Fueling Your Workouts With Leeauna Duchesne RD Part 2

In Part 2, we continue where we left off with Registered Dietitian Leeauna Duchesne. We explore the impact of the menstrual cycle on energy levels and workout performance, common mistakes in fueling for exercise, and the importance of recovery, including sleep and hydration. 

01:22 Impact of Menstrual Cycle on Fitness

05:20 Supporting Recovery and Nutrition

11:12 Common Mistakes in Nutrition and Fitness

19:58 Shifting Mindset from Aesthetics to Performance

22:14 Signs of Under Fueling

33:24 Final Thoughts and Where to Find More Information

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Transcript

 Welcome to Wellness Unpacked. I'm your host, Tisha, your gut and hormone nutritionist and TMI bestie. I help people like you to improve their hormones, gut health, and their relationship to food and their bodies using an inclusive and anti-D diet lens. Join me as we deep dive in a conversation about diet, culture, hormonal health.

Sexual health, and let's be honest, the topics that maybe we're too shy to bring up anywhere else, follow me on Instagram at Nourish with Tish and make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you'd never miss an episode. Let's dive in. Welcome back to the podcast. In today's episode, we are picking up where we carried off with our conversation with Leeauna Duchesne, a registered dietitian who is chatting with us today about all things related to fueling your workouts.

So if you haven't listened to part one yet, definitely go back. Give that a listen first. In today's episode, we're gonna be talking about how your menstrual cycle. Impacts your fitness. We're also gonna be talking about under fueling what that looks like and how to properly prioritize recovery. We'll also be talking about some of the biggest mistakes that people usually make when it comes to fueling their workouts.

So with all that said, let's just dive right in to part two of the podcast episode. Okay. I was kind of thinking we could also talk a little bit about our menstrual cycle, because that definitely comes into play when we're trying to build out our fitness routines. So I'm curious, how does the menstrual cycle impact our energy levels and our nutritional needs when it comes to our workouts?

I would say it's different for a lot of women. Like some people have totally different cycles than others. But for most in that follicular phase, so that day one to 14, energy and recovery is gonna feel like a lot easier. Higher estrogen is happening, like we're gonna feel a little bit more energized.

Recovery is gonna be a little bit easier. But then once we get into that luteal phase, so day 15 to 28 is gonna be more cravings. We have a higher need for carbohydrate. Progesterone's rising lower motivation. There's a higher perceived efforts and lower energy typically. And like I feel in my workouts different like every single week.

Mm-hmm. And you might be different, like another woman might be different. So it totally depends. Some people can train consistently throughout their cycle, no problem at all. But some women have to change it week to week. You'll notice different effort. So like, especially during like the first couple days of my cycle, like I'd stay away from really intense exercise, but that's because I have low ferritin.

This is something that I'm working on low energy. So if I were to go to the gym, like I'm feeling fate. It's hard for me to stand up at the end. Like I just feel like I need to lay down. So that's putting too much stress on my body. So like, listen to your body if you need to incorporate more gentle movement, especially in those first couple days.

Of your cycle, like be kind to your body, don't like, be like, oh, I need to do exactly what I was doing, you know, last week. And kind of compare yourself week to week. Like know that every woman's gonna feel different every single week depending on where you are in the cycle. Yeah, absolutely. I feel like that's so true.

It's a good reminder to tune into your body and not go too harshly on yourself because I, I see that even. For myself, like week over week that there are just weeks I can't hit the same, you know, weights that I could hit a couple days prior. And that's okay, and that's very nor normal. And then usually it cycles back around and I'm feeling strong, especially around ovulation.

I'm good to go. I can, you know, increase like the weight that I'm lifting. So definitely a good reminder to just like listen to your body and that you do have these hormonal fluctuations happening. Your energy levels are changing throughout your cycle and so that is going to be reflective in your daily workouts.

Yeah, a hundred percent. I even seen some research lately that injury risk goes up during our cycles as women, like we're more fatigued, you know, we might be paying less attention to things like form or, you know, we're feeling lightheaded and stuff. So that risk for for injury also goes up during our cycles.

