How She Rebuilt Her Body During Perimenopause w/ WarriorBabe Michelle

00:00I've never had a weight problem. I've never been obese or anything like that. I've always been lean because I've been so active and I guess my metabolism was high. When perimenopause starts setting in, I was like, I don't like what I see and something's got to change. I looked in the mirror and I'm seeing this and I was like, oh my gosh, I have a little bit more around my midsection. And I was just like, this is not okay for me for being so active. This is just not okay.

00:30What's going on, everybody? Hey, you guys. Welcome back to another WarriorBabe success story. I'm really excited about this one. So we have Michelle here with us. And Michelle's been active her entire life from dance and aerobics to running and Pilates. But as perimenopause set in, everything started to change. She was working out five days a week, eating, quote unquote, healthy.

01:01And we'll unpack that. And she was still watching her body change in ways that she didn't recognize. And I know we've all been there, ladies listening to this. She felt frustrated. She was unsure what to do next. And then she stumbled upon WarriorBabe. And then everything just started to kind of click. And we will unpack that too as well. So now she's getting stronger. She's leaner. And she's finally seeing the results by doing less and eating more. And she's here to tell her story. So, Michelle, welcome.

01:32Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Yeah, of course. I'm excited to dive in. So let's talk about where you were before you started WarriorBabe. What were you struggling with, both either physically or emotionally? And just the concept of what you knew you wanted, but the information that you hadn't yet obtained. Yeah. So I think where I was at before was I was working harder, not smarter, basically.

02:04And I, you know, working out and doing cardio and not seeing a bit of change. And I was getting frustrated with that because I've never had a weight problem. I've never been, you know, obese or anything like that. I've always been lean because I've been so active. And I guess my metabolism was high. So, you know, when, you know, premenopause starts setting in, I was like, I don't like what I see and something's got to change.

02:38And, you know, I thought doing like more cardio and wearing myself out was the right thing to do. And when you say that you were quote unquote eating healthy, what did that look like? What did that mean to you in like a snapshot of a day? You know, it's, it's, I've always, I always grew up where it's just like, you know, you know, whatever my mom made for dinner, that's what we ate. You know, I wasn't picky or anything like that. And, you know, it's just like, I've never had a problem with whatever, you know, she had for dinner.

03:12It's just, you know, I'm a seventies baby. So it's just, you know, it is what it is. You know, my parents didn't have a whole lot of money and, and it's, you know, what my mom says, what's for dinner is what's for dinner. So, but going, you know, into adulthood, it's just like, you know, it was hard for me to eat when I wasn't hungry. So I wouldn't eat. So I'd eat one time a day and figuring that's enough. But then it's just like, I'm eating, I feel like I'm eating healthy, but because I'm looking at the labels and everything. But I think I just wasn't paying attention to like the serving sizes on that thinking that like, oh, trail mix.

03:50That's, you know, that's healthy, you know? But yeah, but it's just like, I've never really ate any type of like fried foods or anything. It would be like grilled chicken. You know, back in 2016, I started doing like vegetarian. So I was vegetarian for a while. And because I just wanted to try it and just see. And I thought it was all about just eating salads. And I'm like, okay, what else can I eat in here? You know, so that's my eating healthy. Yeah. Story.

04:20Yeah. Hey, you're not alone. I know a lot of women just focus on eating one meal a day. And that being the dinner time there, you know, everyone's busy and they're running around. And or, you know, like your situation, just knowing maybe what was the right thing to eat? Like, what was your protein? Did you do? Were you aware of protein and how much to eat? I was aware of protein. I tried to get that like the chicken in or some sort of like protein. Then I'm like, I turned to like protein drinks, which is just, you know, it's all liquid.

