The Livy Method Podcast - Spill the Tea - Fall 2025: Week 12 with Kim Spink

Episode Date: December 2, 2025

In this episode of Spill the Tea, Gina reconnects with Kim Spink, who’s down 43 pounds and is now living in maintenance. Kim reflects on what it really took to lose the weight and why she kept going through five full rounds of The Program. She shares the surprising moment she knew she was finally ready to shift into maintenance, how her approach to movement evolved through menopause, and why giving up cardio felt like gaining something bigger. From running vests to weight training, Kim opens up about finding trust in her body, peace with food, and a mindset that feels sustainable for the long haul.You can find the full video hosted at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodfall2025To learn more about the Livy Method, visit www.livymethod.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Gina Livy, and welcome to the Livy Method podcast. This is where you'll have access to all of the live streams for my 91-day weight loss program. With a combination of daily lives, guest expert interviews, and member stories, there is something new almost every day. Miss the morning live? Want to re-listen to one of our amazing guest experts? Well, this is the place. This podcast is hosted on ACAST, but it's available on all podcast platforms, including the one you're listening to right now, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music.

I'm living a really happy relationship with my body. My confidence is through the roof. Every day on this program, I learn something new. I have the tools now. I never had them before. The last time I had a chance to speak with my guest today, Kim, she was working on her weight loss goals and her goal was to fit into her running vest. I wonder how she's doing. Now she is 52. She is down 43 pounds at the living method. And spoiler

alert, she's in maintenance, though she does have a story to tell about her maintenance journey. So let's hurry up and bring her back. Hello. Hello. So happy to be back. Thank you. asking me to come back. Well, y'all, I was like asking Kim, how she's doing behind the scene. She was like, cool as a cucumber. She's like, well, last time we chatted, you said, you know, make sure you come back. So I'm back. Hi. Hi. Hi, everybody. Happy to be back. Really, really happy to be back. How's it going? And did you fit into your vest? Are you fitting into a running

I got it right here. I brought it this time. Yes. I actually, it's funny here. I'm sorry for the people on the podcast that don't get to see this, but I was actually able to fit into this fast after the second program. Wow. Okay. So and look, room spare. That's a nice best. Yeah. Nice best. So I, yeah, this, like I didn't have a number per se. When I first started, my goal was to get into this best because it's a very tight fitting, form fitting best. And I wasn't even able to put it around my hips at that point. And how's the running going these days? I actually haven't been running.

No? And I'm completely okay with it because that part of my life served its purpose. And then when I hit menopause, which I've been in for like, well, I guess I'm post-menopause. Now, isn't menopause one day? Isn't that how Dr. Alinka describes it? It's one day, right? Yeah, so very menopause is the time leading up. And then once you go one year without your cycle,

technically menopause is one day and now you're postmenopause. I am two years post menopause. So I, just with everything that I've learned and the type of relationship that I now have with food and exercise, I decided that I would shift my focus more to weight. training because of menopause. So my focus is now weight training three days a week. I walk the dog every day. Some days when I'm feeling a little bit

more lively, I'll do like more of a power walk. And perhaps on a day when the weather's really lovely or I don't know, it just inspires me to put my running shoes on and go, I'll go. But it's not, like I'm not rigid with it like I was. Back in the day, it was like run three times a week, boot camp three times a week.

So I'm just. It's more of a, I don't know, something I do for fun now. And you feel the difference because so many of us were cardio queens, right? We were raising a career of cardio, cardio, cardio, cardio, we're afraid to give that out. We feel like if we stop running, we stop jumping, we stop doing all the cardio, we're just going to gain a bunch of weight back, and that's not the case. Yeah, exactly. And I'm walking, and I'm actually incorporated more yoga into my routine, my daily movement,

just because, you know, when I do weight training, I get sore. So on my rest days, or recovery days, which I was afraid to have in the past, I'll do some yoga, some easy stretches. Sometimes I'll just take the dog for a walk and that's it. You know, I'm at peace with that. I have a different kind of relationship with exercise now. For me, it's a healthier one, a healthier one. Yeah, I love that.

