095: Losing 30 Pounds Without Working Out with Andi Taylor

Introduction 

You're listening to Biceps after Babies radio episode number 95

Hello and welcome to Biceps after Babies radio. A podcast for ladies who know that fitness is about so much more than pounds lost or PRs. It's about feeling confident in your skin and empowered in your life. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke, a registered nurse, personal trainer, online fitness coach, wife, and mom of four. My guests and I will excite and motivate you to take action in your own personal fitness as we talk about nutrition, exercise mindset, personal development, and executing life with conscious intention. If your goal is to look, feel, and be strong and experience transformation from the inside out, you, my friend are in the right place. Thank you for tuning in, now let’s jump into today’s episode.

Amber B  0:00 

Hey, Hey,Hey, welcome back to another episode of Biceps After Babies radio. I'm your host Amber Brueseke and today on the podcast we have a former client. Andi Taylor is coming on the podcast. She was a Macros 101 client from our January session, and at the end of every session, we do a transformation contest. And Andi  was voted by her peers, and as the transformation winner for that round, and so she is willing to come on the podcast and share her story and her transformation, and some of the things that she's had to overcome over the last couple of months and the lessons that she has learned over that process. And so one of my goals with bringing on prior clients is one to be able to show you that it's possible, I think, the more that we can surround ourselves with people who are evidence of what is possible. It allows us to start to believe that it's possible and one of the things that we talked about with Andi is that she was able to lose this weight without working out and for her and her point in her life that was really important to her. And she said it's gotten to the point where she's now started working out and it started including that, but she was able to lose the weight without working out. And so what we talked about, we talked about how she was able to manage that and what that looked like for her.

Amber B  2:05 

And then the second reason that I bring prior clients onto the podcast is because I think that they can give a unique perspective that you know, myself as a coach, obviously, I have a perspective as a coach. And a perspective as a client is very different from the perspective of a coach coaching them. And so I think there's a lot of value in you hearing from clients and their perspective of actually going through the process of actually losing the weight of the emotional state that they were in when they started and how they were able to create that transformation over time, because as a coach, I give my clients tools, and the client has to use those tools to get the result like I you know, I liken it to like a personal trainer cannot do your push-ups for you, right, they can instruct you, they can coach you, they can motivate you, they can like talk to you and teach you and they can do all these things. But at the end of the day, like you have to do your own push-ups. And so that's what I find here. What's so exciting for me to bring clients on is because as a coach, I put things out there and I teach and I coach and I motivate, and, and I do all of these things to set clients up for success. And it's so awesome to see the clients taking that responsibility and taking those steps that they need to take in order to take what they've learned and put it into practice. Because just learning more is not usually the solution. It's actually the learning and then putting it into practice. And that's what Andi has done is she has done the work, she's put her head down and she's made things happen and because of that, she has created this transformation in her life. And I'm really excited for Andi to share more about maintenance. So for those of you who are kind of maybe feeling stuck on that, like always having to lose more or I have to reach my goal weight before I can go into maintenance. We talked about that with Andi and she has lost 30 pounds, and she's currently maintaining and she has a goal to lose at least 20 more. But she's taking this period of maintenance intentionally to be able to set ourselves up for long term success, and I am just so grateful that Andi was willing to come on the podcast and if you are interested in signing up for Macros 101, we only open the doors a couple times a year and our next enrollment is in the fall. So if you're interested in that, get on the waitlist at bicepsafterbabies/waitlist and make sure you're getting our emails and that way you won't miss it when we open doors next. Now without further ado, let's hop into this episode with Andi Taylor.

Amber B  4:30 

All right, I would like to welcome Andi Taylor to the podcast. Hey, Andi.

Andi  4:35

Hi!

Amber B  4:36 

How are you doing this morning?

Andi  4:37 

I am good. How are you?

Amber B  4:39 

I am very good and very excited to be able to share your story. I am really excited that you are willing to come on and share with the listeners the transformation that you've gone through. I  just find that people are going to be able to find themselves in your story. And you have a unique story and you have a unique experience and I think the more that we can find people who are like us, getting the results that we want, the more it's easy for us to believe that it's possible for us as well. So I'm really grateful that you're willing to, to share your story. So let's start out with you just telling the listeners a little bit about you. And you know what you'd like to do?

