She Got Toned at 49 w/ WarriorBabe Valerie

00:00I think I was exhausted from intermittent fasting and from keto. Yeah. That took a lot of brain power and then it gives you, you get, you have brain fog from doing those things. I just don't think I was thinking clearly, honestly. Now, now how I feel, I look back on that and I'm like, who is that girl? What's going on, everyone? Hey, so today I have another WarriorBabe here with us, WarriorBabe Valerie.

00:31And before she found us, this is going to be a really cool story, I feel like, because she's going to be honest with where she was before finding us. She was, you know, on the couch. She was watching Netflix. She was eating takeout. She was just in quiet, like, resonation from maybe, like, this is just what age looked like. Like, she was just kind of accepting maybe this is what it just is down the road. But then, like, she was stopped on the street and that snapped her out of it. And we'll get into the story and all of it.

01:02But that was her spark. And then she realized that she'd just given up on herself and she was ready to take it all back. And then 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 than she was before. So I'm really excited for her to be here today and for her to share her story. Valerie, welcome. Thank you. So let the listeners know that are tuning into this right now. Where are you from? What do you do for work? And how old are you?

01:33So 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. Oh, super cool. Yeah. You see a lot of bones and everything like that. I love bones. Bones are my jam. Love that. Okay, cool. So let's talk about where you were before joining Warrior Babe. Like what was your health and, you know, the situation like for you? And be as open and honest that you can be. So if someone can tune into you. Last one on your story. Yeah.

02:03So, you know, 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 and I never had the nutrition piece. So, like, while I might have gained nice calves from running, nothing else really, you know, no muscles are popping or anything.

02:37So, yeah, it was, I also had, like, the mentality growing up in the 90s, like, skinnier the better, you know. Like, they even had this term, heroin chic was, like, sexy, you know, like, just being able to see bones that that would make you attractive. Like, the 90s were brutal on women. And, you know, I had gone to the gym a little bit, like with my ex-husband, but it was cardio was for girls and the weights were for the boys, you know.

03:09It was that kind of thing. So I'm very glad that that script is flipped and we belong there, too. Yes. I did dabble in Orange Theory one summer with my daughter. She was home for college and wanted to get in shape, so we did that. And that's, I mean, it was okay, but, like, I pulled a hamstring. Like, I don't know. I didn't really care for it a whole lot. A lot of cardio, a lot of intensity, not much focus on form, right? Yeah, and, like, longevity. Like, it wasn't something that I would really ever want to do long term.

03:42So, yeah, and then, you know, I just focus mostly on, like, dieting over the years. I've tried Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, intermittent fasting, keto, you know, all the things that so many of us have tried. And while they may work, they're just not sustainable. And so I got out of the military in 2016, and I pretty much stopped, like, yeah, I pretty much stopped. You were in your service store that time. Oh, yeah. So I pretty much stopped, like, any fitness routines, just thought, well, here we are now.

04:18My kids had gone off to college, so it was just my husband in here empty nesting with our dog. And we just got real comfy on that couch, you know? It was like, 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 it just, I got to a point that I just didn't feel real good about myself. What was that day-to-day lifestyle? What that looked like? You would go to work, you would come home, you would sit down on the couch, be like, all right,

04:51like, let's watch Netflix, let's eat dinner, let's order food out. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. What other habits, like, or patterns did you notice that kept you, like, in that routine day-to-day? I just, I think it honestly just comes down to laziness. Yeah. It just came down to laziness, and I don't know why, but it's like I stopped caring what I looked like. Like, I don't have, like, any trigger to explain why I got there, but that's the point where I found myself.

05:23Wow. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. You know, it's sometimes hard to admit and be honest with, you know? Yeah. I appreciate you being that open. What do you feel like was, like, during that period was, like, the most frustrating part about feeling like you were, did you, I guess it's hard, looking back at it now when you're in it, you can't tell you're stuck. It's kind of just the day-to-day motion that you're in. But if you can look back now, what was the most frustrating aspect of, like, feeling like you were just in it and stuck, I guess is, like, the best way that I can ask that question.

