July 16, 2025 • 46 mins
Midlife weight gain feels like it sneaks up on us—and suddenly what used to work, doesn’t. In this episode, we sit down with our brilliant friend and fitness expert, Dena Pistor, for a no-BS conversation about what it actually takes to manage weight and feel better in perimenopause and beyond. Whether you're frustrated by belly fat that seems to appear overnight, curious about the truth behind diet shots, or just feeling stuck with your health goals, this is the conversation you need.
We talk openly (and laugh a lot) about shifting hormones, genetic set points, unrealistic fitness expectations, and why those "quick fix" diets rarely work long term. Dena brings not only her expertise, but her realness—and reminds us what sustainable, holistic health looks like at this stage of life. Spoiler alert: it’s not about being perfect, it’s about finding what’s possible for you.
Episode Highlights:
[0:02] - Welcoming Dena Pistor and kicking off our midlife weight loss deep dive
[1:51] - The “middle” shows up—belly fat, shifting hormones, and midlife body changes
[4:35] - Dena explains the science of menopause weight gain and the high-estrogen effect
[5:28] - Why slow weight loss might be more sustainable—and when it isn’t
[9:34] - The critical role of sleep, stress, and daily activity in weight management
[13:27] - “Fit and healthy is a third job”—real talk about time, priorities, and working out
[17:33] - Hydration hacks and why water matters more than you think
[18:28] - Letting go of the scale obsession and learning to trust your clothes
[23:39] - Skipping meals and skimping on protein? Why that’s sabotaging your success
[27:09] - “Stop eating selfishly”—rethinking food as fuel, not just pleasure
[30:26] - Mediterranean diet love and the power of eating real, satisfying food
[33:33] - European food habits vs. U.S. food culture—what we’re up against
[36:56] - Gut health, sugar cravings, and stress eating cycles
[37:59] - Diet shots like Zepbound—Dena’s evolving perspective and what to watch for
[43:40] - Holistic health is the real goal—not shortcuts, but a sustainable lifestyle
[44:50] - Final reflections on grace, effort, and why this journey is worth it
If today's discussion resonated with you or sparked curiosity, please rate, follow, and share "Insights from the Couch" with others. Your support helps us reach more people and continue providing valuable insights. Here’s to finding our purposes and living a life full of meaning and joy. Stay tuned for more!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Colette Fehr (00:00):
Foreign Welcome to insights from the
(00:02):
couch, where real conversationsmeet real life at midlife, where
Colette and Laura, twotherapists and best friends
walking through the journeyright alongside you, whether
you're feeling stuck, restlessor just unsure of what comes
next. This is the space forhonest conversations, messy
truths and meaningful change.
(00:24):
And if you find yourself noddingalong, don't forget to join our
free community, the chat atinsights from the couch.org
that's where we keep theconversation going, and where
women like you and us arefinding clarity, momentum and
real connection. So let's divein. We have a very special guest
today, our good friend andfitness guru and health and
(00:48):
wellness genius extraordinaire,Dena block pister, who has her
own studio DP Fitness here inFlorida, and is also a professor
of health and wellness atRollins College, also here in
Florida. Dina, welcome back toinsights from the couch. We
cannot wait to dig into hackingweight loss at midlife. With you
(01:09):
today,
Dena Pistor (01:11):
I am so psyched to be back with you two podcast
gurus. That was quite the nicelittle introduction there. But
again, I'm honored to be back onwith both of you.