Andi  5:19  

Yes, so I am a mom of two little girls, a one-year-old and a three-year-old and my husband just graduated so we just moved up to Portland for him to work here and so I am now a stay at home mom and finding that role so I'm just now learning what I love to do.

Amber B  5:41  

Those first couple years you do kind of get lost in like the things that have to be done.

Andi  5:47

Exactly. Just juggling, working and being a mom and whatever my husband needs, he can graduate and now things are starting to slow down. So I've recently taken up gardening, but I feel like everyone has vandala going on.

Amber B  6:01  

Gardening or sourdough?

Andi  6:03 

Gardening, yeah. Find me anywhere. So, yeah. Startup a sourdough.

Amber B  6:11 

That's right.  Yeah. Awesome. So can you kind of just walk us through the last couple of years and what your fitness journey has kind of looked like?

Andi  6:20 

Yes. So the last couple years, I have been going through cycles of pregnancy and having my daughters, and I knew that I had put on some weight right before I got married. I'm an emotional eater. And so I went through kind of a really hard time, right before I met my husband, and I just kind of packed on this weight. And so I got married and I was not my dream weight, but it was fine. And then I got pregnant. And with my first pregnancy, I was actually extremely sick the whole time. All the way up until I delivered and so I actually lost 20 pounds, being pregnant. And so I was like, Oh great, like this will be my new weight loss program because I'm not very good at losing weight. But then I actually put on weight when I am nursing. And so then I put on more weight started to lose some, just by yo-yo dieting, got pregnant with my second boss way pregnant and then started putting back on again while nursing and then that's when I found this program is do all that yo-yo dieting and just trying to eat the absolute minimum in order for my body to lose fat.

Amber B  7:34  

Mm-hmm. Yeah. So what did yo-yo dieting look like for you on a day to day basis?

Andi  7:40

So, the last six months before I joined this program, I got myself down to eating 1000 calories a day max. And I would have my one serving of breakfast, which I believe was just like cereal, whatever I could whip up that was what I thought healthy, and then I was trying to pick out carbs so that I sit there and wait and be starving at lunch with it. I would get my rice cake and my peanut butter and my jelly. And then I'd sit there and wait to starve until it was halfway to dinner like three hours later, and I'd have a little snack and then dinner I didn't really care. I just ate one serving whatever I made because I make most of my food from scratch. So I felt like it was healthier than some other options. And then I would feel like I always typically have like a little bit of ice cream or something, but I was eating fewer calories than I had ever before. And my skill was not budging. I mean like after doing that for six months, I think I lost five pounds, which we all know could be just water weight. It was nothing and I was sitting there. I don't want to have to commit to going to the gym multiple hours every single day. In order to lose weight. I want to be able to focus on my kids and not just be a gym junkie like what do I do? I feel like I'm doing everything with the food. So that was kind of my yo-yo dieting. I'm just kind of maybe we should stop eating this and maybe we should stop eating like this during this time period and just not body any good.

Amber B  9:08  

Yeah and I think that you bring up a good point and we'll kind of dive into this I think a little bit with you and your experience of you didn't want to exercise like that was not what you wanted to do to like lose weight right you're like I just want to like control my nutrition and then you did that or you like “did that right” you ate fewer calories you're supposed to do and then you're not getting the results that you want. So kind of share with us like where your headspace is. As you're going through this process of doing the “right things” and not seeing results.

Andi  9:46  

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed. And I had worked out in the past. And right before he moved to Oregon, I was working out. I was doing cycle classes and Zumba because I do better with someone telling me what to do than sitting there and trying to lose weight there, I was just so worn out with my newborn monitoring that I could not put another ounce of planning anything out. I need someone to say, hey, walk into this room at this time, and this is what we're gonna do. And I could see changes in my body when I would work out. And so I'd be like, oh, like this is getting flatter. This is getting pulled in like this is good. Um, but then the second I stopped working out was still eating less. I went right back like my body just went right back. So I was like, to the point where I felt like I was up against the wall and that the only way I'd be able to get my life back on track is if I was going to the gym and doing those classes, which meant finding a gym that had Kid Care, which meant pricier and places I felt safely my kids for a couple of hours and trying to fit that in and I didn't really think that that was something I was willing to do at the time. So I just thought I was just gonna have to deal with my current weight and size and since you and just yeah.

