How Wendy Lost 20 Pounds at 61 Without Giving Up Wine or Pasta Despite Being Menopausal | Ep. 43

In this episode, Soraya sits down with client Wendy, who lost 20 pounds at 61 while going through menopause - without cutting out wine, pasta, or any of her favorite foods. After years of cycling through Weight Watchers, Noom, and Optavia, Wendy shares what finally made the difference, how she rebuilt her desire to move, and why she now goes out to eat with confidence instead of fear.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everyone and welcome. Today I'm interviewing one of our clients, Wendy, to share more about her experience in the program. So welcome, Wendy. You look lovely. Thank you so much. You're welcome. So let's dive right in. So my first question for you is what did you try before joining the program? And why do you think those things or things didn't work for you?

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Interesting question. I have been a longtime Weight Watchers attendee. And, you know, it's basically it was based on healthy food choices and things like that. And so I felt like it was the best out of the out of the bunch at the time. You know, back and forth, off and on, all those kind of things. I ended up trying Noom after that just because I felt like I needed the accountability portion better, you know, just an understanding mentally wise why I was making poor choices and going back to things that I knew weren't great for me. And then the last thing I tried was Optavia. And, you know, unfortunately, I think it was the most damaging for me because it was so restrictive and so unsustainable. I mean, I was doing maybe a thousand calories a day. And I lost um all the weight and I looked fantastic, but so little food that I couldn't exercise. I couldn't lift weights. And so in my heart, I knew that, you know, it wasn't sustainable just because I know enough to know that you've got to be strong, you've got to get your muscles strong. And so um not having the energy to do basic things, walking. I mean, you know, so I mean, I I looked good, I was very thrilled, but once it stopped because it's so expensive that you cannot keep it up. I mean, I guess there are some people who could keep it up forever, but you know, it was just um um a brownie or a shake or um a bar, um, and then one pretty much just one meal a day kind of thing, you know. So just totally not sustainable. So, you know, um the difference I think in this um for me was I watched you for a long time on Instagram. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. Yes, I did, you know, and and the thing was is be it whether it was just your coming on with just a uh a piece of advice or your part one, part two of a of a series of you know what will what will work for you. And so just the basics of this was no gimmicks. This was real. You were never um you were never like this is going to work uh be easy. This is going to be so easy for everybody, and um because you were just real, this is uh hard, but uh so is what I've discovered to what's hard, and I think you've said this a couple of times, what's hard is looking in the mirror and not being happy with what I see. And pardon me if I get emotional, uh not being able to wear the clothes in my closet, not being uh happy with the person I saw in the mirror, and so um it's hard, but you know, what's hard also is like, oh my gosh, I'm so tired after work. How am I gonna get this done? I'm so tired. That's hard. Um, it's hard to take the time to to plan the meals or just make the time to make the meals. That's hard, but you choose what is hard, you know, it's hard being one and it's hard being the other, but one is so much more, um, it's gonna give me so much more longevity, you know, um doing the things that I need to do for myself because I'm as Monia's probably told you, I'm an extremely organized person. And so knowing that I've got this plant out, I mean, I get my clothes out the night before and I have my lunch ready to throw in and you know, the breakfast laid out and all that kind of stuff. And so it's just um it's time consuming, or some people may want to say hard to to carve out that time to go when I'm tired, but it's um so much more rewarding. That hard is so much more rewarding than the constant cycle of of the unhappiness and the feeling like I I know I need to do something, I know I need to change, but I just can't seem to, you know.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

No, that that's real. And I think you choose your heart, right? If you want to be a disciplined woman, it's it's it's hard to get disciplined, right? You have to set aside time for things and prioritize things, but it's so much harder looking in the mirror every day and having the constant reminder that you don't like the way you look. So I think that's huge. You kind of mentioned this a little bit, but what do you think made this program different for you? Like, what are the elements that you think, okay, this is why this worked?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

You know, the real food, the understanding that you've say this many times, you can eat what you want. You're not cutting out huge groups of food, you're not cutting out all carbs, you're not cutting out, you know, like I said, an entire food group. You're not doing that. Um, so that's that's great. And also that, you know, I'm going to the store to buy the groceries, I'm not having to get anything pre-packaged or whatsoever, you know. Um, I the accountability portion, just you know, something may have been accountable before in in a little bit of a way, but the accountability and the homework involved, um, which I freaked out about at first because I thought, oh my gosh, I'll I'll never, I'll never can understand all the steps to this, that, and the other. But um, the the way that the homework made you delve into why um it made you say things about yourself that you probably didn't want to admit, you know. So um that um the community with the with your little group of people that you get to know, you know. And so a lot of things, a lot of things, but I love it.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

And that kind of goes into my next question. And you might find this hard to answer. So if you have multiple things, it's fine. But what would you say your favorite part of the program was?

