Episode Transcript
Speaker 1: 0:00
The point is we need to normalize. Everybody's journey is different. I'm like a common sense kind of person and I'm always trying to figure out solutions to problems, and I think I've figured out the solution to sustainable weight loss. It sounds crazy to say that out loud, but I've spent my entire life helping people try to achieve the goal of sustainable weight loss and it's working.
Speaker 2: 0:25
Welcome to. This is Perimenopause, the podcast where we delve into the transformative journey of perimenopause and beyond. I'm one of your hosts.
Speaker 3: 0:32
Michele, and I'm your other host, Michelle and we know firsthand how confusing, overwhelming and downright lonely this phase of life can be.
Speaker 2: 0:41
Join us as we share real-life stories and expert advice to help you navigate this journey and advocate for your best health.
Speaker 3: 0:49
I am beyond excited about today's episode because we're talking about something I know intimately the endless cycle of dieting. For almost 40 years I have been the poster child for yo-yo dieting. Seriously, if you look up yo-yo dieting in the dictionary, you will see my photo, front and center. But everything changed last January when a friend introduced me to the Libby Method and at first I thought sure, why not? It's super affordable and maybe it'll help me keep my New Year's resolution on track. Well, within the first week of this program, I knew that it was different from the hundreds of others I had tried before, and what started as a 91 day commitment transformed into a life changing journey. While it took me a year to lose 20 pounds, not once did I feel restricted, guilty or ashamed. I still enjoyed my wine, my cheese and my night out with my friend. And I learned that the Libby method and healthy weight loss is less about the. And I learned that the Livvy Method and healthy weight loss is less about the food I'm eating and more about healing my relationship with food and learning to trust my body again.
Speaker 3: 1:53
Today I am thrilled to introduce you to the amazing woman behind this revolutionary program, gina Livvy. She has spent over 25 years helping thousands of people lose weight sustainably through the Livi Method. It was a program born from her own 120-pound weight loss journey. What makes this approach unique? Well, there's no counting calories, there's no weighing food and there is absolutely no guilt. Instead, gina focuses on helping us understand why our bodies hold on to weight and creates an environment where sustainable weight loss becomes possible. Gina's energy is unmatchable and she and her team have created the most magical supportive community ever. Whether you're exhausted from yo-yo dieting, struggling with perimenopause weight gain or just ready for a different approach, this conversation just might change your life. I know it changed mine, gina beyond excited to have you here today.
Speaker 2: 2:58
Welcome to. This is Perimenopause, gina. Welcome to the show. Hello, hello, hello. So excited to have you. Oh my God, michelle knows you quite well because she's been part of your program for some time now. I know you quite well because Michelle gushes about you all the time, all the time, all the time. But I am really keen to find out more about all the great work that you do and how you're helping people. So let's start with you telling us a little bit about yourself and how you're helping people. So let's start with you telling us a little bit about yourself and why you're so passionate about helping people lose weight, and not just lose weight, but lose weight in a safe, healthy and, I think, probably most importantly sustainable way. Finally, and forever.
Speaker 3: 3:40
I'm just going to use all your buzzwords, Gina.
Speaker 1: 3:43
Hi, I'm Gina. I've been helping people lose weight for over 30 years. I don't know, I lose track. I'm getting older and older. I'm 51 this year.
Speaker 3: 3:53
I was going to say and you're only 24. How did you do that?
Speaker 1: 3:57
So I've been doing it for a while. Why I'm so passionate? I honestly don't know. I have always had a passion. I started. I came across a fitness class at the local YMCA when I was 14 years old and I saw this woman shouting at people and these people running around and just looking like they're having the best time and I was like what is this? I want to do that. Fast forward. Many years later I'm teaching aerobics classes good old, like 80s style classes too, you know, like with the leg warmers and getting the thong up your butt, the steps.
Speaker 3: 4:34
All the things, oh my God.
Speaker 1: 4:35
Well, it was a whole vibe Teaching classes, personal trainer and I do have my own weight loss story. Obviously. That's sort of what sparked my passion for creating the Living Method the current program I have now, but it's really just been helping people. I've spent 30 years of my life really trying to learn what people need in order to make change in their life in general, but especially when it comes to weight loss. I was raised on Oprah, who had every guest come and go talk about every diet, and I remember sitting there thinking why this woman has access to the brightest minds in the world. Why doesn't she get all these people together in one room and just tell us what we need to do to lose weight? And I have had so many people share such personal stories, break down crying. It's not because people aren't trying to lose weight, it's not because they're not working hard or spending the money. It's just because the diet industry has oversimplified calories in versus calories out, and sure that's a way to lose weight, but it also is a way that just reinforces the body to feel the need to store fat. I'm like a common sense kind of person and I'm always trying to figure out solutions to problems, and I think I've figured out the solution to sustainable weight loss. It sounds crazy to say that out loud, but I've spent my entire life helping people try to achieve the goal of sustainable weight loss and it's working.
Speaker 1: 6:07
I just got an email this morning. Oh my gosh, talk about starting my day. It was a couple. I don't even know their names. We're doing this Better Together campaign, so we're trying to motivate people to sign up with a friend or a spouse or whatever, and so we're looking for people who've done the program. And this couple don't quote me on the number, but he's lost something like 130 pounds. She's lost 63 pounds. They've been maintaining for a while and I'm just like I don't even know who these people are. And they've done my program. It's just I don't know. I just love it. I love helping people. I have a mission to help people make sustainable, real change. I'm like a goal getter. I just love it. I love helping people. I have a mission to help people make sustainable, real change. I'm like a goal getter. I love having goals that are way beyond reach and then trying to figure out what I need to do to reach those goals, and so I love helping other people do the same.
Speaker 2: 6:57
I think what just struck me about what you just said that you're a goal getter and you like having goals beyond reach. But what I know from Michelle and what I've seen and read about your program, what you teach people is the opposite of that. It's actually really doable. It's simple.
Speaker 3: 7:15
Well, and Gina, here's one thing too. Like you talked about calories in, calories out, and then I signed up for your program a year ago and you say there's no calorie counting, there's no portions, we're not measuring our food, we're not weighing anything, and I was like well, how the heck then?
Speaker 2: 7:30
She didn't use the word heck, that's.
Speaker 3: 7:32
Sorry, Like seriously, how the fuck are we going to lose weight if we have to do it this way? There we go, there it is, I don't know, but I have to say like within a week I was like, oh my God, this makes so much freaking sense. Anyway, please, can you tell us a little bit, tell our listeners a little bit about your program and how it works.
Speaker 1: 7:54
It's not just me. I have a team of experts. One of them is we have, like a learning strategist, a psychologist, doctors, you name it. So we have people who come on and share their expertise, and we have this learning strategist. You might be like, what does a learning strategist have to do with losing weight? And she has this concept of little and often.