Amber B  11:03 

Yeah. And so what was that deciding moment for you in deciding to either start counting macros and or sign up for Macros 101, like, what was that pivotal moment for you?

Andi  11:15 

Um, so I just had a newborn baby. So I was nursing. And I was worried about making sure that I could, you know, thinking I'd have to work out, or what I was eating and be able to actually nurse my child because it's my first time I didn't get specified that I needed and we spent a lot on formula. And I didn't want that to be with my second. And so I was trying to be very conscious about that. And I had an acquaintance from one of the places that we lived in last year, and I never saw her stuff on Facebook and it popped up and said, Hey, I'm in this weight loss program. I'm in a competition you know, please vote for me. And of course, I'm at the moment where I'm looking for anything and everything to try. So I clicked on it, and she's in the last couple months, or like this last year, I lost like 50 pounds while nursing. And I didn't start working out till recently, I said, Whoa!,, you are saying all my keywords, no workout, nursing, seeing results, like this is amazing. And she had a baby about the same time that I had one of my kids. And so I was like, I need to look into this. And that's when I first heard about macros. And it turned out that right when I was like, let me look into this. And the next day you were doing a free class to talk about the program and kind of give some free coaching. So that was my introduction to Macros 101. And I'm a cheapskate, and I'm one of those I got this on my own, which obviously I didn't and I was listening to your class and I was like, okay, neck, oh my gosh, this makes so much sense. With my body, my body's chemistry, I'm giving it the nutrients it needs. Like this is exactly what I've been looking for. And then I was like, well, she lets you do you can calculate it for free. I was like, well, there we go, I'll just calculate this and do it you know. So I made up my mind and listened to it. I'm like, Oh, this is so great. I'm so excited. It was towards the end, it was like that you'll get the support and the help. And the people there besides you and all this and I realized that that is what I was missing. I didn't have anyone helping me. I needed someone who could literally coach me through step by step what to do. And so that was kind of that moment for me when I decided, Okay, we're gonna do this macros program.

Amber B  13:50 

Well, I love that you share. So, who Andi is talking about is Melissa Porter, who we actually had on the podcast back on episode number 35. So it's a great episode to go back and listen to but in that episode, Melissa had lost 29 pounds I think, and all in all she ended up losing like 55 pounds. So I kind of talked to her kind of in the middle of her journey. But it's interesting to me Andi that like you were inspired because you heard Melissa's story. And now you get to come on and share your story and hopefully inspire other people which is just it's kind of this fun like, a full-circle moment that you're here now talking about your journey and how that was sparked and influenced by somebody else's journey. So that's really awesome. So you signed up for Macros 101, kind of walk us through that first couple of weeks. Like where was your headspace? as you dived in? Oh, and by the way, like I find that that mistake is made by a lot of people like oh, I'll just set my own macros, right like I'll just do this by myself. And you're right, like, yes, can you do this by yourself? Absolutely, but is it easier when you have somebody telling you the step by step to do and you have a community and you have coaching 100%. And so I'm so glad that you came in and joined us. So I'm curious about that first couple of weeks, what were some of the what were some of the first steps that you took and maybe some of your thoughts and feelings during that experience?

Andi  15:20  

So my first couple of weeks, I was so stoked. The day that I purchased your program was one week or one and a half weeks before it technically started. But I was like, No, I signed up. I paid I'm doing what

Amber B  15:36 

I'm doing.

Andi  15:38 

And so I started counting my macros the next day.

Amber B  15:43  

Yeah, good for you to dive on.

Andi  15:45 

I didn't, yes, I did not know what I was doing. I was like, Yeah, I got this. I'll just eat whatever I'm eating. And I had ever since I've been counting my calories. I was like, I don't even have to do the three to five days to kind of come up with macros. I know exactly what I'm eating at the moment. I went ahead and not at all how much I needed to eat. Let's do this. And I did my first day and was like, Oh wow, what I was considering healthy is way off. My macros were like 40 grams of fat a day and I was easily doing 80. And it was very interesting to me because I was eating the calories. And at this point with doing macros, I was eating easily four to 500 more calories a day than what I was doing before macros. And yeah, I was eating completely different because even though it was fewer calories, it had higher fat nowhere near the protein that I needed no carbs, you know. And so I think that's the big part with macros is the breakdown of Okay, well that's great like you show all the time. I think I see it on your page. Hey, this salad is this how many calories a Big Mac is? And honestly, it's not very far off. But this is kind of a mental switch.

