Ep 22 - How CC Learned to Have Her Cookies, Eat Them, and Get Fit in the Process!

Meet CC Starweather: Couture Fitness Client of and owner of Custom Cookies By CC, a company that bakes and sells custom, sugar cookies. CC is LITERALLY surrounded by cookies and buttercream frosting ALL DAY, yet she has figured out how to follow a solid nutrition and exercise plan and has lost inches off her body.

CC came to Couture Fitness sure that she was overeating, but what we quickly discovered is that she had gotten into a bad pattern of under-eating. CC talks about how unintentional under-eating was holding her back from her health and fitness goals.  As her business grew, she found herself too busy to eat or work out.  In this episode, she talks about how eating MORE and being intentional about her health has changed her body and allowed her to make her health a priority again.   

If you have ever felt like you are too busy to make quality nutrition and exercise or your health a priority, listen up! This busy entrepreneur has figured out a way to up-level her nutrition and exercise habits and you can too!

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:08

Welcome to the Boost Your Metabolism After Age 30 Podcast. I'm Joe. And I'm Allison and we're your co hosts and the founders of Couture Fitness and Lifestyle coaching. We're on a quest to help women design lives they love and bodies they adore. We were fed up with the dieting industry and decided to create something different. We're starting a calories up revolution where women are nourished, their metabolisms are healed and their bodies and brains start working for them in the battle against weight loss. If you feel like your metabolism is wrecked, and you want to lose weight once and for all, you are in the right place. Welcome everyone. This is Alison, you're going to have myself today, as well as a special guest who is a client of ours who I'm going to introduce in just a bit before we get started, I want to mention very briefly that our doors are open for our next session for our July session. So I think this podcast is going to come out probably mid June, if you are interested in working with us with for our one on one custom coaching programs definitely get signed up soon. Like I said, we will start our next session on July 1. Again, very quickly, I'll just tell you guys, what you get with our programs. If you do want to work with us, you will be assigned to a personal coach who will create a plan that is customized just for you. We have clients who need very different things. Some people need to eat more, some need to eat less. And in addition to the nutrition coaching that you will receive, you're also going to get a customized workout plan designed just for you. And then you'll check in weekly with your coach, they'll change things up or maybe decide to keep things the same all based on the feedback that they're getting from you. And then in addition to that my business partner Joe also leads two meetings a week she is a certified life coach. And one of those meetings is always like an open q&a where you can just ask any questions you have. The other is prepared content that she has created herself. All of them are done live over zoom, but they're also recorded. So if you want to work with us get signed up quickly, because we did actually fill up all of our spots in April. And we do think we may fill up again in July. So just a little bit about our programs. So let's get on then with the topic at hand. So we hit Like I said, we have a special guest today. CeCe is one of our awesome clients. And I'm going to start out by just letting you kind of introduce yourself, tell us you know about yourself what you do for work. And then what you were doing fitness and nutrition wise before you started working with us. Awesome. Well, thanks, Alison. I'm so glad you guys asked me to do this. I've listened to every podcast episode that you and Joe have done. And like I just I can't wait every time there's a new one. So I'm glad you asked me to do this today. So hi, everyone. My name is Cece and I live in the Kansas City area. I have a husband 14 years and we have two amazing young girls that keep us very busy. And I am also a small business owner in the Kansas City area I have a small cookie business called Custom cookies by cc. I specialize in buttercream decorated sugar cookies and decorated cookie cakes for holidays and custom orders for other celebrations and events. So there's lots of sugar around. You are literally surrounded by cookies and sugar all day long. Okay. And then your other question about what I was doing fitness and nutrition wise before working with couture fitness. I've been all over the place really with fitness and nutrition. You know, I've always been active growing up, I played competitive soccer, I ran cross country in my early 20s. I continued to run I started lifting, and I loved it. And then fast forward to my 30s and I shifted to more hit cardio style workouts. I started counting containers and going down that path that seemed to be very restricting for me though, so it led me to these crazy, crazy, insane cravings. Then I had a friend tell me about macros. And so I started a macros journey a few years ago really saw great results with it. I saw that it really worked. I stuck with it for a while. And then I gotten to this period of life with my business where I was super, super busy. The more successful I became, I started letting things slip with my fitness and my nutrition. And that's when I started working with you guys. Awesome. Yeah. And I mean, I know you said you have a small business. I know it's very, very popular. I know you are super busy. You are also and you can correct me if I'm wrong. You do not have separate childcare. Is that right? So you're kind of you're taking care of your kids. You're running your business, you're doing it all right. Yeah, so I'm a one woman show so as Whereas like business wise, I'm a one woman show doing everything from the creation of my designs to baking, to prepping to packaging to doing it all. And then I have a now five year old, so she'll go into kindergarten this year. Yeah. You have preschool a few days a week, a few mornings a week. So it was