How a 47-Year-Old Nurse Lost 21 Pounds by Eating More

Host: Hey everyone, welcome to our WarriorBabe interview with our veteran WarriorBabe, Jill. Jill has been a WarriorBabe for seven months now. She started at 177 pounds, and you're 5'7", 47 years old, and now at 156 pounds. That's a 21-pound drop. And Jill, you are looking hot. You are living hot. Your transformation has been insanely incredible. You literally came into WarriorBabe and you just started putting in the work. Head down, focused, doing it. So everyone, Jill is here to share some pointers for you, babe, so that you can adopt some of her strategies into your own journey moving forward. So welcome, Jill. I'm excited to have you here.

Jill: Thank you. So excited to be here.

Host: Yes, so tell these WarriorBabes and anybody that's listening your story and how you got to be where you are now.

Jill: Yeah, so I've always been active my whole life: dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, the whole nine yards. And even after I had babies, I did weight programs and got back to my weight. And then the forties hit, and I did get mono early that year, which I feel like affected a lot of my energy. And then I just kind of went downhill from there. So I started trying to just do what I could to get by, and it just never was enough. So then I went down the Instagram, social media route: don't eat this, do keto, gluten-free this, dairy that. And being a nurse, I knew that cutting food out wasn't necessarily the answer. And I also knew that weights worked for me. So I just needed to get back to the basics. I wanted to be eating healthy, because I was eating clean, I was eating salads and just cutting everything out that was supposed to be bad for me. And I'm like, I just know that there's a certain amount I should be eating, and don't cut any foods out. Because I had had all the tests. I had allergy tests. I know dairy upsets my stomach, but gluten, all of those things, I didn't have to cut those out.

So then I found you, and I read all those testimonials about the amounts of food people should be eating that are right for their bodies, and weight training. And I knew that that was what was going to work for me. So I started the WarriorBabe Blueprint, which was a great introduction, and I really did put myself into that, but I still didn't feel like I could trust myself to tweak the process. I wanted to know. It was so annoying that I didn't know, and it was so simple once I did learn. That's the crazy thing. Because I was willing. I was like, I'll eat whatever I have to eat just to be able to have the weight training work for my body, because it wasn't like it used to be. Back in the day I could just weight train and eat whatever, pretty clean, but then the 40s hit and that didn't work anymore. So once I got my energy level up, and I got some vitamins right in my body that were a little bit deficient, that did help with my energy. But mostly it was just the desire to know how to fix it. And once I put my mind to it, I'm like, I'm going to just trust the process. And that's exactly what I did.

Host: I know you started with keto, right? You were doing keto before initially coming to WarriorBabe?

Jill: No, I mean, I tried keto and I just felt horrible. The one thing that I was really trying was intermittent fasting. And I finally ended up going to see integrative medicine just to talk to them about hormones and stuff, and he's like, it's the worst thing you could possibly do for your hormones at your age, to go this extended time. And my cortisol level was high, and I was sleeping badly, waking up in the middle of the night, and I honestly did not feel like that was right for my body. I would just push through, and I felt like my blood sugar was dropping. I felt horrible. So yeah, that was the big thing that I did not like that I was trying to do. I kind of felt like your stomach would be flatter, and I did get a little boost of energy here and there, but overall, no, not enough for sure.

Host: Yeah. And we'll talk about the psychological side of eating more food, because I'm curious to know what you were eating before you joined WarriorBabe, and then when you joined WarriorBabe, where we placed you at. We'll talk about that in a minute. But your entire transformation, from where you were to where you are now... I personally go to see your stats and I'm like, oh yeah, her body keeps dropping. So it's incredible. So how are you right now with the food? I know you still work because you're an essential worker as a nurse, and you work from home. How are you still handling this on the nutrition side?

Jill: I was sad when the gym closed because I had a really good routine going since January when I started. I would go get my workout done, and they had fresh towels and air conditioning, the whole thing. And then I was like, oh, this is going to stink. But my husband did work out in the garage a lot, and back in the day I did P90 in the garage. So I knew I could do it. And then I started to get excited, because I didn't have to get ready to go anywhere. I could literally throw my workout clothes on anytime and go out there. So I actually saw it as a big opportunity. I'm like, I don't have to travel with kids' sports, which I was supposed to be doing all summer. I was supposed to be gone every weekend, and that was kind of stressing me out: how am I going to work out? So I just found I have two hours in my day, and I basically plan little foods. I don't make big elaborate meals. So I was actually excited to work out, because I saw myself getting into a really good routine without the distraction of having to go places.

