Strength Renewed

00:20
Thank you, girl. I'm not wearing, I feel like every time we get on a podcast, in fact, I feel like when you and I go out, when we see each other in LA, we're going to have to go shopping at Aviator Nation. More matching sweatshirts because I realize every time we're on a podcast, I'm wearing either the white or the blue version of that one and I need to get some more. So now I just have this regular sweatshirt. That's not as fun. But we're going to get our logo on this one. This is the kind of idea that I thought we put strength and nude right here. I love it. And in fact, it is.

00:49
I feel like Strength Renewed does have a little bit of inspiration from Aviator Nation with the stripes. It does. Yeah. So it's like a homage to, is that the word? A homage to Aviator Nation. Well you know we're so cute, remember? You could say anything with your adorable accent. Like anything that I say won't be as cute as you. You just say it and I'll say yes. That's cute. That's perfect. Oh, I love it. So Jess, we were chatting a little bit just before we jumped on about weight loss resistance.

01:19
Do you want to share just a big picture about maybe one of your clients or whatever, and then we'll just kick off from there? Because I'll preface it by saying many people feel like they're doing everything they can and not losing weight, and therefore they're then going to potentially more extreme approaches, which long-term wouldn't do them any favors. And there may be some basics that they're not even thinking about.

01:46
Which I think is so fantastic because I love the practicality of our approaches because again, you and I both kind of are like, we try to take all the information that's rolling around and maybe just put it in a more manageable place to hold. Because I think everybody's walking around trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with them or what they can do or how they, and then there's almost an abundance of information. And sometimes I just, I will stick with the fact that sometimes I think that less is more so.

02:15
I have a lot of clients that I work with that are in their 40s and they're in that, I always say in that wonderful stage of like, I could have another baby, like not probably purposely, but could, or I can potentially be in very menopause or menopause. So it's like a very strange place, I think, for the human body to be in. And I think there are definitely some cases where I hear, I am working out, I'm strength training.

02:42
I'm trying to be mindful of my protein, although I'm not in their kitchen. So I have no idea what that actually means, but I think they're thinking about it. And the, you know, I think they'd like to say that the like scale is not budging, but I think for them it's less the number on the scale. And it really is more about, you know, the way they see themselves in Zoom. And you know what I mean? When they're on and we're in there in a meeting or that their pants just don't feel comfortable when they're putting them on. And that isn't fun for anybody. And I get that.

03:12
And I think that after they feel like they've exhausted the possibilities of, you know, of like I guess they've done working out, they feel like that's a pretty solid, they have me as their coach or during the resistance training. They are eating well and now they're kind of looking for other potential things like, you know, and none of them really even know that much about like, I mean, frankly I'm still learning about.

03:38
what the patch means or what the percentages of like estrogen or progesterone or testosterone or now better yet, now do I do metformin or do I do a GLP-1 inhibitor like now we're having this other layer of conversation. So that's sort of, you know, in a nutshell, kind of what I'm coming up against pretty regularly in my practice. Yeah, and you know, there are very genuine reasons for when people can be

04:07
resistant to weight loss that are the result of metabolic markers. Thyroid function is diminished. You've got cortisol levels and elevated level of cortisol, which is the stress hormone that can trigger fat storage, particularly around the middle. You've got maybe a level of metabolic adaptation because you've been dieting for so long.

04:33
that your body has turned the dimmer switch down on its physiology. And this is that topic in itself is a huge topic that we're not getting into today. Okay. And the reason why all of these things are important, nutrient deficiencies can lead to your body's energy metabolism being sort of dimmed down and this inability to create that calorie deficit. But what I wanna bring it back to is actually just examining in more detail

05:03
eating well sort of looks like and not even eating well, but actually knowing where you're going wrong in your diet, because I talk to a lot of people where they go to a particular place like they're like, I've just got to up my protein, or I've just got to skip breakfast, or they have in their head what's actually going wrong in their diet, but actually they've never properly tracked. They aren't aware of what's going in.

05:32
in this 24 hour window, but they've just assumed something is wrong because they're hearing about it on social media, which is when you've got people going, I'm going to try this thing because it worked for this person, but they may be in a completely different physiological place to that person. So it's not going to have the same effect. There is 100% no, like I am, if I could nod my head, you know.

