Hello my name is Theresa Stevens, and I'm a certified advanced sports nutrition advisor, certified personal trainer...

I’ve been writing about the power of feeling GOOD in your body—and using THAT to help you create powerful change in your life—for quite a long time.

I love lifting weights, walking with my dog Bear on the daily, making yummy food…and I’m also a semi-professional Samba dancer and teacher, too.

Samba dancing has really transformed my ability to love my body, wherever “in the present moment” happens to be…and I’m excited to share my BodyLove insights with you.

And being a sports nutrition and fitness coach—and being in pursuit of my own health & happiness…has helped me come to some powerful conclusions about how to Eat for Energy...

And get results you love.

I'm one of those people who's great at reading boring things (like research and long nutrition books)...and putting it into really usable & teachable terms.

And I'm a former high school English teacher, a founder & past Executive Director of a small and then mid-sized education non-profit...and then a national Body Image and Wellness curriculum writer/consultant for the Girl Scouts of the USA.

And then back to here where you'll find me as a nutrition & fitness coach...dancer & teacher (and stilter)...and helping non-profits build sustainability & capacity on the side too! 🙂

So that's me in a nutshell...and:

One huge challenge I see with friends and clients…is that people get all fired up to workout and exercise…and then they just feel drained by doing it (cue sad face 🙁 and time spent laying on the sofa beating yourself up unfairly for a lack of "motivation")...

And friends and clients have found that it’s hard to get into a consistent FLOW with werking it! Either they’re over-exercising…or most often, they just don’t have the solid NUTRITION you need in place to have the ENERGY you need to exercise.

Believe me, I've been there…and what you eat CAN allow you to get into that treasured Workout FLOW state…as consistency is what gets you HOT results! That, and picking a low dose & effective form of movement...

What the latest exercise data in the US is sharing, is this surprising info:

is that even though more Americans are now exercising than before…Obesity still continues to be on the rise. How poopy is that?

So the word that *too much sitting is the new smoking* definitely seems to have gotten around! And people ARE exercising more—most excellent.

However: if you're not Eating in a way that works WITH your body...even though you're putting in the time walking, cycling or lifting weights...you can still Gain Weight.

As this current research shows that exercise alone can’t counteract weight gain and it’s concurrent detrimental health effects (heart disease, premature death, cancer…the list goes on)

I found this to be true most recently on a trip to Ireland. It was gorgeous! My husband was there for work—and consequently I did a TON of walking during the day, soaking in the city of Dublin and many museums. The food is Ireland is delicious—unfortunately for me though--most of the restaurant food has vegetable oils in it. And so I managed to gain a few pounds even though I was exercising all day.

Exercise just can’t counteract the importance of food.

If you want to get TRIM results:

it truly is 80% how you EAT/sleep/de-stress and 20% how you move

(and you need all of these ingredients)! 🙂

So that’s why I’m so excited to address that 80% factor with this *new* Eating for Energy Action Guide--

And the easiest way to get started with Eating for Energy is to focus on one thing at a time, so we're going to start with the most foundational part of Eating for Energy...

And that's getting it together on a daily & weekly basis with:

Ok—so the research is sharing that even when you exercise—if you don’t have it together with Eating PROTEIN in a way that works WITH your body—it makes it almost impossible to lose weight while keeping (or even building) very valuable MUSCLE at the same time.

The key is you want to Burn Fat with exercise while keeping precious muscle--and you need a solid amount of PROTEIN--at every age--to be able to do that. 

And in keeping this key in mind—that you want to be keeping/building muscle mass while losing unneeded body fat is the *magic combo* you want to achieve--

Here’s WHY muscle mass is so important! (excerpt from netdoctor.com)

Why muscle mass matters

As we age, we naturally lose muscle – once we hit 40 we can lose approximately 8 per cent of muscle per decade and this can almost double after the age of 70.

Muscle loss can be accelerated by illness and can lead to an increased risk of falls and fractures, and delay recovery from illness. So it’s important to do what we can to protect and preserve our muscles.

Our muscles play a vital role in our health at all stages of life, from allowing movement and balance to contributing to physical strength, organ function, skin integrity, immunity and wound healing.

Why is muscle mass important?

Many of us list weight loss on our list of New Year’s resolutions. However, the new you doesn’t necessarily have to be a lighter you! People often don’t realize that weight loss isn’t always positive, as it could be a signal of muscle loss that’s critical to your overall health.