04:51So there's really no, yes, you're getting the protein, but it's not going to carry you over to the next meal. You know, it was kind of like, I don't want to say empty, but it was like, it was kind of empty. It was almost like a liquid diet. Yeah. Which is not good. And being so active that you, as you were, right. How did it feel to like understand why your workouts and why your, your, why your nutrition, like why it wasn't working anymore? You know, when perimetopause starts to hit, it's like, it's literally cause I'm starting

05:23to now, you know, my mid thirties start to experience some of the things going on. I'm like, my body ain't the same as it was like a year ago. And this is crazy. Cause it just happened so fast. I like, it does. Yeah. How'd that feel, you know, to, this is how you were. And all of a sudden it's just like, and now it's not. Yeah. I, I, you know, it's just like, I like literally like saw myself in the mirror. I mean, like a change overnight. And it's just like, it was like, you know, I was getting like the hot flashes and not, not really that realizing that it was hot flashes, you know?

05:54And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm like everything I do. I'm just like, I'm so hot. And I'm like, why am I so hot? You know? And then I looked in the mirror and I like, I'm seeing this and I was like, oh my gosh, you know? And I'm like, you know, I have a little bit more around my midsection. And I was just like, this is not okay for me for being so active. This is just not okay. I felt that when you were like, it literally happens overnight. It does. Yes, it does. Literally does.

06:24When did this start? Seriously. So what, was there a moment that like, you realize like, okay, something needs to change. Like enough is enough. Like I need a real change. It was, you know, a couple of years ago when I was just like, I was doing, you know, so let me back up for a second. I went through divorce and in order to, in order to find an outlet, I started running, you know? Oh my God. I mean, felt amazing, looked amazing, you know?

06:56And it's just like, but it just, and still eating one time a day. And so I was like, I was not fueling my body. Right. Yes. I was seeing results, but I wasn't feeling my body. Right. Um, up to just a couple of years ago where I was just like, okay, doing all this cardio and doing all these different workouts and Pilates and, and strength Pilates. And I'm like, and I didn't, I was still not seeing results and eating healthy, but, but

07:28also like working my body harder was not the answer. And I was just, I'm like, I wasn't seeing results. I was just getting really, really frustrated. Yeah. When you came across warrior babe, what, how did you discover us? It was actually on social media. I think it was on Facebook, you know? And it's just like, I got done with my workout. I was just scrolling through Facebook and all of a sudden a video, a commercial pops up with you. And I was just like, huh?

08:00And I'm like, the light bulb went off. I'm like, I'm going to, I'm going to, you know, send my stuff in and, and I want to know a little bit more about what warrior babe is. Yeah. And it was just like working out before. It's just like, yes, I would work out with weights, but I wasn't progressing. And I think that's where I didn't understand that. Um, but yeah, I came across your Facebook, um, commercial and it was just like, yeah, I'm like, I signed up. What was that light bulb? Do you remember what, what I was talking about and what made the light bulb go off?

08:33Um, I think it was more geared towards, you know, women in their forties and fifties. And I was just like, okay, I'm there. Um, perimenopause menopause where I'm like, yeah, I'm there, you know? And I think, you know, I'm like, I feel like I've tried like almost every other workout there is. And I'm like, you know what? Yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to. I'm going to inquire about this. I'm going to do this. So yeah. Yeah. On these, uh, six, on these stories of warrior babes, I have been very inquisitive and curious

09:09with me being in my mid thirties. And you're seeing an ad and I'm talking about perimenopause and menopause. Why, why take advice from someone that had, you, you know, I'm younger. I haven't been through it. Yeah. Um, I think just seeing your physique, you knew, like, I felt like you knew, you know, what, you know, we're feeling, you know, you know what, you know, and, and I'm like, okay, well she must know what she's talking about. Cause look at her physique, you know, that's what I want to look for.

09:43I got the facts. She's going to figure it out. Oh, I love that. I always, I'm always curious. I always like to ask you guys, um, you know, cause you guys took the, you took the leap of trust in that, which I appreciate you guys trusting in us before you got into it. Yeah. Um, so with that, with joining warrior babe, let's talk about like the first couple of weeks when you ultimately said yes to joining the program. Cause you, you didn't really fully even know how it all works.

