What Healing Actually Looks Like

For years, we’ve been taught that if enough people agree on something, it must be the answer. Eat one gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight. Walk 10,000 steps. Lift heavy. Don’t lift heavy. Fast. Don’t fast.

Some of these recommendations are supported by excellent science. Many have helped countless people. But somewhere along the way, we’ve started confusing population averages with individual truth.

Science doesn’t tell us what your body will do. It tells us what bodies, on average, tended to do under specific conditions. Those aren’t the same thing.

At Paula’s Method, I believe science should be our starting point, not our finish line. I don’t reject research. I rely on it. But I also believe your body deserves a vote.

The protein example

Many experts recommend roughly one gram of protein per pound of desired body weight. For many women, that recommendation is incredibly effective: it improves satiety, preserves lean muscle, and supports healthy body composition.

But that hasn’t been my personal experience. When I’ve tried to force myself to reach that number, I haven’t felt my best: overly full, less energized, disconnected from the way I naturally enjoy eating. Today I consistently eat roughly thirty grams less than that recommendation each day, and I feel healthier, stronger, and more satisfied.

Does that mean the research is wrong? No. It means I’m not an average. And neither are you.

I’ve also worked with women who did the opposite: they increased their protein, finally ate enough to support their training, and their energy improved, their body composition changed, and they felt stronger than they had in years.

Observation over rules

That’s why I don’t believe in handing every client the same nutrition plan, the same workout, or the same rules. Instead, I observe. I ask questions. I look for patterns. I pay attention to your energy, your sleep, your recovery, your hunger, your hormones, your stress, your goals, and the countless small signals your body gives us every day.

Because your body is constantly communicating. Most people have simply never been taught how to listen.

To me, wellness isn’t about following rules. It’s about developing awareness. The internet rewards certainty. I don’t. I’d rather help a woman understand her own body than convince her mine is the only right way.

Paula’s Method isn’t a collection of rigid protocols. It’s a process of thoughtful observation, evidence-informed decision-making, and continual refinement.

Science gives us the map. Your body tells us which road to take. And that’s where real transformation begins.