Building Muscle at 57 Eating 435g of Carbs: Cheryl's Story

Interviewer: Hey everyone, welcome to our WarriorBabe interview with our veteran WarriorBabe, Cheryl. Cheryl has been a WarriorBabe since February of this year, 2020, and recently joined us in the VIP in June. Cheryl's primary focus over the last four months of being a part of the VIP has been building muscle, being in the building phase, which will bring a unique twist to today's interview, and I am so freaking excited about that. In those four months you have gained 10 pounds, and you've been eating 435 grams of carbs only recently, and that's about 3,000 calories per day with all of the other macronutrients. Can I share your age?

Cheryl: Yeah.

Interviewer: You're 57 years young.

Cheryl: Going to be 58.

Interviewer: Incredible. So 50-plus babes, this will be a great listen for you. Later in this interview I'll let Cheryl elaborate on what she's experienced with gaining that weight and eating that much food. Cheryl is here today to share some pointers for you babes so that you can adopt some of her strategies, her mindset and her journey into your own journey moving forward. So welcome, Cheryl. I'm excited to have you here.

Cheryl: Thank you. Excited to be here.

Interviewer: Let's kick it off with a little background on you: how old you are, your occupation, family, how long you've been in fitness, and how fitness and nutrition have changed your life.

Cheryl: I'm 57. I work at a university in the IT department and I have two grown children. They're both older than Nikkiey. Since my 20s I've always been trying to be active. I had a NordicTrack that I was on every day for hours. I did a ton of cardio, not realizing cardio isn't necessarily what I need. Three years ago, I started Beachbody. I ate from the containers for three straight years. I lost weight, but didn't have the tone that I wanted. There was one program I wanted to do, but they kept talking about adding carbs and I was like, no, I can't do that. So I didn't do it. And then I saw Nikkiey's four starter videos, and the enthusiasm, and the fact that you can help people. I thought, okay, I'm only going to do this if I'm willing to just trust her now, believe her later. So I came in totally open-minded, and here I am.

Interviewer: Beautiful, babe. You are so well known throughout all of our communities, from the Revolution to the VIP. So let's start from the beginning of your WarriorBabe journey. You mentioned Beachbody. What were you doing before you got into WarriorBabe? What struggles were you trying to solve?

Cheryl: I was in Beachbody and I was doing the programs, and sticking with them wasn't the problem, but I didn't feel the cardio was doing anything for me. I didn't need to lose more weight. I just wanted to gain more strength and muscle. Because of my age, I have some areas that needed trimming, but I knew muscle could help me with that. And there was nobody to talk to. They have Facebook groups for accountability and friendship, but nobody was willing to reach out and say, well, maybe you need to try this. So when I saw you, and it didn't hurt that you were from West Chester, Pennsylvania. I was dying to talk to you to find out where you went to school, to see if it was the same school. I thought, well, this girl from my hometown can probably help me. So I put 100% faith into you.

Interviewer: So you shared that when you were a part of Beachbody, you were told to eat carbs but you didn't want to eat carbs, which is kind of incredible with the position you're in right now. I'm going to let you elaborate on that. You came into the VIP from the Revolution first, and you're so well known in the communities because you're so open, which is incredible. But hearing that about Beachbody, and now knowing where you are at 435 grams of carbs, elaborate on your experience in the VIP, what it's been like gaining the weight and eating as much food as you are, and how that is improving your life.

Cheryl: I think the first thing to recognize is the way I'm eating. I'm spacing everything out evenly, so I'm not eating 150 grams of carbs at lunch, because I know for a fact that's going to make me exhausted and want to take a nap. I'm an accountant, so I work with spreadsheets, and I put everything in the spreadsheet and even out all the numbers as much as I can. I have always worked out first thing in the morning, so getting up and eating right away doesn't hurt my feelings, because I know that food is going to fuel me. Then I have my routine, do what I need to do, hit the workout and eat again. By that time, I'm a little stuffed for a while.