Laura Bowman (01:25):
Yay. I'm so glad to be talking about this,
because it's starting to, like,really hit me that, like, when
they talk about how when you getperimenopausal and menopausal,
like, there's like, this middlething happening. And I always
thought, like, Ha, that doesn'tapply to me, because, like, I
run and I walk and it'll nevercatch me, and I feel like it's
(01:48):
catching me all of a sudden,
Dena Pistor (01:51):
there's something that just happens, right? You're
going on that happens so much,happens so much, and it's super
frustrating for so many womenwho try so hard, right? They're
doing everything right, and allof a sudden they hit mid 40s and
50s, and then you're talkingabout the waking and the in your
(02:14):
midsection, right? Is that whatyou're talking about? Yeah, all
that stuff that startshappening. You know, I feel like
now the word menopause andtalking about it is become so
the norm where, you know, 510,years ago, even a couple years
ago, it wasn't. I have clientsnow coming in and actually talk
say, I think this isperimenopause. I think this is
(02:36):
menopause. I've been doing thisfor 24 years, and that's never
been a thing. It's just, Oh, Ifeel gross on, you know, tired
on this, on that. So I do think,in a positive way, that we're
finding out a little bit moreabout what the why when we get
to be this age.
Colette Fehr (02:54):
Yeah, I do too. I think there's a huge shift. I
mean, it's become a running jokehow I attribute all things to
perimenopause and menopause,it's all I talk about. But it's
just occurring to me as we diveinto this topic, that I'm
sitting here with you two SkinnyBitches, and I'm gonna have to,
like, hold down the camp forwomen who really maybe don't
(03:15):
have it always under control. OrI know we all struggle at a
relative point, but there istruth that whatever your
fitness, current fitness stateis, or weight loss situation,
the fat starts to redistributeas the hormones change. And it's
interesting for me, because I'ma pear shape and I've struggled
(03:38):
with weight my whole life. Myweight has fluctuated my whole
life. Nobody knows how to loseweight better, I just want to
say this, than somebody whostruggles with their weight. I
have lost weight throughdiscipline. Will torture you,
fucking name it, and I'm notkidding like nobody's business.
I mean, I can't even tell youhow good I am at losing weight.
(04:01):
What has remained elusive iskeeping weight off genetic set
point. I want to talk about thata little. But also, as with
respect to perimenopause andmenopause, what I've noticed is,
as a pear shaped woman, I neverhave held fat in my stomach
until this phase of life. I'vealways gotten fat like on my
thighs like saddlebags in myhips, but I usually used to not
(04:26):
really have much. Now that's theprimary place I'm noticing fat
depositing so Dina, do you heara lot of women talking about
that, and
Dena Pistor (04:35):
everyone, everyone, and you know, when we go through
menopause, high estrogen, right?
Causes weight gain in just thoseareas that you're talking about,
and stress. So let me just backup so we have all this stuff
happening in our body, right,the menopause, the getting
older, but if we can break itdown to more reasons as. The the
(04:57):
why I always like to talk about,you know, eight to 10 Things
Women in their 40s or 50s shouldbe doing, right? So let's wait.
Put those out there. Can't wait.
So, um, hit us. Number one.
Number one for me, okay, this ismy not everyone might not agree
with me. I take a very differentapproach when a client comes in
(05:18):
and wants to lose weight. Thisis not a race. This is going to
take a long time. And I talkedabout this on your last podcast.
I live to the 111,rule 222, rule, whatever. 333,
rule, what you choose to do tolose weight, slash, become
healthy. Can you do it in threeweeks, three months and from
(05:38):
three years from now, can you bedoing that? If the answer is
yes, we're good to go. Allright, if you are, you know,
trying some crazy diet whereyou're, you know, eliminating
carbs and this, and that is thatrealistic? No, okay, so right
there. But most people don'twant to. They want the quick
(05:59):
fix, right? We live in a countrywhere we want it quick, and we
want it now, and nobody wants towait. But my thought process is,
the longer it takes to come off,the longer it stays off, the
quicker off, the quicker backon. Is that really? Can I just
ask you? Is that really true?
(06:19):
And the only reason I say thatis that that has not proven out.
For me, I hear experts say thatall the time, like, is that
something that's definitivelyproven by science? Well, if you
think of it, if you're losingweight quickly, okay, how are
you doing? Most people aredecreasing carbs, so you're
(06:41):
losing water weight, right? Orrestricting your caloric intake.
