The Livy Method Podcast - Rewiring Got You Here. Reprogramming Keeps You Going.

Episode Date: September 14, 2026

Most people treat goal weight like a finish line. Gina Livy and Odette explain why it's actually the start of a different job, and why so many people regain. They break down the three reasons weight comes back and why the "why" that got you through weight loss isn't the same as what helps you to maintain.Welcome to Day 1 of our Fall Maintenance and Mindfulness Group!This podcast aligns with Day 1 of our Fall Maintenance Program, members can find video in our Livy Method app or Maintenance and Mindfulness Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ginalivymaintenanceandmindfulness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New season, new name, bigger conversations. Welcome to Live Lighter with Gina, because lightness isn't something you find. It's something you create in your body, your mind, your home, and in your life. Real conversations, no bullshit. So let's lighten things up for you. If you're looking to lose weight and you want to keep it off, you have got to check out the Living Method. Our next live session starts September 14th.

better than ever, easy to follow. We have the most incredible community, and it works. Head over to living method.com to sign out today. Welcome to Prep Week in our maintenance program and welcome to mind, mind set. Hello. Hi. Hi. How's it going?

Is this really happening? Where are we today? Odette, we, uh, as we're jumping on Odette, was having some issues with their microphone. And it's like you, you don't touch it. Nothing changes. And then you jump back on and you're like, why doesn't anything work? This is what prep week is for, though, right? Prep week is to find our footing to like, we know we have people who are new to maintenance. How exciting is that? And we have our members who've been working in maintenance for a while. Want to get right into it, Odette. Today you're asking people to pick their lane. So we have people

who are, they've just lost their weight. This is their first maintenance session. we are suggesting that they follow the maintenance program proper. So follow the guidelines, make all the changes each week. It's going to look very similar to the weight loss program. It's all about intention. The reason why it looks similar is the body loves routine. And you may be done losing your weight, but you're not done solidifying your maintenance mindset

or solidifying those changes that you've made. And then, of course, we have our members who've been with us for a while, and they're still showing up, looking to be motivated, staying on track and whatnot. but they are not following the weekly tweaks. They are personalizing the plan because, you know, they're prepping and getting ready for like just living their lives, right? So what do you want to say about that?

So I want to say about that. So for anybody that's new, welcome, of course. This group can look and feel a little different than what they might be used to. So take this week, just like you said, to get familiar with the group, check out the guides, get familiar, the team is here, I'm here, you're here. So that doesn't change. It's just the way that maybe the group is laid out a little bit. So that's the first thing that I do.

Just take this prep week. And I think everyone is really excited. They want to get going. They want to have it all figured out. They want to like, you know, hit the ground running. And then by Tuesday Wednesday, they're like, wait a minute. I don't, am I coming or going? What's going on?

So just take the first few days to just get comfortable, get familiar. And even that is part of your routine, right? Setting yourself up for success is part of your routine. So take that as the first few days. And you know, picking your lane. And this is something that we were talking about. You know, we ask our members for feedback all the time. You know, what's working for you well in the group with the program and the app?

What do you need to help feel more supported? And one of the things they said was really having a clear understanding of what their maintenance journey needs to look like or what they want it to look like. And how do they decide if they want to personalize the plan or follow the program the way it's laid out? So the criteria for that is if you are brand new here and you have, this is your first time in the maintenance program. You want to follow it as laid out. We have a tweak each week, similar to the weight loss program, but our focus changes.

So the focus, whether you are following the program as laid out or you've been here for a while, still, you know, personalizing the plan, still working through some issues, still working through some challenges. That focus is for everybody. So it doesn't matter if you're following the tweaks or if you're personally as a plan, the focus is really what you want to think about. Okay, so there's the main focus for everyone, no matter where you are at in your maintenance journey.