10:15Right. Like, yeah. It was clueless. Yeah. I took a leap of faith. Were you, were you skeptical at first? Um, yes, a little bit, but not really. I figured y'all know what you're doing. So I'm just, you know, I'm just gonna, you know, trust that, you know, you're going to guide me to where I need to go, you know, where, and where I want to be. I love that. Very open-minded quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot.

10:48If you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or a review or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. Okay. So when you first started working with you working with Stevie, right? Right. Right. Love her. She is amazing. She is amazing. She's an incredible coach. Um, okay. How about, were you skeptical about eating more and working out less?

11:21Oh, absolutely. I was like, how, how is this going to work? I'm like, I went from working out five days a week to three and I'm eating a lot more. And I was just like, this ain't going to work. I don't understand it. I don't like, but I'm like, it defies all like, right. It's like, how am I eating more, working out less? And I'm supposed to see results, you know? So I was like, okay, I don't know how it all works. Stevie, I'm going to trust you.

11:52So in the first couple of weeks, what did that look like for you? Did you guys start the retraining process? Yeah. Yeah. So she's like, okay, I'm going to have you, I'm going to have you work out like Monday, Wednesday, Friday. And I'm like, okay, what'd I do the other days? And she's like, walk. And I'm like, okay. You know, like, like how much, how long, you know? And I'm like, I felt like I like, I'm like completely clueless at this point, even though I've been working out for, you know, since I've been like 11, you know, and it's just

12:23like, I'm just following, you know? And so, yeah, it was just like, and I'm like, okay, I don't know how, I don't, I don't know how this works. I'm going to trust it. I'm going to trust the process. And, you know, it's just, it's, it's, it's amazing. It's really amazing. Yeah. Where did you start out with your macros calorie wise? And then where are you, where'd you grow? Is that a clue? So I think I was at.

12:54Between 1900 and 2000. And I kept telling my husband, I'm like, okay, I'm supposed to eat more. I have, I have all these macros to eat and I have all this food to eat. Now I'm like, you know, I'm like, I don't like, I don't know what to eat. I'm, you know, I'm like, do you have some recipes? You know, things like that. But going from like, maybe eating one time a day, which I don't even, I mean, I didn't even count my calories, count my macros to going to between 1900 and 2000 calories.

13:26Um, I felt like I was eating all the time. Um, how'd that feel first? You know, I mean, honestly, it felt amazing because I'm, I'm feeding my body what it needs. Yes. And I'm like, okay. Yeah. Feeding it what it needs. And it needs the protein. It needs the fat. It needs the carbs in order to fuel for your workouts.

13:57Ladies, 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 B 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.

14:32Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warrior babe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warrior babe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. And you just mentioned that you had never done macros or calories before. So was that a little intimidating coming in and we were like giving you macro numbers to

15:05focus on however Stevie like initiated you into the program. Yeah. She's like, I'm going to, I'm going to, you know, here's your, here's your calories. It's broken down into macros, you know, download, you know, my fitness pal. And so I did that. I still didn't know what I was doing. I was just following along, you know, like, I don't know how this all works, but it's, I'm going to, I'm going to trust her and, um, and I'm going to go ahead and break it down. Um, and I think going from eating one time a day to eating all that food, I was, I wasn't,

15:39I didn't know to eat like what the serving size was of certain things, you know? So it's just like, and so I was still under, you know, as I like had my monthly meetings with Stevie and, and she's like, no, she goes, what's the serving size of that? No, eat, eat a half a cup of that, you know, eat what the serving size is, you know, put it, you know, plug it all in, um, into my fitness pal. And I said, I said, okay, you know, so it's just, it took a little time to understand it all and kind of figure out what foods have the protein, the fats and the carbs in it.

