We can't tell you how many women we talk to who said they bought a Peloton bike and ended up gaining weight after a few weeks.

Or maybe it was doing Orange Theory or F45 for a few months and then feeling absolutely exhausted without much improvement in muscle tone.

To understand why this would happen, we must take a deeper dive into the unique physiology of the female body.

Women are much more stress-sensitive than men at all ages, even after menopause. 

That means, even positive hormetic stressors - such as intense exercise, not over-eating, and cold plunging - can be problematic if a woman's overall capacity for stress has been maxed out. 

And, our tolerance for stress (how much we can push our bodies as women) changes at various times throughout the month and in a life cycle, thanks to hormone fluctuations.

If this is you, don't feel bad: it has personally taken us two decades to...

Someone asked us the other day: 

"How can I lose 10 pounds by July 4th?" 

It's such a great question that we wanted to share with our entire community the step-by-step process that we would implement as NAMS-certified nutrition coaches and permanent weight loss specialists...

Step 1: we wouldn't.

Here’s how crash diets and quick fixes are destroying your metabolism:

You want to lose weight fast.

You increase intense fasted workouts (especially cardio).

You’re trying to eat less and less calories but your appetite is through the roof.

You keep skip breakfast, slam coffee and eat most of your daily food intake late at night.

You’re under-eating protein.

Your cortisol increases.

You feel like crap.

Your sleep sucks.

You’re irritable, cranky and no one wants to be around you (not even you ).

Your metabolism slows down, so you burn less calories daily.

You see minimal weight loss.

The weight you did lose is...

it dawned on me the other day that I spent 20 years of my adult life in a cycle of restricting food, over-exercising and then binge eating.

And I felt compelled to share more about my story with the hope that others in the same pattern feel less alone. 

[Warning: this is long. If you don't like reading, this is not for you See you on Social Media if you're a visual person!]

So yes, I spent all of my 20s and 30s terrified of food.

I didn’t trust myself around food. 

I thought food hated me and that my body was broken.

I thought I couldn’t eat like everyone else.

I never could borrow clothes from my friends as an adolescent or buy cute jeans because I could never fit anything over my thighs... and I'd get that huge gap at my waist.

There was no J. Lo yet. No one famous had curves. Waif thin was "in" and body shaming of healthy women was rampant on the front pages of trash magazines.

There were no ubiquitous amounts of...

P.S. If you want to take your health to the next level and wear a continuous glucose monitor while working 1:1 with a nutrition coach, we still have spots open for June!

[CLICK TO APPLY]

Shannon Morse and Lisa Kirby | Creators of Awaken Your Nutrition and Awaken Your Cycles

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ever notice how nutritionists, health gurus and biohacking bros with huge online followings and/or best-selling books tend to stand behind ONE concept and say that it's the ONLY thing that works?

That should be your number one red flag when sourcing information. 

Health — including nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle habits — is and always will be bio-individual.

Meaning: what works for one person may not work at all for someone else. 

Not to mention, you know your body best!

Your body's intuition combined with the basics of nutrition science is what we help you fine tune in our 12-week program, Awaken Your Nutrition.

So, when you see someone claiming calories in, calories out is all that matters, you know that it's only partially true because hormones and environment play a massive role in controlling how many calories you eat.

And when you see someone saying it just needs to fit your macros, you know...

"I've done it all. Nothing works." Sound familiar?

Many of us have been there—desperate to find a solution for health and weight management but feeling stuck and frustrated.

But what if the solution isn't another fad diet or a temporary fix?

What if it’s about awakening your nutrition and truly understanding your body?

We find that people who say “I’ve tried all the things, and nothing is working” usually fall into at least one of these categories:

1 They’ve tried all the things but all the things are so extreme that it’s not sustainable or enjoyable, and their body fights back one day.

2 They’ve tried all the things but the things stopped working after turning 40, and they don’t understand what to do in light of hormonal changes.

3 They most certainly have NOT tried all the things. They’re following blanket advice instead of adapting to what works uniquely for themselves.

4 They’re trying...

The real reasons many people are stuck in a perpetual cycle of trying to lose weight, feel better in their body, or heal hormonal imbalances, especially chronic stress, even if they feel like they're "doing all the right things" are: 

1. The intention behind everything they do is fixing, so they continue searching for a root cause and are never satisfied. They are addicted to feeling broken and continue chasing for a solution, which often manifests as a trauma response to a deeper issue.

2. They're skipping over the absolute lifestyle basics that are essential to creating health and homeostasis in the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual bodies... and instead, they're chasing one quick fix after another while they completely gloss over the glaring habits that are the exact cause of their problem.

For example: you're getting lab test after lab test done, taking the latest fad supplements, complaining that your body never changes and...

A lovely mom I met online (Ginny, founder of 1,000 Hours Outside) shared a story yesterday that moved me to tears. 

Someone shamed her for being obese, and it got me thinking...

People who shame others about their weight have no idea how the body works.

First of all: genetics, socioeconomics, and trauma are the most overlooked reasons for carrying extra weight on the body.

This is why we all need to have compassion for others. 

We don't understand what this person has lived through, nor anyone else for that matter.

Secondly, people who are overweight or who have clinical obesity have massive inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Their bodies literally cannot utilize energy from their food nor energy from their own body fat.

They are exhausted. 

We have yet to meet someone who is carrying extra weight who also has tons of energy and quality mental health.

Why is this? 

Carrying a significant amount of extra...

[Click here to apply for Awaken Your Nutrition by 5/31 for a FREE hormone health training with co-founder Lisa Kirby]

Mark, we had an aha moment during our weekly coaches call the other day...

How many people do you know have been trying to lose weight for years?

How many YEARS have you or someone you know been eating in a caloric deficit, restricting food in an effort to lose weight?

What does that do to someone mentally (the impact of spending so much precious brain space trying to lose weight) and physically (the impact of eating less than you're burning and experiencing the yo-yo effect of restriction followed by binge eating)?

How long should someone stay in a caloric deficit?

This is something that is not discussed enough by health and fitness professionals, so let's get into it!

If you read our newsletter from earlier this week, you know...

understanding your TDEE can help you manage your health and physique by informing you how many calories you need to consume to maintain, lose, or gain weight.

It's the starting point for every single client we work with, even those who do not have a particular weight loss goal. 

In fact, all of our newest clients have shared that they really don't care about weight loss per se or a number on the scale...

They just want to feel better in their bodies. 

They want to increase their energy. 

They want to avoid being hangry and eating on the fly with zero intention. 

Even if you don't necessarily want to lose weight, you still need to understand the energy requirements of your body to meet these aforementioned goals.

To optimize your physical and mental health, you need to understand your body's unique fueling and resting requirements.

So, we start with TDEE:

Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the total number of calories your body needs to...