Let's talk about where you're at. So you're in maintenance because we are coming, you know, we're the last week of our fall program. And, first of all, how did you know you were ready for maintenance? Well, like, it took, when I met with you last June, I was at my lowest low. And then I decided to do two more programs in the weight loss group after that. Because I don't know, I just wasn't really quite ready to take the training wheels off yet. I didn't feel the confidence.

So the fourth program and the fifth program, I started to notice a pattern of just this, it wasn't obviously a plateau flat line, but like a three to five pounds up and down, in and out, all over the place. And that kind of went over the last two programs. And when I became comfortable with that process, when I became comfortable with the number I was seeing on the scale, and ultimately I think it was more of feeling, more trusting myself. It's not like the noise, I called them chattering monkeys last time I met with you,

the little, they're still there, but I'm able to kind of step back and let them have their say and go, yeah, no, I'm good, I'm okay. I trust that I'm ready for this. It was just honestly, it was this inner knowledge, whether you call it intuition, a feeling, a gut instinct, whatever it was. It was just this inner knowledge that I felt that, yeah, no, I've done two programs. My body's staying at this, in this little, you know, area. I'm feeling good about my choices.

I'm trusting myself some more. And at that point, I was like, yeah, I think this is my time to go. And that after the fifth program, that's when I switched to maintenance. And how has maintenance been for you? It was a bit of a rocky start. I'm not going to know why. It was, yeah. Because I think I was so, because I did five programs in the weight loss,

I'd gotten into a groove, a comfortable routine. And so when I switched to maintenance, it was a little bit jarring in the sense that the routine was different. And I know that change doesn't come in comfort. I know that. I'm aware of that. I'm writing that down. Change doesn't come in comfort. You don't find change in that comfortable space.

So I don't know. Maybe it threw me for a loop. It jarred me a bit. Maybe because I've always been one to avoid, I'm an avoider. Like when it comes to anything that challenges me, I'm getting better, but I'm an avoider. think maybe part of me just instinctually started to avoid. So I didn't. And the app, I was 100% app focused in the weight loss program. Everything you need is on the app. So I'd watched your check-in every day on the app. I'd, you know, track everything on the app. Any announcements

were on the app. I didn't, you know, oftentimes didn't even go to Facebook other than maybe to watch the lives. It would, you know, shuffle me over there. But all of a sudden, I'm having to go to Facebook and I'm having to introduce this new routine. And I don't know, maybe I was a bit resistant. I didn't watch Odette's daily check-ins. I didn't go to Facebook. I didn't read anything. And so as a result, I became kind of complacent and start getting, yeah, I was, I, it's just old habits started to creep back in. And then I went, whoa, whoa, time out, time out. Got to take a step back because not only were old habits creeping in, but the scale was starting to go up. So I heard your voice in my head go, hey, check yourself before you wreck yourself. So I had to

take a step back and ask myself, what do I need to do differently? Because the way I'm approaching maintenance right now isn't working. Well, my second program that I'm just finishing now has been completely different because I've been 100% committed to it. I saw, I was reading your bio where you were talking about like it took you two years to lose your weight, but you have 21 years of like stuffed old habits to work through and not really resonated with me, you know, not just when it comes to losing weight, but, you know, being able to maintain and sustain your weight. And we talked about this this morning.

I don't know if you have access to the conversations with, that we had with. Dr. Linka and Dr. Dina and Dr. Oh, yes, I did. I did. I watched that year. What do you call it? Your bod squad? Yes.

Yeah, I saw that this morning. It was brilliant. Yeah. And this is like your brain. Dr. Linkus said something about like 85% of your thoughts are just the same thoughts over and over. And it's like, those thoughts are 95% of the thoughts that make up your daily thoughts.

And I was just like, whoa. Yeah. So like we really have this mental model moving forward. And we spend, you know, two years is all. a long time to work towards changing the way you think, which then changes the way you feel, which then changes the way you act. But two years up against 21 years, it's really nothing. Not a long time. It's a drop in the bucket. And I think I'll take a page out of Dr. Beverly's book. And I have a little, like she has the three Cs, the capture cancel correct, but I also have my own

three Cs that I used at the end of the first maintenance program to get me back on track. So I have C for curious. So I became curious. Why didn't this work? What did work? What didn't work? So I looked back at the first 91 days and thought, okay, what did I do that helped me? What did I do that didn't support me to achieve my, you know, goals of keeping the weight off? and then I made that list and at that point honestly the list of things that worked was about you know one line and the list of things that didn't work was like the whole page so I thought

okay brilliant at least I know now what not to do so now I can put that aside and then I decided to do my second C was to get committed so I had my list of things I was going to do and then And then my third C was just be consistent. So in the next program, I just did those things that I knew that worked. I just did them over and over again. And for me, the thing that worked in the weight loss program was staying committed, staying active, staying consistent, checking in every day, watching your checking videos, watching the lives. If I didn't watch them live, I'd listen to them when I walked the dog. I listened to them while I was cooking dinner.