really a balancing act, trying to maximize what I could get done during the day, so that I had time for my family at night. So that's what actually led me to No, you and I've talked about this, I was in an under eating phase. Yes, I that's what caused it. I was go go go during the day, because I need to get as much done as possible so that I'm maximizing my time during the day so that I have time for my family later. Well, that caused me to skip meals, you know, I would eat breakfast, I would graze during the day, and then I'd have a normal meal for dinner. That's what put me in that under eating phase. And I know when you and I first talked and you said you know, just give me a rough ballpark of what you think you're eating. And I told me 1900 calories. I thought for sure I'm eating 1900 calories, and you had me put it into my fitness pal. And I think we're at like, maybe the 1400 or 1500 range. I think that's right. Yeah. And that's actually really common. So it sounds like you weren't necessarily restricting on purpose. At that time. It was just a matter of you were super busy with your business. And I honestly think we do have a lot of women who come to us the same way they think, Oh, I know, I'm eating so much. And there's no way I'm an under eater. And then I'm like, okay, just tell me what you're eating. And it turns out there eating, we've even had people who thought for sure they were over eating who were literally eating 1000 calories a day. And his women were just told, you know, just, you know, eat as little as possible. And so even if we're not like trying to restrict, we just think, Oh, if I you know if I skip lunch today, that's a good thing, you know? So hey, you didn't necessarily realize that you were under eating? Correct. I had zero clue. I thought for sure. I must be over eating because I'm just grazing throughout the day. And I thought for sure I was over eating. But nope. When we see that a lot. Had you ever heard of the concept of reverse dieting before you had started working with us? Yes, I had heard of it. Because when I started the macros tracking a few years ago, like I said, it worked really well. I got into a great maintenance phase. And then I kept hearing about a reverse diet is what you should do next to reverse diet. And I thought, well, that's intimidating. clue how to do that or not going to dip our toe in that water. So when you said reverse diet, and I was like, okay, good. I've wanted to know about this. Nobody Lee leading me through it, which has been so amazing. I think that's like, my biggest thing about this program is the support you get like having that one on one coach to help like, customize your plan just to you to like, keep in touch with you throughout the week. And touch on Okay, is this working? Is this not working? Okay, we can we can adjust things. So yeah, I think. Yeah, you definitely did. So you work with Coach Hillary. So what did Coach Hillary tell you your goal was going to be when you started working with her? I mean, clearly, you know, getting your food up. But what did that look like? Did she just say, Okay, you're gonna start eating a bunch all at once? Or what did that look like for you? So for me, I had to really increase my protein and my carbs. So I think we started out I want to say and like the 1600 1700 range, I'm so nothing like too much. But it seemed like so much food to me, like, every check. And I was like, This is so much how am I really supposed to? How am I supposed to eat all of this protein and all of the carbs. And it was so funny because when I started she just had me track the first few days and she was like, were you keto before it was like no, no carbs. And I was like, Oh my gosh, you're right. I completely like had been limiting my carbs and had no clue how important the carbs were for me for my energy. Like, I'm not kidding you. My husband was like, you have so much more energy. Oh, awesome. Once I started like adding in the food, he was like you have so much more energy. It's just my mood shifted to that is amazing. Yeah, yeah. So that's what it looked like with when I started and it really took I would say like three weeks for me really to like understand it, and really, like adjust things to the macros that she had suggested for me. Hmm, how long have you had your calories up, then I think you just in my right that you maybe have just started a cut. Yes, phase. So we did 12 weeks of reverse. And we got up to I want to say 1800 calories for my reverse. And what I started seeing happening is just with my nutrition and then stacking on the fitness with the nutrition, I was getting more energy with more food I was eating, I actually started seeing the inches come off on my waist nice. And then once we started doing the workouts, like the more repetition I was doing with those my strength was was increasing, I was getting stronger, I was being able to lift more I was up to like 12 to 15 pound weight versus you know, the five to 10 pounds. So everything I just thought everything shifting, I was amazed, especially with losing the inches. Yeah, that is great. I mean, setting any physique things aside, just getting that more energy and feeling stronger is awesome. Yeah, yes. And then you mentioned the inches. So did your weight completely stay pretty stable throughout your reverse? My weight actually went up to two or three pounds. I want to say so pretty stable. Yeah, save all my weight went up. But my inches went down. And then I could tell I was getting stronger. So yeah, just assume I you know, that's where that's where the talks came in with Coach Hillary. For women, it can be scary when the number on the scale goes up, because I think just what we're taught, right? Once that scale started going up, she she was great. She's like, I have to ask, How are you feeling? And I said, I'm glad we're talking about this. Because to be honest, that is like a trigger for me. It just It shifts your mind, right? Like, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm failing because the weight went up. And we really had to talk about the mindset piece of it, and how you know, I'm probably building muscle, and that's okay, that's okay for your numbers to go up. And that the numbers are just