05:56Like, this might be a little superficial, but, like, my clothes just stopped fitting. They just... No, it's not superficial at all. That's usually, like, the first turning point where people experience it. Yeah. Yeah. And, like, 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 and maxed out my scrubs, but I don't know. Yeah. And it's just, like, at that point, it's like, if the clothing is... Being in scrubs every day, you don't have to wear cute things, you know? Right. I resonate with that. You don't have to worry about tight, cute clothes. Because you can just cover it up.

06:27It's a good mask. Yeah. And, like, at that point, too, maybe... Actually, it's probably a little bit too... We won't go that far. You can't. I'm here. What, how... Like, no, I don't think I feel comfortable with that. Right. Was there a specific moment that, like, you realized during that time? Well, how many years would you say that that was? Hmm. At that state where I was just not really caring a whole lot anymore, nutrition or fitness.

07:01I mean, probably a solid year. Yeah. You know, I had done the keto and intermittent fasting was my most recent diet craze. And then, ooh, that can be... I mean, that stuff works. It really does. But it's exhausting. Yeah. And just not a way to live. Yeah, for sure. When you do keto, do you notice, like, that instant drop of weight in the first, like, week or two from the carbohydrates being out of your system? I sure did. Yeah. Sure did. I didn't have... I'm sorry?

07:31That was, like, the motivator to keep going. Like, oh, it's working. Yeah. But then, like, years go by and you're like, I haven't had an apple or a banana in years. Yeah. You know? It's not sustainable, right? I can't have carbs for the rest of my life. Like, that's God's fruit. Why am I not allowed to have that, you know? Right, right. Was there a... You were drinking alcohol at that point, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. So talk about that a little bit. What was that like during that time? I mean, that was the other thing, too, along with the couch and Netflix and takeout was grabbing

08:06that white claw every night. That's how we unwound. I just... We had one... Usually one drink during the week. Um, work week and then on the weekends more. You know, two, three, sometimes four. Yeah. And, you know, I'm drinking white claw. There's only two carbs in those. I learned. You showed me the way. If only people are listening to this in audio, not watching a video, I just had to drop my head in, you know? Yeah. Two carbs. Love that. How about that marketing?

08:37Yeah. I know. Boy, little did I know. Yeah. Um, when you... Was there anything that you realized, too, like, at the end of the day? Like, were you just, like, tired or exhausted? Or what was the thing that just, like, pulled you to the couch? Was it... Like, were there excuses that you're using on a daily basis? Or was just exercise not really, like, in the forefront of your mind? Or, like... It just wasn't. Yeah. It just... I think... Okay. So, exercise. We would walk the dog. That was our exercise, right? But, um... Just...

09:07I think I was exhausted from intermittent fasting and from keto. Yeah. That took a lot of brain power. And then it gives you... You get... 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 my husband has been... Listen, my husband is a warrior bro. He does all the workouts with me. He's great. Yeah. He's been my biggest fan. Oh, I love that.

09:38I can't wait to talk about your husband and the journey he's been a part with you. Yeah. Let's talk about... Okay. So, that's where we were before. You were Netflix, chilling. Like, you were... You were giving... You mentioned giving up on yourself. You were just in a day-to-day life. You know, work, come home, chill, drink some alcohol, glass of wine that people have. Yours was White Claw. Yeah. Let's talk about that specific moment of realization that, like, pushed you to finally, like, be like, all right, enough is enough. I can pinpoint it. Yeah? You remember, like, exactly where you were walking?

10:09The moment. The moment. All right. Talk about it. My husband and I... And I've told this before. But my husband and I were driving through this small town one day. And, you know, it was a nice, like, early June day. And the crowds were out. And this one woman was walking down the street. And she had this little black tank top on and these little shorts. And she was probably my age. And she was jacked. And she caught my eye. And I was like, holy cow. I looked over at my husband.

10:41I'm like, did you see her? He's like, huh? No. Uh-uh. Yeah, right. But anyway, I was like, I was wondering if I could ever look like that again. Like, that really triggered me. Like, she's my age and she looks like that. There's got to be a way. Right. So then I started Googling women powerlifting over 50 and things like that. And then my algorithm popped out. Warrior babe. Yeah. Oh, man.

11:11That's crazy. Yeah. So I was like, wait a minute. Look at that girl. You. That's rough. I couldn't believe my eyes. And what were the things that I was like saying in the ads? Like, what were things that are like being like you were like, oh, man, this is for me. Or what resonated with you the most? The very first thing was there was an ad and you were eating sweet potatoes. And I thought that girl looks like that. And she's eating sweet potatoes at a restaurant. Like, what?

