“This is not the South Beach Diet,” says Bryce Thomas. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s not a trick. But try communicating that to your friends.”
His wife, Lisanne, bubbles over with laughter.
“How’s your diet going? How much weight did you lose in your first two weeks?” she quips in a high falsetto. “People mean well,” she adds, in her usual warm tone. “They’re trying to encourage you. But it’s so beside the point.”
In fact, one of the hardest things about Precision Nutrition Coaching, as far as Bryce was concerned, was explaining it to others.
For the longest time, he didn’t even want to try.
“During the first few months, he told me, Don’t talk to anyone about this,” Lisanne says. “He didn’t want to deal with the constant questions from friends and family.”
It wasn’t that Bryce was ashamed. And it wasn’t that he wasn’t engaged in what he was doing. Quite the opposite.
It’s just that from very early on, he sensed that Precision Nutrition Coaching was not a typical weight loss program. And it frustrated him when people treated him or Lisanne like ordinary dieters.
Because that wasn’t how he saw himself and it wasn’t how he saw Lisanne. They weren’t just temporarily changing their eating habits. They wouldn’t go back to their old ways — and their old weight — when the program ended.
Bryce & Lisanne’s Transformation
They were changing their approach to food and exercise – for life.
I ask them whose idea it was to enter the program together.
It turns out that’s a matter for debate.
“Lisanne got the PN self-guided binder,” Bryce tells me.
“But Bryce was the one who suggested the program.”
“We were new parents,” he says. “Lacking in sleep. That binder looked daunting.”
“No kidding,” says Lisanne. “I took one look at that kitchen clean out lesson and all I could think was how were we going to do it on our own?”
The truth was, Lisanne felt hesitant. She wanted to lose weight. She wanted to get into better shape. But she’d just given birth to their youngest daughter. She was nursing. She was working. And with two older kids to look after, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. Was this really the right time?
Then again, when she thought about it, what better time?
Bryce seemed eager. It would be a shared adventure. Something special, something different to do as a couple.
Why not, she thought. Why not now?
So they put their names on the presale list and anxiously watched to see if they’d get a spot.
Once they’d made the commitment, they were all in. They couldn’t wait to get started.
It wasn’t all that different from the way they approached their marriage, in fact.
There’s an easy warmth to Bryce and Lisanne. They tease, banter, finish each others’ sentences. They’re quick to name each others’ strengths. They’re constantly erupting into laughter.
Theirs is a solid relationship, the kind that can withstand the occasional — or even frequent disagreement. Together, they’re stronger. They’re a team.
But like all teammates and partners, they can be the best or the worst influences on one another.
And over the years, they’d developed a couple of habits that helped to account for their expanding waistlines.
“When the kids were asleep — that was our time,” Bryce says.
“We’d stay up late to watch TV,” adds Lisanne.
“And snack…”
“And snack…”
Mindless eating had become a shared pleasure, but also a shared trap.
Worse yet, their own identities were getting in their way.
All his life, Bryce had been the “artsy” type. He’d studied fine art in school, and had leveraged his talents into a busy career. As owner and president of Babblediboo, an award-winning corporate branding and marketing company, he’s skilled at copywriting, scriptwriting, and creative direction.
Bryce loves to generate ideas and then find the best expression for them. He’s a clear writer, an articulate speaker — and in his spare time, an accomplished singer and musician, who has produced two albums and who regularly jams with a group of friends. In fact, playing on a slight personal resemblance to the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevera, he even calls himself a “creative freedom fighter.”
What he didn’t call himself before Precision Nutrition Coaching was an athlete.
The same was true of Lisanne. Active as a kid, she’d lost any focus on fitness as an adult. All her energy was invested in her work as a parent and as a doula and birthing educator.
She didn’t have time to take care of herself. She derived her identity from taking care of others. And she certainly didn’t think of herself as athletic.
Somehow, over the course of Precision Nutrition Coaching, their self-perceptions changed.
Every day, they’d sign in to their home page and complete a short lesson. Every few weeks, they’d begin to practice a new nutritional habit. Most days, they’d head outdoors or to the gym for a short workout. In between times, they’d check in with their coaches and their teammates on the forums.
And slowly but surely, their values and their beliefs about who they were and who they could become began to shift.
Of course, Bryce never lost his sense of himself as an artist and creative professional. Lisanne didn’t stop thinking of herself as a caring educator. And neither gave up their commitment to good parenting.
They simply added to these identities a sense of themselves as fit, healthy, and even athletic people.
And as fit, healthy, and athletic people, they naturally chose to eat and move in ways that supported this view of themselves.
