Luana T.
Luana is a busy mum of two living in Thalwil. She’s a fan of long walks in nature, and since doing the plan, she’s fallen in love with running again! Luana found herself stuck in a rut when it came to eating – she knew her diet wasn’t optimal, but it wasn’t terrible either, so she felt a little lost when it came to making a change. Despite going back to her pre-pregnancy weight following the birth of her youngest son, the stresses of everyday family-life had started to take their toll. Luana often felt low in energy and lethargic. The realisation that she was 10 kilos heavier than she’d been prior to pregnancy, spurred her into action. It was time to make her health, physical and mental, a priority again.
What made you try Metabolic Balance®?
I attended Viviane’s Pelvic Floor Recovery and Postnatal Fitness class following the birth of my youngest son, and then last year, I started attending her cardio-boxing classes. I loved the jolt of energy I would get from the classes – they motivated me to get active again. Despite increasing my activity levels, I was still struggling with my weight, which had gone up since the birth of my youngest son. I found myself heavier than I’d ever been before. In one of the classes, I met someone who had done the Metabolic Balance Plan with Viviane and I thought they looked amazing. I thought about it for quite some time, as I wasn’t sure the plan would fit with my lifestyle, but in the New Year, I decided something had to change.
How did you feel before Metabolic Balance®?
I don’t have any health problems, so I suppose I felt ok, but my energy levels were definitely low. I have two very active boys, and often didn’t feel like I had the energy to keep up with them. Although I prepared most of what we ate from scratch and we followed a moderately healthy diet, I felt a little lost when it came to preparing balanced meals that made me feel good. Also, in hindsight, I was eating larger portions than my body needed.
How did you find the programme?
I was really excited to get started but also apprehensive about making it work as I didn’t want to be cooking separate meals for my kids and husband. The long breaks were hard at first. I was so used to having coffee and a small treat in the afternoons – some days, dinner couldn’t come soon enough! Also, there were items in the food list that definitely made me a little nervous as I’d never prepared them before, but Viviane gently encouraged me to try them out at least once before ruling them out entirely. I am glad she did this, as a couple of the ‘never cooked before items’ are now part of my weekly repertoire! I also enjoyed researching Metabolic Balance recipes in the social media, and Viviane provided some great ideas too. I kept a photo diary of my meals as a reminder of the amazing change that was happening. If anything, the meal suggestions made my meal planning less stressful as my family ended up eating whatever I was having – I only cooked additional side dishes for them such as rice or pasta – in the end, it was actually quite easy to accommodate everyone.
What is the biggest change since starting Metabolic Balance®?
The most immediate change I noticed was how my skin felt smoother and my hair much healthier. Just the other day I went for a walk (as I normally do) and it was as if my body was telling me: ‘go on, pick the pace up, see what happens’, so I did! I am now doing 5km runs regularly and it feels great, it feels right. I would be lying if I said losing weight wasn’t important, I love how lean yet strong my body looks now, but to me, it’s been about making a positive difference to my physical and mental health. In short, I feel awesome.