Host: Yeah, 100%. Do you feel like there's more time right now, because the kiddos aren't in school?

Jill: Yeah, I mean, my kids are pretty self-sufficient at this point, but I always felt guilty taking time away and leaving and doing something for myself. But then I was like, you know what? They're on their phones or they're playing games or they're with their friends. And I literally would just make excuses: I'm on my phone, I had to clean, I had this, I had that. And really, that's what it comes down to. You have to stop making excuses. This two hours is for me. And I just had to get a little bit selfish about it, which nobody saw that way except me. My family was happy that I was doing that. But mentality-wise, I had to get excited about doing it, and for the most part it's just part of my day now. I schedule things around my workout instead of my workout around my things.

Host: I love that. That's a big thing. That's awesome.

Jill: And if I mismanage, I have to work out after working a 12-hour shift, because I do my five-day workout regardless. So I really try not to do that on those two days, but I've been out there at 9 or 10 at night doing it.

Host: Wow. Like I said, you came in and you did the work. That's what it comes down to. And even through quarantine, it's not stopping you. How are you doing in quarantine?

Jill: Great. It's just routine now. And macros, I made them this big, complicated thing in the beginning, and once it clicked and then they graduated me, I was like, oh, I'm on my own. That was kind of crazy, because I was making it so much more complicated than it was. So I've helped my friend and my sister-in-law really try to narrow it down. You just have to keep it simple. That's the biggest thing.

Host: Yeah. Don't overcomplicate.

Jill: And it's not really these big meals. They'll say, but they're eating out or whatever. And I'm like, you know what? I don't feel like I'm missing out. I feel like I get a cheat meal, and on the weekends I tweak what I need, what I want, and the rest of the week I'm eating for fuel. That's just how I see it.

Host: Yes, functionality.

Jill: I feel like a lot of people turn to emotions and eat for comfort, when really it's a shift to understand your body's process of getting toned. You've got to look at it that way. People don't eat right, or they're not eating. That's what I used to do.

Host: Yeah. Let's talk about that, because I love that you elaborated on it. A lot of women complicate macros in the beginning. They just get overwhelmed and kind of walk out the door. And I'm like, I can't ever think of following something that's not macros. I can't wrap my brain around following anything that's not macro oriented. So I appreciate you elaborating on that. But let's talk about the psychological side of eating more. What were you doing before? And then when you came into WarriorBabe, how did you deal with having to eat more food to get to the goal that you've achieved?

Jill: Well, with the fasting, I tried to eat in the window, but then I felt like I was overeating, because you're trying to get it all in during the window. And I know that I'm not a huge meat eater, so I probably wasn't getting enough protein, and definitely way too many carbs. And then fats: in your head you feel like you need good fats, so I was having too much. Based on what I know now, way too much avocado, maybe butter in my eggs, and whole eggs. I ate real eggs, and now I'm an egg white person because I want to put my fats other places. So yeah, I feel like some days I would barely eat anything, and then other days I would be starving. It just depended. That was a big thing. So now I just feel so much better with my food spaced out. And I'm not super anal about it. I know you're supposed to time it, but if I can't get it in, or if I'm not having my workout until 10 or 11, that's probably my breakfast or pre-workout, so sometimes I end up having meals a little closer together. But I feel when I need to eat now, so that's huge. Coming into WarriorBabe and eating tons of food and all the carbs, I was so full the first weeks.

Host: Yeah, that was hard.

Jill: You had me eating... and coming out of Christmas I felt like I had been eating candy and crap that I shouldn't have been eating to begin with. But yeah, I was really full eating that much food, and then I was starving.

Host: Exactly. That's another thing a lot of women struggle with. They come in, they're doing the first transition week, they're getting the macros, they're trying to hit them, and they're like, oh my God, I can't stuff one more thing in my mouth. And then all of a sudden there's this switch that goes off, they're all riled up, and people are asking for that food back. Can you elaborate more on that?

