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After decades of dieting and trying to find ways to lose weight and keep it off, Brenda's journey is a testament to the power of persistence and the impact of a supportive community. Her experience with The Livy Method showcases a transformative approach to wellness that goes beyond mere dieting to a holistic lifestyle change. With each round of The Program, Brenda not only reshaped her own life but also inspired others to take charge of their health. Her story is a beacon of hope, demonstrating that with the right mindset and tools, lasting change is within reach when you do what you can, step by step.
You’re 67 years old and are down 126.2 lbs from following The Livy Method all while navigating various health issues. Let’s talk about your journey.
Brenda: Let's go right back to the very beginning. I'm 67. I remember joining Weight Watchers for the first time with my mother when I was 12. And it just went on from there. My mother was always on a diet. Her parents were always on a diet. Growing up, my sisters were all fair-haired and thinner - average weight and I was dark-haired and chubby. Tomboy part I figured out what that was later on. I have lost 50 to 80 pounds so many times over my life. I swear I've lost a thousand pounds by doing all the different things. The biggest one was again, because Weight Watchers was my go-to I worked for them. The biggest one was in 2002 and the four years preceding that, it took me four years. I lost 214 pounds. I really thought this was it, you know? Yeah. I've done it. It's not coming back, but it did. I didn't think until your program that I could do it again. I never thought I'd be able to do that again. I was done. And you know, with the pandemic, like everyone else, I was already big, but the pandemic just made everything worse. And the bigger I got, the less I could move. It's a vicious cycle. But here I am, proof that age doesn't matter, weight doesn't matter, arthritis doesn't matter, you know, that's what my partner was saying to me just before I came on, like, you're proof that all the old fallacies just are thrown out the window with this.
You mentioned you lost over 200 lbs before. What would you say is the difference this time?
B: First of all, my boss called me last October and said you got to try this. She knows my history. She's known me for 20 years. I was like sure, like everyone says, for $75 what do I have to lose? She kept telling me that this program is different. However, I think you can say that to people until you're blue in the face, but until you do it for yourself.
I never thought I would lose my cravings for desserts and sweet stuff, or bread. Bread is my favourite food or excuse me, was my favourite food. I'm not going to say I don't think about having anything sweet. My baking sister shows up for Sibling's Day in November in a couple of weeks and brings squares. I'm not gonna say no, but again, it'll be a one-meal thing and then back to normal. It's the fact that the cravings are gone. I'm eating things that I haven't eaten in 27 years. I amaze my partner because she loves vegetables. She could survive on them. And she's like, “Want to try Brussels Sprouts?” And now I'm eating Brussels Sprouts and cauliflower. I was a potatoes and a corn and carrot girl before. That was it.
The difference with this is that it's not about depriving yourself. I've never eaten so many times and I don't miss any of the things, you know?
"IF THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN'T DO, JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN. IT MIGHT MAKE IT A BIT SLOWER, BUT PROBABLY NOT. IT CERTAINLY HASN'T SLOWED ME DOWN."
You’re four groups in. In your first group, you lost 56 pounds and then you plateaued for six weeks. What kept you coming back?
B: I kept coming back because I could hear your voice resonating in my head saying, “You lost 56 pounds in 10 weeks or so, your body needs to catch up!” I also started noticing some physical changes. I had to lose 50 or 60 pounds to notice it in my clothes. My clothes got loose, but I wasn't changing size yet. If you're wearing a 5X, it doesn't work that way that every 10 pounds is a size, not like when you're a size 10.
During my plateau, I could tell that my body was changing. I felt like I wasn't losing weight and it didn't show on the scale, but I felt smaller. And because it's hard to take measurements of me cause I can't stand up straight and stuff like that. In my first program, I couldn't weigh myself all of the time. I only did it periodically, not cause I didn't want to, but because physically it was too painful to get on and off the scale.
Now, it's a piece of cake!
A lot of people want to lose weight to fit into their favourite jeans or bikini. Your why for losing weight was to be able to move more comfortably. Let’s talk about that.
B: For the last 3 years, the only reason I ever left the house was to go to the doctor. Got my vaccines and cataract surgery twice at the beginning of the pandemic and this year. Just a little while ago we went out just to have an ear check, but we did go to the Dairy Queen, so that was exciting. We could stop somewhere.
