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Hannah: Welcome to Happily Ever After the podcast where we talk about life's big stories from break-ups and breakdowns to icky secrets and happy endings. It's the stuff that makes us human. I'm your host, Hannah Harvey. I'm a writer and a parenting blogger at Mums' Days dot com. That's M.U.M.S.D.A.Y.S dot com. I'd be really grateful if you could subscribe and leave a review because it basically means more people can find the podcast. And I also really love hearing from you, so please do contact me through Instagram @Mumsdays with any of your stories really and you know how you relate to the episode or even questions that you may want answering. You can find all the details from this episode in the show notes.
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Hannah: Hello and welcome to Happily Ever After with me, Hannah. And today I've got my girl back. It's Josie's in the house.
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Josie: Hi, everyone.
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Hannah: Well, I brought Josie back because she's been helping with my food.
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Josie: Yes, that I have. The task it is.
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Hannah: Have you not? The task that is. So a very quick background to my situation was I was managing my weight in a not especially healthy way, should we say Josie.
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Josie: Yeah.
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Hannah: So it was along the lines of very restrictive and then eating a lot all at once when I couldn't restrict anymore because. Yeah. So I said to Josie a little while ago, it was actually after I'd started getting in the sea. So it wasn't that long ago.
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Josie: No, not that long ago.
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Hannah: I was like, I need your help because. This just isn't sustainable. And I feel like I'm constantly on a roller coaster of trying to manage.
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Josie: The sort of damage you were doing?
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: Yeah. It was like you were damage control in Monday to Thursday and then damage in Friday. Saturday, Sunday.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: Or in a roundabout way, that sort of routine, which I think is quite actually a common pattern.
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Hannah: Yeah. I think it definitely is. I probably learnt it from like back in my 20s or something, but that whole um. Kind of half managing it. But I think the emotional side of eating like that is it just affects your brain massively. And there's all the cortisol that runs around if you're not eating properly and all that kind of stress hormones. So Josie, alongside the stuff that you do, you support people in nutrition and obviously at some point you were not. The hot babe that you are were you were a hot babe, don't get me wrong. But you were not ripped.
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Josie: Yes. So...
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Hannah: What's your story?
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Josie: But the way that I work in with my clients is, like I said, I think the last time I was on, I'll never get that in-depth with someone, as in I'll never be I'll never give people like really strict nutrition until they have managed to kind of get to the point where they're consistent with the training, they're consistent with the sleep and they're drinking, a good level of water. Because if you see someone who sacks off the gym every time that they're tired or or kind of has like a bad, healthy lifestyle in other habits, then going, okay, you're really stressed. You hardly have enough time to exercise or do anything that makes you feel good. So now when you eat chocolate and that is the little thing that you have left in your life that makes you feel better, I'm going to take that off you as well. It's just not going to work and it's not going to be helpful. So with clients, it tends to be maybe the second or third transformation group that people do with me. Or in your case, like once I've been in them for a while and they're really consistent with the training and they're getting to the point where they want a bit more. Like I felt like that's where you were at. Like you're showing up, you're enjoying the sessions, you're giving them your all, you're getting your steps in. You were super committed to like being active outside of the gym as well. So it was like you would started to transform your lifestyle now as well.
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Hannah: Yeah, like setting the habits and the foundations were there.
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Josie: Yeah. And so kind of you were at the point where what was almost affecting you was your unhealthy relationship with food. In that you were when you were emotional, you would binge. And you were. And I mean, hands up. I still do it now like it is. It's completely. You deal with things how you have to deal with them. But being aware of the problem is how we work to improve over time.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: So just being aware of the fact that, okay, Monday to Friday, I find it really easy to control what I eat. But then come the weekend when I'm alone and I don't have my kids, for example, or in my case, when I don't have work in the structure that I'm used to. I then eat the whole wide world and then I feel like shit. So then I do it again on the Saturday after I've recovered. And you go through this like it's all about, um, like your blood sugar levels, and it just becomes a really bad cycle when you binge to then be able to get yourself out of it. And then on the Monday you feel guilty for everything that you've eaten. So then you starve yourself till the next Friday, then you do it again.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: So what it is, is you've got to people, clients. Every single time I work out a client calories for them, they'll go, Oh my God, that's way too many. Which was that your reaction?
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Hannah: Totally. Like, I've never eaten more than I have since I've started this plan.
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Josie: However, if you actually looked at and this is especially true, not so much in your case, but in people who drink alcohol as well. If you look at the amount of calories you consume Monday to Friday, but then add on the extra calories consumed over the weekend, then divide that by seven. What I'm giving you to eat per day, even though you think there's loads of calories is probably a lot less. Yeah, because we've took away this this need to binge on the weekend and we've evenly spread it out over the week and still reduced it a little bit. So you're in a calorie deficit so you're going to lose weight but your body's not going to be almost starved Monday to Thursday and then be like, what the fuck's going on on Friday through Sunday? Because it's gone from being hungry all week to having way too much of everything.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: So it's all about finding that balance.