And then the guidelines and tweaks each week are for those of you who are new to maintenance or you're doing another round of the maintenance program proper to work on solidifying your weight physically. So you want to make sure you know which lane you are in because we've been running this maintenance program and group for like probably four. four years now. So we have people who've been maintaining their weight for four years, but they're still part of the community and they still pop in. They're looking for motivation, looking continued learning and whatnot. The advice that I would have is make sure that you read the post with fresh eyes, no matter where you are at, especially if you're doing the program and you're following those tweaks each week. You may think you already know it because you did it

in the weight loss session. It's different. It's a completely different intention. The body loves routine. It loves familiarity. That's why those tweaks are the same. But the intention and what you're working on and working through is completely, completely different. And then if you're just here because you're like, oh, I just like to see what's going on each week. That's totally fine too, right? So we have people at all different stages in their weight loss journey. What we know is it takes about two years for you to for your body to adjust to a new set point. So you lost your weights and now you've lost 20, 40, 60, 80, 150. 200 pounds. Now it's giving your body time physically to adjust to that new weight. Now, two years, if you're like, what? That's just like haphazardly, you know, just kind of you lost your weight, you wait, however, and you're just trying to maintain it. Because there's a rhyme and a reason, there's a method to the maintenance program, all of that gets fast-tracked. Right, but that's what you're trying to do. You're trying to help your body physically adjust to your new weights, and that's why the routine is really important. And you're trying to solidify that maintenance

mindset. So who are you now that you've lost this weight, learning to trust when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat? Really, what do you need to work on, work through in order to get to that place where you can just go on and live your life at your new weight, right? Because that's the intention. In weight loss, you're losing in a way that you're going to be able to maintain and sustain. In maintenance, you're learning to be able to go off and live your life. So that's the intention here. Yeah, and you know, when you say it takes two years, you think of all those life experiences that happen in two years. You can be, you know, we talk life experiences. We talk the good ones and we talk the ones that maybe throw you off your game a little bit and how you work through them, how you

cope through those. We hear from our members over and over again that everything was going great until it wasn't. You know, I lost my job. I changed my job. I had a loss in my family. I, you know, encountered a very stressful situation, then all of a sudden they feel those old coping mechanisms coming back. They feel themselves. And I don't use the word motivated, but they feel that they just can't prioritize themselves the way they did. And those are all the things that were fast-tracking. We're going to bring awareness to that. So when it happens to you, you're like, oh, okay, I got this. I remember this is going to come up. I remember this is going to happen. I know these are the things that I used to do to cope. This is how I'm going to cope now. So we're just kind of helping

fast track that process because we know those times are going to come, whether it's one month from now, one year from now, 10 years from now. We want you to have that confidence, those tools, those skills to be able to work through that. Yeah, I love Catherine is sharing here. Yes, starting with fresh eyes was Slack the first round of maintenance. Yeah, I mean, the last thing that we wanted to do after working so hard to lose the weight is to have to work hard to maintain and sustain it, right? But sometimes that just really helps you understand the things that you actually need to do and work on, right? And when it comes to following the maintenance program,

it really is, just like in the weight loss program, figuring out what are the things that you need to work on, right? And this is where setting your intention for the program itself could be really helpful. I know in the weight loss program, we talk about having a why. Well, when the why is no longer losing the weight because of this, that, or whatever,

then what's your why for continuing to show up every day? day. And so that's a mistake that people make is they use the same why that they had in weight loss in the maintenance program. And your why is what keeps you coming back. Like, you're not going to be motivated every day. So you have to be reminded as to why you're still showing up every day. And so taking some time and thinking about that why now that you are in maintenance, listen, it is going to be, it's such an incredible conversation of maintenance. Can I just say that? It's my, these are my favorite conversations to have that nobody else is having because they make it seem like it's so simple. Lose your weight. You reach your goal. Okay, that's it. You're done. Things like learning to trust yourself, getting to understand who you are now, navigating relationships. Like you didn't just eat less and exercise more. You made some significant changes in your life, which changes who you are, the energy you're putting out. Like, you know, navigating new relationships now. Like, it's such an interesting conversation. And I was talking this morning in the weight loss program about how it works for everybody.

