34- Fueling Feminine Strength: Beyond Diets and Into the Heart of Well-being

In this episode of 'Miles from Her View,' host Kat, a seasoned strength and conditioning coach, sits down with Holly, a board-certified sports dietitian and founder of Time to Thrive Nutrition. The discussion covers a broad spectrum of topics, including women's unique challenges in balancing family, career, and fitness. They delve into Holly’s journey from hospital nutrition to specialized women's health and sports nutrition, the importance of protein intake, meal timing, and the pitfalls of intermittent fasting. They also address incorporating so-called 'good and bad' foods into your diet without guilt. Tune in for expert advice on improving your diet, metabolism, and overall wellness.

Connect with Holly:
https://timetothrive-nutrition.com/ https://www.instagram.com/timetothrivenutrition/ https://timetothrivenutrition.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

00:44 Meet Holly: A Journey in Nutrition

04:56 The Importance of Protein

13:26 Morning Nutrition and Workouts

19:11 Balancing Hormones and Metabolism

21:03 Boosting Metabolism: Beyond Exercise

21:37 The Truth About Intermittent Fasting

24:44 Caloric Deficit and Weight Management

26:00 Personalized Nutrition: One Size Doesn't Fit All

31:41 Finding Balance: Enjoying Food Without Guilt

41:22 Virtual Nutrition Coaching: Flexibility and Accessibility

42:28 Conclusion and Next Steps

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Transcript

0:00

Welcome to miles from her view, the podcast, where we dive deep into the unfiltered reality of fitness, strength, training, and nutrition within womanhood and motherhood. I am your host, Kat founder of Kat the strength. I'm a career strength and conditioning coach, entrepreneur, lifelong athlete, and a mom of two. In each episode, we explore the unique challenges and triumphs faced by women navigating the complexities of life. From juggling family and career to prioritizing self care. We dissect the systems and the habits that shape our health and wellness. Join us for real stories, authentic advice, and genuine conversations as we empower each other to embrace our journeys and find strength in vulnerability.

Kat: 0:43

Welcome back to MilesFromHerView. I'm here with Holly and Holly is a board certified sports dietitian and founder of time to thrive nutrition. It's a nutrition practice based in Phoenix, PA, and she's special specializes in women's health and sports nutrition. Holly is passionate about helping her clients find nutrition solutions for their lifestyle. Welcome. I'm super excited to have you today.

Holly: 1:08

Thanks, Kat. I'm excited to be here.

Kat: 1:10

Awesome. So we'd love to hear how you got to where you are and just kind of that little bit of journey so that those who are listening can kind of get a little bit more of a sense of your passion behind your work.

Holly: 1:22

Yeah. Awesome. So, you know, I preparing for this. I actually took a second. I was like, wow, it's been quite a decade. I think the last three years of my life have been a little chaotic because, you know, I have a three and a half year old. So I'm like, how did we get here? So a majority of the beginning of my career was spent in the hospital setting. So we lived in Philly. So I was at McGee rehab and then I was at length and all. And I really got a good foundation for What, you know, what we call is like medical nutrition therapy. So like, how do we manage blood sugars, cholesterol, acute care? I really liked it. But then I also felt like I wanted to work with my clients more and know more about like, what was their driving their food choices? Like, how could we really help? You know, in the hospital, we would spend 10 minutes with them versus now I spend an hour with clients and it flies by, right? They're always like, I don't think we need the full hour. And then it like goes to like an hour and they're like, Oh my gosh, it's already, you know, 2 p. m. No way. So that really is what drove me to do the outpatient space. So I've been an outpatient for the last five years and in the beginning I was working with Most populations like women, men, you know from age 10 to, you know, 85 and I really, I started to hone in on like, I really like working with women in particular in conjunction, you know, I started fertility treatment. So I think, and I have PCOS, so it was like diving into my own personal, you know, nutrition and then women's health. And it was just, it, it really, I liked the population and I, and it was a really underserved population. Very limited education when I was working with the providers. Nothing was discussed about nutrition. So I was like, wow, okay, we, this could be a space where I would really would like to work in. So then that's really when I, you know, branched off and made my own practice. So I opened the practice in January of 22. And so now we focus on women's health and that's really from adolescence all, you know, through menopause. We help women. And then the other tier of my practice is really like the sports nutrition side of it. So I've been, you know, a lifelong athlete. Now I run, which is, and, you know, do cross training, all the things, anything that can get me moving. And especially in the season of life, you know, carrying children, postpartum, all of that fun stuff. And then I sat for my board certification for sports nutrition in June of 23. That's it. So it's really been a great pairing between women's health and sports nutrition, because most of our women that we do see are active. So and we will work with, you know, young females that have, you know, reds or like relative energy deficiency in sports. So if they're really under fueling. We will work with them all the way up through like moms who are marathon training. So, yeah,

