Can You Change Your Body in Your 60s? Laura's Story

Laura: Wow. I didn't even know you could fix your metabolism. Wow. I didn't know any of that. So literally in a week I would put on 15 pounds. It was just a nightmare. I absolutely had destroyed my metabolism. I wanted to get out of this madness. I wanted to get out of my head and just live a normal life.

Nikkiey: You guys, what's going on? In today's episode, I want to share with you a WarriorBabe success story. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been doing WarriorBabe interviews of those who have had incredible results within our program, and this one stuck out to me the most so far, and I'm sure there's going to be more to come.

This is specifically for any of you that may be 60 years or older and feeling like your best years are behind you, or menopause has wreaked havoc on your body. Now you're dealing with those post years, and accepting that post-menopause is just how it is going to be for the rest of your life. Feeling like maybe you're not comfortable in your skin or confident in your skin, or you don't know where to start, even though you're 60 years old. But you want to be fit and you want to be strong and you want to turn things around.

This story that I'm going to share with you today is really inspiring. She's had such incredible success with our program. She was once in your shoes of working out more, eating less, pushing harder, and exhausted of that cycle. She was under-eating and just felt very frustrated. And now she's learned how to fuel her body and how to build muscle. She's 61 years old, and she even stepped back on stage for a bodybuilding competition. She looks incredible. So I hope that you guys are inspired by Laura's story. Let's dive in.

Laura, welcome.

Laura: Thank you very much for having me today.

Nikkiey: Of course. Can you let everybody know how old you are before we dive into the story?

Laura: Sure. I'm 61.

Nikkiey: Amazing. When did you step on stage for the bodybuilding competition?

Laura: Just in October.

Nikkiey: So at the age of 61. Let's go. I love that. We're going to get to the story of that eventually. But I want you to share with the listeners what your situation was like before joining WarriorBabe.

Laura: Well, I think I was 58 at the time. I was working out five or six days a week. I also had a personal trainer, so I was doing some lifting a couple days a week. And I'd ebb and flow. I'd eat 900 to 1,100 calories on a consistent basis, and then I'd go on a binge because I was starving to death, right? Back and forth, back and forth. And so the reality is that I couldn't lose the 15 pounds that I wanted to lose. I just stayed there.

On top of that, I wasn't sleeping well. I'd wake up at one or two o'clock in the morning and then I'd just obsess in my mind for an hour or two every night. So my sleep was a mess. I also had a lot of aches and pains in my hip joints, really just in my hip and in my leg. I was getting some nerve issues. And the other thing that really caught my attention was I was starting to have some cognitive issues, where I was having trouble finding words or recalling some memories. That was very concerning to me because my mom had just passed away from Alzheimer's, and I don't want to go down that path. So after all of that, I just started searching again and looking for the answers. And dot, dot, dot.

Nikkiey: No, I want to dive in a little bit more. We'll get to the dot, dot, dot and how the answers came to you. But with what you were experiencing, how was that making you feel, both physically and mentally? How were those challenges showing up day to day, and how did that affect your life and your work?

Laura: Mentally, I just always had a negative opinion of where I was from a visual perspective. And I think that's normal for us women, to always find the fault in how we look. And it's exhausting. So I was tired. My energy was a little bit off. It kind of ebbed and flowed with how I was feeling. And even though I am an executive and I am a pretty confident, overachiever type of person, I always felt like I was falling short of my own personal expectations. So definitely a confidence issue.

Nikkiey: And I'm sure lack of sleep bleeds into that as well. I feel the same way. When I don't get a good night's sleep, I show up differently the next day.

Laura: Yeah.

Nikkiey: So were there things that you wished you could do, like feeling stronger, having more energy or trusting your body, when you first started WarriorBabe, that you wanted to do but couldn't?

Laura: Being more present as a leader, and on the social side. When you lack confidence, you kind of don't want to be the center of attention. So I wanted to be that person that everybody was looking up to at my company, for example, and I kind of still stayed in the background. And I don't do that today.

