From women’s health
My name is Nicole Feist (@fitandfeisty_) and I am 27 years old. I live in Minnesota and work in sales activity for a start up. By changing my eating style, going to Orangetheory Fitness and practicing Kelsey Wells PWR programs at home, I lost about 45 pounds.
I never had a problem with weight because I was active and involved in sports. At university, however, I developed anxiety and depression, and my health stopped. This resulted in you gaining 45 pounds in a matter of months.
After graduating, I really struggled emotionally with the weight and stopped talking to friends and going out regularly because I was ashamed of how I looked and felt.
Eventually I realized that I needed to control my health and lose weight as it became the main reason behind my depression.
The first one or two years I only required the minimum. I would exercise a few days a week, but I still ate a lot and ‘gave up’ on the weekends. And yet I was still discouraged when I would not see changes.
One day I was traveling with friends and while trying on swimsuits, I remember that I wanted to cry in the locker room and feel so defeated. Because my weight had such a huge impact on my mental health that I could not even spend a vacation with my friends, I knew I had to take control and change something.
I started my fitness journey by practicing at my local Orangetheory and other workouts at home.
I started exercising at my local Orangetheory Fitness and very quickly I improved physical endurance and strength. OTF was great because I had a coach tell me exactly what to do and when to do it. I was also able to challenge myself with criteria, which was very good for my competitive personality.
After talking to one of the OTF coaches, I realized that I also need to control my diet to get the maximum benefits. I was able to lose the first 30 pounds by increasing my number of workouts and learning how to cook healthier versions of the food I love.
After the pandemic took place in 2020 and closed gyms, I decided to try Andy Frisella’s 75 hard program along with Kelsey Well’s PWR at Home program. For the first time in my life, I was steady – not just Monday through Thursday, and ate what I wanted on the weekends, as in the past.
I saw immediate results. Within 75 days I was able to lose more weight, start seeing muscle and finally I realized what my body could do when I fueled it properly and did resistance exercises throughout. I have never felt so good mentally and physically in my life, which just made it easy to keep going.
As for food, I knew I had to change my general eating style.
It was great for me to learn how to make healthier versions of the food I love. Although I did not treat my body the best as before, I am still not the kind of person who can survive every day from chicken and broccoli, so I knew it was not an option for me. So it was a lot of help finding ways to keep eating things I love.
I also realized that the assurance that I was not just giving up because of a road bump or slipping would play a big role in my lifestyle change – I threw in the towel every time I left the track … Which means weekly. I now realize that one supposedly bad meal or one missed workout will not ruin my progress, as long as I do not give up in the long run.
This is what I usually eat one day now.
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After-morning workout: Protein shake after the workout
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Breakfast: Iced coffee with protein powder
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Lunch: Leftover from the previous evening or a hash with eggs, breakfast potatoes, onions, sausage, etc.
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Dinner: Tacos, pastas, burgers, sausages and peppers, etc.
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Dessert: Dark Chocolate Boom Chicka Pop
After losing about 45 kilograms, I am stronger mentally and physically as a person.
Practicing and adjusting my eating habits has changed my life for the better. I now understand that it is important to find exercise that I enjoy, for my motivation to exercise. I hate running, for example, so if I try to run every day, I’ll probably give up quickly. After realizing that I like strength and resistance training, it was so much easier to stick to a program. Strength training makes me feel strong and powerful, and spiritually I have never felt better.
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