Are you stumped on how you can fit Stronger U into your life? We get it! Welcome to our newest feature: Real Life Log. These posts are bursting with information from real-life Stronger U members and how they use Stronger U coaches to help them reach their goals! Use these posts to see how somebody else fits Stronger U into their lives and let it inspire you on your own journey.
While every member has different goals, macros, and results, what you do with your journey is so much more than a number on a scale. It’s a perfect culmination of habit building, hard work, and improving your health!
See how an elementary educator has lost 36 pounds using Stronger U coaching.
About Me:
- Name: Lindsay D.
- Age: 37
- Location: Kansas City
- Occupation: Elementary Music Teacher
- Cut? Bulk? Maintenance? Cut
- Coach: The fantastic Jeannie Ainalakis
- Total Weight Loss to Date (with SU): 36lbs
My Daily Log:
During the week I like to keep my breakfast and lunch as simple as possible! I’m not much of a breakfast eater that early in the morning, so I go with 2 shots of espresso and a caramel premier protein shake for my breakfast every single morning. I can easily pull two shots in my Nespresso machine and finish getting ready in the mornings so all I have to do is drop in my protein shake and ice and walk out the door. Every once in a while, I might throw in a reduced-fat turkey bacon breakfast sandwich from Starbucks if I’m feeling especially hungry or a co-worker brings me one in.
I found 2 lunches that I pretty much rotate all year long. They are the Healthy Choice Simply Steamers in either Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo or Healthy Choice Simply Steamer in Grilled Chicken Pesto & Vegetables. I bring in the week’s worth to put in the teacher lounge fridge so I don’t have to think about it and I know I always have food ready to go that fits in my macros. I love that they’re easy to heat up (5 min or less) and it gives me the perfect amount of time to use the restroom, make copies, etc. while it’s heating up!
Teaching is all about multitasking, so I’m always looking for ways to maximize my time. In my classroom, I have a fridge where I can keep snacks and energy drinks. Some of my favorites are Celsius drinks, turkey pepperoni, low-fat skim cheese sticks, protein bars, or protein chips.
These late afternoon snacks keep me going so I’m not ravenous when I get home. I usually come home and prep dinner and start it, then I work out 4 nights a week at 7pm. I don’t typically eat dinner until after my workout. We keep it simple with recipes from Mason Fit or easy prep meals like turkey tacos. You can never go wrong with tacos.
I finish my night with a sweet snack. I’ve always had a sweet tooth and I love that I can plan in sweet snacks like Hershey nuggets, Yasso bars, or apple cinnamon rice cakes! I really try and space my food out so I’m not insanely hungry throughout the day. I go for convenience and ease because I’m a busy teacher, mom, and wife who also has to make time for herself!
My Story:
- Before SU my food was a combination of restriction, binging, and fast food. I would skip breakfast altogether. Lunch was either fast food that was around my school or I’d skip. Then I would come home so hungry I’d eat from the time I got home until the time I got to bed. We’d get fast food or take out and I would snack nonstop before and after dinner. It wasn’t healthy or sustainable.
- SU has taught me that I deserve to be a priority. Teachers are selfless by nature. I think that’s just an innate quality all teachers have. We want to give to everyone but then we forget to save anything for ourselves. I’ve learned that I need to prioritize my health. In doing so, I’ve found that I have an identity outside my profession. It took 14 years of teaching to finally find a work-life balance, and SU helped me in that journey. I now make sure I’m properly fed. I make time for my workouts. I’m 100% a better teacher, wife, mom, friend, and general human because my mental and physical health is in check. One of my favorite non-scale victories has been the fact that I can sing and jump, hop, and seriously move my body at the same time without losing my breath or singing quality. I can get down on the floor with my little people and not worry if I can get back up again. I have the best job in the world and now I can enjoy it without physical obstacles.
- A current hurdle I’m overcoming currently is coming out of “summer mode”. Summer meant I could be a little more lax on planning because I had all the time in the world. Now I have to set reminders on my phone on Sundays to make sure I have my breakfast, lunch, and snacks completely planned and purchased. I also have to make sure my husband and I sit down and meal plan dinners on Sundays because if we wing it, we know we’re going to go with the most convenient choice of fast food, which is a pitfall we don’t want to go back to. I don’t have the time or energy to plan on the fly during the week, so Sunday prep time takes a lot less energy and takes mental decision fatigue out of the picture.
My Goals:
At first, my SU goal was losing weight, but over the past year, it’s evolved to so much more than that. My goal is to work on consistency over perfection and to be the strongest I can be. I have workout goals that I’m trying to reach and SU, through coaching and nutrition, is helping me to meet those goals!
Fast Five:
- Favorite Drink: Starbucks black cold brew coffee
- Favorite Protein: Caramel Premier Protein
- Favorite Song: Superbloom by MisterWives
- Favorite way to spend five extra minutes: On TikTok, I’ve found some of the best teacher ideas on that app!
- Favorite SU quote: “Consistency over perfection!”
A Stronger U Coach Reacts
Curious to see a Stronger U coach in action? We asked Lindsay’s coach to react to her food log and reflections. Read more below:
I can’t believe the school year is starting, and you have taken all the steps to make these beginning weeks run smoothly for you. I love how you focus on including protein throughout the day, I can tell you remember the importance of this so you are feeling satiated through the day and have that mental clarity for working with your students.
