MM Nutrition

Patient Perspectives: Laurie’s Story
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“Last year, I came to MM out of a desire to lose weight and develop a whole foods lifestyle.

My husband had passed away, and so I was just cooking for myself, often eating lots of random stuff. I lost 25 pounds and loved the simplicity of the program.

I’m disciplined, but I do best when I have someone to be accountable to.

After a few months away from MM and gaining a little weight, I’m back for a boost. Being able to hop back on the train is huge for me. I’m proud I made the choice to get a handle on it before I really got in the red zone. It’s good for me to get back to basics.

Change is hard, and we all have excuses: but that’s all they are.

Money and time were/are my most common excuses, but I’ve found ways to do what I need to do.

I live a nomadic lifestyle, traveling frequently, but I’ve learned that I can prioritize this even in the midst of my life’s moving pieces. Morgan follows me everywhere!

The process is as easy or as difficult as you make it- not every day will be a 10. Cut yourself some slack when you need to and push through challenging moments.

Don’t give up, and keep Morgan in your back pocket. You can work through tough spots and you can fall in love with this lifestyle.”

-Laurie Escott

Patient Perspectives: Katelyn’s Story
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“For the last couple of years, fitness has been so fun for me: running, lifting, and group workouts.

However, even though I was doing so much movement, I was not seeing results.

Sports and exercise have always been a part of my world: I played most sports growing up and focusing on volleyball in high school and college.

Once I transitioned from organized school sports to independent adulthood, I realized that working out was far more than a team effort- it was a personal support for my mind and body.

Fitness is a passion of mine, but prior to MM, I’d counterbalance my workout’s progress by eating too much and/or indulging as a free pass given my workout.

Working with MM, I was able to dial in my food.

My workouts not only got better and easier, I was able to move faster and lift heavier, and I could actually see the progress of my fitness instead of counterbalancing with too much food.

Before MM, I’d bargain with myself: I’d tell myself that I worked hard, so I could have an extra meal or sweet treat, or anything, really.

In the scheme of things, sure I’d worked hard for it, but “it” was holding me back from leaning out and seeing the definition that I wanted!

For anyone else out there who is struggling, you can absolutely be in the best shape of your life and physically see it, even if you’re in your 30’s and have had babies: even if you feel like you’ve lost the ability to lean out, that’s not true!

It’s hard, but you just can’t exercise off those extra cookies, the cupcakes in the break room or the “cheat day”.

You can carve out time to workout: it might be super early before the sun rises, or after dinner, but making it priority is key.

Exercise has become my version of the glass of wine to relax, or the binge-worthy show, because I want those results, and I am happy to forgo certain things to make the time.

I’ve always said, “Dang I workout so much, but you just can’t tell!”, but now I feel that I can see muscle definition, my workouts are stronger, and truly, when the nutrition is on point, the hard work in the gym shows!”

Question: How do I eat healthy if I don’t like healthy food?

Do you dislike healthy food, or do you prefer less healthy foods? This tends to be a more common scenario than disliking healthy food altogether. More often than not, a combination of our personal food history, exposure, environment, and our brain’s natural preference for foods high in Calories, fat, and sugar, predispose us to less healthy patterns of eating.

If you find yourself with a preference for less healthy patterns of eating, focus on optimizing your environment to make eating healthier easier and unhealthier eating more difficult. This may look like eliminating certain foods from your home, deleting delivery apps, or meal prepping the same day each week.

Question: How do I reduce my sugar cravings?

There are essentially two paths you can take: the path of reducing consumption, or the path of abstaining from consumption. Both will theoretically reduce the frequency and intensity of sugar cravings, and each comes with its share of advantages and disadvantages.

Reducing consumption- rather than abstaining entirely- may seem like the easier and more realistic path, but it also increases the likelihood of a gradual uptick in consumption. On the other hand, it may also feel less limiting from a lifestyle management perspective.

Abstaining from consumption (for a time) may feel more difficult initially, but it will also produce a greater reduction in sugar cravings long term, and may pave the way for more intentional consumption at special occasions, rather than daily use.

While lifestyle alone is unlikely to cause (or cure) any type of cancer, lifestyle factors can and do play a pivotal role in risk reduction, diet included.

Diets low in saturated fat, red and processed meat, sugar, ultra processed foods, and refined grains have been shown to substantially reduce risk for initial diagnosis, relapse, and metastasis.

1. Be protein picky: process and red meats warrant particular consideration: classified as Group I (processed) and II (red) Carcinogens by the WHO for their direct impact on cancer risk, every 1.25 oz of processed meat or every 3.5 oz of red meat or consumed each week, increases cancer risk by 11-51% and 8-72%, respectively (% risk varies by cancer type).

2. Minimize process foods: women who regularly consume packaged breads, breakfast cereals, snack foods, sweetened beverages, refined grains, and sweets appear to have higher risk for diagnosis and metastasis for cancers of the breast and colon, even when controlling for the variables of body weight and degree of food processing.

3. Limit or abstain from alcohol: even moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to increase the likelihood of diagnosis. Women who consume 3 alcoholic drinks each week experience a 15% increase in breast cancer risk.