Client Spotlight: Teryn Shows Us The Difference Between Weight Loss And Fat Loss

I'm beyond excited to share this transformation and testimonial from my badass client, Teryn!!

I talk about this ALL THE TIME on my podcast MetFlex and Chill -- if you're only focusing on weight loss (the scale number) and not paying attention to how your body is actually changing along the way (fat loss & muscle gain), then you're missing out on a whole lot of awesomeness!

Can you guess how many pounds Teryn lost over this 5-month transformation?

Seriously, take a guess...

25? 20? 15? 10?

The answer: 4

Yup, you read that correctly -- a whopping 4 POUNDS!

Teryn is a crystal clear example of what a true body recomposition transformation looks like (i.e., losing body fat and building muscle at the same time).

And that's not all that was transformed during her journey...

I'll let Teryn take it from here.

"Working with Rachel has been life-changing in just a short period of time. She employs cutting edge strategies and tools that are right for you at just the right time. 

What I love about Rachel is she has strong philosophies backed by the latest research and science, but also recognizes that everybody is different, and yet she’s not dogmatic about any one way of doing things.

She really listens to you, your goals, your lifestyle, and your tolerances and makes sure that the plan is challenging but also realistic and appropriate.  

When I found Rachel, I was desperate in my efforts to fix my health. I was a dancer through my youth and professionally in my 20s, working in the fitness industry for 15 years, and generally felt the internal and external pressures of our society amplified by these past careers.

Like most women, I had tried most diets, read the books, and listened to all the podcasts. I found myself basically landing on the Keto lifestyle 80% of the time. It typically worked for me. I loved all the positive effects most people report, but it just stopped working overtime.

And now, having turned 40 years old, my body was not responding like it used to, working a new sedentary desk job, and 2 years into marriage, I found myself unable to lose any weight. My gut was very sick and confused, I had zero energy, and I had a back injury that had taken me out of OrangeTheory for about 6 months…and I was depressed.   

I refused to believe that I had to settle for a “new normal” 40-year-old body, but I needed someone to work within the limits of my back injury, help me heal my gut, help me lose 15 pounds, and tone up all at the same time.

I was finally desperate enough to pay for the help. Honestly though, having worked in the industry for so long and living in an age with unlimited access to so much great, free information, I found it rather ridiculous. But clearly, “my way” wasn’t working.

So I thought, 'I’m going into quarantine, and I’m going to turn this terrible time into a super productive time and come out of it better than ever.'

And that’s exactly what I did.  

In the past, whenever I got into my best shape, I ran my tail off, lifted weights, ran some more, dieted, binged, dieted, ran more, starved, dieted, 'fasted,'…. I was all over the map.

I had no structure; I just threw everything I knew at the wall and went hard. Until I didn’t. The word I would use to describe my journey with Rachel is structure.

My first takeaway is that it’s not enough to just diet and exercise, even at a high level. Rachel gave me a very structured plan. A well-thought-out, progressive workout plan that incorporated movements to strengthen my core and back, healing my injury while building overall muscle and strength. 

Next, she made me eat. I was annoyed!! I kept telling her, 'I can’t eat this much.' But she was helping me find my maintenance calories and building my baseline while I was starting to build more muscle and heal my metabolism.

I started eating protein. SO much protein! I couldn’t believe how full and satiated I was from eating all this protein! I started noticing great changes within just the first 4 weeks from this change alone, without going into a deficit yet at all.

This was a challenge, and even more of a challenge to get it from good sources and limit all the bars and shakes that l was used to eating. However, it made a positive difference in how my body was feeling and how my gut was healing. 

Finally, she had me working on all the habits along the way that were also leading me to gain weight in the first place. I now have a sleep routine that includes a prayer mediation app, I track my macros, and I pre-plan my events and vacations to include food and activity that simply promote awareness.

I love my morning walk with my dog and got my steps up from 7K to 11K. This was huge considering the low level of activity I started from with my injury.    

A major take away from this experience was the accountability and support I found in Rachel. This investment in myself has been worth every penny.

Every great athlete and top executive has a coach. Why? Because holding ourselves accountable and relying on our own self-discipline is hard. We all need a cheerleader when it gets tough, a teacher when the facts get confusing, and an outside perspective when we get in our own way. So many times I thought I could predict what Rachel’s response would be, and I would be WAY off.  

I never would have taken measurements and certainly not pictures if not for working with Rachel, but I’m really glad I did.

I’ve always been obsessed with the scale, like most of us, and over the last 5 months of working with Rachel, I lost a whopping 4 pounds. This is so crazy to me when you look at my measurements and photos.

When visiting my family for my 41^st birthday (which was the ending date for the fat loss phase), my brother said 'You look like you’ve lost 20 pounds,' and the family joined in to complement my success, 'Yes, you really look better than ever.'  And that made me smile, 'Nope, just 4 pounds.' 

I still have more goals to achieve that include how to not live in a 'diet' phase, and get comfortable with maintenance calories.

Working with Rachel will be super important for that, so I don't overdo it and slide back into old habits. We'll continue to focus on building muscle, so if I do go into another fat loss phase, I'll have more muscle underneath to reveal and have the toned physique I want.

At the end of the day, I'm walking more confidently, I feel strong, and am proof that results are measured by more than the scale."

If you're interested in one-on-one coaching with me to work towards becoming your most confident, badass self...follow THIS LINK to apply for coaching!