Speaker 1: 8:14
And if you were to ask me how I became so successful like there's, there was a time where I was months behind in my rent, got my car repossessed. My husband at the time had gotten sick. He barely made it and it really changed the way our family was living. It changed what I was able to do and not do and having to take care of him, and it also eventually changed our marriage, because we ended up getting divorced and I found myself raising four kids on my own. And now you look at me last year was Canada's top 100 most powerful women. My company was just on dragon's end. Congratulations, thank you. I run a very successful company.
Speaker 1: 8:54
If you ask me how I did that, I have no fucking clue. All I know is that I knew what I wanted to accomplish and every single day I did little things. And I also understood I needed to be open to changing the way I was doing things and be open to learning the things I needed to learn in order to make the kind of change I was after or the kind of goal I was trying to achieve. And so with the Livi Method, there's like a base meal plan for lack of a better word, I like to say food plan because the program is very flexible. It's a 91 day guided program, so you're pretty much told what to do every day for 91 days, but there's a lot of flexibility in that. So it meets cultural needs, dietary needs. We basically teach you the skills that you need to lose your weight in a healthy way yes, without counting, weighing and measuring, but also the tools that you need to make sustainable change so that, once you're done losing your weight, you're able to easily maintain and sustain that weight. So it's all about what you're eating and when and how to get in tune to your body's needs, like portion sizes. We do not need math to lose weight. We don't need math to figure out what we need to eat. We don't need math to sustain our weight. And that's where that's. The oversimplification of calories in versus calories out has made us realize that it's so much more than that. How much less can you eat, how much more can you exercise and you still can't lose weight? And it has to do more with yes, follow a base plan, eat this and that, whatever.
Speaker 1: 10:21
But it's about working through issues, your associations tied into food, your relationship with food, your relationship with self, your relationship with people around you. It has to do with your habits. You can't just keep doing the same shit, expect a different result. So, working through old habits that are hard to break while you create new ones, working through beliefs, beliefs that you're worthy, beliefs that you can do this, especially after years of past dieting where you've lost in gain and lost in gain and then also, bigger than that, past traumas. So a lot of people have to unpack a lot of trauma in their life and then how they utilize food to cope, for example.
Speaker 1: 10:59
So, man, it sounds like it's a lot. It is a lot, but I've been able to structure it in this very routine kind of week by week, day by day way. That makes it really easy for people to follow, so they end up accomplishing a lot. They probably don't know how they're doing it either. At the end of the program they look back and be like holy shit, look what I did. And they're like everyone should do this. But if you ask them to explain it, let me ask you Michelle, explain the living method. How do you explain?
Speaker 3: 11:28
it Like what I try to tell people. It's not so much a diet, it's changing my relationship with food, but there's so much to it and your team is there for everything. Like, I found the food part easy I could get that I already ate pretty healthy, yes, and yet the scale wasn't moving or it was moving in the wrong direction, and it's like really sinking into your body and thinking am I hungry? Am I really hungry? Do I really need this? And some days I'm like driving home and I'm like, oh, my God, I have to go home. I have chocolate because I'm stressed out about something. And then I'll actually now stop and be like, oh, do I really need the chocolate? Like, ah, and sometimes I'll still have the chocolate because I just know I want it, but I now can stop myself and go, ah, maybe I don't actually need this. This is just filling some hole, or it's comforting me, or it's doing something emotionally. It's because it's not about the food, it's about all the stuff going on inside mentally and yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2: 12:30
What struck me when Gina, when Michelle, first started this. I remember getting on a call with her and she said you know, I started this new program and she said I've never eaten so much in my life and I'm losing weight. It's crazy.
Speaker 3: 12:40
Like you eat all the time for the first little while, and I can see that it's overwhelming for some people because it is like you know it's okay, what's a protein and what's a carb and what's a. You know all the things. But it's also so simple and it's laid out so well your program, your app, it's amazing.
Speaker 1: 12:56
I always say people can eat a lot of food, it doesn't mean that the food that they're eating has a lot of nutrient value, and it's really about giving your body good, nutrient rich foods that give your body the resources it needs to make change. And so here's the here's the flag concept of calories in versus calories out. Eating less, exercising more, you can starve and deprive yourself, restrict your body from the nutrients it needs, and it will dip into and utilize your fat reserves. But in doing that, you're also simultaneously teaching the body that it needs and it will dip into and utilize your fat reserves. But in doing that, you're also simultaneously teaching the body that it needs that fat because you keep using it, and so the body stores a certain amount of fat for emergency purposes, like those times when you are starved and deprived and don't have access to food. The problem is, we have all the access to food most of us that we could possibly ask for, and so it's the act of forcing your body to burn fat. Yes, you will lose weight that way, but you will never be able to sustain and maintain it, because the first chance it gets, the body is going to store all that fat back plus more. And so this is why you have to figure out why is your body feeling a need to store fat?
Speaker 1: 14:03
It's not the chocolate that you're having after a stressful day. It's constantly doing deprivation diets, going long periods of time without eating, overeating when you do eat, combined with high stress, high cortisol levels, lack of sleep. When you're tired, you crave carbs and sugar, and then your body processes those foods differently. It's about being stressed and utilizing food to cope day in, day out, and then, when you do overeat something, punish yourself the next day by starving and depriving again. And that is what teaches the body. The body is so smart, it's trying to figure out how to keep you alive. And imagine what would the body do if you kept going through periods of constant starvation. Every time you did get your hands on food, the body's going to store that and be like well, we're going to need this for next time. We're going to be starved and deprived, which happens quite regularly around here.
Speaker 1: 14:56
And so you know, people like to come up with gimmicky things, and there is some truth in some of the diets, and and that's where I've been around for the evolution of the diet and seeing okay, well, maybe it's not high protein. It's just making sure you're getting in the protein when you need it and getting enough. It's not low carb. It's actually right carbs at the right time, getting them in earlier in your day when you need them, rather than at night when you're about to go to bed. And so there was truth.
Speaker 1: 15:23
Fasting, for example. People have taken fasting way out of control and there is a benefit for it if you're doing long-term fasting for health benefits, not for weight loss. But it makes sense to not eat after dinner at night when your body's trying to wind down for sleep, so your body can repair and rebuild and do the things that it does when you sleep. It makes sense that you don't have to eat right when you wake up, because you're waking up, you're already full of energy. But this people has taken everything to the extremes and not figured out.
Speaker 1: 15:54
Oh, so there's bits and pieces of truth. What does the body actually need to function on the most optimal levels? So if you give your body what it needs and you address why it's feeling you need to store fat, your body would be more than happy to be like I don't need this fat, it's not healthy for me, let me get rid of it and then support the body and its needs. Everyone's trying to control, moderate. Those are two words that I think don't belong when it comes to losing weight control and moderation. You don't need to control anything and you're not trying to moderate anything. You're trying to be in tune to your body's needs and then saying out loud it's not lost on me that people are like well, how, how do I do that? It's all great sounds in theory, little and often, and you make small changes day in, day out. I basically figured out the algorithm to sustainable weight loss and what I'm doing is practically giving it away. It's crazy. What is it for? Right now it's $75. The price is going up in January to 99.