But every time we've added carbs, I've either dropped weight from the week before or I've held steady for a couple of weeks. So you know what you're doing. Somebody in the VIP said to me one day, oh, think of all the pasta you could eat. But that's such a little amount of pasta. I want to eat foods that are going to fuel me. So everything bagels are my world right now. Peanut butter, Chex Mix even. When I get to have rice cakes, I get to have three of them with jelly on top. Saturday is my cheat day, so on Saturday I try to make up my macros before my cheat meal. I get to have pancakes with jelly or syrup.

My mindset right now is that at some point this is all going to go away, so I'm enjoying it as much as I can. If I bake a cake, on Saturday nights I get to have a piece of cake, and sometimes I fit it in my macros. It's certainly not punishment. It really has helped me not get to that point where, oh my gosh, I had a little bit of peanut butter and now I want the whole tub of peanut butter.

Interviewer: You're properly fueling your body.

Cheryl: Yeah. In the past it had always been don't eat this, don't eat this, and then all of a sudden you get a little taste and you spend the whole day shoving everything in your mouth. I haven't felt that way since February.

Interviewer: Because you're doing something right. Right now I've got you at 3,000 calories a day. So where's the room for cravings when you can fit it in?

Cheryl: Well, the past two weeks, I've been hungry between breakfast and lunch.

Interviewer: Here we go. That means more food. No, that's amazing. How does it feel, coming off of Beachbody and programs that don't feed you properly, to now eating all of this? How does that feel on a day-to-day basis with your work, your energy, everything?

Cheryl: I'm up all day long. I'm not tired. I go to bed early, but that's only because I wake up so darn early in the morning. When I wake up, I'm up and ready to go. When I work out, my mindset has gotten to the point where I can go in with an intention and say, okay, I want to lift this today, or I want to squat this, and I can do it. And I see changes as I'm getting dressed, but I'm like, well, maybe I'm just wanting to see those changes. But I think I am.

Interviewer: For sure. Let's talk about that. You've gained 10 pounds. When you look at your photos, it's not messy. It's not that you're getting fat, which a lot of women are so afraid of with gaining weight. You're gaining muscle in this process. So how do you deal with the psychological side of eating more and gaining weight in order to get to this goal of building muscle and getting toned?

Cheryl: I used to be one that got on the scale every day, and depending on what the scale said, that ruled how I ate for the day. I get on the scale on Saturdays only, because that's check-in day. When I first started VIP and decided I wanted to build, I told myself, when you hit 150, don't let it back you down. Don't let it scare you. A couple of weeks ago, I had a little panic attack. But then I looked back at my week, and I wasn't drinking all the water I had been drinking in prior weeks. I think there were things leading up to that that caused me to gain a little faster than I thought I should. But then the following week I lost two pounds. So I'm at the point now where I'm thinking, okay, if you hit 160, so what? It's a number. My clothes aren't feeling any tighter, except through the shoulders and stuff. So who cares?

Interviewer: Have you always had that mentality?

Cheryl: No. Absolutely not.

Interviewer: What was it like before? If you were in this situation a couple of years ago and you'd gained 10 pounds, how do you think you would have reacted?

Cheryl: I would have spent a week eating nothing but soup and smoothies. Soup and a protein shake, or one of the Beachbody shakes. I would have starved myself, which would have led to me making chocolate chip cookie dough and eating it later, and finding those cravings.

Interviewer: Because you weren't feeding your body enough. So it was like, okay, let's go hand in the cookie jar, and the cookie dough, all that. It's incredible.

Cheryl: I'll admit that at least one time in my life I relied on laxatives. I wouldn't say I was anorexic or anything, but it screwed up my insides so bad, to the point where having a bowel movement once every two weeks was normal for me. And now, eating what I'm supposed to be eating and the quantity I'm eating, I'm going every day. Super regular.

Interviewer: Thank you for being that open and vulnerable. A lot of people don't want to share that kind of stuff, but you're going to relate to a lot of people with that. Wow, that's incredible. Now you're eating enough, so you're super regular on a daily basis, because you're filling your body with exactly what it needs.