11:42Okay. And then she says no cardio. And then she says this is for women over 40. I was like, sign me up. Like, this is crazy. I actually knew in my heart that when I first saw it in the name alone, warrior babe, I just I love it. Badass. It's great. I just I really I instantly knew that I was going to connect with this program. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. And when you started like seeing and changing or you started believing like more like you can eat carbs, you can have sweet potatoes, like you can have all these things.

12:18You mentioned earlier that you grew up with the 90s, like being skinny was the thing you're told told to that bones things. That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. What was it called? Heroin? What? Like heroin chic. Like it was a style. That's crazy. Yeah. It gave me pills. Yeah. Like, how does that feel to now rewrite the beliefs of like, I don't need to be skinny. I can be strong and I can eat. It took some getting used to incorporating rice and potatoes into my life has been crazy.

12:50I have done bread, but if I do bread, it'll be like, you know, Dave's killer bread that has like the protein in it. Something like that. But yeah, there was definitely a mindset shift to be able to eat carbs like that again. But I was taught through warrior babe, through coach Annie, through you that, I mean, it's a necessary part of life. Like that's how you fuel your body. That's how you get your energy. And that's how, you know, makes your digestion work better.

13:20And I don't know. It's your brain fog. You mentioned you had brain fog. Do you have brain fog anymore? Not a bit. Carbs. Carbs are amazing. You'll love them. You mentioned when I was like reading your bio to come on to this interview, you mentioned like you need to have a heart to heart with your husband. Like you were sold. You were like, I want this. I want to do this. This sounds right up my alley. Like you were in that pain point of noticing, realizing that you'd given up on yourself and you need to get yourself back.

13:53And you were just, you're about to turn 50. Right. At that time. But you knew that you had to try. Every woman does. We got to bring our husband in. We got to let them know what's up. We got to have a conversation with them. We got to get them on board. What was that like? Like talk about that experience because you were like, I got to sell them on it. Yeah. Yeah. So let me start by saying we are in a couple of weeks. We're going to be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Oh, that gave me the chills. I've been meeting so many couples and families. I've been traveling.

14:23I've been meeting couples. And I'm like, you guys, how long have you been married? 25, 30 years. I'm like, oh, my heart. Yeah. Yeah. 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 him, of his kindness or anything like that. But I knew that I needed to kind of soft sell him at first. Just, you know, introduce what I was learning about this program. Because once you came into my social media algorithm, the ads just kept keep coming.

14:54They weren't. And I get more excited. And I'm just like, oh, my gosh. So I, it was just on my mind solid for three weeks. And I would tell him about it. And then I told him how much it cost. And then, you know, we, obviously, it's surprising how much it costs. For sure. Yeah. A hundred percent. It's not cheap. Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, I have never had a personal trainer before. So I didn't know what to expect anyway. But I was just like, you know, it's all about nutrition.

15:27It's all about, they actually give you the workouts. They meet you where you're at. They form this program for you. And I'm like, I just, I think, is this going to be good? And so, like, it went on for about three weeks of me doing this. Going out on our walks, you know, with the dog. And be like, oh, you know. Planting these seeds. Exactly. Exactly. Or, like, when we're sitting on the couch watching TV. Like, we could go downstairs and just lift some weights. We could, you know, lift a couple dumbbells, use some bands or something. So, anyway, I got to a point and I was like, this is it.

15:57I have to do it. So I went and I 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 said, I think you are too. And 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. So I just feel like this program is really speaking to me. And I can't shake it. And I would love it if you hopped on board. You're going to make me cry, Valerie.

16:29First of all, to have a heart-to-heart. Like, be vulnerable to go to your husband like that. And, like, that's what makes, I'm sure, your marriage so healthy. Having that conversation. Yeah. I'm a less girl. Yeah. I'm very fortunate. And he immediately said, okay, let's do it. Yeah. I know. Like, I had a feeling. Like, 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.

17:02You know? So. For sure. I admire the way that you went about that. Yeah. What made it so what made it what you mentioned, like, this is speaking to you. What made this feel different than the other things like keto and intermittent fasting that you've tried? Well, I had seen a couple things about macros. And whenever I saw a program that was associated with macros, people were always ripped and muscles were popping. This might have something to it.