So another reason to, you know, go a little bit lighter if you need to. Yeah. You know, don't go as intense, like do a D load week where you're doing a little bit lighter. Weights or just some more enjoyable movement to like support your mood. So just meet yourself where you're at. Track your patterns, adjust expectations.

Know that some weeks you're gonna need more recovery and rest and that's okay. Like if you're feeling lazy one week, like that's okay. Like you need a little bit extra sleep, you're craving those carbs. And I saw a video earlier today by um, Stacy Sims, who's amazing in, in this field of women's health and exercise.

She's saying the reason why our, we kinda have cravings for more carbohydrate. Before the start of our cycle is we get transient insulin resistance because our endometrial lining actually requires a little bit more carbohydrates, more energy. So like these cravings are happening for a reason. It's not just PMS, the cravings aren't just for nothing.

Like our body actually needs a little bit more energy before our cycle starts. So honor those cravings. When they come before your cycle. Oh, absolutely. I love that. And on kind of the topic of listening to your body, what are some ways that we can support the recovery process, especially if we are trying to factor in maybe shifts in our hormones or stress levels, um, things like that.

Yeah, I would say sleep number one is the best recovery tool. Like I can't tell you how many clients, how many people at F 45 are underestimating sleep as a recovery tool, like seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night is the best recovery tool, especially for energy. During those hormonal changes when you're feeling stressed or anxious, like sleep is gonna be number one.

There's nothing else that's gonna be more impactful than that. Secondly would be protein and anti-inflammatory foods. So your omega threes, greens berries, and that's again for the inflammation balance, but protein also to help with the neurotransmitters, your mood. Especially if there's like high anxiety during like PMS due to those hormonal shifts.

Like protein can really help kind of calm things down a little bit when it comes to the balance of like dopamine, serotonin, gaba, all those important neurotransmitters. Active recovery would be, um, tertiary. So things just like walking, mobility, stretching, joyful movement, like not just the intense.

Workouts, but like scheduling in days for active recovery, whether that's doing yoga or just stretching or doing, you know, some ice skating. Just some joyful movements. Adding in some variety in there can be huge. And then hydration, especially around your periods or high sweat workouts would be really important for recovery.

And I think people underestimate hydration, especially for that mental cognitive recovery. Like after workout sometimes like. Your brain can just feel like you're done. You can't focus. There's brain fog and a lot of times that comes to To hydration. Yeah. As well. Yeah. And then adaptogens sometimes, like during high stress or like sleep deprivation, like the ashwagandha that we touched on before can be quite helpful.

But again, not a substitute for that rest, but it can help with sleep sometimes. And then a lot of herbal teas and then stress management. Techniques, I know you're an expert on herbs and things like that can be really helpful, so I would love to hear from you on that. But just having a go-to stress management technique, whether it's meditation, a body scan, a sound bath, just something you enjoy to help reset.

Just having that time for you to kind of clear your mind, be alone, let things process and, and kind of get into that parasympathetic state is huge and that might. Have a trickle down effect. It might help you sleep. You know, it might help with mood. It helps the brain function just. It's just so much. Yeah, a hundred percent.

And I think it's really important for people to remember that rest and recovery, it is productive. It is a requirement. And I think so often we feel guilty if we take that time or we feel that, you know, if we're not working out every day moving our bodies to the highest intensity every day than we are somehow failing and no, we like, and it's so, so often you see people who are, you know, waking up, going to the gym at four or 5:00 AM and they're, you know.

Then going to work and having these really, really busy days and sleep really does end up on the back burner, and that's gonna show up in every aspect. It's gonna show up in your performance, it's gonna show up in your stress levels, it's gonna show up in your energy levels. So yeah, definitely prioritizing recovery is so, so important.

So I'm glad you mentioned that. Absolutely. Especially when it comes to body recomposition, which is something that a lot of people have goals for changing fat loss and muscle tone, like sleep. Has such a huge impact, not just on injury prevention. Like for example, when we're not sleeping enough, let's say we're getting less than six hours per night injury risk goes up by like over 200%.

I forget the exact percentage, but it's like a huge number that it increases, but also that lack of sleep because of the hormonal changes. You know, leptin gremlin, like all these different hormones that our gut are producing are gonna be affected. This is gonna impact how much fat you could lose, how much muscle you can gain.

