The Livy Method Podcast - Spill the Tea - Winter 2024: Week 10 with Pam Woods

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

This is the live recording of the Spill the Tea session with Gina and Special Guest Pamela Woods.You can find the full video hosted at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodwinter2024Topics covered:Introducing our Spill the Tea guest - Pamela Woods.Pamela shares how she feels after losing 68 pounds with The Livy Method.Pamela's health history led her to Weight Loss by Gina.Following the program with previous medical challenges and finding improvements along the way.Understanding what's going on with the process and not worrying about it while carrying on.Learning to embrace the personal journey of weight loss takes as long as it takes.I know why I'm here.When you have a long journey, it helps to make mini-goals in each round until you get where you are going.Focus on the small accomplishments along the way no matter how long it takes.Pamela speaks about how past diets differ from her experience of The Livy Method.We are here doing this hard work together as a community.We're building the skills along the way to live a healthy life.Love yourself how you are.Pamela shares her biggest "A-ha moment" over the past year.The Livy Way: Losing weight and Gaining so much more!Pamela shares her most difficult challenges of The Program this round.Pamela talks about working hand in hand with her healthcare providers.Pamela gives us her tips for navigating the final two weeks of The Program!Final thoughts from Pamela for our members.Pamela shares her daily inspiration and appreciation for the community.Find Pamela on Instagram:@_pamwoods_      Follow our Livy Loser account on IG @LivyLosers and use #livyloserTo learn more about the Livy Method, visit www.ginalivy.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 from 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. Welcome to Spill the Tea. The community is unbelievable. The way I feel about myself, my energy, my self-confidence. The cravings are gone. I'm eating things that I haven't eaten in 27 years. Welcome to Spill of the Tea. My favorite conversations of the week, talking to very real people on very real journeys. And my guest today really doesn't need an introduction. Pam Woods, 55 years old. She has two kids, 34 and 36. She's an animal advocate.

She has three dogs, two cats. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, here in Canada. And three groups in, she has lost 68 pounds. Of course, she has an amazing story that I'm so grateful she's going to share with us today. So let's introduce Pam, get her on here and get this conversation started. hi hi everyone hi gina oh gosh i am so looking forward to our conversation conversation today you and i had an opportunity to meet at the auric living conference it was so great but i mean it was so busy we hardly had any time to chat so um you look like a completely different person do you feel like a completely different person 68 pounds down i do i do not just physically but mentally emotionally um health-wise

everything is just yeah i feel different yeah learn so much gosh I hope I don't break down during this but yeah at the center I mean I just by the way guys when you get a chance to meet Gina she's the best hugger around like she just you just don't want to let go I do love I am a hugger I I do love a good hug. Same here. So yeah, yeah, no, I feel, I mean, most people, a lot of people don't know all of the story. People know that I have lupus because I mentioned that often, but you know, the things leading up to it and everything. So yeah, I just feel so much better, so much better. Well, let's get into, well, I'm grateful for you for putting your faith in us here at the Libby Method. Let's take it back to, you were just,

you were, I mean, really scheduled for a gastric bypass. And I think starting the liquid diet that you need to go on in order to lose the weight to have the surgery. And should we start there? I know you have a whole history. And obviously, there's a big story, but let's start there. So where were you at? And how did you hear about the Libby method? So I had done. So because I have a few little heart, high blood pressure and stuff like that, I go for occasional echoes and things. So then going for my echocardiogram, they found a ascending aortic aneurysm. So when you hear aneurysm, you think it's something that's already happened. The aneurysm just means it's an enlargement. It doesn't mean that I've had like an attack or anything like that, but it really scared me. And I just sat there and I've been trying everything as most of us have over and over and over again, you know, losing weight, gaining back. We don't get into the story. We've all done it. And I just said, that's it. Like it's life or death, you know, and I need to do something. So yeah, I called, I told my doctor, my cardiologist, finally, I'm ready to talk to the bariatric surgeon. You know, he set up my appointment

and kind of was waiting for it. In the meantime, my friend, Michelle, shout out, had been, she had just signed up for the winter, this one here a year ago. So she kept saying, oh, Pam, you got to do this I said who's Gina Olivia I don't know and I did the typical google and that other person came up right and she's like no that's not the right one so um she's telling me and I said well what's what's it about you know the typical you just can't explain it in one sentence right but she just like and she had changed she was um, and just so positive about life and things like that. And I was like, okay, you know, it's okay, I'm still gonna go for the surgeon, I'm gonna let me do my appointment and see how it goes.