So is that able to besustainable long term? Probably
not. Okay. So for most people,whenever I see them lose weight
very quickly, I do see it comeback on pretty quickly. Okay?
For the most part, I'm surethere's, you know, if that that
(07:03):
works and it doesn't happen foryou. Well, what I'm speaking
from the place of, like, I'velost weight slowly at times, and
it just and I think part of itis, and there are other women
out there, like me, that thereis a real thing with these with
genetics and, like your setpoint. So once you hit a certain
(07:23):
weight, your body wants to getback there. And also my body
doesn't want to be skinny, youknow, like I was born to breed,
and if you I was I, if I livedin a different generation, I
would have had 14 kids, justlike my grandparents. Well,
that's my great grandmother wasone of 14. I got my period at
11. I had boobs at 11, and hips.
Those things go with the type offemale body that holds onto fat,
(07:48):
even at a younger age. So, youknow, that's part of it I'm
always up against, like thealgorithm, right? The genetic
algorithm. You missed yourcalling, Colette, you did your
body, you know, is main purposeis to protect you, right? So
that's what you have to think ofit. And it's smart, okay? And it
(08:09):
knows what it's doing. And whenyou say the genetic set point
there is that, right? It there'sa set point. It's, you know, I
like to say it your body'shomeostasis, where it's happy,
it's okay. I can do this, thatand the other at this weight.
When you try to go against that,okay, it does not like it. Why?
Because it can't keep you fromgetting sick. It can't give you
(08:30):
the energy that it needs. And ifyou think of it as a machine,
which it is okay, you have togive it the fuel. And it's happy
at a certain area, okay? And alot of people try to do things
to go past that. And most of thetime, if you ask people, you
know, what is your normalweight, most people can come in
and say, it's roughly betweenthis and this, okay, right? So
(08:53):
trying to get 10 pounds, 15pounds lighter than that, the
body is not going to be okaywith that, and it will fight you
to get back to where it wants tobe. It will. And I think that
explains, then the variance ofwhat you're talking about,
where, even when I lose weight,slowly, it comes back right
away, because my body, my body'shappy at a place that I'm not
(09:15):
happy. And
Laura Bowman (09:19):
does that set point shift upward as we age,
like, if I'm like, nor if like134 is like my sweet spot. Am I
looking at like 144 for thenext, you know, and or can I get
back?
Dena Pistor (09:34):
I hate to say yes, because everything is
individualized per the person.
So when I have a client that youknow is starting new with me,
there's a variety of questionsthat I ask them from the get go.
Most of them are not do youexercise and what do you eat? We
start with number one, how muchsleep are you getting? Okay,
because if someone is notsleeping, it's not going to
(09:55):
work. Sleep is at the top of thefood chain. When. You don't
sleep, you don't think, well,you're cranky, you're arable
which makes you crave high fat,high carbohydrate foods.
Cortisol is released, right?
Which does make you crave highfat, high carbohydrate foods. So
(10:15):
for me, we look at sleep, welook at what do you do for a
living. Okay? Do you have a jobwhere you're sedentary? You have
a job where you're up and movingaround? The average person does
not get 10,000 steps a day thatthey say you should get.
Colette Fehr (10:32):
If I work, I get like, two steps. I mean, I'm in
my chair all day, literally,like, that's the worst. It's the
worst. It's
Dena Pistor (10:39):
honestly not fair to put that sort of stipulation
on people. I am active, and it'shard for me dates some days that
I don't run, right, to get, youknow, 5000 steps. So to tell the
average person to get 10,000steps is, is not, I mean,
applicable, right? So for me, aslong as you're doing something
(11:03):
is better than nothing. Okay? SoI get frustrated with the Go big
or go home seven days a week.