Speaker 2: 16:55
The value that you get is just For 91 days. That's insane.
Speaker 1: 16:59
It's insane.
Speaker 3: 17:01
Even if it was for a day, the value that your team brings, the value that you bring every day. You show up every single morning, you're in our inbox and you do Facebook Lives every day, and Wednesday's Tweak this Week, you're just there. It's amazing. It's incredible.
Speaker 2: 17:20
I don't know how you have the energy and I think what's interesting about that is you're always there, gina, and there's a lot available for that small amount of money for a lot of days. But again, the participant doesn't have to be on doing all of that, right? Because what you just described could sound overwhelming, I think, to some it would sound overwhelming to me, I don't know. It's fascinating. No-transcript, something that enables significant results without having people to you know, not significant upheaval, and also without much, like there's really no deprivation.
Speaker 3: 18:03
Like I don't think you've ever said don't have that wine. Like honestly, like I was, like she's letting me drink on this diet too. Like this is insane and I know that you do say you know, like you know it might slow things down and and, but also I love you, I love your take on, like if you're going to have a piece of cake, if it's your birthday, have freaking cake I think you dropped the F button, probably but enjoy every single bite and think about how it makes you feel. And it's like you've never once I've never once in the year that I've been doing this, I've never once felt deprived. I've never once felt like I was giving something up, like I couldn't do something, like I couldn't eat something. It's, it's amazing.
Speaker 1: 18:42
Well, it's it's. It's it's about. I have thousands of people run through the program a hundred, a hundred thousand plus more a year and so it's all about teaching people to tune into where they are at. One of the things I suggest is like map out your history with weight loss. What's your weight story? When did it start? What have you done? What you haven't done, like, how did you get here? And then it's about meeting yourself where you're at and figuring out what you need to do to help you move forward.
Speaker 1: 19:09
And in working with so many people over the years, I've gotten really good at trying to figure out what people need, and everyone is a little different. Some people are really like a type personalities they love rules. I don't have rules, I have guidelines. And some people are like go hard, go home getting it done, and I appreciate that. And then some people are like listen, I got a lot going on in my life. Right now. If I can just do some of the things, that is good enough, and I structured my program in 91 day increments specifically for that digestible chunks of time that represent the fall, winter, spring and also seasons of your life, and I might not have someone who just does their first program and and and crushes it, and then the next program. They're just like hanging on by the skin of their teeth because they're going through a divorce or selling their home or they're dealing with something else in their life, and you have to normalize that everybody's journey is different and that people have different needs, and so I have broken it down in a really simple way.
Speaker 1: 20:10
It's just about picking up what I'm putting down, but what is really relevant to you, and it can seem overwhelming, and this is why we have a learning strategist, for example, who's like okay, it's great that they have a Facebook support group and you have an app and you have lives and you have guests and you have a journal and you have a blog, but they're not all meant to be used. Some people love the app, and that's all they use. Some people love to put pen to paper, so they use a journal. Some people love the community, so they love being in that Facebook support group every day, talking to other members. So I've tried to make it my mission to figure out how can I help everybody in a way that's going to resonate with them, and so I'm always thinking what more can I do or how can I do it better?
Speaker 1: 20:57
My husband, he's like a data guy. He likes data and metrics and numbers. He's like you need to put out a survey and hear from people I'm like, oh fuck, no, I'm doing the best I can. I do not want to hear.
Speaker 2: 21:09
I don't need to know what.
Speaker 1: 21:11
I'm doing wrong. I don't want to know it'm doing wrong. I don't want to know it. I just this is it, this is what you get. And also the cheap price was like well, fuck, if they don't like me, it's 60 bucks. They got nothing to lose. If anyone made a complaint, I'm like here's your money. Go find something better. Like it's not worth it.
Speaker 1: 21:28
But I've come to really realize that I have a to stop learning and I love we've made so many changes to the program. Like I don't want to just hear from people who are doing well. I want to hear from people who are like your program sucks. Uh, I didn't do it because I don't like this, I don't like that, whatever Cause. Then I want to be like okay, tell me what I can do to get you across that finish line. Tell me what you need. Like I, that's what I want to focus on. It's great. People are like oh, it was so easy, that was amazing. I mean that's 90% of the people do the program. We're like oh, thank you, that was amazing. Off I go. Um, but it's the people who are struggling that I want to know why and what can I do to better help you.
Speaker 2: 22:07
Is there commonality, gina, in that 10%, that struggle, and what is it? Can you share?
Speaker 1: 22:13
I can tell you the commonality in the people who are successful they follow the concept of. They're consistent, it's not about any one thing that they're doing. They do journal. People who use the journal, people who record in the app, tend to do statistically better than people who are not tracking. And with our tracker you don't count, weigh and measure, you just like click off, I drank my water, I got in some leafy greens, whatever. People who do it with somebody else or in a community have statistically more results.
Speaker 1: 22:46
I can tell you who's going to be successful, not based on comments in the group. One person who comes in and says oh my gosh, I'm overwhelmed, I don't know where to start. I feel like this whatever and is open to someone helping them and receiving that information, is more likely to succeed than someone who's like there's too many lives, I can't keep up with them. This food plan is confusing. They come in, they make statements and I call them the planted, the seeds of doubt. They are successfully setting themselves up to successfully fail so that when they decide to not do it, they're like oh well, gina, she talks too fast and she's got a whiny voice and I don't have time to be reading the whole book, fuck off Right Like do you know what I mean? I'm not everyone's cup of tea, that's okay, but you, you can read the book and not have to listen to my voice at all, right, so there are definitely commonalities between what makes someone successful in weight loss and then also in maintenance.
Speaker 1: 23:38
We actually have a team at the University of Ottawa, worth Kane, who's been studying the Libby method for the last couple of years, separate from us. She applied for government funding and got a huge grant to study the Libby method, so she'd been studying that efficacy. How effective is it? We know without a shadow of a doubt, because research says that people are losing a clinical amount of weight doing the Libby method. There's no downside. There's downside to other diets.
Speaker 2: 24:02
So what's a clinical amount of?
Speaker 1: 24:03
weight 5% in six months and people are losing more than 5% in three months with the Libby method. Technically, people are losing weight quicker than what they do when they're actually taking weight loss medications. So we were at the Canadian Obesity Summit a few years back and Ruth, who's doing the study, was able to present her findings and they were all great. They were like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. It proved to us that people are sustaining their weight. So now, over the past year and the next few years, she's studying the sustainability part of it. So what are the commonalities between people who are able to sustain and maintain their weight and people who are having a hard time doing that? So I am really out to prove that not only can you lose weight in a healthy way, but you really can lose it in a way that you can move on from your weight loss journey.
Speaker 3: 24:51
So my first round I only lost. I wanted to lose about 25 pounds. My first round, I lost four pounds in three months. That was it, I think, the first week that I joined I thought, okay, so I'll do this one round. And then by the end of the first week I was like, oh, maybe I'll do it for a couple rounds. And now by the second round I was like I'm here for like two years, I never want to leave A, I never want to leave the community but B.