Nikkiey: Love that. Would you say that some of the things you're sharing here were also some of the experiences you were dealing with when you were going through menopause or perimenopause?

Laura: For sure. During menopause, I was going through a lot of these issues. But I was really, really determined not to go through it with any kind of medication. And so, again, my sleep was absolutely a mess. It was just an exhausting, I don't know, year and a half, I'd call it.

Nikkiey: Yeah. And going to the gym, you said that you were going there six days a week, and you were also doing Orangetheory at the same time. Were you doing strength training before? I'm sorry if I missed that.

Laura: For seven years, I competed in figure competitions, and it had been nine years since I had competed when I joined WarriorBabe. So weight training has been something that I have enjoyed in the past, and I knew it was part of my solution, which is why I had a personal trainer before I even started with WarriorBabe. I'm just one of those people that doesn't like to craft her own workouts.

Nikkiey: Amen to that. I feel that.

Laura: So I was doing Orangetheory five days a week and I was going to a personal trainer two days a week to get some lifting in, but it was the nutrition side. That whole piece was just not right.

Nikkiey: What do you mean by that? Can you unpack that?

Laura: Well, because I was eating so few calories, I wasn't getting enough fat, I wasn't getting enough carbohydrate, and I definitely wasn't getting enough protein. So none of that was fueling me to be successful at anything. I didn't know that at the time, because, as in your story, when I was competing in my late forties, I too ate nothing and worked myself out like a mad animal. And back then I didn't have the knowledge about how to come out of competition. So literally in a week I would put on 15 pounds. It was just a nightmare. And so basically, over the course of the last 20 years, I absolutely had destroyed my metabolism.

Nikkiey: Well, I resonate so much with that. I know that you know my story, but knowing yours now, it's very similar in terms of my first competition, gaining 25 pounds back in four weeks.

Laura: Yeah. Right.

Nikkiey: So nuts. And you mentioned you didn't know back then. So were you just following a plan that your coach was giving you?

Laura: Yeah. I just did what they said, and I was never coached about having to reverse out of competition prep.

Nikkiey: Okay, so reverse dieting. When you came to WarriorBabe, which we'll dive into how you found it, but just for context, did you know what reverse dieting was? Did you have an idea?

Laura: I didn't know anything about it. Wow. I didn't even know you could fix your metabolism. I didn't know any of that.

Nikkiey: Were you aware that maybe your metabolism was off going through competition? Were there any signals or signs that things felt outside of what was normal?

Laura: Oh, sure. The very last time I competed, getting the weight off in time for competition was just the most stressful thing ever, because I was giving my body less and less fuel. It was really tough. It was really tough to get down to the leanness.

Nikkiey: Yeah, I know what you're saying. You're cutting back, cutting back, cutting back. It felt like every prep was different, right? Your body was so adapted to a lower intake, and if you kept going lower and lower, it was almost like you were eating bird food at that point.

Laura: Yeah, exactly.

Nikkiey: Your body's holding on to everything. You're trying to get some result, but it's like, no, I'm trying to help you survive right now. Okay, let's add in the dot, dot, dot. How did you find WarriorBabe, and what initially drew you to the program?

Laura: It was interesting. Like I said, my mom had passed away. It had been about five or six weeks, and I was just in this place where I was ready to find another solution. So I guess I was Googling for either a menu plan or a workout or just some advice in the universe. And I had popped into Facebook, which is not something I do. I'm not a social media person ever, but I happened to have logged into Facebook that day, and a WarriorBabe ad popped up on the side of my screen.

I looked at it because there was just something about the colors and the look of that little ad that said, you should click on that. Like I said, this is out of character for me, but I did click on it, and it sent me spiraling onto one video after another where I felt like, Nikkiey, you were talking specifically to me. The history of the training and what I went through. And then this freedom that you promised, of fixing my metabolism and being able to live on a 2,000-calorie diet and not feel guilty about it, not gain weight, not have to be at the gym running five days a week. All of this stuff in your initial videos just spoke to me, one after another after another. I spent six days watching as many as I could.