And then I spoke to him. And I went for my appointment with the surgeon. And he said, you know, well, you've got a couple options you can go for the surgery or you can do the preliminary diet first which is the liquid things right to prep for it and see how it goes and I said well my problem has never been overeating so I wasn't concerned about that like a lot of us I did I have discovered I've had some binge-type eating over the years, where I would hide eating in front of people and then pig out on something disgusting. Before pre-menopause, it was like KFC or Popeyes once a month. What the heck was that?

And then as I got older, I started getting the sugar cravings like my mom, but I never had it when I was younger. So just occasional binging and stuff like that. So anyway, I said, yes, I can do the liquid thing. No problem. Let's get it started. I had my next follow up thing. But he did also suggest trying.

Am I allowed to say the company? The one that we've all done, right? Told me to try Weight Watchers. Have you done Weight Watchers? Of course I have. It was the first one I tried, right? Many times. And he's like, okay, well, there's other diets out there and programs you can do.

And I said, no, I said, I can't. I'm tired. I was tired. I was just exhausted. You were done. You've done them all. I was done. Done.

Yeah. Done, whatever. And then I went out, we got together with my friends and Michelle was there and she just, while she looked slimmer, it was, again, it was just her, everything, her, her aura, her, her attitude. And I just went, okay, give me the information. She says, man, it's only 75 bucks. Money for me is always difficult. That's a whole other topic. I'm like, okay, fine. Think of all the thousands, tens of thousands of dollars I've spent on diets over the years. So I'm like, all right, I'll do it.

We'll see how it goes. And April 23rd, I believe was the first session for the spring and summer last year. And yeah, the rest is kind of a history and an ongoing thing, and I'm just super grateful for everybody, and you. See you right back. Oh, is it even a spill the tea session if we don't get emotional? So you're coming up on a year, almost 70 pounds down. I was hoping to hit that 70 by today, but it's 68.6. Now I've had, as some people know, I've had a couple of flares and things that have sidetracked me this, this particular round, but it's okay. I'm still going down. The downward trend is still there. Right. So I want to get into your journey, but let's talk about some medical issues that you deal with. So you mentioned lupus, multiple sclerosis, depression, vertigo are some of the things

that you're dealing with while obviously following the program, the process, but been successful nonetheless. Some of the improvements that you've seen since starting the program, your blood pressure decreased to within normal range, medications cut in half. Heart palpitations have disappeared. Almost completely off asthma medication. Lupus-related joint stiffness almost disappeared. I mean, that's pretty incredible. Yeah. So waking up, lupus is an autoimmune disease. For anybody who doesn't know, it's the disease of a thousand faces you never it affects everybody differently for me it was more of a joint issue um and hair loss actually I have to tell you my hair is so much better since well you can see my before picture it was like oh

my god it looked like I was 80 years old my before picture but it was short I was also trying to go through the let it grow out gray stage and that didn't work out. But, um, and I had balding issues. Like I had very, I do have fine hair. So, but it was obviously fine. So my hair is healthier, but anyway, these are things that lupus is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system over acts. Um, it goes into, it's an overdrive. So instead of like, if you get sick, your immune system kicks in to help heal you. Well, with lupus, your immune system just decides to make you sick whenever it feels like it. And it can attack different parts of the body, including any organs inside. Joints, a lot of people talk about the lupus rash, which I don't get. I do have a reaction to sun,

but I still go out in the sun. That's a whole whatever. And the joints was the big thing. Like in the mornings when I woke up, it would take me about an hour before I could start moving, like actually walking through the day. I was walking, but I was holding on to things. I couldn't get up out of my bed without holding on to the night table first and this, that, and just constantly holding on to furniture to get around. And once the day is kind of like rheumatoid arthritis is the lupus arthritis. So as I got up and moving a little bit, then, um, then it would fade. It's always there, but it would fade. Now I wake up with the exception of not wanting to get out of bed and I'm up, you know, it's like, I get up, I get up and nothing. I don't have to hold on to

anything, Gina. Yeah. Well, like I said, you look like a completely different person, you know, and no doubt you feel like a different person. I want to talk a minute because 68 pounds, almost 70 pounds is amazing. People are like, wow, that's a lot. But also if you divide that over the course of the year, I'm sure you had some trying moments. I'm sure you've had quite a few plateaus. I'm sure the conversation with Dr. Paul, reasons why your weight might be slower to move, dealing with inflammation, autoimmune issues, all of those, that must have been incredibly frustrating. How are you still here a year later, still working towards your goals? Because I understand now, right?

