Hi! I just wanted to take a moment to pass along a bit of a thank you of sorts. Basically i wanted to let you know that the effects of your nutrition coaching, the knowledge that I personally gained from working with you lasts long past the time spent working together. I don’t know that I have the words to say what I’m trying to get across so let me tell you the story that prompted it. This past week we got a bit of bad news, my husbands job informed us that they will (temporarily) be cutting his salary by 40%. That’s a huge hit that no one ever wants to pop up with zero notice. My husband and I sat down to crunch numbers and hammer out a budget to make sure we make it through this unscathed. We ran the list of expenses, just to see where we could trim some fat so to speak. As we went down the list I kept eyeing that grocery number. It’s big. We spend a lot on food, especially during the winter when fresh produce costs skyrocket, plus I love food. When we hit the grocery budget, he turns to me and said ” I really don’t want to go back to how we used to eat. I know it would be cheaper, but all of this hard work you’ve done on creating healthier meals, meals with more produce and less junk and less fillers I feel better eating that than I did the other stuff” My husband, the meat and potatoes man didn’t want to slash our food budget. My husband didn’t want to go back to adding rice, pasta and potatoes to every meal. You’ll never know just how huge this was but because of what I took away from you our house eats healthier. So thank you. I fully admit to not being as strict with things as I was when i worked with you. It became too (<~~~there’s that word) hard to maintain, I make less than ideal choices at times, but they’re mine. I own them. My focus is now to eat so I feel good, not in the traditional comfort food aspect but in the realm of eating to feel better, healthier, happier. As a result better quality of foods are on the menu all the time. I don’t know why I felt like i wanted you to know this, but guess I just wanted you to know that the ripple effects keep going. Recently a few of my friends and I decided to take on a 30 new recipes in 30ish days, the focus has been on real foods. it’s been a lot of work, but so worth it. Our time working together may have been short, but the effects seem to be lasting. Thank you.
-Coral W. from Canada (after completing her 100 mile race)
Changing my nutrition was the best thing I’ve done to get my body ready for training and overall health. Thanks Rachel!
-Kathy M.
Kathy M. after completing her 50k
Rachel is the real deal. She helped me lose 15+ pounds in the month leading up to my last summer marathon without any weird, or trendy gimmicks, just gentle guidance to help me eat clean and effectively.
As an endurance athlete with 50 marathons and many other endurance events under my belt I don’t need anyone to teach me about my body, but nutrition is always a challenge.
On the one hand I know I have to get enough calories to fuel my 7-day a week workout schedule and my busy life. On the other hand, especially as I get older, I can’t just chuck any crap down my throat and expect to be successful.
When I was younger I was able to live by the theory that “if the furnace is hot enough anything will burn” – meaning that I could always train away bad nutritional choices. A 15 mile tempo run would erase a large pepperoni pizza.
Now that I’m older, (and smarter), I realize that eating clean is one of the levers I can use for health and performance. Eating clean not only helps me maintain the weight level I want but also gives me the energy for high-quality training and the ability to recover from that training without inflammation and injury.
My generation, and many of us in the western world, never had anyone tell us what we should be eating to maintain the healthy lifestyles that we want. I was a bit lost. I don’t know how to cook and I don’t have time in my days to devote to getting it right.
Rachel was able to help me find the foods, the preparations and eating strategies to keep me successful through my training. She was especially helpful in working with me to find ways to get me the clean fuel I needed while traveling for business.
I think that’s the real power of Rachel’s approach – she takes the time to understand your needs, your goals and where you are starting from. She meets you where you are, no matter what level that is and helps you get to the next level.
Chris R.
Next Level Nutrition has put me on the track for not just weight loss, but changing the eating habits of not only myself, but my family. The knowledge, support, and availability are truly amazing. I’m now eating basically no processed foods and eating only those foods that are pure and made for my body. The diet tips were set up in increments to ensure you weren’t making too many changes to your body at once and most importantly were manageable. They were also always backed by the research to support WHY you should be making the changes for a better overall you!! This program incorporated both a weight loss and exercise plan to support my body and needs. The scale hadn’t moved in a year. Thanks to the wealth of knowledge and support I received I’m now down 6 pounds and I’m working out and training harder than I ever have! I know that no matter what the issue or problem Fly Girls will help encourage me and help me to find a solution! I’m so blessed to have had this help along the path to a healthier self and long term lifestyle changes.
-Amber S.