17:32So. And I just. I don't know. I love that it was all women. And over 40, the no cardio thing, again, really spoke to me. And then the carbs and being able to have some carbs. Yeah. I was. I was really surprised when, like, a lot of the ads you're eating and the things that you were eating. And I was like, how does she rock that body and eat that burger or eat the. You know what I mean? Yeah. So, I mean, honestly, that's that's kind of what looped me in.

18:02Love that. Yeah. So you got Halby on board. He agreed. You signed up. So what were the first few weeks like? Like, let's talk about your onboarding experience with the team, with meeting Annie and getting started with the program. Yeah. So, yeah, it's overwhelming at first. There's a lot. That a lot of information you have to give and a lot of information that you receive. But I actually took that as a sign of these people are serious. We are not messing around.

18:33Play. Playtime is over. Yeah. Like, go delete your Netflix account or something because you're going to be a busy girl. Amen. I mean, honestly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, but, you know, as the information came in, I just devoured every bit of it. I like. I couldn't get enough of it. I just really, really was so interested. And so I don't know. I can't remember who I spoke with in the very beginning. Andrea, maybe. I can't remember. But she met.

19:03She matched me with Coach Annie. And I had my first meeting with her. And I got done and I went out to the living room to see my husband. I was like, I'm like, she's a godsend. Like, I have no idea how they did it. But they just matched me with the woman that's going to change my life. I don't have. Really. Honestly, I am kind of curious how you guys do that because it was so spot on. Like, she's perfect for me. We have.

19:33So we gather so much information about you guys. Right? Like, 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 from that. And then our customer success team has all of the bios of all of our coaches. Right? So they know. And they know. We host meetings on a weekly basis with the teams. So they know these coaches inside and out. So knowing your personality, understanding you from either the call or that you had previously

20:05or the bio. It's just like they. And I've heard this so many times that I pride ourselves on the matching ability because I've heard it over and over again that I don't know how we do, but we match everyone up so perfectly with the right coach. It was a match made in heaven. It was. It was great. She's amazing. 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

20:38stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. I've read that you took on macros in the first week too. So let's talk about that. Did you know about macros before? No. So I had heard about them, but they always scared me. Like I was always like, that looks like a lot of work. Yeah. You know, work in like just overwhelming and like having to track all the food and go into my fitness pal and or what is that what it was? Yeah. And like the weight, like the weighing in grams and getting used to weighing all your food

21:08and playing that puzzle to make it all work. So you're plus or minus five, you know, it's it. Yeah. As a newbie, it was a lot, but I wanted it so bad, you know, and I just hours a day, I would just like figure out what recipes I could make and then plug it in and like figure it out. I remember the first time that I made the plus or minus five and I was so excited. It was pretty quick. It was pretty quick. I mean, I, I got close, I think within the first week and I think by week two, I was,

21:39I was tracking it. Yeah. Were there any moments where like, I give, like, I can't do this or was it just like, I'm going to figure it out. Like that mentality, you know, women like, oh man, this is way too hard. And like, kind of like, maybe they'll go a couple of days doing it in the pullback where you just like, no, like gung ho, I'm going to figure this out. All in, all in, all in, just stayed on it until I, until I nailed it. Yeah. That's why you're able to get it so quickly then. Yeah. Yeah. It meant so much to me.

22:09Especially price point too. Like exactly. And the pain that you were feeling beforehand, it's like you got, you wanted to fix it and you want to fix it fast. Exactly. Exactly. It's funny. You should say that. Cause then I realized, oh, this is the long game. There's nothing fast here. You know, exactly. But it's fast and small increments, right? Like little sprinkles of fast. You picked up macros pretty fast. That's, but it is, it's, what does that mean to you? What does the long game mean to you? Cause everything else before keto, you drop weight quickly, but it doesn't last that long.

22:40Like what does the long game mean to you? I'm interested. You know, it's funny because it's fairly new to me because also being a nineties girl and even maybe not just a nineties girl, but now all the 30 day fixes that they have out there on the market. Um, you know, you, you, you only think a couple of weeks out like, oh, I have this event that I need to lose five to 10 pounds for. Let me go on Nutrisystem for a second, you know, or, and you might lose it. It might work for you.

