The Livy Method Podcast - Spill the Tea - Winter 2024: Week 12 with Julie Pickering

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

This is the live recording of the Spill the Tea session with Gina and Special Guest Julie Pickering.You can find the full video hosted at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodwinter2024Topics covered:Hello to everyone in both the Weight Loss and Maintenance groups, introducing Julie PickeringJulie shares how she has transitioned from being really hard on herself to being much more relaxed and much kinder to herself Julie recommends the mediation app Soothing Pod available for free on apple iphonesJulie discussed how did she know she was done losing weight and ready for MaintenanceGina goes through Julies timeline for her journey that started in the Spring/Summer group of 2022 There is a lot more happening in the Maintenance group with amazing guests and conversationJulie shares her history of dieting The questions and conversations that come up in the Maintenance groups Being a people pleaser. Julie shares how she has had trouble putting herself firstJulies husband lost 22 lbs just eating along with Julie through The Program Are you worried about maintaining your weight? Julie encourages you to trust yourself, you are wiser then you knowJulie shares how much she enjoys moving her body now and continuing to eat healthy foods because it makes her feel betterJulie talks about what is different about The Livy Method compared to other diets  What was Julies why? and the importance of Non-scale VictoriesGina thanks all of our guests from the Winter 2024 group for sharing their stories Reminder that you have access to all of these guest segments through the Facebook group and via the podcastsFollow 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. and move more narrative. And that's where Felix comes in. Felix is redefining weight loss for Canadians with a smarter, more personalized approach to help you crush your health goals is here. Losing weight is about more than diet and exercise. It can also be about our genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix connects you with online licensed healthcare practitioners who understand that everybody is different and can pair your healthy lifestyle

with the right support to reach your goals. Start your visit today at felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. Welcome to Spell 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. Well, here we are to spill the tea. We have the perfect guest for you today, given that we are in the last week of the program, we are focusing on maintenance. Everyone's always like, why can't I talk? Where are the people in maintenance? Well, the people who are in maintenance are over in the maintenance group. I know we are actually streaming live into the maintenance group as well today. So hello, everyone in the maintenance mindfulness group. Hello, everyone joining me today. Okay, so our guest today, Julie Pickering.

She's lost 57 pounds, though she's sitting more at 54 pounds. We're going to talk about that. When we get into our conversation, she's 68 years old. And of course, you know, I talk about that because people have this perception that weight loss gets harder as you go. And to me, age has never been an issue because there's so many other things you need to factor in when it comes to your weight loss journey. She has been married for 45 years to a great guy who also lost 22 pounds with her during the program, which is really cool. So we're going to talk to her a bit about that. But let's get into this conversation because honestly, I am so excited to have her because

to hear from somebody who's done it, they're living it, I think it makes it more real and more tangible. So let's introduce Julie Pickering. Hi. Hello. How are you gina i'm good i saw we played a little intro of you because i know there's people who are listening and didn't see it and you talked about being kind to yourself and not berating yourself is this a new concept for you do you find that did you do that well i you know i'm pretty hard on myself sometimes because, you know, being a bit of a type A personality, you know, um, I, when I did my first program, uh, if I made any little boo-boos, like if I thought, oh,

you know, I ate too much or I had the wrong thing or I had something I wasn't supposed to have, I was pretty hard on myself and thought, oh, come on, you've got to get on the program. And, you know, it's funny, it's taken a few programs, but I'm much more relaxed, and I'm much kinder to myself than I used to be. And I think that is so important for new members. Because they've been maybe down the road of dieting before, and maybe that's, you know, they've had, you know, great success, you know, losing the weight, but maybe not maintaining it, and then they get mad at themselves. But then that becomes a self perpetuating cycle. You get mad at yourself, you berate yourself, then you feel bad. So then you want something to make yourself feel better. So then you eat