And I finally went to my husband and I said, hey, I found this program. I'm super interested in it. These are the reasons why. I'm going to set up a call. And he was super supportive. I already knew before I even took that sales call that I was going to sign up. That's just where I was, because I wanted to get out of this madness. I wanted to get out of my head and just live a normal life, where I'm not obsessed with thinking about what I'm going to eat every single day of my life.

I knew during this call, when she offered me the different timeframes I could sign up for, that I had to do this for a full year. There's no way I could fix all this damage in anything less than a full year. And so I did.

Nikkiey: Wait, can you unpack that a little bit? Because people come in and they want results within 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and when they don't see it within that timeframe, they're like, this program isn't for me, I'm out. Can you unpack that?

Laura: Yes, I will. Through my process of evaluating all the videos, the key thing that I walked away with, and what compelled me to sign up, was to fix my metabolism. It was not first and foremost to lose weight, because it was clear to me that if I could fix it, we would then have something to work with to lose weight. That's what became clear to me just through watching the videos. And so I was being fair to myself by giving myself a year. It took me 20-some years to get messed up like this. I certainly need a year to undo it.

Nikkiey: Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, WarriorBabe is here for you. At WarriorBabe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results, and results that last. Don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com/apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com/apply. All right, let's get back to the show.

That's super powerful self-awareness. Because your mindset was, I need to eat less, I need to train five or six days a week, I need to do all this cardio, overtraining, and it wasn't getting you where you wanted to be. And then you saw these videos that I was sharing. Did I deliver on my promise, by the way? You said there was a promise. Did we show up?

Laura: Yeah, you did. I think that's the interesting thing, right? You're selling a promise, but the promise can only come true if we embrace the program exactly as it's laid out. And I will say that I am a student that follows the program. I'm super coachable. So if my coach tells me to stop going to Orangetheory, which she did for three months, I did it. And I have to tell you, that was a challenge, because that was a massive change for me.

Nikkiey: We hear a lot of that. The coaches always come to our meetings and say, my babe is saying she doesn't want to stop Orangetheory, that she wants to keep going. But our coaches know that it's counterproductive to the results we know you can get. There's such a mindset a woman has: I didn't go to Orangetheory, I need to show up, it's going to help me burn more calories. So what was the aha moment where you were like, okay, my coach is telling me to stop, I'm going to stop? And then you did.

Laura: So I had committed from day one that I was going to follow the program no matter what. That's the first thing. I just had to set my mind right there. The second thing was, she said you can't go to Orangetheory for three months. So I just did what she said to do. I walked into Orangetheory and put my membership on pause for three months. So for me, now the battle is over, because I don't have a membership. It's on pause. So it's not something I can just go do behind her back.

Nikkiey: Love that.

Laura: I was so invested in wanting to fix my metabolism that I was willing to do whatever it took. And I understood through my conversations with my coach that I probably wasn't going to lose weight in the first 90 days. And I accepted that, because I needed to accept it to give myself a chance at repairing my metabolism. And so we did. We went through the Retrain phase, I think that's what it's called, and it was very progressive. By three months, like I said, I was up to 2,000 calories and not gaining weight.

I just had to trust the process. I think that's really it. You just have to trust it and give it everything you can. Don't cheat. And I think the other thing is being flexible, right? Because neither myself nor my coach knows how my body's going to respond, and we have to pivot each week based on how the body is reacting. You just have to be open to that flexibility and not be so hooked into a timeline.

I attended one of the community calls that you did yourself, about how this is a lifestyle change. It's not a quick fix to your 20-year battle. It's literally a lifestyle change. It was towards the end of my first year, I think, when I heard that. And I said, you know what? I have to sign up for a second year, because for me it's not my lifestyle yet. I'm still following a program. So I committed to my second year, because my second year was all about this becoming my lifestyle.

