Case Studies
CASE STUDIES
Its the people we get to help everyday that makes it all worth it!
Jenny Franson
“I am grateful to Kylie for her tell-it- like-it- is attitude, her patience and her knowledge. My journey is not over. I look forward to continuing this process with her.”
I started CrossFitting about 6 years ago and shortly after fell hard on the Paleo wagon. I had never dieted before and had great results pretty fast. I was as strong and as lean as I had ever been. I was convinced this was the only way to eat. But as time went on, the results were not the same. My performance was declining, my body weight was increasing and I was getting injured all the time. I thought, maybe I am just getting old? Looking back, I didn’t even realize that my relationship with food was so strained. I felt like I was in food prison. I was so worried about contaminating my body with the wrong foods. I couldn’t eat this and I couldn’t eat that. I had anxiety at social gatherings because I would be tempted to eat the wrong foods and if I did then I would feel guilty and get fat. I wondered if I would be condemned to eating this way for the rest of my life? I thought, maybe if I workout more and eat “cleaner” (no fruit or starches), I could get there again. So I started training for an Ironman Triathlon eating strict Paleo and doing 3 to 8 hour workouts a day including my CF workout. To my dismay, my weight and my body fat continued to slowly creep up. How could this be? I can’t eat any cleaner? I can’t possibly workout any more than I already am! Clearly what I was doing was NOT WORKING!!!
The first time I talked to Kylie, I was so nervous. I was afraid she would tell me I had to eat certain foods (carbs) I didn’t want to eat and that would make me fat. But at the same time, I wanted it to work. I was hopeful but knew it would be a difficult mind set to overcome. I remember telling her “good luck with me”. I was sure I would be her most difficult client ever! She said this wasn’t her first rodeo. I had a lot of questions and she always had an answer. In time I began to trust her. She is very smart and knows what she is doing. It took me about a month to really commit to the process, but once I did, I started seeing the results and I became a believer. I knew I was finally free from food prison!
I still eat a lot of “healthy foods” because I enjoy them. It's just that my definition of “healthy” has expanded. I have also learned that there is room for “less healthy” foods and that it won’t affect me negatively. There is no need to fear. There is no guilt because there are no food restrictions. I am eating more than I have in years and I look forward to increasing my carbs. I finally have an appetite again as my metabolism is coming back to life. I have more energy. I sleep better. I feel great in the gym. And as an added bonus, I weigh less and have lowered my body fat.
I am grateful to Kylie for her tell-it- like-it- is attitude, her patience and her knowledge. My journey is not over. I look forward to continuing this process with her.
Josh Pawlowski
“If you want to look better, move better, eat more, and have a healthier relationship with all facets of life I highly suggest you contact Kylie and retain her services.”
"Working with Kylie changed my life. Let’s start at the beginning. I was your prototypical fat slob. 5’8” and 300+ pounds, I rocked pants big enough to serve as a carnival tent and more food and mental issues than someone could shake a stick at. (Honestly who says this? When was the last time you shook a stick at something? Moving on…) I hit rock bottom. I found CrossFit. Knowing nothing about eating appropriately I decided to follow the guidelines in the Myfitnesspal app.
I was allowed to eat 1341 calories a day. I did this for 12 months and dropped down to 196#. Hooray!!! I was under 200# for the first time since before I went through puberty! However, problems arose. I still had eating issues, I wasn’t happy with my body composition, and my performance was lackluster in the gym.
I tried Paleo which dropped me down to 181 pounds and my abs started to poke through. However I could not sustain the eating lifestyle longer than 6 months and all of my benchmark numbers dropped drastically. I could no longer lift weights I did for reps even as a 1 rep max. I was weak. So I did what any reasonable person does, I started following a random diet from the internet “Eat to Perform” and ended up gaining back over 40 pounds. The only thing I PR’d on that diet was my body fat percentages since starting CrossFit. I was fluffy, lost, depressed, and eating not only my feelings but everything else in sight.
Through a recommendation I found out about Kylie and KG Fit. I began stalking err researching her Instagram and was struck by two things: A. this girl is built like a brick house (70s throw back jam right there) and B. she can move. I watched her do a ton of unbroken pull ups and then clean and jerk weights near my 1 rep max and I am a male who weighs quite a bit more than she does. Obviously if she looks good and moves even better she might know what she is talking about right?
She does. 15 months later my weight is roughly the same but I have dropped 8% body fat. I have set personal records on just about every benchmark in CrossFit. Also, I am developing a more healthy relationship with food and my body. I track what I am eating and don’t have panic attacks. I am learning my self-worth is more than just a number on a scale. We have worked together for countless hours trying to deconstruct my eating and my mental state to fuel my body and soul in the best way possible.
Throughout working with Kylie she has become a dear friend despite seeing me in my underwear enough times to have PTSD. She is a friend, a confidant, therapist, coach and drill sergeant all rolled into one. She knows when to push (“You seriously ate that many Pop-Tarts? What were you thinking?”) and when to show support.
If you want to look better, move better, eat more, and have a healthier relationship with all facets of life I highly suggest you contact Kylie and retain her services."
