How She Finally Lost Body Fat w/ WarriorBabe Amy

00:00I was a really tight size 10, which probably should have been moved up to a 12, but I was trying not to. And I'm down to about a 4 now. I was on two blood pressure medications prior. Instead of 75 milligrams twice a day, I'm down to 25 milligrams twice a day. I was definitely feeling defeated, and I was starting to get a little scared that I didn't have a lot of time left on this earth if I didn't find a way to fix it.

00:30Hey, everybody. So today we have WarriorBabe Amy. Amy used to rely on cutting calories, ramping up cardio so that she could stay in shape. But when menopause hit, nothing was working the way that it used to. From joint pain, inflammation, and exhaustion, all of that took over. And her usual approach weren't getting her the results that she was hoping for.

01:02Then she found WarriorBabe. And now, she's going to share so many of her successes with us here today. She's lost over 40 pounds. She's reduced her menopause symptoms, and she feels stronger than ever. And she's proof that you don't have to settle. You can take control of your health at any stage of life. Today, let's dive into her story. Amy, thanks for being here. Hey, Paul. Thank you for having me. And can you just let the listeners know where you are in the world? Where are you from? How old you are? And what do you do for work?

01:32So I am in Rochester, New York. Beautiful, snowy Rochester, New York right now. I work at one of the local university hospitals, and I am in medical research. So mostly desk job, but I am up and around, moving around the hospital quite a bit. So probably 50-50 mix of desk and moving around. And I'm 54 years old. I'll be 54 next week, so I'm going to round up. Oh, happy early birthday.

02:03Thank you. All right, so let's dive into it. Can you let everybody know what was your health and fitness like before you joined Warrior Babe? So, well, about a year ago now, I was obviously heavier. I was struggling with menopause symptoms. I was coming off of, I had a knee injury, and I was just having a lot of joint problems. So the more I tried moving around, the more I was hurting. And I just was kind of starting to feel like, I guess this is it.

02:36You know, you just, you get old, and that's why people stop moving, you know, because you can't move anymore. And I was, part of me was kind of just feeling like you just have to eventually just succumb to it. And the other part of me was like, but no, other people can move. There's got to be a way to, like, stop feeling like this. So that's kind of the weird struggle that I was in right before I found Warrior Babe. You didn't want to accept that that was your way forward, which I love that mentality.

03:07How did that, those symptoms, how did menopause, how did joint pain, how did, you mentioned too, you had high blood pressure when I was reading through your story beforehand. How did those things affect your daily life? Well, so I've had high blood pressure since I was 29 years old. I just have an awful family history of a lot of early heart disease and that type of thing. So I was used to dealing with the blood pressure, though in recent years it definitely was becoming more of something I was more noticing,

03:41you know, because it's kind of always deemed the silent killer because you don't usually have a lot of symptoms. But I was definitely having more symptoms of palpitations and getting a little more short of breath, moving around. I don't know if that was just a weight or the blood pressure or the combination of the two. So, um, and, uh, cholesterol, um, my doctors already had me on, um, an injectable, uh, medication. So the statins weren't working anymore. Um, and the numbers still weren't coming down, uh, the way they really wanted to,

04:14but I wasn't able to work out because my knees and my joints hurt. So I was kind of in this like, you know, caught negative cycle that was just not helping. And, um, you know, my doctor finally kind of sat down with me and was like, listen, you know, if this is an expensive medication and insurance isn't going to keep paying for it. If, you know, you have one more dose up that we can go to and then that's it, you're maxed out. And, um, and then they're going to take it away if it's not working. And I was like, oh, geez, you know, I, I can't, I can't, you know, just basically give up, you know?

04:48So that's where I was kind of trying to struggle with, I got to find something that's going to help me, you know, get this menopause under control, get the joint pain under the control and, you know, get me moving again. So that way my numbers can get in line and, um, you know, I can live. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that was pretty much like this was like, would you say that that was a specific moment or experience that you remember that made you realize like something has to change or was there? That was, that was one of my defining, like, all right, you know, enough is enough.

05:21You know, I've got to find, I got to do something. And I was spending a lot of time online, like looking at like, do I need like a nutritionist or like, what do I need? And, um, for as much as it sucks that, you know, your privacy isn't really, you know, respected online. Um, I think because I was searching so much of that in my Facebook feeds, I started getting a lot of ads for, um, different workout programs and where your babe was one of them. So I checked them out.