Nikkiey: That's incredible. I love that mentality, and that the way you started the program, being fully committed, carried through your behaviors and actions inside the program. You've got to be at least 90 to 95 to 100 percent, like it sounds like you were at the beginning, to have the success that you've had. Because if you start out wishy-washy and try to stay in your old habits and old behaviors, that's just going to be mirrored in the results you get inside our program, and in the efforts you're giving. You're giving half-assed efforts in the program if you come in with that type of mentality. So I love that your mentality was, nah, I'm committed out of the gate. What you heard in the videos really resonated with you, that there was another solution to something you didn't understand yet. And you absorbed it, being the student that you are, and you've reaped the rewards.

Can you share a little bit about some of the things you noticed in your body within the first 90 days?

Laura: As the calories started to go up, my energy improved and my aches and pains started to go away. Plus, I wasn't going to the gym five times a week. I think I was only doing weightlifting two or three days a week during those early stages, so I was getting a lot of physical rest. On top of that, the macro split specifically, just the split of the macros, actually started to make me feel better.

And as I got closer and closer to 2,000 calories, my mind became so clear. I suddenly was not having any trouble finding words or memories, or articulating the things that I wanted to. That was probably the biggest win for me, because I am terrified of getting Alzheimer's. Just to not have that scare happening to me anymore was a massive win. But yeah, physically feeling better, and then sleeping.

I never really thought about how important fats actually were for you. I think I grew up in an era where everything was supposed to be low fat, low fat, low fat. Well, as soon as I got up to 2,000 calories, I have to say, I was sailing. I was just in such a better place, and I wasn't any lighter. I was just a happier person.

Nikkiey: I love that. Your successes are incredible, from more energy to more food. Those are always my favorite wins. When I hear that a WarriorBabe is eating 400, 500, 600, a thousand more calories than where she started and she's feeling this way, that is the Super Bowl feeling of all feelings.

Laura: Yeah, I'm winning it. Those wins are actually more beneficial to me in day-to-day life than the weight loss.

Nikkiey: Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show.

The calorie intake you mentioned earlier was around what, 800 or 900 before starting WarriorBabe?

Laura: Yeah, I would spend most of my week between 900 and 1,100 calories.

Nikkiey: Wow. And now you're eating 2,000 calories, and you're 61.

Laura: Yes. It's awesome. Matter of fact, sometimes I have trouble hitting it. That's just because with whole foods, it's a little bit more work.

Nikkiey: That's amazing. Okay, so let's talk about some of the top achievements you've had since joining WarriorBabe.

Laura: Well, I'm definitely stronger. My ability to lift heavier is a big win for me. I wanted to do a 100-pound bench press, which I think is a big number for a woman.

Nikkiey: Yeah, that's huge.

Laura: And I think I did 105. One of my goals over the past year specifically has been to do a chin-up. I haven't got a pull-up yet, but a chin-up, and I finally achieved that. I didn't think that was ever going to happen. So just things like that. I just feel strong. I feel like I'm totally capable of taking care of myself. I don't need people to help me with very much of anything, and that independence is important to me.

Nikkiey: What are some other big achievements you've had?

Laura: We went into a very long cut to get me ready to compete in both August and October. I think I ended up down 28 pounds for competition. I'm not there today, understandably, but I achieved my goal.

And the coolest part is, I decided that I wanted to compete one more time. I wanted to give it another go and do it the safe way, with all this knowledge and coaching at my fingertips. So I rejoined WarriorBabe for my second year. And I went to my husband, who's never lifted in his life, and I said, hey, I want to do this. I want to train. I want to do a build. I want to get ready to do another competition. I think I need a year. Do you want to do it with me? And he said yes. I was like, what?

He liked what he was seeing out of me during the first year of WarriorBabe, in terms of my attitude, my confidence, the way I was feeling, the way I was sleeping. He just appreciated all of that. So he said yes, and we decided he would do men's physique, because that's about the best we could hope for.

Nikkiey: You both competed together?

Laura: Yes. My husband is 68 years old, so he did his first competition ever in his life at 68. He went through this journey. He went through the build phase. It was miserable for him because he had to eat so darn much, and I didn't feel sorry for him at all. He built a fair amount of muscle for being in the shape he was in. And then he went through the cut with me, which I wasn't sure he was going to survive. But he did very, very well. And honestly, he got more attention at the competitions than I did.