numbers, right? It's just data. And that shift was really, really important for me, throughout this whole reverse, because you're just not used to that. Yeah, I agree. The scale going up can be scary. And you kind of never know what your body's going to do during a reverse. Some people gain a little bit. Some people lose weight, believe it or not, a lot of people say the same. We do see a lot of people who you know, like you their weight stays pretty stable, but they lose inches, which is a clear sign. You're losing body fat, you're putting on muscle, which is just what we want to happen. But yeah, going through a reverse can be absolutely terrifying. But it is what honestly, what a lot of people need, they need to repair their metabolism before they can even think about, well, let's start cutting calories. And you weren't that extreme. I mean, we've seen a lot of clients do some really extreme things for a really long period of time. So you were certainly not in that category. But more just say an under eater who didn't realize they were under eating. But again, you weren't drastically under eating, but still going right into a cut from where you're at probably would not have been successful at all. It's hard to pull from if somebody's eating 1400 calories, you just don't have a lot of room to pull calories from Okay, well, that's great. I'm sure just having that extra energy with the business and two kids. I'm sure that that is a an amazing perk from doing this. So I have to ask you, or I know you're super busy. How have you found time to fit your workouts in. So I am a morning person. And so I wake up at 530 in the morning, and I do my workouts first thing if it doesn't get done in the morning, there's just too much other stuff going on for me too. Get too busy, right? That too busy excuse and I didn't want that to happen. So for me, it makes the most sense just to knock it out first thing in the morning so that it's done, I can check it off, and I can feel good about it. That's what I like to do too, just for that same reason, like nothing's gonna get in the way of it. Or very rarely are things going to get in the way. And then yeah, you know, you've got it done. And I think it helps with energy throughout the day, too. I do too. I definitely do too. So one of the each have our own like steps goal, right? So in order to hit my steps for the day, I'm like, Okay, I have to have to get this done. Like, let's go. Let's start out early in the morning. So at least I mean, when you're walking around like getting your weights and everything I've noticed I get like 800 to 1000 steps in. Just do. Yeah, yo no, I get it. I think I have a very sensitive step counter actually, but that's fine. I usually get I definitely get over 1000 steps just from like yeah, walking in between like my weights when I'm lifting Oh, yeah, okay so you are a morning exerciser. I am What about prepping your food? How have you I mean I'm sure at first like you said it was kind of hard to get in all of the protein but how do you prep your food? Or do you prep your food and how have you managed to figure out how to get your all of your protein in for me it's a balance of bulk meal prepping things at the beginning of the week like grilled chicken hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, I chop up all the veggies and then I can just use that throughout the week and pair it with different things and then it's also having easy like grab and go options like fruit and Yogur hummus and guacamole cup string cheese protein bars and then my protein powders that's how I do it nice what has been would you say your biggest struggle during you know your your journey with us what has been the hardest thing for you? I would definitely say the eating more was scary for me. It was just definitely a mental shift. And then once I realized it was such a mental shift, I leaned into more of the mindset piece of things that's something about your program as well that I love is Joe does such a great job with the mindset like you know, really like diving into there's other things going on that help you succeed other than just the food and the fitness like your mindset, like you really have to be in the right mindset. So that was been has been a big shift for me that I've tried to work really hard on during this. Yeah, I agree. I mean, Joe is really, really good at helping people with the mindset piece. And I absolutely agree that especially if you're reverse dieting, that is so hard mentally, like maybe you think well what's hard about eating more, it is really scary to think well what I want to do is change my body. And often what people want when they want to do that is lose some body fat and they think really you're telling me that I need to just eat more and more and do this for you know, a couple of months like that is it is terrifying, I think for a lot of people and so I do think that that the biggest struggle there is definitely a mental one. Absolutely. Absolutely. So has there been anything and maybe you already answered this but has there any been anything that's been really eye opening or something you've learned about yourself during this time so I've actually learned that so I'm sensitive to dairy I've learned I feel like that's been a huge one for me I'm actually I actually just got bloodwork done to check my thyroid and my hormones because dairy has been like a trigger for me like off and on throughout like my life. But doing this I realized I realized it when I was trying to bulk up my protein like I would add things like more cottage cheese or like certain like protein like whey protein, I learned some things about myself through that. Also, I learned that I was definitely set on a goal weight, like definitely a number right on around the scale. And so I definitely learned that needed to shift I really needed to shift my mindset away from that goal away I think Joe's called it like breakup with the scale, right? It's a good data point is how I look at it now. I think that's the healthiest way to look at it because I mean me personally, anytime I set a skill weight goal, it just drives me crazy. I don't know why we do like you know, I think like why is that so important? Like I'm going to be