How to Get Toned at 49 After Years of Dieting

Valerie: I think I was exhausted from intermittent fasting and from keto. That took a lot of brain power, and then you have brain fog from doing those things. I just don't think I was thinking clearly, honestly. Now, how I feel, I look back on that and I'm like, who is that girl?

Nikkiey: What's going on, everyone? Today I have another WarriorBabe here with us, WarriorBabe Valerie. This is going to be a really cool story, I feel like, because she's going to be honest about where she was before finding us. She was on the couch. She was watching Netflix. She was eating takeout. She was in quiet resignation that maybe this is just what age looks like. She was kind of accepting that maybe this is what it just is down the road. But then she was stopped on the street and that snapped her out of it. We'll get into the story and all of it.

But that was her spark. She realized that she'd just given up on herself and she was ready to take it all back. Fast forward to where we are now: we're 10 months later and she's physically stronger, she's mentally sharper, she's emotionally lighter, and she's showing up for herself more than ever before. So I'm really excited for her to be here today and to share her story. Valerie, welcome.

Valerie: Thank you.

Nikkiey: So let the listeners who are tuning in right now know: where are you from, what do you do for work, and how old are you?

Valerie: I'm 49 years old. I live just outside of D.C. in Northern Virginia, and I'm an x-ray tech at a sports medicine clinic.

Nikkiey: Oh, super cool. You see a lot of bones.

Valerie: I love bones. Bones are my jam.

Nikkiey: Love that. Okay, cool. So let's talk about where you were before joining WarriorBabe. What was your health and your situation like? Be as open and honest as you can be, so someone can tune into your story.

Valerie: I have never really stuck to anything fitness-wise pretty much my entire life, with the exception of running. I joined the military when I was 28 years old and I served for 12 years in the Air National Guard, and running and sit-ups and push-ups were all part of that. So I got into running, but I never had the nutrition piece. So while I might have gained nice calves from running, nothing else really. No muscles popping or anything.

I also had the mentality, growing up in the 90s, of the skinnier the better. They even had this term, heroin chic, that was sexy. Just being able to see bones would make you attractive. The 90s were brutal on women. And I had gone to the gym a little bit with my ex-husband, but cardio was for the girls and the weights were for the boys. It was that kind of thing. So I'm very glad that script is flipped and we belong there too.

Nikkiey: Yes.

Valerie: I did dabble in Orangetheory one summer with my daughter. She was home from college and wanted to get in shape, so we did that. It was okay, but I pulled a hamstring. I didn't really care for it a whole lot.

Nikkiey: A lot of cardio, a lot of intensity, not much focus on form, right?

Valerie: Yeah, and longevity. It wasn't something that I would ever want to do long term. And then I just focused mostly on dieting over the years. I've tried Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, intermittent fasting, keto, all the things that so many of us have tried. And while they may work, they're just not sustainable. I got out of the military in 2016, and I pretty much stopped...

Nikkiey: You were in your service at that time?

Valerie: Oh, yeah. So I pretty much stopped any fitness routines and just thought, well, here we are now. My kids had gone off to college, so it was just my husband and me here, empty nesting with our dog. And we just got real comfy on that couch. It was go to work, come home, get on the couch. What Netflix show are we going to watch next? Which restaurant are we going to order takeout from? And I got to a point that I just didn't feel real good about myself.

Nikkiey: So that was the day-to-day lifestyle. You would go to work, come home, sit down on the couch and be like, all right, let's watch Netflix, let's eat dinner, let's order food out.

Valerie: Yeah.

Nikkiey: Wow. What other habits or patterns did you notice that kept you in that routine day to day?

Valerie: I think it honestly just comes down to laziness. It just came down to laziness, and I don't know why, but it's like I stopped caring what I looked like. I don't have any trigger to explain why I got there, but that's the point where I found myself.

Nikkiey: Wow. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. It's sometimes hard to admit and be honest about. I appreciate you being that open. When you're in it, you can't tell you're stuck. It's just the day-to-day motion you're in. But if you look back now, what was the most frustrating aspect of feeling like you were just in it and stuck? That's the best way I can ask that question.