05:51So glad you did. Well, before we dive into what that Facebook ad spoke to you and what, maybe what it was specifically that made you dive into being more intrigued to what worry we've had to offer. How did dealing with those struggles that you just mentioned, like, how did that make you feel physically and mentally? Um, I was feeling defeated, um, for sure. Um, I did not like having the extra weight. I've usually been pretty active prior, you know, with, um, I used to do CrossFit and I used

06:21to do a lot of other things. So I was used to being able to move around until I got that injury. And, um, and then I was, you know, doing running and running didn't work for me because I tried training up for a half marathon and gave myself double Achilles tendonitis. So that wasn't fun either. So it just always everything, you know, it's like, why does it always have to hurt? Oh, so, um, I was definitely feeling defeated and I was starting to get a little scared that, um, I, you know, I didn't have a lot of time left on this earth if I didn't, you know, find

06:56a way to, to fix it. No, you mentioned too, when I was reading what you were writing about your story that you were sore for days after workouts too, as well. Oh, wow. Yeah. How did that impact like how you were like your motivation to like continue to want to even show up? Through like CrossFit and stuff, I just kept going. So I would go to the gym, whether I was sore or not. And I mean, it probably wasn't great for my body, but I did it, you know, because I felt

07:28like, you know, exercise was important and it needed to be done. And, you know, apparently that's just how everybody is, you know, maybe it just hurts and you just have to get used to hurting all the time. And then I'm finding out from people, they're like, no, you shouldn't be constantly sore. What are you doing? I'm like, oh, well, but that's how my body always is. Oh, my joints always hurt. My muscles always hurt. And, um, but I don't know. Apparently that is not how it really has to be because that's not how I've been living

08:01now. For the last almost year of Warrior Beam? Yeah. Yeah. I think I probably had like maybe two or three days where I kind of was like, oh, I probably overdid it a little bit on that last one. But otherwise, you know, nothing like where I'm creeping up the stairs because it hurts to lift my legs or to go from sitting to standing is, you know, crushing my soul. You know? Yeah. Where was your, can you let us know like what your nutrition looked like prior to Warrior Beam? So it was probably not good.

08:34Um, when I was running and doing a lot of running, I was always like hovering around 1200 calories or so. Um, and that was not macro based. Um, I didn't know about macros when I was doing the running, uh, CrossFit, they got more, more into macros. So they had me in at, uh, I think 1585 was my target macros. Um, and, uh, I think I was just like 30, 30, 40 or something across the board. I felt like I had more energy that way actually following with macros rather than just kind

09:07of freewheeling with my 1200 calories. But, um, other than that, nobody was really paying attention to like what I was eating, like whether it was coming from potato chips or if it was coming from, you know, a healthy source, you know? So, um, those were all things I kind of had to learn as I went along that, you know, not all carbs are good carbs. Not all fats are good fats. Not all proteins are good proteins, you know? So there was definitely a lot of learning that has had to happen between then and now.

09:42Yeah, sure. I've heard so many women speak to the lower calories prior to Warrior Babe, the 900, the 1100, 1200, and I'm just, sometimes it's different stories all around. So I'm just curious why 1200 for you? Um, because I looked online and it said it was unsafe to go below 1200. Oh, okay. And I was like, all right, I'll hit that bottom line without going too far.

10:13Okay, okay. Get that. I understand that. And it's, that's, it's so conflicted. It's like everything is on the internet can say, do this, do one thing to try that thing. 1200 is what works. Um, were you tracking at this time? Like, how are you paying attention to you hitting 1200 calories? Uh, my fitness pal. So I was tracking, but just not really using the macros, you know, at that point, no macros. And, uh, even when I was using the macros, um, again, not really understanding and appreciating

10:45that, you know, like the carbs from a sweet potato are much better than the carbs from some cookies. Yeah. It's, it's, it's so eyeopening, right? It's like, wow, this actually means that I know when you were eating the 1200 calories in terms of the results that you were seeing. So you mentioned you lost like 10, 15 pounds. Was it the type of results that you were hoping to see? Cause there's, you mentioned you were skinny, but like, was it hope were there, what were the results that you were hoping to achieve? So I was hoping to get down in weight and then be able to keep that and then just be able

11:20to live my life and just be thin and, uh, and be healthy and have my cholesterol down and all that good stuff. Um, but it, it just wasn't sustainable. I'd be able to get down to like, maybe like where I was able to like get down to like a size eight. And I was all excited that I was out of double digits. And then it just, it wasn't sustainable because eventually you started getting hungry and you couldn't just live on 1200 calories and running like five miles a day. Cause you just, you get hungry. Yeah. Yeah. You find yourself snacking at the end of the day when it finally got to that point where

11:52you're like, I'm hungry. I need to eat more. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I'd hit, I'd hit a, a weight, you know, some, some, whatever goal weight it was, you know, maybe like one 45 and then I'd be all excited, but that would like literally last a couple of days. And then, you know, I'd be back up to like one 50 and then I'd hover like one 50, one 55. And then slowly it would start creeping back up again. So it never was like, I'd have to really stay in that exactly 1200 calories and do all the running in order to get down to that, like one 45. And then I couldn't maintain it.