Nikkiey: A 68-year-old man. Wow. That's incredible.

Laura: Yeah. So probably the biggest win for me, when I signed up for year two, is that my husband joined this journey with me, and we are on this path for life together now.

Nikkiey: Oh my gosh. It makes my heart so happy. Part of our creed is cemented in the foundation of lasting health for our families and those around us. And you're a true testament to living out our creed, pouring into your husband and him joining your journey. You exuded your transformation, he saw it and liked it, and he wanted to jump on board with you. I think that's so cool.

Comparing your prior competition days with this new cut last year, after nine years off, were you eating more food than in your previous bodybuilding days?

Laura: Yeah. As a matter of fact, I don't think we ever got me below 1,500, to be honest.

Nikkiey: Let's go. That's freaking awesome.

Laura: And on the cardio side, we ended up with three cardio sessions a week, and we filled the rest in with walking. So it was just a whole different experience. So much more positive.

Nikkiey: That's so cool. I love that. Again, eating more food is one of my favorite stories to hear from our WarriorBabes, and then they're getting this type of result. How does it feel to look back at how far you've come?

Laura: It feels great. I'm so fortunate to have found this program and had it reach me in the ways that it has. It's been a life changer for me. I feel like I'm going to make it through my older years in such a positive way. And I'm going to keep lifting until I can't lift another day, because it just feels empowering.

I have learned that I actually can control where I am in life, and it's a choice. It was a choice to go through Retrain. It was a choice to stay in maintenance for nine months. It was a choice to go into a build phase. And understanding that you can come back out of these different phases to maintenance, and that there's a path to safely do that, has been super empowering. I think if every person who joined WarriorBabe could experience all of the phases, they would be set for life.

Nikkiey: Before WarriorBabe, did you have an understanding of macronutrients?

Laura: Only in that when I was preparing for bodybuilding competitions a decade ago, I was supposed to be at a certain split. It was just dictated: this is what your macro split is. So I would build out menus to meet those needs, but I never understood the reason for the different levels of fat, carbs and protein. I was just doing what somebody scripted for me. So today I have a better understanding that carbs aren't just carbs. We can all fill our bodies with all kinds of carbs, but the quality of carbs and the variety of carbs all play into how your body's going to behave.

Nikkiey: And since you were doing so much training before WarriorBabe, as you shared earlier, what does your strength training split look like today?

Laura: Today I weight train four days a week, and I only do cardio for half an hour, two times a week. And I love it. I hate cardio, so it's made me really happy.

Nikkiey: I love that. What's your take on less is more?

Laura: I have adjusted to that and accepted it as reality. It's true. Most of the people who come into WarriorBabe probably don't believe less is more. They think more is more. But if you trust the process, you're going to find out that less is actually more.

Even today, I continue to work with my coach. I have Coach Mo supporting me.

Nikkiey: Shout out. She's one of the best.

Laura: She often has to talk to me about overdoing it. Sometimes she has to pull me back, because here's the reality: I am an overachiever. I do everything to the absolute best of my ability. It's just how I am. So she pulls me back sometimes, and I actually appreciate it. I want somebody to tell me not to do so much.

Nikkiey: I actually want to spend two or three minutes on that right there, because the overachiever, perfectionist mindset drives us, but there are also some faults to it. How have you navigated that on this journey?

Laura: Okay. I am an absolute overachiever at work. I am the CFO of a $50 million international company, and I got promoted during WarriorBabe to also be the COO. So I've got an even bigger job. But I will tell you this: I have found a way to be super successful at my job and still prioritize myself first, which is not something I did before WarriorBabe. It is rare that I work on a weekend. It is rare that I work more than 10 hours in a day, which for an executive I feel is really awesome.

Nikkiey: Oh yeah.

Laura: Most of my days I'm only working nine hours. So one of the biggest benefits of WarriorBabe is me getting myself prioritized first and foremost. And because of that, everything else just seems easier. I'm able to navigate my job so much more efficiently because I'm healthy, I'm strong, my mind is clear and I have energy.