so happy once I hit that goal. Wait no. More and knowing that I'm like properly nourishing my body. Yes, absolutely. Okay, so during this time, have you gone? Have you gone in any vacations or gone to any parties? And have you been able to implement this method of eating and working out into your life and been able to enjoy yourself during some some fun times? Like vacations? Yes. So for spring break, we went to San Diego and then we went to Disneyland. And then a few weeks later, my husband and I went to Sonoma. So we had like this month of a lot of vacations and I found it to be super easy to follow iMacros this whole time so when we went to San Diego we had an Airbnb so we could like prep meals. So I stopped at the grocery store and loaded up on you know, different protein things I could have for breakfast or snacks. And then that gave me the flexibility during the day to enjoy a nice dinner later. And then when we went to Disneyland there was a Panera right across the street from the entrance to the park. So I would grab something there in the morning or like later in the afternoon for lunch because I knew I could find healthier options. I could find it in my fitness pal. and still keep track of things. I definitely pack protein bars. That's great just to pull out when the girls were having, you know, ice cream treats, and I wanted, I wanted something sweet. So that was a nice little trick I didn't work out during my vacations for me, we get so many steps in Yes, we just were walking around so much that I know I'm gonna, I'm gonna still feel good about getting some sort of exercise in. So that's how I handled those vacations. Yeah, that sounds enjoyable and still healthy and awesome. I think that is the beauty of macros is that you can go on vacation, you can go to a party, and you can still make it work compared to like maybe a very strict you're going to eat exactly this for breakfast every day. And this for lunch every day that can only work when things are, you know, when the stars are perfectly aligned. And as soon as something gets thrown off, like you go on a trip. You can't do that anymore. So that is that's why I love macro based nutrition. Yeah, me too. Sometimes you do just naturally eat the same things, you know, at home. Like it because you know, like how you're going to hit your numbers that way. But yeah, you're right on vacation, you definitely want that flexibility. You don't always have those options, or you want to have like a fun dinner or a fun little treat. So I agree macros are just so much more flexible. Totally. Okay, so I have to ask you, this is personal curiosity. Are you even tempted by your cookies anymore? Or have you just seen way too many cookies in your life that they don't even tempt you? So I get that question a lot. Because I think people think you must have cookies just all the time. Your family just must eat them all the time. My husband and my girls will tell you know, we like never have cooking. I often like if I have any extras, then sure they get those. I'm not as tempted by it because I'm around it so much. Yeah, it's just a part of every day that I don't even crave. It just worked for you. Right. I worked at a Dairy Queen one summer when I was in high school. And I remember like at first I was like, Oh, cool. I can eat ice cream, whatever I want. And then by the end of the summer, I was like I like I did not even care about the ice cream that I was surrounded by. Right. Right. Yeah. When you're around it, like so much. You just don't crave it. So. Exactly. Okay. Well, Cece, it has been awesome talking to you. Why don't we end with you telling us how we can find you. So if anybody is in Am I correct that you were just local to Kansas? The Kansas City area? Correct? Yeah, yeah, so I am local to the Kansas City area. You can find me on Instagram at Custom cookies by cc and my website is custom cookies by cc.com. And again, I specialize in butter cream decorated sugar cookies and decorated cookie cakes for different holidays and custom orders for other celebrations and events. And you have so many fun designs. They are so pretty I love looking at all of your cookie creations on Instagram. Yeah, thank you. Awesome. Well, once again, thank you for talking with us. If this resonated with you, if you guys think that you might be in a similar situation where you're under eating, and you're not quite sure where to go, maybe you're wondering, well, if I'm under eating, why isn't the scale moving? I can tell you that the answer to losing weight for so many people is not as simple as well just eat less and move more. If you were like CC maybe already only eating let's say 1400 calories a day, eating less would have probably honestly pushed your body into some sort of rebellion, it would have said well, you're you're not feeding me enough. Now if I tried to cut calories from there, I think it would have probably just pushed back and responded very poorly, you certainly wouldn't have had an increase in energy, or an increase in muscle had we chosen to cut your calories. So for many people, I would say over 50% of our clients now the answer truly is at least at first get your food up, put some muscle on and then eventually we will when the time is right. Think about entering what we would call a cutting or a fat loss phase. And like you said that process can be really scary. I think people need coaching around reverse dieting much more than they need it around simply cutting calories. So if you are interested in working with us, you can reach out to us at info at couture fitness coaching.com You can find us on our website at couturefitnesscoaching.com And you can schedule a call with us. We would love to have you working with us. And that's all I've got for today. Thanks, everyone. That's what we've got for you today about how you can invest in your metabolism and start losing weight by eating more and exercising less. Trust us you aren't too old and it's never too late. If you want to learn more about this topic, head over to our Facebook group, Boost Your Metabolism After Age 30. You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook at Couture Fitness Coaching and if you want to work with us join us for our next 12 weeks session