So I was the person that would get on a scale and if the scale went up and if it went up a couple of days in a row or stayed the same, whatever I was on, I just wanted to stop. Like, again, like most of us, right? It was like, okay, it's not working. I give up. I always felt like shit anyway, right? I felt like crap all the time. So I didn't know

what feeling good felt like. I have chronic pain, but it's, it's just a part of me. And the pain is diminished by the way, it's still there, but it's nothing, you know, I can live with it. Right. But, um, um, but yeah, because you didn't know, now i understand why my scale's gonna right i mean i get loop i get blood work done every three months so there's they check my crp levels all the time my crp levels are always high which is a inflammation trigger now depending on whether or not i've recently had some symptoms some joint issues or whatever, they can be high. I think it was the fall program. I actually blurted it out at the very beginning of the fall program. My levels had dropped to 14, which is high for normal people. But for me, normal was 45 to 50. So the drop in those levels was just, just amazing. And I was feeling great and all the other stuff,

but just the fact that again, going back to how, why am I still here? Because I understand why my skills going up. So this round I've been up and down and up and down nonstop, but I've also had a diverticulitis flare. I've had a, I had a lupus, just a flare up, nothing major. It was just a couple of days. I didn't feel good. And if I look at my graph and my chart and I'm watching the scale, it would really go up. Right. And then all of a sudden, as soon as I'm over whatever's happening, it literally goes down.

And I know I'm not gaining five pounds, like five real pounds in three days. And I know I'm not, you know what I mean? And I'm also not losing five pounds in two days. Like it's just the effect of things that are going on with my body that now, thanks to you, thanks to the Science Saturday, Dr. Paul, guest speakers and everything else like that, the community, fellow people. Now I understand why these things are happening. So it's giving me the self-motivation, you know, we're not a fan

of that word, but the self, you know, to continue. I also feel like there's a finally and forever there. This might be a while, I'm probably going to have a few more groups ahead of me. But it's okay. I'm enjoying it along the way. And I'm meeting, you know, people in here and chat some wonderful people that I talked to now. And but it's there, I can feel it for once. So not worrying about the scale goes up. i had some it doesn't make me feel good right it doesn't right but when people say they're frustrated i've been there i was frustrated round two i was frustrated when it went up this round i'm not so frustrated i'll look at it and i'll go and you know that's okay doesn't matter kind of come back down well i'm glad I asked because this was a conversation I'm sure you maybe, I'm sure

you listened to Dr. Beverly today. Yes. And, you know, we were talking about exactly that is really kind of learning to trust, right? That you found the right program. This is going to work for you. And a lot of the members in the comments were like, you know, I'm, I'm here two years later, and I'm here a year later, and I'm still working. And it was a very similar in the fact that they were like you,

like, I have learned that, you know, I'm happy with where I'm at. And I understand now, why I'm still here a year later, two years later. But how do you, that doesn't mean it's easy to embrace the fact that you say here, you think you'll need another three groups to reach your goal. So how do you, how are you embracing that? I think because it's realistic now in the past I always wanted something quick like I always wanted that fast I need to lose 80 pounds in three months right yeah I need to lose like yeah I always wanted that and I've done so many things that I can't even remember what they are and I am the one like round one I did lose eight pounds in prep week, right? Like I tend to lose quickly at the beginning and then taper off.