No, okay. We are all workingwomen, most of us have kids, and
to be sit and healthy is a thirdjob. If you have a job, if you
have kids, yeah, you know it is,it's it's it's worth Thank
Colette Fehr (11:20):
you for saying that it is a lot of time, and
it's not realistic thateveryone, Laura and I were at a
function last night, and thiswoman was saying, how, you know,
it's six days a week for herthese hour long workouts, and
she's in great shape. I'm nottrying to put her down. That's
amazing, but I just wasthinking, like, this is part of
her life, good for her. There'sjust no way I that's not going
(11:43):
to be me. It
Dena Pistor (11:44):
is not plausible. I mean, I do it six days a week,
but I do it at 333 but I alsoget up at 330 in the morning to
get on the channel, really, yes,I have when I start work at 530
that's the only time I can doit. Okay?
Unknown (12:02):
Sometimes you go to bed. Well, now it's really a 45
but
Dena Pistor (12:07):
I'm not saying that to be like, Oh, wow. Look at me.
What I'm saying is when peoplesay, Oh, wow. You know, you do
this. Yeah, I'm up three hoursbefore when you're still in bed.
Okay, so it is work, it is hard,it is not fun. I'm just putting
it out there. You know, I have aclient who they can work out
three hours a day at the gym.
Well, great for you. I mean,that's not reality for it's not
(12:29):
everyone. That's not everyoneyou know, 99% of the population,
Colette Fehr (12:35):
right? And I'm up at the crack of dawn, but like,
I have other things right now,at this phase of life I'm
writing and taking care of the10,000 other jobs I have. That's
not my main job that puts paysmy bills. So it's, I'm not
saying I can't work out, becauseI do believe anything that's a
priority, there's time to fit itin. I learned that from Oprah 25
years ago. Thank you, Oprah,right when she said, like you, I
(12:59):
get up earlier if I if I'm goingto do it, I have to do it. I'm
not at a place where I'm willingto get up at 330 because, to
your point about sleep, I knowI've got to juggle all these
different pieces, and I'm not agreat sleeper. Sleep doesn't
come easily, and I know that hasto be more the priority, even
than the other pieces, because Ican't do my job if I'm not well
(13:22):
rested, not to mention it's nothealthy for me. So it's, it's a
juggling of priorities.
Dena Pistor (13:27):
It is and, you know, like everyone chooses to
be on there, I always say, youknow, how long are you on your
phone, right? A day where youcould be out doing something? I
mean, it's just choosing. It'shard work. And most people, not
all, but most people, they don'twant to be uncomfortable, right?
And the uncomfortable is gettingup a little bit earlier. You
(13:50):
know, eating going out, eatingstuff that you might not
necessarily want but your bodyneeds. It's uncomfortable to do
that, but it's what in myexperience, at some point in our
life, and we're there, right?
We're not in our 20s and early20s and teens where we could go
and eat, you know, cookies andbe fine. It's all changing, and
(14:12):
it we're not,
Laura Bowman (14:15):
I know. I know this is the hard part for me.
Colette Fehr (14:21):
I know I used to do the cookie diet. I used to
eat a huge Barney's cookie allday. I mean, I used to be so
unhealthy in college, I lived ondrive through daiquiri and like,
three French fries and a pack ofcigarettes, and I would weigh
105 pounds. And think I waslike, the most powerful person
in the universe. And I, not onlydo I not want to put myself
(14:43):
through that anymore, but itwouldn't even work. Not to
mention, it's so unhealthy, andit was unhealthy then. So you're
really Dina, it sounds likeyou're saying too. First of all,
sleep is important, but also itis. There are some basic
fundamental things, maybethey're not super sexy, but that
we. Got to do if we want to besuccessful, and let's factor in
(15:03):
genetics. That's going to look alittle different for everyone.
There are people who are notgoing to look like you no matter
what they do. Everyone wants tolook like you, maybe, but
they're not going to. We've allgot to be realistic like you're
right in that I'm not doing someof the things that I could do
that would help me. And are wewilling to make those choices?