12:24So it would go right back up and then more, then more so, you know, so then now I'm like, you know, here I was hovering like one 65 and now all of a sudden I'm hovering one 75 and I'm like, Oh my God, why won't this just stay off? Right. And how long was that cycle? Like, you don't want me asking how many years did you do that for? So that was going on prior to the pandemic and then, and then the pandemic hit. And so then all of even the trying went out the window. So then I just embraced my, my inner chubby self and just learn how to bake bread and

12:58enjoyed the ride. I love that you threw that in there. No, I was making bread like a champ. Let me tell you. When, so let's say you take me back here when you were struggling with the ways that you were like feeling like defeated or the ways that you were feeling when you thought that this was, Oh, this is just the way I'm going to have to feel. Or even what you said, embracing my chubby self during COVID were those types of struggles were like, how did they impact any relationships or work or like in your day to day?

13:30Like where your energy, how were your energy levels through that time? Um, my energy levels were mixed. I think it probably depended on whether or not I was locked into my 1200 calorie day, or if I was letting my day just kind of, you know what, today's going to be a break day. Um, wait, let me unpack that for a second. How consistent were you with the 1200 calories? How consistent were you? How consistent were you with the 1200 calories? When I got myself into a, into a goal where I have to hit a weight and I want to hit it

14:01by a certain, I would be consistent. I was just in 1200 calories. But then after that, once I hit that goal, it was kind of like, Oh, we'll let this day slide. Or during like one of my like heavy pushes, um, if it was like a birthday that would pop up in between, I'd give myself a cheat day. So, and for the most part, I'd be consistent. But if there was a reason to not be, I gave myself that. So we'll circle back to the question I asked you a second ago.

14:38Ladies, 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, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, 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.

15:13Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Because I'm more interested to hear what your take is on why was accomplishing a weight number so important to you? I don't know.

15:45I think it was just I thought that if I could get down to this certain number, it would mean that I was healthier somehow. It doesn't make sense now. So I tried to put myself back into that brain. And I'm happy to hear it doesn't make sense now. But it's pretty wide of your brain. Yeah, if I could be 145, then I'll be healthy and life will be grand. You know, everything will just fix itself. I don't know how I achieved that or arrived at that conclusion.

16:19I don't know if it was my internet searching or what. But stories, marketing, the meetings of growing up, all of what you were hearing, narratives, just in your brain, right? Yeah. It's like and now like so many things like I think back about what I was doing and like alcohol too. So, you know, alcohol, when you key it into my fitness pal, it takes away calories, but it doesn't hit any of the macros. So I'm like, oh, you know, those are free.

16:51You're not alone. So many women thought to think that. Yeah. And so like one of my one of the podcasts that I was listening to and like, you know, you broke it down. You're like, no, you got to take it out of either your carbs or your fats. But it's got to come out of one of those macros somewhere because the fourth macro isn't tracked. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. All righty. Well, that explains some of that. All right. Let's let's bring it to you seeing that ad with Warrior Babe and finding Warrior Babe.

17:24What initially drew you into the program? Well, I watched the ad and I liked that there wasn't a lot of like scare tactics in the ad. And I also liked the fact that like once I started kind of deep diving that you had a podcast and there was a lot of other things going on rather than just, hey, I'm an online fitness program. Send me your money and I'll give you miracles. So I listened to a lot of the podcasts.

17:55I just started from episode one and I just started going through and and I was learning all kinds of different things about menopause. There was the one that you did with Esther Bloom that I picked a whole bunch of little nitpicky pieces out of that and ran with them. And I was like, I really kind of like this program. I also like the fact that you were in nursing. So I kind of felt like you get, you know, being at the hospital and the darn counter full of treats that are just always there.

18:26Always in the break room. The bagels and the pizzas and the break room. I'm like, she's my people. I got you. He understands like, you know, it's all well and fine to be at home and like, you know, trying to be good. But then you come to work and it's like there's just all this stuff, you know, because they're just trying to feed you to keep you moving. Exactly. And then when you are moving and it's nonstop, it sounds really good to just stick your hand in the treats that are in the break room because it's going to feel make you feel satiated for at least like 10 minutes while you go take care of your next patient.

19:01Yeah. It's like bagels. Like, great. You know, those are, you know, that's a carb. So that'll fit. I can fit that into my, my, my fitness palette. And it's like, yeah, but it's just white bread. Yeah. Yeah. And literally, no, it's spiking your blood sugar. Right. And you go. And so it's, it's crazy. But yeah. Well, I'm glad that that drew you into the program. Yeah. And then I started watching some of the, then I went to the website and started watching some of the like testimonials and stuff like that. And like, you know, like long interviews.