Valerie: This might be a little superficial, but my clothes just stopped fitting.

Nikkiey: No, it's not superficial at all. That's usually the first turning point where people experience it.

Valerie: Yeah. I wear scrubs every day, and my scrubs were maxed out. I'm like, I'm not going up a size. I'm just going to stay here in my maxed-out scrubs. Being in scrubs every day, you don't have to wear cute things, you know?

Nikkiey: Right. I resonate with that. You don't have to worry about tight, cute clothes, because you can just cover it up.

Valerie: It's a good mask. And at that point too, maybe... actually, it's probably a little bit too... we won't go that far.

Nikkiey: You can. I'm here.

Valerie: No, I don't think I feel comfortable with that.

Nikkiey: Right. How many years would you say you were in that state?

Valerie: Where I was just not really caring a whole lot anymore about nutrition or fitness? Probably a solid year. I had done keto, and intermittent fasting was my most recent diet craze. That stuff works. It really does. But it's exhausting, and just not a way to live.

Nikkiey: Yeah, for sure. When you did keto, did you notice that instant drop of weight in the first week or two from the carbohydrates being out of your system?

Valerie: I sure did. That was the motivator to keep going. Oh, it's working. But then years go by and you're like, I haven't had an apple or a banana in years.

Nikkiey: It's not sustainable, right?

Valerie: I can't go without carbs for the rest of my life. That's God's fruit. Why am I not allowed to have that?

Nikkiey: Right, right. You were drinking alcohol at that point, right?

Valerie: Oh, yeah.

Nikkiey: So talk about that a little bit. What was that like during that time?

Valerie: That was the other thing, along with the couch and Netflix and takeout: grabbing that White Claw every night. That's how we unwound. Usually one drink a night during the work week, and then on the weekends more. Two, three, sometimes four. And I'm drinking White Claw. There's only two carbs in those, I learned.

Nikkiey: For people listening in audio and not watching the video, I just had to drop my head. Two carbs. Love that. How about that marketing?

Valerie: I know. Little did I know.

Nikkiey: Was there anything you realized at the end of the day? Were you just tired or exhausted? What was the thing that pulled you to the couch? Were there excuses you were using on a daily basis, or was exercise just not at the forefront of your mind?

Valerie: It just wasn't. Okay, so exercise: we would walk the dog. That was our exercise. I think I was exhausted from intermittent fasting and from keto. That took a lot of brain power, and then you have brain fog from doing those things. I just don't think I was thinking clearly, honestly. Now, how I feel, I look back on that and I'm like, who was that girl? Who was that guy? Because listen, my husband is a WarriorBro. He does all the workouts with me. He's great. He's been my biggest fan.

Nikkiey: Oh, I love that. I can't wait to talk about your husband and the journey he's been a part of with you. So that's where you were before. You were Netflix and chilling. You mentioned giving up on yourself. You were just in your day-to-day life: work, come home, chill, have some alcohol. A lot of people have a glass of wine; yours was White Claw. Let's talk about that specific moment of realization that pushed you to finally say, all right, enough is enough.

Valerie: I can pinpoint it.

Nikkiey: Yeah? You remember exactly where you were? The moment. All right, talk about it.

Valerie: I've told this before, but my husband and I were driving through this small town one day. It was a nice early June day and the crowds were out. This one woman was walking down the street, and she had this little black tank top on and these little shorts. She was probably my age, and she was jacked. She caught my eye and I was like, holy cow. I looked over at my husband: did you see her? He's like, huh? No.

Nikkiey: Yeah, right.

Valerie: But anyway, I was wondering if I could ever look like that again. That really triggered me. She's my age and she looks like that. There's got to be a way. So I started Googling women powerlifting over 50 and things like that, and then my algorithm popped up WarriorBabe.

Nikkiey: Oh, man. That's crazy.

Valerie: So I was like, wait a minute. Look at that girl. You. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Nikkiey: What were the things in the ads that made you go, oh, man, this is for me? What resonated with you the most?

