James McAdams – June Lifestyle Member of the Month
Looking for a nutrition plan that drives results by focusing on habits? Every month we choose one client out of hundreds who deserves some special recognition for their outstanding commitment and effort demonstrated in following our program. We are beyond excited to announce that our Lifestyle Member of the Month for June 2019 is James McAdams! James recently celebrated his 48th birthday! Married for 26 years and with 3 grown kids, James is a sergeant for a large metropolitan police department where he’s worked for the past 21 years – 20 of those years have been spent on the overnight watch. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, James knew it was finally time to reprioritize and find time to focus on his health.
Find out more about how James busted through a plateau and found success balancing his hectic schedule by following the Own Your Eating program!
Lifestyle Member of the Month Inside Scoop
How long have you been working with Own Your Eating?
Since April 2019.
What made you decide to give flexible eating a try?
I am an example of what Greg Glassman is shooting for with his CrossFit Health program. Working overnights, and a ton of overtime totally destroyed me. I weighed 230 lbs and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I tried the exercise and nutrition thing but didn’t have consistency and eventually got put on medication. The side effects of the medication were bad so last July I decided to get off the medication and started going consistently to the gym 3-4 days a week and was basically Paleo —but eating what I wanted on certain occasions. I lost a ton of weight and was down to about 189 lbs. when I joined the Own Your Eating coaching program. But I had plateaued and wasn’t quite where I wanted to be.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Working overnights, and a ton of overtime totally destroyed me. I weighed 230 lbs and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. #ownyoureating #nutritionmatters” quote=”Working overnights, and a ton of overtime totally destroyed me. I weighed 230 lbs and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.” theme=”style3″]
What was the hardest part when you started out and how did you overcome that?
The most difficult part was re-figuring my diet after realizing I was not eating the right foods nor the right amount. And then it was learning how to fit everything together. Part of it clicked after watching the Beginner Macro video and Roz talked about planning out your day ahead. It took me a while to figure out how to fine tune different portions of what I was planning in order to get to “0-0-0” regularly, but the planning ahead part was key!
What is one thing you’re most proud of?
I’m proud of the changes I’ve made and that it is starting to influence others to better their health. I know people at work are doing better and between me, my mom and my little sister, we have lost 150 lbs. I am glad that my story is helping others realize that they can improve their health or even reverse the effects of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, without resorting to life-long medication that often present terrible side-effects.
What, in your opinion, has kept you consistent all this time?
Knowing that I had to better myself because my life depends on it and then seeing the changes and the gains.
What do you do for fitness?
I workout at CrossFit 816. I got my Level 1 in January at The Ranch with Michelle Mootz, Wes Piatt, Zac Pine and Austin Malleolo.
Do you feel any differently about nutrition now?
I can eat healthy and still enjoy myself and life like a normal human being. Sometimes I have to plan around an event like date night or a party and other times it’s okay to whack out on your macros. At midnight it’s a new day and a new set of macros. I am in charge of my nutrition—it’s not in charge of me.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”I can eat healthy and still enjoy myself and life like a normal human being. #ownyoureating #crossfithealth” quote=”I can eat healthy and still enjoy myself and life like a normal human being.” theme=”style3″]
How else has taking control of your nutrition impacted your life & well-being?
Since I started my journey my life has improved many ways beyond just exercise and nutrition. Bettering myself in the gym and in the kitchen and caused me to focus on my family life — we have family movie nights once a week to keep together as a family. My wife and I now have weekly date nights and our relationship is better than ever. I’ve worked on my sleep, which is huge when you work an overnight shift and everything is changing my mindset. I’m much more positive which makes me a better leader at work and a better person.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Bettering myself in the gym and in the kitchen and caused me to focus on my family life — we have family movie nights once a week to keep together as a family. My wife and I now have weekly date nights and our relationship is better than ever.” quote=”Bettering myself in the gym and in the kitchen and caused me to focus on my family life — we have family movie nights once a week to keep together as a family. My wife and I now have weekly date nights and our relationship is better than ever.” theme=”style3″]
Would you recommend people struggling with their nutrition to work with a coach? How has your coach helped you?
Absolutely. You wouldn’t expect to succeed in the gym if you are struggling without a coach. The same is true about nutrition. I’ve nerded out on the fitness and nutrition thing and listen to a lot of podcasts, read articles and watch videos but Dustin is always there when I have some wacky question whether it’s fasting for religious observances, how to track alcohol, dealing with a family reunion at the lake with no wifi and no MyFitnessPal or this week when I’m at a conference and eating from the cafeteria every day. He’s been great!
If you’re looking for a nutrition plan that is 100% sustainable, connects you with a community of others sharing in the same experience and rewards the effort you put in, then look no further! Our amazing and experienced team of coaches are ready to help you get started. We give you the individual support you need because our coaches are real people with real life experience and knowledge. With our plan you don’t have to work out in order to lose weight! Say what?! There’s no strict requirement about the number of daily meals or specific times of the day to eat and we won’t make you eat anything you don’t like. So long broccoli!!! 😆
We help you figure out what you need around your schedule, and your lifestyle. So what are you waiting for?
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