19:31And, and, you know, so I really got a chance to, you know, see that people were really like, no, I I've been doing this and here's all my befores. And, oh yeah, these, this was a trial, you know, it wasn't easy. This was, you know, I worked at it, but I got here, you know. Yeah. So it wasn't quick promises. And I, I really liked that. It felt healthier. It felt like a good, a better fit. I love the way that you explained that. And I'm so appreciative of the fact that that is how we come across when you are someone new looking at us on, on the internet.

20:03And I'm, I'm glad we're perceived that way. Cause it's definitely how we love to operate. We're here to just serve and help people. And we want people to understand that this is the way you can do it. It isn't sexy. There's no quick fix or promise, but it will get the job done if you're willing to put in the work and you have put in the work and we're going to get to your, uh, your wins in a bit. But as you started out, what were your thoughts as you first started the journey? Um, initially I was nervous. Um, you know, it's a big commitment.

20:34You know, you sign up for the whole year, you know? So that's like, Oh God, you know, what did I just do? You know, what if this sucks? Yeah. Totally valid. You know, like, so, you know, did I make a mistake? You know, so like all those things are running through my head. And then I met my coach and like, as soon as I was paired up with her and I kind of like, you know, stalked her online a little bit to like, you know, check her out. And she was fantastic. And I was like, Oh my God, they could not have put me with a better person. Like she's my people too. So, um, we met and, uh, just absolutely love her.

21:11And, uh, you know, I got my first workouts and I was worried that they were going to be like really heavy, intense, like CrossFit workouts, you know, throwing a lot of weight around and all kinds of stuff. And it was really a great, like ease into it. Um, you know, a lot of stuff with like bands and just body weight type kinds of things. And, um, she was really working with me with my knee and, you know, trying to make sure that because she's like, you don't, don't do this and hurt yourself. You shouldn't hurt after you're done. Like you're, you shouldn't have to ice your knee when you're done.

21:42If you're icing your knee when you're done, you need to talk to me and we need to fix something. So, um, I just, you know, I whittled my way through like little by little and, you know, forked my way up in all those workouts. And, uh, yeah, it was, it was a really nice transition from being mostly sedentary during the pandemic to working my way up to where I am now. It was a nice, smooth transition. Were you skeptical at all about eating more and doing less intense cardio?

22:13Um, so I was. Um, but at the same time, at that point I was, I had signed up and I had just gotten over tendonitis again, Achilles tendonitis again. So I wasn't anxious to get right back onto the treadmill because my ankles had just been hurting so much. And I was just starting to get to the point where I was able to walk without like looking like I had like a limp. Um, so.

22:44So I was okay with it, even though I was a little nervous about it. She also started me off, um, cause had me tracking for the first couple of weeks just to kind of see where I was at. And then, um, I started off at 1400 calories and I was like, Oh wow. That's a lot to just start off with and not be running. Really? This is going to work. And she's like, just trust it. And I'm like, okay, here we go. Why did you think that? Just curious. Cause everyone, I love, I love hearing, uh, the thoughts that come behind those words.

23:20Well, because any other time if, if I was doing my running and if I wasn't at 1200 calories, I either didn't move or I gained weight. Ah. So I, I couldn't, I don't know. I, so now if you took my cardio away and added more food and I was like, okay, well. So you really trusted. I signed up because what I was doing was wrong.

23:50So I got to just trust that this, this is what, this is what I signed up for. So I got to just trust it. And so I just trusted it. I just, every time if a doubt crept into the back of my head, I was like, shut up. Shut up, chubby girl. Go away. We're heading in this way. All you, but that right there is you were rewiring your brain to not allow like old narratives or stories, or even like maybe misconceptions about fitness or health and how much you had to eat and all doing all this cardio.

24:21You were rewriting. This narrative hasn't been helping me. It hasn't been getting the results that I wanted, but I'm here now. I've committed to this process. I'm going to trust it now. Believe us. Like we, that's our motto. Trust us now. Believe us later. Yeah. And we were like, you started to just rewrite you by you taking action. We're not even rewriting it yet. You were just taking action and allowing the process to work out for yourself. It was one day at a time, you know, cause you can't look at it in like a month chunk, you know? Cause if you look at it in a month chunk or two month chunk or one year chunk, it's, it's all too much.

24:51It's too much to, you know, like, Oh my God, you know, you're going to put me at 2000 calories one day. Oh my God. No, no, no, no, no, that's not happening. Yeah. That's like your old, yeah. Yeah. That's like old self, like scared, like fear, which is totally normal and natural because you've been operating that way for so long. And you were so like aware of, Oh, 1200 calories is got me here, but, and then it didn't make me lose or gain anymore, but it felt like a comfortable space. Cause you did it for so long. Yeah. Having 2000 calories come your way. Yeah.