23:10It probably will, but you're going to gain it back. I promise you. So with this, having it come off slowly and steadily, I, 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 for sure. Yeah. I can't wait to talk about what your accomplishments are so far, because I know that they're pretty

23:41fricking rad. Um, but early on, what do you say? No, I was just going to say it back to being early on when I first started. I want to let you know, I joined one week before 4th of July and I joined three weeks before a girl's trip with a bunch of Gen X women. And like, we know how to whip it up. Say less. Say less. My step-mom is going to be 50 soon. So yeah, I say less. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, it was, I just knew that it was, it didn't matter what time I started.

24:15I needed to start the next day. So. Wow. So, okay. Hold on. Rewind. Like 4th of July and then the trip and you picked up macros within two weeks of that first. I did. Let's talk about that. How did you handle 4th of July and the holiday signing up prior, like a couple of days prior and then talk about that trip. How did you navigate that trip? Yeah. 4th of July, we, I just brought like water to cookouts. I didn't, we'll have to get into the alcohol thing too here pretty quick, but I would just

24:48bring water. I was just really, really strict with myself and maybe to a fault that I thought like you've been messing around for so long. You don't deserve to go and have that white claw at the picnic or you don't deserve to have that cheeseburger at the picnic or I just, I needed to get focused fast and get that mindset locked down so that I could do this program and make it worthwhile. I'm getting the chills. I literally have the chills. Like my hair. You do. I can see them. Holy cow.

25:19Yeah. And the same with the girls trip. Like they, um, I would say the, 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. Like they, yeah, I've been very fortunate with my friends and family and coworkers through this whole journey. Wow. Yeah. That's really hard to find. You are blessed in that realm because some people won't be in your life when you started the journey.

25:49Right. So some people won't be there at the end of your journey. Right. Right. Yeah. Is that the alcohol, like one that you want to talk about that? Yeah. Yeah. The alcohol piece has probably been one of the biggest, um, eye openers for me. Um, because I went from drinking every day to in the last 10 and a month, 10 and a half months I've drank on three occasions. And when I did, it was only two beverages each. Yeah. When was Valentine's day, right? What were the other two? Yeah. Yeah. Christmas, Valentine's day. And then the weekend before my cut.

26:20I'm like, I'm sorry. Wow. Yeah. That's great. Like, how do you, how do you feel with that? 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.

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27:22That's warrior babe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. So proud. So, so proud. I wouldn't say that alcohol was like a problem for me, but it certainly, I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't a thing. Like it was nothing to, to go and have one socially or at home or just whatever. I didn't know how bad it was for you. Um, I listened to one of your podcasts in the very first week that I was on two of them,

27:57actually. Um, 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 another reason why I, that was the first reason I gave up. And I think another one you were interviewing, um, Lisa brothers and she talked about how she used to like to go out to wineries or, or something like that. Um, Lisa, she's one of. Like one of my OGs. I just traveled with her in January. She loves her, her cocktails.

28:29And yeah, that's what she said on there is very true. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I don't know. I just, I just literally would put one foot in front of the other, those first few weeks, maybe even months, just, just trying to give it my all give, give this worry Bay program my all. Um, dude, you really did Valerie, like just hearing this, like from you and in this interview and like getting to the nitty gritty of your journey and like where you started and what you were doing before. Like I can read your bio, but like hearing it from you right now, it's like you wanted

29:02it bad. It did. 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 girl's trip get in my way. Like I'm going to figure this out. But I also love that you were figuring it out, not just for you, but you're figuring it out also for your husband. So talk about that journey that you guys have embarked on together with being a part of Warrior Bay. It's been so fun. I mean, he, he started from day one with me. The only piece that he's missing is we don't know what macros he should be eating. So he's just kind of reaping the benefits of all the healthy food that I'm cooking.

29:34Um, but not doing the portions to the way that I am. But I mean, he lost 20 pounds and has kept it off this whole time. Yeah. It's amazing. He looks, he looks great. I got him some Warrior Babe swag. He wears a t-tier. So cute. It's so cute. Oh, that's awesome. He's all in. He's all in. Yeah. We started out, um, we work out at home and I had some dumbbells and some bands and that's how we started out. And quickly we realized we liked it and we wanted to do more.

