On becoming a Nutritional Coach: My journey to now.

My journey began when I left home at the tender age of 13 to pursue a career in modelling. Living 1,400 kilometres away from my family and everything familiar, I chose homeschooling to complete my education while working as a teenage model in Cape Town, South Africa.

Being career-driven, and knowing that my education was entirely upon my shoulders, there was no time for teenage misbehaviour. My days were filled with schoolbooks, the latest cuppa-soup diet, and parading in front of scrutinising clients, hoping to be the perfect fit for their jobs.

As I grew into my teenage years, my body began to change, gaining the natural curves of a woman. However, the modelling industry demanded the skinnier 13-year-old Amerae, which conflicted with the natural shape my body started to take at 16.

Struggling to conform to the industry's strict standards of thinness, I found myself slipping into unhealthy habits. In my desperate pursuit of my dream, I developed eating disorders, losing touch with my body's natural tendencies and curves. For years, I was caught in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, self-criticism, and binge eating, unable to recognise my true self or true body size and shape.

At 20, I decided to let go of the modelling dream and pursue a new passion: culinary arts. I discovered a deep love for healthy food, a path that felt more natural than the struggles I faced in pursuing a modelling career. My journey to recovery wasn't straightforward. I studied personal training and delved into health foods, even becoming vegan for three years.

I believed my real recovery began with the creation of my first recipe book, "Food That Loves You Back." That wasn’t the turning point; that was only the start. The true turning point came when I started doing CrossFit. Now let’s just halt for a moment—I am not giving ALL the credit to a cult (CrossFit). No, never!

Strength training shifted my focus from weight loss to what my body could achieve. Weight loss became a natural byproduct rather than the primary goal.

The change came about because of an active pursuit to find something that could possibly relieve me from the pain inside me—the mean girl. Instead of the addiction of having the familiar critic in one ear, I became addicted to becoming stronger and understanding what was needed nutritionally to support the effort I was putting in.

This new perspective inspired me to study nutritional coaching, drawing on a decade of personal struggles and experiences and applying that to people who are equally determined to be better and become stronger.

Let's just be clear about one thing—I am not just another skinny-blonde-bitch influencer preaching about diet and exercise. Nor am I ever going to be. In fact, I am a pretty big girl: curvy, tall, and a whopping 21% body fat as I’m writing this. On good days I weigh 76 kg, and on bad days I weigh 80 kg. Amid progesterone knocking on my door, the mean girl comes to crash my party every so often. However, 20 years of complete failure and lots of small wins with my body and mind have helped me overcome a lot. While the struggle with my inner critic, the "mean girl," isn't completely over, I've learned to coexist with her in harmony. This journey has equipped me to help others facing similar challenges.

My experiences have given me the strength and insight to guide others on their journeys towards peace and clarity. If you want to learn more about nutrition or want solid support to moving towards your goals, I am your girl.

Nutritional Coaching

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