And I experienced this myself when I used to do the 6:00 AM workouts. I was only getting maybe like five hours of sleep per night. I kind of had that like I liked to waking up and doing something really hard. I. Getting outta the way and then having the rest of my day. But I was really sacrificing my sleep.

Yeah. To get that. And over the months, like I wasn't seeing any results at all. If anything, I was gaining weight, I was feeling more bloated. I was just tired and like snacking all the time. Just from like the exhaustion, like people underestimate the power of sleep. Like if you just have one night of poor sleep, like, and you pay attention, like your sense of smell is heightened, you're thinking about food.

There's so much more cravings. Like you just have. Quick carbohydrates, cravings all the time for that energy, but your body's just tired, so you just need rest. But it kind of focuses on like energy, you know it consumption of like quick energy foods instead, but just need a little bit more rest. So get your seven to nine hours, and I'm telling you this is gonna have.

Such a big impact whether you're dealing with hormonal changes, stress, or just chasing results in the gym. When it comes to body recomp, sleep is like at the top of the hierarchy a thousand percent, and I think that's such a, such a good point that you brought up that lack of sleep can increase our overall cravings.

It can impact like our I insulin sensitivity like. We definitely wanna make sure we are prioritizing sleep, but you know, it weakens our immune system, like there's a huge trickle down effect. So I definitely think recovery very, very important. And on that note, when we're talking about, you know, maybe not getting enough sleep, what are some of the other common mistakes that you might see, um, with, with women, people working out when it comes to nutrition and fitness?

Yeah, I would say most common under fueling. So skipping meals, fearing carbohydrates before a workout, fasted workouts because people think they're gonna burn more fat or burn more calories during fasted workouts. Um, over training without enough recovery. And I see this a lot at F 45. A lot of people commit to the five, six days a week, where often it can be too much.

Have a good thing and sometimes less is more. Like I've seen people go from five days in the gym to four and actually get better results because of those rest days. Because on those rest days, that's when your muscles can repair, your body's recovering, things can rebuild. So if we're going back into the gym day by day, and again, working those same muscle groups each workout, you're gonna be more prone to muscle breakdown.

You're gonna lose those glycogen reserves, you're not gonna perform better. Your form's probably gonna be impacted. So less is more for most people. Um, relying too heavily on supplements or gimmicks like AG one and all your problems are solved in one thing, for example. Or, you know, you just need this one, you know, shake and or just eat this food.

And you know, things like things that sound too good to be true, to always be wary of. Um, not tracking progress beyond the scale, I think is huge. So many people just rely on the scale for that feedback of how they're doing. But like, please don't, especially women, because I know we're so much more sensitive to the scale.

We have more weight fluctuations because of hormones. Like, don't just use the scale. For my clients, I like to tell them. If you wanna use a scale, we're also gonna do body measurements. We're gonna take pictures, we're gonna do like a diary, yes. To track how we're feeling, but also like non-scale wins. Like how's your energy?

Like, are you feeling stronger? Are you like. Able to do activity and feel like less fatigued? Or are you feeling more confident, like there's so many other ways to measure progress beyond scale? Absolutely. I think that's so important. Um, like you said, we've got those hormonal changes happening where week over week you're going to see those fluctuations so it can.

Yeah, it can definitely, um, impact what you're seeing. And then also I think it's important that, you know, if you are working out consistently, if you are putting on muscle, you're gonna see that number on the scale go up too. So, yeah. You know, I, I do think for some people using a scale can be beneficial.

They like to track the progress, they like to see those numbers, but I definitely think. You know, giving yourself space in between. Do you have a recommendation if somebody is like using a scale for how often they should be weighing themselves, if that's something that they're choosing to do? Absolutely.

Yeah. I think a lot of people like pick the wrong time of day, or it's like a different time of day, and that's gonna mess with the scale even more. So the best way that I recommend, based on experience and based on what a couple experts have recommended as well, the best time to weigh yourself in the morning after you use the washroom, after you have a bowel movement, if that's your timing, that's gonna be when you get, like before you eat food and drink a bunch of water, this is gonna give you the most accurate.