Speaker 3: 25:15
There's so many layers to this weight loss journey. It's about changing your relationship with your body and your hunger cues and stuff. So it's not always fast and that's one of the things that, if people are coming into this hoping to have an overnight success may not be the way. Round one, I lost four pounds. Round two, I lost about 10 pounds and now I'm down about 20 total. I'm on day 73, I think I'm a few weeks behind you guys, but I'm getting close and I just had a big drop the other day and it doesn't have to be fast. There's still magic here.
Speaker 1: 25:48
I'm all about losing as much weight as quickly as possible. But I am not a quick fix program, I am an anti quick fixer. It's all relative. It is about that percentage of weight, so that four pounds might not seem like a lot, but based on the amount of weight that you have to lose, that could be a considerable amount. So one to two pounds is about the standard. But you also have to think about fat loss versus weight loss. You've probably done quick fix diets where you lose that big amount in the beginning, then we forget that you get to a point where you can't lose any more and then you gain it back Right. And so I'm going to guess for you you probably had a lot of high stress going on. You could have some hormonal issues that you're dealing with. You could have some inflammation in your body. You probably have done periods of high stress, lack of sleep, going long periods of time without eating, under eating and then overeating, and so your body is coming in a bit of a hot mess, and it's no judgment.
Speaker 2: 26:45
No, you've just described perimenopause.
Speaker 1: 26:48
Yeah, plus, if you have a history you have a history of dieting you are at risk of losing a lot of muscle mass, and there's a big difference between fat loss and weight loss. You know, what was really interesting is that the internet has been really cool, because I've been helping people lose weight for years and I started online early on because I had four kids. Trying to raise my kids Online really worked really well for me, but a lot of times I didn't see my clients and after a couple of years of running my weight loss group, I started to follow people online and I was like what, what is happening here? There's something about these after photos that people are showing that it's, it's different. And I clicked in and I was like this is healthy, sustainable weight loss. You're looking at people. They don't look like they've literally gone and starved and deprived themselves. They look healthy. They look healthy, and so, for a variety of reasons, everybody's journey is going to be a little different.
Speaker 1: 27:50
Now I could have said about you maybe you weren't as diligent, maybe you weren't all in, maybe you weren't as consistent as you needed to be, maybe you had something going on in your life. Just because I choose the start date of my program. And just because I chose a 91 day program doesn't mean you're going to fit your life and your needs into my little 91 day box that starts on this date and ends on that date, right? So there are different seasons in your life that you're gonna find that weight loss and the things you need to do come a lot easier. We've had so many people the manager of my group right now, kim, who obviously has been successful, didn't make it past like she lost nine pounds in three weeks. She quit after week three. It wasn't happening fast enough for her, for whatever reason. She tried again the next time, quit again. Finally, the third time, when everything was aligning in her life and she had learned the things she needed to learn, she crushed their third program. Then she did her next program.
Speaker 1: 28:46
So sometimes you crush it, crush it, crush it, then you struggle. So, statistically, people who spend more time going through the weight loss program, where it really gets to that mental part of things where they work on getting in tune to their body needs, have an easier time in maintenance than someone who just did one program, one and done, lost my weight and I'm good. The point is we need to normalize. Everybody's journey is different. Everybody's journey is individual and everyone's journey is profound in their own ways. And when, for every person who's struggling in their first group, someone else is crushing it, for everyone who crushed it in their first group and is now struggling in their second group, it's the other way around. Weight loss is not linear and it's not a straight line down, and anyone who shows you a graph that is a straight line down is so full of shit I honestly would just run.
Speaker 2: 29:36
Weight loss is hard. Yeah, it is hard. What do you say to? There are prominent experts, people out there who say that no, no, no. Calorie deprivation is the only way you can actually lose weight. What do you? I'm sure you have this conversation a lot. What do you say?
Speaker 1: 29:54
Yeah Well, first of all, I will tell you they are under the age of 35. True that, and I have no disrespect for nutritionists, dietitians and all of that. I just very quickly learned from a very young age that that was just horse shit. The conversation around weight loss is like a really storied. It's got a really storied history. That is just not cool. Just because that's the way it's been done doesn't mean that's the way that makes sense. I got to learn at a really young age.
Speaker 1: 30:23
When I was in university I was working at a gym, so I was teaching like two to three hardcore aerobics classes a day. I would go to work this was my routine At seven in the morning I would stop at the local coffee shop. I would get a scone or a muffin and a coffee. Then I would teach all these aerobics classes plus lift weights in between, help people lose weight. Then I would come home around three o'clock maybe, have a salad, probably nothing, go to school, pull an all-nighter Maybe. Once a week I would go pizza with my friends. I was hardly eating anything, exercising my fucking ass off. And not only was I not losing weight, I was gaining and gaining, and gaining and gaining, and one time I was at the bar at university waiting for my friends and I was up against a tree and this guy, some drunk guy, walked by and said oh my God, look at that girl's legs like the size of tree trunks. And I was fit because I was working out, but I was big, I looked like a football player. I actually played on the on the university powder puff football team, um, outside linebacker, um. But that was the side of the point. I went to my doctor and I'm like there is God, there is something wrong with me. And I said I cannot lose weight. He's like well, you probably need to exercise more. I'm like, dude, I, literally I exercise more than anybody I know. Well, you must be eating too much. I'm like I can count calories. I may be having six 700 calories a day. And then he's like well, maybe you're just big boned. And I'm like my bones grew. Your bones grow that much. Like, oh my god. So then that left me thinking this is what is going on.
Speaker 1: 32:00
And so, fast forward, when I was done university, I moved into the city and I was, I was again working in a gym and and teaching aerobics and I I got introduced to my now ex-husband and he he was a chef and and so you start to date and you start to eat, and so I was starting to eat all the time and all of a sudden, my weight started to drop. And I remember he came to my place and he opened up the fridge. He's like you have no food. And I'm like, yeah, I'm on a diet. He's like you exercise more than anybody. I know how is that working for you? Like what's going on? I'm like I know right, like I don't get it.
Speaker 1: 32:37
Um, but as we started to date, and the more I started to eat, the more I started to lose and I was like whoa, what is going on here? Like why, all of a sudden, am I eating more than ever? And now I'm actually starting to lose weight. Now also, I've come to realize my stress levels change because I was no longer pulling and my sleep change and no longer pulling all-nighters, working two jobs, trying to get myself through university, all of that. But as I started to lose weight, as I was eating more, I started to really get obsessed with what is happening here and this sent me down a real rabbit hole of trying to figure out and at the time. No one was talking about lifestyle, no one talked about insulin and cortisol, and no one talked about the importance of managing your stress or sleep or how your body processed foods.