Jill: I remember looking at my phone like, did I switch the macros by accident? Because I was starving, and I'm like, this can't be. I felt like I had accidentally tweaked them the wrong way or something. But no, I was just so hungry. The up and down. And I kind of met that 20 pounds. That's where I wanted to be in six months, that was the initial goal. And then you started adding some food. I don't want to gain weight back, but I did feel like my muscles were deflating just from being in the cut. And I can definitely lift heavy. I'm lifting so much heavier now. It's crazy, just from having more food. But I've actually still been losing with all that food.

Host: Let's talk about that. The psychological part of eating is really good to talk with you about, because you've gone through the cut and reached your goal, and now we're adding in more food and you're still dropping. Share your emotions, how you felt with that. Did you expect this to still be happening?

Jill: I did not expect to keep losing weight, because I'm at 190 carbs as of yesterday. So I just work out extra hard. I always try to put my mind into it, but I definitely feel so much stronger when I'm eating like that. It's crazy. I don't really let it affect my emotions too much, because I still trust you with what's happening. If I go back to my mindset where I'm not supposed to eat this much or this food, then I'm going down the same rabbit hole. I've actually gotten results with this, and I don't plan on changing it.

Host: That's everyone's dream, right? What I've noticed with you inside the program is you're just like, okay, and you just do it. You just put in the work, no questions asked. I think the big thing is trust. You're getting the results, so why question it? The results are happening, things are working. And then you're meeting the belief, your true north as a nurse, of what you know you need to be doing for your body, right?

Jill: Yeah. And I know that no one's going to do it for me. And you have those days. I've always noticed every time I'm about to get my period, you bloat, you feel like you're gaining weight, you don't have energy, and I'm like, this isn't working. And then you stop. But now with this program, I still feel tired and not as motivated, whatever, but I still go get it done. I tell my sister, that might not be your best, but you go out there and you do what you can. For me it's a mental thing. I cannot miss a day. I cannot mess up my macros, because I don't want to feel bad the next day that I did that for a temporary little fix. And then the next week I'm stronger and leaner than ever, just because I pushed through. It's crazy. And I have so much more energy. So I totally know the week of my period I'm going to feel this way, and the next week I'm going to feel awesome. So that's huge.

Host: I'm glad that you're elaborating on exactly the points that women need to hear in this interview. I don't think I've ever talked about the PMS side or the period side, which is so great, because you're right. You know you're going to feel this way. And I think a lot of women get roped up in the emotion. It's more of a subconscious thing to go into the kitchen and eat the chocolate to feel better. But you're kind of above it on the conscious side of things. You're like, I know this is happening and I know I'm going to be fine next week, so why derail progress right now, only to almost hit the reset button on the work I've done in the past week or two, right?

Jill: Well, and if I have gone over on something because I forgot to log it... I've gotten a little more intuitive with it, but I just don't beat myself up about it. Just get up and do the next day. You can't hold on to that, and that's a huge thing I used to do. So I just let it go and keep going. There haven't been many days that I've gone over, but I try to be really disciplined about it.

Host: Yeah, but how do you...

Jill: I don't like that feeling. There's no reason to not hit my macros because I'm going to have a fat cheeseburger tomorrow night, you know what I mean? And I never feel good after I eat that big meal, because I've had to meet all the macros all day. But psychologically, I know I have a day off, so I don't need to do that the rest of the week.

Host: Exactly how you want it. You have your meal, it's satiating, you hit your cravings, whatever you wanted to have, and it doesn't turn into two. You just get right back on.

Jill: On the weekends I just tweak. All week I pretty much copy and paste and hit my same macros. I'll tweak stuff here and there, but dinner is mostly the only thing that changes. But on the weekends, if I want to go have sushi, I fit that in. It's not that we don't go out and do things. I just fit it in.

Host: Yeah, let's elaborate on that, because you have a husband, you have kids. How do you successfully still track your macros when you have a family?

Jill: Well, I definitely do it the night before. That was a huge lesson early on, and if anybody can take anything from this, that is key, because you cannot get up and play it as you go. It doesn't work. And I try to keep things pretty consistent. I keep the same foods in the house that I know I can meet my macros with. So the biggest thing is to find out what we're having for dinner, because dinner is what changes every day, and I ask ahead of time. My husband likes to cook, so I just ask ahead, and I eat everything they eat. I just weigh it and know what I can have. The scale is your best friend. I literally have this tiny ten-dollar scale that has changed my body. I didn't weigh my protein powder before you guys taught me that. I just didn't realize that with every little scoop it's way off. So it's a big deal.