And then how we're going to teach people to make it individual to their needs, whether they're a menopause or just had a baby or they're a man or they're a woman or they're 90 or they're 19. Maintenance is the same, right? So you've gone, universally, we've all gone and we've lost her weight in a healthy way. Now what? And so just like in weight loss, those thoughts and feels that pop up in maintenance, that's great insight into the things that you need to work on and work through. You're going to be, if you show up for the conversation, you're going to be like, holy shit, this is cool. Like this is the conversations that we need to have, which is so great.

Two things I want to say there. So we're talking about the fresh eyes. You know, oftentimes we know our members come into maintenance and they're like, I'm not getting that thrill of seeing the scale move. I'm not working towards that lowest low anymore. So then what are you working towards? This is where that fresh eyes conversation really shines because you have to think about bigger picture.

You have to think about, you know, beyond hitting that goal weight. because that's not going to be your dopamine hit, you know, each day, each week, whatever it might be. So really focusing on what your new why is. What is your new reason for showing up here? And, you know, I just saw a comment from Bobby. So the plan is the same, but the tweaks will be different. So the tweaks will actually be the same, but the focus is different. So, you know, you're coming in, you're checking in each week.

You know, we'll be following downsizing. We'll be following the feed in the metabolism. reason like you said, Gene off the very top, your body loves routine. But what this also does is it creates a bit more headspace, a bit more brain space, a bit more capacity because you don't have to think about what to eat and when. You're not at that personalizing stage yet. You already know, we've laid it that food plan for you. You know what to eat and when.

So you're able to just open up that capacity to think about these other issues that we're talking about. Yeah. So for example, right now we're following that basic food plan, right? Because you know that routine, you can really start thinking about the other things that you need to work on and work through. Let's say downsizing. And this is what these conversations are going to be about. We're going to walk you through it each week. So what's the point of downsizing if you're not trying to lose weight? Well, remember, downsizing was less about eating less and more about the thoughts and feels that pop up. So you can have lost your weight and be at your goal weight, but you still have food waste issues, food scarcity issues. Sometimes we stop being mindful, right? Like the three reasons why you gain your weight back. is not giving your body time to adjust your weight. So that's why you really want to do another solidifying round and do the program proper, meaning following those guidelines and the tweaks each

week if you are new to maintenance. You need to give your body time to adjust to your new weight. So your hormones need to adjust around your new weight to create a new set point. The size of your heart needs to adjust to the new size of your body, right? Your body utilizes fat and it's everyday working. Now it has less fat to utilize, so you need your body time to adjust that. And people make the mistake of going right back into what they did before. And so the second reason is situational change. And this is where we have quite a few members who have been able to easily maintain their weight for years. And then all of a sudden, maybe they move. They, you know, they change jobs, you know, relationships change. They're

dealing with grief or, you know, something rocks their world. And why do they gain way back? Because it's so easy to fall back into coping mechanisms that worked for us before. Right. So this is even me, to maintain my weight easily for 30 years. You know, I go through menopause, stress with my kids, my kids' dad die, and all of a sudden my weight goes up, right? And so the third reason is just not being mindful. And this is where we need to change our, we, in the weight loss program, we are rewiring how your body's come to function and your brain has come to function. And in maintenance program, what's the word that we use, Odette? We're not rewiring. We are. Oh. Reprogramming.

Reprogramming. Reprogramming how your body's come to function and your brain. So that's your new norm, right? So, yeah, so it's great if you're going to go through, if you're new to do another round, including all the tweaks each week. But we also have members who have done that before. And they are just working on personalizing the plan,

but don't feel ready maybe to move on. I like this comment here from, oh, where are you, Deborah? Hi, all, I've been avoiding committing to all in maintenance. This is my 15th session. I guess I had a fear of letting go of the regular program. I'm at my finally and forever way, but I have sort of been maintaining for over a year. unsure about following the regular program or personalize the plan. How do you know which to start?