Result of what your weight is. And if you record that, let's say a couple times per week and take the average, that's gonna give you the most precise number. Yeah. But most importantly, you wanna be consistent with that morning weight. Not do a morning, and then an afternoon, and then a night like 'cause think about it.

You have all this food, all this hydration. You probably haven't had a bowel movement or, you know, there's some stuff in your GI tract still, you know, bloating that naturally stacks during the day. Like there's so many different factors. Yeah. Uh, like water weights and then hormonal shifts and stuff like that.

So weighing yourself in the morning, first thing after the washer, especially after a bowel movement, and then taking the average for the week. That's gonna give you the most precise number and try not to do it right before bed. And a lot of people forget and they're like, oh, I didn't weigh myself yet.

You know, jump on the scale at night. Like these are gonna give you so many different variances. Of course. Yeah. And to your point that we can look at other things beyond the scale. Like what are your energy levels? Like, do you feel stronger? Like how are you sleeping? Like there are so many other metrics we can be using.

So I love that you're pointing that out as well. And you broke a really important point when it comes to body. Recomp. Like when you're losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, like a lot of times the scale is just gonna stay where it's at. You're not gonna see like a down linear trend of weight loss.

So if you're chasing body recomp, like have that expectation. Mm-hmm. Like the scale's probably just gonna stay steady. Some weeks it might go up. Some weeks it's gonna go down. But use other methods, like if you have access to an InBody scan, you know, maybe you do a yearly DEXA scan or you have, you know, your photos, your body measurements, like some other ways, yeah.

Of feedback or you know, some, some way or like getting other people's feedback. 'cause a lot of times we don't notice like the changes in ourselves as well. So we need like those, I like to recommend to my clients have a weekly picture. You know, just to compare week to week. Yes. Like this is where you're gonna see those results and you can look back and be like, oh my God, I actually can see a different definition in this, even though I haven't seen the number change on the scale.

You can visually start, start to see that. For sure. And I guess on that note too, if. You have a client who says that maybe they're afraid to strength train because they're afraid of gaining weight and you know, maybe they, maybe fat loss is the goal. Weight loss is the goal. Um, what would you tell them?

Yeah, I would let them know that, you know, you can do a fat loss phase, but you can't like keep going with fat loss forever. Like what I recommend is like an eight to 10 week focus on fat loss and then you're gonna switch. Like once people get past that one year where they're new to activity, like that's, the newbies really see body recomp.

It comes easily to them. But then when your body gets used to a certain form of movement, let's say you've been going to F 45 for over a year, then it becomes like chasing two rabbits and catching none. Like you have to focus on one. At a time. So doing a fat loss cycle, but then doing a gain cycle and then cycling between the two, your body's gonna respond so much better.

But I would say a lot of women still are chasing, you know, thinness weight loss and stuff. But I. The more muscle you have, the better your metabolism is, is something I like to remind my clients, especially women, the more muscle you have, you burn calories naturally more efficiently. You know your, but you're also supporting hormonal balance.

You're supporting insulin resistance. Like there's such a harm of not resistance training, especially when it comes to women over 30 years old, like. It's gonna impact you negatively down the line, especially when you get to perimenopause menopause, if you don't have enough muscle mass, that's really when insulin resistance creeps in.

You know, your risk of diabetes, heart disease, like all these risk factors that women have to worry about, like strength training is the number one recommendation I can make for women. Absolutely. A lot of the times it's not gonna make you bulky, it's just gonna help. With like day-to-day function, like down the road like longevity, you're gonna be able to do more things and be stronger and, and you know, not worry about frailty later in life than like osteopenia and all these things that we have to worry about.

So just kind of positioning to it, like if you don't resistance train, like you're doing yourself a disservice down the line. Just set up fear of being bulky. But when you look at women, that strength trained like it. It's so hard to get bulky, like you have to train for years and years and you know, do all this like crazy regimen to get really bulky.

But if you're not gonna get bulky, you're just gonna get toed and healthy and muscle is the best endocrine organ that we can rely on for health and longevity. Um, but also for, you know, the risk factors like, uh, osteoporosis, osteopenia, arthritis later in life. Yes. And strength training is going to be basically like the savior for.