Host: Isn't that incredible? A lot of women think that they're eating healthy, yes, but what's the actual amount of potato that you're putting on your plate? What's the actual amount of chicken that you're putting on your plate? The actual consumption of what you eat and how much you eat throughout the day contributes to hitting the 190 carbs, or whatever your protein and fats are. A lot of women think there's a disconnect between eating healthy and eating enough, and this helps you become aware, like, wow, I was not eating anything near what I should.

Jill: A whole salad was way past... I mean, you're eating healthy, but you shouldn't have that. And I'm full with what I'm eating, so that just tells me my body has what it needs. I'm never hungry after I eat any meal of the day. I'm full from that one sitting, and I know another one's coming.

Host: Yeah, exactly. Absolutely. And maybe you can share on the awareness too. A lot of women look at tracking everything they eat, or weighing everything they have to eat, as obsessive. What would your take be on that, seeing what it's brought you to right now? What insight can you share?

Jill: I mean, if that's the one thing you have to do to get to your goal, that's not hard at all. Once you learn how to use the scale, I just always have it there. And actually, by eating kind of repetitive meals, like the same pre-workout eggs and oatmeal, the same shake that I even weigh, all the powder and everything, I already know the numbers. 40 grams of oatmeal, 33 grams of protein, it's in my head already. So it just makes it so much more simple. If that's all I had to do to get to my goal, it's not hard at all. That is the easiest part.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. It's way easier than working out.

Jill: I was talking to my sister-in-law and she's like, in the morning I have to weigh it. And I was like, you know what, either do it the night before, but it literally takes a minute to weigh it. Yes, it feels kind of tedious if you're not used to doing it, but it's such a small amount of time for such a big gain.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. And honestly, it's more about awareness of what you are actually fueling your body with.

Jill: Yeah. And it does make you... when I go to a restaurant and I don't have my scale, I can totally guesstimate, like two ounces, three ounces of chicken, and I make it work. I don't necessarily need the scale anymore. I've done it so much now that I know portion sizes.

Host: Counting macros is not obsessive. I look at it as a skill that will serve you for the rest of your life. And you don't necessarily have to track macronutrients or weigh things out for the rest of your life. But A, it helps you be way more aware, and B, it helps you learn what actual portion sizes are. Like you're saying, you can go out to a restaurant and, to fit it into your macronutrients, just portion it or talk to the waiter and say, hey, don't cook my food in butter and oil.

Jill: Yeah.

Host: Now you're just very in tune with the fats, the carbs and the protein of everything you eat.

Jill: Literally. And I knew those things, I just didn't know how to apply them. And for me it's way easier than starving yourself half the day or eating all fat all day. I had no energy at all. I felt horrible on keto, and I didn't get results from that. There's no way I could do keto and go out in that garage and do the workouts I'm doing. You just don't have energy for that.

Host: No way. Your muscles, and water. Water's a huge key to all of that.

Jill: Yeah.

Host: Water could be talked about in a whole other interview. How much water are you drinking a day now?

Jill: I usually drink about a gallon, a gallon and a half. It just depends on my workout and the heat.

Host: Yeah, living where you live, I would be downing water.

Jill: I have this little thing in my head: in between every set I take five big sips, and I'm done with a liter by the end of my workout.

Host: That's awesome. Play little head games with yourself.

Jill: Exactly.

Host: That's what it comes down to for so many women. So many women struggle with getting the water in, and they struggle with hitting their macros when they're first starting out, right? So what are some pointers you can give them on how to get more water in, and how to hit their macros when starting?

Jill: Well, planning the night before is key, putting them in. And in the beginning I really did watch the time. I would space the meals out, because then you weren't starving. If you tried to group them together, you would be really hungry by the end of the night. For water, I've always been a big water drinker, but I would get up and drink literally half my bottle. I have a 32-ounce, and I would drink half of it right when I got out of bed, and then pretty much the other half by the time I've had my coffee. So there's one down, one with my workout, and then I just have it with me all day. So the water wasn't really a chore. When I'm working it's a little bit harder, but I still try to hit it.

