Inspired by weight loss, chiropractor determined to help others

Melissa Myers, before and after her weight loss journey.

Melissa Myers feels far more joyful when she looks in the mirror these days, and now she’s working to help as many others as possible share that feeling.

She’s long been passionate about health and fitness, but Myers admits after the birth of her son a little more than four years ago she got sidetracked in that regard. She wasn’t satisfied with her attempts to get back into shape, as despite gym time and dieting she found none of it moved the needle.

This year, she decided to take a new approach – and the results were rapid. Myers is down 46 pounds since Feb. 26, when she began her journey.

“I was working out (before) but I wasn’t fueling my body enough,” she said. “I was eating what I thought was healthy, but the problem was I was putting my body in starvation mode, and not fat-burning mode. So I wanted to change things up.”

Eating less wasn’t the focus anymore – it was on eating right. Myers learned the proper foods that fuel the body most efficiently and effectively, and spread those items out through six proportioned, nutrient-dense meals every day. The second key? Drinking tons of water.

She was surprised by the results.

“My goal was to lose 30 pounds … I was trying to be realistic,” she said. “Thirty came and went. Then 40 and 45. It felt crazy … who gets to have all this food and make this progress? But I was starving myself before. And it’s taught me so much.”

Her success inspired her to become certified as a health coach, and she’s incorporated those lessons into her medical practice in Destrehan, Chiropractic Total Wellness Center. Myers has practiced chiropractic medicine for over 10 years, but the addition of health coaching allows her to reach more patients and fulfill her ultimate goal: to make as many people as possible become and feel healthier.

“Whether it’s physical pain or just general health, people come into my clinic because they want to get healthier. It definitely goes hand in hand,” she said. “And my own experience makes me just that much more excited to help. I know how uncomfortable living with extra weight can be, and you just want people to understand you don’t have to live like that. There are so many benefits … lowering blood pressure or cholesterol.”

She said it’s a night and day feeling for herself.

“I often think about, if I took a 46 pound brick and put that on my lap, how heavy is that to be carrying it around everywhere?” she said. “And the pressure it puts on your joints, your knees and your back. Those ailments come up a lot of times because of extra weight.”

Myers said much comes down to health education and mindset – effectively equipping the tools to not just take the weight off but keep it off. Sharing her success has been rewarding, she said, and it’s led to the formation of a positive online community where people taking part in the program share recipes and help keep one another accountable.

“It’s a lifestyle transformation,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome.

 

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