Okay. First of all, fucking congratulations. I love this for you. It depends, right? Debra, do you get excited at the thought of kind of working through these? tweaks again from the perspective of now maintaining and sustaining your weight, right? Like, it does. Doing the physical stuff allows you that headspace to really get into it. Like, are you still walking with fear? Can you trust when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, right? Then that might be,

that may be good for you to do that again. But you've also been maintaining your weight now for so long that you could easily just fall under the camp of personalize the plan and getting back in tune with trusting when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat. Now, if you just been, following that basic food plan because you're terrified and getting off of it and it's more than just, you know, a fear of letting go of the regular program. This is where maybe that's the route for you to take personalized the plan and really actually getting in tune, right? Checking in if you're actually hungry and then what to eat or if you could eat or you should eat, right? So kind of win-win, I would go with your gut. Like what excites you committing to doing another round in maintenance mode or

really deepening the foundation that you have, having already maintained your weight for so long and really just getting to trust that you actually know what you need to do. And so you can kind of loosen the reins a little bit, if that makes sense. Yeah. And I think this really plays back into that reprogramming conversation. So you are programmed because of your learned experiences, because of your past behaviors. And until you have new learned experiences, until you are are making decisions until you are living through these first times, that is when the reprogramming, when the unlearning and the relearning is going to happen. So the more that you, you know, can have these learned experiences, maybe it is time to personalize the plan, have those experiences,

see how it goes, start to believe. So there is this, this place of trust. You have to trust yourself, but you also have to believe in yourself that you can do that. You have to unprogram the, well, the weight's going to come back. That's my cycle. I did the before and after. So now the weight comes back on because that's all I know. You need to learn that that's not all you know. You need to learn. There is a different pattern. There is a different place. There is a different way of being. And that's going to come from experiences learning and coming through on the other side. Yeah. I love that. I love that learned experience. Here's Melanie. I've been in maintenance for years now, and I'm still working on the mental piece. The food I no longer worry about. It's funny how

your mindset shifts. When you were in the losing stage, all you cared about mostly was the food. And now in maintenance, I care less about the food and more about the mental aspect of it. And this is where you don't have to figure it out, right? Like listen to the thoughts in the fields that pop up this week, right? And let that kind of guide you and direct you. You cannot mess this up. Right? The only way you're going to mess this up is why, you know, not listening to yourself, not showing up and, you know, honoring those thoughts and fields that you have, right? I also just want to say hi to Judy here. Hi, I lost weight history and I need to help get that back. I'm not tech savvy. I also got a different phone. So I lost contact with the app. Who should I contact?

Hi, Judy, we got you. Just reach out to tech support or customer service. But Odette and I do want to just talk about for a second are, members because we have our new maintenance membership. We are no longer selling our old membership. So with the old membership, you had access to the maintenance group for as long as you need it, right? And then people were using the app in general tracking mode. And then with changes to our app last year, we turned that into our new freemium mode where it didn't give you access to the history and graphs and whatnot. So we're changing that. We're changing that. We're bringing that back. or bringing that back. So this might be, this might fall under that that short term category.

So we need the app team to switch that over. So next week, the week after, you should have access to all of your history, your weight graphs, and whatnot. So we are amending that. Yes. So a bit of a messed up. Yeah. So the program, if you're not part of the membership, you're still going to follow the actual program proper in the Facebook group because that access only opens up with the membership. But you will have much more, like you said, your data is there, your history is there, your graphs are there, you can still track. So that is still, that will be unlocked again for you.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So not going to keep peeking at the regular program and go all in in the maintenance group. Okay. So people on our membership, if you're on our membership, you do have access to both. So if you are using the app in the new membership, you can, let me go in here. So you go to the top of your app and it says fall.

