Losing Weight And Improving Asthma On A Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet

Overwhelmed

“I was really nervous about that first session, going to a new gym, and meeting someone new,” she said. “But I felt like I had to work with someone who had expertise in fitness and nutrition, and who would also give me some accountability.

“I had been told not to gain any more weight by my asthma nurse – who suggested that losing some would be a good idea. But I was getting overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available when it comes to diet and exercise.

“On top of this, I sustained a painful injury in a car crash about five years ago. While I’d been told to do yoga by a physio, this had made it worse. During the first session with Aaron, we did some basic exercises so he could see my strengths and weaknesses. He instantly spotted that I had a hip injury, and was able to build a program that took that into account.”

Body composition

Chiorando’s initial goal was to lose some weight, taking her BMI closer to the lower end of normal. A key part of this was changing her diet, using the whole food plant-based meal plans provided by Cattell.

According to Cattell, diet change is key when it comes to losing weight. “The main difference in people meeting or not meeting their goals is changing their diet,” he said. “I had a client back in New Zealand who saw me five times a week. He would train really hard but he wouldn’t change his food. But as soon as he did, that’s when he got the results.

“Exercise alone is a very ineffective way to change your body composition. If you want to get strong, it will be great, but for body composition change you really need to look at diet.”

He added that weight loss is a common goal among his clients, saying: “Most people’s goals are focused on body composition changing. So weight loss is a common one, but the reason people want the weight loss is more important – which can be confidence, health, and happiness.”