I came to Crystal in March 2019 at my heaviest weight and lowest body confidence. I hated the way I looked and was defeated that I couldn’t figure out my weight loss over the past 15 years. I worked out like crazy and could never manage to lose and maintain the weight. I could spend this time explaining how with Crystal’s guidance I have lost almost 40 pounds and maintained that weight loss over the past few years. I could tell you she set my macros so perfectly that it targeted only fat mass so that I maintained muscle mass. I could spend this time telling you about how her body building programming has helped me lose fat mass and maintain muscle mass while keeping my love for exercise alive. I could tell you how the scan every two weeks kept me on track and allowed me to see cycles of my weight loss/gains that I never have been able to figure out (i.e. gaining weight during PMS). I could tell you how filling out those darn google sheets kept me accountable and helped me see that the scale should not be the only tool to use in weight loss and that it sometime could actually be detriment to my mental health and progress. I could tell you all these things but that’s not the real reason why I have kept working with Crystal for over 2 years… those are the perks or the cherry on top if you will.
To be completely honest with you, when I first met Crystal, my initial thought was …. “oh, here we go again, another tall, skinny, blonde is going to tell me how to lose weight (insert eye roll).” Throughout the years I have met many individuals that “look” like Crystal, from dietitians and nutritionists to physicians and Functional Fitness coaches. All these individuals swore they could help me figure out this pesky weight loss problem but all they did was judge, highlight my failures and try to force me into their idea of what weight loss should look like. They would put me on the same nutrition plan and work out schedule they did for everyone and were shocked when it didn’t work and blamed me for actually gaining weight. These people were one of the reasons my body confidence and self-esteem hit rock bottom. This judgement, lack of empathy and overall lack of kindness from individuals in the nutrition/exercise field is the reason why, when I met Crystal, I was at my lowest and why I regretfully put Crystal in that same group.
I was thrilled to find out that Crystal is the exact opposite of those described above and is the number one reason why I continue to work with her after all this time. She is kind, empathetic and compassionate. She takes the time to check in with me every week. She listens to how my week is going and what stresses and barriers I faced with an open mind. She doesn’t judge or criticize for a failure or set back. She doesn’t demean you if you gain weight. She creates a safe space to try things and makes it okay to fail. She provides insight into your journey by sharing hers. She is honest with her thoughts and realistic with her plans. She provides recommendations and doesn’t dictate what you should and shouldn’t do. She gently guides you in the right direction with a “try this. She teaches you the strategies you need to move forward.
It is Crystal’s curiosity which has been the biggest factor that has helped me with my weight loss. She is constantly learning and striving to do best for her clients. She doesn’t have a one size fits all strategy. Every single client gets a custom nutrition plan based on their body composition, life style and goals. If something isn’t working, she gathers information, adjusts and creates a new plan. She is curious as to what work’s and what doesn’t work. She provides rationale for her plans and educates me on why things are working and why they might not be. She doesn’t lie about what she doesn’t know, she researches and learns to better her ability to help her client.
Throughout this journey I have hit many barriers, some big, some small, but through each of them Crystal has always taken the time to help me through them. Her genuine excitement when I lose weight or hit a PR in the gym has helped build my self-esteem and overall body confidence. She has never written me off, never laid blame, and never judged. She has always lifted me up, supported me and provided guidance when needed. I still have a few pounds to lose, and I know it’s going to be challenging but I’m looking forward to it because I know Crystal will be there to guide me through it.