Valerie: The very first thing was an ad where you were eating sweet potatoes. And I thought, that girl looks like that and she's eating sweet potatoes at a restaurant? What? And then she says no cardio. And then she says this is for women over 40. I was like, sign me up. This is crazy. I actually knew in my heart when I first saw it. The name alone, WarriorBabe, I just love it. Badass. It's great. I instantly knew that I was going to connect with this program.

Nikkiey: I love that. And when you started believing more that you can eat carbs, you can have sweet potatoes, you can have all these things... You mentioned earlier that you grew up in the 90s when being skinny was the thing you were told, the bones thing. What was it called?

Valerie: Heroin chic. It was a style.

Nikkiey: That's crazy. How does it feel to now rewrite those beliefs: I don't need to be skinny, I can be strong and I can eat?

Valerie: It took some getting used to. Incorporating rice and potatoes into my life has been crazy. I have done bread, but if I do bread it'll be something like Dave's Killer Bread that has the protein in it. But yeah, there was definitely a mindset shift to be able to eat carbs like that again. But I was taught through WarriorBabe, through Coach Annie, through you, that it's a necessary part of life. That's how you fuel your body. That's how you get your energy. And it makes your digestion work better.

Nikkiey: And your brain fog. You mentioned you had brain fog. Do you have brain fog anymore?

Valerie: Not a bit.

Nikkiey: Carbs. Carbs are amazing. You'll love them. When I was reading your bio for this interview, you mentioned that you needed to have a heart-to-heart with your husband. You were sold. You were like, I want this, I want to do this, this sounds right up my alley. You were in that pain point of realizing that you'd given up on yourself and you needed to get yourself back. You were about to turn 50 at that time, right? But you knew you had to try. Every woman does this: we've got to bring our husband in, let them know what's up, have a conversation with them, get them on board. What was that like? Talk about that experience, because you were like, I've got to sell him on it.

Valerie: So let me start by saying that in a couple of weeks we're going to be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

Nikkiey: Oh, that gave me the chills. I've been traveling and meeting so many couples and families, and I'm like, you guys, how long have you been married? 25, 30 years. Oh, my heart.

Valerie: It's amazing. So I know this man inside and out, and I don't ever want to take him for granted or take advantage of his kindness or anything like that. But I knew that I needed to kind of soft sell him at first. Just introduce what I was learning about this program. Because once you came into my social media algorithm, the ads just kept coming, and I'd get more excited. So it was on my mind solid for three weeks, and I would tell him about it. And then I told him how much it cost, and obviously it's surprising how much it costs.

Nikkiey: For sure. A hundred percent. It's not cheap.

Valerie: But I have never had a personal trainer before, so I didn't know what to expect anyway. I was just like, it's all about nutrition. They actually give you the workouts. They meet you where you're at. They form this program for you. I think this is going to be good. It went on for about three weeks of me doing this, going out on our walks with the dog and being like, oh, you know...

Nikkiey: Planting these seeds.

Valerie: Exactly. Or when we're sitting on the couch watching TV: we could go downstairs and just lift some weights. We could lift a couple of dumbbells, use some bands or something. So anyway, I got to a point and I was like, this is it. I have to do it. I went and sat down next to him on the couch and I said, I am so tired of feeling and looking the way I look and feel, and I think you are too. I think we both need this. This is something we can both benefit from. We've been healthy in the past and we've just lost our way. This program is really speaking to me and I can't shake it, and I would love it if you hopped on board.

Nikkiey: You're going to make me cry, Valerie. First of all, to have a heart-to-heart, to be vulnerable and go to your husband like that. I'm sure that's what makes your marriage so healthy. Having that conversation.

Valerie: I'm a lucky girl. I'm very fortunate. And he immediately said, okay, let's do it. I had a feeling. I was 99% sure that it was going to go that way. I just needed to get there gently and respectfully, because our finances are together.

Nikkiey: For sure. I admire the way that you went about that. You mentioned this was speaking to you. What made this feel different from the other things you'd tried, like keto and intermittent fasting?

