What’s your name and where are you from?
I’m Coach Erin, and I was born and raised on Long Island NY where I lived until about 3 years ago when I moved to Southern California.  

Do you have a family?
I do not have any children but I do have 2 fur babies. 

What inspired you to work in the health and fitness industry?
After achieving some of my own health goals through fitness and nutrition I wanted to help others do the same. There’s so much misinformation out there I want to help clear that up and show people that it doesn’t have to be super complicated.  

Do you exercise and if so what’s your favorite workout?
I LOVE to workout. I taught group fitness classes for years and have done just about everything. Right now I love to lift heavy weights and am focusing on getting stronger everyday. 

What’s one interesting, little-known fact about you? 
I actually went to school for graphic design. I still love to draw and paint although I don’t do it nearly enough. 

If you could change one misbelief about nutrition, what would it be? 
If I could change one misbelief about nutrition it’s that in order for you to be healthy or lose weight you need to eliminate some of your favorite foods. Yes, you might need to cut back on some of them, but there’s no need to eliminate them completely.  Too often we focus on taking foods out of our diets instead of what we need to add in. If you cut out everything you enjoy you’ll never stick with it. 

What’s the best part about working with PLT?
One of the best things about working for PLT is the PLT approach and that health really does come first. We also have a great team of coaches that I love working with. 

What’s your number one tip for people just starting their weight loss journey? 
My one tip for someone just starting the weight loss journey is to start tracking your food. You don’t need to use an app, although it helps, but track what you eat each day. Be honest with yourself, count the handfuls here and there. I think for most people this is eye opening. 
​

What’s your name and where do you come from? Do you have a family?
Hi, my name is Betsy Casey and I am from Rhode Island. I have lived in RI my entire life. I am married and my husband’s name is David. All the great meals I post are made by him. He is the chef in our family and cooks all our meals. We normally plan our menu on the weekend before going food shopping. We don’t have any kids, just a fur baby named Fiona. 

How did you get introduced to PLT?
I was introduced to PLT by my friend Sandy. I joined the PLT FB community and loved what I was reading.

​Who is your coach?
Kasha is my coach.

Name 3 things that sum up your thoughts on your coach 
Thoughtful, supportive, and knowledgeable.

Are you engaged in regular exercise/a sport? 
Yes, I am a fitness enthusiast!  In my younger years (ok like 25 years ago) I was a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. I just love exercise- it’s part of my daily routine and just who I am. I enjoy walking, running, yoga, and strength training.  I love outdoor sports too and recently have taken up golf.

How did you find your PLT onboarding experience & community experience?
I loved the onboarding experience. I knew what to expect every step of the way and what my next step would be.  The FB community is great!  It’s the only FB group where I scroll through posts daily - as the coaches share a wealth of information and the community shares how they apply what’s being taught/shared.

What dieting programs had you tried previously and what makes PLT stand out from previous programs?
Way too many! Over my adult life I have tried them all.  PLT stands out because it’s flexible and sustainable- focusing on small changes over time.

What was your driving reason for joining PLT?
My main reason was out of curiosity and wanting to learn more about how to drop some weight after the age of 50..

How much weight have you lost with PLT?
I have lost about 5-6 lbs.  I don’t have a lot to lose so each pound is a victory for me. But it’s more than that, it’s about what I have learned about myself throughout the journey.

How many total inches have you lost with PLT?
I have lost 8 inches in total so far.

What non-scale successes have you found since joining PLT?
My clothes fit better, I feel better and have more energy throughout the day.

How have you increased your nutritional education since PLT?
Yes, I am an avid student and love to learn. Nutrition is something I am very interested in and have just started a coaching certification course. I want to be a nutrition coach because I want to encourage and support others to live their optimal fit and healthy life and good nutrition is key. I believe that food can help prevent and reduce chronic disease. I also love reading books and listening to podcasts on nutrition.

What 1 piece of advice would you give to people considering joining PLT or new members?
My advice- don’t give up on you and your goals.  Make small changes along the way that will become sustainable for a lifetime.  Fit and healthy is a lifestyle with a beginning and no ending. We only get one body to live in, so be good to it and yourself.

As we welcome November, we also mark the start of the holiday season, but the holidays are just that, holi-DAYS (not holi-WEEKS)
 
Statistics show that the number one reason for weight gain over the course of the year is holiday and vacation eating.
 
What may happen is that some people could gain about 3lbs around Halloween time, then Thanksgiving rolls around and another 3 - 5lb gain. Before we know it, it's Christmas and well, there's another 3 - 5lbs and let's not forget about New Year's Eve AND Day and 'suddenly' we're seeing the scale top out at about 15lbs heavier than when we entered the holiday season.  Some of us are left scratching our heads thinking "I'm not sure what happened, I didn’t change how I eat!"
 
