What we get wrong with nutrition.
Everyone knows fiber and protein are important — so we reach for CarbSense tortillas, Quest bars & Barebell protein bars. And that was totally me years ago. 🙋🏼♀️
My physique didn’t start changing until I stopped focusing on a number and started focusing on food quality.
I’ve dealt with enough gut issues to understand firsthand how food plays a massive role in digestion, sleep, performance, inflammation, and recovery.
So when you hear me say “food is fuel” — I mean it.
I genuinely think about the value of everything I put in my mouth and how my body is responding to it.
Everything I eat — right down to when it goes in — is by design and utility.
I know that probably sounds boring and rigid. But I’m here to show you it doesn’t have to be. ✨
Knowing how to fuel your body means getting the most out of every training session and squeezing the most nutrients possible out of the energy you have to work with each day.
And it has to be enjoyable — because that’s what makes it sustainable.
This is what my girl Margot does so beautifully. Every plate she shares in the group chat stops everyone mid-scroll.
Bright. Colorful. Nutrient-dense.
And she genuinely loves what she’s eating — which is exactly why hitting her macros feels exciting rather than stressful.
It’s also why she’s absolutely crushing her fat loss phase. 👏🏼 Stick around for her transformation — it will blow your mind.
I hope these Pinterest-worthy plates inspire you to add a little more color to yours. 😋
One year of working together.
Absolutely unreal results. 🤝
Meet Erika. 🖤
When she came to me, she had already started moving — she’d lost weight on her own,but was ready to elevate. She went all in, And this past year? She has surpassed every single goal she initially told me she wanted to achieve.
She is wearing the smallest jeans of her adult life, while currently eating more food than ever before. She’s doing chin ups for the first time in her life.
She’s wearing shorts and loving them where she used to be insecure about her legs.
She gets compliments on her arms wherever she goes.
These results weren’t given, they were earned..
She hits her steps every day. Her workouts every week. Her macros every single day. Fifty to seventy grams of fiber. Nutrient-dense whole foods. No shortcuts, no excuses.
She is great at communicating when she has questions or issues. She always sends her form videos. When she had an international trip on the horizon, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to maintain. Those first videos are her doing resistance band workouts in the hotel room before her son woke up. No excuses.
That is who Erika is. We cut right up to her photoshoot last year then we went straight to work in a lean build, and her physique keeps climbing.
But what I’m most proud of? Erika lifts other women up. One of my clients recently told me that this journey would be immeasurably harder without the support of women like Erika — who show up, who make you feel seen, who celebrate you without competition.
That is rare. That is beautiful. And that is Erika.
Here’s to this past year — and everything still to come. So proud of you. 🥹✨
One year ago, I started on the journey of choosing me.
I’m standing here holding 40 lbs of rice… and it hits different when you can actually feel what you’ve let go of.
40 lbs of habits that weren’t serving me.
40 lbs of not prioritizing my health.
40 lbs of excuses, burnout & silence.
And what replaced it?
🥗Tracking my food with intention
🏋🏻♀️Lifting weights & getting stronger week by week
👟Showing up for my daily steps - even when I didn’t feel like it
😴Prioritizing sleep like it actually mattered
🧘🏻♀️Taking care of my mental health, not just my body
And I didn’t do this alone. Working with Nicole has been one of the most pivotal parts of this journey. She listened without judgment, offered guidance that actually made sense & believed in me before I could believe in myself. She held a vision for me that I couldn’t yet see.
I remember her telling me there was something about my initial application that she could see I was ready. I still don’t know exactly what that was… but I’m endlessly grateful she did. It started as a coaching relationship & has become a friendship I genuinely treasure.
Then there’s this other thing that happened that I wasn’t expecting...
I fell in love with what my body can actually do.
I am lifting heavier weights than I ever have in my life. Moving weight I genuinely didn’t think was possible for me & every time I add a plate, every time I hit a new personal record, I think… who IS this woman?
I am so proud of myself.