I just, I kept up with the posts. I would check in every day, even if it was just to say hi to everybody. I just, because for me, it kept my brain in that, that mind, the weight loss mindset, it fed that to be active and have it in, in the forefront of my mind. That's, that's just, I figured out how mind brain works. And so in maintenance, then I decided this time around, we're going to go on Facebook, I'm watching Odette every day. I'm going to watch your Monday, Wednesday lives.

I'm going to interact with all the members. It just, and it just clicked again. And thankfully, like some of the lives that you and Odette did were like answered some questions that I was struggling with, and I found them in your conversations on the lines. And so I was like, oh, this is what I was missing out on. But obviously I wasn't ready. yes and that's okay yeah like i i think i think that's like i was um thinking you know initially

like oh maybe i really screwed up maybe i shouldn't have gone into the maintenance program and it's like no no it's okay it's okay to screw up failing isn't what you do on your feeling doesn't make you a failure failure is what you do on your way to success and i actually really even hate that word failure because to me everything that we do is a a stepping stone. I take it as a stepping stone as an opportunity to learn. It was, it was just as valuable for me to say, hey, here's what didn't work as it was to say, hey, here's what worked. They're both equally valuable. So I just got that out of the way of the first program, and now here I am. How would you, I want to ask you about your weight loss journey, because I know there's a lot of

people in the weight loss program now. They want to, they want to be successful. They're nervous about the upcoming break in between programs, but how would you just, how is maintenance, how does it feel to be in maintenance? How, if you describe that for people, so you're in maintenance now, maintenance is what? Maintenance for me is being intentional and being mindful. And it's, it's about, like, that's how I lost the weight. I had to change my mindset. I had to dive right into your program.

I'm the A-type, right? I read all the things. I follow all the, what you say do this. I do that. You tell me, listen to this, I'll do that. So I just, that's how I function. And so for me, being intentional with the choices I was making, made the scale go down because that was my goal and being mindful about my sleep

my movement you know my my my what I ate my stress all of that was encompassing right and so now here I am in in maintenance I lost the weight doing that that's how I'm going to keep the weight off only my focus now isn't on moving the numbers on the scale to go down it's about changing my mindset so that I can do everything in my everyday life to keep the weight off. And I think that's maybe was the hardest thing for me at the beginning was I was really struggling and it was in one of the lives that you and Odette did where she said that all this time we've always been used to losing the weight and then getting gaining it back. Losing the weight and gaining it back.

I've been on my maintenance journey essentially for like 18 months. Even though I've been in the weight, you know, the maintenance program for two programs, those last two weight loss programs was honestly my beginning of my journey into maintenance. I've kept the weight off since last summer. Yeah. I've never done that before. Yeah. Never. So it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, this, this concept is foreign to me. And so I have to be mindful and intentional or else I'm just going to fall back into those old habits. And that blue vest ain't going to fit anymore.

Well, you know, whether you're in the weight loss program and doing that for as long as you need to solidify your weight and maintenance or learning what you need to learn or going into the maintenance program, it's all about it being intentional. about learning what you need to learn, work through what you need to work through in order to be able to maintain and sustain your weight. Have a question here from Leslie. If Kim had to do it over again, would she still wait to do maintenance when she did or do it when she was at her lowest low and didn't trust herself? I had to do it over again. Would I wait to do maintenance when I did or do it when I was at my lowest low and didn't trust myself?

I wouldn't do anything differently, to be honest with you. I am a firm believer that everything happens the way it needs to, and I honestly think that had I done the maintenance after my third program, I'm not sure if I would have gained the knowledge and been able to absorb the same lessons and have the same growth as I did when I was ready to take the training wheels off. Honestly, it was, it was an instinctual gut thing.