For yourself. Like 20, 30. Absolutely. Years down the road. Yeah. Yeah. I couldn't agree more. I think you said all of that beautifully. Mm-hmm. So how would you encourage women to maybe shift then from that mindset of restriction or maybe being completely tied up in aesthetics alone to maybe an outlook more of performance and nourishment and longevity?

Yeah, so I would say focus on what your body can do, not just on how it looks. Would be number one, but also like your relationship with food. So can you reframe food as nourishment? It's not a reward, nor is it a punishment. So getting out of that, you know, oh, I worked out, I can have a reward. Or you know, I ate, you know, this, so I need to go work out and punish myself.

Yeah. In the gym, like that is such an unhealthy cycle to be in, and that usually just causes like a binge and restricts cycle. I see a lot of the times or people have that all or nothing kind of approach, and I think mindset is huge when it comes to weight loss or body recomp. Also, setting performance goals, so not just having like the scale, the number, but maybe you have a performance goal for like a lift or a run or you know, doing an activity for a certain amount of time.

Having some like non-scale goal when it comes to your activity can be a nice mindset shift. But also celebrating strength. And stamina and energy, like not being afraid to take up space and lift heavy and not be intimidated by, you know, if you're working out with men in the gym and things like that. And yeah, celebrate your strength and just remember more fuel equals more output when it comes to.

Exercise and activity. Yes. I, yeah, I think that's great. The way you said that, that's so important. Like we wanna make sure we are fueling our workouts adequate adequately. And I love that emphasis to focus on your performance, focus on learning new skills, new goals, because I think that makes working out so much more fun when you're kind of moving beyond like, how do I physically look versus what can I physically do?

Um, I think that's so important. And I think to your point, like a lot of people when they're first getting started in their fitness journey, they're often. Working out too hard and undereating and not eating enough, especially if, you know weight loss is kind of the main driver. So I'm curious, how can you tell if somebody is under fueling for the amount of activity that they're doing?

What are some key signs that we might see? Yeah. I would say like fatigue would be number one. Or you're like burning out during that activity. Like you're doing a workout and then like halfway through like, oh God, I don't know how I'm gonna get through that second half of the workout. Or you feel like performance dips, like any lightheadedness, faintness in a good sign during the workout, or you feel like you can't focus and get that kind of like tunnel vision or maybe get some like heart palpitations, just see that happen.

People can almost like provoke like an anxiety attack sometimes. Like let's say you're fasted, you had too much caffeine and then you go do a cardio workout. Like that is a lot for the nervous system. Mm-hmm. So it's hard to like shift out of that. And I've seen people actually in the gym like have panic attacks and, you know, go too hard and, and under fuel.

Yeah. Um, trouble sleeping would be another one. Like going to bed hungry is hard for a lot of people. Like if you're doing like a really. Heavy calorie deficit and then like you're starving when you go to bed. That's gonna impact sleep. Mood swings would be another one to pay attention to. So like anxiety swings or like, you kind of like get up and down, like you feel like you're on a rollercoaster.

Yeah. With your moods. I've experienced that before. Constant cravings. Like you're feeling, you're like, you're always hungry. Just like craving a lot of carbs all the time. That's usually a sign you're not getting enough protein or like some nourishing. Food to keep you full. Um, but also plateaus and strength and endurance.

So like, let's say you try to go heavier, you know, every couple weeks, and you just can't, you feel like you're kind of stuck at that plateau. There's no improvements in there. And then number one that I see is like injuries or getting sick often. Mm-hmm. So people are tired, fatigued, not fueled, they get injured in the gym, or they're just sick all the time.

And like their immune systems just like shut down and there's someone that, yeah. You know, they're around a sick person at the gym and like they know they're gonna get sick like the next day. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And to add onto that too, like I think if you are finishing a tough workout, ideally, like you should be a little tired in the moment, you know, you really pushed yourself, but you should be able to feel pretty good shortly thereafter.

So if you're doing a workout and you are just ex Yeah. Exhausted for the rest of the day or feel like you could take an immediate nap. I feel like maybe we should look at like, are you giving yourself enough time to recover and to rest between workouts and are you eating enough to fuel your workouts?