According to a review published recently in Annals of Medicine, muscle mass matters – it can impact a person’s strength, energy, mobility, and overall health. [And this study found that losing muscle mass can also cause existing medical conditions to worsen more quickly]…

So, while seeing the number on the scale drop can be exciting, it’s important to make sure you’re not neglecting your muscles.

How do you improve muscle mass?

Adequate nutrition and maintaining a balanced diet are great ways to support your muscle health…Just like you need oxygen to breathe, you need to nourish your muscles with protein and vitamin D…

Regular resistance exercise is an effective way to increase muscle mass and strength, alongside good nutrition.

Again, the GOAL we're going for with getting in a “perfect amount” of Protein for YOU—is that you want to be able to Burn Fat with exercise while keeping precious muscle…

And you need a solid amount of PROTEIN--at every age--to be able to do that. 

Plus, Protein is the foundational food to have the ENERGY you need to consistently move it!

Plus, I know many people feel like they don’t have the energy to exercise at all, and feel like there’s something broken with their self-motivation…that’s just not true! What you eat is just really key.

And planning your PROTEIN on a daily & weekly basis is POWERFUL (more about this soon).

And essentially the Greeks coined the word Protein, with the base of the word "pro-tease"--meaning "coming first"--because Protein: 

All fabulous things! It's all about getting a "perfect amount" of Protein for you...

And there’s no complicated math or starving/depriving yourself...or flopping on the sofa in frustration, needed.

Sound fabulous? Ok, let’s dive in.

Before we go any further, I definitely need to share:

This Eating for Energy PROTEIN course is meant for educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for or a component of a comprehensive training in medicine or dietetics, nor does it constitute medical or nutritional advice or act as a substitute for seeking such advice from a qualified health professional. If you're a health or fitness practitioner, always do your due diligence to research alternative explanations for the information herein and ensure that any actions you take are consistent with the legal and ethical frameworks governing your practice. If you're an individual seeking to improve your own health, always ask your doctor about taking any health-related measures and never ignore professional medical advice on the basis of anything contained herein. As the author of this educational product I'm not responsible or liable for the results of taking any actions on the basis of this information.

In order to make the course easier to read, I’m using a conversational tone in many places with personal pronouns, such as “I” and “you.” This is meant only to make it more pleasant to read, and is not meant to imply that the guide constitutes any form of personally tailored advice.

Thanks for reading…and now back to the guide…

Looking good in the top photo (NYC parade) on this page, right? Well, that was the result of consistently lifting weights and eating pretty well—and before I hit a period of chronic stress…

which came from my mother passing away from early-onset dementia 🙁

During this period of chronic stress—even exercising couldn’t stop me from gaining weight…and unfortunately slipping in my good eating habits on top of it all—I ended up with *terrible digestion* as a result.

Plus, my iron-deficiency anemia which I'd been keeping at bay with occasional bouts of iron supplements, seemed to come rushing in full force, making me feel very tired...and I knew all combined, that some new strategies were direly needed!

Ok, so I apologize for not the most “consistent outfit” before and after shots…but I think it’s clear to see that the way of eating I’m going to share with you & give you some very, very user-friendly tools to make this accessible & dare I say, fun, too…gave me great results.

And to share this from the get-go: this style of eating is an extremely research-backed method, detailed by husband & wife cancer researchers,  Drs. Paul & Shou-Ching Jaminet, called: The Perfect Health Diet.

Plus, MICROnutrient research from the fabulous Dr. Chris Masterjohn.

And to say applying their research changed my life is not an understatement.

I had gotten to the point where EVERY time I ate a meal, my stomach would blow up like a balloon! My digestion was not doing very well, and I tried several different solutions while working with a nutritionist. I got frustrated with him, and the lack of results—and tried doing both Mercola’s Keto/Very-Low Carb diet…and then I also did the AIP/Low-FODMAP diet very strictly & successfully for 30 days…but neither of these eating plans made much of a sustained dent in my bloating & digestion problems.

Like a balloon—with every meal—I tell ya.

I got another round of bloodwork tests back—and I noticed that I had very, very low HDL. Not good! I started researching online how to raise HDL through diet—and that’s when I found an interview between Dr. Mercola (who does promote keto/very-low carb) & Dr. Paul Jamient, who did an impressive job in the interview of detailing why you need starchy carbs to have gut integrity and health—and as a way to naturally increase protective HDL cholesterol.

Well, he convinced me too--that and my ballooning stomach, extra body fat that would not go away, and those bleak bloodwork results.

With this PHD/Eating for Energy strategy, I found some research-backed info that really filled in some missing pieces as a sports nutrition advisor & lover of feeling GOOD (and having a flat belly & a slim, trim shape).