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Um favorite part, favorite part. I wrote down a couple of different things. Um, I want to just say that, like I said already, the the real food, the no gimmicks, the the I love your attitude about um don't fool yourself. You know, just don't fool yourself into thinking that something's gonna come along or or whatsoever. You say this a lot of time on your your Instagram videos. The women just have to realize that they're in control, they can do it, they've got the strength, they've they've got to isolate the distractions or identify the distractions as to what it is that's holding you back um from making the commitment and making it all you know, all in and and stop using stop using the excuses. And so, you know, once you hear those those things, um it's it's like I said, reality. You've got to, you've got to make the decision to do it. Um, I I said I dreaded the homework, but they ended up just loving the homework. One of my favorite things that I still use obviously are the affirmations. I recorded them for myself, like you suggested, and then I I can shorthand write them out really quickly now, but just the affirmations as I go through um earlier when I was getting ready, I go into my closet and try on one thing that didn't fit me last week and it fits me better, this pair of pants that I've been wearing with the jeans or whatsoever, you know, and I go in there today to pull up something I bought weeks ago. And I thought, oh, I'm not wearing these. These just you know, I put them on today and I thought, I'm wearing these on Monday, you know, which is just those things. There's just so many, there's so many aspects. But you know, I loved the vision board. My vision board is beautiful, and I was freaked out about it at first. I thought, what am I gonna do? But all the little ideas popped into my head based on my affirmations, just you know, one of them I think is I don't want to take any medication for cholesterol or to to sleep, and you focus on you say a lot of times about you know, focusing on your sleep. Don't um don't think that your sleep is not important and how vital it is to that. And so um different things I have on my vision board, you know, like a little pill bottle that's got a big X through it and silly things like that, and pictures of travel, places I want to go, places that I've been. And um, you know, one of the affirmations for me was just the dedication and the discipline to study my Bible and pray every day, and just adding that to the disciplines that I need for myself to finish the day with thinking, okay, I'm done, I've done all I can do and I feel good about it.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Yeah. Basically, you've implemented things from the program that have become like just natural for you now. So I love that. And exciting questions. So, what would you say your biggest wins were from the program?

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Um, you know, I lost almost 20 pounds so far.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

And so I know, um, you know, and if you don't mind sharing, how old are you? You don't have to get an exact number.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

Um I don't care.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

I'm 60, I'll be 61 in August, you know, and because so many women are like, oh, I feel like my metabolism is broken, I can't lose weight. So 61 in August, down almost 20 pounds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

And you know, I um don't listen to the little voice in my head that says, You've got so far to go. I'm, you know, just focusing on on each day because there's not really been a time I've gotten on the scale that I've not lost something. And so I'm just, you know, think back about wow, you think of all the food you had this week. You know, you had great filling breakfasts, you know, you had the turkey wraps or whatsoever. You know, you just you're eating, you're eating food, and that's that's great. Um, I want to say um I also rediscovered my love for working out because I used to love to work out with weights all the time, you know, and and 10, I don't even know. Gosh, it's probably been almost eight years. I mean, you know, I was doing a lot of um um beach body programs where they incorporate weights. And so it wasn't like a total step back from it, but I used to go to the gym all the time and just the just the strengthening that your body needs. Um, and I've used this word before, I think, but the longevity that it gives me, the um, I mean, I I've got at 61, some of the kids I'm sure are like in their 20s going, what the heck? But I I've got a long, I want to live a long more, you know, life. I've got parents that are 20 some years older than me and the health problems that they face now and the lifestyles, you know, some of it's a lifestyle choices, and you get to a certain point and it's like, whoops, you're paying for all your lifestyle choices, you know. And so I want to do my utmost best to get to that point, thinking that I have done all I can do. I saw um something yesterday, and it was a sort of a joke about the only beach body that I want is when I am old, I want to be able to walk over the sand dunes. I want to be able to walk the beach. I want to be able to bend over and pick up the seashells. I want to be able to do the things that I want to do and go and enjoy and not have any limiting health conditions that are within my control. I mean, I know some things, you know, are out of our control, but things that are are within my control, the thought of of what all it will allow me to do. And we talked about, you know, traveling um this summer and um I have some travel plans for the late fall. And um to be honest, I had friends who do have limiting health conditions, and so it impacts you with whether you think about it or not, you're like, you know, no, I don't want to walk up all of the steps to go to the leaning tower of Pisa because I can't, but I can, you know, you know, some it makes your experience better. You can really get the exactly, you know. So I just want to be able to continue that, and so um a lot of wins, a lot of wins for me. Just the the get over the fear of going out to eat, and I can go with my friends. I can go and you know, whether I say yes, I'll have one glass of wine or whether I'll say no, I'm not not today, or making better choices with my food. And when they question me, I am confident enough to um say why. And luckily my friends are are great, and of course they support me no matter what, but um just the motivation or the the ability to go and still enjoy what I want to enjoy and not feel like I am um restricting myself and missing out, you know?