Kat: 4:13

I love that. And there are so many, like, I mean, I see a lot of this in my field and I always say like, I am a nutrition coach and I defer heavily to registered dietitians. I can. look at a quick glance and be like, yeah, you need more food, but the nitty gritty like PCOS even, you know, the sports dietitian, like it plays an integral role into your overall health, but also your body composition, because you can't outwork a poor nutrition diet. Like you need that backing and it's not like, I feel sometimes in the social media world, it's like, Oh, just do one and you'll be fine. And not the other when it's like, they all work together. And I'd love to hear more of that about, you know, I feel like, especially with women, like the prime time is like protein, get your protein. And if you're not consuming copious amounts of protein, you're doing it wrong. But. Thoughts on that and just kind of the reasonings of why, and I argue, this is my opinion, but I mean, I'm over 40 and I hear my age range of clients is anywhere from like, You know, bookend, but primarily 35 to 45 with a five year bookend on the other side of those where they come in and they're like, Oh, I know protein is so much more important now. And I'm like, well, it's always important. It's, you know, the, one of the reasons is like, it's going to help you maintain that muscle mass. But like, I would love to hear your thoughts. I know it's a broad topic, but just kind of how, how to incorporate and why it's important for, Strength, overall strength and muscle health.

Holly: 5:52

Yes, protein is always the favorite macronutrient, right? So everyone, like, sometimes it's been like the keto diet, which like, fat is so, you know, great and good, whatever. But protein has never, protein and blueberries, I was told by one client. There's never anything wrong with protein and blueberries. You're safe, she said. I was like, oh my god, that's great. So I think Yes, protein is important and we want, there's two things, right? We like after the age of 30 and this is not to be daunting or pessimistic, but we know like after the age of 30, you know, we start our, our body starts to break down if we don't hold onto it. Right. We're either building or we're breaking down. It's like anabolism or catabolism. There's no like. Right. Right. Like, we're not steady state anywhere. So really explaining that to people and be like, okay, after the age of 30, we have to like hold on to everything that we, you know, the first 30 years built. Right. So having adequate amount of protein throughout the day is really important because we don't really have a reservoir for protein like we do with fat and carbohydrates. We really want most of the time women this, you know, there's always going to be a, it depends, but most of the time we want women to have anywhere between like, you know, 25 to 35 grams of protein at each meal, you know, prior to collagen happening in the last 2 years, you know, people would have like 5 grams at breakfast, 20 grams at lunch and 50 or 60 at dinner. So if we could just try to even consumption out throughout the day. And for, you know, women who are active, really making sure we consume enough before, during and after, you know, the workout is really, really important. You know, if we see people who want to have like, body composition changes, right, they want to lose weight if they want to define whatever they want to do, do not touch the food before, during and after don't restrict.

7:49

Yeah. Like

Holly: 7:49

you want to make sure you have enough nutrients around that, that time. I don't know. Maybe we can look at, you know, the afternoon snack or the, you know, the evening snacking, whatever is kind of like the furthest away from your workout. So when it comes to protein, the most important thing is consistently eating protein throughout the day. I mentioned collagen earlier. I'm a fan of it. I'm not sure if it's going to help everyone's hair, skin, and nails. That's still TBD, but it is helping people get in, you know, 15 to 20 extra grams of protein at breakfast. So I'm here for it.

Kat: 8:24

You know, I feel you on that. Like it's, I know I get a lot of questions with clients, like, is this protein better than the other? And it's like, look, I want you to get. like, I love, I was telling clients, I'm like, I love chia seeds and throwing them in my protein shake. Like I have them in there because they, one, they have the omegas and they also have their sneaky protein. Like it's, it's a way for me to boost without feeling like I got a gnaw on a turkey leg every hour to get my protein quota in. And it's like, let's look at. unorthodox, so to speak, ways versus just an animal based protein. There's a lot of great plant based proteins. There's a lot of seeds or other things that you can throw in to enhance what you're already doing. The one thing I find with clients is like, especially in the mornings where it's very chaotic, they tend not to eat and especially not protein. And I would say like, Like breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day, but it should be a good, like foundational starting meal. Like you need to get that metabolism. I hate to say woken up, but like you need that base to get energy. Sleep. Like, I'd love to hear your thoughts around breakfast and protein there.