(15:28):
That's a hard question. And thenmaybe, can you go through some
of these like, you know, youmentioned the eight things,
like, what are these things weshould all be doing, but sleep,
Laura Bowman (15:36):
our job, our exercise, how much we miss? And
Dena Pistor (15:39):
again, the moving right. So if Yeah, and again,
it's called the non exerciseactivity, thermogenesis, big,
little phrase there. But whatlittle things can you do in the
day that are not exercise, thatyou're moving right? Like
elevator, yeah? I mean, COVID isa perfect example of that people
who used to go into the officeand did not exercise. Okay?
(16:02):
Their exercise was walking intothe office, walking to the
bathroom, walking to a meeting.
Now they're sitting in theirhome, not moving, and look what
happened. Those little bit ofcalories that they were burning
over time added to waking right?
So if you can't make time toexercise. And when I say make
(16:24):
time, I don't care if some of myclients even it's a 10 or 15
minute walk, because there's twothings that are going to happen
there. Number one, you're goingto get some exercise in, and
number two, you're going to feelbetter. I can 100% guarantee
that not one time has someonegone for a walk, gone for a
workout and said, I wish Ihadn't done that. Okay? A lot of
times people say, I don't wantto do it the minute they walk in
(16:47):
here, or walk do anything. Sothat is an immediate mood
booster. You feel better, okay?
And most of the time it changesyour outlook on the day, okay?
So there's the sleep, there'sthe moving, the drinking water.
Okay, hydration is huge. Ithelps in so many ways. Okay, a
it helps with digestion. It doeshelp fill you up and helps with
(17:10):
your skin. I am not the bestperson to be speaking about
this, but I will tell you this,I don't crave water. My body
doesn't want it. I can go outfor a run and come back in and
not really want water. But everymorning, before I leave for
work, I drink 1.5 liters donejust down the hatch, and it's
done. Okay, so water is,
Laura Bowman (17:33):
what's the Daily Dose? What's the Daily Dose
there? Dana,
Colette Fehr (17:36):
realistic. I mean,
Dena Pistor (17:40):
you know, they always say, what? 64 ounces of
water a day. Some people say anounce for pound of body weight.
Whatever works for you, right?
Some people carry around theirbig jugs. I would like to say,
you know, a liter, okay, atleast a day. Some people drink
Colette Fehr (17:55):
How much is that?
I don't even know what
Laura Bowman (17:56):
that is. How many cups is that? How many eight
hours? I don't know
Dena Pistor (17:59):
you're asking a digital math right now, and that
is not my strong suit.
Colette Fehr (18:03):
Okay, okay, no, no. But I mean, do you carry
around a big joke? No, I drinkit
Dena Pistor (18:07):
in the morning the minute I wake up, down the hatch
before I walk out the door.
Laura Bowman (18:11):
So it's like four glasses, guys, it's like four,
eight ounce glasses. Yeah, atleast two, at least 33
Colette Fehr (18:19):
Yeah. But that makes me feel better. And like
you said, Dina, you know, ifyou're not drinking any water,
drink some. Like, yeah, startwith
Dena Pistor (18:28):
this. Try the morning. Although, for you and
I, when we're in, when you'redealing with clients, right? And
you're drinking this water, it'slike, oh, it's the bathroom
breaks are the problem, right?
So, but whenever you can getthat in. Okay? So the water,
okay, this is a big one stopobsessing with the scale. Okay,
the scale own one Oh, the scaleis your enemy. Okay. Number one,
(18:51):
it is not a daily accuraterepresentation of your weight.
Someone can gain three to fivepounds in a day, if they step on
the scale in the morning and atnight, and you have to ask
yourself to gain one pound, is3500 calories? Okay, so did I
really consume over 3500calories? Or someone says I
(19:12):
gained two pounds? Did youconsume over No, you didn't.
Okay. So my philosophy, if youhave to weigh yourself, it's one
time during the week. I alwayssay Wednesday or Thursday, not
right after the weekend, whereyou've settled into your weekly
routine and or you have a pairof pants that sit, jeans sit,
and those, you put those on oncea week, every day, whatever, if
(19:36):
you want to do it every day,because then the number does not
define your day, right? Andwe've all been there where you
see the number and you're like,Oh, that's good today, and all
of a sudden, you know, your moodgoes here, or you see a number
and you're like, so what doeshappens there? I'm not going to
work out. I'm going to go eatthat. It just,
Colette Fehr (19:56):
it's discouraging.