Host: Yeah, how do you deal with being on shift as a nurse?

Jill: I keep a water bottle with me at the desk all the time. Whenever I come out, I literally try to drink half of it. And I kind of view my meals as snacks at work, because I'll go to the bathroom and run and eat my snack really fast. I'm a labor nurse, so you could be pushing with someone for three hours, and when I feel my blood sugar drop now, I just have someone come in and take over for a minute, and I can down one meal in two minutes, no problem.

Host: Say that freaking louder. In the Q&As, in the Revolution or any of the Q&As with the babes, the common thing I hear is, I'm too busy at work. And I'm like, dude, I was a nurse, I work with nurses. You can...

Jill: You just have to bring simple food. You can't have a platter with your napkin and your fork and your knife. That's not the kind of food you eat. I eat cottage cheese, a sandwich real quick, and I'm full. I bring pretzels and a sandwich, my cottage cheese, yogurt, my shake. The shake you can down at the desk. And then I make my breakfast every morning and eat that right before I go in.

Host: Yeah, you eat, then at the three-hour mark you eat again.

Jill: And at this point they all know that I have to eat.

Host: Exactly. And how is your work performance? Are you more on point?

Jill: Yeah, my brain's way more clear. I don't have the up and down. I used to live on coffee, because if you're fasting until noon and you've been up since five, you're starving and your brain is not good. And I drink a lot less coffee now, because I'm eating and I'm drinking water. That was another huge revelation. I don't need that. I was looking for energy that way. Now sometimes I don't even feel like drinking coffee. It's crazy, and I'm a coffee person.

Host: That is awesome. So cool. You don't bring chicken, broccoli and rice to your shift. You bring snacks, you bring food that's really easy for you to hit and down within two minutes. And just asking, that's the thing. I think a lot of women are afraid to just say, hey coworker, hey guys, can you just watch my patients or cover my desk for two minutes while I go eat my food?

Jill: I put it in the purse under the desk and I just keep eating.

Host: Yeah, exactly. So what is some advice you could give someone who is just starting their fitness journey?

Jill: I would say first, do your research and learn what you need to know before you start. You've got to trust the process. You can't jump around, you can't do this half-heartedly. I remember I felt horrible when I first went to the gym, because I've always been in cute workout clothes and wanted to be that person. I was always fit. And then I was so embarrassed of my arms and just everything that I put a big t-shirt on and didn't even look in the mirror. I put my head down and I just did the workouts, got on the elliptical and went home. And I just kept repeating that, every single thing you told me. And then one day I was like, I can wear a tank top, because my arms look better. So you just can't nitpick every day, every little roll and every little soreness. You have to fight through a couple weeks of that. So just put your head down and do it. Consistency is the only thing that's going to work. If you give up and stop, start, stop, start, that's not going to work. So just plug at it every single day, and then one day you'll be like, wow, my back rolls are going away. That was huge for me. That was the one thing, and I knew that was going to be the last to go, because you taught me it was fat loss, and the spots that you want to go are going to be the last ones to go. But one day you're going to wake up and your clothes are falling off. So that's my advice, I guess. And discipline, because you're not going to feel like doing it every day.

Host: Exactly. Have you messed up?

Jill: Oh yeah.

Host: You hit rocks in the road, but what did you do?

Jill: There are plenty of days I don't feel like going to work out, but I know I'm going to regret it if I don't. So I don't ever not do that, for sure, unless I'm on my deathbed. And I've suffered from migraines my whole life, and I maybe have one a month now. It's so crazy.

Host: Wow. That's wild. That's awesome, babe. So those are some huge pointers. Consistency, because for many women it's Monday through Friday, great, Saturday, Sunday, off, back on it Monday through Friday. And then they're like, why am I not seeing results? Consistency is really key. That's a great pointer. And I love that you said don't nitpick yourself. If you can't love yourself now when you're starting this journey, you're not going to love yourself when you reach the goal. You're still going to be nitpicking at that point.

Jill: That's why you need pictures.

Host: Yes.

Jill: It's the worst thing ever in the beginning.

