I recently asked one of our favorite FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL alums if she could share a quote about her experience with FLLS for a social media post I was writing.
She came back with FAR more than one quote…
She wrote this entire post!
Dr. Susan Kirchdoerffer completed FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL almost 2 years ago, and is a member of our STRONGER TOGETHER Training Club.
As a busy medical professional, she was overwhelmed and confused by fitness and nutrition. (Perhaps you can relate?) After trying many different strategies to combat her menopausal weight gain, she came to us via Instagram and the rest is…
Well - I don’t want to ruin it. :) You can read Dr. Susan’s story right here:
My name is Susan Kirchdoerffer, AKA “Dr. Sue” - as the REAL FITNESS TRAINING team calls me.
I am a board-certified family physician with over 25 years of experience. I’m also now a middle-aged, post-menopausal, active woman.
I participated in FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL in the spring of 2020, in the midst of the early savage days of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
MY STORY BEFORE FLLS
As if life in early 2020 wasn’t crazy enough, my body was also rebelling against me. I had always been active and fit, but menopause hit me like a ton a bricks in late 2018.
I gained about 10 pounds, and my fat distribution was different than when I was younger. I had the classic abdominal and hip gain, which - I can tell you as a physician - any abdominal fat gain can predispose you to pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and more.
At first, I did what we’ve all done and have been brow-beaten to believe: exercise more, eat less. I’m a doctor, I know what I’m doing right?
In truth, and this may come as a shocker to you, we get maybe an hour of true “nutrition” education during medical school and residency. Look folks, there’s a lot to learn, 206 bones, 500+ muscles and miles and miles of tubing lol.
About that 1 hour of education we get? Yeah, most of us were either eating, sleeping or studying other topics during that “ fluff” hour.
Back to 2018: the “Eat More/Exercise Less” theory bombed.
I realized I was in pain every day from trying to run 4 days a week, and the DVDs of weight training from Be*ch Body didn’t work (the commercial says 28 days right??)
So, this girl then does her research…
I had done WW years ago as a learning experience to help my patients. They have the great Public Relations and Marketing, but you are being taught by average Joe’s and Jane’s who took a training class and now are dubbed “experts” in health and nutrition. And then there’s the “points” system. I heard women saying things like, “I’m saving my points for the chocolate cake!” etc. Going back to WW was not even an option.
I then hired a macro coach - for a LOT of MONEY! I continued to workout from home with my BB DVDs, still killing my joints with cardio, but now I’m taking it up a notch and doing Orange Theory. (I was soooo trendy!)
I was now counting macros, doing BB workouts, running, and doing OTF. It became obsessive.
At this time, I was also paying for a trainer that really wasn’t pushing me much.
DISCOVERING FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL
Personally, I was starting to spiral out of control.
So where do all women with advanced degrees turn to for help?
That’s right: good ole' Instagram.
While following countless Housewives and other things Bravo, Fat Loss Lifestyle School comes up as a recommendation and I start following them.
Leslie Ann, the Founder, kept saying, “Get your daily walks in!”
So I started to walk. Daily. In the rain, in the dark, in the snow or heat. This was early 2020, so walking was a savior, as this tricky little jerk called “SARs COVID-19” was now coming to the party.
Thankfully, earlier in the year, a former personal trainer called me and asked if I wanted to train with him again in the mornings at 6 a.m. He helped me de-program from the manic macro-counting and got me back into my old “gym rat” tendencies.
This took about 90 days to get my mindset back with training.
I started chatting with LAQ on Instagram. She didn’t know me but she responded to every DM.
I pulled the trigger, and at the end of the Spring 2020 (coincidentally what we now know as the end of “wave 1”), I signed up for FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL.
WHY I RECOMMEND FLLS
I realize this was a long story to get to the point, but it helps show you that there is so much misinformation out there.
Here are 4 reasons I recommend FLLS:
1. The FLLS program is affordable. You probably spend more on a haircut and color - and that only lasts for a few weeks!
2. FLLS teaches you long-lasting habits.
The daily coaching was so helpful, and every client feels like they are the ONLY client. The coaches guide you so well and without intimidation. There’s tough love, but it’s all with your best interests in mind.
3. The program educational materials were easy to read and understand, and there is NO MATH. Repeat after me, NO MATH. You will not be counting calories, or macros, or points. NOTHING!
4. You simply get to eat, and you eat real food. No rice cakes, and no fake frozen meals that have some sort of weird cheese.
So back to yours truly...
MY RESULTS FROM FLLS
Within the first few days of FLLS, I was less stressed when it came to eating. I was eating, and eating well, and those carbs that had been vilified so much over the years were making a comeback.
What else was happening? I felt better, I slept better, and what? Pounds and inches fell off.
I graduated after 4 weeks of FLLS and went immediately into their STRONGER TOGETHER Training Club to continue to have some extra support.
Did I mention that I was doing all of this during the Pandemic as a doctor in a nursing home when patients were dying daily and we couldn’t see our friends and family for support?
Despite the war I was fighting at work, FLLS gave me the skills to navigate through it all.
It’s been about a year and a half since I did FLLS and I’m still going. Do I slip now and then? Do I still eat cookies? Yes, but now I do not fear them, or believe that one cookie will devastate me.
I work out twice a week with my trainer who I love, do 1-2 STRONGER TOGETHER workouts, and wait for it, only 2 days of cardio. YES, 2 days only.
Look, life is hard, and now with the Pandemic, it’s at a level we’ve never seen before. (If you are a fan of Spinal Tap, it’s at an 11.) However, the skills we learned during those 4 weeks are easy to circle back to.
The community you belong to post-graduation is like a sorority - but without the stress of pledge week. :) I have gotten to know so many women around the country through the program. We all have different lives and goals, but we have this lifestyle and common goals that bond us together. Oh, and those coaches we met back in FLLS? Yeah, they are still with us. Continual support, online engagement, and more.
As a doctor, I have had access to more than most when it comes to weight management and nutrition.
Simply put, FAT LOSS LIFESTYLE SCHOOL is just so easy. Exhale, ladies. Go to the website, follow the Coaches on Instagram. Start there.
Best wishes for good health. Time for me to walk,
Dr. Sue
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