Frequently Asked Questions About Me

I receive a lot of questions from readers. Many of the questions are the same. Here I'm compiling a list of Frequently Asked Questions About Me so you can get all your answers in one place and I can refer to it whenever someone asks something about me. I'll continue adding to this as I receive more questions from you guys!

What Caused Your Amenorrhea?

Those of you who've been here awhile, know I suffered from no reproductive hormones for 5 years. I've been reluctant to talk about it because TOO MANY PEOPLE want to know my solution for themselves which IS WRONG. Everyone is different and it would be irresponsible for me as a health professional to give advice without knowing someone's complete medical history.

There were a number of problems that caused mine. The primary one being a low estrogen birth control pill I was on for decades and chronic stress. I plan to discuss in a future post how stress affects hormones and metabolism. I work on this with my 1:1 clients because they don't realize how their lifestyle is sabotaging their weight loss or causing hormone imbalances. Sometimes exercise and food is only part of the equation.

EVERY PERSON IS DIFFERENT. This may or may not be your issue which is why you need to work with a professional and stop googling or reading blog posts for answers. You're doing yourself a disservice by not getting help.

Related - How To Get Answers To Your Health

How Did You Get Your Periods Back?

I got my period back by going on high dose estrogen for 3 months which I would ABSOLUTELY NEVER RECOMMEND anyone do. It created many problems including gluten intolerance, insulin resistance and weight gain. It took 15 months for me to fix the mess estrogen created in my body and lose weight. If I could go back, I would never have taken hormone replacement.

Related - My Battle With Estrogen

How Did You Fix Your Hashimoto's disease?

Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease. It's not fixable. I can't say what I've done to control mine because  too many people will try it on themselves and that's a big risk. These are complicated conditions that involve more than the thyroid. A full medical history review with a professional is necessary to control any autoimmune disease.

Things I can share that helped were reducing stress, eliminating sugar and improving my gut health. Those things I believe everyone in the general population can benefit from doing.

Why Don't You Post Your Workouts Anymore?

I stopped posting workouts a year ago when a follower who had been eating like me and doing my {triathlete level} workouts was pushing herself too hard and got a stress fracture. I realized at that time I had to be careful about what I shared. Some people don't understand they can't read a blog and do what the other person does.

Why Don't You Post Recipes With Beef?

I haven't eaten beef in 20 years because I hate it. Some people don't like eggs, I don't like beef. Most of my recipes can easily be swapped from chicken/turkey to beef though.

Why Don't You Eat The Yolks?

Because everyone in my family has high cholesterol and heart issues. My Dad had a heart attack at 36 and my Mom had 6 bypasses 3 years ago. Can you blame me?

I Don't Eat Eggs For Breakfast, What Should I Eat?

Protein pancakes are an excellent substitute. You can't taste the eggs in them. They're an easy make ahead and warm up during the week breakfast. You can also add egg whites to crockpot oatmeal. They add protein without the egg-like texture most people dislike.

Why Don't You Have Meal Plans?

I know a lot of bloggers have free meal plans. I believe this is wrong because it doesn't teach you how to create your own nutritionally balanced meal. I offer custom meal plans for a reasonable rate which includes a Skype or phone call with me where I teach you how to create healthy meals on your own. My online course, Eat To Lose Weight also has example weight loss meals plans included.

Related - Why Meal Plans Are Bad For Your Health

Do You Have A Cookbook?

Not a real one, but hopefully one day! I do have an apple cider vinegar recipes book that includes a recipe for my daily detox drink for $3.99.

Why Don't You Post More Vegan Recipes?

Because this isn't a Vegan blog. From time to time, you'll find a Vegan recipe here. Otherwise, this blog is focused on gluten free, waist friendly recipes that are easy to make.

How Did You Start Swimming For Fitness?

I took swim lessons as a kid so I knew the basics. I also asked triathlete friends at the gym for tips. I bought a kickboard, water proof iPod, cap and goggles to get myself started. Practice, practice, practice!

How Did You Start Exercising & Stick With It?

I started walking 10 minutes a day. Soon that became 15, 20, 30 and later 8-10 miles. Then I joined a gym, started eating healthier, etc. Over time, I built momentum through those small habits and a Fitbit helped motivate me along the way.

Related - Why You're Not Losing Weight {Video explains how I built these habits}

How Long Did It Take You To Recover From Your Hip Replacement?

I was walking on crutches the same day as the surgery, working out 1 week later and fully walking unassisted after six weeks. I "recovered" in 10 weeks {I'm always a work in progress}. Taking collagen helped too!

Related - What To Expect Recovering From A Hip Replacement

How Did You Workout When You Were Injured?

During the 2 years when I had multiple stress fractures from lack of estrogen, I swam, cycled and lifted a lot of weights.

Related - Taking A Break From The Gym Without Going Crazy

Did You Stop Eating Carbs During Your Weight Loss?

No, I ate brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, granola bars, ice cream and even chocolate chip cookies when I was losing weight, but I was mindful of portions. I'm a firm believer that carbs are a necessary part of the diet.

Related - How I Lost 80 Pounds

Do You Still Count Calories?

Yes. After you lose a lot of weight like I did, you have to start increasing your caloric intake. The longer you restrict calories, the more efficient your body becomes at using calories. It adapts by lowering resting metabolic rate which is why many people regain weight after weight loss and find it very difficult to lose again.

Counting calories was how I ensured I was getting the right boost of calories back in my diet and doing it slow enough with the right balance such that I didn't regain weight. Today I use calorie counting as a way to track my macronutrient ratios (carbs/protein/fat) because I carb cycle and do nutrient timing for my workouts.

What Is A Health Coach?

A wellness expert who coaches clients into making behavior changes, and turning goals into actions. Most people know what they need to do i.e. eat better, but they have no idea how to break their goal into actionable steps to get them to eat better.

A health coach helps a client define those actions and figure out how to remove perceived barriers (i.e. how can I eat a healthy dinner when I work long hours). I graduated from a 12 month coaching certification in January 2017 which will compliment my nutrition practitioner degree.

What Is A Nutrition Practitioner?

A board certified professional in nutrition. The degree program I did was 18 months. When I graduate in June 2017, I have to pass the NANP board exam and complete 500 direct client hours. In order to maintain my board certification, I'll have to take 10 continuing education courses yearly and have to practice for so many hours each year.

Unlike other nutrition programs people are doing for 3 months and calling themselves nutritionists, mine is much more in depth with courses in biochemistry, human anatomy, nutrition through the lifecycle, vitamins, minerals, herbs and counseling skills. It's not as much as RD's do, but it's not an easy {or cheap} program by any means. A friend who is an RD told me it was the first non-RD program she felt she respected based on the curriculum.

What other questions can I answer?

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About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.