Not just for the weight I lost but for the weight I can now carry in the gym. For the discipline I built. For the times I showed up when I absolutely did not want to. For choosing hard things over and over again until it started to feel like home.
The human body is extraordinary when you stop fighting it & start fueling it. I am living proof of that. I don’t say that to brag… I say it because a year ago, I had no idea this version of me existed.
It wasn’t perfect.
It wasn’t always easy.
But it was consistent & that changed everything.
Year two - let’s go. 💙
@nicolerance_
20 years ago, I broke my back. First of all, am I even old enough to start any sentence with 20 years ago?! 😬 I was looking back through some of my photos and videos from over the years and feeling so grateful and proud of myself. It’s something that I don’t do enough - most of the time I’m focused on my future goals and what I want to achieve; holding myself to the highest standard and sometimes feeling frustrated or discouraged because, well because good things take time and I’m impatient. But as I reflect back on the last 20 years, I see how far I’ve come, not just physically, but mentally. I remember struggling with consistency, with macros, with an all-or-nothing mindset. I remember struggling with hormones and a lack of confidence in myself. I remember a time when I thought I was doing everything right and couldn’t figure out why my physique didn’t reflect that. I remember leaving CrossFit then heading straight to Golds Gym to get in another hour of lifting. I even remember the Master Cleanse and almost passing out in Whole Foods because I was starving. 😖 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “just wait until you’re older, you won’t always look like that”. But here we are at 41, and I’m more happy with my physique, my lifestyle and my self confidence than I’ve ever been… and I KNOW that it’s only going to get better and better with more hard work. I’m excited for what’s to come, but today feeling very content and damn proud of my younger self for not giving up. When I’m 61, I’ll look back and make this 41 year old version of me even more proud. 💪🏼❤️🔥
The most underrated macro tracking hack isn’t a new app, a food scale upgrade, or a better recipe.
It’s repeating your meals.
Not sexy. Not shareable. Wildly effective.
Recipe content dominates fitness Instagram because it performs well — but performance ≠ practicality. Nobody is posting their Tuesday chicken and rice for the fourth week in a row. But that woman? She’s hitting her macros every single day.
Same meals. Less thinking. More consistency.
{Disclaimer: I’m not a registered dietitian — this is my personal experience and approach.}
There’s something interesting about people when you start focusing on physical health…
You hear:
“Don’t get too skinny.”
“I’m just concerned.”
“Make sure you’re not overdoing it.”
But where was that concern when I was gaining the weight?
When I was uncomfortable in my own body… when I felt off, lost, and not like myself?
Silence.
And then when I say I’ve lost 40–50 pounds, I hear “I didn’t think you had that to lose.”
But clearly… I did.
The truth is, what’s considered “normal” has shifted so much that we don’t even question it anymore. We live in a world where being constantly tired, stressed, under-moved, and disconnected from our bodies is common.
We sit more than we move. We say we’re “too busy” to take care of ourselves. We normalize drive-thrus, processed food for convenience, long workdays & putting everything & everyone else first.
So when someone does decide to change… to prioritize their health, their strength, their energy… it suddenly stands out. It makes people uncomfortable. Not because it’s wrong - but because it’s different. Maybe because it is holding up a mirror.
For me, there was only one person in my life who had the courage to say something when it actually mattered.
He said,
“I love you. You’re beautiful inside and out… but I don’t recognize who you are right now. I don’t know if you’re struggling… but it feels like you’ve given up. And that’s not the Erika I know.”
That conversation could have gone a lot of ways.
I could’ve gotten defensive. Shut down. Pushed back.
But instead… I sat with it.
And I heard him.
And he was right.
I was lost.
So when people comment now? When they say they’re “concerned”?
I take it with a grain of salt.
Because real concern doesn’t show up when it’s comfortable, socially acceptable or to make you feel better.
It shows up when it’s hard… when it’s honest… when it actually matters.
And for me, there’s only one person who’s earned the right to have that voice in my life.
The rest?
I’m good. 🤍
@nicolerance_
