For hundreds of years, society has been in search of the perfect body. What has not been taken into consideration, is at what cost and what are we doing to stop the insanity? I have always been fascinated with diet culture and the horrible pitfalls surrounding it. Emily Gellis Lande, an influencer with an Instagram following of over 200K has recently blown Pandora’s box wide open.
After Emily received a disturbing post from a former client of a very popular diet program her journey began. The research and time she puts into helping so many people can be viewed daily on her Instagram story. Here you will see the roller coaster ride of being an influencer and how she truly holds herself accountable.
As a Certified Health Coach, AFAA Certified Personal Trainer and influencer myself, I took a good, long look at myself and I smiled. I have busted my ass to get where I am. I have never compromised my beliefs and never gone out of the scope of my qualifications. My clients know when they sign on with me it is going to be a lifestyle change.
There are no guarantees of how much weight they will lose in a certain period of time. Calorie restriction is never under 1200 calories, but I tend to aim at 1500 minimum. We make meal plans together and work in whatever events might be taking place in their lives every week. When something is not working for my client or is giving them stress, we re-work it! Together we come up with a solution. I have never fired a client for not abiding by the “rules”.
When someone signs on with me, there are no rules. The only thing I ever ask is that they have a full physical and their doctor signs off on a new diet protocol. No one should EVER begin a new diet without consulting their doctor. Also, not every diet is a one size fits all. What works for me, may not work for you. Just because I follow a ketogenic lifestyle, does not mean my client has to.
Yes, I follow a ketogenic lifestyle. I do not do it for weight loss. As a lupus patient, I have suffered terribly from flare-ups. My body responds with an inflammatory response to certain foods. It took me nearly 17 years to figure this out. Cutting out foods that cause my body to attack itself was a very easy task.
I am not going to lie, I miss certain foods. What I do not miss is having active lupus. I have been in remission for 2.5 years and began keto 3 years ago. Is it a coincidence? Maybe, but I am not willing to find out. When people ask how I maintain this lifestyle so strictly I explain it to them.
The first thing I do is educate them on my disease and my journey with lupus. Then I say, “Imagine someone gave you a magic pill to make you feel better. One day, you forget to take the pill and all hell breaks loose within your body. Would you ever forget to take that pill again”? This why it is so easy for me. I choose to feel amazing by not eating certain foods. For ME, that piece of pizza is not worth it.
The next comment is always something like, “I can never live on just bacon and red meat”. This is laughable. I maybe eat bacon once every 6 months and enjoy red meat about once a week. Mostly, I eat lean protein and a lot of vegetables cooked in avocado oil. Snacks are a must for me! I have a sweet tooth and love a piece of chocolate and ice cream every single day! Basically, I eat around 1800-2100 calories a day of healthy fats, protein and dairy while staying away from inflammatory foods.
I listened to my body throughout this lifestyle change. There are certain sweeteners that kill my belly. Through trial and error, I have figured out which ones, and stay away from them. Emily has thousands of posts from people stating horrible side effects from certain diet programs. Their complaints fell upon deaf ears. These symptoms run the gamut. From rashes, hair loss, sores in the mouth, gall stones, GI issues, eating disorder tendencies and so much more.
If you are working with anyone that silences you when you have an issue, that person does not have your back. They have theirs and are truly in this to make money. They could not give a rat’s ass about you! Unfortunately, there are no laws surrounding qualifications to being a Health Coach. As a client, it is your responsibility to research and know who you are signing up with.
This next one is going to strike a major nerve with many people. Just because someone is a promotor of a product and it has worked for them, does NOT under any circumstance make them qualified to give you or anyone else health and nutrition advice. Read that again and let it sink in. That person is promoting a product. One company they are educated in (sort of) for financial gain.
There are hundreds of thousands of people suffering from diet culture all around the world. We must open our eyes to those out there contributing to this. You, as a client and consumer must educate yourself.
Always ask for certifications and qualifications from the person you are working with. Never go on a diet that is under 1200 calories, unless under the care of a physician. Make sure your plan is something you love that can grow for you to maintain for the rest of your life. If you are using products that you feel unsure of, ask the company to send you their COA (Certificate of Analysis). If they decline, find another product.
If at any point your plan is not working for you in any way and your coach, nutritionist, dietician or whatever will not help you or tells you to suck it up, RUN!!!!! You know your body better than anyone, listen to it.