Andi  17:09 

So my first week was the first day of Oh, that did not work. And I sat down that night, and I did my 20 minutes, which I will tell you I was so determined because I had gotten to a point where I could not look at myself in the mirror. I did not know who that person was. And I couldn't even stand to get a side glance because I was so just and it was sad to think that my body image meant so much to me, but that I could not even look, which is why I decided that it was worth the money and any work that I had to put into it. So I was like, I don't care if it takes 20 minutes because the first couple of nights, I had no idea how much fat, carbs, the protein was in any shape. And so I sat there with my notebook and I started writing down like I have peanuts and I test this. I have marshmallows, anything so I could put in my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, see what I had left. And my first week was like, and then I ate five marshmallows and a strawberry. Just trying to plug in the macros, just to hit it within five, you know, to try and hit it perfectly. And within that first week, the weight started dropping already. And I think that's just because I had put on so much. And then changing what I was eating, you know, the water weight started to drop, so I was getting pretty instant success since I was doing so terribly beforehand. And I had a lot of weight to lose.

Andi  15:45 

So yeah, those first couple weeks were very fun and interesting. And I feel like I had a very different experience than a lot of people in the group. A lot of people were saying that they're having an issue with, like mentally doing it or I was doing it and then I binge some ice cream, or I saw a cookie and they ate it. And I was so just me. And those macros, because I had come to a point where I couldn't go another step. This was my only answers, how I was thinking of it, that I was not letting myself go above five or below five if I hit negative six, didn't eat that we went back, you know, on my fats, but I was hitting it consistently for I want to say like a month and a half before I started getting a little bit more lenient, and then I started having those issues and people were having. So my first couple of weeks were not too hard. It was pretty easy to catch on to after the first week of counting macros and learning. Okay, so fruit is mainly carbs. And, you know, if I get Greek yogurt, I can cut out the fat and just do carbs and protein and like starting to understand that they got so much easier. So

Amber B  19:58  

yeah, that's so awesome. And so over the period we talk a lot in macros 101 of both sharing, you know, the mental results that you're having and then as well as the physical results can so can you kind of walk us through what that looked like for you? What physical results are you seeing? What mental results were you seeing during the process?

Andi  20:16 

In the beginning, my mental results were all completely tied to physical. And so the fact that I was standing on the scale, and I saw the number going down, I was happy. I was like, Yeah, I did it. You know, I realized if I stepped on the scale, and it hadn't budgeted in one day, because I was just like, we're doing this. One day of not losing weight. I was like, Oh, I failed. She was like, hold on like you have done exactly your macros, you know what you're doing? And I kept telling myself, Amber said that a healthy weight loss should be no more than two and a half a week. You know, that's like a typical, and so I'd be like, Andi, you've already lost two, it's Thursday. You would only have half more. You're fine. You didn't gain like it's all Okay. Um, and then once I was able to kind of break that mental, emotional, I realized that I had not done any of your modules. Talking about when you join the program, Amber has online classes and coaching. And I was so wrapped up in the macros I was just counting macros and I would add on. I didn't realize that there are podcasts, modules, nothing. I was just headstrong. And I kept seeing people mentioning things like, Oh yeah, like when I did module or Oh, I'm so behind. I'm only on module two. I was like, oh, I haven't even started modules and I'm like over a month into this. So I quickly sat down and started doing them and doing the worksheets and that's when I was like, oh yeah my why let me it was just not an option to not lose weight because I was getting to the point where I where it was like, okay, like this could be like going towards obesity. Nothing I have fits me. I don't feel healthy. I can't move as well as I was like, This is not okay. So then I realized It's okay like I have a bigger and better reason to lose more weight and I'm no longer in a situation like that something is still keeping me going. So once I started applying those modules, that's when I felt like I was getting here healed, like spiritually and emotionally from the inside and learning that, you know, it's okay I have worth, I have reasons. And my failure is not if my measurements or my skill goes up, it's that I am taking care of myself for once, and all of that. So I have to say that the emotion was all 100 completely the modules that I wouldn't have gotten if I didn't actually go through your program. So thank you for making those. Those are amazing.

Amber B  22:43 

That's so awesome. I'm excited. Yeah, a lot of the inner work comes when we do the work right when we go through the process of doing the modules and going through and doing the worksheets and doing the actual inner work that it takes. So I love that. So during the process can you share with us how much weight you lost and what that looked like over your transformation.