And I think that's why, not to say the other things would have worked if I had continued with them, but I just think that everything you provide to us here, like I'm eager to learn. I'm still learning round three. You know know the posts are the same the guests are the same there's always something new and the guest speakers though right they always bring up something new there's so many aha moments that keep me going and I forget what the question no no I was asking you how you embrace knowing oh like I remember what it was like to have a huge amount of weight to lose it's very daunting and you know it's amazing and I love the fact that

we have members who are here like yeah I'm here two two years later you bet your ass I'm here I know why I'm here I mean I know I going to reach the end. But there are so many people who have a big journey ahead of themselves. And, you know, I just really want to get across. I wish there was a way to have them feel where you are or give them a taste of that so that if they do have a long journey, it helps to give them a little bit of insights. It's, it's, you know, yeah, I know what you're saying. Yeah. I do set small goals, right? So each program I set many goals. I don't come in, I didn't come into this thing. I needed to lose. As a matter of fact, around one, I, I surpassed my goal, right? Uh, this time I may

or may not hit it. I don't know. Anything can happen. We still have, what, two and a half weeks left. And I'm embracing and learning. And it's a mental thing. Like I'm telling myself this is not going. It's hard, as we all know, to lose weight. It's not going to happen overnight. I don't know if it's my age, Gina. you know, I don't know what it is, but it's finally, I've realized that it takes, it takes work. It takes determination. Um, but looking at these little mini goals, right. Knowing I have this many programs, it's like, okay, so by the end of this one, I want to be at this particular weight. I want to wait. Isn't just the thing. I want to be completely off my blood pressure medication by the end. I I had hoped to be off it by this one, but it didn't work out. So that's fine. It's going to be on my next goal. I want to be look at its sizes. It was just nice to go into. I went to Winners and I had a gift card I've been holding onto since March, since Christmas. And I went and grabbed extra large outfits. You know, I was a 3X, 4X, 5X, and at one point in my life, 6X.

You know what I mean? So just the fact that I could get into an extra large top, I'm top heavy, bottom heavy, every heavy, but just the fact that I could get into an extra large top, I'm top heavy, bottom heavy, every heavy, but just the fact that I got into it with zero issues, you know, and I got a little one piece romper thingy and I put it on, but it's not going to fit. And it fit today. I just tried it on. I'm like, yeah, like all of it. These are the things that I'm focusing on non-scale victories, right? Like I was tracking them. I keep forgetting, but I started tracking them and then I forget and then something will happen. I'll go in and track it.

But the little things, just these are the things we need to focus on is focus on the baby steps, the accomplishments, the small accomplishments or big accomplishments along the way, no matter how long it's going to take you to get there. If you work hard, if you trust in the way, no matter how long it's going to take you to get there. If you work hard, if you trust in the process, read the Science Saturday post, listen to the lives, listen, if you can't watch the lives live, listen to the recordings. You're doing it for you.

You're no good to anybody if you're not healthy. Okay. You're not going to be there for your kids or your grandkids. If you're just going to continue to, you know, I'm going to say things that you say all the time, like, you know, if not this, then what you've tried it all. Right. So, so yeah, I'm worth it. And I'm determined to stay here no matter how long it takes. Now, I love hearing this, but is this a new way of thinking for you? Like, what is the difference between the diets you did before and the living method? And again, this isn't just like a toot toot for the living method. I want to go deep into this so that if anyone who's just like, ah, I'm not sure, I don't know. Like what,

what is the difference? Like, I love hearing you talk about you're worth it. And if you don't take care of yourself, no one else will. Is this something, is this the same, is this a new mentality for you when it comes to dieting and the living method? Or did you have the same mentality when you did all the other diets? Like the Libby method? Or did you have the same mentality when you did all the other diets? Like, what's the difference? What what makes the Libby method different than any of those other diets that you've done before? That's a good question. Because you know what, I did go into the other ones with that same mindset. But why am I still here? It is. I don't used to know me to say it's the it's the program, but it is the program. It's the community.

It's the community is a huge part of it. Just the fact that the team, the fact that we can go in there at any time and just say something and have somebody just come back and and, you know, support you. There's so many people that have been through similar things to you. They're still here too you know we've got i can name a hundred names of people that are i don't know watching those other people these spill the tea things like i watched that um special i don't want to get into that topic but i watched a special last night and the thing that upset me was them saying that we're there as a group and we're here to support you and we're here to do this i'm like no you weren't we had meetings that was're there as a group and we're here to support you and we're here to do this. I'm like, no, you weren't. We had meetings. That was it. There was no, you know, you stood up and you said something and then you may get reprimanded and told what to do right. There's none of that

here. It's a, I don't know. It's so difficult. I really have a hard time explaining what the program is to people because there's just so much. It's everything put into one. And I just know. I just feel. And it's different. I just, why is it different? It's hard to answer.