Miki Cestnik Weightlifter/Powerlifter (73kg)
“I can't be more thrilled with the results I've had working with Kylie. For the first time since in years I feel like my body weight is really right where it should be - lean and strong.”
Paleo, realized I needed to eat more, tried eating more on my own, tried diet templates, and ultimately ended up starving myself to make weight for meets. I had gained 10lbs over the year of craziness and I was miserable. My lifts were barely hanging on and I was starting
to get sick more often and especially before meets. I was resisting help, always thinking, “it’s simple, just eat less and do more”. Ironically, I was seeking help and knowledge in weightlifting because I knew I had more to learn. Funny how because I own this body, I feel like I’m an expert. Obviously, I was not. Luckily, through that search for knowledge, I came across a lot of smart people talking about the fact that nutrition and training go hand-in-hand. This link brought me to my cliff, do I let go and admit I need help, or do I keep hanging on to this whirlwind of crap, of getting sick, of having no control and trying to enforce my willpower over my body. Written that way, it seems like the decision was easy. I struggled with paying for help on something that I should be the expert of (my body and all things it is and does).
Finally, after seeing my weight go up on a diet template, I decided to let go and get monthly, personal coaching. From a real person, not a spreadsheet.
Through some research I was pointed in a direction that lead me to Kylie. I will FOREVER be grateful for the past year with her. She confidently talked about what the plan was, checked in always, and replied to the millions of questions I had. At first I was a little reluctant to start eating more, as is everyone. I felt bloated, puffy, and kind of doubtful that anything was going to work. She consistently reassured me that what I was feeling was normal and explained why.
Two months after working with Kylie, I had a weightlifting meet. I also had 10-12lbs to lose. At the time I was willing to do whatever it took to make weight, but Kylie wasn’t going to let me. She knew the damage that would do (and was doing from previous meets). Patience. That’s what I realized after that meet. After two months with Kylie, my weight was the same, if not a lb or 2 higher. But I felt better. I had energy. I felt like this may just work.
My weight started to slowly come down over the next two months. But I wasn’t cutting. I was slowly increasing food. I was feeling freedom for the first time, freedom from telling myself “no” all the time. My clothes were starting to fit a little better. I had another meet coming up, and another 8-10lb to lose. This time we were ready though. I was eating (what I considered) a ton of food, so dropping weight didn’t mean huge drop in calories. At least, that’s what she said… but it worked. I made weight for the meet without completely starving the week before. It was still a little stressful to lose all that weight, but it was easier than ever before (and I had some PR’s at the meet). As some collateral benefit, I had some abs showing through too.
In another couple months I had a weightlifting meet and a goal of qualifying for the American Open. Turns out to qualify, you have to make weight first. I was ready for a month of eating and a month of cutting. BUT I only had 4lbs to cut this time because my weight didn’t rebound back 10lbs after cutting for the previous meet. I was eating even more and getting closer to my weight class. I was beyond excited about this, but mostly about eating a lot of food. I easily made weight for the meet and I got to eat dinner the night before weigh-ins. I GOT TO EAT DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE. Seriously.
Since the meet I have maintained that weight within a few lbs (and now my ribs have abs) and am eating even more. I never thought it would be this easy. I didn’t think it was going to be this easy when I was doing it. I thought Kylie was slightly crazy. She is crazy. Crazy smart, helpful, supportive, and just awesome. I owe her more than our monetary transactions. She has given me confidence, freedom from food, knowledge, peace of mind, and so many other things. There is literally no more stress about my weight and I am truly thankful for that.
Gwen Chamberlin
"I’ve been working with Kylie for almost 3 years now. With her help I have been able to compete in a new lower body weight class and recover from shoulder surgery in 8 months while still getting leaner and gaining muscle. As a master athlete, conventional wisdom expects me to gain fat and lose muscle and strength as I age. But with Kylie’s help, I’m healthier and stronger than ever. She’s a nutritional miracle worker ! I cant wait to see more performance gains as we continue to work together."
Andrea Peterson
"Working with Kylie has been a game changer. I appreciate that she listened to my goals and adjusted my nutrition plan based on how my body responded. In 5 months of the program, I have not been hungry. In fact, people often comment about how much food I eat, surprised that it's possible to eat so much and still lose 20 pounds (and counting). Along with the weight loss, my performance across the board in CrossFit and weightlifting has improved. Kylie is also very knowledgeable and responsive to my questions about counting, supplements, workouts and competition prep.
I can't say enough good things about VPN and definitely recommend them to anyone looking to lose weight, change their body composition, gain muscle and increase performance."
Danielle Hawkins
"This is now my second time working with Kylie for performance and health reasons and she is by far the most knowledgeable nutrition coach I have ever worked with. She understands the woman’s body, really focuses on hormone health, and truly wants this to be a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. Every week I learn something new myself and utilize this knowledge to become a better athlete and coach. I’m learning to love myself, the process, and knowing that this is all part of my journey to becoming a healthier, happier version of me!! And the weight loss and body composition changes help too!"