And my gut was, and I have learned over the years that any time I've ignored my instincts. Same. Right? That's when life goes sideways. It does. You're like, oh, it does. You're like, damn, I should have, I knew it.

So I've, over the years, as I grow older, I've learned to trust that little voice that will, or little signs or symbols or things that just catch my attention. A lot of times, it's, it's the intuition that speaks to me. And to answer Leslie's question, my gut was telling me, nope, you're not ready. yeah it's the same intuition that told me don't give up you've gained this weight and don't let menopause be the reason that you just like oh never mind it's what's the point it's it's it's it's menopausal weight it was the same voice that told me you're ready to do this weight loss program yeah and when i listened to that voice and joined the program well i mean i i i was what you used to refer to as Lily Lurker. I started early, right? Like, I didn't want to wait until September. I started in

August. And by the time the program had started, I had lost eight pounds on my own just by following the base of food plan without any support. Yeah. Right? Like, damn, if I can do this by myself, imagine what I can do with all this support. Yes. We have so many people who end up losing weight just by using our Jumpstar Guide or our book before the even, before the live session even stars. I love hearing that yeah and so if you can do it with that imagine doing it with support and community like and knowledge and all of our guest experts the game changer the game changer it is i i just i function better in community i do that's just been it's just who i am as a person yeah i've always been drawn toward community what is surprised you most about um maintenance

how most of it for me has all been all about my mindset. Like the food doesn't even, I mean, obviously we still follow the same like weeks as the weight loss program does. You know, we still do downsizing. We still feed the metabolism. We still do all that kind of stuff. But the focus is different. And I think for me, what was coming up for me mentally really surprised me.

It really surprised me because, again, I've never kept weight off before. I would always lose weight for the wrong reasons, do it the wrong way. And then when that, like, for example, I would always, if I knew I was visiting my family, for example. It's like, okay, I'm going in August and that account backwards. Okay, I better start losing weight in April. Yeah. So at a time August comes around, I'm at a weight where I don't get the looks or the comments or, you. You know, my parents are of that age where they just, they have no filter.

They don't, you know, they don't hold back. So I didn't want to deal with that. So I would go to visit them and then I'd come home and then I'd just go back to the way I lived and then I would just gain it all back. And it was this, this cycle over and over, doing that over and over again. One way I'd do it, the count the calories. One time I did it with the intermittent fasting. One time I did it through, you know, excessively. doing cardio and it just it never it's just never ending cycle is just the longest you've been

able to maintain your weight yes yes and how how do you know it's going to be different because my mindset is different and there's a there's a there's a a plan every other weight loss program i joined you know followed didn't you lost your weight and then it's like okay see ya there's no there's no exit strategy here we have an exit strategy and and i'll use i'll use your i don't know if you still use this but the building the house yes metaphor okay so the the weight loss program for me laid a very solid foundation so i spent you know five programs laying this really solid foundation then i moved into maintenance and now i I get to design the house that I'm going to build on top of the foundation.

Right. Right? But in the old, you know, way of doing things, I, first of all, my foundation, well, it was like building a house on swamp land or it almost reminds me of the three little pig, right? The house of straw, the house of sticks and, you know, there was no, there was no foundation. But at least the maintenance program builds on that foundation. So knowing, and it's becoming more instinctual, that's what the maintenance program is teaching me, because I'm not focusing on losing weight, I'm focusing on maintaining weight, and I'm getting, I still wait myself every day, because for me, that's how I learn my patterns, and I've begun to realize that there's this window, not window, but like a range. and if I'm within that range I'm doing awesome