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Hannah: Yeah, and that's the thing I think I was really craving. I was like, I am sick of the emotional roller coaster that is connected with food. It's like moving. I guess it's like a mindset shift of like. This thing is not going to solve my problems. So how can I? I guess, manage it in a way so that my body gets exactly what it needs and then I don't get to the weekend and feel the need to binge. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's been days where I've been like, Josie.
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Josie: Yeah, you messaged me. What was it? And you were like, Right, I'm going to the Indians. Do you remember? And you were like, What can I have?
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Hannah: I was actually all right that time, and I ended up just going for something quite easy a tandoori. But there were other times where I'm like, I've just had some really bad news and I've eaten a cream cake.
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Josie: Or I haven't got the kids.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: And I'm like a bit lonely and what do I do? But having a plan like me saying like, Right, this is because I know I've used the term calorie deficit and setting people calories. But the main focus for your nutrition and is for most of my clients is the macros that they're eating. So there's millions of different diets and you can Google it and there's fasting and there's keto, there's all sorts of. Of different diets you can follow. The majority of them are just different ways that you restrict calories, because ultimately, if what you put in is more than what you expend, you're not going to get any. Your body fat is not going to reduce. I don't want to use the term. Skinnier or lighter or because I am, I look physically better, as in I look stronger, I hold more muscle mass. But I haven't lost weight because I'm gaining muscle. I've lost body fat, but I still weigh the same as what I did three months ago. But my body composition has changed, so it's trying to break free from that. I want to lose weight mentality that I think a lot of, especially like my mam's generation have. Like I, honestly, could scream at the amount of times I see that woman having toast with jam on for breakfast. And she goes, Well, this is less than what you're eating. And I'm like, Yes, but the fuel that that food contains is not going to fuel you in the way that my 600 calorie breakfast is going to fuel me up until lunchtime. And I bet you'll snack on shit while you're sat there.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: So it's and this is where my mentality has got a lot healthier with eating. It's looking at food as fuel for well, for me, for performance, for you just to get you through like the day of running around and being an active like mam. Do you know what I mean? So for me now, my mentality is a lot healthier because I'm not looking at food as, okay, I know I need this many calories to maintain my current weight and I want to be this much skinnier for my holiday. So I'm going to eat this many less calories and I'm not going to go over that because at one point that was how my brain worked.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: And I was lighter then, but I didn't look as good and I was nowhere near as strong as what I am now. So now I look at food as fuel. To get me to perform better as an athlete?
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: Athlete being a loose term.
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Hannah: Oh, you are definitely an athlete, Josie. But I think that I think you're totally right, because what we changed was making sure I ate a lot more protein. And. Yeah, I was kind of relying on fat and caffeine and not eating much of anything else to get me through because it was fully keto.
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Josie: I'll have a double espresso and an avocado.
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Hannah: Exactly. That was basically it, babes.
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Josie: Yeah, It wasn't far off to be honest.
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Hannah: Coffee and cream.
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Josie: Yeah. Oh, God. When you used to order cream in your coffee, I used to cringe. But yeah, because to me, cream is unnecessary calories on fat and dairy, which I can't really have very much dairy because it just does not agree with my stomach, if you know what I mean.
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Hannah: I do very well.
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Josie: I could. Yeah. Oh that's not good in that, um. That I could. You could be using those 100 calories that you've just wasted on, on whatever, on cream or butter or whatever to put into protein that's going to make you feel fuller for longer.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Hannah: Because it's all about if the blood sugar spikes, it's going to drop, then you're going to feel cravings again. So it's being really sensible and it is hard to do when you're busy and you're rushed. But what I have found is on the days where I don't prioritise what I'm going to eat. I'm not looking after myself. And it's like an almost a self sabotage thing sometimes. Sometimes it's just genuinely I'm that busy. But like make time on the Sunday to prep for the Monday. Like, use that. Find time somewhere. You will have it somewhere. Just stop watching the telly on an evening and use that time to make yourself a protein protein oats tub for breakfast. Do you know what I mean?
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Hannah: Yeah. Just something to set you up for the day.
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Josie: Something to set you up for the day. Like you can. You can buy these days. There's so many healthy places that you can eat that have the macros on that. You know, you can easily fuel your body in the right way. Yeah, it's like. It's having enough respect for yourself to take that time to look after yourself.
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Hannah: Yeah. And knowing that you are going to be busy during the week. So you've got to make time for this kind of thing.
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Josie: Prep for it. Yeah.
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Hannah: But what I was going to say is that I've maybe lost a little bit, but what I've noticed is that I feel mentally I feel much more just awake from eating like this. I'm much more enthusiastic and I'm like out walking all the time. Last week when I broke my car, I was doing like 30,000 steps a day.
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Josie: And you felt all right? Like you didn't feel..