16:13Yeah. So you mentioned earlier too, with the 1900 calories to 2000 calories and eating that much food in the day and earlier you, you know, recognizing like you weren't really ever hungry. Do you have like hunger cues now? Do you know what that feels like to have a hunger cue? Yes. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I, I, yes, I do. And it's just like, um, I have fallen in, fallen in love with food again, where I know that I'm picking, you know, whole foods in order to fuel my body with and not like, like

16:48I did eat a whole lot of like processed foods, but it was like, still, I, you know, I, I really starting this program, I've really gone into like eating whole foods and, and knowing what foods, like what falls in the protein, what falls in the fat, what falls in the carbs. Yeah. Incredible. I can't believe you went from eating one meal a day to eat, to now eating 1900, 2000 calories and only working out three days a week. Yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about where that's taking you, where are you now with the results you have

17:21from your journey? Oh my gosh. Um, the results, I mean, are amazing because we, you know, you take your, you know, you take your pictures and you submit them like every week and it gives you the, it, you can, you can do side by side on, on the warrior babe app, you know? And it's amazing because I'm like, I going from, I started in April going from then to even like a month after it's like, I could see results.

17:56Um, it's just, I mean, it's, it's, it's insane. It's, it's incredible. And I'm so glad that I'm actually seeing the results. Um, I'm F I feel a ton better. I mean, everybody's asking to like, oh my gosh, what have you done? You know, what program are you on? You know? So I'm like, I'm telling them, you know, and it's just like, it's all about macros and about working out, but working smarter, not harder. So. That's really cool. It's got to feel like the biggest compliment when people say that they're seeing the changes.

18:26Absolutely. I mean, people are like, oh my gosh, your arms. I'm like, I know. That's incredible. But I want more, you know, I want more. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. What is, what would you say is your favorite part of being a warrior babe? Oh gosh. Uh, the support, um, of your coach, the support of the, just the warrior babe community. I mean, you guys are, you guys back us up so much and give us so much information, um,

18:57that I can reach out to Stevie and just ask her a question, whether it's, you know, I think it's a dumb question, you know, she doesn't and she explains it. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, the, the community all over the United States is, is, I mean, it's, it's incredible. It's incredible. Yeah. That's awesome. You love the small little huddles that you get on. I love it. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Just to, just to see the other, the other babes of where they're at and things like that. And I even told Stevie, I'm like, we should like do like a meetup in someone's city, you

19:29know, just have a weekend, you know, girl trip. I know. I know. Oh, that'd be so cool. Yeah. Even getting a big, big warrior babe meetup would be awesome. Absolutely. Absolutely. That would be fantastic. Yeah. Uh, how do you feel now compared to when you started with warrior babe? Oh gosh. I mean, I feel stronger. I feel healthier. Yeah. I mean, I'm, I'm, I am so glad I joined and that commercial on Facebook was at the right

20:00time for me. Yeah. Cause I mean, I, I went in like, you know, both feet in like I was just, I'm like, let's go. I'm so happy to hear that. I, again, appreciate that you guys, you trusted us. Absolutely. And, and, and went in full, you know, full, full steam ahead. Yeah. So another question that I have with, with like outside of just your fitness routine, like, have you seen any ripple effects into like work or relationships or, um, like that

20:31you're seeing changes like friendships, like, uh, that you're seeing changes happen in, in those buckets of your life too, not just in fitness. Um, yeah, I mean, I, I mean, seeing a lot, um, and I mean, it just, it, it keeps me going and, you know, when I first met my husband, he never ate like fruit at all. Like it was vegetables, it was fried food, it was steak. It was this, I was like, you need some fruit in your life, you know? Um, so he has really changed his eating because I've changed the way that I eat.