I'm doing awesome because I could I could say to you today oh last time I saw you I was this number but now I'm like six pounds heavier you know right like but or I could say oh my God the last time I saw you I've only gained six pounds I've only but today was four pounds

and the day before it was seven pounds and like there's being okay with that fluctuation on that range because that's life. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. That's me learning how to live my life and build this house and live in the house. I think for me, the weight loss was the foundation. The maintenance is going to be me building the house. And step number three is going to be me living in the house. Yeah. It's important to understand your body and maintenance when you've just always been in a loser mindset. I'm a losing losing losing. You have to change your mindset to be in maintenance and maintenance mindset we talk about this and at some point you have to just live your life but there is that range people get so stuck on a number when you reach that number

or trying to see your lowest low when you're in maintenance or just living your life your number is going to fluctuate based on what's going on in your life things are easy easy easy you're living your best life feeling good you're on the low end of your weight times are stressful not getting sleep you know you know whatever that is higher end and that's where you have to know yourself and understand how to support yourself. I love, I love hearing that. Let's talk about the holidays. How does this version of you do holidays versus the old version of you, the old you? Holidays. Again, with intention and being mindful. Like really, that's, that's the, the words that guide me. You know, I know what my why is. It's not to fit in that blue vets.

anymore. It's for me being proactive in doing everything that I can to live a healthy lifestyle because my mom has dealt with health challenges and the doctors have no explanation why in a matter of March April, May three months, she went from being independent, living at home with my dad, to going to the hospital, to ending up in a nursing home and a wheelchair in a span of three months. All the tests they did, there's no explanation for it. And if I, I don't know what the future holds for me, but if I know that I've done everything I can to live a healthy lifestyle, and this is the way that I've chosen to do it through movement and and managing my stress and being conscious of my sleep and being mindful and intentional

as to what I put in my body, how I feed my body. That's how I approach pretty much everything in my life, whether it be summer, you know, trips, vacations, when I go back home to visit my family, holidays. I mean, I'm not, I'm not scared. I guess I'm not scared anymore. I'm not fearful. I know that if I, like when we went home and I went home with. with my entire family. My husband and my kids went to visit my family up north in August.

And we were having a lot of barbecues. We were having a lot of, you know, my sister was having us over. One day she ordered a bunch of pizza. I was the person that brought the salad. I was the salad girl. I'm going to have the pizza. Maybe I won't have three or four slices. I'll have one, maybe two slices, but I'll have a big ass salad with it. So just having that be, you know, being mindful, being intentional in every. Every choice I make, that's how, that's how I get through the holidays. Whereas before, I was like flying blind. Well, you know, we started this conversation talking about how behind the scenes you were so calm.

Is this, is this the calm? Is this the calm when it just comes to just knowing and trusting and being like, this is, you know, this is what we're aspiring to be like. It's just how it is. I am. Yeah. Who I am. This is where I am. Yeah.

And don't get me wrong. The food, the food noise is still present. Thank you. Yeah. I, it hasn't, for me anyway, it hasn't gone away. And so at least now, I know how to deal with it. And for me, it's also about being mindful versus being mindless. That's another thing that really is in the forefront of my mind.

because if the food noise come like this past week has been crazy stressful dealing with a lot of family stuff and the food noise was like because at night when the house is quiet I'm a night owl I like spend some time by myself but that's when food noise for me gets loudest yeah and because things have been stressful have I made some some choices that haven't served me absolutely but at the same time whether it's a choice that serves my goal or or a choice that maybe doesn't serve my goal, it's still a mindful choice. Yes. I dive into that bag of Doritos or whatever it is for me, you know, in the moment. And the next morning I wake up and that's when I say, oh, God, you know, I have that food hangover.

I feel bloated. I had a shitty sleep. Whatever. It's like, okay, that's not going to be the way to deal with it. Tonight, I'll make a different choice. But I think the difference is I don't, I'm not as mean to myself. Right? Like it's a choice nonetheless, but it's a mindful choice.

Even if it isn't a choice that supports my goal, it was still mindful. Versus before like three years ago would have been to, yeah, before I started the program, I remember at night being alone and but it was mindless eating. As soon as everybody went upstairs and I could hear the last door shut, over to the cupboard I would go. It was just this reaction, this automatic thing that I did. But it was mindless. I'd be mindlessly eating.

And that's the mindlessly the thoughts. And that's a lot of that food noise is that 85% of your thoughts are over and over and over 95% of the time. And so, you know, I remember that food noise. It took a really long time for it to go away. It is now really calm. it does pop up. Yeah.

You know, every now and then it pops up, but that's like, okay, no, I don't need to, this is not working for me. So it's that mindfulness always seems like a lot of work, but that's where you're doing the work now by doing the program. That's that when I'm constantly saying, you guys probably can't stand hearing it again. It's what you are learning, right? The tools and the skills you are acquiring, the things you're working through, working on to be able to maintain and sustain your weight.