25:22Yeah. What was the timeline? Cause we do like to start a lot of our babes out at the, like in a lower calorie intake or a retrain process from getting you to the 1400 calories to 2000. How long did that take? Um, well, I just had a, um, calorie bump, um, just a couple of weeks ago. So from start to now is when I, when I got bumped up, but I was at 1400 calories. I want to say, I want to say it was probably five months trying to just get me to the point. Cause you know, she was always like assessing like whether or not I was hungry, you know, how am I feeling?

25:55You know, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, no, I'm still trying to get all the, all of them in. So, um, uh, you know, I just, my body wasn't telling us yet that I was needing more. So she let me ride until my body said I need more. And then I was like, oh, you know, I'm starting to get kind of hungry. You know, is there, you know, like, is there a way I can like, how can I like get this hunger to like maybe drink soda water? Cause I don't need more filling. You know? So like, I'm trying to like come around ways, but not adding calories. And she was like, nope, I think it's time for a calorie bump, babe.

26:29Okay. Okay. All right, cool. So I'm going to pinpoint that right there. Cause I want to circle back to how you're feeling with your first calorie bump. 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, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, 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.

27:04Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. But since joining Warrior Babe, let's talk about where you are now on your journey. So now, you know, 40, 45 pounds later, I've been maintaining this.

27:39And so I'm down to 129, which I never hit during CrossFit, during all my running, the half marathons, the eating 1200 calories, all of that. I am back to my high school, like college weight. That gave me the chills. I've never hit this weight as an adult ever. Wow. So, and I've been at this weight. I've been hovering at it, I want to say like at least a good month or so.

28:10And I'm not so, and she's been bumping my calories up and I'm just staying right there. So it's absolutely crazy to me. And like my old brain would have completely short-circuited just trying to even comprehend that you can have that many calories and not be literally killing yourself in the gym or, you know, out on the road, you know, running. You know, I get my workouts done, you know, sweaty and, you know, I've done my thing and I've, you know, I've worked out, but I don't walk around for the next three days, you know, not able to lift a glass off the counter because my arms are so sore.

28:48And that's how sore I used to be from CrossFit, you know, like, just, I couldn't, like going up and down the stairs was painful, you know, like, and now I'm like, ah, go up and down the stairs. Maybe a little muscle might be like, hey, hey, you worked me out yesterday, but not limiting me to like where I'm crawling up the stairs because it hurts so much, you know. Yeah, you're giving your body that nutrition it wanted for so long. Yeah, there's so much, yeah, the nutrients are just, I think, helping the muscles recover, whereas before they just, they couldn't recover.

29:18They just were just getting beaten up. Exactly, you weren't giving your body enough of what it needed to help with the recovery process. It's the thing, like, it's so intangible, like, you can't see your muscles recovering, which a lot of people want to see their efforts. They want to see their results. They want it to be tangible. They want it to, but with this, it's all internal. Like, you can't see or understand, like, it just, it comes with time. Like, it's happening in the moment when your body gets more food, which is what you were experiencing when not feeling so sore anymore.

29:51When you weren't eating enough, you were sore because it wasn't having what it needed to help you to recover. So you mentioned you're down 40 pounds. What are some of the top achievements that you've had? So my top achievements, I have to say, first and foremost is my health. I was on two blood pressure medications prior. I'm down to, well, both at pretty, well, one was a regular, just probably a moderate dose, and the other one was a little higher dose.

30:24That one, instead of 75 milligrams twice a day, I'm down to 25 milligrams twice a day. And I might be able to get that one gone at my next visit. So he's, we're monitoring my blood pressures now. So I might be down to just one blood pressure medicine coming up. My cholesterol numbers have been fantastic. The cardiologist is, he's thrilled. Like there's no longer a worry that, you know, insurance companies will take my medicine away. I don't think that medicine will ever go away just because of the heart history that I have in my family.

30:58But that's fine. I'm fine with taking my cholesterol meds to keep my arteries open and, you know, flowing. But all of my numbers are fantastic. So that is probably my biggest and, like, the biggest driver that, you know, was one of my priorities. Yeah. That was, at the beginning, was one of the major things that made you realize you had to make a change. Yep. So, and then along with that, under the health net, is I don't hurt anymore.

31:31So, so I can't even, like, just having, I don't know if it's because of the nutrition or because now my hormones are a little more, like, adjusted. And, you know, I'm eating to fuel, you know, this body, not a 20-year-old body, you know, and the hormone support that I need now. And, but I don't have the joint aches. So I'm not, like, after a workout, I'm no longer laying in bed with my hips just throbbing and aching and my elbows hurting.

32:05And I was going through a lot of that when I first started because I still had so much inflammation or whatever was going on in my body that, you know, initially my first workouts, even through Warrior Babe, I was just, my joints hurt, you know, from just the effort of it all. Or, you know, laying in bed later, it's like I could tell that I did all that, you know, but now I go through all my workouts and my joints don't hurt anymore. And I just feel great. I get up in the morning, I have energy, I'm sleeping, you know.