I want to be able to drive again. Two of my sisters live an hour away and they come here all the time. But I wanna go there. I wanna see my niece's new house, that kind of thing. I want to be able to go out to a restaurant. My partner and I are homebodies anyway, it's not like I'm going to go anywhere a lot but it would be nice once in a while to, if I want the option, let's put it that way.
"HERE I AM, PROOF THAT AGE DOESN'T MATTER, WEIGHT DOESN'T MATTER, ARTHRITIS DOESN'T MATTER, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT MY PARTNER WAS SAYING TO ME JUST BEFORE I CAME ON, LIKE, YOU'RE PROOF THAT ALL THE OLD FALLACIES JUST ARE THROWN OUT THE WINDOW WITH THIS."
What's making you believe that this is going to be it for you?
B: First of all, it changes your whole relationship with food. We lost one of our fur babies in August and it was about three days later and I said to Sandy, we didn't eat anything unhealthy. It didn't even cross our minds. Normally that would have been a good reason to order pizza that night and then the next day we probably would have got Chinese food and chocolate cake and hell knows what. Now if we choose to indulge, it’s mindfully, like at Thanksgiving, it's a meal. We had a full-roast beef dinner. We had Yorkshire pudding. We had pumpkin pie. I think I was up maybe a pound the next day, which was of course gone the day after that. On Sandy's birthday, the long weekend in August, she drove to Hamilton to get donuts that we loved. And after eating them we decided “#notworthit!” We ate them and went, well, that was disappointing. I don't want doughnuts anymore. I still have a sweet tooth, so I'll have something periodically. But now I just feel it's not worth it. What we are eating has really changed.
I can't see it going back to the way it was because this makes you realize how crappy you felt eating that crap. I don't want to have pizza every night and pasta. I think I had a little bit of pasta salad once when someone brought it here. And again, afterwards, we both said, “I don't feel good.”
Your partner Sandy also started following The Livy Method. What was her experience like?
B: My partner, Sandy started when I did the second round and she lost 41 pounds in her first round. She's now down 45, however, she's already adjusted her goal three times. The best thing is, and she double-checked for me this morning, she's an insulin diabetic. And in January, or whenever it was, when she started following the program, she was having 33 units of insulin a day. Within 20 days, she had cut that down by 10. As of this morning, she has halved it. Her blood sugars have gone from I mean, whatever they're in the fives and her resting blood sugar is lower than mine and I'm not diabetic.
What's your favourite thing about the program?
B: I love the interaction. I love getting to know all the members and I like encouraging other people. It's just an amazing group, it's an amazing community, from you to your staff, to the members, there's just no place like it.
I don't think that's something you can make people understand. They have to experience it. Yesterday morning I was woken up at seven o'clock because my little Livy Loser group chat started texting.. They were all saying “We're reading your bio!” I texted my boss and said, “Thank God I'm off today because all I've done is read those damn comments and keep bawling!”
"I CAN'T SEE IT GOING BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BECAUSE THIS MAKES YOU REALIZE HOW CRAPPY YOU FELT EATING THAT CRAP."
What are your tips for success?
B: First of all, listen to Gina! She knows what she's talking about. And if she says, “Do the thing”, just do the thing. If there are certain things you can't do, just do what you can. It might make it a bit slower, but probably not. It certainly hasn't slowed me down. The other thing I would suggest is to do the program the way it works for you. My partner Sandy almost does it through osmosis. She’s a member of this group, she'll join the next group and she's going to try and like participate more. Right now she asks me what we are doing each week and that works for her.
I highly recommend listening to the lives. I also recommend, participating in the group. I love it! But that being said I know it's not for everybody. The program will work if you work the program and work it the way it works for you!
And, Just for Fun...
Which everyday routine are you better off with today than a year ago?
B: Everything! I’m able to move so much better, spend more time in the kitchen and have gone out a few times.
Describe what it means to be a Livy Loser in three words.
B: Being a Livy Loser to me means Community, Support and Lives!
What was your favourite thing to eat while following the program?
B: My favourite thing to eat is Greek yogurt with hemp hearts, nut butter and blueberries.