Andi  23:06  

Yeah, so during the two-month program, I lost 28 pounds, and I lost a total of 11 inches all over my body. And about five of those inches was my stomach, which was my biggest problem area. I mean, when I lose weight, I see it on my face first. And it was such a relief that I looked in my mirror one morning, and I saw my face and I recognized that person. It wasn't even my stomach really yet. It was when I recognized that person. That's the face I've seen most of my life. I didn't realize that was a lifestyle that had been going on in my life that my face had just really puffed up a lot of water weight, a lot of just stress and sleepless nights. And I think that that's what I loved. One of the things I loved about this program is I didn't have to change too much about my schedule. I know I could not get any more sleep than I was. I was going to bed as early as I could getting up all the time with my baby. So I was not going to get more sleep, which I know affects weight loss. And I wasn't really going to be able to take my stress level down much, which I know affects weight loss. So I was super worried. And my stress didn't really change like the things going on in my life. I did not get any more sleep. But yeah, I was waking up feeling so much better. And seeing that in my face. I look like the person that I used to be that was really huge for me. And then I started getting into this super exciting part where I was like, Oh, I remember those like pants I bought that one time that were super cute. And I went to put them on and then for fit. I've never been able to wear them. I've had them for three and a half years. And I was like I wonder and they zipped and they buttoned without even a flinch and I was like, oh my goodness! the wrappers. So much. So I was looking in the mirror. I was like, Yeah, I guess I see a difference. But that was down to pant sizes. Yeah. And that's when I was like, Oh wait, no, like things are happening. Like, I was taking my measurements doing my scale, but it didn't really hit me until that and to this day, I have kept all the way off. And I'm now in maintenance. So I'm not looking to lose any more weight for the next couple months. But I will have times where I'm like, did a lot really change because my brain gets foggy. And they'll realize like, Oh, these pants are size, whatever they are. That's like two or three sizes less than what they were before I couldn't even begin to get high in those pants. And that shirt is no longer XL or double XL that's larger and putting those kinds of things together with my physical. So those were the physical things that I noticed. And actually one of my big, why's, was when I'd get up in the morning I felt like I was like keeping myself out of bed, and I was like, I want to be able to be fit, where when I get up, I can just kind of like spring out of bed and I feel kind of weightless on the bed. I don't feel like, like all this weight on me. And I started feeling that right off the bat. And so that has been another big physical that has happened in the last couple months.

Amber B  26:20 

Yeah. And I love hearing that you're at that intentional maintenance because that's a piece that so many women miss is like they're always so focused on losing, losing, losing,  losing, and never actually intentionally maintaining that loss. And so from start to finish where we're at now, what is that how many pounds lost from when you started to where you are now at maintenance.

Andi  26:42 

I'm 30 pounds lost now. So I lost two more after the program and that's when I realized that I had slowed down a ton. I knew I needed to go into maintenance earlier but I was so set on hitting that 30 like I have to do it like we're so close that I forced myself and it took like three weeks to lose the two pounds. Because I was not being steady and I was like, this is ridiculous. So that I went on the maintenance. So I've stayed the same. I've actually gone down an inch and a half being on maintenance. And I started finally working out. That was the other huge thing is I did not work out a single bit. I did not go on any extra walks. I did not touch a weight, none of that I didn't have to put any of that into my schedule, which helps out a ton and I lost  that 30 pounds without working out. And that was huge to me.

Amber B  27:31

Yeah, totally. And now, where are you at with working out now?

Andi  27:35 

So I actually I'm like I told you like I only do good with classes. And so I remember if it's up to you, and I was like, yeah, so I'll do like, subtle number or abs to get and you're like, Okay, well you're going into reverse. So you're not looking to do more cardio like you need to be lifting. I'm like, Oh no, I never want to be one of those women. You see everything almost I'm like, like no, that's not what those are and those are the women that go to the gym multiple times a day like that's not what I was looking for. But then you were talking about how it helps shape your body for all these kinds of things. And I was like, Okay, I'll look into that and so I bought your build your own workout program. I have yet to look at any of the build your own workout section of it. I have just been beginner stuff like let's try working out and so I'm doing the pull, push, and legs. And I've now done it for a month. And I no longer have bat wings. And I'm only lifting three days a week. And I have seen so much change in my body and like the shape which is crazy to me because I am not eating any less than actually, I'm 600 calories up. Yeah, I am almost at 2500 calories a day. And I have not put on an ounce and I think that is so exciting. That's a huge thing and I feel like that's what people don't get out of the macros, learning how to adjust and be able to do that is what I got out of this program. That was another thing that I felt like making this program more than worth it. And yeah, so I am lifting three times a week and that is it. And so I know that there, there's also you can do cardio along with it, I'm just taking baby steps. I'm already seeing such improvement and such strength and just feeling really good about myself. So that's where I'm at in the working out. I'm slowly building up.