06:01
vigorously even like, like more than I'm doing that, like it's 100% thought. And I think you're totally right because we are a product of what, you know, whatever the shiny object is in front of us at that moment. And right now we are certainly being targeted with protein, which is fine, resistance training, our hormones, you know what I mean? Like, so, so we're getting hit with these things. So immediately assume it's

06:31
you know, that one of those, but I think you're totally right. And then it's like, well, I think I'm eating enough protein, or I think you know what I mean? Like, that it must be that. Right. So it's you're not pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I really don't think there's not a whole lot of you know, there isn't really any real plan. It just kind of feels a little bit like, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what it is. So it must be this.

06:58
Yes, and I think we just need, I think the very first thing someone needs to do is get sure about what it is. And that is as simple as doing what you and I did with you that very first time, and take a journal, take a pen, start writing down what you're doing. You don't even really need to think about amounts at this point. But first, you just need an awareness of your food habits and behaviors, and maybe the timing with which you eat. Because then you can start to draw.

07:27
some patterns and some trends. You might discover that in your head you might be like, I'm not eating enough protein, which may very well be the case. But actually when you put it all down on paper, what you might find is that you're working out at six o'clock, you're eating breakfast at 11, and it's actually got plenty of protein in it for a meal that's breaking your fast.

07:53
But every time you wait until 11, you end up binging at night. Whereas if you were to shift that to like 9 a.m., you could, you know, you have a more robust appetite regulation signal that then might prevent that. So, you know, it might just be a timing issue. It might be an amount issue. It might be that the timing between meals is too long, or we've got so much on our mind, you know, it might not be realizing of all the little things that are going in until you actually start writing them down.

08:22
kitchen, grabbing a couple of rice crackers or, or, you know, quaker thins and dipping them in cottage cheese or avocado and that kind of thing. So awareness is always going to be the first step, regardless of what we're talking about. Well, that's good, because that doesn't require us to do anything other than, which I, you remind me to do it again, I think. And I think

08:45
I think that just because you do it one time, you keep a journal for a week or something, doesn't mean you can't return back to that practice. Like as I'm literally listening to you say this, I'm like, I should return back to that practice because all of these things are kind of like, you know, I love to have this podcast because I realize I'm like our perfect patient. I'm a perfect listener, you know, cause I'm like, yep, I definitely know that there's habits that are really connected to my eating or certain times of day that I feel more vulnerable.

09:15
you know what I mean? And then others, other parts of the day where I just almost allow myself to eat more haphazardly, you know what I mean? In some areas of the day, I'm actually more thoughtful about it. Yeah. So awareness is great and to continually be aware. So keep your notepad by you and your pen. And I also think like, some people can feel a little bit frustrated that they have to do this work, because they just want the answer. And I think this comes from

09:43
this notion that diet should be easy because we all eat. So why should I have to put the work in? And I really want people to move away from this idea that you should find it easy. Why should you? Nothing else in life comes easy. Why would your diet and your exercise be any different? I'm sorry, it just isn't. And the more that you are actually more accepting of that, the easier it is going to be to get your brain moving in the direction that you will actually work for it. And it's worth working for it. And this is a conversation.

10:11
This has been really striking me a lot lately about people's attitude to nutrition. In fact, funny story, I had someone contact me in my DMs and he was like, I do this Endura IQ course you taught on and I did. He's like, so we've got this connection. I just have some questions about my diet. When's a good time? Can we chat on the phone? I'm like, sure. Here's my calendar. Go book a consult.

10:40
And then he came back and said, oh, I thought you, you know, because we've got this connection, i.e. I did this course five years ago that he now then just did, that I could just call you. I don't really have a lot. I just want to sort of tweak a little bit of what I'm doing. And I said, yeah, but that's my job. People pay me to do what you're asking me to do for free. And it's sort of like asking your dental hygienist to clean your teeth after paying, you know, without paying them. And...

11:09
I had to like, the thing is, Jess, is that I feel this is part of it as well, is that because we all eat, like, why should we pay for the information of how to do it properly? You know, this is a bit of the attitude. Sort of, I'm going on a bit of a tangent, to be honest. This has stuck with me like an entire week. Just in my best- It's an important tangent, because I always say that like what we're talking about is like-

11:31
the basis for preventative health care. You know what I mean? Like it's right here. So if you really want to like really understand your body and you really want to understand your health, it starts right here. Like this is like the most important thing that you'll do. And it's the most important kind of piece to really be present on and to work at. Yeah. Honestly, I'm like, the other stuff is fine, but you know, I'll say it. And you've said it a million times. I say it probably.