But I just know that this is, this is it. Well, I was going to ask you if you watched it. We're, of course, talking about the big Oprah. No matter how you feel about Oprah, it was a, it was a current conversation on obesity on the diet industry. And I did actually did a post in the group today after Dr. Beverly, you know, I want to hear people's thoughts on the state of the diet industry right now. Where do you think we are with it? Where do you think it's going? How do you feel about especially these weight loss drugs? So I'm going to I'm going to talk about it on the live tomorrow. But I'm I'm, as we started this conversation, I was like, shoot, I forgot to

ask her. Because I wanted to know what you thought about that. That was one of the big takeaways for me when they were talking about community. You know, there's a couple things. I'll talk about it now. One, I love me some Oprah and the conversations that she was having with her guests. We have been having those in our spill the tea conversations for years. Like the conversation that she's just starting is the conversation that we have been having. To me, it was this massive off aha moment while the rest of the world tries to figure it out. We are all here doing it. Yeah.

Group over group, day after day, week by week, month by month. This is a whole community of people who are doing it while the rest of the world is trying to figure it out. I thought the same thing about community. This is, I mean, community. That's that there, the comments they said, they said something about us being there emotionally. And I'm like, I don't recall,

I don't remember anything about emotional and community support there. Lots of us were there in the meetings, but I just don't remember the support. There's nothing like the support from everybody. Yeah, no, no, I agree. And I feel bad for, I mean, Oprah, I've always loved too. I felt, shouldn't say I feel bad for her, but I, it must be difficult as a woman with that much power, who also, think about it, she struggled with her weight her entire life. So she's just like us.

And she has tried everything, I'm sure too. And then being in the position so she's just like us and she has tried everything I'm sure too and then being in the position that she's in she has to have had every single diet company out there reach out to her to say try this try that true this you know between everybody that she's done so I feel for her in that particular sense and I understand why maybe she decided to do the Ninos I think a year ago she decided to do the needles. I think a year ago, if I knew about the, I think I would have probably tried it. You know, I'm going to be honest. I, what I have been happy. No, because it didn't fix this part, this part, right. It's not fixing everything. Losing weight is not going to make you feel better about yourself.

Well, you know, there are, I was, I was just explaining to someone the other day, it's kind of like skincare and just bear with me on this. You have people who are going to go for the facelift that might be representative of someone when it comes to weight, doing a bariatric surgery. You have people who are going for the Botox, which is just like the, the weight loss injections. And then you have people who are just into skincare and taking care of their skincare, but you can't get a facelift and not still need to do your skincare. You can't just do Botox and not care about your skincare. And I think with weight loss, it's the same. What we're doing here on The Living Method, you can have the surgery.

I've worked with all sorts of people who've had bariatric surgery. The issue is that after they're done losing the weight, they don't have the skills to maintain it because they haven't worked through the issues, associations, coping habits. Like it's like they did the surgery and the real work comes afterwards. And I think with these drugs, it's no different, right? Like you're getting a, whether you're getting a shot in your face for Botox or a shot in your butt for weight loss, you still have to keep up with the skincare. You have to still have to keep up with the choices that you're making and working through your issues and associations and all of that.

Oh, you know what you said about Oprah is like, and this is where we have to just take a step back because you can have all the money in the world. It doesn't make weight loss easier for you. It doesn't. Now, of course, I don't want to get into the cost of these medications. And of course, that's the route that she chose. But leading up to that, even she was like, where are these medications been? I would have taken them just like you, if it was available when you started, you might've taken that. And so those aside and the cost of those aside, it's not any easier for anyone to lose any more weight because they have more money. It's not easier to work through your issues and associations. Of course, if you can hire a therapist that makes it easier for you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, it doesn't fix that. Like I said, you know, I'm still

here because of the things I've been taught about myself internally and emotionally um I've always been somebody who tries to encourage self-love with other people but I wasn't always good at doing it to myself you know what I mean it's like I'm very like it's important to love like my kids everything and love yourself how you are but to look in the mirror, and these are things that I've learned that the I've improved so many things about myself, besides just the weight loss, besides even just the health, it's the internal stuff that has made such a big difference as to why I'm still here, because I know that even in the next round, I'm still going to learn something new. You know, I'm still going to, I used to get on the scale. You know how many times I used to get on the scale at night? This was my routine. I would get on the scale at night before I go to bed.