Cheryl: Yeah. I tried the Opti Greens and the Opti Reds for a month. I didn't care for the flavor, and I find I really don't need them.

Interviewer: Yeah. Stay away from peppers.

Cheryl: Yes, we learned that.

Interviewer: But it's incredible. The week that happened, would you have known before to take a step back? Rather than, oh my god, I gained two pounds, you took a step back and said, wait a second, my water was off, I incorporated peppers. Would you have known to take that step back and think about it, or would you have just panicked?

Cheryl: I would have panicked. It's only because I'm tracking my water now. There are things I know to look at now that I'm paying attention. It's just a matter of focus.

Interviewer: That's great. What you're sharing here could really help somebody. What advice would you give someone who's just getting started on their fitness journey?

Cheryl: Stop comparing yourself to everybody else's picture, because you don't know what they've been through. You don't know how long they've been at it. Even now, I noticed you put up a before and after picture of Emily Nelson one day, and somebody jumped on it negatively, and tons of us said, stop it, that's not what we're here for. I love our community because of that. We've got each other's backs.

Interviewer: It's unreal.

Cheryl: And I admit, when I started this, I would look at pictures and say, oh, I want to look like that. But I have no idea what their journey was before they got here and what it's been since they got here. Fine, they're 20 years old. I'm 57. Big difference.

Interviewer: Exactly.

Cheryl: So number one, you just have to stop comparing yourself to everybody else. For me, it's all about the picture in my head of what I want to look like. I know what I have to do to get there, and it'll come in time.

Interviewer: It's your own journey. What do you think the impact of working with WarriorBabe has been?

Cheryl: WarriorBabe has been great for helping me focus, but also for my self-confidence. I've always been one to talk down about myself. Even in the beginning, when I was just in the Revolution, I would post videos of my workouts, partly to hold myself accountable, but I knew it would help someone else too, because I don't go to a gym. I do everything here at home. There are certain things I can do instead. I was still doing the build workouts, I just didn't have a Smith machine to do them on, so I figured something out. I used Google a lot to find what I can do instead. So it's helped me be more innovative, focus on myself and have confidence in myself.

Interviewer: You mentioned you've done everything from home.

Cheryl: Yeah, and that was prior to COVID.

Interviewer: So women listening, Cheryl's been doing it from home, with innovation, coming up with ideas for what to sub out for exercises. In the Revolution we do at-home workouts, but not everybody has that exact piece of equipment. So what you're saying is that you can get to your goals even by working out at home. You mentioned the four pieces of training. Where did you first hear about WarriorBabe, and what piqued your interest the most about it?

Cheryl: On Instagram, an ad on Instagram. Your arms and your shoulders were my interest. I was like, yes, I want that thickness. So I clicked on it, and it was over the course of four days, one video a day. Each day I watched the video. And then it was, I think, 14 days free. So I was like, okay, I can do this. And I joined, and there was a special. It was a lifetime special.

Interviewer: Heck yeah.

Cheryl: But at that time, before I pulled the trigger, I said, you've got to trust the process. You've got to give this 12 to 18 months before you just say it's not working. And I don't see myself looking back and leaving at any time, even if she has me gain so much weight and then I'm going to need to lose it.

Interviewer: I'm so happy that you said that, because so many women look at programs online, they see these ads, and they're expecting something to happen in 30 days or 21 days. They've just been conditioned over the years with the marketing on the internet. And what you just said is, before I pull the trigger, I'm telling myself 12 months, 18 months, to be realistic with myself. Do you think that's been a huge mindset game changer for you?

Cheryl: Absolutely. Again, I didn't feel I needed to lose weight. I just wanted to sculpt a little bit more and build more, and I didn't know how to do that. I can't say for sure that's why the 10 pounds I've gained hasn't bothered me, because in the past it would have. But yes, the light bulb went off in my mind, and it's just been a game changer.

Interviewer: This just popped into my head. You're 57 going on 58. A lot of people believe, from what they've been told, that after menopause it's so hard to gain muscle and your metabolism just slows down. And you're eating 3,000 calories and gaining muscle. How would you speak to the woman who has no idea it's even possible?

