How long have you been coming to Nutrish Mish? What made you start?

I have been coming to NutrishMish since April 2015. I began because my son, who is overweight, said he was interested in trying to lose weight. As a way of supporting him, I decided to do it with him. I had been struggling with losing what I thought was about 5-10 pounds, and saw this as a great opportunity for me to support him and get those stubborn pounds off.

What has been the biggest transformation you have seen in yourself?

My biggest transformation was the complete overhaul in my meal and eating schedule. I always believed, and in the past had been successful with the starvation/deprivation basics of dieting – always skipping breakfast, and waiting until I was famished before eating.

 It was difficult at first to eat so early in the morning. I had been so entrenched in my habits of not eating in the morning that it was difficult for my body to get used to it. I get up very early during the week – at 5AM so I can exercise. It was just too early for me to eat. Nutrish Mish was amazing at customizing a plan that worked just for me. Now after my exercise I have just a little snack – a small handful of almonds, half a banana or cheese stick. Just a little something to get my metabolism cranked up until I am ready to really sit down for breakfast, which is usually around 8:30.

What made this time different for you?

I had been successful with losing weight in the past. After I had children I was able to lose weight with Weight Watchers and keep it off for a while. But my body began to change and the tricks I had learned no longer worked. I just did not have the tools to change things around. Then I fell into the cycle of eating out too often, treating myself to high-calorie meals and desserts, and then being angry with myself for not sticking to the plan in my head, promising to start over fresh the next day. But the next day I was never able to face the scale, and would wait until I had a “good few days” to weight myself, but that never seemed to happen.

With Nutrish Mish, I was able to get on the scale without ever knowing what it said. Even now, I do not know what my weight is or how much I have lost. I have let go of that fear of the scale because I let Nutrish Mish look at it for me. She never tells me bad news, even if it has been a difficult week, and she always stays positive with me. Also, I love that she always goes over what I have planned in the days ahead so I can be prepared for eating out and not let it sabotage my week. Nutrish Mish also will tweak my plan, as hard as it may be for me to change, to make sure that my body doesn’t get too settled in to a routine.

What advice would you have for someone just starting with Nutrish Mish?

I would say the best advice I can give is that meeting with Nutrish Mish is THE most important thing you can do. The regularity of the meetings keep you on track and keep you motivated. Just knowing that your next visit is just around the corner keeps the evil sugar monster in your head from convincing you that it is only one chocolate, or one dessert or a few French fries, and since everyone else is eating it, then why can’t you. The meeting is what reminds you, week after week, what your goals are and that staying on plan and re-learning how to eat in a way that works for you is so important. No matter how long it takes, the results do take shape so long as you keep going back for your meetings.

Favorite NM Recipe/Product?

Egg white souffles – I make them for breakfast.

Anything else you would like to add:

I have discovered that my 2 best friends in this journey are my food scale and my measuring cups. No one likes to pull that food scale out and take the time to weigh their proteins, because we are all too busy. But if you are committed to the process, it really only takes a minute. Weighing proteins and measuring carbs such as rice, pasta and potatoes helps to ensure that you are eating the right portion size. Correct portion size is the key to success…and no more family-style serving. Staring at all those bowls and plates of food sitting on the table smelling delicious just makes you want to eat more. So I leave it on the stove and save myself the time of cleaning all the serving dishes!!