Amber  29:29 

That's so exciting. Yeah, and I find this like, and it's funny because your arc is very similar to Melissa's. Where and I think it but I think what I think it is, is it's very similar to a lot of women. And if you're at home sitting there saying to yourself, I don't want to work out like that. I don't have any desire to lift weights. I don't have a desire to work out. You know,  is this gonna work for me? The answer is a big fat Yes, first of all, both you and Melissa have lost a lot of weight without working out at all. So you do not have to work out in order to lose weight. Getting the nutrition on track can do a lot of that for you. But what's so interesting to me is that then it like this process hasn't been changed due to like now desiring to like a workout, to wanting like to now it's not like you're forcing yourself to go to the gym but you actually want to do it. And I love that like a full circle moment because I think forcing yourself to do anything is a losing battle in the long run. And what could it look like if instead of forcing yourself to work out, you actually wanted to work out? What could it look like? instead of forcing yourself to hit your macros, you wanted to hit your macros right? And without forcing yourself to eat that vegetable like you wanted to eat that vegetable? How much easier and lighter and more fun would your life be if the things that you wanted to do aligned with the results you wanted to create in your life and I think that speaks to the transformation that you've had, both externally but also internally, that's led you to now wanting to do those things because they have how they make you feel and not even just how they make you look but how they make you feel.

Andi  31:02  

Yeah, exactly. And I love that. I mean, it's in the name biceps after babies like this is moms like we know our life, we know our schedule, we know what's hard to get to the gym and do all these things. And it's been huge to me that I have not had to do hardly anything to make this fit into my lifestyle. My husband, now he's healthier, my kids eat healthier. I was only, you know, only doing the 20 minutes at night plan my next day and I haven't had to do that in a couple of months. I now figured out in my head that I know what I need to do. And I just kind of track as I go and it takes seconds and your workout. One of the reasons why I even wanted to ask you about workouts is I had seen that Melissa had posted that you can do your workouts from home with dumbbells. And I was like, this is awesome. I don't have to tell her Jamie said dumbbells. I do it at home. And it takes me about 30 minutes and my kids are all running around me and I stopped every couple minutes to do something with them, or to get out more Plato or goldfish and I'm just sitting there doing it with them. And it just takes 30 minutes. And that's it three times a week. I mean, this is such an easy thing to put into your life, I really haven't had to do much to change it other than change mentally. And I think one of the biggest things I'm grateful for with the changing mentally, is my relationship with food, is I now actually have a relationship with food. And I understand it and it's good and it's healthy. It's no longer Oh like you've used the analogy. Oh, look at that bag of Oreos. I have to eat all of them. I'm not hungry. I don't really want to but I'm going to or something bad happened. I'm going to eat that. Now, I see food as something to fuel my body. I still have ice cream every night. And I love bacon and I have Baker's at least once a week that I'll make and so I'm able to feel that happiness. Get with having that spirit and being able to have a love relationship with food, while also being like I don't need that right now. Like I just need to feel my body. It really needs some protein, what has protein I want that, you know? That has been very huge for me.

Amber B  32:59

Yeah, you mentioned at the very beginning that you had struggled with emotional eating previously, and I'm curious, like, what has that arc been? And how has that improved over the last couple of months?

Andi  33:12  

So like I said, At first, I was so gung ho on the macros and making sure I hit those numbers that I was not really seeing much of that. And my emotions were good because I was seeing results. And it wasn't until, honestly, it was when COVID hit. And I know our whole group took it really hard. I

Amber B  33:32

yeah, I think the whole world took it really hard.