30:05So we, we invested in one of those, um, jacked up fitness racks, like the Smith machine and the cable cables. So we have that downstairs in our basement. We have like this cute little gym down there and we go down there and put our country music on and just work out four nights a week. Oh my God. Love it. And how do you guys handle like, um, like nutrition, like the, like maybe going out to eat on a, on a weekly basis and having like, do you, do you have like a cheat meal in your plan or? I don't. So you guys are, you're just like, well, you're in a cut right now, right?

30:35That's what you mentioned. Yeah. I'm on week 12. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm starting to reverse out of it. Okay. Okay. Very nice. How do you guys handle them date nights? Like, what does that look like? Um, we don't go out a whole lot. We'd much rather stay home and like cook some steaks on the grill or something like that. But when we do, um, I mean the only time that I would even say I cheated and that it's not really considered a cheat because, because I learned, I think it was coach Mo who said at first, um, memories over macros.

31:07Yeah. Man, do I love that. So like on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I had my Thanksgiving meal with mashed potatoes and gravy. And on Christmas I had Christmas cookies and that just felt so good to be able to give myself the permission to, to, to eat like that and not track that day. And did you see any regression in your progress? But you know what? I got right up the next day and I got right back on it. I wasn't having leftovers. I, I got right back on it. So. Amen. Let's go. Yeah.

31:38All right. So how about family? And before we dive in, we're going to dive into like your achievement so far. What about your, you said you have a daughter? My kids. Well, I have four kids. My husband has two kids from a previous marriage and then we have a boy and girl together. So my daughter's. Oh, by the way, I want four kids. So. Oh, really? Oh, it's so fun. The more the merrier. It's great. If you have one, you might as well have four. It's fine. There you go. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So my, my daughter, my youngest is actually graduating college tomorrow. So yeah. That's awesome. But our kids are into it too.

32:09Like, um, when, um, our son lives with us and he will, if he's not working evenings, he'll come downstairs and work out with us. Cause we work out at night. Yeah. And then my daughter will come when she comes home from college, she works out with us too. And at Christmas, like we had all the kids here and there was like six of us down there working out in this tiny gym. And it was so fun. And like the whole family just is really into it. Oh gosh. I just love that so much for you. Yeah. And my, my son is eating more protein than ever. And cause it's kind of a string bean. So he's just working on his protein intake and yeah, it's, it's really beneficial.

32:45Yeah. This whole thing. What a ripple effect. That's incredible. Um, all right, let's talk about where you're at now since joining warrior babe, where are you at now? You're in 12 week 12 or the 12th week of your cut. I am. How many calories are you eating now? So I am. Well, okay. So I'll, I'll start with when I was in maintenance, I was eating 2055 calories and that 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.

33:15It was so good. Could you ever imagine at your age that you'd be eating over 2000 calories and maintaining your weight? Yeah. It was incredible. Incredible. And so then, um, week over week after I started the, um, the cut, I got down to 1440 calories. So yeah, I, I told coach Annie, like, I want to do an intensive cut. Like I want to, I, I was so ready for it. Um, because I had done about two and a half months of retrain and then I was in maintenance

33:46for six months. So I was really prepared for this cut, like mentally, like I was ready. And so then we go into it and, um, yeah, it was a shock. Talk to me about the shock. Yeah. I was hungry. I was real hungry. Um, I've mentioned earlier how I feel about cardio and I got cardio added into my, my cut routine. And I'm like, I can see the, the finish line with that. So I'm excited. But, um, how many, how many, and anyway, that's listening, this is specifically Valerie's

34:19routine. I don't want you guys like going and copying and pasting it. Cause it won't work for you. I'll just be honest with you there. Um, how many days of cardio are you doing right now? Three, three, three. And I had come on like four or five, but I got up to 45 minutes of cardio and like, I'm trying to boring, so boring. And I'm like trying to watch my heart rate and I can't see without my glasses on. And like, I'm, I don't know. It's anyway, it's been a, it's been a journey, but it worked. It worked. Coach Annie was right.

34:51Okay. So let's talk about that. Some of your proudest achievements now today. What, what are some of the wins that you've had along the 10 months? I think my, one of my biggest wins is I don't hate my legs anymore. Oh, wow. Yeah. I, I've had these misshapen legs most of my, since puberty. I, the saddlebags that have just never gone away and, um, they're slimming down now. And, um, I got some baby quads popping.

