There’s something important I need to say before we go any further.

My most significant weight loss shift did not come from pushing harder, restricting more, or adding another protocol.

It came when my nervous system finally felt safe.

That doesn’t mean I wasn’t already doing “all the right things.” In fact, I was. The difference was that my body was finally able to respond.

This is not about divorce details.

This is about physiology.
This is about cortisol.
This is about safety.

Because weight loss that comes from safety feels very different than weight loss that comes from force.

The Foundations I Was Already Doing

Before the weight ever started to shift, I was already deeply committed to my health.

Movement.
Food quality.
Sleep.
Routines.
Mindset.

These were not new.

Movement

I started walking outside for 1 hour every day and making sure I wasn’t living a sedentary life by having over 10K daily steps.

Food Quality

I’ve been prioritizing eating organic, whole foods for years, but I reset my metabolism to convert protein into energy by consuming 140g of protein daily. My carbs were similar, but I really had to cut down on my fat consumption.

Currently, I ebb and flow with carb cycling since I’m trying to build muscle, but while focusing on weight loss in a caloric deficit, I only ate 40g of fat a day.

Sleep

For a few years, I’ve prioritized my sleep and wake cycles around the natural sunrise and sunset so I literally don’t ever use an alarm. I’m almost always up between 6–7AM and I go to sleep within 2 hours of the sun setting, usually between 9–10PM.

I block blue light after the sun sets by wearing Ra Optics most nights and tape my mouth shut for optimal nasal breathing using OI Tape.

I felt like such a slug before I started this nutrition program with The Green Door Life. Within 2 days of balancing my macros, I noticed such a boost of energy that I honestly didn’t care if the scale didn’t change.

I truly didn’t start this program to lose weight. I was hopeful that weight loss would be a side effect of getting my energy back.

What Changed When My Body Felt Safe

I didn’t realize how high my cortisol was while being in a destructive marriage.

Research shows that women in destructive relationships have cortisol so high that even if I divided that cortisol to 3–4 of my friends, it would still read as too high for all of us.

That’s crazy high stress hormones.

Those first few months of navigating a divorce and the family court system were extremely stressful. I definitely understand why people get on anti-anxiety meds. I contemplated it for sure. I didn’t feel like I was coping well at all.

Sometimes, I would find myself just laying in the grass in my backyard to try and regulate and ground myself.

But the only way to heal is to let yourself feel. And boy did I feel it all very deeply.

I literally was having withdrawals from the instability and stress hormones that I was used to living with. I was detoxing a toxic relationship.

As I moved through that, I noticed something profound. I had more capacity for peace, creativity, fun, and joy. And I could tolerate more stress in a healthy way.

There is good stress and bad stress for your body. But when you’re in survival mode, your body sees all stress as bad stress. Lifting weights used to be a bad stress for my body. After my nervous system regulated, I could tolerate that stress and use it for growth and health.

Foods that used to give me stomach aches no longer hurt.

An inflammatory person left my home and inflammation was also leaving my body.

Nothing drastic changed in my protocol.

My body just stopped fighting me.

The Non-Negotiables I Still Prioritize

I don’t maintain my weight loss with extremes. I maintain it with consistency.

Living a Life of Movement

This usually looks like taking one walk outside every day no matter the weather. It also looks like lots of activity and movement around my house through cleaning, tidying, and just getting things done because there isn’t anyone else that’s going to do it.

Consistently Consuming High Protein

If I’m low on protein, my mood suffers. Sometimes I even feel anxious or my hands and feet get cold.

Protein stabilizes me.

Keeping My Sleep/Wake Cycles Aligned With the Sun

Light exposure is a huge part of hormone health. I want a lot of exposure to natural sunlight during the day and I want to protect my eyes from blue light after sunset.

These are simple. Boring. Foundational.

And they work.

What a Typical Day Looks Like Now

I wake up between 6–7AM. Cortisol is naturally highest at this time, so it would be optimal for me to jump out of bed and get going.

But I love to linger in bed for 30 minutes to an hour and just chill. My boyfriend FaceTimes me every morning, so we’re usually chatting during this time.

Then I start my morning chores. Letting my dog out. Opening all the blinds and windows if it’s cooler than 70 degrees. Feeding my bunny. Starting breakfast.

For the past year, I’ve eaten the same breakfast almost every single day.

Typical breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, sausage are equal in protein and fat, and I aim for about 35g of protein and only 10g of fat at each meal, four meals a day.

So I make a creamy chocolate peanut butter protein shake:

• 1 scoop Just Ingredients protein
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• A pinch of cinnamon
• A handful of ice

Breakfast with Rosie is rarely predictable. Sometimes I make her a vanilla peppermint protein shake, eggs with salsa, a breakfast taco, or protein pancakes or waffles. I try to implement macronutrient balancing for her like I have done for me, but kids do have lower protein needs in general so I don’t sweat it as much.

After breakfast, we do a homeschool lesson and then we go on a walk.

When she’s with me, she walks or rides her scooter. Those aren’t always my fastest or most intense walks. Some days we only manage 10 minutes before lifting weights.

Three days a week, after we walk, I lift weights either in my garage or I go to the local gym with my boyfriend.

Starting my days this way helps me prioritize my health. I could easily start with work, chores, and projects and neglect this. But I want my health to be a priority so I can show up with more energy for my family, team, friends, and community.

After I move my body, I am significantly more productive in every other area of my life.

The Truth About Sustainable Weight Loss

I did not need more force.

I needed safety.

I needed lower cortisol.
I needed emotional processing.
I needed consistency.
I needed protein.
I needed sunlight.
I needed movement that felt supportive, not punishing.

When your body no longer feels like it is fighting for survival, it can finally focus on healing.

And sometimes, weight loss is simply the side effect of that.