21:04Um, he used to put like salt on everything, like salt on everything. And I was just like, you, you need to cut this. I mean, yes, we do need some salt, but I'm like, you can't eat that much salt. And it's just like, you know, so I feel like it has, he's kind of like, you know, fallen behind me as far as, you know, eating better and healthier. Um, my kids too, um, my youngest, he's 20. He's, I mean, he's, he's a gym buff. He loves going to the gym. He loves eating, you know, whole foods.

21:36He loves, you know, he's just trying to bulk up, but he's, uh, yeah, he's, he's, I think it's just around me all the time and everything like this. And, um, yeah, so he, so he's a real, he's a, he's, he eats healthy. That's awesome. Yeah. It's really cool to see the ripple effect. Yeah. Yeah. It's great. It's great. Yeah. Very cool. Um, is there anything that I haven't asked you about your journey that you would want the listeners to know? Oh gosh. Um, you know, if, if you're on the fence of joining warrior babe, um, I would just say,

22:13just do it because you are going to feel better. You're going to look better. You, I mean, they do, they put everything together for you and you just have to do the work. So if you have to do the work, you have to show up. If you don't show up, then you're not going to, you're not going to see the results. Um, so absolutely. Amen. Amen. Amen. We can have an interview there. No, no, but seriously, I thank you.

22:43Like, you know, it's, it's pretty cool to hear where you were at the beginning of your journey with where a lot of women are, you know, stuck. They're unsure. They don't know what to eat or they're eating the one meal a day. They're doing tons of workouts. They're doing cardio. They're running. They're thinking that's the ultimate answer to get their, the, the body that they want to lose the weight. And, and, you know, it's, it's a story and a narrative that you were willing to shift, uh, by putting your trust into worry, babe. And, you know, the skepticism around eating more and, you know, working out less is so truly felt by everybody.

23:15But then once you apply it and you're open-minded and you trust us, we love to say trust us now, believe us later. You, you fully went into it, trusting us and now reaping the rewards of the results and now feeling so much better, which is really cool. Um, and for any way that's listening, like I want this, I want Michelle's story to be like the perfect reminder that it's not about doing more. It's about doing what actually works, right? Once Michelle stopped chasing cardio and not eating enough and started feeling her body,

23:50you progressed in, in your workouts. Um, you know, and then her body responded, your body responded and now you're stronger, you're more confident and I would say you're, you're educated now. Like you understand that eating more is really important for you to obtain the results that you want. So, right. You feel like you learned a lot. Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, you know, food is fuel and you need, you need that food, you know, in the right proportions in order to fuel your body. Um, yeah, because if you don't have that fuel, I mean, a car doesn't run on empty and neither

24:24does a body. Exactly. Yeah. Facts. And if anybody's in the season right now, do you feel like you're, you're feeling stuck or you're, you've been, you haven't been consistent, you know, let this story be a living proof that it's not too late to change your strategy and to finally get the results that you deserve. Uh, Michelle, thank you for being here and sharing your story. I appreciate you. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate you. And I, and thank goodness that you create a warrior, babe. Oh, thank you. That literally means the world to me. I appreciate that. Yeah, absolutely.

24:55Absolutely. Well, I mean, it's just like, I've been, I, you know, when I first signed up for the first year, I, um, like within two months signed up for a second year. So I was just like, I am going to stick to this. Yes. I love that. I love hearing those, the babes that were due. Um, and, uh, it was soon coming up. If you want to buy a third year, we'll have an, another low key. Yeah. Now I got to worry about when I'm posting this as a podcast, but you know, there's always

25:27a third year coming up too, as well, but that's awesome. I'm really excited that, you know, it's, and you know, too, like it's hard, you'll achieve some type of result in the first year, but the second year is, you know, just another opportunity to go out getting more of the results that you want. Absolutely. I mean, once you get like your nutrition dialed in and you're progressing, progressing in your weights, yeah, it's, everything's going to fall in line. Yeah. Awesome. Well, Hey, Michelle, thanks for being a warrior, babe. Appreciate you. I appreciate you.

25:57Thank you so much. 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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