Okay. I go to the bathroom four or five times a night, just because that's me, regardless of how much water I drink. Every time I go to the bathroom through the night, just because that's me, regardless of how much water I drink. Every time I go to the bathroom through the night, I get on the scale. And I would not only what I get on the scale, but I would sit here and I would count, okay, how many pounds do I have to lose to get to that next number? I did this in round one. Okay. And I said something in the group and somebody commented, you know, when the team and I had so many members suggesting things to me, you know, and I tucked that scale away. And they said, hide it, because I couldn't do it without every time I would see it, it was just there and it was habitual.

I would get on and I'd just wait and I'd be like, but it was the fact that I was counting internally. That was really an obsessive compulsive disorder type of thing that I didn't even know I had, you know, sure. Sometimes in the middle of the night I get on it and I try to see now, but it's not a, it's just not something obsessive. That's something that I did all my life. I would get on in the morning. I would get on. Joni had mentioned how many times a day that she, I think she said she used to weigh herself 50 times a day. I wasn't that bad, but the scale was such this major thing, you know, that scale is just a tool. Like you say, it's there. I know when I've got up, I got downs, I've got detox, you know, things are happening. So it's wonderful. What's been the hardest thing? Wait, let me, no, let me ask that second.

What's been your biggest aha moment in the past year? My biggest aha moment. I'm going to have to say. I think it's the scale I I I think I focused too much on that number before even though I knew there were other benefits spending so much time focusing on that number and I know there's people that do this still to this day, even 10 weeks in, you know what I mean? Like it was a, Oh, okay. It's not just the number. Yes. I want to be lower. I don't even know what my final goal is. I haven't decided yet. Cause it's been so long since I weighed two under 200 pounds. I was like 19 was the last time I weighed under 200 pounds. Right. It's been so long. I don't know, but I'll know when I get there. Um, so I

have to say the biggest aha is it's I'm going to contradict the phrase weight loss is not just about weight loss. It's not, it's about losing weight, but gaining so much more, so much more, you know, confidence and, and, um, knowledge. And again, the Libby way, that's what it's about. Like there's nothing like this, nothing Gina. And I say this to everybody, there's absolutely nothing like it. What's the hardest thing about the program? What's the hardest thing you've had to deal with, overcome with following the program? Um, meal boredom. How's that? I like to cook. I like to do things, which is, you know, good. Um, but I will go on a leafy greens are really difficult for me, even though I know I can put them in my soup so that I could do all that.

But I think it's because I have an allergy to iceberg lettuce, if you can believe that. So when I eat any other kind of greens, I'm very careful. I'm always, I think subconsciously, I think that I'm going to react to it, which I do react to cabbage. Now I've discovered cabbage. And again, I wouldn't have known that. Had I not been feeling better right so um the difficult thing is learning um the hardest thing is yeah it's food boredom so I need to find I don't know I'm gonna go look at the recipes again I also don't

have an oven and I only have a little um hot plate to cook top but I do have a ninja foodie thing which I can boil so I can do everything in it right but um the cooking for one is is can be boring but um yeah I think it'll be better in the next program again because I did really really enjoy doing different things in the other one. I'm just one of those, the hardest thing this round is my meals in the winter. I'm a meat potatoes grew up in England, New Yorkshire pudding, gravy, you name it. Like nothing was healthy when I grew up. Like that's just how we ate. So. I want to,

I want to circle back around to all the amazing things you've accomplished with your health and what, like have you been working hand've accomplished with your health and what, like, have you been working hand in hand with your doctor? What are, have conversations been like with them? Yeah, my, um, I see my lupus specialist regularly. Me and him are super close. So, you know, when I go see him, he's just, he's Greek from Greek, from Greece, young guy. He's just absolutely blown away at everything. Because when I was diagnosed, like 14, I don't know, whatever, whenever I was diagnosed, I would go in. And I was slim when I was diagnosed. I had lost a lot of weight,

but it wasn't from eating healthy. It was because I was having gastrointestinal issues. I didn't know what was wrong with me. So I couldn't eat. I had no appetite. I would get full after two bites of food. So I was slim when I first started to see him. And then over the years, he's just seen me deteriorate with the weight gain and the lack of energy and even more flares. My flares are minimal now, you know, and I'm sure it's a combination of the medication I'm on, but I do believe it's the food that I'm eating too. It's giving me the nutrient values and I'm sure it's a combination of the medication I'm on but I do believe it's the