Holly: 9:44

Yes. I've had, I had two breakfasts today and yesterday. I love breakfast. I love breakfast too. You know, and I'm like, I'm here for it. So a couple of things when, when someone says, Holly, I just am not hungry. I actually look at like, what do you do the night before? Are we up? You know, did you have a huge breakfast or have a huge dinner and then also have like a lot of snacks because you were hungry, right? So trying to be like, all right. So it, it seems like a lot of our nutrition is like in the second half of your day. What if we just tried to like shift it a little bit? Yeah. And like actually gave you nutrients for your brain, your muscles, your organs to like use when you're most active. So making that tweak of like, okay, if you're not hungry, what about we, we try to cut back on that evening snacking and just have like a bar in the morning. I start really small or, you know, like smart, start small and simple. I was like, what is really going to work for that person? I think something in the morning, you know, the collagen is a great option for the coffee with something else. But can we get a carb in there? Can we do like peanut butter toast? Can we do a banana? You know, something. Also, people with kids, I say you're feeding your children. You need to make that piece of toast for you, make, do something, make, you know, the frozen waffle, half of them are recalled at the moment. So I'm sorry. Like you know, overnight oats is a great option. If you can batch them up, you know, I love the fair life shakes. Yes, they're great. They're doing like a fair life as your protein plus a carb. So really trying to make sure you have enough at breakfast. So every meal we really try to have clients do like a carb, a protein, a fat, and a color, you know, for people who don't eat breakfast at all, I'm not going to have them do all four parts. You know, that's like, that feels overwhelming. So starting with something to like, those are totally right. Like we have to like start our GI system, you know, we have, we have to start it or else people get really hungry. Come 4 p. m.

Kat: 11:50

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I find with like. Clients, I say, I'm like No one's doing it completely wrong. We all know what to eat and it's, you have to shift a little bit. And if you're not sleeping well, some of it could be you're eating way too late and your body has to process that. And so then it's not going to repair. So in like at the downtime it needs. So then you're going to be working when you're sleeping. So you're going to wake up not as rested and you're going to be stuck in this like cyclic process of like, I just want to feel better. I want to feel rested. I want to feel like. Hungry when I need to be hungry and not hungry when. And so, and it's, you know, and I totally, I'm like, I get it. Motherhood, especially those early years. I argue any of the 13, but I'm like, my goodness, mornings can be manic, but like the overnight oats and I find for myself, breakfast is one of the easiest things to batch cook and have on hand. And. You know, you don't have to start doing all five meals, but just do one or look at what are your busiest mornings and just like you said, a bar or the fair life shakes are great and they have that great protein and I like them because they're not, they, they have that uptick. I like, I'm a big chocolate person, so like I can have a chocolate one of those and be like, I have chocolate in the morning and this is great. It actually

Holly: 13:12

tastes good. It tastes like real chocolate versus like. Chocolate is not as good. Yeah.

Kat: 13:19

Yeah. So that's where it's like, it's exciting. Another thing, keeping with the morning theme a little bit eating. So a lot, some of my clients and myself, I'm a morning workout. Can you speak to the importance of kind of eating a little bit or around workouts? Like if you're already getting up early, you know kind of how nutrition can play a role in helping workouts in that way. So,

Holly: 13:44

yeah. So for those morning exercisers, finding something that works for you, like my favorite is the banana. Like we don't have to go like, and you can do half a banana. The idea is we want. To have something that is easy to digest so our body can take those carbohydrates, digest it, absorb it, and then that glucose can be energy for our workout. So it doesn't have to be anything big. You don't have to toast anything. You know, I used to do like peanut butter crackers, like the four pack, eat them on the way to the gym, right? If you want to do liquid, you can. So even like four ounces of juice, something, I will say your stomach is a muscle and we can train it. So if you're like, Oh my goodness, I cannot tolerate anything. Let's, can we start with like a bite of something or an ounce of juice, something to like start with. Waking up your stomach and be like, okay, I can tolerate this. This is what we tell with like, you know anyone, whether it's, you know, I have a swimmer that starts at 5 a. m. So we're like, okay, what are we doing there? So it's just a little bit that we can start training the stomach. The other thing is like an applesauce pouch can be really great. And you see very easy to digest and absorb. So the idea is, yeah, we want. We have stored glucose in glycogen, but our body doesn't like to tap into that, right? We want to try to use our blood glucose, our blood sugar. So the idea is we get that from food and digestion and absorption. So trying to start small, having something would be my recommendation. and see how you feel.

