For those who have resolved to eat healthier and lose weight in the New Year, nutritionist Karen Pugh can share advice from personal experience.

Pugh, owner of CrossFit Andalusia and a nutritionist of 13 years, knows what’s best for healthy body.

Pugh said her journey in health began she was made fun of as a child.

“I used to be very obese, other kids used to call me ‘Ms. Piggy’,” she said.

“I didn’t start doing something about my weight until I was a little older and I realized.”

Pugh didn’t get into the logistic side of nutrition until her daughter was born.

“My daughter has Type One Diabetes, so when she was born I had to take a nutrition class to be able to bring her home,” she said.

“I learned a lot about what to eat then, and making meals for her helped me too.”

In 2013, Pugh decided to take an extra step to become a nutritionist. Pugh, just this year, earned her certification as a nutrition specialist.

“It’s a daily struggle to eat right and I wanted to help others,” she said.

Eating right is not always easy, Pugh said.

“A lot of people eat frozen or canned foods because they are convenient, but those are processed foods,” she said.

“If you want to eat right you need to eat real foods.”

‘Real foods’ to Pugh, is anything made with ingredients that are pronounceable and are understandable.

“If you can’t understand the back of a label then why would you want to eat that?” Pugh explained.

Another thing that should be cut out of a diet is sugar.

“It’s important to go step by step in things you cut out of your diet,” Pugh said.

“Pick one a thing a week you want to change. Once you’ve mastered that you can move on to the next thing.”

Any processed foods and excessive sugar should be cut out of a diet, Pugh said.

“There are so many benefits to eating healthy and it’s not just something you should start because of a New Year’s resolution. You can do this anytime,” she said.

As a personal trainer, Pugh tells her clients to not focus on the scale.

“This is not about a number on a scale, this is about being healthy,” she said.

“You just need to focus on your measurements, how your clothes fit and how you feel.”

A lot of people have misconceptions on dieting, Pugh said.

“No two people will have the same results with the same diet, people need to have diets that fit them,” she said.

For more information contact Pugh at http://www.crossfitandalusia.com/ or 334-488-9348.