Amber Daal
PROGRAM
Lifestyle
TESTIMONIAL
I started with Black Iron Nutrition in August 2019, a month and a half after my 6th Crohn’s Disease related surgery, with a goal to gain weight. I was paired with a coach that shared the same disease. This was the best coaching matchup BIN could have ever provided me because I knew she would be able to relate to me, and would completely understand my struggles and victories.
During my bulk, I happily gained weight and muscle mass. My endurance during WODs increased more than ever in my 8 years of CrossFit, and I PRd every lift during testing week. Some PRs were as much as 20lbs! My unbroken gymnastics movement reps also increased by a landslide. This was only a few months post-op, after being cleared by my doctor! My coach slowly increased my macros during the bulk until we found a comfortable range so that I would not be overwhelmed by a ton of food from the start. I know that many women are afraid to do a bulk because they may not be comfortable watching the scale go up, or seeing the difference in the mirror, but I highly recommend it. It’s part of the process. I gained 10 pounds, mainly in muscle mass, as my pant size never changed.
Not only did I reach my weight gain goals, it was also a great mental challenge. I’ve grown so much mentally from my time with BIN. My coach is always positive, encouraging, gives small attainable tasks/goals for the week, and explains the reason behind everything she says. She is a true mindset ninja. She doesn’t push anything on you, but there always seems to be a silver lining in her check-in responses that are based on adapting your mindset to your nutrition goals. She’s urged me to take breaks, or days off from macro tracking when I feel overwhelmed just to give my mind a reset. She’s discussed with me that I don’t need to force eat just to hit my macros. She’s told me to listen to the little messages my body gives and take rest days when I’m not feeling it. She has taught me how much impact stress and sleep have on nutrition goals. I got a sleep tracker, I implemented a daily bedtime, I started a daily journaling practice where I write all my thoughts in the morning and list the things I cannot control for the day which has completely taken away my stress and anxiety in conjunction with going to meditation classes. Let me tell you, I had MAJOR anxiety issues before this. While I chose to do some of these things on my own, those little mindset messages in all her checkin responses pushed me to make a change. Changing your mindset, listening to your body, minimizing stress and sleeping well, in conjunction with nutrition - all of these things are SO important when it comes to reaching your goals.
I’m transitioning into a maintenance phase now, but I apply everything I’ve learned to my daily life, mindset, and my encouragement to others. My adversities only drive me to push harder, rather than sitting back and allowing them to control me or bring me down. We all have personal struggles, you just have to figure out how to conquer them through strength within and the support of those around you. I thrive off of my own success, which forces me to keep going and becoming the best version of myself.
Stop thinking about “maybe” doing a bulk one day and just DO IT! Commit to it! The gains, PRs, and eating more are completely worth it!