32:35So all of that I took into just health. And then my other, like, big goal or big achievement is I surpassed what I wanted for, like, a numbers on the scale, which, again, now I understand that numbers on the scale don't mean what they, what you think they mean. But, you know, so, you know, it's like, it's a great thing that, you know, I'm in, like, all new clothes, all new sizes. It's been an expensive journey because all new clothes in multiple sizes as I was going down.

33:08But, but I'm thrilled. I'm just absolutely thrilled with my results. Can you share the number of pant size? You went from what to what? I was, I was a really tight size 10, which probably should have been moved up to a 12, but I was trying not to. And I'm down to about a four now. Wow. Yeah. Wow. I'll do six, four, depending on what brand I try on. That's amazing. You should be so proud of all those achievements.

33:38Yeah. I'm just, I'm completely thrilled. Yeah. It is. It's shocking to me. But, of course, now I have pants in size 10, size 8, size 6. Well, let's keep them where they are now. Maybe if you ever go into, like, a building phase. A little clothing exchange or something. Yeah. You mentioned, too, in one of your achievements that was written in the form that I was reading that I wanted to highlight here a little bit because I know there's a lot of women that are going through this.

34:12But you mentioned that menopause symptoms were significantly reduced. Can you talk a little bit to that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, along with joining Warrior Babe, because of that podcast that I listened to where you were talking with Esther Bloom, she had mentioned talking to a functional medicine doctor. So, I also scheduled. So, I not only signed up for Warrior Babe all in the same week. I found a functional medicine doctor and made an appointment with them and went down and got an in-body scan because I wanted to see kind of where I was starting.

34:48So, I'm like, I'm just, here's my starting point. So, I signed up with a functional health medicine doc. And so, she reviewed all of, like, did a whole bunch of blood work. We had, you know, several conversations and things. And she made some suggestions. A lot of it was diet changing and stuff like that that she was able to then also kind of support what my coach was telling me about, you know, needing nutrition. And that, you know, a bagel isn't the same as a sweet potato when you're looking at carbs, you know.

35:21So, like, she kind of, like, talked to me about some of that. I did talk to GYN and got a hormone patch. And since then, like, all of my, the numbers on my most recent blood work for my hormones and stuff like that are a little more stabilized. I'm no longer, like, crazy high on one thing and down in the basement on another. So, things are, like, leveled off for, you know, being appropriate for my age. But at least not crazy, you know, out of kilter.

35:54But because that's all now adjusted, you know, I'm sleeping better. I have all the energy again. I'm sure that that probably played a part in some of that joint aching, too. Because I feel like some of that was, I don't know, probably, you know, blood levels and stuff being off kilter. Absolutely. The hot flashes are minimal now. I really don't even have them during the day. Still a little bit of that at night, you know, covers on, covers off, covers on, covers off. Right. But not as bad as it was, you know. Definitely not, like, waking up sweating in the middle of the night.

36:25And so, I just feel more, like, even and more calm. And just, I'm not feeling as edgy. I feel like that's menopause-y, too. You know, just kind of being, like, on edge. Absolutely. Yeah, everything just kind of seems to, like, have mellowed out with having the right nutrition and, you know, asking the right questions at the doctor's office. Because if you're going to the doctor, you can go a million times. And if you don't know the right questions to ask. So important. And how to, you know, get across what you're feeling.

36:59And that it's not just a feeling. That there is actually something physical happening to me. Right. And if you can't get that point across, then, you know, you can't get the help that you need. And I feel like listening to those podcasts and stuff really helped me to formulate how I needed to approach going to the doctors and asking for what I needed. And, you know, getting that support that, you know, I'm like, hey, I'm doing this nutrition coaching thing with my warrior babe thing. And I know I'm supposed to be doing this, but I feel like there's some fine tuning that needs to happen here, you know.

37:30And so they were willing to work with me. And I really think that that all helped, you know, by having all of those pieces playing together. That's huge. That's huge. That's incredible. With all that you've accomplished and the results that you've had and even like the what you just shared there in terms of feeling way more confident with the conversations you were having with doctors to make sure that you're on the right path. Did you accomplish all of this? Like, are you going through menopause right now or are you post-menopause? Like, are you in it or are you post?

38:00Well, so I had a hysterectomy, so I'm not really sure 100% when menopause officially started. The blood values, when I went at that baseline one, they said I was officially menopause. So they were like, oh, yeah, you have no estrogen happening at all. That's even more incredible that you reduced body fat, that you dropped dress sizes, that you had all of those health pillars corrected.

38:30While going through menopause. Yeah. You know, that's like what a lot of people were like, oh, this is just like what I have to accept now. I'm gaining weight. I'm tired. And that's what I thought. Yeah, that once you have, once you don't have, because I went with the hysterectomy, they took one ovary too because I had endometriosis. So they had to take out whatever was all wrapped up in the endometriosis. So I only had one ovary. So they told me then that they were like, you know, you're probably going to go into menopause a lot earlier because you're, you know, only got half of, you know, the equipment that you should have in order to generate the hormones that you need.