Rachel has made a HUGE difference in my life via her nutritional knowledge and guidance and she made it so simple! I found myself at a point in my life where I was exercising regularly and eating well (so I thought) and really feeling like a low energy blob! I noticed that my body wasn’t working as well as it did in my younger years and I became very irregular both physically and emotionally…..I felt like a hormonal teenager once again!!!! Rachel took an active interest in not only me but my children and lifestyle as well. She provided simple sound nutritional advice along with delicious meal options that my kids still crave today. I was never a calorie counter, scale junkie, or mega supplement popper so her whole food, nutrient dense, organic method made sense to me because I LOVE TO EAT!!!! The biggest change that happened for me in the beginning was balancing out my blood sugar levels and eating MORE!!!! I felt a difference within days and my body started to change in so many ways. Yes, I lost weight….BUT I gained so much knowledge and I feel so much better!!! I even did a Polar Body Assessment and my body age was 36!!! (I’m 47). Fast forward 6 months and I feel so much better than I did this time last year. Yes I’ve lost approximately 15 pounds and my body and my emotions are balanced. I have incredible energy and have become a better Mom, chiropractor, and endurance athlete thanks to tweaking my nutrition!!! Rachel is AMAZING!!!
–Lisa H.
Lisa H. 1st place in AG at Arcadia Aquathon
Next Level Nutrition has been an absolute blessing to me. Rachel, the founder of this company “walks the walk and talks the talk” where fitness and nutrition are concerned. This program TEACHES you how to really dissect what foods you are consuming, ensures that you truly understand the products you eat and their effects, and does so in such a way that you actually “get it!” The way in which everything is broken down for you helps you to not feel so overwhelmed when headed to the grocery store, trying to figure out what to cook for the night, or even if you are going out to eat. This program incorporates changes that you can make to improve your eating, and what you can add that may make you feel better. The method Rachel uses for this program allows you to eat without feeling dread or guilt. I love how it creates the desire within you to WANT to eat right. I have lost ten pounds since incorporating elements from this program for the past two months. These are ten pounds that have not budged for two years even with HCG and other “crash” diets. The pounds have stayed off and I feel great! It is a lifestyle change with Rachel and I thank God every day for her!
– Trish D.
I started high school weighing in at just over 200 lbs. I was the kid who hated PE and couldn’t even run a mile, it was out of control. By the time I turned 16, I decided it was time for a change. Lucky for me, I happened to be in the class of Rachel Shuck. I noticed that she was always eating healthy and talking about working out so I started taking my cues from her. She put in countless workouts with me, helped teach me about eating right, and always answered any health/ fitness related questions I had. The constant accountability helped me to shed pounds and I graduated at about 154 lbs! Since high school, Rachel has continued to help and encourage me. This year she even talked me into my first half marathon, something I never even dreamed possible. Thanks to Rachel’s help and loving support I have been set on the life long journey to better health and an all around better life! –
-Jacque G.
My initial experience with Rachel was from reading her book, The Shucking Truth. It did three things to me. First, I felt extremely dumb and/or uneducated about what I put in my body. Second, I simultaneously began to feel that I somewhat had an idea of what I shouldn’t be putting in my body. Third, I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to learn more. My whole life my dinner plate consisted of a meat, a vegetable and a starch. Learning what those starches actually consist of and what they do to my body was shocking. Learning to read the labels on everything I buy and noticing how many of them had refined sugar, was shocking. Deprogramming my brain and filling it with healthy choices was the trickiest of all.
Trying to lose weight after having my son proved to be more difficult than I had imagined it would be. I was a self-proclaimed “carb freak”. I craved carbs like people crave chocolate, and for once in my life, I learned why. I felt empowered after I met with Rachel to go over my realistic goals and an idea of meal plans. Honestly, I was shocked and very impressed when she told me not to jump into it all at once and change everything about the way I eat suddenly. She was genuinely concerned about me being successful on her program and wanted to help me in any way she could. She checked my meal plans, food diary, and checked on me to make sure I was staying on track. She provided amazing support and accountability, which was huge for me personally. She is amazing.
I find myself picking people out of a crowd that are obese and their children are following the same path, and my heart genuinely aches for them. I feel like if we were all educated about food the way Rachel teaches it, the world would be a healthier place. I joke and say that she “dumbs the information down so normal people can understand it”. I find myself making the healthier choices without even realizing it, so in that sense, I feel I am a successful graduate from “Shuck School”.
-Stefani J.
Overall, the plan was really easy to follow, wonderful recipes and very user friendly. These are definitely principles that I am going to try to carry over and practice every day. Even with the cheats that I had this week I still lost weight and felt wonderful. The 7 Day Fat Loss program was well put together and WAY better and more useful than some of the other programs I have tried. I am now following the nutrition advice given in Rachel’s book and have PRed in both the 5k and Half-Marathon distance.
-Jennifer D.
Jennifer D. – First Overall Female at local 5k
I just wanted to thank Rachel for all of her sound advice! I am feeling SO much better.I No more sugar cravings!!!! I actually lost weight even though I am eating a bit more. And I’ve noticed my skin has gotten better as well!
– Hana B.
With Rachel’s help I have given up caffeine, moved away from too many supplements, cut way back on alcohol consumption, improved my sleep and learned a lot about reading labels and what to look out for and buy. I am very appreciative. Plus I just generally feel better. Thank you.
-Mike F.
Mike F. running yet another marathon