“Being spoon fed a diet is not sustainable. You need to understand what is happening, and apply your own goals and standards. That’s what resonates to me the most about BODZii.”
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Three years ago, Avisha had a dietitian that planned her meals every week for 8 months. She had no say about what she’d eat, and for a while it worked. She lost a ton of weight, but as soon as she got off that diet, she gained even more back.
Naturally, that made her extremely reluctant to try someone else.
BUT she did want to know what she was doing wrong. Over the next few years, she was extremely hard on herself but nothing was working.
Now Avisha works with Julianne, a BODZii nutrition coach that makes sure she’s on a healthy, sustainable plan. Today, with the exception of fruit she is sugar free with a diet she made for herself. She has way more energy now and a strategy for her health.
Here at BODZii, there are no fixed diets. This is about changing a lifestyle.
It’s not about today you eat this, tomorrow you eat that, but a personalized plan for long-term well being.
But who better to explain this than Avisha herself?
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Q&A with Avisha
Why did you decide to get a nutrition coach?
“I had moved to Toronto and gained a ton of weight. Even though I went to the gym, I knew I needed someone to keep me accountable or I would just slack. But most of all, I wanted to know what I was doing wrong.”
How has your relationship with your body and food changed?
“I started off being very self-critical. I would beat myself up for small things I couldn’t achieve. With a coach, that changed a lot. She doesn’t let me get demotivated if I did something wrong yesterday. She keeps me motivated for tomorrow.”
What’s been the biggest improvement so far?
“The biggest change for me is cutting sugar. Whenever I was stressed or bored, I would eat cookies or something sweet. My coach helped me understand how my gut bacteria was dying because of that sugar. Your gut has bacteria it produces on its own, and if you eat too much sugar it dies. Your insulin goes up, and I had to start taking probiotics every day.
Funny thing is, I actually thought I was addicted to caffeine, but it’s the two spoonful of sugar and sweet almond milk I put in it. ”
What is your relationship with your coach like?
“Usually I email her every Sunday on my progress, but most of the time we DM each other on Instagram. I’ll send pictures of what I’m eating, and she’ll send me motivational gifs, recipes, ideas. She’s really easy to approach.
The more I speak to my coach, the more she gets to know me as a person. It’s like she can predict my next moves. She knows my body, my work schedule and what I need. She keeps me motivated with new creative tasks every week. This week she got me to use post-its to motivate me to get up and work out.
She’s helped me curb my snacking by putting more protein in my meals. I was hungry because I didn’t have enough macronutrients and carbs digest really quick. That’s something I never knew before.”
What is the process of starting with a BODZii nutrition coach like?
“When I started, I did a full body scan. It tells you your fat percentage and muscle mass. At first I thought I needed to lose 20 pounds, but I realize now it’s not just about the number. It’s turning fat into muscle.
According to my height and weight, I was also given an amount of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) I needed to have a day. Once I decide on the three, I have to use my own brain and make recipes. Of course my coach sends me lots of recipe ideas, but ultimately I’m in control.”
Is there a certain type of person you’d recommend to use a nutrition coach or someone you wouldn’t?
“I would recommend this to anybody willing to put in the effort, even people who don’t have problems with weight. It’s a good way to get to know your habits and can prevent you from going wrong in the future. You’d be more conscious of what you’re eating.”
“Last week I told my nutrition coach I needed to get stricter with my diet. She gave me a lecture and said it’s about my lifestyle, and I needed to do it in a way that’s sustainable. It’s natural to have up and downs. This isn’t about a diet, but changing you for life.”
A coach is flexible, a plan is not
Avisha experienced this first hand. Having a restrictive nutrition plan can make you feel like you failed if you didn’t follow it to a tee. Following instructions is different from being empowered to make your own decisions. Your coach will always guide you in the right direction, but hands you the power to change your life.
Good nutrition is about lifestyle and it progresses with you. We want you to make your own decisions that allows for flexibility based on what’s going on in your life. You shouldn’t use a nutrition plan written for a lot of people.
Why do I need a coach to change my macros?
There’s so much information out there on counting macronutrients, you can definitely try it on your own. However, your coach makes time to understand you and takes the guesswork out. You can go online and set them, but your coach is a great second set of eyes with lots of experience changing the macros of other people.
BODZii coaches take into account of your history, unlike online macro calculators.
We take a look at your past, your previous eating habits and whether you have a history of tracking macros. These are all so important. It goes beyond your height, weight and goals as well as you as a person.
Ultimately, we’ll experiment with you and find what works best for you.
To get a taste of what nutrition and lifestyle coaching is like, download our free 5 Healthy Days of Quarantine Guide.
When you're ready, book a free lifestyle assessment with our nutrition coach!