something stupid, right? So yeah, yeah. Okay, so how'd you break that five programs in to lose? This is your sixth program that you're doing to maintain Julie actually wasn't in the weight loss group. You just got into it, I think last week, because you have been solidifying your weight by doing another round of the program, but in the maintenance group itself. So how did you, like, I know that's such a journey, but how did you get to that place

that you are like calm now? Well, part of it is, you know, just the, just the, it sounds crazy, but just the routines of being, you know, being part of the program, certainly being part of the online community was huge for me because I could see people supporting each other, people I don't even know. I just know their names. You know, there's some names out there that they seem like old friends to me, but I've never met them. Right. But the thing is, those people who don't even know you jump on sometimes when you're not feeling that great. You say I'm having struggles or whatever. And they and besides the actual staff who obviously comes in and supports you, these people that don't even know you come in and say, you know, I've been there. I know how you're feeling. Hang in there. It's going to be OK.

And that kind of thing, really, I found very, very helpful. And I was looking at that thinking, well, if those people who don't even know me are being kind, why am I not being kind to myself? Right? So yeah. Yeah. So I love that. Okay. Go ahead. Finish. I was gonna say so it's that and also a new practice for me, which was as of my second group, not my first group, a member had said something about a meditation app. And I thought, Oh, I'll try it never, never did that before. So I have an Apple iPhone. So I was able to get soothing pod, which is free, you know, if you have an Apple iPhone, and if they're not long, they're anywhere between nine and 12 minutes, and they're guided meditations. But honestly, I find them amazing. I am so calm after I've done one of those. And in fact,

I've actually fallen almost asleep during one of them, which is that's pretty relaxed. But I found that that really helped to calm the whole mood down too. And I never used to do that before. So this is something new as a direct result of taking the Levy program. So. You know, I love that because that is not something, I mean, we do talk about, you know, relieving stress and meditation and moving your body and the importance of that. But you know, we never talk about that. Maybe how meditation would be a great compliment to kind of like help you with all the fields, the anxiety, the stresses, all of that, that you're feeling while you're on your journey. I love that. And I find that, you know, once you if you if you try to

I try to hit it every day. So there's there are a few days sometimes that I don't get to it. But I can tell the difference if I haven't done my meditation. I'm not as I don't know, I just don't feel as as as complete as I normally do when I had when I've done the meditation when I've done it. I just think, yep, I'm ready to carry on from here. And it just makes a really big difference. And I know some people find meditation very difficult. And I will admit that when I first started doing it, you know, I could hear the clock ticking, and I heard a dog barking in the background that I'm thinking, okay, you know, and I, you know, I would, I would be aware that my leg was sort of, you know, itchy or something. But after a while, you just sort of like really listen to what's being said on the guided meditation, you really do the deep breathing. And

boy, it makes such a difference. It's unbelievable. So even that even the deep breathing is a big help, you know? Yeah. Oh, I love that. Okay, that's that's a good takeaway for people. Especially if you're feeling the feels, we talked about the messy middle. We talk about how the feels are normal to pop up. And the whole goal is to lose your weight in a way, physically healthy, mentally healthy. Yes, yes, yes. But where you're calm, where you're calm around food and you're in tune. And I love meditation being part of that. Okay, let's talk about what?

Let's talk about maintenance. So you lost your weight. How did you know you were done? Okay, so I had this goal in my mind. Okay, so in my mind, I was gonna lose, you know, 60 pounds, I had this set number in my head, I was going to go down to 140. Okay. Okay. And so you know, I did really well, I got, you know, the first program, especially I kind of melts off, you know, and then in between the programs. And this is something to, you know, keep in mind, if you're finishing the program this week, and you're worried about the in between, actually, if you just keep following the principles, I can tell you from experience