35:22So I'm kind of excited about that. Yeah. That feels really good. That's probably one of my favorite ones. Um, I feel free from the scale. I started out, um, I'm five, three and a half just for reference. And I started out 148 pounds and last Sunday's weigh in, I was 129. So 19 pounds. Um, I started with a 33 inch waist and now I'm at 27 and a half. Wow. That's five and a half inches, Nikki.

35:53How many, did you drop any, uh, pant sizes? Um, because I want to be like workout clothes. I haven't like gone clothes shopping or anything like that, but, um, I probably am like, I've got to be down some, right? I must be. I wouldn't be surprised. Oh, shirt sizes. This is a small. Okay. That's good. I'm usually a medium. Medium. Medium. Sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if you said you didn't drop pant size. If you said you're getting bigger quads. Cause you know, you could fill out a muscle and not drop, even though you're losing inches

36:25and weight, you could be putting on more muscle, which obviously, you know, is denser and smaller than the volume of fat. So speaking of that, yeah, my underwear started getting tight. Oh, Oh, there you go. I'm back there. You got a booty. So, Oh, I love that. Yeah. So, and you mentioned too, that you're the back rolls have disappeared. Yeah. And like your metabolism is feeling way more like fast paced, restored.

36:55Oh yeah. Annie fixed my metabolism right off the bat. Wow. How's it feel to say that out loud? Like before you were doing a keto and intermittent fasting and, you know, I, I think I was just, and I don't want to say this in a self deprecating way, but I was just, I was ignorant. I just, I didn't have this knowledge. I didn't know that this is how your bodies work. And that's, that's been an eye opener to me, like the education. And I've learned through, through this program and all these months has just been

37:27so useful and so eyeopening. And, but at the same time, like I, I'm also the kind of person that like within fitness, this, like what we're doing, I, I like 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 it's worth it to, to have her figure that out. And I just, it builds trust with me because things are working and I trust her wholeheartedly. She knows. Yeah.

37:57I think that's a really important thing to highlight because y'all have responsibilities. You're your day to day work. You have, you, you have things you have to do. You, you know, it's like, it's to figure this out is like people go to school for it. Like they live, meet their profession around it. Yeah. I'm not the one certified you guys are. Exactly. Yeah. And I love that you trusted us out of the gate with just like what we say is trust us now, believe us later. We meet you where you're at and all you gotta do is do the work. And that's what you did. Yeah. I just surrendered to it all. I was like, take me.

38:28I'm all in. I love that mentality. That's why you are where you're at. There's no like, oh, but this worked for me before. Or, or would you really think this, this is what I should do? Like you were just like, nope, let go. Here you go. That's all. And I'm confident that this is not like a fad diet or this isn't, this is like science backed stuff we're doing here. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Sustainable. For sure. So you're reversing out right now. That's what you mentioned. Yeah. So by doing that, um, I'm, I'm carb cycling, so I'm eating a little more on my training days.

39:02Yeah. And the first week she gave me that I, I was in heaven. Like it just felt so good to be able to eat a little bit more, you know? So I, I, poor Annie, I've, 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. Oh, can't wait for you to get back up to the 12. You might go above since your metabolism is so rocking and rolling.

39:33I'm hoping my body's been, has responded really well. It even responded well in retrain way back when. So you've seen like definition in places that you've never seen before. Yes. Yes. I don't hate my arms anymore either. Like it's so cool. It's so cool. Give it a little flex. Let me see. Let me see what you got. Okay. Okay. Bicep. I know. That was fine. Oh, you look good girl. You should be so proud, man. Like I know where you came from before and where you were at and like, like low, a pretty low

40:08point to be like, nah, I got to get, I got to turn it around. I just feel, 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. So yeah. Let's go. I feel so good. I hate to go. I hate to even like go back asking this question, but I'm curious. What, if you never made the change, like, where do you think you'd be today? I would probably be sitting on the couch eating extra cheddar blast goldfish looking for my next Netflix show.