Speaker 1: 33:29
Within, I believe, eight months, I had lost 100 pounds without really doing anything other than eating more, and within a year, I figure, I lost about 120, if not more, and so that really, once I did that, everyone wanted to get me to help them to lose weight. And then I was like, took the things I've learned and was like, okay, what's this person's problem? Mine was not eating enough, mine was the stress, mine was a lack of sleep. What's this person's problem? Mine was not eating enough, mine was the stress, mine was a lack of sleep. What's this person's problem? And this is where I slowly, I figured in, you know, health issues and whatnot.
Speaker 3: 34:03
Can I just say, gina, you brought up like five pillars of health there that you teach in your program sleep, stress management, movement, good nutritious foods. I can't remember all the other stuff, all the other brilliant things, but I remember when I was listening to I think it's your maximizing post, where you were like this is what you need to be doing and I was like, wait a second. I've heard this stuff before. All of the experts that come on our podcast, these doctors, their first line of defense for perimenopause symptoms are these lifestyle changes right? And so your program is not only helping women, to you know, lose weight and to get in touch with their relationship with food, you're also helping with their menopause symptoms. It's like it's amazing. I got my period back, though, as a result of your program.
Speaker 1: 34:50
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3: 34:51
Wasn't happy it happens.
Speaker 1: 34:54
I went nine months without wine and it came back. So I remember your question. You asked me how did I feel about people who doubled down on calories in versus calories out and this perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause conversation? Look at the lack of research in this area, right, look what we're just learning now. I think 10 years from now, we're going to say the same about the diet industry. We're going to be like the fuck, calories in versus calories out, as if we thought that was a sustainable way to lose weight.
Speaker 1: 35:24
I started, as you know, I started a menopause add on because this conversation in my weight loss program was getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and it really deserved its own space. So when I talk about menopause, I stay in my lane and talk weight loss specifically. And, yes, it has to do with your estrogen and your hormones and whatever. But I started a conversation about hormones in general and weight gain and weight loss a few years back, talking about cortisol and how that affects your body and your body's need to store fat and can can hinder your ability to focus on fat loss. For years, women would come into my program and be like, oh, I have hormonal issues. Well, can I lose weight and I'm like, yes, of course you can, it's such a loaded question, but they're just talking about they're. They're talking about the estrogen and the androgens and the progesterone, right, and totally discounting their cortisol and their insulin and their melatonin and their hunger hormones and all of this stuff. And I'm just like it's such a complicated conversation and I had this guest who comes on and she said your hormones, all of your hormones, are like an orchestra. Imagine you're listening to an orchestra and when a couple of them are off, it just affects all of the rest. It affects how it all works together. And so I really started this menopause conversation many years ago, trying to inform women specifically that there are a lot more hormones at play than the hormones that they're associating.
Speaker 1: 36:54
And then, when you add, when you are transitioning and your hormones are changing, years of dieting. So if you imagine starving and depriving and disconnecting, not eating when you're hungry, not sleeping when you're tired, not drinking when you're thirsty, not to mention the muscle mass that is lost as you age, but as you starve and deprive yourself, it just creates a perfect storm for weight gain and feeling like fucking garbage by the time you roll through. You start through perimenopause into menopause. So I've had a huge passion for where's my part in this conversation? And there are so many people having this conversation right now. It's really great.
Speaker 1: 37:36
I love the new science that's coming out. I love that women feel empowered to recognize maybe starving and depriving and punishing ourselves is not the way to go. There's a different way to go. I know I'm going on and on, but we have this psychologist, dr Beverly David you may know Love her and she talks about sleep and how every night when you sleep your brain kind of washes itself like rinse and repeat and this is why you could be raging and feeling so upset about something and then you go to sleep and the next day your perspective is totally different because your brain kind of lets go what you don't need and kind of resets your emotions and all of that.
Speaker 1: 38:19
And I said to her not too long ago I had this conversation in the menopause add-on. Perhaps maybe with all the changes that are happening in our brain through menopause, perhaps this is a big wash of our brain where now it's about letting go of being the caregiver you know, the mom that you know doing all of those things we need to do and perhaps our brain is giving us a wash so we can reset and be like oh okay, here I am, who am I, what do I need? Right, I love that I love that.
Speaker 3: 38:53
Yeah, we're going to live a third of our lives in this state right, perimenopause or postmenopause.
Speaker 1: 38:59
Yes, and the thing is is that they know what happens in adolescence with your hormones. They know what happens after. We know what happens with your hormones when you are pregnant and we know what happens after. We are just learning what happens with our hormones through menopause. We haven't studied what happens after, and I met this amazing woman, Zaina Kayyat. She's a futurist and she's like we have the ability and we absolutely will be living to about 150 years old in the future, and so then I'm like if that is in us and that is like a that science, then that means we are not ready to shrivel up and die after menopause. This is not us just trying to figure out how to hang on a little bit longer and be useful. There has got to be that we have to study the what happens after menopause and we know nothing about that, and I find that really exciting. That's me how I really feel about it.
Speaker 2: 40:00
Absolutely. Can I circle back with you, Gina? So we've talked about muscle loss. Obviously, getting adequate protein is important. Getting enough fiber is important. We know that from a lot of the experts we've had on. If you're not tracking your food and measuring and weighing, how do you live your losers? I love that. That's what someone decided to call your fans.
Speaker 1: 40:25
That was the members that decided to call themselves.
Speaker 2: 40:28
It was the members right, yeah, you didn't come up with that, but yeah, awesome. So how do how do live? Your losers know they're getting enough protein and you know the nutrients that are going to fuel and sustain their weight loss but, more importantly, their health.
Speaker 1: 40:41
Thank you. I love this question and it's important one because I think when we hear that make sure you're getting enough protein, make sure you're this, make sure you're doing that, people are assuming that women are starving and depriving themselves. They are assuming that their method for weight loss is eating less, exercising more, not getting the protein, not getting the fiber, surviving on barely anything. And so I think that when we hear this information, that's the assumption, and in the Livi method, as you know, people are like they're starting their day with a higher protein breakfast. And this is not. My program is not keto, it's not low fat, low carb, nothing. It's just like just common sense giving the body what it needs and starting your day off higher in protein is a benefit. You're feeding into your satiety hormones. Your body's working a little bit harder from the get. You can also choose not to have breakfast, but if you do choose not to have breakfast, you want to make sure you are replenishing your glycogen stores mid-morning. So basic food plan, just to give you a quick overview, is focus on the protein, but you can also add fruits and vegetables and grains to that as well. You just want to make sure you're focusing on that protein Mid-morning snack to start out with, and that changes as we go. Fruit to replenish those glycogen stores. At lunch you are looking at the components of vegetables, your carbohydrates, protein, leafy greens, healthy fats. Lunch would be the best time to add in any heavier carbs, like rices, quinoas, potatoes, those type of things. Afternoon vegetables get in that veg snack. You can also combine that with more protein if you like, and fats. Afternoon snack nuts and seeds although we have variations for people who can't have nuts and seeds. That protein and fat feeding into your satiety hormones as you lead into dinner so you're feeling more satisfied, less likely to overeat. And then dinner is the focus on protein, right, leafy greens, healthy fats. So we're incorporating proteins for pretty much every single meal and snack and we now know for making sure you're getting enough protein throughout your day. It's not how much you're getting in any one meal, it's just making sure you're getting enough throughout the day, plus also the standards that they're providing.