It's a mind s
Dena Pistor (19:59):
for people. People.
So I am not a proponent at allon the scale, okay? I
Laura Bowman (20:05):
think that's great. And I feel like clothes
are such the best, likerepresentation, like a pair,
there you go. No, there you go.
Just
Colette Fehr (20:13):
now, I just want to say one thing about that, and
I'm not obviously a weight lossexpert, and also let me
acknowledge, and then I want toget your take on this too, that
I am on the diet shots, I'm onZep bound or zepatide. And it's
really a passion of mine toreduce the stigma around that
and make it a part of normal,natural conversation, just like
(20:35):
perimenopause and menopause arebecoming so that women don't
feel shame around struggles andmen, too, and everybody, non
gender, everybody, I just wantto say, in case anyone relates
to me, for people who are onmore of the compulsive eating or
overeating, or, you know, theytend to snack all the time, or
(20:55):
can easily gain tons of weightin small periods of Time, for
whatever reason, I so appreciatewhat you're saying about the
scale, but I find that if Idon't monitor my weight, it's
really easy for me to spiral outof control. And I don't think
obsessing overweight or weighingyourself multiple times a day,
(21:18):
but for me per actually, rightnow, let me, let me take that
back, because now that I'm onthe drug I'm like, I don't even
ever weigh myself. I don't evenI haven't weighed myself in six
or seven weeks because food isnot a preoccupation, but I'm
also not that hungry. So it'seasier now for me to not get out
of control. But at times, I'vebeen successful in maintaining
(21:40):
weight loss. If I don't weigh Ilike go off track so quickly.
But I appreciate what you'resaying, because you don't want
it to be an obsession, andyou're right that it can become
that. So I just find that hard.
Dena Pistor (21:55):
Yeah, I know so many people still do it in in
again for me, because, you know,I shared on the last podcast my
struggles with eating. I mean, Iwould get on it, you know, five
to 10 times a day, again, it'shard, but you're right some,
it's a check in, right? But whatI see for some is, is it derails
(22:18):
them. If that number is notthere, which I I'm trying to
help present that right? Let'sstay on the the straight and
narrow here, and then once aweek and see where we're at. I
just don't want them to get that
Colette Fehr (22:30):
week is a good balance. That's a
Dena Pistor (22:33):
good for some it might not.
Laura Bowman (22:34):
Don't worry, I rely on my clothes. My clothes
give me, like, perfect feedback.
I know exactly
Colette Fehr (22:39):
well. That's great for somebody who's at like, a
consistent weight, but I haveclothes for every size woman who
exists, yeah? So, like, I can'tthink for everyone just go into
a new pair of pants that arefrom. Like, I mean, it's, yeah,
it's, but I think Dina, goingback to this, you're saying,
Don't obsess, do something thatkeeps you and, like, create the
(23:01):
lifestyle where you're doing thehealthy thing and you're not
obsessed with the number, yes,which is hard, okay? And then
after you continue your things,I want you also, and I want this
to not be you know, you and Iare close friends. I want to
hear your take on the diet shotsbased on what you're seeing. And
think I know there's noprevailing factual thing. We
(23:23):
don't know where this is going.
I do want, like our listeners,to hear your thoughts on that.
And I don't want you to have tofeel like you have to censor it,
since I'm on it, because I amlike a like, I would be their
spokesperson if I could forlife. But I want to hear your
thoughts on that. I
Dena Pistor (23:39):
want to, okay, I wanted to mention two more
things, then I we're diving intothat number. So two more things.
Do not skip meals. Okay? Do notskip meals. Don't it will catch
up with you no matter again yourbody needs the food, it will
make you take in the food. Ifyou skip the meals, you're doing
(23:59):
yourself an injustice. Okay?