that actually, you will probably lose weight in between. Okay. My friend Sue and I did both lose weight in between the sessions. So that was really nice. And so, you know, I guess essentially. Like you were going for what was your goal, 60? You want to. Yeah, it was 60 pounds. I was sort of hovering around 147 and only kind of go like, you know, to two point two up and point two down and here and there. And it was just and I was following all the principles, you know, of course, with the odd indulgence here and there. And it was just and I was following all the principles. And, you know, of course, with the odd indulgence here and there. But I was doing all the things I was in. My sleep was good. My supplements were there. My meditation was there. And, you know, and the thing that you have to remember, too, is it's not just about the pounds. The sizes melted down. I was very happy

with the way I was looking at my clothes and how they were fitting. And, you know, I thought to myself, why am I fixated on this number? Why? What is this number? Why is this number so important? And why is this a big deal? And I thought, let me just see how we do here. So I just kept following the principles, following the principles. And I guess about halfway through maintenance, I thought to myself, well, you know what, maybe right now, this is where I am at the moment. I mean, I may still decide to do the program again in its entirety at some point and see if I can maybe just for the fun of it, try to get down. But I think for me, I'm feeling very good.

I feel healthy. I feel calm. If I go out for dinner, unlike in my first program where I almost dreaded going out for dinner because I think, oh, no, it's going to wreck my, you know, my progress here. But now I go, yeah, I'm going out there with friends. It's going to be great. I'm going to make a healthy choice. And then I'm just going to, you know, go right back on track if I, if my choice, you know, is a slightly unhealthy. So I don't worry about it anymore. I don't worry about food. I don't worry about it. I know that I can do all the prep that I need to do. And I do,

I know that I will have my meals and snacks because I prefer to eat that way. Now. It's not that I have to, I want, that's the difference. Right. And, um, so really I'm thinking to myself, you know, I'm, I'm pretty happy. So why fixate? Right. I think, I think stressing yourself about a number could actually be retarding your progress is what I'm thinking. So I still have hopes that I'm going to see it creep down again. Well, you know, we talk about this a lot in the in the maintenance group where people will first of all, trying to decide we talked about this in the weight loss group is how do you know when you were done? And it's really a feeling it's not about chasing that number. And then really, we'll get into maintenance, what happens is that they still kind

of like they're in maintenance, and then they're still happens is that they still kind of like they're in maintenance and then they're still getting on that scale, kind of hoping it will move sometimes. Right. And then they realize, what am I doing? I feel good. I'm happy. I just need to like, you know, sit where I'm at. And then we also have people who go into maintenance and then stay in maintenance for a while.

And they're like, you know what? I think I might go for another five or another 10. Like you're allowed to change your mind just because you reach your goal. You go into maintenance. Doesn't mean that you can't change your goal and go back into focusing on weight loss again. Okay. Let's talk about, um, so I just want to go through where you were at. So you did the, you did the spring summer 2022 program and you lost 20.8 pounds then you did the big break in between so that seven week break in between groups you guys think some people are nervous with the two week break you did the big seven week break in between groups and you lost like 9.8 so you lost almost

10 more pounds then you did the fall 2022 11..4, winter five pounds, spring, summer, five pounds. And then the fall of 2023. So just this last fall program up and down that 0.5 pounds. And then that's where you kind of decided I'm ready for maintenance. And then you've been doing maintenance this entire time. Yeah. And I'm going to say like, oh, maintenance. It's great.

I have to say the maintenance group is very much like the weight loss group in that it's great i have to say the maintenance group uh is very much like the weight loss group in that it's very supportive really really great bunch of people that have some good tips they have some really good things to say and um the thing about maintenance too is i've noticed that uh well i really noticed in this maintenance group that uh because sue was in the is was in maintenance before me and we have both noticed that there's a lot more stuff happening in maintenance. There's more posts, there's more experts, there's more everything. It is feeling really good. And it's just, you know, I, and I do, I check in every day. Not again, not because I have to, because I want to,

I want to see what's up. I want to see what's happening, what the, what the conversation is, you know, and I'm still in that stage where I would, I mean, I'm not in my finally in forever and don't care what's happening. And I can just go off and live my life. I'm not quite there yet. But I am in the stage where I do love checking in to see what the conversation is and what's happening, because all kinds of great stuff comes up. And certainly I, I listened to, you know, Dr. Dina, sorry, Dina, Kara Schaefer, is that right? Or Kara Dina Schaefer? Dr. Dina. I love her. I love Dr. Beverly, you know, I mean, those two in particular, I get very excited when I know that they're going to be on because I know they're going to say something very insightful. They always do.