Valerie: Well, I had seen a couple of things about macros, and whenever I saw a program that was associated with macros, people were always ripped and their muscles were popping. I thought, this might have something to it. And I love that it was all women, and over 40. The no cardio thing, again, really spoke to me. And then the carbs, being able to have some carbs. I was really surprised by a lot of the ads, the things that you were eating. I was like, how does she rock that body and eat that burger? So honestly, that's kind of what looped me in.

Nikkiey: Love that. So you got hubby on board. He agreed. You signed up. What were the first few weeks like? Let's talk about your onboarding experience with the team, meeting Annie and getting started with the program.

Valerie: It's overwhelming at first. There's a lot of information you have to give and a lot of information that you receive. But I actually took that as a sign that these people are serious. We are not messing around. Playtime is over. Go delete your Netflix account or something, because you're going to be a busy girl.

Nikkiey: Amen.

Valerie: Honestly. But as the information came in, I devoured every bit of it. I couldn't get enough of it. I was so interested. I can't remember who I spoke with in the very beginning, Andrea maybe, but she matched me with Coach Annie. I had my first meeting with her, and when I got done I went out to the living room to see my husband and I was like, she's a godsend. I have no idea how they did it, but they just matched me with the woman that's going to change my life. Honestly, I am kind of curious how you guys do that, because it was so spot on. She's perfect for me.

Nikkiey: We gather so much information about you guys, right? Your bio, what you're struggling with. Obviously you fill out the application, so we have all that information, plus the information from the sales call. We have a recording of that. And our customer success team has the bios of all of our coaches. We host meetings on a weekly basis with the teams, so they know these coaches inside and out. So they know your personality and understand you from the call or your bio. I pride ourselves on the matching, because I've heard it over and over again: I don't know how you do it, but you match everyone up so perfectly with the right coach.

Valerie: It was a match made in heaven. She's amazing.

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.

I read that you took on macros in the first week too. So let's talk about that. Did you know about macros before?

Valerie: No. I had heard about them, but they always scared me. I was always like, that looks like a lot of work. Overwhelming. Having to track all the food and go into MyFitnessPal, or whatever it was. And the weighing in grams, getting used to weighing all your food and playing that puzzle to make it all work so you're plus or minus five. As a newbie it was a lot, but I wanted it so bad. For hours a day I would figure out what recipes I could make, then plug them in and figure it out. I remember the first time I made the plus or minus five, I was so excited.

Nikkiey: It was pretty quick.

Valerie: It was pretty quick. I got close within the first week, I think, and by week two I was tracking it.

Nikkiey: Were there any moments where you were like, I give up, I can't do this? Or was it just, I'm going to figure it out? A lot of women go, oh man, this is way too hard, and maybe they'll go a couple of days doing it and then pull back. Were you just gung-ho, I'm going to figure this out?

Valerie: All in, all in, all in. I just stayed on it until I nailed it.

Nikkiey: That's why you were able to get it so quickly.

Valerie: Yeah. It meant so much to me.

Nikkiey: Especially the price point too.

Valerie: Exactly.

Nikkiey: And the pain you were feeling beforehand. You wanted to fix it, and you wanted to fix it fast.

Valerie: Exactly. It's funny you should say that, because then I realized, oh, this is the long game. There's nothing fast here.

Nikkiey: Exactly. But it's fast in small increments, right? Little sprinkles of fast. You picked up macros pretty fast. But what does the long game mean to you? Because with everything else before, like keto, you drop weight quickly, but it doesn't last that long. I'm interested.

Valerie: It's funny, because it's fairly new to me. Being a 90s girl, and maybe not just a 90s girl, but now with all the 30-day fixes out there on the market, you only think a couple of weeks out. Oh, I have this event that I need to lose five to 10 pounds for, let me go on Nutrisystem for a second. And you might lose it. It might work for you. It probably will, but you're going to gain it back, I promise you. So with this, having it come off slowly and steadily, I wrapped my head around the fact that this was worth it. This is going to take me down the path that my husband and I need to be on.

