†Results vary based on starting point and effort. Results achieved in 12 weeks following the Belle Vitale fitness and nutrition program. Kristen R. is an independent BODi Affiliate.
Mom finds patience and joy again with Belle Vitale
How a 12-week hormone health program helped Kristen show up for what matters most.
“I am feeling like a new mom. I feel like a new human. I’m not yelling at my kids... I'm back to myself. I'm living life. I'm happy.”
—Kristen R.
Belle Vitale User
Kristen’s hormone health story
Kristen watches from the sidelines of her daughter’s baseball game, a genuine smile on her face as she cheers excitedly with the other parents.
It's a scene that looks different now than it did last year. A busy business owner and mother of two young children, Kristen was exhausted, irritable, unable to concentrate, and struggling to keep up with basic daily tasks.
"I was feeling so depressed. I was feeling unmotivated, almost like the walls were kind of closing in, and I had a really hard time focusing... [and] just even waking up to work out and do the things I needed to do."
After losing her grandmother six months prior and dealing with the stress of managing the estate, Kristen had turned to emotional eating for comfort and gained 25 unwanted pounds that refused to budge.
But the worst was a constant feeling of exhaustion that made even the simplest parenting tasks feel overwhelming. "I was snapping at my kids. I was moody. I was always hungry," she says. Instead, she would load up on caffeine just to get through the day.
Kristen knew something needed to change. Enter, Belle Vitale.
From breaking point to breakthrough
That's when Kristen heard about Belle Vitale, Autumn Calabrese's comprehensive 12-week hormone health solution, designed to help balance women's hormones through nutrition, fitness, supplements, and stress management.
Before Belle Vitale, Kristen knew something was wrong. “I'm not happy. I'm losing it on my kids too much. I'm doing all the [right] things... Why is the scale going up and up?"
The answer, Kristen would soon discover, was hormone imbalance—a struggle that affects many women, especially after pregnancy, childbirth, or during periods of high stress.
Before starting Belle Vitale, Kristen was skeptical but desperate. Could this program really make a difference when nothing else had worked?
The answer came shockingly fast.
What kind of sorcery is this?
"Four days into doing Belle Vitale... I was already... on cloud nine," she says. "All of a sudden, I had this energy... I wasn't so tired all the time."
By week four, she already had lost over 10 lbs. and 12 inches on her body. “Twelve inches... That is a foot-long Subway sandwich all over my body!” Kristen exclaims.
But the real magic was happening on the inside. "I am feeling like a new mom. I feel like a new human," she shared at that milestone. "I'm not yelling at my kids."
For a woman who had been drinking caffeine all day just to survive, the transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
Foods to balance hormones naturally
With so much on her plate already, the last thing Kristen wanted was a time-consuming or complicated nutrition plan. Belle Vitale’s zero-guesswork container system and delicious, step-by-step recipes made the plan easy to follow.
"[Autumn] tells you exactly what foods to eat, at what time of day, to balance your blood sugar and things like that,” explains Kristen. “I didn’t feel like I was guessing or... lost.”
The Belle Vitale nutrition plan teaches you intermittent fasting and strategic carb cycling to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels—approaches Kristen had always wanted to try but never knew how to implement.
As someone who would eat all the way up to 10pm and then still be up at midnight rummaging through the refrigerator, fasting after 6pm was a complete shift for Kristen.
"I was really surprised I wasn't actually craving those things, and I wasn’t starving for carbs. I wasn’t craving them mid-afternoon or at night anymore."
“Every single morning, I look forward to my supplements”
Perhaps most crucial to her success were the Belle Vitale hormone health support supplements and Shakeology, which she credits with helping her handle stress and support healthy blood sugar.
"I cannot go a day without the supplements... The hormone health supplements are a must. Hands down. I can absolutely tell if I haven't had them yet in the morning,” says Kristen.
The supplement duo is designed to help manage symptoms of hormone imbalance. The Daily Blood Sugar & Metabolism Support supplement helps enhance your body’s ability to support healthy glucose metabolism, and support healthy blood sugar.
The other, Daily Hormone & Stress Support, helps combat stress, support healthy cortisol levels, immune health, and bone health.
"I take them after... breakfast and I'm ready to conquer the day," she exclaims.
Kristen’s other daily must is Shakeology, which gives her essential vitamins to help improve her nutrition and stay on track with the hormone health plan.