So I'm right now in the weight loss program, fall, and you hit manage. You can actually switch over into the maintenance fall session or vice versa. And so I think, listen, I think that there, and you still have access to all the podcast on our new LiveLiter podcast, right? I think that there's something to be said about community, to be honest. And that's one of the things we're sort of reconsidering with our support groups is community. it'd be great to have done all of our programs and still stay connected to the community long after you've lost your weight. So I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to be part of this incredible

community that you've been a part of. And we are also expanding the conversation outside of just like what to eat and when and, you know, the conversations that are a resident guest experts like Dr. Dina and Dr. Beverly and Dr. Paul Brink, because we're going to be adding new conversations to the mix. So I think if you want to take part in any of those conversations or join those live, I don't see any reason why you can't do that. You just need to know what you're focused on. What you don't want to be doing is showing up every day in maintenance and being disappointed because the scale isn't moving. I think that's the difference, right?

Yeah, I think that's a difference. And I think when you, I agree, I think the community is amazing. Being able to listen to all the conversations is amazing. You know, it is different in maintenance. they don't you know often members are surprised that I'm checking in every day you're not checking in every day that there isn't alive every day so they that transition can feel you know a little uncomfortable at first so if they have that option to go back and forth that's a great option I think like you said don't get muddied though by what your goal is I think we've had members in the past that you know are still part of the weight loss program and they keep hearing that my scale is going down you know I'm hit my low slow. This is what I'm doing to work on my weight loss goals. And then they're like, oh, well, I'm in maintenance, but that's the conversation I'm listening to. I'm a little confused. So you want to make sure you say firmly grounded in where you are. So you're firmly grounded in the maintenance.

You know what your goals are. You know what your why is here. But if you want to dabble in those expert conversations or listen to your check in or listen to your morning live, that can still be something that's very useful for you as long as you hold on to that. at, you know, where you are exactly, where you're, you know where you're at. Here's Judy. I'm forever an Eminem member and I lost the Freeman when the app went down briefly last December. I didn't worry about getting back at it because I was just about to be ready to go it alone, miss you all. And Judy, we want you to be part of the conversation. I'm going to be really honest. That was a bit of a misstep by me. I was advised that, you know, apps usually run a certain way. But at the end of

the day, if a member has lost their weight with the living method and they're maintaining their weight, we want them to continue to be part of the community. So that's why we're rectifying that change that we made with the app for our forever maintenance members. And if you're new to the maintenance program, you're like, what? I want the forever membership. You can't have it. It's like a grandfathered thing. So they don't have access to the new app and all the content and all of that,

but they have access to the support group for as long as they need. Because this maintenance group has evolved. So originally there was no maintenance program. It was like, do another round of the weight loss session. and here's a support group. And it didn't have the structure and, you know, the people working in it like we have, you know, created this way. Because when Odette and I started, I was so resistant to a maintenance group and program. I'm like, you don't need it.

The way you're losing your weight, it changes and changes the need for maintenance. And boy, was I wrong. Through having these conversations over the last four years with Odette, we've come to realize maintenance is its own thing. Like, honest goodness, this is this, you want to be in them, you want to protect your progress. And the conversations that we have in here are super meaningful and they're different than what you can have in the weight loss program. So, so originally people just paid one price, got into the maintenance group and then they were here just as a group. We didn't actually run these structured programs. But obviously we want to honor what we offer to those members, right?

And then along with it, we had them using our Libby Method app in general tracking, which was always going to change. change, to be honest. But now that I realized, even though that was all with the intention, I think that we kind of did our members a little wrong there and that that was really working for them. And what is most important to us is that it's working for you. It's working for you. Right. And so we appreciate that you started your journey with us. We want you to finish your journey with us. And we want you to go on and live your life. And if there's a way that we can help you do that, we're going to do that. So if you are one of those members who joined us early on, and you're using the freemium, app and you can't see your history or you can't see your your graphs. That's changing. So look for

updates. We tried to get that ready before we started, but we're not there yet. The app team's working on a couple of the things, but you're going to see that happen. So listen, we're open to feedback. Everything that we do in this program is based on what we've heard from our members who've been able to maintain their weight. We've done lots of research. We've done lots of surveys and all of that. So Odette and I are really here for you. And that's what these conversations on Mondays are about. is like, all right, let's go. What's the focus this week, right? No matter where you're at in the program.