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Hannah: I felt completely fine and really good. And and I feel like just things like obviously we're working on, like, different things, but I feel like my arms feel better and like. Like you say, the muscle composition feels different. And I can tell in my clothes that like, my body is smaller in it, even though I'm not. I haven't lost weight as such.
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Josie: Yeah.
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Hannah: So it's things like that that I think makes such a massive difference when you start paying attention to the right things and not just being like, I need to be lighter.
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Josie: Yeah, yeah. People need to move away from that focus, especially in older women as as you get closer to the dreaded word, menopause. It is so, so important. The more muscle mass you carry, the whole easier that process is for you.
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Hannah: Really?
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Josie: Yeah. And. People always ask us about supplements and stuff. The only supplement that I like religiously will take is creatine.
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Hannah: I've started taking that.
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Josie: Well done.
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Hannah: I've added it to my protein shake.
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Josie: It is the only supplement that there's like solid research out there to prove and that it actually does help with... helps the body to build muscle mass and maintain it. I believe don't quote me on this, but I did a load of of work on it in uni actually, funnily enough. And, and it is like the only supplement out there that is like 100% good crack. That's not an official, it's not official terminology, but yeah, take creatine.
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Hannah: That's what they put in research papers.
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Josie: Yeah.
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Hannah: This is good crack.
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Hannah: If you have an article or something that we can read. Yeah.
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Josie: Do you know what? I'll find you a good article. Something that's creatine that relates to creatine and menopause. Because I know that there's a massive link there.
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Hannah: Oh, that's cool. And that helps you build muscle. That's what creatine does?
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Josie: Yeah. It helps aid the process of it. I believe.
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Hannah: We'll link in the show notes to something that's really good crack.
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Josie: I'll figure it out. Yeah, I should have researched this before I sat down. Really.
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Josie: I do apologise.
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Hannah: We know what you're saying and we'll link to it, so it's fine. So. Would you mind giving us like a couple of top tips that you would say for busy mums if they're trying to like just take control of their nutrition a bit more?
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Josie: Um, high protein snacks. So, um. If you're in a rush. Yoghurt pouches.
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Hannah: Oh they're great.
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Josie: Yoghurt pouches are great. Protein bars? Yes, they're a chocolate bar, technically, but the low sugar. The low fat. The high protein. Ideally, use them as a bit of a treat. Like if your kids are eating ice cream or cake at the beach. Take a protein bar in your bag so that you then don't feel like you're missing out. And the number one reason why I bet that your diet it will break down or you'll binge or whatever. Sleep deprivation.
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Hannah: Yes.
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Josie: Prioritise your sleep. Go to bed when your kids go to bed. Get up when they get up. Like stop putting pressure on yourself to get up and clean the house on the weekend before they're awake. It does not matter.
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Hannah: They're only going to mess it up.
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Josie: Exactly. They're just going to mess it up again, the little bastards. So leave the house a mess and prioritise your sleep.
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Hannah: Oh, I love that. Because there's so many times that I speak to people and they're just not. I think as well when you're especially like single moms and stuff, it's like, Oh, I've been mothering all day and I need to have a bit of time to myself. But I think that the thing that drastically changed for me is when I finally went, Do you know what? The only thing that is going to make me feel better tomorrow is if I get enough sleep. Me staying up to watch a bit of Love Island or something is absolutely not going to make me feel better.
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Josie: Absolutely not Hannah.
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Hannah: Why, of all the things topic did I choose that? It's because it's on at the moment. I'm sorry, Josie.
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Josie: We're giving that show no fucking air time on here.
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Hannah: What? Do you want me to rerecord that?
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Josie: Yeah, let's redo the whole podcast because of that.
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Hannah: No, I meant the last bit. Oh.
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Hannah: Cool. That's amazing. Thanks so much, Josie, and.
00:17:17 - 00:17:19
Hannah: Thanks for having me. Yet again.
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Hannah: Keep checking in with me and my nutrition, but I feel like I've got it.
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Josie: Oh, you've got it under control. I will keep checking in.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Josie: Just random days I get you to send me your macros. Yeah. So, you know, I'm always watching.
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Hannah: Spot check.
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Josie: Yeah. I'll be like the ofsted of macros.
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Hannah: Nice.
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Josie: Oh, yeah. I like that.
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Hannah: I think you need to call your new podcast that. Lovely. Thanks so much, Josie.
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Josie: Thank you.
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Hannah: All right, then. Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you again next time for another episode of Happily Ever After with me, Hannah. It would be amazing if you could leave a review and subscribe. And of course, if you've got a friend who might enjoy this episode, please do pass it on for anything else. You can get in touch with me through Instagram @Mumsdays or by my website Mumsdays.com. And did you know that I've got a newsletter? So it's the best way to stay in touch and to make sure you don't miss any podcasts or any freebies or competitions that we're running. And again, you can sign up to that through the website.