Nikkiey: For sure. I can't wait to talk about your accomplishments so far, because I know they're pretty fricking rad. But early on...

Valerie: I was just going to say, back to when I first started: I joined one week before the Fourth of July, and I joined three weeks before a girls' trip with a bunch of Gen X women. And we know how to whip it up.

Nikkiey: Say less. Say less. My stepmom is going to be 50 soon, so yeah, say less.

Valerie: So it didn't matter what time I started. I needed to start the next day.

Nikkiey: Wow. Okay, hold on, rewind. The Fourth of July, and then the trip, and you picked up macros within two weeks of that?

Valerie: I did.

Nikkiey: Let's talk about that. How did you handle the Fourth of July holiday, signing up a few days prior? And then talk about that trip. How did you navigate it?

Valerie: On the Fourth of July I just brought water to cookouts. We'll have to get into the alcohol thing here pretty quick, but I would just bring water. I was really, really strict with myself, maybe to a fault. I thought, you've been messing around for so long, you don't deserve to go and have that White Claw at the picnic, or that cheeseburger at the picnic. I needed to get focused fast and get that mindset locked down so that I could do this program and make it worthwhile.

Nikkiey: I'm getting the chills. I literally have the chills.

Valerie: You do. I can see them. Holy cow. And the same with the girls' trip. I would say the initial moment when I arrived and they realized I wasn't drinking, there was probably a moment of disappointment, but it immediately turned into support and love and pride. I've been very fortunate with my friends and family and coworkers through this whole journey.

Nikkiey: Wow. That's really hard to find. You are blessed in that realm, because some people who are in your life when you start the journey won't be there at the end of your journey.

Valerie: Right.

Nikkiey: Is the alcohol one you want to talk about?

Valerie: Yeah. The alcohol piece has probably been one of the biggest eye-openers for me, because I went from drinking every day to, in the last 10 and a half months, drinking on three occasions. And when I did, it was only two beverages each time.

Nikkiey: One was Valentine's Day, right? What were the other two?

Valerie: Christmas, Valentine's Day, and then the weekend before my cut.

Nikkiey: Wow. That's great. How do you feel about that?

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All right, let's get back to the show. So proud. So, so proud.

Valerie: I wouldn't say that alcohol was a problem for me, but it was nothing to go and have one socially or at home or whatever. I didn't know how bad it was for you. I listened to two of your podcasts in the very first week. One was all on alcohol, and I was like, well, if I'm trying to gain some muscle, that protein synthesis thing isn't going to work out too well. So that was the first reason I gave it up. And in another one you were interviewing Lisa Brothers, and she talked about how she used to like to go out to wineries or something like that.

Nikkiey: Lisa, she's one of my OGs. I just traveled with her in January. She loves her cocktails. And yeah, what she said on there is very true.

Valerie: So I literally would just put one foot in front of the other those first few weeks, maybe even months, just trying to give this WarriorBabe program my all.

Nikkiey: You really did, Valerie. Just hearing this from you in this interview, getting to the nitty-gritty of your journey, where you started and what you were doing before. I can read your bio, but hearing it from you right now, you wanted it bad.

Valerie: I did.

Nikkiey: And you were like, I'm not going to let anything get in my way. I'm not going to let a holiday get in my way. I'm not going to let a girls' trip get in my way. I'm going to figure this out. But I also love that you were figuring it out not just for you, but also for your husband. So talk about the journey you've embarked on together as part of WarriorBabe.

Valerie: It's been so fun. He started from day one with me. The only piece he's missing is we don't know what macros he should be eating, so he's just reaping the benefits of all the healthy food that I'm cooking, but not doing the portions the way that I am. But he lost 20 pounds and has kept it off this whole time.

Nikkiey: It's amazing.

Valerie: He looks great. I got him some WarriorBabe swag. He wears a T-shirt.

Nikkiey: So cute. Oh, that's awesome.

Valerie: He's all in. We work out at home. I had some dumbbells and some bands, and that's how we started out. We quickly realized we liked it and wanted to do more, so we invested in one of those jacked-up fitness racks with the Smith machine and the cables. We have that downstairs in our basement, this cute little gym down there, and we go down, put our country music on and work out four nights a week.

