Success Story: How a client lost 60 lbs and exactly what she eats in a week

This client came to us back in June and was referred by her primary care doctor. Her goal was to lose weight but to ultimately have a better relationship with food since she also struggled in the past with bulimia.

Below is an actual email that our featured client sent to a friend who was looking for advice.

Ok I may get more in depth than you were bargaining for with this meal plan! I’ll include links to recipes along with on each day. Skinny Taste is an awesome blog, she has TONS of recipes for free and I use her every week to help decide what I’m going to eat. If there’s anything you don’t like that I picked for the week I’d recommend going to her website to find an alternative. www.skinnytaste.com

Portion Sizes I weigh everything I eat. If you’re not weighing you’re not getting an accurate look at how many calories you’re eating. Over time you get an idea of what portion sizes look like, but I think it’s good to weigh in the beginning.

Tracking I track everything in the My Fitness Pal app on my phone. There are a ton of similar apps, this is just one I’ve found that I like. If I have a day that I’m a little low on my calories I’ll increase how much protein I’m allowing myself at each meal. I try to load up on lean protein and high fiber veggies the most to keep me full and pretty low cal. My goal in the app is 1450 calories a day, but I like to try to come in around 1200 every day so that if I go over a little on the weekend it balances out. Usually on what I have planned for my meals I come in around 900-1000 but that gives you room for snacks, protein shakes, creamer in your coffee, etc.

Snacks I completely avoid buying junk because I can’t do in moderation. Snacks are used to manage hunger in between means if necessary. An apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, string cheese and 2oz turkey, carrots and 2oz hummus are some of my go to’s. I like them to be around 200 calories. I typically do a banana before each workout and a protein shake after but didn’t include in the meal plan.

Substitutions These are all just suggestions on what has helped me. Some substitutions I make might not be sustainable for you. I basically have a vendetta against white potatoes and rice and sub cauliflower versions for everything. If you hate cauliflower rice, that will never work for you. Find the things you don’t mind switching out for something lower cal. I hope this helps!

Monday

Breakfast-cottage cheese and 3 oz raspberries. I like good culture 2% cottage cheese. If I can’t get that brand I look for the lowest cal/highest protein option at the store in bulk and do 1 cup.

Lunch- 1 can tuna with plain Greek yogurt (I like fage 0% the best. I’ll get a little cup of it and use maybe half of it for the tuna) 1 capful apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. If you think I’m nuts, go ahead and use a tablespoon of mayo instead. 2 slices sprouted grain bread, as many baby carrots and I feel like.

Dinner- turkey meatball stroganoff (she says 5 meatballs, I normally do 3) over mashed cauliflower (1 serving, check on package and weigh) instead of pasta and 3.5oz steamed broccoli with nothing on it

Tuesday

Breakfast- cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch-leftover turkey meatball stroganoff

Dinner- baked chicken thighs with brussels sprouts and sweet potato (I do around 3.5-4 oz chicken, and about 3 oz each of brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes)

Wednesday

Breakfast-cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch-leftover chicken thighs with brussels sprouts and sweet potato

Dinner- 5oz salmon (I use 0 cal spray oil on the pan, salt pepper and lemon only on the fish) with 1 cup edamame “fried rice”

Thursday

Breakfast-cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch- leftover edamame fried rice with 4oz chicken

Dinner- Lentil soup (if you can’t find red lentils, any lentil will work)

Friday

Breakfast- cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch- leftover lentil soup

Dinner- sweet potato taco (my invention) Bake medium sweet potato and fill with taco stuff. You can use ground beef, turkey, or chicken. Cook fully and drain. I’m usually lazy and get organic low sodium taco seasoning packet, follow directions on the packet. 4oz meat, 1 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons salsa, 1 tablespoon light sour cream, hot sauce if you want.

Saturday

Breakfast-cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch-I always end up with too many leftovers from the week. Whatever is left that I feel like eating.

Dinner- out

Sunday

Breakfast-cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch-leftovers again, probably a sweet potato taco

Dinner-I normally come up with my plan for the next week on Sunday and get whatever I’m going to eat that night on my grocery trip.