Kat: 15:19

Yeah. I like that. And I love what you said. There is like, the stomach is a muscle and you can train it. And I definitely knew like firsthand there, because I'm an endurance athlete. I run ultra marathons. And when I kind of crossed over to that side, it was like, Oh, I have to eat while running. Oh my goodness. No way. Like that sounds horrifying. And as I progressed you know, I'm now able to take in high calories in an hour, high carbs, proteins, and like, I see much better results. I recover better. I don't bonk. I'm not like having these massive energy dips and the hard work and the training that I'm putting in is actually working because it all works together. So it's like, I'm feeling better. And then especially like with the miles and the strength training, it's like still have life outside. So I'm not finishing a hard workout or a longer run and being like, Oh my goodness. Now I need to nap for ever because my body has no energy. Because essentially, I mean like, and you know, this, but I'm gonna say this, like the definition of calories is. Energy like we need Yeah. Energy to like move our bodies to think, to like, you know, do that. So it's like looking at that, you're gonna get much more out of your workouts if you have that little bit and sustain when you go into work.'cause I do hear from clients, they're like, well, I'm crashing when I get to work. And it's like, well, we need, are you eating after? Well, it was a rush. Well, how do we set yourself up for success that you have something you know, because it's, I mean. I love food. So I'm like, I'm going to have food around me, but it's like, that's going to help you sustain. So you have that energy balance there. So,

Holly: 17:03

and I think sometimes if people are a little resistant, this is also where like the nutrition counseling comes into piece because I'm like, Are you afraid of eating? Is it more from like, Oh, I want my body like tap into its fat stores. I'm like, because physiologically, that's not what it's going to do. It's going to tap into your glucose stores. It's going to leave your fat stores alone and it's going to tap into your glucose stores and really use that primarily. It will tap into your fat stores a little bit, but really coming at it from like, Or do we have some like disordered eating thoughts or disorder? Like I want body. I want weight loss. Okay. Weight loss can happen and don't touch your nutrition before, during and after, you know, so asking it kind of probing for that can be really helpful. Be like, okay, like, do you feel like eating a half of a banana before your workout? Do you feel like that's going to help? You know, get in the way of your, your weight loss efforts.

Kat: 18:02

Yeah. Which is, and that is so important because it is, as you know, there's, there's so much out there that I'm sure you cringe. You're like, what are you? No, that's not how it works. And, and it is, I mean, I see it with, you know, the strength training, the cardio training, the mobility where there's just a lot where it's allowing the client to shift the mindset and Like ditch a lot of the nuance stuff that is out there. And I mean, I feel, I mean, I'm going to say, especially for women, I feel like we're under attack and especially like perimenopause and menopause is like, which is great. It is in mainstream. It's being talked about. I'm here for all this stuff to be talked about, but there is some stuff that has been really nuanced. And I like what you had said a little bit earlier. And this kind of goes into this is like. you're either, you know, building or breaking down and there's no homeostasis and, you know, that's where the metabolism, it's like, you don't want a balanced straight metabolism. You need to have fluctuation with it. And yeah, it's like, I'd love to hear kind of like, Kind of going into that, like how nutrition can influence that hormone health and the metabolism. I hear a lot. Oh, well, I'm XYZ age. My metabolism stopped working. You know, I'd love to hear some insight from that nutrition perspective there.

Holly: 20:43

It's so nuanced, right? Yeah. This is a big topic

Kat: 20:47

too. I just

Holly: 20:47

threw you

Kat: 20:48

out like here you go.

Holly: 20:49

Oh my gosh. It's so, so you know, really it's interesting looking at lifestyle. I think it's huge. And seeing, you know, do they have, like, are they doing strength training? That's always kind of what I look at. I'm like, okay, if we're, if, if you're only walking, a walking is great. And also we've got to get you doing some sort of strength program. I mean, the. The Academy of Medicine, you know, recommends three days, three days a week of strength training and some people are doing zero. So I'm like, okay, we've got to, we have the protein intake, but you have to find some sort of strength training with, it's with a trainer, home, whatever's going to fit. So trying to look at it from that end, I also look at NEAT. So that non exercise activity thermogenesis. So I have a chart and it says, you know, a hundred percent of your resting at You're arresting energy expenditure, right? So we have our basal metabolism that's, you know, made up of like muscle, what your, your organs do, your age, your gender, you know, that makes up, you know, 60 percent of your, your total energy expenditure. And then we have our meat, which is like, what do we do? Like basically for a job,

22:00

right?