That’s why, when family members asked him or Lisanne if they “could” or “couldn’t” eat a specific food, the question didn’t make sense anymore.
And when friends asked the couple if they “had” to go the gym, they felt a similar disconnect.
Late in the program, when Bryce had lost between 20 and 30 pounds, he was changing into a costume for a glam-rock set when his band-mates happened to get a glimpse of his chest — and had a wow reaction.
How had he become so lean and fit, they wondered. What had he been doing?
“I ate the right kinds of food at the right times. I went to the gym regularly, but not for long,” he told them.
“But it sounds sort of lame, doesn’t it?” he adds. “It doesn’t really get to the heart of it, somehow.”
“It’s not about what we have to do. It’s a choice. It’s what we want to do.”
Even for this gifted communicator, it wasn’t always easy to convey that.
The reason participants struggle to describe Precision Nutrition Coaching is that the program is not a set of rules. It’s a journey of change. An experience.
And for Bryce and Lisanne, undertaking that experience as a couple was a part of what made it so powerful.
“We shared the shopping and meal preparation,” they say. “We pushed each other to get to the gym.”
With shared effort, they both made faster progress.
Since completing the program, they’ve watched many others go through it — either as individuals, or with their significant other. And, if you have a choice, they say, it’s easier to go through this with your partner.
That’s because, in addition to the PN forums and community, in addition to the structure of the regular lessons, habits, and workouts, doing Precision Nutrition Coaching together provides another layer of fun — and another layer of support.
At the same time, they caution that you shouldn’t try to force it on your spouse or partner.
So if you’re currently enrolled in the program, and excited about it, but your partner’s reluctant — don’t push it. Lead by example and forget the lectures. Lectures only lead to friction.
On the other hand, if you’re the hesitant one and your partner is eager, jump in. Because by doing so, you’ll be giving your loved one an incredible gift.
Join the adventure. Participate.
“I know it can seem like a risk,” Lisanne says. “And you might not think you want to do it at first. But in the grand scheme, it’s such a small thing.”
Such a small thing to learn how to eat and exercise a little differently — but such a big thing in the life of a couple or a family.
“Our youngest is probably the leanest, healthiest toddler in Canada,” Bryce jokes. “Forget the bread,” adds Lisanne. “She wants her broccoli!”
Their older kids also eat better and have become more active. As a family, they now love to do stuff together. They’ve learned that they have capacities and talents they never dreamed of. They’ve learned how movement can combat stress.
Precision Nutrition Coaching is a gift that keeps on giving and pays dividends for the entire family’s future.
Most of all, it’s a gift of love.
“A way to show love actively,” says Lisanne. “Not just empty words. A shared adventure.”
That’s why, when Lisanne became a winner, the couple agreed that it was a win for both of them. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” she says.
And if Bryce felt a tiny twinge of why not me? (he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t) he very quickly got over it.
Because ultimately, for each of them, the other’s success was what mattered most.
“I wanted you to be happy with yourself,” Bryce says.
“Me, too,” says Lisanne. “I wanted you to feel good about who you are.”
The warmth and love in their voices is unmistakable.
Precision Nutrition Coaching made their already strong relationship stronger.
They believe it can do the same for other couples. That’s why, when people ask them, they recommend to their friends and family. It may be tough to describe the program in a nutshell, but that’s only because the experience can be so rewarding.
“Do it,” they say. “You won’t regret it.”
Want to read more great stories like Bryce and Lisanne’s? Then come meet a few other men, women, and couples who lost weight, started eating better, and took control of their health.
Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?
Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.
Over the past the past two decades, we’ve used the Precision Nutrition Coaching method to help over 150,000 clients lose fat, get stronger, and improve their physical and mental health… for the long-term… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.
It’s also why we work with health, fitness, and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.
Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list now. You'll get a free gift today, save up to 54%, and have the chance to secure a spot 24 hours early.
We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025.
If you're interested in coaching and want to find out more, join the presale list below. Being on the list gives you three special advantages.
- You’ll pay less than everyone else. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price.
- You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.
- You’ll get a free gift—plus an inside look at the program. When you join the presale list today, we’ll send you a free 35-page ebook: Your Best Nutrition Starts Here—a complete guide to building a health plan for your body, goals, and lifestyle (no calorie-counting or restrictive dieting required). Plus, you'll get our new Enrollment Packet, giving you an inside look at the PN Coaching program, complete with stories from past clients who’ve overcome huge obstacles and achieved the transformation of their dreams, and more.
If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.
[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].
Share