In many ways that’s true, you don’t have to change the way you eat, you just have to enjoy a few occasions and not manage the weight gain.
 
If you're working with a PLT Nutrition Coach, or if you are someone that manages their weight pretty well, you will have seen how your weight can easily spike from an event…only to quickly come back down when you actively work it lower - this is the key
 
 If you feel you have experienced this in the past, why not make this the year you change?!
 
The PLT ABC’s are the building blocks of our nutrition plan and can be applied to specific situations giving you a guideline to help you stay focused and working hard despite special occasions like holidays!
 
ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Have a plan in place before the holiday season begins
• If you're working with a PLT coach, talk to them about any specific concerns you might have
• Ensure you have your regular foods prepped and ready in addition to the ‘holiday’ foods so that your eating remains on track 
• Prepare a menu that includes foods that you enjoy and you might want to indulge in moderately
• Decide what you will track and what you won’t (no need to track Thanksgiving dinner, but the eating that follows, including leftovers should be tracked) 

 
BALANCE:

• Look at the holiday week and decide how you will balance your days; you may have 4 parties & 2 big family meals that you will need to plan your day to ensure that you remain on track
• Ensure you're getting your regular exercise in and remaining active
• Be present within yourself each day and be mindful of your intentions and your goals
• Plan to eat a high protein, low fat & carb breakfast, possibly delaying breakfast, on party days. Before heading out, eat a little something, maybe a salad with a little protein so that you are not showing up hungry!
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
• Limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks if at all; sparkling water w/lime is your friend
• Pie & whipped cream OR dinner rolls & butter; plan to choose wisely so you feel satisfied and happy

 
 CONSISTENCY:

• Your plan doesn’t end on Thanksgiving eve and restart on New Year’s Day; stay focused throughout the season 
• Stick to your normal routine except when your routine changes
• A holiday event on Friday evening does not mean the entire week is a blowout
• Exercise daily; NEAT is your best friend!
• Communicate with your coach, a friend, a family member when feeling stressed
• Track as usual, except special holiday meals
• Check in with your coach as scheduled.

  
The 3 basic approaches to holiday eating:

• Eat the entire table and drink all the alcohol! Start early, like Thanksgiving Eve (if you didn’t start on Halloween) and go through New Year’s Day! Eat with wild abandon, you’ll start that diet soon and be fine (Let's NOT do this!)
• Choose one day out of the week like Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day or Eve to allow yourself the freedom to eat at will. BUT being mindful that you’d rather not wake up feeling terrible the next day maybe limit alcohol to 1-3 drinks that don’t have 300cal each. Eat less stuffing if you know you want pie; eat raw veggies rather than all the deliciousness on the charcuterie board. Relax, be conversational, enjoy a lovely meal with family and friends knowing that the next day you will get right back on track (Let's DO this!)
• Track your holiday meal as you would any other meal. This is not strongly suggested as it’s not necessary but if you are more comfortable doing so then you absolutely should. In some cases we are attending a holiday event that doesn’t really mean much to us but it’s a commitment we have and we’d just as soon consider it like any other day. Do what works best for you.

 
 Tips & Tricks:

• If you are hosting you are golden! Make everyone’s favorite foods including the things you love that will ensure you don't completely over indulge (veggie platter, fresh fruit to snack on instead of charcuterie yummies)
• Make those same things to take with you if you are invited to someone’s home
• Eat a light but protein focused breakfast
• Hydrate well all day
• Mingle with a water or seltzer in your hand and when you look at the appetizers navigate towards raw veggies and stay away from the cheese etc.
• Talk! A lot! It keeps your mouth busy!
• ‘No thank you’ is all you need to say when Uncle Jim wants to pour you another mug of spiced cider
• Fill your dinner plate with veggies first, then load up on protein and take small servings of starchy carbs
• Eat slowly and relax and enjoy the moment
• Washing dishes is NEAT! (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) Pitch in and increase your movement after eating instead of hitting the couch!

  
Weight spikes will happen, embrace them as it means you’re enjoying life, but know that you MUST manage your weight back down by tightening up your nutrition for 2,4,8,10 days afterwards - basically however long it takes until the gain has gone!
 
Whether you have a PLT Coach or not, maybe weighing the same on Jan 2nd as you do today IS progress! You avoided the typical 15lb gain!
 
This period isn’t always about losing weight as progress, it can 100% be about maintaining your weight.
 
Don’t put off starting your journey just because of this challenging period. There’s EVERY value starting today, tomorrow - soon - the sooner the better. There is NO reason to put it off.
 
Above all else, smile, have fun, love your family, cherish your friends but remember your goals. We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and we wish you an epic scale reading on 1/1/223!​