And it just, it's a good takeaway. It resonates with me for the whole week after I've heard one of those, you know? Yeah. I love it. So you, you were nervous, though, you know, you were worried about maintaining your weight, because you've you've done you've dieted before? Oh, yes, yes. I'm the diet queen. I've done Nutrisystem. I've done Weight Watchers, I've done the grapefruit diet, you know. And, you know, of course, I was really good at losing weight, I could lose it every single time, but the maintaining not. So that did worry me when

I first went in, because I was thinking, okay, I hope this is going to work for me, because, you know, I have not been successful in the past. But actually, having said that, I was a little worried, I was also feeling pretty confident, because I think I have the tools, the tools have been really well laid out all through the programs. And I felt that and then of course, the maintenance, you know, group is also an incredibly great tool, because it does keep you on track and make you, you know, make you accountable, really, you know. And I love your phrase, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Because as you say, you can't really gain 20 pounds without noticing you're really good at noticing, right? Yeah right yeah yeah you and it's that

sense of awareness you know we've been having the conversations i know you've been listening and you're a guest on our way in wednesday conversations this is where we have people join us and we talk about the variety of different things are you surprised by the maintenance conversation um a little bit because i i know that there's people in maintenance that are there's we're still a little bit stressed the last couple of weeks. And I think, you know, part of it is could be just, you know, like holiday stress or whatever, or just different things. But I'm a little surprised that people are as stressed as sometimes they seem to be. But then on the other hand, again, they're in maintenance,

but some of them are also still losing, they join maintenance, but they're also still in a weight loss group. So they're not quite at their goal yet. And they're not solidifying. So maybe they're still a little concerned about and they just wanted to see what was happening in maintenance. So they joined both, you know, which, which is also a very good idea, because you can see what's coming down the pipe, right? So yeah. Are you able to see the contrast? Like this is where we used to say, so when I just ran the weight loss groups, I would like take a new group. I would take a group of people through. And then at the end, then the new people would come in and it's like the, like the old people would be like, what,

like what they don't like, they don't know anything. Like what were these questions that they're asking? And I was like, yo, you guys were the new people like three months ago. I said, like, you need to appreciate like how far you've come. Right. And everyone coming in. That's what I love about our community. It just kind of like lifts everybody up. We all want people to be successful.

But are you sort of able to reflect back and be like oh man that's like can you see how far you've come yeah it's very different in some ways because yeah there when you're when you're in the weight loss group yes there are lots and lots of questions that you you already know the answer to anyone that's done like one or two programs they know the answers to all those questions and sometimes yeah I find it very sweet that a lot of times the members will jump in and say the answer before the staff even gets a chance to say anything because they know the answers, you know, which is very sweet. Right. And you promote a very positive atmosphere in both groups. No negativity, which I love because there's lots of negativity on the Internet.

So, you know, people are are answering, but in a kind and very supportive way. And that makes all the difference to the newbies, I think. But yeah, but maintenance people are more are more, you know, they've been through at least a few programs. So they're a little bit not asking some of the really early questions they're asking more. I find they're asking more questions about, I guess, lifestyle or asking questions about deeper things, like deeper topics, that type of thing. It's a bit of a deeper experience. And that's the other thing. When you go through the first program, you're so concerned about the food and getting it all right. And in as you go through, you're actually realizing that there's a lot more to deal