Nikkiey: Oh my God. Love it. And how do you guys handle nutrition, like going out to eat on a weekly basis? Do you have a cheat meal in your plan?

Valerie: I don't.

Nikkiey: You're in a cut right now, right? That's what you mentioned.

Valerie: I'm on week 12. I'm starting to reverse out of it.

Nikkiey: Okay, very nice. How do you guys handle date nights? What does that look like?

Valerie: We don't go out a whole lot. We'd much rather stay home and cook some steaks on the grill or something like that. But when we do... the only time I would even say I cheated, and it's not really considered a cheat, because I learned, I think it was Coach Mo who said it at first: memories over macros.

Nikkiey: Man, do I love that.

Valerie: So on Thanksgiving I had my Thanksgiving meal with mashed potatoes and gravy, and on Christmas I had Christmas cookies. It felt so good to give myself permission to eat like that and not track that day.

Nikkiey: And did you see any regression in your progress?

Valerie: You know what? I got right up the next day and got right back on it. I wasn't having leftovers. I got right back on it.

Nikkiey: Amen. Let's go. All right, before we dive into your achievements so far, how about family? You said you have a daughter?

Valerie: My kids. Well, I have four kids. My husband has two kids from a previous marriage, and then we have a boy and a girl together.

Nikkiey: Oh, by the way, I want four kids.

Valerie: Oh, really? It's so fun. The more the merrier. If you have one, you might as well have four.

Nikkiey: There you go.

Valerie: My youngest, my daughter, is actually graduating college tomorrow.

Nikkiey: That's awesome.

Valerie: But our kids are into it too. Our son lives with us, and if he's not working evenings, he'll come downstairs and work out with us, because we work out at night. And my daughter, when she comes home from college, works out with us too. At Christmas we had all the kids here, and there were six of us down there working out in this tiny gym. It was so fun. The whole family is really into it.

Nikkiey: Oh gosh, I just love that so much for you.

Valerie: And my son is eating more protein than ever, because he's kind of a string bean. So he's working on his protein intake, and it's really beneficial, this whole thing.

Nikkiey: What a ripple effect. That's incredible. All right, let's talk about where you're at now since joining WarriorBabe. You're in the 12th week of your cut. How many calories are you eating now?

Valerie: Well, I'll start with when I was in maintenance. I was eating 2,055 calories, and it was amazing to eat that much food. I was so happy. My skin was clear. I felt so good. I was sleeping like a baby. It was so good.

Nikkiey: Could you ever have imagined at your age that you'd be eating over 2,000 calories and maintaining your weight?

Valerie: It was incredible. And then week over week after I started the cut, I got down to 1,440 calories. I told Coach Annie I wanted to do an intensive cut. I was so ready for it, because I had done about two and a half months of retrain and then I was in maintenance for six months. So I was really prepared for this cut mentally. And then we went into it and it was a shock.

Nikkiey: Talk to me about the shock.

Valerie: I was hungry. I was real hungry. I mentioned earlier how I feel about cardio, and I got cardio added into my cut routine. But I can see the finish line with that, so I'm excited.

Nikkiey: And for anyone listening, this is specifically Valerie's routine. I don't want you guys going and copying and pasting it, because it won't work for you. I'll just be honest with you there. How many days of cardio are you doing right now?

Valerie: Three. It had come up to four or five, and I got up to 45 minutes of cardio. It's so boring. And I'm trying to watch my heart rate and I can't see without my glasses on. Anyway, it's been a journey, but it worked. Coach Annie was right.

Nikkiey: Okay, so let's talk about some of your proudest achievements today. What are some of the wins you've had over these 10 months?

Valerie: I think one of my biggest wins is I don't hate my legs anymore.

Nikkiey: Oh, wow.