40:43You know what? I meant to ask you that at the beginning. What was your go-to snack? Was that the go-to snack? Oh, I love those. Yeah. I haven't had one in 10 months. Don't miss it though. Yeah. Don't miss it. Yeah. And I probably would still be drinking, um, as much as I was. And I wasn't even like, I, it was just like mindless drinking. It was just cause I wasn't paying attention. I just didn't care. Yeah. Well, it's easy. A lot. That's a lot of society. A lot of people at the end of the day, oh, a glass of wine. Or a white claw.

41:15Yeah. Not anymore. Go down to the gym. My, my, uh, release now at night is a peanut butter as a, uh, chocolate rice cake top of peanut butter. So that's my new white claw. After my own heart, the chocolate. It's so good. You know, mine's a dub, the dub chocolate. Oh, yes. Good night. Yes. Two to four pieces. You got it. Do you listen to the Mac for hours? Once in a while. I'm actually, I, I would be a little embarrassed if I told you how much I do listen to it. You'd think you have a stalker on your hands. So I'm not going to keep it. No, I love that. That you're, you're using all the tools and the resources.

41:48Yeah. And that's like, I think that's admirable because you're getting it from all different outlets and it's getting your brain and you're absorbing the information and it's, it's making you take the action. It sure is. It's, it, did you listen to the podcast about the fit identity? Like you have. Oh yeah. The fit identity. Yeah. Yeah. Like that's, that's like you right now. Like you're taking the action to become the person that has the results of what you wanted to accomplish, but you had to change your behavior, your habits, your systems, like all

42:20of the things. Episode four told me to do that way back when. Wow. Episode four. Like, I know, sorry. Did I scare you? I love it. You're going to love tomorrow's episode then. Oh good. I can't wait. Yeah. I read that you have like the notifications turned on too. And a new episode comes out. I do. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. It's amazing. I love it. So for anybody that's watching this, like right now, what, uh, that's unsure about taking like the next step or maybe they're just in their low, low point, like, like where you

42:52were and what would you tell them about worry wave that can impact them to make the change that they could have on their life? Yeah. I'm just, we're waiting for you with open arms. Just come in, dive in headfirst. Like we want you to come here. You're giving me the chill. We'll take care of you. Yeah. It's like the church that I go to their, um, mission statement is for those not yet here. And you were just like, you, you just said we're waiting for you. Yeah. We're waiting for you here. Yeah.

43:22Wow. For sure. How about who is someone who's hesitant to invest in herself and afraid to ask for, for that help? What would you tell that woman? Hmm. I mean, you have to take care of yourself first. Like you, you, you need to, you need to do this to be healthy, to live long and to, you know, be happy. I've never, ever been happier. This is changed my life.

43:54100% and others around me. Yeah. You have a ripple effect. That's the coolest part about your story. The ripple effect. Yeah. Is there anything else I didn't, we didn't get to chat about today that you wanted to share or say? No, I just, I'm so thankful and appreciative to you and my coach, Annie, and so many of the other coaches too. You know, I, I follow them, they're, they're very active in the community and I appreciate that or on the community calls. I just found a home here with warrior babe and, and all these women and the support is

44:29amazing. I'm very, very thankful and grateful. You make me cry. Not many people can make me do that, Valerie, but just the way that like your tonality of saying like I found a home like that just like is what we want to just make, make happen on a daily basis for women, make them feel safe here in our community. I think we do. I think you, you figured it out. You, you, you achieved that. So thank you. No, thank you. Thank you for putting in the work. Thank you for, you know, showing up and, and doing what makes a really good student,

45:04like get the results that they want. Like 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, like I trust my coach, I want to do what she says and know that she has my best interest at heart. And I'm just going to surrender and follow through. Yeah. It works. Yeah. Oh, well, your whole story from this whole conversation with you is such a powerful reminder that it's never too late to reclaim your strength, your health, your identity, and to be able

45:34to not only make the positive impact for you, but once you do that for you, you can change everybody's like the people in your space that want to know what you're doing or want, or you want to follow you to follow you. So like from the, and from the moment that you decided to say yes to yourself, to having the conversation with your husband, like everything started to shift for you. And now you're, you're proof of what's possible when you stop settling and start leading. That's right.

46:05Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, Nikki. Real quick. If this episode resonated with you or gave you the push that 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 to 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. Thank you. Thank you.

46:35Thank you. Thank you.

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