Marinath J

16:54 19 Mar 20

Being active and eating healthy always made me think that I was eating right and I didn't have a need to ever talk to a nutritionist. Just so my insurance had free nutrition counselling, I thought of consulting one purely for the sake of it. Having zero expectations and thinking that might be my first and only visit, I had my first consultation with Shay after having met her and Ha during my gym event. Oh boy, was I wrong about everything! Shay literally transformed the way I looked at food. She taught me a simple yet the most important thing about reading a product's nutrition label. I knew fats comprised of good and bad but I never cared to go in detail. I used to see just the total fat content in a product, but its the bad fat content breakdown that actually matters. Another huge thing she helped with was figuring out the amount of protein I should take per meal. I worked out regularly and ate right, but I was losing muscle. She sorted this out by suggesting to aim for 28g of protein every meal. And voila, my muscle mass increased by 2.5% in under a month. Shay gave me inputs on various fibrous and protein rich products that are available in the market. Figuring out the amount of macros I need every meal actually changed the way I grocery shopped. This also helps me in not overeating or indulge in excessive or under purchase anything. The reason I would vouch for Yummy Body and Shay is because of their genuine care towards clients. Prior to my second visit, I was impacted by this documentary on Netflix about Veganism and I told Shay about how I want to try it (and I LOVE meat lol). Shay, being a non-meat eater herself, didn't preach me into doing that, but rather was rational in making me realize that every "diet" has its benefits and not everything you see might be true. Its important to experiment, analyze and figure out what works for you and your body. I hate the term diet, as eating is a part of our lifestyle and diet makes it sound like something you do temporarily for a short term gain. Consistency is key and I could resonate that philosophy with Yummy Body. Of course there would be a lot of other authentic nutritionists and I really hope there are. All I would say is, you could never go wrong with Yummy Body and I'm happy that I was wrong and ignorant about nutrition before. Remember, eating should be FUN and not a boring chore. LOVE your food and the rest will follow!

Rachel Young

16:59 13 Mar 20

My experience with Yummy Body Nutrition was outstanding. I met with a registered dietitian named Shay who helped me in more ways than I can write in this post. For years I’ve remained the same weight with no real visible progress. Additionally, within the last year I’ve noticed a significant amount of hair loss. My hair stylist mentioned that it seemed like a problem from “within” and could be my diet. As a result, I made an appointment with Shay who helped me understand areas in which my nutrition was lacking. About 4-5 months later and my hair has made tremendous strides. Every time I get my hair done my stylist mentions how much progress I’ve made. Not only has my hair grown back but I am visibly more fit, feel healthier, and have way more energy. With all of that said, I couldn’t be more thankful to have worked with Shay and look forward to working with her in the future to reach my goals!

Alissa Silverman

04:52 27 Feb 20

Yummy Body Nutrition makes food choices and healthy eating fun! Ha has found a creative way to excite her community through her social media content by highlighting her innovative spin on nutrition! She is an extraordinary dietician who goes above and beyond the call of duty for her clients. She is highly resourceful when it comes to making nutritional plans that work with her clients busy lifestyles. Her reputation and commitment to excellence in client care make her a true asset to the field. Overall, Ha and Yummy Body Nutrition are deeply invested in ensuring the health and well-being for those that they serve!

Jacob Brooks

16:29 30 Jan 20

Shay changed my whole relationship to eating for the better. Within a month of first meeting with her i lost a significant amount of fat and gained a pound of muscle and I did not even find my new eating habits stressful. I have a much better diet now and if anything enjoy eating more, while having maintained my body goals for a year now.

Maryam Hallaj

16:06 26 Dec 19

I could not recommend Shay more! She is a supportive guide in any food & health journey and puts the thought and care to learn who you are as a person and how best to support YOU. She helped me address my health concerns, including high blood pressure, and has given me the tools to make informed decisions about my food and exercise. Shay provides a judgement free yet constructive zone to create goals and discuss the journey in meeting those goals.