Women
Laura Bowman (24:02):
think they're doing a justice by themselves.
Like, oh, my God, I like, don'teven eat breakfast.
Dena Pistor (24:08):
Yeah, it deserves it. And number two, protein,
okay, yeah, here I want to hearthis protein is, I'm, like, a
protein. Like, it's all I usedto not because I'm like, Oh, I,
you know, I don't want to getbig and bulky. It's not going to
happen, okay? And what it does,it helps fill you up. There is
no worse feeling to me than tobe hungry, right? And need food
(24:32):
protein for every snack andmeal, okay? It helps fill you
up. It builds muscle, okay,repairs to eat, tinnitus,
ligaments, you know, all the allthe good stuffs. And don't be
afraid of protein every meal andevery snack needs to have. You
know, 20 to 30 grams of proteinsomewhere around there. Okay,
Colette Fehr (24:51):
okay, so we should be having protein consistently
all the time, 20 to 30 grams atevery meal, and not skipping.
Meals that's such kind of it'sso important. You know, I've
Laura Bowman (25:03):
watched my husband and my daughter, they're like,
so on this like protein thing.
Like, they consume protein.
Like, it's ridiculous. I mean,Dina, you know, both of them,
and I've watched them like, bothbecome like, so much like rocks.
They're like, rock solid, like,you could bounce a quarter off
these two. My husband's 56 sothat's like, saying something.
(25:26):
And I am, like, not a proteingirl. Like, I don't love like,
sources of protein, like cottagecheese, like, or like, lots of
meat. Like, I hate that. And theonly thing my body has, like,
always responds to is, like,loading up on fiber. Like,
that's where I tend to, like,finally lose weight. Or like, my
(25:47):
body, like, comes to the centeris when I really focus on fiber.
But I've watched these twobecome, like, muscled. It's
ridiculous. So I believe you, Ijust don't know how to get there
Dena Pistor (26:00):
again. I just like to have my clients do it for the
the building of the muscle,right, and then also to keep you
full. Because when people arehungry, no good choices are
made. You should always stayahead of your hunger. That's why
I want breakfast snack. Ifyou're hungry, you're behind the
eight ball. Okay, your bloodsugar's dropping. Your
(26:21):
metabolism is dropping, and youalmost 99 95% of the time are
not going to make a good choiceregarding your food. Another
little trick, if you will, whicha lot of people don't like this,
but I like to have people have apretty consistent diet through
the week, because when you havechoices is when we sort of go
(26:42):
off the rails, right? So if Iknow, for breakfast, I have
these couple choices, this is mysnack, this is my lunch snack,
and this is my dinner, you know,through the week, then I know if
I eat this, it's going to keepme full to here, and then this
is going to keep me full tohere, because we have to stop
eating selfishly, okay? And giveour body what it needs. Not
(27:04):
every time you eat, is it goingto be this big, amazing
experience, right? Sometimes,yeah,
Unknown (27:09):
I know this is where I'm losing you. Dina, this is
where the whole country of Italyis losing you, right? I
Laura Bowman (27:16):
want, like, meals to be sensual. I
Colette Fehr (27:19):
know you're saying it's when you say stop eating
selfishly. You mean eat from aperspective of health and fuel,
not from every meal. Is thissybaritic pleasure. What
Dena Pistor (27:29):
is this doing for me? This is protein. It's gonna
help fill me up. Okay? It'sgonna keep me full till the next
time. I mean, I don't know ifyou guys have been in a session
where you're starving and you'relike, right? And you can't even
pass out. To me, that is theabsolute worst ceiling ever. And
my goal for everyone is to neverget there, right? And so if you
(27:51):
can eat consistently and throwin that protein, that's what you
should do.
Colette Fehr (27:56):
And I love this phrase, stop eating selfishly,
because really what we'retalking about is it's not
eating. Oh, I want to eat, andwhat am I going to eat that
feels good in the moment, andthen it's over anyway, it's
eating unselfishly. Isprioritizing your health. What's
going to give you that likelasting satiety? What is going
(28:18):
to fuel your cells with enoughprotein and carbohydrate to
carry you over to the next mealor snack.
