I actually begrudgingly signed up for a coach initially. I had been doing really well on my own, had lost the first 60lbs through diet changes, portion control, and protein focus. I felt like I had all the tools to know what to do, I was really good at weighing and tracking my food, and knew how to do it properly. I just was hesitant that coaching wasn't going to be the breakthrough for me that I wanted it to be. But I had hit a bit of a "stall" and still had more progress I wanted to make. I tried again on my own after joining the Macros Inc group and getting the free Macro check, and still felt like I was struggling and bopping around the same 5lbs week over week. I had just begun the Caroline Girvan Iron Series in an attempt to add some more activity to my life. I hadn't lifted in over a decade so it was a perfect beginner option for me, but I was still struggling to see the scale progress I was hoping for and I just didn't understand why. I finally broke down and signed up for coaching, thinking at least it would be an effort to try. I also signed up for both training and nutrition because I felt like training was an area I WAS really new to and could use advice. I will say that with coaching - you get more when you put into it! If you ignore your coach, don't check in regularly, don't ask for advice, don't lean on them - you probably won't feel very successful from it. Rachel was always great at checking in on me, but I also probably annoyed the heck out of her staying connected with her, asking questions, reviewing our feedback etc. I was really determined going into it, and like I said before I had a pretty good grasp on the "basics" in terms of weighing and tracking etc. So I was really looking for some fine-tuning to find out what was keeping me from moving forward. Month 1 and 2 I honestly wasn't 100% sure that coaching was "worth it," NOT because my coach wasn't amazing (SHE IS!! I will get more into that in a moment) and NOT because I wasn't making progress, I was! In fact in the first 2 months, not only had I broken my plateau, I had lost FIFTEEN more pounds! But because I felt like I was just doing a lot of what I'd already been doing and felt like maybe I actually COULD have done it on my own I just needed to be more patient. After months 3 and 4 - I took some refreshed progress pics and that's when it really clicked what coaching had done for me. Not only had I lost a total of 21.2 pounds (way more than I even had planned to or thought was possible at my age and stage of life after 4 kids) - but my body had completely transformed!!! It went from soft and "skinnier" than I had been - to strong, fit, healthy, and so so lean! Even my back which I hadn't been inherently self-conscious about looked SO STRONG and I didn't even realize it till I took a back snapshot for the first time and compared! I 100% realized that there was absolutely NO way I would have gotten to this point both in leanness, and in strength and body composition without the support of my coach, her personalized plans for me, and the accountability and insights she offered to me on a daily and weekly basis. (That said I almost feel like it should be a requirement to sign up for at least 3-4 months of coaching because that is the amount of time it takes to truly see the work you're doing come to life!!!) If I had been able to opt out after month 1 or 2 I might have missed out on the best body of my life because I thought I had gotten "close enough" or "good enough" and probably wouldn't have stayed as on course and productive as I did. My coach - Rachel Hoffman, has been absolutely amazing for me. She built me several different training programs around what I enjoyed doing, what equipment I had readily available to me, the time commitment I wanted to put into training/had time for, and tweaked them when something wasn't working for me. If I asked for something more, she did it! She also created a few HIIT/Circut style programs for my in between training days because I told her I enjoy them and wanted to do a bit more than lifting 3x a week. When I went on vacation for a week, she created a bodyweight/band program for me to do so that I could feel like I was still training and making progress even when on a trip (which I wanted to do!) and they were so fun, easy to work in to our vacation schedule, and kept me in the routine of training. She's so great at explaining the science and "why's" behind things for me because I like to understand how things function and why I need to trust certain things. I was able to check in with her super regularly through chats, whether it was getting advice on whether or not I was doing a training move correctly, how to beat a craving, confessing a slip-up and getting coached back on track, or even reviewing menus for eating out and being prepared to manage a more indulgent meal, she was always there for me! She also kept it real for me when I was letting weekends get away from me, and wasn't balancing my week as well as I could have! All of her support, checking in with her weekly (and daily through side chats), and her realness are huge components of why I was able to carve off 21+ more pounds, get to my lowest weight since freaking HIGH SCHOOL, and completely transform my body and appearance in just under 4 months of coaching. I am SO grateful for her and the progress we've made together. I fully know now that I would NOT be here if I hadn't signed up for coaching, and I would sign up again in a heartbeat and encourage everyone else to sign up as well. In fact I am switching to maintenance now - and I will continue coaching because I feel like I NEED coaching now more than ever! Maintenance is a whole new world and I know I can do it with Rachel by my side! :) The pics attached are from the start of coaching to present :)