Speaker 1: 42:46
We come in different shapes and sizes. We have different activity levels and different needs, so prescribing the same amount of protein for every body makes zero fucking sense at the end of the day. So you know when you crave a steak, you know when you get your period usually and you're craving, like you know, whenever you want a steak and you're ready to rip a cow's ass off, you're like you go to the store, you get a steak. You go to the keg. You're like I want steak. Like a salad isn't going to do, you know. You just know when you need it. Um, you know people are much more innate and in tune than what they believe, and this is where you shouldn't have to just making sure you're making it a priority. Same things like fiber, the same like eat some fruits.
Speaker 2: 43:27
Fruit is not evil.
Speaker 1: 43:28
Bananas are not the devil but eat a fucking banana, right? Yeah, exactly, um, just a whole nutrient rich foods, and if you're eating enough to feel satisfied and this is that education piece you are getting enough protein in your diet. And if you feel like you're not, then eat a little bit more. Overabundance of protein is not helpful either, and I think there's a lot of people, because we tend to do things at extreme eating way more protein than what they need and then trying to figure out why can't I lose weight, and meanwhile it's because they're just trying to survive on protein and not getting enough carbohydrates or a fiber in their diet as well. So, yeah, it all stems from this premise that everyone is assuming that we are starving and depriving ourselves and that we don't know what we need in order to be healthy.
Speaker 3: 44:19
So can I just ask you a question? This is a selfish question for me, because so many of us have been depriving ourselves for so long and we're not in tune with our hunger cues anymore and with what our body needs. Like, maybe they're right, maybe we don't know what we need, right? So how do you teach women? How do you teach us? And again, please teach me, because sometimes this is really easy for me and other days I really struggle with figuring out am I hungry, do I need to eat this? Am I satisfied? Am I, am I full? Okay, it's, it's that cue. That's really tricky. So how do you, how do you teach women or people Sorry, because there's a lot of gentlemen in your group as well how do you teach us how to get back in tune with our hunger cues?
Speaker 1: 45:00
Yeah, this is a great question. One is realizing that you were born in tune and that we get disconnected from a very young age. When we're overfed as a baby, when you're told to eat all the food on your plate as a child even though you're full, when you're told to wait, when you tell your parents or someone that you're hungry, your dinner's in three hours then you add dieting to that, or you're starving and depriving and trying to not eat. But tell me the alcohol or the food that you got so sick on that. The thought of it just makes you like what is it?
Speaker 3: 45:31
Rum Right, mikkel, do you have one?
Speaker 2: 45:34
Peach schnapps. Oh, I forgot about that.
Speaker 1: 45:37
Say it again Peach schnapps. What if I was to pour you a nice drink of peach schnapps?
Speaker 1: 45:44
See your face, oh my God, that makes my mouth, my mouth gets hairy, your mouth is watering and for people who are just listening by way of podcasts, your face is all scrunched up. That's being in tune. That's your body being like yeah, that shit don't work for me. And your body is so brilliant it's always making these connections. What makes it complicated is when we're triggered Like think about right now, like Big Mac, right, do you want a Big Mac? At first you're like Big Mac, fun, yummy. Oh, yeah, I want that. Or whatever it is pizza or ice cream In your head you're like, oh, but really, my stomach right now, when I'm saying Big Mac, is like what? No, I don't want a Big Mac. No, I don't want ice cream.
Speaker 1: 46:26
A lot of the times we don't take time to try to connect and to try to be in tune. You know the buffet line and you know you're putting the food on your plate and you know that there's a point where you're like this is just way too much. Like you're looking at your plate but you still see like the yummy foods. You're like I know, I know this is too much, but I'm going to still. I got to get the mashed potatoes and the creamed onions or whatever it is your food of choice, doesn't matter, you just know. You know how you're going to feel when you eat that.
Speaker 3: 46:49
And then you know afterwards that you're stuffed and you still go back for the pie, of course.
Speaker 1: 46:53
That's what? Well, you might as well Fuck it At this point. I might as well just overeat it, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm all for that there. But this is that you have that ability and it's just about taking the time and reconnecting the brain. It's like rewiring how your body's come to function by addressing its needs, and then also a big part of weight loss is rewiring your brain and how it's come to associate with foods.
Speaker 1: 47:15
So I start with four mindful eating questions. Before you even eat your food, take time, get out of your head into your belly and say am I even hungry right now? And maybe you are Okay, like, let's just try to be like, am I, am I hungry? Like how do? How? Am I even feeling? And then look at the portion of food If you're at a restaurant or it's served on your plate for dinner tonight and be like how, how am I going to feel if I was to eat for shits and giggles? If I eat all of this, how am I going to feel? And you're going to know, oh, that's way too much. Or you're going to know, oh, that's not enough. Or maybe you're like I don't know. That's okay. That's okay Because practice. The more you practice, the more in tune you'll be.
Speaker 1: 47:51
The third question is now that you started to eat. So, now that I'm starting to eat, am I feeling any physical effects of eating? What if someone was to come and take my plate away right now? What if the waiter was like oh, let me grab. I'm at a restaurant, I'm eating. The waiter just comes in and takes your food. Am I going to be like whoa, what are you doing? Get your ass back here. Or am I going to be like, oh, it's fine, actually I'm done, I don't really care. Right, like how would I feel if I stopped eating now? And how would I feel if I take a few more bites? And then, when you're done eating, how did you know you've had enough?
Speaker 1: 48:28
And this is a big one, because a lot of people don't realize it doesn't matter how much food is on their plate. They simply eat everything on their plate. They actually don't even pay attention, or they eat until they feel so full they have to unbutton their pants and, rather than eating to satisfaction and eating enough, they have been taught to eat until they are full. So how did you know you were done? That's the third question. How did you know you were done. How do you feel?
Speaker 1: 48:53
And then, 10, 15 minutes later, when you walk away because you should, after you're done eating, you shouldn't feel like you shouldn't have to unbutton your pants or feel like you ate. You should be able to eat and keep on going, not need a nap. But how do you feel afterwards, now that your body's had time to process and digest your foods? And when you start practicing that and getting in tune, it starts to become second nature. There is a lot more to it, but you want to get to your place and lose your weight in a way that you can trust what to eat, when to eat. I'm hungry now. What to eat? I need a steak, I need a salad, I need some fruit or whatever. And then how much to eat. I'm satisfied, I'm good, and that doesn't mean that you might still be like this shit is so yummy, I'm going to eat the whole thing. But I'm going to eat it knowing I'm going to walk away feeling full and then, when I get on myself, I'm like why did I eat that?
Speaker 3: 49:50
I'm so fat I'm never going to lose my weight. I'm going to be like no, it was worth it, it was great, I enjoyed it. Let me just move it along. That's been a game changer for me. That's been a game changer for me being able to like, to recognize that I'm full, like, and that does happen. I'm full, but I really love the flavor of this and I don't want to stop.
