Vanessa G Fitcast

Even coaches and therapists need support of their own and today's guest has become a ripple effect by prioritizing her health and wellness...

Today, we have a very special guest with us, Lainie Phelps.

Lainie is a therapist, and also a certified life coach. She works with families within inpatient substance abuse treatment.

Before she came to us, she cheered in college and ran a mini marathon a few years back and felt great, but then she “let herself go" which is why she came to VGFN. She felt bad all of the time: low energy, tired, unmotivated, and was snacking uncontrollably. 

She felt like she uses all her energy at work and then crashed at 2/3pm, so she didn’t even have energy to hang out with people anymore. She told me “I’m 25 years old but i feel like I’m 50” and was even crying often because of how bad she felt.

She had always struggled with being “the bigger girl.” She had lost a lot of weight fast in high school from doing 30 mins of cardio and 1200 calories every day, but she knew it wasn’t sustainable. She started working on eating more protein and running more before she came to VGFN, but she wasn’t seeing results. 

She tried some fad diets but they were miserable. She hadn’t worked with a coach or accountability partner before, but realized that she needs the help so that’s when she reached out to me 2 years ago.

Now Lainie is coming on the podcast because she wants to give back to people what she’s been given. 

She said, “Sometimes whenever I go to explain to people what I've experienced through VGFN, it's like they don't always fully understand it. And so I just want to be able to have that space and that opportunity to talk to other people and be like, there is this awesome thing that you can do. And I promise it's like going to be beneficial. I know what it's like to be the prospective client and be very skeptical because the get skinny, quick fixes are everywhere. It's all over TikTok and social media. There's all these new things. And it's so easy to fall victim to that. And so I think just being able to build that connection with women and saying, you don't have to live that way anymore. And so much more about your life can change.”

That's exactly what she did and we can't wait for you to hear our conversation!

Time Stamps:

(1:14) Our Guest Lainie

(2:44) Finding VGFN and Gaining Weight After College

(6:32) Learning to Put Yourself First

(14:08) Strategies Before and After VGFN

(17:04) Specific Changes to Nutrition

(21:44) Diving Deeper Into Hormone Health

(28:52) Advice for Women

(32:59) Where to Find Lainie

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Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

One of the biggest questions I get is “How do I know if I’m overeating or undereating?"

It’s especially common when you’re trying to figure it all out on your own and you’ve never worked with a good coach before.

I remember when I first started to learn about nutrition and the benefits of eating at maintenance calories for health and body recomposition, I wanted to eat at maintenance, so I calculated my estimated maintenance, but I constantly found myself doubting whether it was “right” for me.

It never felt consistent to me and sometimes I felt overly full, sometimes I felt more bloated, sometimes I felt hungry, and the list goes on. I would also hear from others what they were eating and drinking and wondered why I couldn't eat or drink the same amount.

I was never sure if I was overeating or underating, but I was more inclined to think I was overeating because although I wanted to experience the benefits of eating at maintenance, I had always restricted, and so I had a fear of gaining weight by actually just feeding myself appropriately.

We specialize in helping women who have been undereating either intentionally or accidentally, and now have a slow metabolism, hormonal imbalances, gut issues, and/or a restrictive mindset with food.

In this episode, we'll discuss the role of finding your maintenance calories, the amazing role maintenance plays in your health and nutrition (and why it should have a sexier name), how to know if you've been overeating or undereating, and more!

Time Stamps:

(1:14) Our ForeverFit Client Retreat

(4:17) Super Common Question I Get

(6:10) Maintenance Calories

(9:20) Getting Comfortable Underrating

(13:50) Defining Undereating and Overeating

(17:37) Rebranding Maintenance

(18:24) Storing Glycogen for Energy and Aesthetics

(26:34) Omar’s Experience with Training and Nutrition

(32:40) Where Are You on The Calorie Spectrum?

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

There's a fine line between testing your limits both physically and mentally and pushing past those limits into burnout and chronic exhaustion...

If you've followed my story, you know I've done both of these things and I'm still healing from the latter. It's really important to understand this concept and I could think of no better couple to bring onto the podcast to discuss this very topic!

Brian and Lindsey Pickowicz (who actually got married this past weekend!) join us on the show to discuss their story, business ventures with the up's and down's, and what they are currently doing at The Fitness Project and The Conquer the Day Podcast.

We talk specifically about doing the deep work, pivoting your identity and habits, mindset strategies for pushing yourself and knowing when to take the foot off the gas, and so much more!

Time Stamps:

(3:27) Brian’s Story and Upbringing

(5:35) Lindsey’s Story

(10:07) Realization About Bodybuilding

(12:40) The Deep Work

(16:22) Overcoming Identity Hurdles

(19:02) Mindset Strategies

(26:32) The Result of Pushing Yourself

(33:16) Knowing When to Push and When to Pull Back

(43:02) Final Thoughts

(46:22) Where to Find Brian and Lindsey

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Follow Brian on Instagram

Follow Lindsey on Instagram

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

If you're finally ready to ditch the all or nothing mindset and are ready to commit to finding freedom and balance in your life and health, look no further than today's episode...

