Alison Thiede – Transformation

We recently introduced you to Joe Thiede from Train Harder CrossFit who has made a huge comeback with his health and fitness by easily implementing the Own Your Eating lifestyle. Well you know what they say about successful men? They have incredibly supportive and successful wives! OK maybe that’s not how the saying goes, but in this case it’s most definitely true.Introducing you to Alison Thiede, co-owner of CrossFit Train Harder and our phenomenally successful  transformation feature this week. Read on to find out more about her experience with Own Your Eating.

Alison Thiede Interview:

When did you start Flexible Eating & how did you get started?

I started Flexible Eating at the end of April 2018 with the Essential Lifestyle program.

What prompted you to get started? 

My husband and I (Joe Thiede) were looking for a nutrition program to promote at the gym and we had met Jason when we were renewing our Level 1 so I decided to try it for a month to see if it was something we could recommend to our members. I was thinking I wanted to lose about 5 pounds anyway so I thought this would be a perfect way to do that and see if this worked. 

How much weight have you lost? 

16 pounds

What other changes have you noticed in your body or in general?

My bodyfat has gone down by 9.6% while my muscle mass has stayed the same. I’ve gone from a size 6 to a size 2, I’ve PR’d my backsquat, clean, and in general am improving my performance at the gym. I have lost almost 5 inches off my waist. I have a lot more confidence and being a co-owner of a gym I feel like I represent health and fitness better now than I did when I was heavier. I like that I am setting an example and people (our members) can see the difference that good nutrition can make. I have always done pretty well at the gym (for my age!!) I am consistently in classes and following the programming so having such a radical change just by changing diet really shows how important it is to eat right. I don’t coach many classes, or do much extra work, I have a job where I am sitting almost all day.. so I am a very good example of what can happen if you spend an hour a day 4-5 times a week at the gym and eat right.

What has been your biggest obstacle that you have overcome or are working on?

Eating a vegan diet is tricky. It’s hard to get the right amount of protein without eating a bunch of soy or supplements, although it is getting easier now that I am reverse dieting. More carbs and fats gives me the opportunity to eat more of the vegan foods that have protein (asparagus, mushrooms, beans, nuts, etc). It is tricky for me when I travel for work – it is tricky for ANYONE when they travel but with a vegan diet it is already very limited while traveling so learning how to do that and stay on track has been a challenge.

What’s the one thing you previously would have deprived yourself of on a diet that you now get to enjoy guilt-free?

Starbucks soy flat whites. Pizza.

What’s one piece of advice you would give someone that is just getting started?

Find these three things (all that you really like) 1) mostly protein food 2) mostly fat food 3) all carb food  so that when you get to the end of the day and you are off in one category you know how to reach your numbers without blowing your other macros. For me those are: 1) Vega low carb protein powder; 2) raw macadamia nuts; 3) frozen berries.  At the beginning I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make the numbers work, once I learned more about food and what macros individual foods had in them, it made it so much easier to hit my numbers.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Own Your Eating can help you lose weight and look and feel your best then check out our Lifestyle membership program!