I found that I was able to construct weekly meal plans that were both very satisfying & yummy…although I had to open my mind back up to the power of some starchy carbs…

AND to the idea that *just eating intuitively* was NOT ENOUGH for me to really get in the amount of calories & nutrition my body physically needed...

Both which helped me burn fat and get back into a FLOW with working out, too!

This whole time I have to mention too, that I’ve been wanting to get and stay pregnant. Yep, I’m a late bloomer with wanting to start a family. So besides being a dancer and fitness coach—and being pretty body-centric—and wanting to do whatever it took to protect myself from early-onset dementia (and keep researching for my family to do the same, too)…being over it with having the blues…and wanting to get pregnant…let’s just say that I was highly, highly motivated to understand all the ins and outs of these recommendations.

So maybe one of my best results of getting in solid MICROS & MACROS (including Protein) is that I'm a very happy, very late-bloomer pregnant sports nutrition advisor, fitness coach & dancer right now! (Baby Wu coming in April 2020 :))

Are you put off by LONG Research text...complex calorie MATH...

Or just straight up RESENTFUL about the huge variety of "nutrition info" out there??

Sister--I feel your pain.

The reality is--we feel like we should ALREADY KNOW everything we need to know about "healthy eating," because we obviously need to eat, right?

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it)--"eating healthy" is NOT that intuitive. Your stomach can shrink or grow to accommodate volumes of food,

So it does take some PLANNING to really see how much & the kind of foods are going to work best for YOU> 

We're going to do that planning here.

It often feels like there's too much & contradictory advice about WHAT IS HEALTHY when it comes to food...

The thing is though--A LOT of research has been done on how many calories (energy) you need to function & have good energy...and the US Government has invested a TON is creating an RDA (recommended daily allowance) of EACH MICRONUTRIENT your body needs to function.

The truth is there IS solid foundational research out there we can use--we just have to look at this foundational stuff.

And, at the same time--based on different ancestral peoples & the work of researchers like Dr. Weston A Price--we know that humans can do well with different ranges of Macros (protein & carbs)...The trick is to pick the amount that's best for YOU (and your current activity level).

We can do this people--no need to be overwhelmed.

And finally, I know a lot of people tell me: "I just can't do what you do. Get all involved with "counting" and get detailed about food."

The reality is you really CAN (I'm going to make it SO step-by-step for you)...and that if you brush it all away without taking a crack at it in the first place, you are kind of un-empowering yourself to take charge of your own health, longevity, happiness & energia.

Let's get started with PROTEIN and I know you CAN rock this. 🙂

Let's build solid energy with PROTEIN...

UP NEXT:

Why is PROTEIN so important? Does it give energy? How does it help you spare muscle & burn fat?

What are the common MYTHS about how much Protein we need?

How much Protein do YOU personally need at each meal?

How to rock this on an ongoing basis (and support fat-burning, good circadian rhythms, deep sleep, mental health & solid ENERGY)

And some Trouble Shooting Protein tips.

Let's get step-by-step & DO-ABLE 🙂 And get started with Protein.

I'm thrilled to share with you a user-friendly guide to this way of eating Protein—because it’s delicious & very satisfying! And it can allow you to build muscle & burn fat with exercise and just feel really GOOD! And I wanted to share it & teach it in a way so that you can start rocking it right away! 🙂

To read other people’s awesome testimonials, check out Drs. Paul & Shou-Ching Jaminet’s website…and I look forward to hearing how these simple steps impact your energy & health goals, too!

Oh and for me, besides finally getting rid of the incessant bloating—ditching that stubborn fat—I also improved my cholesterol levels, iron levels & my thyroid health significantly.

And, I am excitedly expecting a new baby in April--late-bloomer status and all! 🙂

But, maybe you're special...

Some people have accused me of being "naturally thin"--nope, the truth is, I can pack on the extra pounds just like anybody else.

Or maybe I have "good genes"--and that may be true to an extent...However, I think if you do want to have a child as an older women--it really does take focusing on "eating accurately" and exercising--for as many years as you can get started on it. And I don't think you can attribute something like that to genetics at all.

I'll share one last perk with "Eating for Energy" that I've noticed & my husband certainly has too...I've finally ditched pervasive depression that has haunted me for years. I still deal with some anxiety...but my anxiety is not nearly as overwhelming as it has been in the past. 

I'll share how PROTEIN MICROnutrients can be one of the great keys to ditching the moody blues & anxiety too...

And how you can feel FULL & satisfied in-between meals with getting IN solid PROTEIN.