food that I'm eating too it's giving me the nutrient values and I'm not eating the crap I occasionally have the crap but not all the time but um he's so encouraging um every time he I walk in the door like I said he's just like man he knows what I'm doing now so I've given him he goes on and he'll look up google. He always, we always go on the, I don't even think we have doctor's appointments anymore. He, we just talk about life whenever I go visit him, but he looked up your program. I've told him, I know he does prescribe Ozempic. I am aware of that. He has mentioned it to me. Um, my physician, my GP is, he's one of those doctors that has always, I love him. He's nice, but he's just always been, you know, everything is because of my weight, right? This is because

of your weight. He's a firm believer in Ozempic, although I did go see him and I gave him all of your information. So he wrote, he put it in his, he saved it in his browser. I don't know if he's going to look, but I hope you will. So, but yeah, my doctors are very good. My cardiologist is, I got to find a new one now that I've moved. So, um, but yeah, it's always been, if you lose the weight, you'll feel better. You'll, you'll, you'll get rid of this. You'll get rid of that. And not the case, not the case. So yeah, and that's a lot. That's a lot to deal with. Right? It's a it's a lot to deal with. But here you are. And you are so inspiring. 68 pounds down three groups in still with us. So we are doing our last revamp week. And then next week, as you know, we are going to head into personalizing the

food plan. So any advice, because, you know, can you take it back to where you first heard of personalizing the plan? This is where people get nervous, even though it's literally doing all of the things. So any advice for our members when it comes to navigating the next couple of weeks of the program? Yeah, I was so scared at the end of round one. I was bagging nerves and that was a long gap too, right? It was like, that was the first time I think you introduced that bridging the gap group. And I'm like, all I kept saying was, thank God there's a thing. I don't know what I'm going to do. I was very nervous, but you know what? Once yeah, if you've been following along and doing everything, you'll be fine. You're going to realize it's not as difficult as it was. And like you said,

you're just eating the things. And, you know, I was worse over the Christmas break, but I think it was just because it was Christmas. You know, I wanted that and I wanted this and I drank, because I stopped drinking too during this without even trying I quit my wine in the summer program like I don't even I don't know what that's all about that's a whole other conversation but um it's not that difficult um as you said the I I don't think you're doing a bridge of the gap this time right no there's not enough time it's short yeah yeah we are going to be rolling next week into personalizing the plan for the last two weeks of the program. Just trust your intuitions.

You're going to know if you've been eating so good right now, like you do start craving those things. Like, even though I have a hard time with leafy greens, like once I was feeling better after my recent flare, I was craving my salad. I get addicted to Caesar salad every now and then, right? And it's just like, I wanted my salad because I couldn't touch it during the flare. I can't eat all the good stuff. So you realize how much you miss it. So if you go off track, if you have something, if you've been doing really well and you're scared that you're going to slip

up, go ahead, have it. You're probably going to, like you said, you're either going to have it. You're probably gonna, like you said, you're either gonna have it and feel okay, or you're gonna feel like shit, like whatever the case may be. But it's really not that hard. I'm almost at the stage where I open the fridge and I know what I'm gonna get like you do, right? Like I'm almost there. I'm having a hard time with my food choices right now. I'm not quite there. But yeah, you're gonna know your body craves this stuff. Just kind of, I ended up following the program more than anything. I didn't personalize it as such, and I probably should have done more personalizing it to it in round one. But if you're nervous, just continue, right? Just follow the program. Is that not correct? It's been a while. And trust that you've done a lot of work up into this point,

for sure. Pam, I enjoyed our conversation. It's flown by. I do want to give you the final word and a shout out to all to our community because you are such a big part of our community. You have a lot of fans, clearly some fans who are joining us live and no doubt we'll be listening later. So, you know, I will give you the floor. Anything that you would like to say to your fellow members? I love you all. Number one, I love you all. See, I'm going to cry. Okay. just believe in yourself uh listen to Gina she knows what she's talking about you know she's been through crap herself and um I just want to thank everybody for your continued support for me too and for cheering me on I'm just bad