with than just the food. It's all those feelings from the past. Because I mean, one of the things I had to deal with was, I think I said this on the last thing I was on, I'm a sort of a serial people pleaser. I have grown up that way of I always want people to be happy. So I tend to sort of bend over backwards, run a run around making people happy. And sometimes I'm not happy, but I'm making other people happy. And it's been hard for me, like that was really hard for me. And I had to really think about that in the second and third program. Why am I having so much trouble putting myself first and saying, no, I need to take the time to do my movement. No, I need to take the time to prepare my meals, you know, this kind of thing. And suddenly it was almost like an aha thing where you think, yeah, I am perfectly worth taking the time to do that. And I'm sorry,

but you're just going to have to wait a little bit till I get my stuff done. And then I can work with whatever I need to work with to help you. Right. So yeah, that came hard for me. That was the thing I had to work through like crazy. But that was more in my second and third go through. Right. So well, I think that's I think that's important that you mentioned it because I, I say a lot of times it's the hardest thing for some people is just to prioritize themselves, to show up for themselves. I feel really hard for moms because moms are so used to putting their kids first every single time and their husband. And, you know, sometimes, sometimes that, you know, a kid can wait five minutes while you prepare a salad. You can talk

to them while you're doing it here, nibbleble on a cucumber while mommy's making her salad, you know, or whatever. But the thing is, I know, I know. I'm saying that. I don't even have kids. So what am I, what do I know? But, you know, the thing is, basically, I think you have to get that mindset where you have to make it a priority. If you don't prioritize yourself, nobody else is going to, let me tell you.

They are not going to prioritize you. So you have to do it, you know? In case nobody's told you, weight loss goes beyond the old, just eat less and move more narrative. And that's where Felix comes in. Felix is redefining weight loss for Canadians with a smarter, more personalized approach to help you crush your health goals is here. Losing weight is about more than diet and exercise.

It can also be about our genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix connects you with online licensed healthcare practitioners who understand that everybody is different and can pair your healthy lifestyle with the right support to reach your goals. Start your visit today at Felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. So speaking of husbands, your husband, it says here, he lost 22 pounds just eating what you ate while you followed the program. Yeah, that was the first program. I was kind of laughing. Well, actually, between the first and second program, he lost the 22 pounds. I think he lost about 12 the first program. And then there was the break and he lost a couple more.

Then he lost more in the second program. It wasn't that he was actually like he wasn't doing the videos or any of that stuff. But of course, he was having fruit snack when I had fruit snack and he was having nut snack because he said, oh, what are you having? Not the awesome nuts, you know. And then so he just was following the program without even realizing he was following it. And he was quite surprised how much he had lost, which was nice. So yeah, yeah. I bet you there's a lot of family people that do that, that they follow along with whatever their their person's doing, right. So that's a nice

little side benefit. We hear that so often, I want to, I want to just read out this comment, and they're talking about their worry. I can lose weight, but never been able to maintain a loss, but then there has never been a maintenance group available to me. And yeah, I think like we've been running the maintenance group for two years now, and we've come to realize the value in it and the importance in it. And you know, when Julie talks about these deep conversations that we're having, nobody else is having those conversations, especially when it comes to not just weight loss, but maintenance, it's so much more than what you think. And I don't want

to make it seem like it's like big, arduous thing you have to do. But we definitely want to take the steps, solidifying your weight, maintaining your weight real serious, and make sure you really are at a place where you know, you feel confident, you feel ready to just kind of move on live your life live in the living way of course but can you kind of speak to this julie like because what what what can you say to people who are worried about this already they haven't even reached their goal yet but in that sense i do love that they're worried about maintenance because that means they know they're going to get there but so many people have lost the weight and then they gain it all back so many times that fear is very real. So what would you say to those people?

I guess I would say trust yourself. You know, you're wiser than you know. And you've been following the program and following the principles of the program all this time through however many programs you've done. Even if you've only done one program, you know, it should be fairly ingrained. But if you've done multiple programs, you really know what you're doing when it comes to the food, the prep, you know that you're going to have to take some time to say shop for the right ingredients, chop the right amount of vegetables, you know, all the things you need to do. But not just that, you know that you're going to want to take time, because you've really gotten to enjoy the movement.