Cheryl: I'll tell you, when I started going through menopause, I gained quite a bit of weight, and I kept telling myself, this is what I'm supposed to look like when I'm older. This is just it. And then one day I was like, no, it's not. I'm not happy. I'm not comfortable in my own skin. And there are tons of articles out there telling women my age muscle is better for you. I don't take calcium pills. I don't need to. I don't even take a multivitamin. It's almost time for my colonoscopy, and the doctor called me the other day and said, you don't need to come in for a consult, we'll just send you paperwork, because you're so healthy. You're not on anything.

Interviewer: That's amazing. You're barely on anything, and you're eating so much food to fuel your body. Cheryl, you're going to live to be 120 years old.

Cheryl: That's the plan.

Interviewer: Let's go. That's incredible. I love that. So describe being a WarriorBabe for us. Describe working with us. In what area do you feel like you get the most value, and why do you think that is?

Cheryl: Being a WarriorBabe means I can do anything I set my mind to. Any damn thing I want. What has helped me is the Facebook groups. I'm sure there are women out there like a friend of mine who actually joined for a month to see what it was about. She never posted a thing. She never liked anything on the page. If you're not going to talk to these women and get to know them, they can't help you. Ashley Tatman, Emily Nelson, Angela Sanchez, I know these women. They're like my sisters. And Jill Grant, I don't know her from squat, but I feel like she's one of my best friends. And they're thousands of miles away. Brandy's on the other end of the U.S., and we're messaging each other. Marie messaged me the other day a picture of her 60 grams of brown rice and said, I really wish I was you right now.

Interviewer: That is so incredible. Of all the interviews I've done, you guys have all mentioned community.

Cheryl: That's the biggest thing. But also being able to reach out to you, even before I joined VIP, the Wednesday huddles, the Wednesday Q&As. I had purchased the Macro Accelerator course and went through it two or three times, really listening to it, because I knew I wanted to build more and I felt I needed to adjust my macros. So I listened to it and then asked questions on the Q&A, and that helped.

Interviewer: That's so true. What you're saying is that to get results, it's not just purchasing the program. It's utilizing the tools and the resources, being able to post, share and open up to a community of other women who are on the same journey as you, and coming to the Q&As so you can absorb and get your questions answered. So many women join and then they disappear and they're on to the next thing. But like you're saying, actively participate in what's available.

Cheryl: I would spend days sitting at my computer pulling reports and listening to old rally calls, because I can do two things at once. Or if I have to get on the elliptical, I may as well listen to something entertaining. So I listen to old rally calls.

Interviewer: See, guys, Cheryl has an occupation, she has a family, she has a life, but because this means something to you, you have a goal that you want to accomplish.

Cheryl: It also means I'm going to enjoy them more and they're going to enjoy me more, so it comes full circle.

Interviewer: Amen. You've got to put in the work. You've got to make the time, find the time. Everybody's got the same 24 hours in a day that somebody else does. Why can't they do it? Because they're not taking it seriously. You take it seriously.

Cheryl: And I'll tell you, when I went through menopause, one thing I thought I learned going through it was that I couldn't eat a whole lot of carbs, because it gave me night sweats. But it was the carbs I was eating that were giving me the night sweats. I'm eating 435 grams of carbs a day, usually at least 75 of them at dinner, and I'm sleeping like a baby.

Interviewer: That's incredible. Do you care to share what carbs you were eating before and what the difference is now?

Cheryl: I think probably a lot of sweet potatoes. I don't think it was what I was eating, but when I was eating them. So I tried to eat them in the morning instead of with dinner or after lunch, because it would slow me down, or it was just too heavy. Now, this week for dinner, I'm a creature of habit. I meal prep on Sundays, and whatever I plan for dinner is for the whole week except Saturday. This week I'm eating Kate's egg roll in a bowl. I love that recipe.

Interviewer: And you pulled that from the Revolution.

Cheryl: In fact, I'm planning on having it next week too, because I love it so much.

Interviewer: That's awesome. There are so many ideas in there.