Valerie: I've had these misshapen legs since puberty, the saddlebags that have just never gone away, and they're slimming down now. And I've got some baby quads popping, so I'm kind of excited about that. That feels really good. That's probably one of my favorite ones. I feel free from the scale. I'm five-three and a half, just for reference, and I started out at 148 pounds. At last Sunday's weigh-in I was 129, so 19 pounds. I started with a 33-inch waist and now I'm at 27 and a half.

Nikkiey: Wow.

Valerie: That's five and a half inches, Nikkiey.

Nikkiey: Did you drop any pant sizes?

Valerie: I've been wearing workout clothes. I haven't gone clothes shopping or anything like that, but I've got to be down some, right? I must be. Oh, shirt sizes. This is a small. I'm usually a medium.

Nikkiey: Okay, that's good. I wouldn't be surprised if you said you didn't drop a pant size, if you're getting bigger quads. You can fill out with muscle and not drop a size, even though you're losing inches and weight, because you could be putting on more muscle, which is denser and takes up less volume than fat.

Valerie: Speaking of that, my underwear started getting tight. Back there.

Nikkiey: Oh, there you go. You've got a booty. I love that. And you mentioned that your back rolls have disappeared, and that your metabolism is feeling way more fast-paced, restored.

Valerie: Oh yeah. Annie fixed my metabolism right off the bat.

Nikkiey: Wow. How does it feel to say that out loud, when before you were doing keto and intermittent fasting?

Valerie: I don't want to say this in a self-deprecating way, but I was ignorant. I didn't have this knowledge. I didn't know that this is how our bodies work. That's been an eye-opener to me, the education. What I've learned through this program in all these months has been so useful and so eye-opening. But at the same time, I'm also the kind of person who, within fitness, likes being told what to do. I'm glad Annie is the one figuring it out for me, because I have other things in my life to worry about. So it feels worth it to have her figure that out. And it builds trust with me, because things are working, and I trust her wholeheartedly. She knows.

Nikkiey: I think that's a really important thing to highlight, because you all have responsibilities. You have your day-to-day work, things you have to do. To figure this out... people go to school for it. They make their profession around it.

Valerie: I'm not the one certified. You guys are.

Nikkiey: Exactly. And I love that you trusted us out of the gate. What we say is: trust us now, believe us later. We meet you where you're at, and all you've got to do is the work. And that's what you did.

Valerie: I just surrendered to it all. I was like, take me, I'm all in.

Nikkiey: I love that mentality. That's why you are where you're at. There was no, oh, but this worked for me before, or do you really think this is what I should do? You were just like, nope, let go, here you go.

Valerie: And I'm confident that this is not a fad diet. This is science-backed stuff we're doing here.

Nikkiey: Yeah. Sustainable. For sure. So you're reversing out right now, you mentioned.

Valerie: Yeah. I'm carb cycling, so I'm eating a little more on my training days. The first week she gave me that, I was in heaven. It just felt so good to be able to eat a little bit more. Poor Annie, I've complained a bit to her, and I just say, when I'm weak, you have to be strong. I want this. I asked for this. I know I did. Just keep giving it to me. I'll keep doing what you're saying, but I'm hungry and I'm tired.

Nikkiey: I can't wait for you to get back up to your maintenance calories. You might go above, since your metabolism is so rocking and rolling.

Valerie: I'm hoping. My body has responded really well. It even responded well in retrain, way back when.

Nikkiey: So you've seen definition in places you've never seen before.

Valerie: Yes. I don't hate my arms anymore either. It's so cool.

Nikkiey: Give it a little flex. Let me see what you've got.

Valerie: Okay. Bicep.

Nikkiey: Oh, you look good, girl. You should be so proud, man. I know where you came from and where you were, a pretty low point, to say, nah, I've got to turn it around.

Valerie: I feel woken up. I feel alive again. I feel younger than ever. My metabolic age is 44, according to my scale. I'm so excited. I'm about to turn 50 in September. I feel so good.

Nikkiey: Let's go. I hate to go back with this question, but I'm curious. If you never made the change, where do you think you'd be today?

Valerie: I would probably be sitting on the couch eating Extra Cheddar Blasted Goldfish, looking for my next Netflix show.

