I Tried My First Diet in 9th Grade

I grew up in a house where dieting was always in the air. My parents tried everything: Nutrisystem, South Beach, and whatever new program promised results. I didn’t think much of it at the time, other than assuming it was normal. I thought being an adult meant you were always on a diet.

By the time I was in 9th grade, I decided I needed to start too. I pulled out a juice cleanse from Cosmopolitan magazine and gave it a go.

The thing is, I didn’t need it. I weighed around 130 pounds, I was active in sports, and I was healthy. But that’s not how I saw myself. My friends were size 0s and 2s. I was a 4 or 6, and in my teenage brain that difference felt huge. I thought “big” meant wrong.

That one decision was the beginning of a cycle. Over the years I tried all sorts of diets and “fixes.” Keto. HCG drops. Counting out 1200 calories a day. And plenty of other fads that promised results if I just followed the rules.

But here is the truth I have learned since then: The smallest version of me has never been the healthiest version of me.

Fad diets are quick fixes that thrive on keeping people stuck. They make you feel like you failed when really the plan was never built for you in the first place.

Coaching is different. Coaching works because it is not about shoving you into a box of rigid rules. It is about helping you find what works for your body, your life, and your goals.

That is why I do what I do now. Not because I never struggled, but because I have.

Coach Liz