Host: For sure. A lot of women are like, I don't want to take pictures. But you're starting this journey because of that picture, right? To change that. And it brings you to more conscious awareness too, like, wow, this is what I look like. I'm sure you felt that way: I need to make a change, and this is why I'm making a change.

Jill: Yeah.

Host: So what does being a WarriorBabe mean to you?

Jill: I feel like it's just being part of a tribe of people who have the same goal. You're not going to have this support or hear it from everyone around you every day. This has to be something within you, and the people within the WarriorBabe community have that same feeling and goal. So to hear their struggles and their successes, to watch everyone succeed, is huge, because there aren't many places you can go and get that positive affirmation. That's what I love about it. I know I can go somewhere and scroll through pictures and hear people's struggles and successes, and I feel better. Because your kids aren't going to tell you... My kids have noticed that I've lost weight and that I'm getting stronger, but you're not going to hear it every single day, right? One of my biggest goals was to wear shorts again. I hadn't worn shorts in about four years, and one day I walked out of my room in shorts and literally my whole house noticed. My husband was like, are you wearing shorts? I'm like, yes, I have leg muscles. So he noticed that big time. But yeah, that's what I love about it. And if I have a question... you don't want to feel like you're in the dark, especially when you're beginning and you don't really understand the macros, you don't understand the workouts. There's always someone you can ask and lean on. So that's been huge.

Host: Yeah, talking about the support side of things, it's so true. You go into the community and you see other women who are like-minded, working toward the same goals. And one day someone pops into the group and says, I screwed up, or I'm experiencing this, and there are like 50 comments underneath it. It's such a supportive atmosphere when you have like-minded women around you, even virtually, working toward the same goals. It gets you up every day, like, I know there's another WarriorBabe, especially in Texas, there are tons of you down there. I know there's somebody here working out, doing the same thing, hitting their macros. Which is so cool.

Jill: Yeah, and especially when you see their before and afters, and the muscles they've built after they've worked so hard. It's like, I want those. Or, I have those.

Host: Yeah, exactly. And you're inspiring. I know you've inspired so many women. They look at your before and after and they're like, damn, and that motivates them. So you're inspiring them and you're inspired by them. That's what's so cool. So let's close this out with your favorite snack or your favorite macro combo.

Jill: I'm pretty simple, but I make this sandwich. I love sandwiches, and I would always not get sandwiches because there was bread, right? So I use Dave's Killer Bread, the thin-sliced bread, and I spread a wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese on the bread, then turkey and a little bit of mustard. And then I grill it, and it's like a grilled cheese sandwich. It's so good. It's perfect.

Host: My mouth is watering. Oh my God. I need to try this out.

Jill: I just use a little bit of nonfat spray and it gets crunchy. It's so good. So it's like grilled cheese, but you have turkey in it. I use Applegate turkey. It's organic and good.

Host: I need to try that.

Jill: And then All American butter and chocolate rice cakes are my go-to at night. That's my dessert.

Host: You can't go wrong with All American butter.

Jill: My mailbox, they just delivered it.

Host: Really? That's awesome. Oh, great. I'm going to have to try out that Dave's Killer Bread, the Laughing Cow and some turkey. That sounds so good. All right, and what's your favorite muscle group to work out?

Jill: I think shoulders and back. Those are my two go-tos. I like legs. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm 165 and I was just doing squats or something. But I love legs. I'm just exhausted after leg day for sure. And I think the heat is really affecting me right now. I do miss the leg press and things at the gym that I used to be able to do, but I've made it work. We have at least a squat rack, so it's good.

Host: That's awesome. A lot of WarriorBabes say shoulders.

Jill: Yeah. I didn't look at it in the beginning at all, because you can't really lift very heavy with shoulders. So it was a struggle, but once you start seeing your traps and your results come in, then it's nice to get the pump.

Host: Yes, absolutely. Oh, I love it. All right, guys, for those of you who want to learn more about the programs WarriorBabe offers and how to get started, check out warriorbabe.com and become a part of thousands of women just like Jill, and all of the other women we're talking about inside this program, who are getting toned and becoming stronger, more confident versions of themselves. Thank you, Jill, for your time today. You dropped some serious golden nuggets that will help these babes. You expanded on so many things that women are struggling with. I appreciate it.

Jill: Thank you.

Host: All right. Bye, everybody.