11:59
Next to my gratitude practice, the other thing I say constantly is exactly what you kind of just alluded to, that when you're healthy, you can think about everything. Yeah. And when you're not healthy, you can think about nothing except to be healthy. Yeah. Right? 100%. So I just, there's never a day I don't repeat it over and over and over and over again, because I might have to be reminded of that. But people are really funny. It's almost like they have a hierarchy of what they think should be hard. There's that word, another word that I think is ridiculous. But you know.

12:28
bringing it back to, you know, why I can't lose weight, right, doing these things. I think it starts with awareness, it starts with the pen, it starts with writing it down. What would be the next thing to sort of pay attention to? Yeah, so the first thing is, is actually write it down, and do it for a few days, and also pay attention, in addition to your diet, pay attention to your levels of stress, and the amount of sleep you're getting, because these things impact on

12:58
your food decisions and the amount that you eat and how you feel. So like these things are not, they're not in isolation. And so again, it's just a little bit of a further examination, but this groundwork is worth it. Because you might be thinking I'm a failure because I can't stick to this healthy diet I think I'm eating. I'm always going for the chocolate biscuits at 3pm. But it might actually just be that, that at two o'clock, you always

13:28
reminder on your Google calendar that you've got a meeting with your boss at four o'clock, that might trigger you. Things like that can trigger a behavior because it's a bit of a distraction or a coping mechanism and your mechanism is food. So it might not actually be that you haven't had enough protein, it might actually be more related to these other sort of external things. So I just really feel there's so much value in this free exercise that you do.

13:58
called writing things down. Called writing things down to be able to start to draw, to draw a picture. And from there, that's when, because there's all this information out there on diet that people could absolutely utilize, but you don't know what's relevant to you until you've sort of brought it back here. So that is, I think that's definitely one of the first things to do well before you head down the line of, I need to take this particular,

14:26
hormone supplement, that's gonna help me, I'm gonna have to go on this peptide or go on this glucose lowering medication or whatever. It's hard, I think. I think it would have been easier if you were in your 20s or 30s to be like, no problem, I'll do that. But I think it's harder to accept.

14:51
Like that to me seems really straightforward and easy, but there's this lingering thing in the back of my head that like, are all these symptoms of perimenopause going to happen to me? And if so, how do I, like, should I just be doing this now? Because couldn't I possibly very much, you know, have this occurring, have this as in like, the extra belly fat or whatever, you know, is that one of the symptoms that I could be experiencing because I am, you know, we're talking about this particular demographic.

15:20
this age. So it's like, it's almost like if I was like 30 or 20, I'd be like, well, yeah, I'm not really going probably going through that right now. But because you're 40 or 40 plus, like, it seems more like, is this something that I'm like, also, you know, why shouldn't I just also be looking at that, I guess? Yeah, so I don't know how to answer that sometimes because it's

15:44
you know, it's a good question. It is a great question. And I just always come back to the idea that that stuff might help, but it's not going to solve it. Like, like taking an estrogen patch, it's not going to make you lose your belly fat, you know, it makes you more insulin sensitive, but that stuff is there. Like you're not going to magically get rid of belly fat just because you've got an estrogen patch. So this is like another really important thing. And I know we can like, but I don't, you know, I do not want to forget to talk about this at some point, because that is, I think it's, there's just a lot.

16:12
once you start going down after you've written it down, I think people immediately sort of go to that, like, oh, I'm gonna have to take, yes, I'm gonna put the estrogen patch on, or I'm gonna take metformin, or I'm gonna take a GLP-L1 or whatever, and then it will just go away. And I think that it doesn't necessarily work like that. I just think the mechanics, I think the science behind it, it's really important people to understand, if you get in that car and you go down that highway,

16:41
you'll be on a highway, but I'm not sure it's exactly the destination that you're looking for. That's it. They just don't, you know, like, and myself included, like I'm, you know, there's so much I know, but this is still one of these, you know, these sort of lanes, if you will, that is like, ah, like, if I get in that car, where am I actually going to go? And, you know, is it going to give me this thing? Because no one wants to feel when they've been working hard.