 Our amazing client Audrey Giatras has been with VGFN for over a year now and it's night and day comparing when she came to us vs the woman she is now.

Before VGFN, she was running herself into the ground with pursuing 75 Hard, doing high intensity CrossFit, being a full time nurse, and barely eating 1600 calories a day. This is a recipe for disaster.

During her time with VGFN, we were able to raise her calories to 2300-2400 while helping her become more leaned and toned. 

She now has more energy for work and knows what to do now when she goes on vacation to indulge but not overdo it so she can fully enjoy her time.

Join us as we discuss Audrey's journey, her future plans, and what advice she has for you if you are in a similar situation!

Time Stamps:

(1:25) Our Client Audrey

(2:50) Audrey Before VGFN

(6:50) Fear Around Increasing Calories

(11:55) Showing Up At Work

(16:28) Education in the Healthcare Field

(19:30) Balancing Vacation and Staying On Track

(23:00) Defining True Balance

(25:25) What’s Next for Audrey

(30:03) Audrey’s Advice to You

(32:46) Where To Find Audrey

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Follow Audrey on Instagram

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Our bodies and brains are different during each phase of our cycle, so our food, exercise, and self-care should ideally be different each week, too.

If you’ve been living in a ‘same-thing-everyday’ way, you’re not alone. I used to believe in having the same routine every day. And it is definitely a widespread cultural belief, especially within “hustle culture”, that we are supposed to repeat the same rituals every 24 hours- have the same morning routine, exercise the same way each week at the same times, eat the same things…

I even used to preach and coach that way. But I have since then learned that this insistence on doing the same thing day-in and day-out only caters to the male hormonal biological rhythm. Men follow the same predictable pattern everyday: the 24-hour circadian rhythm clock.

Women’s menstrual cycles are on a different clock- the “Infradian Rhythm.” As opposed to the Circadian Rhythm, the internal clock in both men and women that creates hormonal shifts over the course of a 24 hour period that helps us toggle between sleep and wake… The Infradian Rhythm is unique to women’s bodies, and is a ~28 day internal clock.

Think of the circadian rhythm as the sun, and the infradian rhythm as the moon. Men are simply the sun, while women are complex moons.

But so much of what is put on as a society - how we work, how we show up day to day - was created based on a society where men did all the work. They could show up the same day after day. But obviously that isn’t the case anymore - women now account for more than half of the college-educated labor force in the United States, overtaking men, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data in 2023.

That’s why it’s so important and empowering as a woman to be in tune with your body and take steps towards better health! When you ditch the idea that you’re supposed to live the same every day, and you live in sync with your cycle, you can become the badass business women you want to be, you can actually show up as the mom, sister, friend you know you are, and you can look and feel your best.

In Part 2 of this 2 Part Series, we're going to dive into the application and tactics around how to cycle sync, looking at best practices when it comes to your fitness, nutrition, and self care in each of the 4 phases of your cycle. I'll also share what my plan is so you can hear some specific examples along with a cheat sheet opportunity for you!

Time Stamps:

(01:48) Strategizing Around Your Cycle

(08:50) Strategy Around Follicular Phase

(11:35) Strategy Around Ovulation Phase

(16:00) Strategy Around Luteal Phase

(21:52) Giving Yourself Grace During The Luteal Phase

(25:00) What I Want to Incorporate

(27:50) Cycle Sync Cheat Sheet

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Our bodies and brains are different during each phase of our cycle, so our food, exercise, and self-care should ideally be different each week, too.

If you’ve been living in a ‘same-thing-everyday’ way, you’re not alone. I used to believe in having the same routine every day. And it is definitely a widespread cultural belief, especially within “hustle culture”, that we are supposed to repeat the same rituals every 24 hours- have the same morning routine, exercise the same way each week at the same times, eat the same things…

I even used to preach and coach that way. But I have since then learned that this insistence on doing the same thing day-in and day-out only caters to the male hormonal biological rhythm. Men follow the same predictable pattern everyday: the 24-hour circadian rhythm clock.

Women’s menstrual cycles are on a different clock- the “Infradian Rhythm.” As opposed to the Circadian Rhythm, the internal clock in both men and women that creates hormonal shifts over the course of a 24 hour period that helps us toggle between sleep and wake… The Infradian Rhythm is unique to women’s bodies, and is a ~28 day internal clock.

Think of the circadian rhythm as the sun, and the infradian rhythm as the moon. Men are simply the sun, while women are complex moons.

But so much of what is put on as a society - how we work, how we show up day to day - was created based on a society where men did all the work. They could show up the same day after day. But obviously that isn’t the case anymore - women now account for more than half of the college-educated labor force in the United States, overtaking men, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data in 2023.

That’s why it’s so important and empowering as a woman to be in tune with your body and take steps towards better health! When you ditch the idea that you’re supposed to live the same every day, and you live in sync with your cycle, you can become the badass business women you want to be, you can actually show up as the mom, sister, friend you know you are, and you can look and feel your best.

