Meet Sandy

 "My name is Sandy. When I met Liv I was broken mentally, very discouraged by my life. I could not lose weight and I had tried everything. Liv gave me instructions on my eating and exercise. I did exactly as she instructed me to without any deviation and all of a sudden I started to losing weight with her coaching me every week. I started believing in myself and appreciating and looking at myself and my life. I realized I had a lot be proud of so I believed that I could do it. Guess what what? I lost 60 pounds in almost one year from the day I met Liv. I developed so much confidence. Now I don't hear or listen to those negative voices. My head is up and I see me, somebody to be proud of. Thank you Liv."

Sandy and I began our online coaching relationship in April 2021 when her sister referred her to me. When I met Sandy she was frustrated, sad, and defeated by her attempts to lose weight. Sandy is a beautiful Black woman of 5’9” and at the time she weighed 273 lbs. She was 70 years young when I met her. She lives in the deep south, Mississippi, and enjoyed a typical American southern diet. She is also a talented chef and enjoys cooking, baking, and eating. She had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was prediabetic. It was her low self-esteem and confidence that concerned me more than her weight. The program I designed for her included strength training, cardio, nutrition plan-counting macros, and mindfulness coaching. 

• The first thing we did together was clean up her diet. 
• All fried food was removed. 
• We add vegetables and whole complex grains to every meal. 
• We increased her animal protein intake considerably.
• We eliminated all snacking. She loves nuts but they are her trigger food. 
• We introduced a food scale. 
• Her diet tended to be static, eating the same foods repeatedly to reduce variability
• I prescribed periodic refeed meals. Usually she chose to enjoy a hamburger.
• She weighed in every week. 
• She took body measurements every two weeks.
• We met every week to discuss nutrition science, training, and body recomposition principles.

Fast forward to one year later from meeting, Sandy lost 60lb and 67.5 inches in one year. She not only transformed her body, but she transformed her beliefs, and self-image. She let go of some toxic people that tore her down and caused her pain. She attended the local university gym daily and became part of the community. She traveled. She invited others to her home to cook for them and entertain. She began writing a historical book about her small Black community where she picked cotton as a young girl. She was interviewed for an article about her culinary career as a restaurant owner. She cut her hair. Sandy metamorphed into the person she always wanted to be.

Sandy wanted to lose another 30lbs but she needed a diet break. I thought the break would be short but it was a two year break. She regained only 10lbs during the two years. I expected this to happen and was pleased it was only 10lbs. During this time we continued meeting weekly because our friendship grew. 

In 2023, now 73 years young, I invited her to my home in Arizona. We had a beautiful week together with my family. It was her first time visiting Arizona. We enjoyed the sites and ate out daily. I observed her closely and noted her habits that I believe contributed to her keeping the weight off for two years:

• She was relaxed.
• She hydrated with lots of water every day.
• She slept late.
• She consumed a small bowl of oats in the morning with her coffee.
• At lunch she would order an entree salad with protein. 
• She eats slowly.
• She would eat until she was full.
• She would finish the leftover lunch for a snack later in the day. 
• 
  

A month ago Sandy signaled to me it was time to take off the remainder of the weight to reach her 180lb goal. We need to take off 40 lbs. This second phase is different.

• The weight loss will be at a slower pace.
• She will have more diversity in her diet with flexible eating.
• She will navigate and manage more social eating.
• Her cardio will be gradually reduced.
• Complex carbohydrates will be gradually increased.
• I will reverse diet her into her new caloric maintenance requirement. 
• My objective is for her to lose fat while retaining her muscle. 

I believe the major factor for Sandy’s successful weight loss is I supported her every week. I’m not a psychologist, but sometimes we had to discuss painful feelings to change her mindset and self-perception about what she is capable of doing and being. We walked into the fire together. It was scary for her but she came to trust me. We can talk about anything. Sometimes a human needs someone to believe in them before they can believe in themselves. I think this is who I am for Sandy. She is not dependent on me anymore. She has gained self-efficacy and confidence for the first time in her life. This type of coaching relationship is bespoken. I tailor my coaching to meet my client where I find them. My objective is to grow my client internally with the body transformation simultaneously. I prepare my clients by informing them, losing weight won’t make you happy. Happiness, content, and positive body image come from inner personal work. If you need bespoken support with fitness & wellness, reach out to me. I am here for you.

Coach Liv ox 🦋🏋️‍♂️💪👙❤️

Lifestyle Interventionist