Andi  33:37  

It was like, what do we do and Amber was just like, Okay, ladies, now it's time for a reverse. You're all struggling like if you're having a hard time keeping this. You have kids you're taking care of now you have the time things to like go on the reverse, go on the reverse, and I was like, No, I have to lose the weight. Like these other ladies. They can go on the reverse, but I have so much to lose. I still need to lose and so I was trying to push through it. And I remember one night I was just like, I just got really depressed and down on myself sitting downstairs. And I was like, I'll forget. And I had a big thing of ice cream, I was eating with a spoon. And he came down and looked at me and he knew how good I had been doing. And I said, Yeah, I know what I'm doing. Okay,

Amber B  34:19

I'm making the choice.

Andi  34:22

Exactly. So there were like moments, so I wasn't really good but it was like I fell back onto that a little bit, and I'd say up until about a month ago. So I've been doing this for about six or seven months. I've been with the macros and about a month ago I kind of my mind was able to set after lots of practice talking through myself going through modules. Just kind of be like, no  that's not needed. And I think a big thing with that is remembering that there is a reverse and there is a maintenance and you're going to be eating a lot more than and this isn't forever, which is what Pete was which is why people have yo yo diets is because they're like, Oh, I need to bend or I need to eat that sugar and then they fall off and they have to get back on.  But with macros, you can say, this is a very hard week for me, I'm going to go back to my maintenance and be able to eat more and enjoy those things without putting on weight because that's your maintaining level. So now I can honestly say I'm no longer a binge, emotional eater, and it's crazy. I could not have said that even a month ago, it was still trickling here and there, I noticed. But now I'm like, well if I won't eat that slice of cake, I'm gonna do it. And guess what, I can make it fit into my macros and it's completely fine. And when I get emotional, and I feel like I need something, I'm able to sit there and be like, I've told myself, okay, if I wait five minutes, am I gonna be okay with not eating that? Can I deal with that another way? Is there someone I can talk to about something I can do? Maybe it's just that I'm hungry, like let's try eating an hour, some crackers. And then if it's still there, I'm like, Okay, my body is letting me know that for some reason right now it really needs this comfort food. So I'll have one small serving and then I'll sit there like, let's give it five minutes and that is what my body needed. And for once I'm listening to my body, instead of just me being like, Oh my gosh, the world is awful. So if everything is sugary into my mouth, I'm able to listen and process what my body is telling me and give it what it needs. I'm not on some crazy diet where I don't give it any carbs. So don't give it any sugar. I like it if that's what you need at this moment. Awesome. And I take all the guilt out of it. I feel so guilt-free and knowing that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing. And that has just been so freeing.

Amber B  36:29  

Yeah, and I think you bring up such a good point of that power of the pause. And so often like binging or with emotional eating, it is. It's frantic. It's not thought driven. It's not listening to anything, right. It's just doing and getting lost in that and I think it's so wise and there's so much wisdom  in pausing and thinking and being like do I want to eat this and there's nothing wrong if you want to eat that and but taking that time to say are there other things I can do? Is this really what my body needs? And then eating some of it and saying, Is this working like it? And I think that those intentional pauses are so powerful, something that you know, if you're listening you can take away to be able to help you with that relationship with food. Are you pausing? Are you really paying attention to your body? And what could it look like if you started implementing even just that one little tip into your daily life?

Andi  37:22  

Yeah, exactly. And I think I really showed up with all or nothing mentality as well. And it was tied to that like, Okay, well, I wasn't doing well or I get like, I get a lot of dizzy spells just from some health problems I had when I was younger. And what seems to help is eating and sometimes I'll notice, oh, I haven't eaten in a couple of hours and I start to really feel like I'm gonna pass out. And so like, we eat a lot, so I feel better. And then I'd be like, well, share it my day. I'm sure my macros are off. And the joke months ago that I like to put in what I had eaten, I was like, oh, I'm completely fine. And just in my mind, I'd gone off my original track. And so I think if when we're sitting there like Okay, my body needs this right now, after that moment has passed I feel better, like more put together. It's like, Okay, let's go put that into our macros and see what we need to change. Maybe now I can't have that bowl of ice cream at night, but I got to have something now. Or maybe I need a lot more protein because I just kind of wasted a lot on carbs. And I think to remind yourself that you can change your numbers throughout the day. You can change for every situation, just because you made a decision at this moment does not mean that the rest of the day is gone. And you can no longer do anything with that. And so I think that those two things mixed together really helped me get over the all or nothing, and the emotional eating.