I'm nobody special I just like you but I do like to share my journey. And you know what, if there is a tip, I'm going to say, if you don't have an Instagram account, go open one, just do it for living losers. Because I do it when you're tagging that and people comment on the days that you're feeling down, because trust me, I have a lot of down days. Those little comments, those likes, people don't even have to comment they give you that extra little boost and it's not that you're looking for attention or anything like that it just makes you feel better because even though you may not see the progression and that you're doing well or whatever just the fact that somebody else does I don't't know why. It just gives somebody that extra little,

it always feels good when someone tells me, tells you that you look good and you're doing good, right? Having that external, you know, boost and love and whatever just makes you feel better. So I do have to say that. Try to share your, don't be scared to share it. If you're quiet, don't worry about it. Just post pictures.

You don't have to talk. Listen to the lives. We all know, listen, I already said that before. before get involved i was very quiet in my first round can you believe that and you don't have to talk during the lives because you do there's so much important information that you'll miss if you talk too much sometimes Sometimes I'd have to go back and listen to them again. But getting involved with the community, you guys, you're all amazing people. The team, thank you so much for everything that you've done. I can't name them all because there's too many.

But Anjana, of course, you. You are, I don't want to, you are, I know you were very humble because I had the chance to meet you like you don't realize how many lives you have I don't think you realize don't don't let me don't don't make me go into the ugly cry bam I can't I can't I can't but you changed my life. And so many people out there.

That's all. You are a huge part of why I'm still here. Well, thank you. I will graciously say. You're welcome. Thank you. And, you know, having conversations, this conversation with you and all the conversations that I am so grateful to have, whether it's someone on spill the tea or, you know, meeting someone in person, you know, it's just to be able to have the opportunity to do what I love and also to know

it feels good to feel good. It feels even better to help other people feel really good. And, you know, to me, hearing what you've been able to accomplish with your health issue, the weight is one thing, but the, you know, the non-scale victories that happen, especially when it comes to health and wellness, it's just, that's amazing. You are, you are amazing and you are everything and you are all the reasons why I do what I do every day. And why I continue to show up while I got, like you said, my own shit going on in my life. We all have stuff going on in our lives.

We're all trying really hard to accomplish this one thing that unites us. And maybe we call it weight loss. But there's so many different working parts. And it's so multi-layered and goes so deep. And it's so multi-layered and goes so deep and it's so personal and profound like robin our guest last week uh talked about and um i just want to say thank you for taking the time to share it's not an easy thing to do to get up here in front of people and share your very personal journey i adore you i'm not going to cry because I know we're

going to talk again. I'm going to see you again. We're going to connect again. We're going to follow up on you and your journey over the next little bit. You are a rock star. Truly, you are a rock star. So I just pulled up your Instagram account. If I look distracted, that's what I was doing. I was pulling up Pam's Instagram account. It's underscore Pam Woods underscore. Of course, she's a big part of our community. We highlight her a lot over on our Livvy Loser page as well. You might not be aware, but we have a whole Livvy Loser page over on Instagram where it's all community generated content. So give Pam a follow. Give her a shout out today. Pam, make sure you, I know you'll check in on

the comments because so many people giving you love. Yeah, I'll be spending the night doing that. Well, I will. Can I let you listen to my morning motivational thing? You ready? Yeah. I'm choosing to focus on how grateful I am for my life. I'm choosing to focus on the fact that I'm living my best life today because I fucking woke up today and I'm still alive. Boom. I voice recorded something. And it's for something else

that I'll show you later, but I actually hit it throughout the day. And I'm like, you go, Gina. Please tell me you're making one of those crochet Gina Libby dolls with my voice in it. So that's what this is. This is my Gina doll and I'm sending it to you.

And you have a hat because your hair is not, let me get this in the camera. This is my Gina Libby doll and the, and the voice recording goes underneath. So I have to get this to you to make numerous ones of these will be extremely difficult and frustrating so this is just for you Dina this is your Dina doll and yeah I look at her every morning she's sitting beside my giant you know what that I have there and uh it's you and a penis sitting together and we're all good oh my gosh I can't joke you know me there we go hold on also I wear hats

like I am I never leave the house yes I've always always wearing a hat normally because I the back of my hair is a hot mess oh my gosh

okay we gotta go I adore you thank you for today bye fam Bye, Pam.