Yeah, and I wanted to say, talking about feedback and listening to our member feedback, and I always said it right off the top, that this group really is for everybody. So we might be speaking to, it might feel like we're speaking to people that are, that are brand new, just starting their maintenance journeys, we're walking them through the tweaks. We're walking through the basic food plan. But as someone who is here and personalizing the plan, maybe been here for a little while, following along or maybe you've been gone and you came back because you need support now.

This group very much is for you. The conversations we have, the posts we have outside of the food plan and tweak posts are here and can resonate with exactly where you are. So taking part of that conversation, staying engaged, taking the support that you need. You don't have to feel like, well, they're just following the 91 day program. I don't need that. I don't need to check in. You're still living your life.

We're all trying to live our lives. we're not getting out of it alive, but we're still trying to, you know, have the best life that we can. Those moments are going to come. I mean, my 2026 has been shit. And I'm still trying to come out of all of that. Now my daughter's moved to university. I'm not taking it personally. She picked the furthest one away from me, navigating that.

So, you know, you might feel like everything's good and you have it figured out. You don't need to follow the 91 day program as it's laid out for the maintenance program, but you still need support. A lot of these posts are still going to resonate. the live conversations are still going to resonate with you. So this is also the place for you, even if you are, you know, beyond that, doing that solidifying part. Yeah, or you were there like Karen, up 10 pounds from my goal weight from last year, need to refocus. That's what we want this space to be. And I love that. Bobby, hi, Bobby popped in. Us newbies need the long time members to give us their

guidance and tools. Yes. We want this to be on the place where you ask questions or get answers or, you know, you just review information or watch the lives. We want you guys to share your tips, your opinions, show up and support others. I think our little community here in the maintenance group can just be just as robust as what we got going on in the weight loss group as well, right? So please, we're all part of this. We're all trying to work towards the same common goal, which is like, let's just move on from this weight conversation, right?

Let's get to the point where we're living our life totally in tune with when do you, what, tea, and how much do you trusting that? And we can put all of our time and energy and money and, Other things. You know, that's the end of the day. Okay, we got to wrap it up because we promise that we keep this short and sweet for you each week. We're going to be back. So I'm going to be back Tuesday nights at 7 p.m.

So I'm going to do an ask me anything. I'm not going live in the weight loss group, only in the maintenance group. Odette's going to compile some of your questions, ask you if you got any for me. So I'm going to go live Tuesday evenings 7 p.m. And then Odette and I are back on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. to kind of just do our midweek check-in. So if you're looking for the lives, that's where you're going to be able to find us. Odette also has some great guests.

So, for example, she has Dr. Beverly David coming in on Thursday to talk about kind of mindset and maintenance. I want to remind you, you can put in as much as you want, take out as much as you need, show up when you can. You are never behind, right? You don't want you to feel like your maintenance journey is a full-time job. So those lives are there. The check-ins are there. you need them, but reach out and let us know because we're here for you. Odette, what do you want to say before we go?

I just want to say that, yeah, this group is for everyone. You're not behind. You don't have to have it all figured out today. You don't even have to have it all figured out this week because we're here. It's 91 days. It's a process. We say that. It's a process.

We're going to learn. I think if you're just open to the awareness and I think what's going to be really exciting for members is that awareness when they're like, oh, I notice this is happening to me. Oh, I notice that I'm doing this. Oh, I notice this is how this makes me feel. I think that awareness piece is so enlightening. And I think that's, I'm really looking forward to our members getting to that point where they're living this maintenance or living their lives through this program or through personalizing the plan. And they're noticing that awareness. I'm really excited for that. Love it. Okay. On that note, thanks, everyone. I hope you have a great

first day back. Remember, it is prep week. So, you know, we're going to give ourselves some time to ease in or ease back into this process. I hope you have a great rest of you. your day, great week if I don't see you, and we will see you tomorrow. Bye, everyone. Thanks a dad. Bye.