Yeah, actually there should be like, like you said, you're gonna be a little bit tired and fatigued, like maybe for like a half an hour, an hour, but there should be like a rebound of energy, like you should feel like energized an hour after that workout, like. You had that like bubble bath of all those amazing neurotransmitters from the workout bubble bath and things are like, yeah, I love that.

Well, I heard that term, well, I can't remember the scientist, but there's an amazing scientist that focuses on exercise and the prefrontal cortex. Yes. And like any form of exercise, whether it's a 10 minute walk or a 45 minute hit training, it's just like a bubble bath of amazing neural transmitters and endorphins for your brain.

And it helps with cognition. Like it helps with stress and memory. Yeah. And things like that. What a fun way to put that. I feel like it really makes me like, I'm like, oh yeah, if I'm thinking of self care and I'm like, what can I do for my brain? A little bubble bath, a little fitness will work out. Um, I love that.

Amazing. Okay, so if someone. You know, they're going to the gym, they're working out regularly, and they feel like they're probably not fueling their workouts properly, and maybe they're feeling a little bit overwhelmed on where to start. What would be your key recommendations? Where should we start in our, um, fueling journey?

Yeah, so I would say start focusing on your square meals per day instead of like focusing on the timing. Like if there's like a hierarchy, just having like regular meals. You know, covering your macros to begin with. Like your proteins spread out like 20 to 30 grams per meal. If you're doing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you're doing fasting, that's gonna be more emphasis. So I'm getting in that protein in those two meals if you're doing that. So just starting with regular meals, regular hunger cues, your body loves, you know, a rhythm, so try to eat the same time of day. Your body knows what to expect. I would say start with that and then maybe focus on your pre-workout, then your post-workout kind of in that order.

So get your three meals squared and then focus on how you're gonna fuel for that workout, and then maybe focus on how your recovery. And then kind of get into the nuances of like hydration and sleep and all those other things that are a little bit trickier. Yeah. To, to master. Yeah. So one thing at a time, I know it's so easy to get overwhelmed and be like, I need to sleep, I need to exercise, I need to de-stress.

I need to cook, I need to meal plan. Like there's so much going on that it's so easy to get overwhelmed and then we just kind of freeze. Yeah. And like don't do anything with it. Right. So yeah, I think to your point, just taking it one step at a time. Like get down those regular meals first and then add in the next step, and then the next step until it becomes routine.

I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. And also having like a support system, whether it's, you know, working with a dietician or having a friend, like an accountability buddy that you can go to, but the gym or you're like in it together with someone that can have such a huge impact. Yeah. Like someone to hold you accountable and be like, you're not in alone.

You could lean on 'em. You know, you can both talk about, you know, your off days, how you can get back on track together. And just having an accountability buddy is huge as well. Oh, I love that. That's great. Okay, and then my last question for you today is, what's one myth about exercise nutrition that you would love to bust?

There's so many, but I think the number one I would love to bust that I still hear in the gym, in the media is that you have to earn or burn off your food. And I still, like after holidays, I get in the gym, we get a work off at Thanksgiving dinner. But it doesn't work like that. You can't burn off a bad diet.

And there's actually people like documenting this on social media. Like they'll try to eat, you know, all the foods they're craving. Let's say they eat 3000 calories and then they try to burn that off like it's impossible. Plus like the 3000 calories that say weight. It's not just sitting there waiting.

For you to burn it off. It just becomes part of the system. It's not like, you know, you eat one thing and then you're gonna burn it off. It's not that black and white when it comes to the energy exchange, but just remember that one pound, like to gain one pound of fat, it takes 3,500 calories. Like that's a lot.

Like most people aren't over consuming that regularly. Per day. So it's really good to remember like, you know, you had one little, let's say like bad food or like a day with a bad diet. Like you don't have to fear it as long as you know how to get on track the next day. Like, you're likely not gonna gain weight if you ate like one thing that's out of, or you know, you honored a craving, you wanted some french fries, like don't beat yourself up over it and be like, I need to burn it off, like.

It is not really gonna do any harm unless it becomes like a daily habit and it's gonna be like regular for you. But don't try to burn off a bad diet. You don't need to earn or burn off the food that you consume. So food is fuel. It's not a transaction. Yeah. And you don't need to restrict to see results.