Cheryl: And I'm having three quarters of a cup of jasmine rice with it, and two double chocolate zucchini muffins with it.

Interviewer: There it is. That's awesome.

Cheryl: And my homemade applesauce. 180 grams of applesauce.

Interviewer: Amazing. How many carbs is that?

Cheryl: It comes to close to 80 for the night.

Interviewer: That's awesome. You've got carbs to spare, for sure. We all want a bite of your carb count right now.

Cheryl: I've tried to help. I know Jody's going up in carbs, so I'm trying to help her. Rice is not the only carb. Pasta is not the only carb. Applesauce is a great source of carbs, and it doesn't fill you up. It doesn't weigh you down. Nectarines, pineapple, even the Smucker's sugar-free jelly. You've got five grams right there.

Interviewer: Put it on both.

Cheryl: Well, I get six tablespoons at a time.

Interviewer: That's amazing. Three rice cakes. That's incredible. So how likely are you to recommend WarriorBabe?

Cheryl: That's all I talk about. My office mates are like, yeah, I don't really care. Every time someone comes into my office, I'm eating something, and I say, I've got to keep on schedule.

Interviewer: That's amazing. For anybody who's listening right now, because this is going to be a hot interview, why should somebody listening take action right now?

Cheryl: Because in most cases, if they're listening, they're not happy with who they are. And if they want to be happy with who they are, just do it. It's that simple.

Interviewer: That's incredible. For real. People come to these interviews looking for advice from you guys who've been in it, and they get so inspired by hearing your journey that they connect to your story.

Cheryl: I don't have time for making up stories and lying. If you ask me a question, I hope you really want the truth.

Interviewer: That's what gets people to change. That's what gets people to shift: just being real and honest. You're incredible, Cheryl, across all the communities. Like I said, you're so well known. You're there to support people. You reach out to people. You make sure they're up at 5 a.m. getting their workouts done. It's so freaking incredible. You and our community, it's just so amazing.

So let's close out this interview. What's your favorite snack or macro combination?

Cheryl: When I watched the interview you did with Jill, I got the idea. It's an everything bagel, toasted, with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and deli-sliced rotisserie chicken. It is to die for.

Interviewer: That sounds delicious. I'm imagining it right now. And what's your favorite muscle group to train?

Cheryl: Chest and arms.

Interviewer: That's a different one to bring to the table. Very good. Why do you like chest and arms?

Cheryl: Because I feel like I push the most there. I love the soreness the next day. I love feeling that I really worked.

Interviewer: I can tell, and you're experiencing it: you're gaining that muscle there. Your clothes are getting tighter up in that area, so that's a huge win.

Cheryl: Yes.

Interviewer: I love it. That's amazing. Your whole entire journey from the start. I remember watching you in the Revolution sharing your photos and your workouts, and the inspiration you were bringing to that community. Your name was being dropped in our team meetings: oh my god, that's Cheryl. You have been such an incredible inspiration and support to the group. With your journey, you're letting women know that this phase doesn't need to be scary. Gaining weight isn't a bad thing, because you have a goal to gain muscle, and in order to do that you've got to put on a little bit of weight, and the majority of that should be muscle, not fat.

Cheryl: And I'm also showing them that being this age shouldn't be scary.

Interviewer: Exactly. It is possible at 57, going on 58 soon. It is possible to eat 435 grams of carbs. It is possible to have 3,000 calories a day. It is possible to put on muscle. That's what's so incredible about you and your journey, so thank you for sharing that today.

For those of you who are inspired by Cheryl's journey and want to learn more about the programs WarriorBabe offers and how to get started, you can go to warriorbabe.com. It's been a recurring theme in every single one of these interviews that our community is hands down the biggest thing. Don't take it from me. Take it from Cheryl, and take it from the other women who have shared it in their interviews. You can become a part of the thousands of women who are becoming stronger and more confident versions of themselves. So join now. Cheryl, thank you so much for this interview. It will be an inspiration to all.

Cheryl: All right. Thank you, everybody.

Interviewer: See you. Bye.