In Part 1 of this 2 Part Series, I'm going to give you the real sex education class we should have had growing up. I'll explain each of the 4 cycles, define PMDD, and what we've been taught vs what's actually true. Stay tuned next week where we dive into the strategies and tactics for each phase of your cycle!

Time Stamps:

(1:00) Talking Cycle Syncing

(5:28) Explaining Our Cycle

(7:56) Cortisol is Higher in a Specific Phase

(9:55) Media on Busy Achievement Driven Women

(13:50) Omar’s Perspective

(20:00) Defining PMDD

(24:05) Cycle Syncing

(27:00) Overview of Each Phase

(30:30) Menstruation Phase

(31:05) Follicular Phase

(32:38) Ovulation Phase

(34:28) Luteal Phase

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I used to follow endless food rules…

Don’t eat after XYZ time of night...

Only eat whole foods, nothing processed...

Don’t eat ingredients you can’t pronounce… 

Don’t eat carbs outside of workouts…

 I think it’s because I like structure and rules simplify things in my brain. But rules also inherently lead to rule breaking, which leads to guilt, which leads to a cycle of guilt and shame around food.

In today's episode, I want to share some food guidelines that have changed my life that I learned from Geneen Roth.

Let me know which guideline you're going to implement this week!

Time Stamps:

(1:20) First Episode In The New Home!

(2:02) Having Our Own Office

(3:42) Be Organized

(5:32) Food Rules/Guidelines to Follow

(8:42) #1: Eat When You’re Hungry

(10:52) Why We Potentially Fear Hunger

(14:22) #2: Eat Sitting Down

(18:06) #3: Eat Without Distractions

(21:43) #4: Eat What Your Body Really Wants and Needs

(27:40) #5: Eat Till You’re Satisfied

(28:51) The Hunger Scale

(29:22) #6: Eat with Intention in Full View of Others

(32:14) #7: Eat with Enjoyment and Pleasure

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I used to think my body was simply a machine, and you just need to hit a few buttons to lose weight...

Hit the button for increasing calories burned by moving your booty; hit the button for decreasing calories in your pie hole.

AKA Calories In vs. Calories Out.

CICO is a law, and it is true. BUT our bodies are more like complex computers… there’s more to our programming than meets the eye.

To lose weight we need to dial in 3 things: Your diet - specifically how much calories you consume, your activity level - how much you move around each day to burn calories, and the 3rd piece of the weight loss puzzle is the one that most doctors, nutritionists, trainers, and people miss… 

The metabolism.

And I’m not talking about that thing that you believe you are born with and can’t change.

When people go on a diet or start an exercise program and they have #1 and #2 in place, but they don’t lose any weight, or maybe it moves a bit at first but then stalls out fast… this is often due to today's topic: metabolic damage.

We'll discuss who metabolic damage affects the most, signs and symptoms of metabolic damage, take you back in time to my middle school days for a useful analogy, and more!

Time Stamps:

(1:32) Goodbye Kitchen Recording Studio

(5:15) The 3 Dials to Weight Loss

(6:32) Your Metabolism

(8:24) Prospect Example

(10:12) Metabolic Damage

(14:56) Untreated Hormonal Issues

(17:52) Middle School Trombone Days

(24:55) Taking The Next Step With Us

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Coming off of birth control can be extremely intimating and cause lasting issues if done incorrectly...

Again, this isn't meant to scare you as we want what's best for you and your health. To best help in this situation, we thought we'd share our birth control stories and how we both went about coming off of birth control.

Joining me again is our Head Coach at VGFN Alex Long and we have very different stories about how we went on birth control, some issues we have with it, and how we came off of it.

This is meant to be an educational episode and a perspective episode and we remind you to consult your doctor before making any changes like this to your health.

Time Stamps:

(1:52) Different Experiences with Birth Control

(2:12) Vanessa’s Experience with the Pill

(4:08) Massive Ache and Pains

(5:59) Changing to an IUD

(7:19) More and More Anxiety

(13:02) Alex’s Observations for Vanessa’s Internal Health

(15:45) Alex’s Story

(22:07) Being Put on a Higher Dose

(26:52) Success Coming Off the Pill

(32:02) Taking Charge of Your Fertility

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

We are not anti-birth control… we want you to be educated on your options and the truth...

When we speak of birth control on this episode, we are specifically covering hormonal birth control. There are many forms of non-hormonal birth control methods including condoms, spermicide, and the Copper IUD. We want you to be informed about hormonal birth control specifically.

We have our head coach Alex Long back on the show to discuss this topic in depth! Alex has first hand knowledge herself coming off of birth control recently along with helping many of our navigate their birth control modalities as well.

In this episode, we discuss the process of ovulation so you have a baseline understanding of what's happening at a hormonal level, why so many women are prescribed birth control especially at a young age, potential symptoms of birth control, and more!

Time Stamps:

(1:32) Talking Birth Control

(5:02) The Birth Control Pill

(6:42) The Ovulation Process and Estrogen

(9:27) IUD vs Birth Control Pill

(13:40) Why Women Take Birth Control

(18:22) Symptoms of Birth Control

(21:42) We Don’t Want to Scare You

(24:17) Next Week’s Episode

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!