as well as 50(ish) chickens & 50 meat birds that we will process by ourselves. Our next animal will be goats! We will use the milk and possibly meat if need be.
What did you life look like before Stronger U?:
I was always a yo yo dieter and would go through different phases of exercising or cutting certain “bad” foods totally out of my diet before having kids. I would always just eat and eat and eat until I was stuffed and felt crummy.
What does your life look like now?:
I now have much more energy, am still able to enjoy all of the foods I love and I am the smallest size & weight I have ever been. I also find that since I am not lugging around 50 extra pounds that I am more willing to try new things and don’t mind getting exercise (walking up and down my yard 500x a day to tend to animals and chase boys).
Where did you hear about Stronger U?:
Someone that I had worked for (Jen MacKenzie) was having incredible results with Stronger U and I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t very successful my first time around because I got pregnant and just didn’t stick with it. I rejoined shortly after my second son was born and I haven’t looked back since.
Why do you think Stronger U worked so well for you compared to other programs or diets?:
I still get to eat whatever I want but I just have to stay within my macros. I found that, for me, it is still a ton of food (especially when in maintenance) so I was never starving myself or depriving myself of anything delicious. If I went off track for a day or two it was okay because I knew that getting right back to it would keep things on a downward trend or maintain them as needed.
What was something you regularly ate while on Stronger U that people wouldn’t expect you to eat on a diet?:
Literally anything! Ice cream, cake, pie, burgers with buns and condiments, pancakes..etc.
If you exercise or train for a sport, did Stronger U have any impact on your training? Or did Stronger U have an impact on your decision to start exercising or training for a sport?:
I honestly don’t really exercise.
How much weight did you lose with Stronger U?:
47.4
How many inches did you lose off your waist?:
13.5
Did you have any favorite non-scale victories to share?:
I had to buy a whole new wardrobe because all of my clothes were way too big for me! Even my pre-pregnancy clothes didn’t fit!
Has Stronger U improved your overall quality of life? If so, how?:
Stronger U has literally changed my life. 50 pounds is a life changing amount of weight to lose. I am so much more comfortable in my own skin and not feeling like I need to sit a certain way or pull at my clothes to hide any lumps or bumps. It’s honestly incredible.
Has Stronger U improved your overall health? If so, how?:
I’m no longer considered obese by my BMI.
If someone is thinking about joining Stronger U, what advice would you give them before beginning their journey?:
Stick with it! It can be slow and frustrating at times but if you’re honest with yourself (and your coach) you WILL be successful! Also, don’t forget to give yourself some X days to fully enjoy yourself (so long as you get right back on track the next day or two). One more thing… take the pictures!!!!!!
Would you like to give a shoutout to your coach, SU staff member, or community member?:
Katie is so kind and always seems to be in a good mood whenever she is making my check in videos! She would always be very supportive and seems to truly care about how you are doing. She would always tell me not to apologize whenever I would check in late and it was just always helpful to not feel pressured by her.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your journey?:
I am just so happy and grateful that this program exists!