Holly: 22:01

So it's like, are you sitting, are you a nurse? Are you a teacher? Are you a construction worker? Like, what are you stay at home? Mom, are you running around with all your kids? Because I know I'm much more active on the days that I'm home with my kids versus when I'm working with clients. Right. So saying, like, what does your day to day step count look like? And that and then exercise is, like, the top. It's really, like, the 10 percent for most people, you know, for the endurance athletes, it will be more but really showing them an example of, like, how we can increase your metabolism is one increasing muscle mass to looking at me. So what do we do? Can we get up and walk for 10 minutes?

22:41

Like,

Holly: 22:42

can we get some sort of movement? And that can help with boosting metabolism. And then looking at exercise. Now, when we look at the food aspect of it, really trying to say to them, we have to eat consistently throughout the day. We know that our body likes regular intervals of food. I am not a fan of intermittent fasting. I think it allows people to just skip breakfast and then eat whatever they want from the hours of 12 to 8. You know, that's the standard, you know, window of time that I always see. I'm not a fan of it. Especially for people who work out in the morning,

23:18

you know,

Holly: 23:18

especially for females, it's not helpful. If someone comes to me, hell bent on Intermittent fasting. I'm like, can we just shift those hours a little bit, maybe 10 to 6, and then we'll see but really from a nutrition at, you know, standpoint, we want to try to eat regularly throughout the day getting enough protein, also getting enough fiber, you know, fiber helps your body clear toxins from, there's not some special supplement that clears toxins. It's going to be fiber, right? So those are kind of some of the things that we look at, like when we say like boosting your metabolism. I really look at Whole Foods. We don't use any supplements, especially any of like the metabolism boosting supplements because they're just really not validated or research backed. Yeah.

Kat: 24:05

Yeah.

Holly: 24:06

We're not fans of them.

Kat: 24:08

Yeah. And I feel you on that. And I feel like. To remember you said so many great things right there. Sorry. No,

Holly: 24:16

it's great. I'm like such a loaded topic. Oh my goodness.

Kat: 24:19

I don't I threw that at you and it is and there's so much right now that is out there and and I feel I honestly like I get caught up in it and like I know the science or and it's like I get like a week maybe I should and I'm like, the leg scroll and it's super easy because like an influencer makes it super flashy and this, you know, different things and you, and I get it from the lens of my clients because they want the relief. They want to see the change and You know, it, it takes time and that's the frustrating thing. But to your point with intermittent fasting, and I try and explain that like, we all have a fast because we don't eat while we sleep. And at some point at the end of the night, you stop eating and then you don't resume until you put that, you know, I'm going to just use food as an example, because I know if you put something in your coffee, like a creamer, yes, you're kicking off your needle, but like, It's like there is that window. So the, everybody does have a fast, but when you take it to the extremes, that it's like, it can set you up for failure and work against the goals that you want. And, and that, that part, I'm like, Ooh, let's just shift it like a little bit. Or let's look at like, You need food, you know, if you're bonking or in that, like you said, that 12 to 8 window, you're just eating everything because you're so hungry and you force that rule. That's a bit of a dysregulation with your body. Your body's telling you that it needs a better balance right now. It's so,

Holly: 25:49

I will always say like the literature that, you know, intermittent fasting has been used for longevity. It has not been used for weight management and that's a lot of times people come wanting weight loss with intermittent fasting, but really it's, it's calorie deficit that has been shown to be effective. It's not the, the duration of time, you know, it's really the intermittent fasting has been shown in the longevity population for like, and it's 12 to 14 hours, you know, with the one study showed nine hours was beneficial for longevity. So when we think about longevity, you know, then. When we're not eating, our body is able to digest and rest and do other like cell processes and turnover. So then for longevity purposes, right? Versus like eating around the clock or like, you know so yeah, coming at them. We're like, okay, Where, where are we? Can we, can we do 12 hours of fasting or, you know, 14, but just like in a normal time period or normal times of the day.

Kat: 26:51

Yeah, and the other thing I love what you said there is because it is a caloric deficit for weight loss, but. Sometimes it's not addressed. Like the caloric deficit is going to look different for each person. And that's where, you know, I always tell my colleagues, I'm like, you need to work with a registered dietitian that is going to do a deeper dive to understand. your, each person has unique, like I'm going to use a fingerprint of calories they need and your lifestyle, like all the things you said that go into metabolism. So you can read, I'm going to say in a magazine or hear from a influencer that like, Oh, cut your calories by 500 and you're going to be a deficit. No, that can be detrimental to someone where you're going to wind up going the other way. And you know, cortisol is a big topic, but you're going to spike that cortisol level. You're going to be so going into that, Lower energy reserve that your body needs more and you're going to work against yourself in that regard. So it's like, there's no one specific number that's universal for everyone. And that's, that's the thing that I like, I know for my clients, I'm like, it's very bespoke. There are research backed methods that have not changed for a long time. We're discovering more to help women like, you know, with PCOS and with the perimenopause with Other, you know, things, but it's like, you need to work what's going to work for you. And, you know, even if the number is, excuse 500 is going to get you in a calorie deficit, but you might need to work up to that to help for that. Cause it could be a quick drastic that it's too bold that it's like, feels too restrictive at first.