Nikkiey: You know what, I meant to ask you that at the beginning. What was your go-to snack? Was that it?

Valerie: Oh, I love those. I haven't had one in 10 months. Don't miss it, though. And I'd probably still be drinking as much as I was. It was just mindless drinking, because I wasn't paying attention. I just didn't care.

Nikkiey: Well, it's easy. That's a lot of society. A lot of people at the end of the day go, oh, a glass of wine.

Valerie: Or a White Claw. Not anymore. I go down to the gym. My release now at night is a chocolate rice cake with peanut butter on top. That's my new White Claw.

Nikkiey: After my own heart, the chocolate. It's so good. Mine's the Dove chocolate.

Valerie: Oh, yes.

Nikkiey: Two to four pieces. You got it. Do you listen to The WarriorBabe Show?

Valerie: Once in a while. Actually, I would be a little embarrassed if I told you how much I listen to it. You'd think you have a stalker on your hands.

Nikkiey: No, I love that you're using all the tools and the resources. I think that's admirable, because you're getting it from all different outlets, it's getting into your brain, you're absorbing the information, and it's making you take the action.

Valerie: It sure is.

Nikkiey: Did you listen to the podcast about the fit identity? That's you right now. You're taking the action to become the person who has the results you wanted to accomplish, but you had to change your behavior, your habits, your systems, all of the things.

Valerie: Episode four told me to do that, way back when.

Nikkiey: Wow. Episode four.

Valerie: I know. Sorry, did I scare you?

Nikkiey: I love it. You're going to love tomorrow's episode, then.

Valerie: Oh good. I can't wait.

Nikkiey: I read that you have the notifications turned on too, for when a new episode comes out.

Valerie: I do.

Nikkiey: Thank you. It's amazing. I love it. So for anybody watching this right now who's unsure about taking the next step, or maybe they're at their low point like where you were, what would you tell them about WarriorBabe and the change it could have on their life?

Valerie: We're waiting for you with open arms. Just come in, dive in headfirst. We want you to come here. We'll take care of you.

Nikkiey: You're giving me the chills.

Valerie: It's like the church that I go to. Their mission statement is "for those not yet here."

Nikkiey: And you just said, we're waiting for you.

Valerie: We're waiting for you here.

Nikkiey: Wow. For sure. How about someone who's hesitant to invest in herself and afraid to ask for help? What would you tell that woman?

Valerie: You have to take care of yourself first. You need to do this to be healthy, to live long and to be happy. I've never, ever been happier. This has changed my life 100%, and others around me.

Nikkiey: You have a ripple effect. That's the coolest part about your story. Is there anything else we didn't get to chat about today that you wanted to share?

Valerie: No, I'm just so thankful and appreciative to you and my coach, Annie, and so many of the other coaches too. I follow them, they're very active in the community and on the community calls, and I appreciate that. I just found a home here with WarriorBabe and all these women, and the support is amazing. I'm very, very thankful and grateful.

Nikkiey: You make me cry. Not many people can make me do that, Valerie. But the way you said you found a home, that's what we want to make happen on a daily basis for women: to make them feel safe here in our community.

Valerie: I think you do.

Nikkiey: I think you figured it out. You achieved that. So thank you.

Valerie: No, thank you.

Nikkiey: Thank you for putting in the work. Thank you for showing up and doing what a really good student does to get the results they want. That's what you did. You were like, I want this and I'm going to do the work. And even if I don't know what I'm doing, I trust my coach, I want to do what she says, and I know she has my best interest at heart. I'm just going to surrender and follow through.

Valerie: It works.

Nikkiey: Your whole story from this conversation is such a powerful reminder that it's never too late to reclaim your strength, your health and your identity, and to not only make a positive impact for you, but once you do that for you, you can change the people in your space who want to know what you're doing or want to follow you. From the moment you decided to say yes to yourself, to having the conversation with your husband, everything started to shift for you. And now you're proof of what's possible when you stop settling and start leading.

Valerie: That's right. Amen. Thank you so much, Nikkiey.

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, so much for your support. Thank you.