On March 20th I made an impulsive decision to sign-up for a 7-week program called LEAN (Living Energized And Nourished) by Amanda Nighbert, Registered Dietician. I had been in a rut for a while (a long while!) and really lacked any sort of motivation. This particular day I was texting with my friend, Kelly, about my frustrations of being in a fitness funk. She happened to be just finishing up her LEAN program and had a lot of great things to say about it. I did about 5 minutes of research 🙂 and decided right then and there to sign up! What I do know about myself is that if I pay for something, I’m too cheap to waste it, so I usually am pretty motivated to follow through!
I told myself I’d give it my all for the full 7 weeks and see how I felt at the end, and if I liked it, I’d write about it. So here I am! My end results were nothing amazing (I lost 5 lbs. and a couple inches off my waist and hips) but it started me on the right path and taught me so much!
Price: I know this is the most important question! It is $199 for 7 weeks, but if you use my referral code “AF39BB“, it will give you $10 off. So $189 for 7 weeks comes out to $27 per week. This is cheaper than some gym memberships or personal trainers! Once you see below what you get for just $27/week, I think you’ll see it’s worth it! They just started a session on 5/29/2023, but since the first week is prep week, I believe you can still sign up. Otherwise, the next session begins June 12th.
Platform: There is a web-based login but to get the most out of it, you will want to download and use the LEAN app. The app will be where you do and see everything. There are daily post by Amanda herself, and one assigned coach for the group who answers any and all questions and encourages you along the way.
Diet: The first thing it helps you do is figure out your macros (daily calories, protein, carbs, and fat). Don’t worry, part of the program is explaining what macros are, why they are important and how to track them. There are meal plans to follow or just to use for ideas, and intermittent fasting is explained and encouraged. The app allows for tracking (though I stuck with my trusty My Fitness Pal and just copied my numbers over to the LEAN app daily), and sharing. This was honestly the biggest win for me during this program. I tracked EVERY DAY and SHARED my numbers in the app almost every day. By doing this, the coach was able to see my progress, answer any questions I had or just gave me words of encouragement. It had been a LONG time since I tracked what I ate consistently. The motivation and accountability that LEAN gave me was 100% worth every penny. I truly believe this was the piece that led to my progress results at the end of the program.
Fitness: The program is not just about diet, it also provides weekly workouts. I followed some of these, but for the most part I stuck with another workout plan on YouTube that I mention over on IG quite a bit. But if you just don’t know where to begin with exercise, Amanda has a whole workout plan for the entire 7-weeks that is easy to follow and even has modifications depending on your fitness level.
Mindset: This was the part I didn’t realize I needed until I went through the program. A saying that is used often during the LEAN program is “progress not perfection” and it was really something I needed to hear. My biggest hurdle has always been “failing” one day, one meal, or one weekend and then just giving up. I always felt like I was starting over and not getting anywhere. It felt like 2 steps forward, then 1 or 2 or sometimes 3 steps back. The coach during our session, Heather, would notice when I was facing this hurdle and would always comment about my WINS for the day. It wasn’t about NOT hitting a number or a workout, but rather what I ACCOMPLISHED instead. I know we can sometimes get these encouragements for free rather than paying for a health and fitness program, but I really felt like LEAN was the whole package. It had the diet piece, the workout piece, the mindset piece, the accountability piece and the educational piece all in one.
Did LEAN get me to my end goal? Nope. But I don’t think in 7 weeks I would have ever expected that. Did I make progress? Absolutely! And more progress than I had made in probably 2 or 3 years. Did I learn something? I learned A LOT. But most importantly, it set me on the right path to continue implementing what I learned to get me closer and closer to my goal. I don’t even know what that goal looks like, but I know it’s different than how I look and feel right now. So I really am glad I invested that time and money in myself.
If you’re interested, check it out here: https://amandanighbert.com/lean-program/ and see for yourself what it’s all about. And don’t forget to use my referral code “AF39BB” for $10 off. Reach out if you have any questions!
Stay Healthy!
[…] in March I joined the LEAN 7-Week Program which got me back into the habit of using My Fitness Pal to track how much protein I was […]