My Story
Hi! I’m Amber Contreras
— a Certified Health & Lifestyle Coach, passionate teacher, and lifelong learner dedicated to helping you discover a fulfilling path to sustainable health that’s free from diet culture and outdated health myths.
I remember when I was young, maybe around 10 years old, a person who was overweight parked in a handicapped space in a store parking lot, and one of the adults I was with mumbled that 'being overweight wasn’t a handicap.' There was so much disgust in the tone of their voice.
Were they also disgusted by me? Were they embarrassed of me?
Turning 50 freaked me out from a hormone standpoint. In doing research I found that the chronic fatigue and headaches I was experiencing as well as other issues were all symptoms of hormonal changes. It's a common belief that slower metabolism, weight gain, and hot flashes just came with getting old… so everything I already had going on was going to get worse?
That’s not quality of life!
During a 5-day challenge, I learned that not addressing my energy level and hormones to name a few were what kept me trapped in the weight loss cycle. My biggest pain points—especially my inability to lose weight without regaining it—were all due to daily blood sugar dysregulation, which kept me stuck on “pain island.” Now I am not diabetic, not even pre-diabetic. So this was a new and different perspective than I had ever heard. I believe that the way one loses weight was the way to maintain it. This means finding a diet that I could turn into a lifestyle—a daunting task for someone who had been dieting for decades and was still looking for the secret sauce.
However, the challenge also talked about sustainability and how our purpose on earth was not to search for the perfect “diet” Those five days introduced me to the 100 days of 1%. I had learned so much that challenged what I thought I knew about being healthy.
I started the 100 days of 1% on July 1st. I was shocked that I didn’t have to change anything the first week during prep week. It gave me a chance to prepare myself and my kitchen for what was to come.
During that week, I had daily mini-lessons that helped me prepare for the jumpstart. By the end of week 2, I knew that I had found something completely different. This worked on serving my body and my soul with nutrition, hydration, stress, sleep, supplements, and movement 1% at a time.
When the opportunity came up in August to become a certified coach, I knew I had to learn more. Because of the changes I have seen since July, I know I can help a lot of people who feel trapped in a cycle of restriction, deprivation, and shame. I am now certified to guide others toward true, sustainable health, one small step at a time. Now, I have confidence I have never felt before. Not because I have hit a “goal” but because I know what I'm doing is right, correct, and healthy, enabling me to live a long, healthy life.