And that's that the mindfulness piece, you need that to become as automatic as the food noise has become in your life. All food noise is is your brain wired to food in a certain way that's constantly on loop rather than being, you know, rewired into a different way that's constantly on loop. Do I want to have this? Yes. No, let me enjoy it. Okay. Had it great. Whatever.

No, I actually don't really want it. But it's, it's that food noise. It's always there. If it's, if it's not the food noise, one way, it's going to be something else. Yeah. But I give it the space now. I give it space. I kind of, like, it's almost like I'm sitting back and like watching it.

Yeah. I let it jibber, jabber and say it's peace. And then I will say, thank you for sharing. You know what? Instead of having the short red cookies tonight, I think I'm going to go with my. caramel short bread flavored tea yeah but thank you i give it it's good it's from david's i'm gonna have to yeah i'm gonna have to get myself some of that yeah so i give at least now i give it the space to say what it needs to say so that it just it doesn't rent space in my head yeah i love that i can't

believe how quickly this time has gone by um what do you want to say it's our final week of the program what do you want to say to our members who are listening or listening joining us live or after the facts maybe they're feeling nervous about the gap in between groups or maybe they're getting ready for maintenance or unsure maybe this you know this is their 25th program and they got to keep going I know that's a lot and that's a loaded question but you could say one thing what would it be I would say honestly listen to that inner knowing that will essentially tell you what direction you need to go in whether it be you know step over the edge and just trust that

you're going to grow wings and learn how to fly or maybe you want to grow those wings first before you fly but only you know what works best for you because it's really easy to get sucked into reading other people's comments and going oh i've only lost like 18 pounds so-and-so lost 25, I've only lost four. I've lost nothing. I've been on a plateau for 16 weeks or whatever. Like it's really easy to, I think it's human nature to focus on the negative. But I just like, give yourself some grace.

It's like, you know, Dr. Olinca said this morning, we're always evolving, right? And so start from that place where you are. Start from the plateau, start from the four pounds, start from those 18 pounds. Maybe it's maintenance. Maybe it's another program. Maybe it's another 10 programs. Only you know what's best for you. And your inner voice, your intuition, your gut instinct, whatever you want to call it, will guide you.

And listen, listen. It will guide you. I think we just need to quiet all that other noise so that we can listen. Sure. Someone needs to drop the mic. for Kim drop the mic Kim okay you know what

you're gonna come back again and visit me this is our thing now when you are ready to live the living way and you're all living your life please come back I absolutely want to connect

and chat again thank you for coming back and thank you for oh mic drop there you go you're not your mic drop and you know it doesn't matter what stage

of your journey year and it's not an easy thing to come on and share to all of our members you gave us some really good valuable tidbits and of course everyone watching i thank you kim uh for sharing your insights right your honesty was so appreciated and needed i've not been following a few months lots of stress separation moving new apartment now it's time to stop the mindless eating and get back on track do what's best for me well there you go exactly you know right you got this

all of you just trust yourself you got this i was where you were once and did i ever think that i would be 18 months being able to maintain my weight hell no hell no but here I am here I am it's possible you just have to trust yourself trust yourself well there you have it thanks so much Kim you're welcome everybody she's so great okay I got a big smile my face my face hurts you know she's so calm right she's just so calm and casual about it and that's that calm that you know that's where we want to that's how we want to be we want to come around for I'm going to go back and chat with Kim in a hot second, but I just want to remind you that tomorrow,

Sandra Alia is going to join us. She's our food addiction expert. We're going to talk about how to navigate the holidays, how to be around friends and family and, you know, having lost weight or trying to continue to lose weight or maintain your weight, how to navigate that. And then for our final live on Thursday, Kim, the manager of this program,

and Odette, the manager of the maintenance program, that we were just talking about, is going to join me on Thursday. So we are far from done yet. Two things, a couple of things. If you have not done it yet, make sure you celebrate yourself over on the Celebrate Inspire Post and make sure you take time to fill out our survey because we do want to hear from you. We've made so many great changes from our member feedback. So if you could take time for that. Otherwise, have a lovely evening and I'll see you as well. Thank you.