I think by the time you get to maintenance, even people like me that hate the gym. I mean, I have loved moving more and I can't believe I'm saying that. I even did the squat challenge for heaven's sakes. OK, I hate squats. I'm going to just say it right now. I hate squats, but I did it because it was a challenge. OK, now I'm not going to guarantee that I'm going to do squats for the rest of my life, but I am walking. I do two kinds of dance. I do yoga and I do the stretches.

And I think that's really good for me who doesn't never liked exercise before at all. But I like doing it now. I want to do it. OK, that's the difference. And it's like I want to eat the Libby way because that's where I'm most comfortable. And I think people need to realize that when you go on maintenance, it's not like anything like some magical thing changes, you're still going to prefer to eat that lovely clean way that you've been eating because you're

going to feel better. And you're if you've got that mind body connection going. I mean, I can tell you that, you know, for Easter, yeah, I made a chocolate cake for my goddaughter's birthday. It was a very good chocolate cake. I had a small piece. I gave the rest of the cake to them to take home. Yay. But I mean, the next day I thought, yeah, I can feel that chocolate cake. I sort of knew that I had had something because I got a sugar rush right after I had it.

Oh, OK. I'm not used to that much sugar. You can really notice when you eat differently the way you normally eat. And you want to go back on track because that's how you feel normal again and I think so the reason why people they just go back after diets is you literally starved yourself deprive yourself you're so hungry and you haven't worked through anything haven't made new connections you're not actually feeling better you may have lost weight but you're not feeling. And then when you lose your weight in a way that you do with the Libby method, you actually you quite enjoy feeling really good. There's another comment here. My husband followed

with me my first round and lost more than me. He's not participating fully this round, but we do eat way better now. And I bet you feel much better and you have a better connection with each other because you have a better connection with yourself and you're more in tune and all of that. And it's funny because I think we might have pasta. And usually I don't even have the pasta. Usually we have it once a month or something like that. And often, you know, if it's, if it's something like spaghetti and meatballs, I'll do the old, he has the pasta. I have the, you know, zucchini noodles or something like that, which I actually prefer quite frankly. And I was worried when I went to Italy last year, because I thought, Oh my God, there's going to be pasta. I think I eat pasta twice the whole time I was in Italy because there's so much great seafood and all kinds of wonderful food there, not just pasta.

Right. So I think you've got to trust yourself that you're going to feel the same way because you are. You're going to prefer the way that you've been eating. And I know I've heard other people say that their taste buds and certainly mine have changed. I can't believe how much I love salad now, which I was sort of iffy about before. Tomatoes taste so sweet to me, those cherry tomatoes, I can't believe it. And I find salty foods now like chips and stuff. Yeah, I mean, if I don't party, I might have one or two chips, I can't eat any more than that, because they're too salty. It makes it makes my mouth go all weird inside, you know, so I just don't eat that stuff anymore. But you have to trust that it's going to be OK, that you're going to feel this way, you know. And I love that you're sharing that because, yeah, people can't imagine.

Some people I know right now they're listening. They're like, I can't even imagine that. It takes work to get to that place. Yeah, it does. And the other thing, too, is, OK, I'm going to admit that years ago I was a big mini egg person. I love those mini eggs, right? But I mean, again, chocolate doesn't taste the same to me. I'm sort of disappointed in a way because it doesn't taste the same to me as it used to. It doesn't have the same effect. So, um, you know, this year I didn't actually have any mini eggs the last year I did.

