Meet Milan, a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC), certified health & wellness coach & recovering yoyo dieter.

For more than half of her life, she struggled to be comfortable in her own body and was always turning to the next diet plan and exercise program to “fix” herself.

Time after time, she failed to see the results she was aiming for (or any real changes for that matter).

It turned out that her hormones were out of balance and her metabolism had been off due to years of yoyo dieting and on-and-off-again fitness programs.

No matter what she ate or how much she exercised, her body was storing fat instead of burning it. Not to mention the slew of other symptoms she was experiencing like adult acne, mood swings, fatigue, headaches… the list went on.

That struggle led her to become an expert on all things metabolism and hormones so she could heal her own body.

Through that experience, her passion for health, wellness, and nutrition exploded, and she found the Institute of Transformational Nutrition!

She is now proud to be a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC) specializing in helping others ditch the vicious yoyo diet cycle.

Her intention is to use the struggle she had along with her experience & education to take the struggle out of other peoples’ journeys to finding peace with their bodies.

ITN STUDENT SUCCESS STORY: MILAN LEKAY

MILAN’S STORY

I started dieting when I was 14 years old. It all began when I noticed that my body was different than all the girls around me. I was much taller and had bigger everything. I was even teased with names like “Thunder Thighs” and “Shamu”. It was during a time in my life that I was dealing with the divorce of my parents and new living situations, that I first turned to food as a comfort.

I remember a very emotional trip to the mall to try on clothes. It ended with me crying in a dressing room, leaving empty-handed and pouting all the way home. It was the first time I looked at myself in a mirror and felt disgusting. Cue the beginning of a tumultuous relationship with food and exercise.

That was the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. I began working out every single day (sometimes 2 times per day) and intentionally eating less and less food. I lost the weight. It worked, and I felt good.

I started my sophomore year of high school thinner than I ever was before. That was a good year for me. I got a boyfriend, I was friends with the popular kids, and life was pretty good (funny to look back and think about where my priorities were).

Fast forward to college when my boyfriend at the time told me that if I lost some weight he would not cheat on me while he was on spring break. I was not fat, but in my mind I was certain that I was.

I was convinced that in order to be lovable and not get “cheated” on I had to be skinny, be on a “diet” and spend my days at the gym. In the years following that moment, I was obsessed with my body (and comparing my body to other peoples’ bodies), diets, and weight loss in an unhealthy way.

SHE KNEW THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY

It consumed my mind. I became fed up with that obsession, frustrated, and convinced that something was wrong with me. I knew there had to be a better way to be at peace with my body.

Naturally, I became interested in learning about nutrition and healthy living and found myself enrolling at The Health Coach Institute to become a Health Coach.

I learned some incredibly powerful things about health, habits, and life. I began coaching some amazing women through their own transformations. They inspired me and challenged me. I loved it and wanted to take it even further, so I enrolled at the Institute of Transformational Nutrition to expand my knowledge on how food fit into this mix.

BUT THEN HER WHOLE WORLD CAME CRASHING DOWN

I was beyond excited for my new adventure and then my whole world came crashing down.

My younger brother passed away, and life as I knew it changed profoundly. I turned to food (& wine) to comfort me more than I probably should have. I sought solace in isolating myself at home, and basically closed myself off from the community and world around me. I gained weight, lost my self-esteem, and couldn’t seem to find the confidence I had in myself before. I couldn’t even stand to look at a single picture of myself. I didn’t know who I was anymore.

Here I was calling myself a health coach, who had successfully helped other women feel good in their bodies and transform their lives, but I was STUCK and unable to do that for my own body and life.

SHE DIDN’T GIVE UP

I turned back to my studies and graduated from the Institute of Transformation Nutrition, planning to use all I learned to heal myself. I knew something more was going on with my body because even when I was doing everything right like working out and eating healthy, I continued to gain weight.

Working with my doctors, we discovered that I had hormone imbalances. Turns out that the hormones that are also responsible for metabolism were all over the place. It was one of the biggest “aha” moments of my life.

I took my training as a health coach and nutrition coach and became an expert on all things hormones and metabolism so I could begin transforming my body (and my life).

While I am not perfect today, I am a whole lot better than I was then. The tools & knowledge I used to heal myself literally changed my life.

This can’t be kept a secret for my own use, it needs to be shared with the women of the world because I know I am not the only one dealing with this. So I am here to show up, to share my story, and to serve those who resonate with the struggle of a being at war with their body & the never-ending yoyo diet cycle.

I am honored and humbled that you have stuck around to learn about me & I am looking forward to getting to know you!

WHY SHE CHOSE ITN

I chose ITN because after completing another health coaching course, I was feeling like something was missing. I saw Cynthia on an interview and immediately knew I needed to learn more.

When I discovered the amazing coaching certification that ITN offered, it was a no brainer for me. I loved that ITN dives deep in the physical, mental, and spiritual nutrition. This was lacking in the other program.

I was also drawn to the business building component that ITN offered. It has made a huge difference in growing my business. Of course, who could leave out the amazing coaching skills component. Becoming a CTNC up-leveled my coaching abilities and boosted my confidence as a coach.

I would highly recommend ITN to anyone wanting to be a coach, and I have! The certification course is so complete and thorough. I love that ITN includes so many valuable resources to help make students successful and continues to offer support after graduation. ITN is hands down the best nutrition coaching program out there.

Becoming a nutrition coach has been a rewarding experience. Not only have I been able to transform my own life through the valuable education I have gained, but I have been able to use my experience and my ITN education to help other women who are struggling with their weight and their bodies.

I am most proud of my ability to show up and help make a difference, and ITN made that possible. I am so grateful!

To learn more about Milan, or if you’re interested in working with her, visit her website here: www.milanlekay.com.