How do you reclaim your health as a woman? In my experience, it is a path of learning about your unique body and how it is communicating with you and trusting in your bodies intelligence to guide you. 

When our body is healthy, our metabolism is working well. Metabolism is our bodies engine, it's responsible for our body functioning.  

When our body is unwell, whether that is showing up in our life as low energy, excess weight, mental health issues or other health concerns, this is our body telling us that something is not working. 

It's communicating to us that metabolism is not working the way it should. 

It's telling us we have inflammation, that we're over consuming calories or that we are malnourished and need more nutrition.

When we learn to listen, we start our journey towards better health.

And what our body is most often seeking is better nourishment. 

Our body is made up of trillions of cells and nutrients are the building block of these cells. 

In short, we are what we eat. 

The common question we ask is: How do we lose weight?

The answer is by achieving a calorie deficit. 

But weight loss does not necessarily equal metabolic health. 

If we lose weight in a way that is not healthy, our metabolism is impacted negatively.

Many women experience this after years of yo-yo dieting. Weight becomes harder and harder to loose. Health deteriorates. Energy drops. 

This is our body talking to us. 

Let’s first get clear on the problem: Our metabolism is negatively impacted by inflammation, over consumption of calories and/or malnutrition.

Poor metabolic health is driving obesity, most of our health problems, chronic disease and I believe many of our mental health issues (mental health is associated to inflammation in our brain). 

Excess weight is also detrimental to our health. So weight loss is part of the health equation.

When we achieve both, weight loss and healthy metabolism, we thrive. 

When this sunk in for me, the questions I started to ask is how do we lose weight and gain health at the same time? 

At first glance, the answer is not a simple one. There is a lot of conflicting science and research as well as countless opinions and different diets out there. 

As I've continued my own learning, I've found myself overwhelmed many times.

My initial reaction is often to retreat. Stop learning. Do what I know. 

I know from talking to women that this reaction is common and it leaves us feeling small in this space. 

But if we back away from this and just continue doing what we know how to do (our current habits), we'll just keep getting the same result. 

We stay stuck in the same cycles with our health and weight and it's often a downward cycle.

Each woman, with her unique body, will be able to find a way of eating that is going to support her to thrive and that will fit her lifestyle. 

This is available to each of us. 

Although I've always had a sense that what we eat is important, this journey really started for me about 5 years ago, just before I had Max. 

I had already lost weight and started focusing on building strength, but I was not healthy. My body didn't feel like it was thriving, I got sick, had low energy and had a lot of mental health challenges.

As a Nutritionist I knew this was the area I wanted to explore and so I got clear on my goal: To thrive physically and mentally. 

I've remained open when it came to food and just continued to try different things. 

And each step I've focused on nurturing a really healthy relationship with food. 

I think this is a good goal and strategy for women to adopt. 

What’s been most interesting in my journey is that lots of different diets have worked for me. 

As long as I've stuck to them.

My initial weight loss after having Toby was the most weight I've ever lost, around 25kg. 

Since then I've cycled between periods of weight gain (to gain lean muscle we need to be in a calorie surplus), and weight loss (being in a calorie deficit, focusing on dropping body fat and maintaining muscle...this is what creates tone). 

I have lost weight on many different diets and as I've changed the way I eat over the years, my health has continued to improve. 

And despite the name of the diet changing depending on what I've been trying at the time, what I saw clearly was that the fundamentals of the method has always been the same. 

This is the foundation of any diet that works for both weight loss and better health: 

Achieve a calorie deficit, eat adequate protein, reduce packaged and processed foods and replace them with whole foods.

I'd always had this thought:

There are so many people saying their way is THE way. So who is right? 

My experience solidified my belief that there are many ways to achieve the same results BUT there are simple fundamentals that always remain the same, no matter what. 

Here is a fact: 

There are people all around the world who are doing different things: a balanced diet, pro-metabolic eating, keto, using shakes, carnivore diet, intermitted fasting, high carb, low carb and everything in-between

And there are people in each of these categories who are metabolically healthy. 

And each of these diets will work if you stick to them. 

But here is another fact: 

There are also people all around the world who have tried many diets or variations of them and found that they either weren't right for them (so they didn't stick to it) or that diet triggered self destructive eating patterns. 

The conclusion is that our health journey is uniquely based on our body, our personality, our mindset and our relationship with food. 

The 'right' diet for everyone that holds the secret to weight loss and health, simply does not exist.

Our focus can instead be on creating the right diet for ourselves, one that feels good for you.

We can focus on metabolic health and on understanding how our own unique body interact with food. Which food makes you feel energised and great, and which foods always leaves you feeling bloated and sluggish?

What is your relationship with food and how can you work on cultivated a healthier one?

If we don't stick to what we are trying to follow, if we binge eat, numb on food, feel resentful and restricted, we'll never truly understand what that experience has been for us and what impact that diet had on our body. 

Our bodies hold the key to us thriving. Our bodies want to feel good. 

Our bodies want to support us and it will  give us feedback when something is working. 

Every time we look for the fastest way to lose weight quickly…the best way to short cut this process, we are giving away our power. 

Women can reclaim their power by learning about their OWN bodies. 

No one else has the ability to tell you what is right for you. 

Only you have this insight. 

It's your body and it wants to thrive.