Amber B  38:35

Yeah, so good. I'm curious, what are some goals that you're currently working on right now?

Andi  38:41 

So right now, I, I mean, for myself and my body, I would love to lose another 30. My goal at the beginning was 20. I hit 20 and then it was 30. And then my next one is 50. So right now obviously I'm not looking at the scale. I am just working and doing my maintenance, I did a pretty long cut. And so I will need to do pretty long maintenance which I am completely fine with. So right now I'm just working on lifting and making that part of my day to day life. And I'm slowly over these next couple of months in my maintenance going to start adding in the other exercises of Okay, well then maybe now I'm going to start doing a little more cardio and push that and holding on to maintenance and then and then I will be going into another cut. And that's where I'm hoping to be able to bring up my total loss to 50. But I know I'm not too tied down to a number because I know how all of our bodies are different. My body could look the same in one way as it does the other you know, it's just how your body works. So that is kind of like a number that I'm shooting for. I really just want to have a healthy pregnancy with our next kid and I know that will probably happen within like the next year and I'm already healthier and more shaped than I was for either of my other two pregnancies. So right now my goal is just to get as in shape as possible and be able to enjoy that pregnancy and not already look like I'm in the second trimester when I announced that I'm pregnant. So just to announce that I'm pregnant, and then just go ahead and stop smoking it and be like, Look, here it is. And I notice other people don't start showing to like, after the first trimester, I was like, I'm not fooling anybody, just to have that healthy pregnancy. And I am so excited now that I have those tools on how to lose weight while still nursing. I no longer had to be like oh, here comes the nursing and just watch myself put it on I'm going to be able to control my eating and understand listen to my body during their pregnancy and through the nursing and I am just so excited to see what that looks like and feels like and I'm there's no going back. I think that's the biggest thing when I first started the program is it was like case yourself in the mirror and it's never gonna happen again you have to do it to completely commit and I tell myself that all the time and whenever I see this girl my cave that numbers did. Yeah, we are never going back. And it's just really been so freeing. I'm just super excited to see what the future holds for me and my family as we become healthier and get to see myself in a way I've never seen myself before.

Amber B  41:12 

Oh, that's so exciting. And I know a lot of women can relate to what you're saying. Thank you so much Andi for coming on and sharing your journey with us, sharing your story with us. Sharing the things that you've learned over the last little while, it's always exciting too, to see a transformation happen right and one of the things that I love about my job is I like Andi's not the only one I get to see like, I get to see these transformations, I get to see where you were at the beginning. And then I get to see where you come out. And you know, as a coach, that's an honor that I get to be able to have that front row to see your transformation. So thank you for giving my audience a front row to that transformation and letting them kind of peek behind the scenes and see what it can look like to be able to reach your goals.

Andi  41:55  

Yeah, of course, and thank you so much for the program so I was able to do it. It was fun.

Amber B  42:01

That's awesome. All right, thank you. I hope that you got a lot out of that episode with Andi and her experience and her lessons that she's been able to learn during her journey. It's hopefully inspiring for you to be able to hear from other women who may be in similar situations as you are and being able to do the work that it takes to be able to reach their goals and to make the decisions and the choices that are going to change the trajectory of their life because that can be you. And hopefully, the more that you surround yourself with people who are successful and people who are doing the things that you want to do, the more it starts to feel possible for you. And so that's what I'm hoping you're walking away from this episode feeling invigorated, feeling inspired, feeling ready to go in and do the work that it's going to take for you specifically, you know, you may relate with some things with Andi and you may be totally different. But as you hear inspiring stories, I want you to take that inspiration one step further and not just feel inspired now, but actually feel inspired and have that take an action. So that's the last thing that I want to leave you with is what action are you going to take because of this podcast? What action are you going to take hearing this story, and if you want to share your action with me, I would love to hear it. And you can always just take a screenshot of the episode and you can share it on your social media, on your Facebook, on your Instagram, and just tag me biceps after babies and share with me what action item you're committing to. Because learning something and feeling inspired is great. But when you learn something and feel inspired and then actually take action on it, that is when the results that you want are created. So go ahead and share your action item with me. I would love to see that and thank you so much for being here on this episode of biceps after babies radio. I'm Amber now go out and be strong because remember my friend you can do anything

Outro

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