SPEAKER_00 13:23

So lots of I like the point you made about like sometimes you'll have something, sometimes you won't. And some people might say, Oh, that feels restrictive, but it's kind of this kind of freedom in a way, because it's like I can have the wine if I want to, but if I'm like, uh, this do I want to prioritize the wine? Do I want to prioritize feeling better later because I'm not a little, you know, wine drunk. You can make that conscious decision. Um, instead of feeling like, well, I have to have the wine because I just feel like it's in front of me, right? Exactly. Right. I love that. So kind of going off to the next question is what was your experience like with the support and accountability part of the program?

SPEAKER_01 14:00

That was one of my favorite parts because I was blessed to be placed with Koach Imani. And um just accountability like no other. She has such an amazing talent for, you know, she is looking at you, she is gleaning from you as you speak. She is her facial expressions. You can tell that she is invested in what you're saying. And then she has this um unbelievable ability to then reiterate what you have said in a summary. And um, I heard her so many times point out things that you don't even know you said into into a positive spin. People may have put themselves at a three or a two and a half or a lower number, and then they're giving all of their reasons why they feel they didn't do so well. And Imani will take that and make them realize no, you don't understand. What you're telling me is, and then she'll just reiterate a strength that they um actually exhibited that they don't realize they exhibited, or then she will finish up with uh let's um so what are we gonna work on now? Let's she she can pull out that one aspect that they are struggling with, be it the meal prep or be it the movement or whatever, and she pulls it out, and so she challenges them in some small way to what is what are we gonna do one percent better tomorrow that we did today, you know. And so um she's fantastic, she's just fantastic. And a coach Yahweh in there a couple of times, and so just the knowledge that she would that she gives you, you know, in in feedback to one of your questions or one of your responses or whatever. So um that has been one of the favorite parts for me, just getting to know her in that aspect and listen to her and see her work with myself, but with everybody else in uh, you know, whatever that they're saying or they're struggling with.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

So yeah, really love it. So you feel like you had a real relationship with your coach. It wasn't just like you were one of many. You were like, Coach Monty and I have a connection.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Right, you know, and she's there for you in so many ways, the direct messages, and you know, um, if you need the SOS calls and she's always um letting you know that she's should be available to follow up with if you have any questions. And so that's nice to know that you're you're not if you feel like you're floundering, she's right there for you, you know, to to reach out and get in touch with and and help.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Yeah, that's awesome. Support is such a big part of our program. So I'm glad that you got that benefit. And do you feel like you've made sustainable lifestyle changes at this point?

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Um, yes, because the desire to move is is just um ingrained or or just now it's just a desire to move like the day can't go by, and I'm thinking, my gosh, I have got to, I've got to do something, I've got to get the steps in. Just that little that little 7,000 number in my head going, oh my gosh, you need to get going somewhere. Um, you know, you've not you've not moved enough today. So just the planning of of okay, well, it's nice outside, so let's go for just a walk outside, or let's make the time to go to the gym. And so um the movement for me, the the the desire to move again rather than just do nothing.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Good. I have to, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Yes, you know, and so um that for me is is um is a is a win, is a a positive thing. And yes, all the things that we've talked about already, just the um the fact that I know I can eat real food and um I you get to the point where you're thinking, okay, I've I've got to focus on pro protein. And so, you know, people may fool themselves into think they're getting enough, but they really, really aren't. And so just analyzing that one component so much that you think, wow, this is doing my body good. All of the muscle building, you know, nutrients that I need are are are there.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

So a lot of things. I love that, and kind of putting a cherry on top of it. Um, what would you say to someone who is interested in rolling in the program, but they're scared, nervous, on the fence? Like what's Wendy's wisdom to get to that?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Um, gosh, just um do it. It's so worth it. It's so worth it. Um, don't let the fear overwhelm you or the or be overwhelmed by the process. We know when you first get in there, there are, you know, this, there are there are a lot of components, but taking the time to go through the weekly lessons or the to begin with, you know, just the introduction and and just to go through it all. Don't don't let it overwhelm you. Don't think that you've got to get it all right, right at the very, very beginning, because it's a learning process. Every single time you go in there to do one of the lessons, or you have a group call or whatever, you learn something. Um, you learn something else. And so it is for me, it's just been so worth it to, and the investment that I made it was completely worth it, completely worth that um amount of money and time and then to everything. So just go for it and don't be overwhelmed and just you'll be very happy.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

Yeah. Well, if you're watching, you heard it here first from Wendy. She is 61 soon, 60 and looking amazing, by the way. Um, down almost 20 pounds, making lifestyle changes. It's not too late. You're not too old, you're not behind. Starting today is better than starting 10, 15, 20 years from now. So thank you, Wendy. I appreciate you for watching, everyone. And you heard it here first. Go ahead and join now.