39:06So, so yeah, I was definitely in menopause by the time I went to that functional medicine doc and they did all those numbers. Ran all the time. Well, I'm thinking how full circle this has been for you from having the thoughts of like, oh, you know, this medicine, the beginning of my journey, like I'm having high blood pressure and having like all of these symptoms to you seeking out. Okay. Okay. I need to like get, I need to work out. I need to find a program that I can do to full circle.

39:38You've reduced your health. Like there's areas of your health that have improved so much, no longer needing certain medications. If you had never made a change, have you ever thought about this? If you never made a change, where do you think that you'd be today? And how does that make you feel? It's, it's, oh, geez, it's kind of scary. Um, yeah, I was thinking about, I'm like, holy cow, she didn't make any of these changes. What would have happened? I I'd probably be still struggling. Um, I may have just finally just given up and, uh, on, cause I was trying to avoid surgery on my knee because I feel like, um, once, once I start cutting into you, it's just never quite the same.

40:22I agree with that. Yeah. So I was really trying to put off, you know, not needing the knee surgery. And, um, I probably would have just gone and done it because at that point, you know, I, in order to walk, you know, in order to feel comfortable walking, um, I would have needed to do something. Um, and then that would have been an awful healing process, um, because the, I wouldn't have needed a full knee. It's the back of my, um, patella that is like, so it's femoral patella or femoral.

40:55I can never remember which one goes first. Um, but that is where the arthritis is. So it's not on the weight bearing joint. It's, you know, when you're bending your knee. Um, and I guess the only surgeries that they were offering me, um, a lot of them involve cutting tendons. And so they take forever to heal. And then all the physical therapy, she was telling me it'd be like six to nine months of physical therapy afterwards. And I was like, oh my God. That's a long time. I didn't want to do physical therapy for six to nine months. I'm like, there's gotta be something else I can do instead of physical therapy for six to nine months.

41:29That's a long time. Um, so yeah, I, I, I really don't really kind of want to think about where, cause I feel like, you know, would that heart attack have been a little closer around the corner? You know, if, if I hadn't done something and I feel like the answer is yes. You know, how close around the corner? I don't know, but, um, yeah, I definitely was not feeling well at the time. So, and now, you know, and those numbers were not good. They weren't suggesting that I had lots of years to not worry about it, you know?

42:04So, um, I'm, I'm just glad that I found, you know, a program that I knew that was going to work for me that, you know, resonated with me. And that to me felt like the healthiest way to go about things and, you know, offered so much more support with like your podcasts and everything. I keep going back to the podcast because let me tell you, they were like my go-to. Yay. For a long time where I was just, you know, like absorbing everything that, you know, you know, all of your, you know, guests that you had coming in, you know, you had a lot of people that, you know, know a lot of stuff, you know, more than, more than I know.

42:40You do. You know, and, uh, you know, I was willing to take all of that and, you know, cause clearly what I was doing wasn't working and, and, you know, I needed to listen to some other people. And, um, I think this was, you know, definitely the best choice I ever could have made for myself. I'm so happy that you trusted on us at the beginning and you were just like, I'm committed. I'm going to show up. I want to do the work. That's, that goes a long way. And I thank you so much for doing that because you could have chose to not trust and you could have chose to, oh, but this worked or 1200 calories where I felt comfortable.

43:16Like you, you should give yourself a lot of credit for being open and willing to accept that. Well, what wasn't working before isn't working. And I need to have something that is going to work for me because there were some, there was a lot of things that were laying on the line for you there at the beginning. So you should be really proud of a lot. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. My husband's happy for me. You know, he, you know, he's just thrilled that, you know, I've got so much more energy. I'm able to, you know, help him with stuff now.

43:47Like when he's like, Hey, can you hand that, you know, the ladder up to me in my van, you know, whatever. I'm like, Oh, sure. And I grab it and just, you know, hand it up to him. That's amazing. Rather than like, Oh, you know, my knee and my shoulder bother me right now. I can't do it. Yeah. Let me see if somebody else is around and grab that. That's amazing. So for somebody that's watching this right now, that is unsure about taking like that next step, or maybe there's something in their life that they're like, I need to get this fixed, but I'm just unsure what to do. What would you tell them about warrior babe and the impact that it could have on their life?

44:22I think that one, and I feel like a big part of anybody's internal thing is that you have to be ready to, you have to kind of be at that point where you're ready to listen to somebody else. Because if you're not ready to listen, or you're not ready to track, and you're not ready to do the work, then, you know, maybe wait till you are. But because otherwise, I feel like you're just going to be fighting against yourself. But I feel like that's going to be the same for any program.