Um, and they just didn't taste the same to me at all. And I don't know, this year I didn't actually have any mini eggs. The last year I did. And they just didn't taste the same to me at all. And I don't know, because I'm not buying them, I'm not going down the aisles where that stuff is. So I don't have to look at it or think about it. So, you know, you know, the old story where they say in the grocery store, you should be doing all the outside aisles because there's the produce over here, the dairy over there, the meat and fish there. And what you're going to sort of be really careful of is those middle aisles, because that's where all the trouble lurks, right? So yeah, I'm very much an edge of the grocery store shopper, you know? Yeah. I want to share another comment here. This program is unique, because it only gets easier over time. I mean, in many ways, it's hard as you start to work through your feels. But essentially, yes, because you get used to the routine and your body wants to wake on just as

much as you do. Maintenance is possible because you're not fighting against your body or ignoring it or staving off hunger. Yeah, right. Hunger, hunger pains, you're embracing your body by the constant connection, it feels so good to continue eating such healthy habits. How how has what has changed for you since doing the Libby method? Like what's different you've you've you've lost before? What's what's what's different this time? Well, what I find with the Libby method is I love the fact that you're eating regularly during the day and you're eating good food in good amounts, okay, that you know that you you can eat so much, you know, you get the feeling of, that's enough for me, I know that's going to be enough. And if it's if you if you put a bit too much on your plate, you're quite happy to just leave what's

there. Okay, that's, that's the one thing. But I think in former diets, and in former ways of doing things, they had you on such a restricted calorie count, that you actually were really hungry all the time. And I can honestly say, I was not ever hungry on the Libby method, never. And I, it was a very bad habit on my part too, that, um, I would often let long periods of time go by during the day. Cause I got busier involved in something and I just wouldn't eat. And, you know, and then I go to, Oh my God, now I'm starving. And then I eat way too much. And then I feel like crap afterwards. Right. So that is, that is not the case anymore, but that was pre-living, you know, these long

periods of time. So I love the fact that it's regular meals and snacks and that you keep that blood sugar like nice and even, you know, wait, what's happened? What was your why when you started? What's your why now? Has it changed? Did it change? Is it the same? and I looked at one of the videos and thought, oh my God, do I really look like that? I mean, it was, I mean, I was a little shocked because unlike a lot of dieters, I don't have in my mind this feeling, this, this image of myself as being big. I always had the image of myself the way I used to be like where I was when I was married. Right. So I, I somehow when I got bigger,

I never really thought I was that big. I just, I had this mental image that I was still small. So when I actually saw that video, it was a huge shock and a huge wake up call. And I thought, Oh, my God, I've got it. I've got to do something about this. That was my why. Also, my blood sugars were creeping up on my doctor and my blood pressure was high. And my doctor said, You know, I'm not going to tell you to lose weight, he said, but here's the thing. If you went for a walk every day, that would be good thing and I thought okay he's really telling me to lose weight but okay he's doing it a ninth way anyway um I was very worried about that because he did say if your sugars go up you know you could be pre-diabetic soon and I thought oh no there's no way I'm not going to be diabetic I'm not doing that right so that was the other thing so two things the photo

and the medical thing and I thought no I I'm going to get a handle on this. So now, yes, my sugars are great. And I'm really comfortable in my clothing. And here's a nice little benefit to when Christmas was over, I didn't have that I actually remembered thinking, Oh, I don't have to go on a diet after Christmas. Isn't this a great feeling, right? My clothes fit, no problem, right? And that is wonderful. It truly is. But can I tell you the other thing too, that was a really sweet thing that was an NSV. And we don't talk enough about NSVs because they're so huge compared to just a poundage. NSVs are huge.

Okay, so I have this necklace. So it was my great grandmother's. It's silver and amethyst. It's very pretty. And when I was big, like when I was pre-levy, I couldn't actually get it around my neck. Now I never realized you've gained weight in your neck. That was, I didn't think that was a thing, but apparently it is. I couldn't wear that necklace. And it kind of grieved me because I love that necklace. And guess what? It fits. And whenever I wear that necklace now, I feel like I've got my family with me, my great, I mean, I knew my great grandmother quite well quite well so you know I she lived in Britain but we went over a lot so I did see her and so it is such a thrill for me to be able to wear this necklace now and I don't ever want to get to the stage where I can't wear it again you know