Holly: 28:30

Yeah. I always think about this like pendulum with clients, right?

Kat: 28:34

Yeah.

Holly: 28:34

So if you're like, If you restrict by 500, 000, like sometimes like my fitness pal things are like, lose it. I'll hear what people are doing. Like, Holy smokes. That's like three meals like that. You're restricting, you know, it's so much stuff. Like if we restrict like so much that we're speaking to one side, they're going to get hungry and it's going to be a Friday night and you're really hungry. And you're going to eat like the whole pint of ice cream because you're just so darn hungry. So it's like these extremes that, you know, most women really, if they do want some body composition changes. It's generally like 2 to 300 calories max men can be 3 to 400, but we know that if we go much further higher than that for women who really, and I'm talking like, you know, women who want like a 10 to 20 pound weight loss or, you know, anywhere between that, really the 2 to 300 calories. I know it seems small for people that has been shown to be the least stressful. Because I will say like, and we don't, you know, we try not to have weight loss as a primary goal for folks, right? Because I'm like, what's your bigger, why do we want to, you know, be around for your grandkids? Do we want to like not be on medication? Do we just want to feel better? Right. Like what's your bigger why? Because I find that, you know, if a why is I just want to look good and be a bathing suit, which could be. Could be a why. It might not be strong enough in the moment. Right? So it's like, yeah, that could be a big enough why when I was 25, but you know, and I think I say that I'm like, that was the big why when we were 25, but now. And at, you know, 30, whatever I am, I forget these days. I'm like, nah, I'm going to have the cookie or whatever. And I'll, you know, next year's next, you know? So it's more about like, how do I, you know, with my, you know, with PCOS, it's like, I like, I know I do better when I have a protein with a carbohydrate, right? I just like, no, I feel better. So it's really trying to focus on the why behind people that they want to, you know, have body composition changes. Smoking smoking focusing on the, the really like a subtle deficit can be less stressful on the body.

Kat: 30:59

Yeah. Yeah, I know. And I love that. And, you know, I also love this kind of moving away from just, it's only about weight loss and that's, I mean, I, my clients, I'm sure see it, they see body composition changes. They see a lot of different things. And, you know, clients and I, there's nothing wrong with those aesthetic goals of wanting to lose weight. You know, but when we hyperfocus on it, it, it's, at some point when you're going through that process to create that change, you're going to hit. That end point. And if you haven't learned the skills or understood and remain curious about the things that, like, to your point, like, I'm also at that point where I'm like, if I'm going to have a cookie, I'm cookie. And sure, maybe it's going to put me over my calories. I mean, like, like, I don't care. I'm having the cookie, but it's like, you know, there's going to be a point where you're going to go into like that quote unquote maintenance mode. You're not always going to be on this, like, Okay. You're not going to live consistently in a caloric deficit because, or in strength training, you're not always going to be in a build or muscle building phase. You're going to be in a maintenance phase at some point. And so the other thing is the body also adapts too. So you can't think, oh, I have to keep cutting calories because then you're going to be down to zero, but it's like, you have to know there's going to be an adapting and you want to be able to maintain. Tame when you hit a certain weight or, you know, that whatever it is, you know, that's where it's like the maintenance is. But if you don't know how you got there because it was so drastic and you're white knuckling it, it's not going to feel, it's not going to be lasting long. And if you are white knuckling it and really stressed, it's probably too extreme of a goal for you. Yeah.

Holly: 32:51

Yeah, no, absolutely.

Kat: 32:53

Yeah. One of the things I love in kind of on the topic of cookies is like, these are really good. You know, and it is like, I'd love to hear your thoughts on You know, a lot of women who come to me are like, they're done with the stuff that we did in our twenties, the yo yo dieting, the go workout super hard for a week to fit into that bikini for whatever the thing that you're looking towards, you know, love to hear your thoughts on incorporating the, I'm going to use these terms, even though I don't use them, the good and bad foods, like how you work with clients on that and your philosophy around those.