17:08
you know, to feel like uncomfortable when they put their pants on or uncomfortable when they're looking at the zoom. I guess that when they really do feel like they're making some commitment to their health. So, you know, I think, but I do think that we, there is a real, I believe that the majority of us are not keeping journals and are not really scrutinizing what we're eating. And we, I say that not to make people neurotic.

17:33
but to make you totally aware and then take that information to the estrogen patch freeway or to the metformin freeway or to the GLP-1 freeway. What I will say with metformin is that for someone who is insulin resistant and they've been prescribed it, I mean, that's a conversation with them and their doctor. As a weight loss drug, actually what we know about metformin is that it reduces your adaptations and therefore you don't build muscle as well.

18:00
That's a known side effect of metformin. It used to be a bit of a favorite in that longevity scene. Like all of the gurus were taking it because of its potential to help improve longevity and health span. And then the studies started coming out showing its impact on muscles. So, hey, it might lower your insulin, but that would also potentially impact on your anabolic ability to sort of build, which, hey, we're all about building a better physique, aren't we? Or that's why we do strength training. Yeah.

18:29
Yeah, exactly. Right. So really, if I'm weight loss resistant, then it most likely has to do with just that I first very, very, very, very first step just needs to be tending to, you know, a very, very, very close look and a very specific look at exactly what you're eating. Yeah. Everything. And I know that people are like, I don't have time for this. But actually, it's all about priorities.

18:57
I know this sounds really blunt, but it's true. Because you are placing such an importance as I, and I'm totally there with you, you place such an importance on your health and also how you want to feel and how you want to look, then this is actually the groundwork. And there are so many other reasons why you could be weight loss resistant. And I sort of mentioned it earlier, like with biomarkers, with thyroid, with low vitamin D, low B12.

19:26
low iron, all of these things will be playing into this inability for your metabolism to be working in a way that allows you to drop body fat. But first, let's look at the basics because sometimes we clamber over the basics to get to that thing we think is going to be the magic bullet. And we've ignored, you know, we've ignored all this other stuff. It's, I mean, I love to just like, I think that's a really good place to just kind of

19:56
hold, put the brakes on first. I literally see that you and I are in a car, we're cruising down, we're doing a fun road trip, making just, and this is the first stop, right? And I think the next stops are worthy to look at, but I just think people immediately assume, and I will say this demographic of women that are quote unquote of age of perimenopause, they don't, I've never heard yet somebody to me say,

20:26
every time that they're like, I cannot lose this, you know, belly fat. It's never any of the things you just said. It's never like, Oh, I've never really got my like biomarkers like, you know, vitamin D or none of that, none of that. It is 100% of the time, it's hormones, it must be my hormones. And so like, do you know, I, maybe

20:52
But maybe it's also this, it's just important. You've enlightened me. Yes. I was one of them. I'm like, yeah, definitely hormones. Yeah, and the thing is, is that it could well be affecting your hormones as well. It's all related. Like these are not things in isolation. Like what came first, the chicken or the egg. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, and the reality is, I mean, you can measure your hormones, but actually that's not what's used to sort of determine, that doesn't really tell you a lot, like in perimenopause. Of course it tells you when you've gone through

21:21
menopause. Some doctors do look at like luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone to get an indication, but your estrogen is all over the place. So I think getting back to basics at that point, that's sort of where you start. And of course, we can talk about all the other things. We've already sort of talked about them, but I think something else which would be a really good topic of conversation is like alcohol for women of our age.

21:50
And you know I love a drink. And it's one of the things which is, and it's that navigating your, the potential consequences of enjoying a drink and what does that mean for things like your sleep and your stress and in your mood and the rest of things. So that's another podcast, but super interesting combo. So many interesting kinds, but I just, I think.

22:17
I think we're calling it like it is. And I think that people, weight resistance, what did you say? Like, you know- Weight loss resistance. Weight loss resistance is huge. You know what I mean? It just really is. At the end of the day, that does matter to people. And not that their whole worth is tied up to the number on a scale. People, that's not at all what we're saying. I just think it's frustrating and they wanna be able to like, have a little bit of control over something. And that's just part of being in, like having responsibility of your health, right?

22:47
So totally. How you feel. And that's the important thing. And how you feel. That is the important thing. Nice. First off on our road trip. Yeah, exactly. All right. Well, you have a lovely evening and we'll just pick this up where we left off for next time. I love it. I can't wait. Amazing. Happy Strength of Our Noon. Yeah. See you.