so oh I don't know I love I think the NSBs are important I think people need to really celebrate them yeah non-scale victories in case there's anyone listening who doesn't know what we're talking about, we focus on that a lot. In fact, Dr. Dina was talking about that today. Yeah. We all want that scale to move, but those non-scale victories can really not only show you what you are doing beyond the scale, but they can also be very motivating. Julia, we got to go. Final words to all of our members who are listening today. Well, I'm going to say for the ones that are not in maintenance yet, you're going to love it when you get here. Same great community. We're all going to be welcoming you when you come. It's

going to be really supportive for you here, just like it has been in the groups. And I just want to say, you know, don't stress, be kind to yourself, you know, be as calm as you can, because that's going to help you to do everything you need to do. And whatever you need to do to be calm, whether it's a, you know, have some salt bath, the walk in the woods, time with your friends, maybe or meditation, whatever works for you, do whatever you have to do to get to that kind of calm because it's a great feeling. I can tell you. Oh my goodness. Well, this has been a wonderful conversation, Julie. Thank you so much. I know I'll see you again. Cause we'll be joining us for another way in Wednesday. I am sure. Um, I think it's so important. Like I said, I was looking forward to this conversation to first of all, to hear from real people on very real journeys. And we're always so focused on weight loss, weight loss, weight loss, weight loss. And I know we're having these deep conversations over in maintenance, but I think it's good sometimes for them to cross over and people who are in weight loss, get a taste of, you

know, the conversations that we're having over there from someone who's over there, who's living it. So thank you so much. I appreciate you joining me today. Well, thank you. And I have to say may i just say what a great thrill it is for me too because gina i've been watching you now for a couple of years and to actually talk to you is wonderful so thank you for that opportunity stop you are

so kind thank you thank you so much thank you oh my gosh stop um you know here's the thing okay so people do tend to thank me at this point in the program. And I just want to be really real with you. All I'm doing with you is sharing everything that I've learned. I remind you of like, you know, things I've learned over pretty much my entire life, but I, I love talking weight loss and I love having these conversations with our guests. And if you've made change in your life with this program, it's because you've done the work at the end of the day. And I just want to take a minute, given the fact that it's our last spill the tea of our winter program. Um, I swear I'm not procrastinating and I won't keep this. I won't go on and on, but I do want to take a minute and share all of our guests, um, who have

joined us for our spill the tea segments. It's not easy to sit up here and share your very personal and somewhat profound, you know, stories of, you know, your weight loss journey. We've cried, we have laughed, we've had some super meaningful conversations and people like Julie and all of the guests we've had on over the last few weeks, they help build the foundation of the community. They, they open up the floor to have conversations. They, they provide the opportunity to connect with other people and, and to have this experience resonate in ways that like make it really real. And I can sit up here all day and talk about this or talk about that, or tell you this and tell you that. But when you hear it from real people on very real journeys, I just think it's just, it's, it just makes it real to you. And if you can

believe it, you can do it. Um, so I just want to give a massive shout out to Julie and the rest of our guests from all of our spill the tea segments. And if I may also all of our Libby loser spotlights and all of you, I hope that you take time to visit the Celebrate and Inspire post and take time to celebrate yourself. And before I go, I want to remind you that all of these segments are all available in the group. So you will still have access to the Facebook support group in between groups and ongoing. So you can pop back in at any time and watch any of these segments. You can also download and listen to them by way of our podcast, Way Imagina, available on all podcast platforms.

Thank you for joining me. I will see you for the next Build It To You over in our spring group. Thanks, everyone. New year, new me. season is here and honestly we're already over it enter felix the health care company helping canadians take a different approach to weight loss this year weight loss is more than just diet and exercise it can be about tackling genetics hormones metabolism felix gets it they connect you with licensed healthcare practitioners online who'll create a personalized treatment plan that pairs your healthy lifestyle with a little help and a little extra support. Start your visit today at felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X.ca.