Holly: 33:33

So I start really like what feels good to them, because I think they're looking at me to say like, have two servings of cookies a week and that that's good. That's healthy or whatever it is. I'm like, what feels what would feel good for you? Like, is it that like, I'm going to have cake at every birthday party that I go to? So I know it's always everything with a new shirt with nutrition. And if you talk about the digestion, it's always gonna be like, it depends. But I really start there. I'm like, what feels good for you? Do you want to feel for people who have like a history of disordered eating or like who's extreme dieting diets in their twenties, or if they, you know, grew up with a parent on weight watchers, like, are they always counting points? Like, Where do you want to do you want to just feel comfortable around food, and then we have to like our desserts we have to like kind of like desensitize them to those things. But yeah, I really kind of start off with that like, where do you want to be, because most of our, most of our clients do not have diabetes I have a couple of them that. You know, have type 1 or type 2. So then we have to be a little bit more, you know, mindful about timing and that sort of thing. But really starting with that, like, what feels good for you? And like, what is it going to also help you meet your goals too?

Kat: 34:47

Yeah, and I like that. I like that question because I feel like it's. You know, an unorthodox way of thinking about it. It's like, what feels good for me? Because, you know, to your point of I feel like we all grew up in this, like, extreme dire culture, like, dialogue and influence where it was like, I mean, I've right there with it. Like I fall into the trap of like, Oh, I can have dessert tonight. Cause I worked out like, there's a reason why, like, you have to justify your choice or whatnot versus like, Hey, what feels good to me? Like, yeah, celebrating and having cake at a birthday feels good. Or, you know, we're. In the midst of like holiday season, you know, today's actually Halloween. So it's like, yeah, I'm totally gonna steal a three three musketeers bar from my kids Halloween. Thank God they are good. And it's Halloween, you know, and it's not, it shouldn't come with, well, I ate this, therefore I need to, you know, skip this or add more cardio where it's like, What feels good for you? What is gonna make this experience?'cause as I explained to my clients too, I'm like, you were on this face of the earth for such a short time and you wanna enjoy and not look back. And especially around holiday times and my family, we have a lot of traditional dishes. And it's like, I wanna know that I enjoy those dishes. Mm-hmm And there's ways to enjoy them without. I'm going to say going off the rails or sabotaging your goals. You can enjoy foods. You can enjoy workouts or with my clients, like I'm prepping them for the holiday season. Maybe we don't schedule workouts. And that's okay. Because that's part of your plan. It's when we feel this, like, I have to be all or nothing is when it's like, it gets that friction builds up like guilt. And that's, that's not a way to live. I don't want to live like this.

Holly: 36:48

Right. And I think it's when we, like, when we classify, when we say like, oh, This is what I should do or what I shouldn't do. Right. And you said, like, don't judge yourself. Like, what do you want to do? Like, do you want to eat a whole bag of, you know, M& Ms? I probably wouldn't feel good anyway, but go ahead. Right. There's like. When we, when clients do really pure foods we actually, we don't do eating disorders. I refer to a dietitian for that, but like there is this line, especially in, you know, athletes, whether we're talking a 15 year old or for, you know, I have a, you know, 53 year old client who was a cross country runner and now the runner and, you know, she has some disordered thoughts for, you know, 30 plus years. Right. So it's like, all right, let's have ice cream, a half a cup of ice cream every night for two weeks. Once I get to that fifth day, I'm good, right? So it's really kind of like taking the emotions out of like but like not judging ourselves, right? Whereas, yes, you're, you can have like social food around the holidays and stuff and it's joyful. But like, stop. You know, putting yourself in a box and judging yourself because that's where it's not the like the action. Like it's not eating the cookie or eating the ice cream. Then we feel guilty. And then the rest, like, then people do other things like, you know self sabotage. Right. So it's just like, yeah, like, let's just kind of like take the, let's not think too much about the treat. Just have the Halloween candy and move on. Right. Like our kids do. Yeah. Yeah, they don't, they don't think like that. Like, I just love watching my three year old. They're like, yeah, she loves candy. But like, she won't finish it, or, yeah, she'll forget about it. And I was like, ah, we all need to be like, like that, you know?