Speaker 3: 50:00
But I feel like it's okay, Like you've. You've always said like it's okay. You've always said that it's okay. You do that. Enjoy every bite and don't berate yourself about it and don't feel guilty, but think about how you feel afterwards. I never got hung over. It was my superpower, and that's another thing that you've ruined for me, Gina, is that now in the mornings I'm like oh, I don't actually feel good anymore, Like fuck Gina fuck, I know.
Speaker 2: 50:30
It's also menopause too. That's why the alcohol fucks us up, okay, okay. So it's not you. You're taking the shame out of eating, which is my God. Imagine the world if everyone, but particularly perimenopausal women, could take the shame out of, well, everything, but let's start with eating.
Speaker 1: 50:49
Yeah, wow, I think they didn't know the conversations to have. I watched Oprah. So Oprah came out this year because of the new weight loss medications and had that conversation that weight loss is so much more and it's not about willpower and all of that. And I'm just like I have been having these conversations for years and no disrespect to her but we need to have more of them. Women, I think, are very good at commiserating with each other and I've studied this for a couple of years on diets, because I used to work at this gym where women would go and bust their ass and then they would sit on the couch afterwards and talk oh well, I, you know, I ate a whole bag of chips yesterday. Or I ate a whole bag of cookies and then, rather than being like, well, why, what's going on? They would be like next thing you know they're swapping cookie recipes and I'm like, why are we not? It's not funny. It's not funny that you ate a whole bag of cookies. Like, it's okay, you want to drink a whole bottle of wine, eat a whole thing, I'm all about that, but it's like, let's talk about why. Like, what's going on in your life, what was that about? Like, let's have a different conversation, a deeper conversation to to we.
Speaker 1: 51:55
The diet industry is a gajillion dollar industry and it is not suffering. It is with all the body positivity movement. It is not suffering. It grows year over year. Obesity rates grow year over year and yet I think we are more shamed into talking about diets. We feel more shameful than ever when it comes to wanting to lose weight. There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make change. It doesn't mean you hate yourself. It doesn't mean that you don't have love for yourself. You're allowed to change and evolve. That we have to create this space.
Speaker 1: 52:29
You asked me earlier about my community I've been very protective of. I used to kick people out all the time, like if you're an asshole, like just no, I'm just sorry. Like there's I can, you, you might be struggling. There's a nice way to say things and this is why it started so cheap, $60. Cause I'm like here's your money back. I just you cannot pay me enough for me to have to listen to you be an asshole to me or my team or somebody else. Like weight loss is hard enough. And then you also feel like I've been the odd man out Like I'm believe it or not, I'm not cool. I was never part of the cool crowd. I never felt like I belonged. I always felt a little on the outside and I wanted to create a community where everyone felt included and, interestingly enough, I changed my friend group recently.
Speaker 1: 53:21
There was something that happened and it was so devastating that happened. A friend group that I had for 20 years and what I was realizing before the friendship ended was like, okay, I'm being really vulnerable in my life and I'm sharing everything, and they're kind of not, and so I'm the friend that comes off like a hot mess, always in crisis, can't fucking deal. You know what I mean Needs help, and I'm like I don't. I don't need help. I need friends who listen and don't judge me. I'm not a. I'm not. I guess I'm a hot mess, but isn't everybody and my friends that I was surrounding myself with kept putting up errors of like their? Their marriage was perfect, even though we all know the one girl's husband was cheating on her, but we couldn't talk to her about it because she's that kind of friend that would like be like you'd be out, right.
Speaker 1: 54:08
And I just was like this is not working. And so my complete friend group changed and I was like what? What are the people I want to surround myself? Open people, people who are having honest conversations, people who want to make change, people who are trying to lift up and support others? I know it sounds so cliche, but then what happened? Was this big flood, this flood of by me being honest in my shares? I've been through a lot and I share I probably my members know too much about me. It's TMI, but I'm the only reference I got. I'm the only reference I got. I mean, what I've realized is being vulnerable and real and not trying to be something. It really opened up the floodgates for an incredible community and an incredible circle of friends and people like I got to meet, like you guys. I think it was destiny that our booths were beside each other and we got to meet and connect.
Speaker 2: 55:01
Oh no, no, no, no no. Michelle freaking orchestrated that. Let's be really fucking honest yeah.
Speaker 3: 55:07
Gina's going to be here, I want to be beside hers. That's beautiful for you to say but no. I've been stalking you for a while.
Speaker 2: 55:17
No, that's okay, that's okay, sorry, mish, I love you, but you are a star fucker if there ever was one.
Speaker 1: 55:24
That's true when preparedness means destiny. You create your own destiny, ladies. You create your own destiny.
Speaker 2: 55:30
Exactly, exactly. Sorry, I've interrupted your beautiful. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so crass. Okay, please continue.
Speaker 1: 55:38
I don't know what I was saying. Yeah, I don't know. Community is really important. That's what I love about what's happening in the menopause space right now. I love what you ladies are doing. You guys are doing it. You're creating space for an honest, real conversation. You're putting it out there and you're doing your part, and I just have mad respect for that and I love that. Life is hard enough. Life is hard enough without all the bullshit surrounding it and trying to be something we're not, or just not being real. I just I don't got time for it these days.
Speaker 2: 56:09
Well, and I think you being vulnerable is not a coincidence when you look at your success, or your success is not a coincidence in the context of your willingness to be vulnerable. I think that if you talk to most successful people, to be vulnerable.
Speaker 1: 56:29
I think that if you talk to most successful people, they will tell you the same.
Speaker 1: 56:33
Can I add that a big part of my success is meeting people like you. A big part of my success is the people who've lifted me up, and that was only when I became vulnerable and I showed people who I really was and I asked for help, and that was when things really really, really changed for me. I think that vulnerable piece puts you on the same playing field with other people who just are trying to do their best, and it feels good to feel good. It feels even better to help other people feel good, and I think a big part of my success was when I had a really vulnerable time in my life and was just like what am I going to do? Yes, I can have faith in myself, but I have to start reaching out, and what I thought was eating humble pie was really just allowing myself to be vulnerable and allowing other people to help. That's not an easy thing to do as a woman, I think, where you ask for help and it's taken a whole village to get me to where I am today.
Speaker 2: 57:27
That's what perimenopause is all about, right.
Speaker 1: 57:29
You need a village.
Speaker 2: 57:30
you need to ditch the shame and you've got to lean into the vulnerability, and that's, I think, where the magic is.
Speaker 1: 57:37
Well, I wish I knew about you guys. When I was going through perimenopause, here was my situation. I was 35, 37, and I was drinking wine, sweating. I was like, and I was like, so newly dating my husband, and there would be times I am soaking, fucking wet Like. I'm just like oh, please, don't roll over on my side. I was so embarrassed I'm talking like drenched and I'm just like oh my God, it's really hot in here. Or it must be like the wine, and I thought it was the wine, and my mom be like Gina, it's probably the change. I'm like oh my God, it's really hot in here. Or it must be like the wine, and I thought it was the wine, and my mom be like Gina, it's probably the change. I'm like mom, fuck off, it's not, it's like the wine. But I was also drinking wine every night, so let's call it Spade is good.