And you'll even see like. There's some women that are doing, you know, 1300 calorie diets and not losing weight, but then they increase their calories and focus on more protein and strength training, and then they lose weight. So it's not always a less calories is more weight loss. Yeah, for a lot of women.

But eating is a part of performing better, is a part of feeling your best. You need energy. For everything that our, our body does, especially as women and all these transition phases with our hormones and our cycles. But having a good relationship with food is the best tool you can have rather than exercise alone.

Yeah, like if you're just exercising and not paying attention to your diet, like you're leaving so many cards on the table. That could be part of your success. Like learn from me when I was that person that was able to achieve those results from the gym alone. But then slowly, like you're just gonna regain the weight over time and like I've experienced this like the first time I lost 50 pounds, just working out.

In the gym like over the next couple years. I wasn't able to maintain that and I didn't change my diet, and I just slowly gain it back over time as you get into your old habits, and not until I was able to be consistent with diet and exercise. Was I able to lose the weight again, but also keep it off and now it's been like almost six years.

Yeah. Yeah. And I, yeah, I think to your point, like it shouldn't come as a form of punishment and you're not gonna stick to something that you absolutely dread doing. And if fitness is. Just a way for you to burn off calories or to punish yourself for doing, you know, for eating quote unquote badly. I think it's gonna be something you're never going to enjoy, you're never going to stick to, and you probably won't get the benefits that you're looking to seek from it.

So I think that that's such a good point. Yeah, enjoy your food, enjoy your movements. Yeah. Live a little, yeah, it's fine. Like in the grand scheme of things, in the grand context of things like food is fuel, but food is also pleasure. It is celebration, it's community. We get so much value, you know, from movement and from eating beyond just, you know, calories and calories out.

So I love that. Exactly. It's only when like food becomes the only go-to tool for like stress relief or decompressing or, you know, hiding from dealing with things. Yeah. Like if it's your only coping mechanism, then that's where it kind of becomes like a slippery slope, of course, for most people. And that's where like the mindless eating will come in or you know, you're just sitting in front of the TV and not really realizing.

What you're eating. So having other coping mechanisms, whether it's connection, talking to people, you know, a form of movement that you like, you know, journaling, getting outside of nature, like having one more coping mechanism. Other than food, I would say just try not to have food as your soul coping mechanism for, for all the life stresses.

Absolutely. There's so many right now there. There's a lot going on. Oh my gosh. Couldn't agree more. Okay. Leonna, I feel like you are a wealth of knowledge. Like, holy moly. I feel like I've learned so much from chatting with you today. If somebody wants to work with you or wants to learn more from you, where can they find you?

Yeah, could find me on Instagram at that RD life, and then you could find me at the Integrated Nutrition rds. And I'm also registered in Vancouver now in bc. So diet redefines. Shadow to all the BC people. So yeah, if you're looking for sustainable weight loss, eating for fitness body recomp, but also if you're struggling with solving gut health issues and are tired of just dealing with symptom management, I really wanna get to the root of the cause.

Check me out at Integrated Nutrition, RDS Diet redefined. And where else can you find at F 45? Yeah, F 45 Region Park. I'm there three days a week. One of the best gyms in the East end. So come check this out. Perfect. You're basically everywhere. I'll definitely link everything um, below so everyone can check that out.

You can see that. Um, I'll link that in the show notes. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Like I said, I feel like I've learned so much. You just have so much good information and I think you come at it with such a balanced approach, which I love. So I very much appreciate you taking the time to chat with me today.

Aw, thank you. Thanks for having me. And I just love helping people with the things that I've struggled with in my life. So I think that's where that passion really comes through. Like everything I focus on as a dietician, like I've been through it myself, so you know, I can relate to you. You're not alone.

And yeah, find a dietitian that resonates with you. There's so many amazing dieticians out there, you know, whether it's me, whether it's someone else, just having an expert. To work with, to kind of teach you the tools and then, you know, release you into the world a little bit more confident can make a world of difference.

So amazing. I love that. Yeah, and if you're listening, I highly recommend checking out Leeauna's Instagram. I feel like you're always posting lots of good research there. Lots of good nutrition tips. Recipe. So definitely go check that out. And thank you all for tuning in today. Hope you enjoyed this episode.