Kat: 38:35

Yeah, I love that. I don't know if you ever watched Ted Lasso, but there's a line on there, be like a goldfish, they forget in 10 seconds. Right. Just it is what it is. It's like, Yeah, and it is, you know, like, I was of the mindset with my kids, and again, tonight's Halloween, is like, You can have however many pieces of candy you want tonight. Cause I know they're not going to overeat. There was one Halloween where my one child did and he was like, that made me feel really bad. I'm never gonna do that. It's brilliant. You learned something that's huge. You like. Decoded that. That's awesome. You know, and so now he's like, Oh, I'll have three pieces and I'm good. And then, you know, they'll have a piece of candy or two pieces of candy a day for the next week and then, then they'll forget about the candy. I'll forget there's candy in the pantry and like Every time I'm like, Oh, where's this from? And it's like, I love what you said. It's like putting yourself in that box and just really restricting magnifies. And I say, when we do that, like we're all, our inner toddler comes out. We want it even more where if we just be kind to ourselves and just enjoy and forget, it's fine because you know, you can have a healthy, nutrition profile, you can have a great workout routine without perfection. And if it required perfection, there'd be probably very few people on the space of the earth that would be fit and healthy. We're not all going to be able to do it perfectly. And there should be.

Holly: 40:07

No, I listened to your podcast yesterday on the, like decision fatigue and I love, we use a couple of similar analogies or, you know, sayings are like perfectionist moving target, like, like progress over perfection. Like let's just try to do like one thing differently or in your mind, like better just like one day at a time. Then like, you know, trying to be perfect is just not happening.

Kat: 40:31

Oh yeah. Yeah. And especially when I always say like the. The beginning with Parenting, You're in the Thick of It, I remember it so well, is, you know, just the smallest improvement. It may feel like nothing, but it's going to be something. And, you know, I would say, I'm like, if you can do five squats, it's five more. Like You know, it to point like if the Fairlife shakes are the things that are going to help get you that protein in the morning. That's huge. It's better than not doing and know that that season is going to change. Like, the kids are going to get older. You're going to be more rested, you know, but it's, it's when we, I'm going to be like, well, if I can't batch cook for the whole week, or if I can't meal plan for the week, then we're going to live in this chaotic pattern. And it's like, no, little by little is how you're going to build it. And it's going to, I mean, I was, I was the big perfection seeker too. I was like, I should be able to meal prep every single meal. And it was not real. It was not realistic. And I failed miserably, but. Yeah. It's like having that compassion towards yourself and owning it. And that's why I think it's really great for, for women to work with, with individuals like yourself that are going to be able to break it down and, and humanize it like for on their level and meet them where they're at, because it can feel very impossible in this era of. The fitness influencer, the nutrition influencer, or just the influencers on social media. I always say anyone can make anything look good for a 10 second reel. I mean, anyone can make anything look good. And it's just not realistic.

Holly: 42:17

Right. Oh, a thousand percent. Yeah.

Kat: 42:20

There's so much more I want to get to and we will have to have you back because I'm like, Oh my goodness, we have to cover this and we need to get this in here and we need to, but where can, where can people find you? Where can they follow you? Where can they, I know you said you're in Phoenix, so I will ask this one question. Do you work with clients virtually? Oh,

Holly: 42:37

yes. I say that's the only, that is the one silver lining of the pandemic. We are an insurance based practice. So insurance still covers telehealth. So we see like, you know, 50 percent come in person, 50 percent are probably virtual. And we also do like hybrid. I'm like, if you can come in, meet us once. Great. You know, if you decide 10 minutes before your visit that you can't come in. Great. Okay, we'll switch to virtual. So we're pretty flexible on that. And yeah, so we're, we're in Phoenixville. We just moved from Harleysville. You can find us at time to thrive dash nutrition. com. And then on Instagram or time to thrive nutrition. So it's myself and Shelby. She's also a board certified sports dietitian.

Kat: 43:13

Okay. That is awesome. Definitely follow them, you know, look it up. And it's, it's such a, like, I love that you said you take health insurance because that is so useful. And I love that. I love when I saw that change that health insurance now covers virtual for dietitians. I'm like, it's, it's just the way of the world. Like you need, you need that, but this was so great. And like I said, we will have you back in the future because there's more topics we need to cover.

Holly: 43:37

Well, yeah, it's been so fun. Thanks, Kat. You're

Kat: 43:39

welcome.

43:43

Thank you for joining me on another episode of miles from her view. Your support means the world to me, and I truly appreciate you being a part of our community. If you found today's episode helpful and want to stay informed about all things catfish strength, make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. You'll receive all the latest. Exclusive insights, tips, and updates straight to your inbox to sign up, simply visit the show notes or the subscription link to discover more about catfit strength programs and how you can ignite your fitness journey. Head over to our website at www. cat. fit. There you'll find everything you need to invigorate your path. To strength and once again, thank you for tuning in and I can't wait to connect with you in our upcoming episodes. Take care and remember act to take the next step.