Speaker 1: 58:20
I also had. I woke up one day and just couldn't walk straight. Vertigo got me and then I thought I had like they thought I had a brain tumor, but it ends up. I had a chemical reaction in my brain, low magnesium, low vitamin D, low. You know all the things you need in menopause right now, realizing what the fuck was going on in my brain. I thought I was having Alzheimer's or going because it runs in my family, because I couldn't remember anything. I was so edgy. I was like what happened to me? My friends would describe Gina as she's so laid back, go with the flow. And even Tony, bless his soul, my husband, was like what happened to you? I'm like it's the pandemic. The pandemic. It made me edgy, it gave me anxiety. It's the pandemic.
Speaker 1: 59:00
And then when I started having heart palpitations and thought I was going to have a heart attack, it was stress, because my ex-husband recently passed away. Two years ago my kid's dad passed away. It was the stress of my company and I just kept blowing all it. I finally go to my doctor and I'm like I'm crying all the time. I don't know what's going on. And she's like, oh, you've been through a lot, like your kid's dad just died. You Like your kid's dad just died, you're going through it.
Speaker 1: 59:29
You need an antidepressant. I'm like, oh, of course I do. And then I'm like well, it's my fault, I'm not exercising, I'm drinking. Like let me give up and make some lifestyle changes. So I made some lifestyle changes. Love antidepressants. They're a life raft. I chose not to take it because I first wanted to know I was doing all the other things, first, um, and then I. Then I find out all this shit about fucking menopause and I'm just like what, frozen shoulder, couldn't lift my arm up over my head for like a year, go into physio in a chiro Like what, what Didn't do nothing. So if I had had you I would have been like, oh okay.
Speaker 3: 1:00:01
Well, gina, you can have us for now like forever now, Like we can be besties from now on, don't worry.
Speaker 1: 1:00:08
Absolutely. I blamed and shamed myself for not managing things properly.
Speaker 3: 1:00:12
But that's what we all do, right, and that's why we started this Like we were. Like we can't handle life anymore, we can't deal Like I was do you know how many broken appliances I have in my home? Because I slammed like I was just raging out of control and I knew when I was raging that this wasn't normal and this wasn't me, and yet I couldn't stop it.
Speaker 1: 1:00:33
Yeah, that's that shame. I shamed myself because I knew better. I gained weight 20 pounds in like a month and thought like, oh, I'm just going to keep doing whatever. And you know, I did have some stomach issues and stuff I had to deal with, but there was a lot of shame. There was a lot of shame in that that women, we think we should know better and we should suffer through.
Speaker 2: 1:00:52
It's almost as though we get to a point and we feel like if we're not miserable in our careers, in our household, keeping it together and all the things that we're doing, then we're not doing enough. Right? It's so fucked up and we're all like that Until now. Now we have each other and it's stopping.
Speaker 1: 1:01:17
Isn't it nice to know we're all fucked up together. This is so nice. It's like warm and fuzzy fucked up feelings. I love it. Yes, yes.
Speaker 3: 1:01:24
It's a good fucked up feelings. I love it. Yes, yes, it's a good community.
Speaker 2: 1:01:28
Yes, now that we've confirmed that, we're all fucked up. Gina, what's the one thing you want women to know about weight loss?
Speaker 1: 1:01:39
I want to know that there's hope. There's hope you can make change. It's probably going to take longer than what you like and then probably do a bit more work than you like, but all the work that you're going to put into making change should better your life in general. You have to eat, so let's eat nutrient-rich foods. You got to manage your stress for so many reasons, so let's take time for ourselves. You've got to move your body because you want to be able to age gracefully and you want to be able to live a fulfilled life, not just be in a home at the age of 75.
Speaker 1: 1:02:09
I want to be surfing when I'm 100.
Speaker 1: 1:02:12
That, the things that you are doing to lose weight, if you find the right weight loss program, will be the things that you need to do to be as healthy and as happy as possible. And finally, if you're just looking at what you're eating and when and you are, you know, racking your brain trying to figure out why you can't lose weight, it's probably due to the fact that it's so much deeper but, but, but, but, but. There is so much you can do. There's so much beyond calories and versus calories out that you can do to make real, sustainable change.
Speaker 1: 1:02:41
So, what you did in the past, what happened in the past, figure out where you are at now and what you need moving forward. And just there's hope. There's hope and you should be inspired by the people that you're listening to, and what they say should make sense. Don't listen to people who talk in clickbaits and promise you the world. Listen to people who are having real conversations and who are trying to share their information for you, like these ladies here have hope and be open and find your people.
Speaker 3: 1:03:14
Gina, this has been like the greatest morning of my life, thank you.
Speaker 2: 1:03:16
Thank you, gina, so lovely. Thank you, let's do it again, yeah.
Speaker 3: 1:03:21
Let's do it again and we really can't thank you enough for your time and thank you for coming on the show and and thank you for the inspiration too, like I just we would love I don't know how we do it, but I would love to to to build a community like you've built and it's. I have friends that have started some group programs and I'm like hey, for $75, you should join Gina's, even if you don't want to lose weight, just to see what our community is all about, because there's so many communities out there and there's nothing. There's nothing like yours. So thank you, and thank you for letting us become a part of this.
Speaker 1: 1:03:58
Oh, you're welcome, and my advice for anyone trying to build a community is really just understand who your people are. I had some really great advice given to me a while back and it was when I was posting on social media and I actually had some friends Kat and Nat, I don't know if you know them these two moms and they're super fun.
Speaker 1: 1:04:16
And Kat so graciously reached out and said to me, who are you posting for? And I was like, what do you mean? She's like your posts, like, who are you posting for? She's like you have so much knowledge that you could share. Don't show people what you know. Come at an angle of trying to help and figure out who you're trying to help, and that, honestly, is the secret sauce to building our community. So that's my advice I would give to you, if you want to give to any of your friends or anyone who's trying to achieve that. Thank you, gina.
Speaker 3: 1:04:42
Thank you so much. Thanks so much for listening to the show. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. When you do this, it helps to raise our podcast profile so more women can find us and get a little better understanding of what to expect in perimenopause.
Speaker 2: 1:05:01
We also read all the reviews the good, the bad and the ugly, to help us continuously improve our show. We would love to hear from you. You can connect with us through the podcast, on social media or through our website. Our information, as well as links and details from our conversation today, can be found in the show notes. This podcast is for general information only. It's designed to educate, inspire and support you on your personal journey through perimenopause. The information and opinions on this podcast are not intended to be a substitution for primary care diagnosis or treatment. The information on this podcast does not replace professional healthcare advice. The use of the information discussed is at the sole discretion of the listener. If you are suffering from symptoms or have questions, please consult a qualified healthcare practitioner.
