Fully Custom 1:1 Coaching
You have tried everything — and nothing has stuck. Not because you lacked discipline, but because you were never given a system built for your actual life. If you have 60 pounds or more to lose and you are done ignoring it, this is where it changes.
I personally review every application within 24–48 hours.
Does this sound like you?
The problem has never been your willpower. You have just never had a system built specifically for your body, your life, and your goals.
— Akima McDuffie, Stay Fit With Akima
My Story
In early 2023, I was 22 years old sitting in my OB/GYN office and I left with a PCOS diagnosis, sitting at my heaviest weight of 315 pounds. On top of that — high blood pressure, anxiety, and a corporate HR job that had me pouring into everyone else while I had nothing left for myself.
I tried Zepbound. I lasted one month. It made my PCOS symptoms worse, made my cycles heavier and more painful, and I felt flabby, unmotivated, and depressed. No shortcut. Just me and whatever system I was going to have to build myself.
I was spending $600 a month on groceries at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's — for two people — and still choosing takeout on top of that. When I finally stopped, changed where I shopped, and started cooking, everything shifted. I took an unpaid three-month leave from my corporate job to prioritize my mental health. I went to therapy, sometimes twice a week. I started posting on TikTok to generate income while I was rebuilding.
I lost over 90 pounds not through a shortcut or a program someone else built for a different body. I built the system myself — meal prep that worked with my actual budget, progressive strength training that rebuilt my confidence week by week, and the mindset work to stop letting stress send me straight to the kitchen.
Everything I teach comes directly from living it. And I built Beyond the Scale because when a woman finally has the right system and the right person in her corner, she does not just lose weight. She changes her entire life.
My Signature Method
Most coaches hand you a workout plan on Day 1. I do not. I start with your food system — because food is where your results are built or broken. Before we touch training, we build a meal prep framework that works with your budget, your schedule, and your real preferences.
Once your food system is stable, we build your training. Not a generic workout — a progressive strength program designed for where you are right now, built to grow with you every single month.
Consistency does not come from motivation — it comes from identity. We address the emotional eating, the fear of starting over, and the mental patterns that have kept you stuck. This is where the results become permanent.
"The order is different. And the order is everything."
This is the answer to the question every woman is silently asking: "Why would this be different from everything else I have tried?" Because we start backward — and that changes everything.
Why This Works
I start with your kitchen, not your workouts. The Backward Approach fixes the foundation first — because no amount of training fixes a broken food system.
I have lived this. I was 315 lbs. I know what it feels like to have significant weight to lose and feel completely alone in it. I am not coaching from a textbook.
I do not sell motivation. Motivation is temporary. I teach the system that makes discipline inevitable — so consistency stops being something you have to fight for.
Spots open based on my genuine availability. This isn't about creating fake urgency. I simply keep my coaching practice small so every woman I work with receives the support and attention she deserves. When my client roster is full, I wait until space opens before welcoming someone new.
What's Included
Every month we get on a 45-minute call and go deep. I build your full meal plan for the month based on your actual budget, what you want to eat, and your current goals. We review your training and make any adjustments your program needs. This is where the real planning happens.
A high-protein, plug-and-play meal prep framework built for your food preferences, your schedule, and your real life. No restriction, no perfection required. A system you can actually live in — refined together every month.
A fully custom training program built for your current fitness level and whatever equipment you have — at home or in the gym. Your program evolves with you and gets reviewed every month on our strategy call.
Every week I check in on your food, your training, and how you are actually feeling. Nothing falls through the cracks. I see what is working and catch what needs to shift before it becomes a bigger problem.
The physical results come from the mental work. We tackle emotional eating, the fear of starting over, and building the kind of identity where consistency stops feeling hard and starts feeling like just who you are.
You will understand how food works for your body — protein, blood sugar, energy, hormones. You will not just follow the plan. You will own it. And it stays with you long after coaching ends.
Real Women. Real Results.
Weight loss is just the beginning. These are women who rebuilt their relationship with food, with their body, and with themselves using this exact system.
25 lbs lost · Still going, 1 year later
Shavon came to coaching while teaching full time during one of the most stressful seasons of her life. Her son was a big part of why she finally decided to make a change. She needed structure — not another plan to guess at. Through meal prep coaching and strength training, she lost 25 pounds. But the real shift was her confidence. She followed through on something for herself, believed in herself again, and eventually made the decision to leave teaching and pursue event planning — a life she actually wanted. A year later, she is still living the system she built here.
Body recomposition · Coached from Tokyo
Angelica was not chasing a number on the scale — she wanted a complete body recomposition. She wanted to change the way her body looked and felt while still eating the foods she loves. Coaching from Tokyo, she followed a high-protein meal prep approach and a strength-focused training program built around her goals. The scale barely moved. Her body completely changed. She got leaner, more defined, and built a sustainable routine she could maintain from the other side of the world.
Emotional eating addressed · Confidence rebuilt
Lizzett came in carrying emotional eating, low energy, and years of feeling like she could not stay consistent. She did not want another extreme plan — she needed something she could actually live in. We built her program around simple structured meals, better hydration, and a home gym training plan using dumbbells and kettlebells. Lizzett is deeply faith-centered, so the mindset work mattered just as much as the physical. The biggest change was that she stopped starting over. She finally had something she could return to.
How It Works
Fill out the application honestly. It tells me who you are, where you have been, and whether I am the right coach for you. There are no right or wrong answers — just be real with me.
If it looks like a fit, I will personally text you within 24–48 hours. Not a bot. Not an assistant — me. I ask a few questions to understand your core struggles and make sure I can truly help you. Not every woman is the right fit for my coaching, and I take that seriously.
If the conversation feels aligned, I invite you to a strategy call. I walk you through the full program, we dig into your specific goals, and together we decide if this is the right move for you right now.
When we are both locked in, you go through onboarding and we set your start date — always a Friday. Your first weekend is for planning, prepping, and getting ahead. By Monday, you are already in it.
This is for you if…
This is not for you if…
Investment
Beyond the Scale is a fully custom 1:1 coaching experience. The investment is $2,997 paid in full. A payment plan is available for those who need it.
Paid in full · Preferred offer · Finalized on your strategy call
Payment plan available: $600 × 6 months. Discussed on your strategy call.
Questions
Apply Now
I read every application personally. Be honest and be yourself — the more real you are, the better I can see whether I can truly help you. You will hear from me within 24–48 hours if it looks like a fit.
I have it and I will read it personally. If it looks like a great fit, you will hear from me — by text — within 24–48 hours.
In the meantime, come hang with me at @itsakimamcduffie for daily content on meal prep, training, and building a system that works in your real life. 🩷