44:53But I feel like once you're ready, and you know that like, I've got to do something, and I've got to, something's got to give, and I need help. This is absolutely the place that I would suggest you turn. I've been recommending to all kinds, actually another friend of mine joined, because they're seeing my results. And it's just so comprehensive. And the support you get is not just, you know, like, here's an exercise program, you know, go on your way. You know, it's not that, you know, it's weekly checking in.

45:25You know, I got a coach that I can talk to daily if I need to. You know, like, there's so much support, and all of the calls, too. I didn't realize how much I kind of also needed a little bit of that mental piece, which I feel like a lot of this is, it is mental, you know, like, being willing to, like, push past, you know, comfort barriers, or get past, like, you know, old mindsets, and get past a lot of, you know, self, negative self-talk. And I didn't realize how much value there would be in those calls until I started sitting in on those calls.

46:02Because at first, when I first signed up for the program, I was kind of, like, thinking to myself, well, I just really need the nutrition and the exercise. And can I just, like, take some of this extra fluff out and, like, maybe pay less or something? Like, how can we do something like that? We're not alone there. Everyone just wants the nutrition and workout side. And it really, it actually really is kind of needs to be, like, one whole, like, cohesive thing. Because without having your mindset adjusted to, like, what you really need to be doing,

46:34and what's right for you, you won't really stick to the workouts and the nutrition, or you won't understand why you got to track it, and why your coach needs to really see what you're eating. And so I really, I recommend, but like I said, it's work. You know, you got to go in and you got to log in on your foods. You know, you got to do the workouts. You know, just because you have the workouts in your program doesn't mean that you're just going to lose weight because you have them. You got to actually do them.

47:04Exactly. The program and the app and the nutrition and the coach calls, like, if you are just listening and not doing, you're not going to get anywhere. You have to listen and do. Yeah. Yeah. You're highlighting that. And I appreciate you highlighting the mindset aspect of it as well, because someone that may sign up and doesn't take action needs to hear the mindset side of things because they need to understand, like, execution is the most important aspect to it. And it's not just about nutrition and workouts. I mean, it can be to somebody who has a great mindset. Yeah. Yeah.

47:35We all struggle on ways and we're not perfect. And we all, like, have these stories or limiting thoughts or what, you know, X, Y, and Z of what I heard my mom say when I was younger and it carries me through and it affects my health and fitness. We all have that. So, and that's- Especially as you start heading into menopause and your body's changing regardless, you know, and, you know, so you can't help but, you know, kind of remember how things used to be, you know, how, you know, I used to be able to eat and it used to just the weight would just come right back off, you know,

48:06or, you know, just, you know, just regular body changes, you know, like, you know, I'm getting older, you know, I don't like how the skin is doing this weird thing, you know, and so you start kind of like just, you know, like feeling not necessarily bad about yourself, but less good. That's a great way of reframing it. I mean, you do, you start to feel defeated. You start to feel like, oh, you know, this is just the way it has to be or, yeah, you kind of do feel not bad about it or not good.

48:42Yeah. But, no, but- So those mindset things really do help. They really do kind of help to make you understand that, yeah, this is important and like those, you know, or this, you know, like, oh, all right, I'm struggling with this because everybody struggles with it or, you know, like little pieces, like helpful tips on, you know, like maybe you're struggling with like my fitness pal and like, oh, I can't ever enter this. And then, you know, then you listen to a little, you know, a coach call where they're like, hey, here's some tips and tricks. And you're like, oh, my God, this is so much helpful.

49:15Yeah, exactly. That's what I was struggling to do before, you know. So, like all of those little bits, you know, even if you don't think you need a mindset thing, you know, it's like just having like little tips on how to, you know, handle your workouts a little bit better or, you know, struggling with time management or whatever. You know, they're all like helpful little tips that- You're not alone in this journey for sure. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Now, there's like 400 people on these calls every day.

49:45Yeah, I know. It's super cool. You're not alone. It's super cool. Well, Amy, I thank you so much for spending time with me today and sharing your story. And everyone that's listening, her story proves that you don't have to accept being exhausted or, you know, go through life feeling like you have joint pain over and over and over again every single day you wake up or the weight gain. You don't have to accept that's just part of getting older. By focusing on what Amy's body needed, she transformed her health. She took action. She transformed her entire future.

50:18You went, I wouldn't say full circle. You fixed what you were experiencing in the beginning and had a totally different outcome at the end. So, if anybody's listening to this right now and you guys are feeling stuck, just know that there is a better way. The answer is that you can absolutely 100% do it. And I would say take the first step. Check out warriorbabe.com. But, Amy, thank you so much for being here and sharing that story. I know it's going to inspire one person at least. Oh, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me again. Thank you so much again.

50:48Thank you. Thank you. Hey, really quick. Before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all of the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

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