"I have absolutely loved Shakeology," she says. "I eat it as a pudding every single day... It helps me stay fuller longer... I’m not experiencing... bloat.”
Finding the will to work out
Then there are the workouts—a unique blend of Track Pilates, strength training, and cardio—that build upon each other over three phases to lengthen and strengthen muscles for a lean, sculpted physique, without adding excessive stress to life or the body.
Although initially nervous about the workouts, Kristen found they "seriously... fly by" and looked forward to moving her body each day. "I get bored really easily," she confesses, "but the equipment is so cool... [Autumn’s] Control Track, the way that it mimics a [Pilates] Reformer—it's amazing."
Breathing away the stress
Another game-changing element of Belle Vitale turned out to be the stress management techniques from the Breathwrk™ app. Backed by neuroscientists, the app's specialized breathing exercises helped Kristen lower her stress, allowing her body to function better overall.
"If you have small children, these breathing techniques, they’re going to change life for you," Kristen emphasizes. "It's just crazy how it... really does relax the mind and get you back on track. Instead of yelling or... getting angry, now I have a positive way to channel those emotions."
The impact on her daily life was profound. "Normal tasks don't overwhelm me, and if one thing goes wrong, I'm able to regroup, pivot, and move forward," she explains. "I'm not so overwhelmed and stuck. I feel so in control... I wasn't expecting that."
"Mommy, you’re not mean anymore"
By the end of the 12-week program, Kristen had lost an impressive 23.6 pounds and 23.5 inches (nearly two Subway sandwiches!). But ask her about her proudest achievement, and the numbers aren't even on her radar.
"The best thing I have been told since starting Belle Vitale [happened] in the car," Kristen shares, her voice softening. "My daughter and I were at a red light... She looked at me and said, 'Mommy... you haven't yelled in a while. You're not mean anymore.'"
The memory still brings tears to her eyes. "That meant the world to me. That made all of this worth it... because my kids have the mom back that I've always wanted to be."
Even Kristen's father remarked at the transformation. "When you were a little girl, you were just happy all of the time," he told her recently. "And somewhere along career and parenthood, you lost that. Now you're back to your old happy self."
From brain fog & bloated to strong supermom
For a woman who’s struggled with ADHD her entire life, the mental clarity that came with hormone balance was life changing.
"Everything was such an overwhelming task [before]," Kristen explains. "I just couldn't focus. I couldn't get things done. Everything was a catastrophe."
The household chores that can devour a mom’s day—dressing the kids, shuttling them to school, doing laundry, making dinner—suddenly became manageable.
“I have been able to reorganize the kids’ playroom. I was able to match... like 100 pairs of kids’ socks, and I feel like I have this sustained energy throughout the day," she marvels. "I'm not having to drink caffeine before I do these tasks. It's just coming naturally to me."
Kristen’s premenstrual symptoms improved, too. Her periods became lighter and less painful. Her sleep improved dramatically. And instead of feeling tired after eating, food began giving her energy.
"Last night I vacuumed at 10:20pm. That has never happened in [my entire] history!... and I threw in a load of laundry, and it’s because I'm fueling my body properly."
The ultimate investment in her health
Through traveling, birthdays, concerts, and what she describes as one of the most stressful periods of her life, Kristen stuck with the Belle Vitale program—and found it surprisingly easy to maintain.
"It's a no-brainer to stick with the program because you want to keep feeling that good energy. You want to keep seeing results," she explains. "Once you know how good it feels to feel like this, you don't want to go back."
For women struggling with their own hormone-related issues, Kristen's message is clear: "This program is going to change your life if you let it."
Her advice for those just starting out? Go all in and trust the process. “You are going to have all kinds of emotions through this, but if you stick with it, you're going to see the best results and feel the best you've probably ever felt in your life."
Looking back at photos from day one, Kristen can hardly believe the transformation. "Thank you, Belle Vitale, for giving me my life back, for giving my kids their mom back, for giving my husband his wife back, and most importantly, for helping me believe in myself again."
She adds with a smile, "I think as women and moms, we tend to lose ourselves a little bit in motherhood and we forget who we are... Belle Vitale reminded me who I am and what I'm capable of."
Real women share their hormone health success stories.
Results vary based on starting point and effort and following Belle Vitale's 12 week fitness and nutrition program. These individuals are independent BODi Partners.
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