Nikkiey: How do you do that week to week and day to day? How do you put yourself first?

Laura: I'm a morning person, so I am up at five. I'm either getting my walk and my steps in, or I go to one of my two Orangetheory sessions, or it's my day to sleep an extra hour. It's one of those three things happening between five and six. Then I have a breakfast that I've become accustomed to having every single day. There are certain meals that are just the same every day, and I love it. I'm good with it. So I have my egg whites with avocado and a cup of coffee, and I move on. Off to work I go.

Like I said, I'm a morning person, so I'm super productive. My meals are always prepped, so I have my bag of supplies for the day. And then I cut my day off almost always at five o'clock. That's for me. That's for my mental health, because the work will be there tomorrow.

Nikkiey: Amen.

Laura: And from there, it's either off to work out with my personal trainer, or go to the gym on my own, or just go home and have a nice, relaxing evening to get some rest.

Nikkiey: If you've heard me on the community calls or in the videos you may have watched, the first thing to do at the beginning is to plan everything in advance. Even if it takes you extra time when you're first learning macros, or a little bit of time on Sunday to put everything together, if you have everything planned at the beginning of the week, you're going to be successful with your efforts during the week.

Laura: Absolutely.

Nikkiey: What would you say to a woman listening to this right now who has tried everything? Why should she give WarriorBabe a chance?

Laura: If they want to change their life forever, then WarriorBabe has the answers. And if you want that to happen for you now, then you need to commit to it 100 percent. Don't try to take things back into your own control. You really have to relinquish control to the program and do what it says. That is how you will find your answers.

Nikkiey: Wow. That's a very profound answer. Releasing control.

Laura: You really do have to give up control. And it is a battle. But you just have to let it go.

Nikkiey: Amen to that. If what they're doing right now isn't working for them, they have to change something up, right?

Laura: Correct. You obviously don't know how to do it. And that's what I did. I had been trying to solve it all myself. I can do everything myself. I'm an independent, strong person. I believe I can do anything I set my mind to. But I relinquished control and committed to doing what my coach said, and that was against my normal behavior. But the result is I'm in such a better place in my life today. I honestly believe that this WarriorBabe program has changed my life.

Nikkiey: That's incredible. Laura, thank you so much for sharing your story. I know it's going to resonate with a lot of women who feel like they're stuck in that same cycle. I hear all the time: I'm under-eating, I'm working out six days a week, I'm in the gym for three hours, I'm hearing all of this stuff on the internet, I'm older. What would you say to somebody who is 61 and thinks, my good days are over?

Laura: They're not. They're absolutely not. You have time. Think about it. When you're in your 60s, you don't have all the kids to raise. You don't have all this tug of war happening in your life that creates extra challenges, right? You have time. Give it a chance. You've got another 30 or 40 years of life ahead of you. What's one year?

Nikkiey: I love that. Can you change your body and your health and everything at 60 years old?

Laura: Look at my pictures.

Nikkiey: I love it. We'll definitely put the pictures up so everyone can see your transformation, which is truly incredible. Something else you shared that I want to highlight is that you're walking through life now with no medication and no health issues. Can you elaborate on that before we close out the interview?

Laura: I have no health issues. I literally just had a physical, and every score is in the average. Everything is perfect. I would love to stay prescription-free for the rest of my life.

Nikkiey: That's awesome. Again, you're a true testament that it's never too late to build strength. It's never too late to build confidence. Even though you are a very confident person, it continues to show in your efforts and what you're achieving in this program, and in taking control of your health. And then it trickles down to your family. That was one of the most incredible things. One day at a time, right?

Laura: Yeah. One day at a time. We're all doing our best one day at a time.

Nikkiey: Love that. Well, Laura, thank you so much for being here and sharing your story.

Laura: It was a pleasure.

Nikkiey: Real quick: if this episode resonated with you or gave you the push you needed, I'd love for you to pay it forward. Drop a quick rating and review, share the podcast with someone who might need it, and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps the show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so much for your support.