Dena Pistor (28:28):
Yes, and I always say, ask people, you know, if
you look at your diet as awhole, ask yourself, what
percentage of your diet doessomething for you, and what
percentage does nothing for you,and then nothing for you is, you
know, the sugar and all that,and then the dust, something
that's so revealing, right? Soask yourself. And now let me and
just so you know, I am aproponent of the does nothing
(28:52):
for you. Okay? I'm not saying it100% has to do something. I
mean, if you guys do you knowme, sugar is my thing, right?
But it is not a largepercentage. But every day
finding, you know, a littlesomething to have. But if your
percentage is, you know, 75% offast food and Starbucks and etc,
(29:12):
etc, you know, we need to flipthat to 25% nothing for you. 75%
something for you.
Colette Fehr (29:20):
I'm glad you said that. You know, I want to ask
you before we go back to thediet shots, too. One more thing
about diet and food that fuelsyou eating unselfishly for
health. The thing I have foundwhen I'm not whether I'm on the
diet shots or not, and actuallynot on the diet shots, because
one of the hard parts of thediet shots is that I feel like I
(29:41):
did when I was in my earlytrimester of pregnancy, where
I'm nauseous and so some it'svery bizarre what I can eat and
what I can't eat, or what Icrave, what sounds good, maybe
not always the healthiest food,but the diet I have found that
works best. I recognizeeveryone's different, but that
works. Works best for me is alsothe one that's still really
(30:03):
touted medically, which is aMediterranean diet where you're
having fish, vegetables, wholegrains, you're not starving
yourself, you're eating realfood. There's protein. It's very
balanced. I also think it'srelatively easy to eat food that
tastes good on a Mediterraneandiet, perfect. What do you think
(30:24):
of that
Dena Pistor (30:26):
done that is exactly how we should be eating.
And you eat it, and hopefullyyou feel good when you're eating
it, right? Yeah, you don't have,you know, when you're eating
something bad, right? You knowit's coming. You feel like shit.
You're done. And you're like,Oh, why did I do that? I feel,
uh, the Mediterranean diet. It'stextbook, perfect. Vegetables,
(30:49):
grains, protein, yeah, if we allcould stick to that, maybe a
little, you know, sugar here,whatever. Fine, right? Done. I
mean, look at the European
Laura Bowman (31:01):
shout out to, like, I mean, if I'd be in like,
perfect shape, if I didn't have,like, that emotional process
where there's a part of me thatwants to really care for me
through food, and that's normal,you know? And, yeah, and that's
the part that I'm always tryingto, like, talk to and get to,
like, a more mature place, butit's there. It's like, rooted
(31:23):
from, like, childhood, whereit's, it's like, oh my god, I
gotta take care of me and andthat's gonna look like like,
that's gonna look like somethingthat isn't that's eating
selfishly, that's
Dena Pistor (31:34):
okay. And guess what, Laura, that's reality,
right? That we have thosemoments in our lives. I mean, it
can't be text perfect, and weall are going to have that's why
I say it's for the long haul,right? Let's figure out how we
can do this with the bumps inthe road. The big thing is, when
you have that bump in the roadand you sort of feel yourself
(31:55):
going, is getting back on track,it's where people go down, and
then it's like, oh, I'm, youknow, forget it. I've stopped
exercising. I'm eating bad, andthen they just die. D, it's
fucking epic. Yeah, yeah. I havea day like that, or a couple
days like that, and then say,Okay, I need to remember how I
felt, and let's get back on theright track. And that's hard for
(32:17):
people
Colette Fehr (32:19):
well, and I want to acknowledge that ideally for
me, food should be somethingthat's caring and loving and
sensual and enjoyable and alsohealthy. And one thing I know,
I'm obsessed with Italy likehalf the planet. But one thing
that I've always noticed that'strue of many parts of Europe,
but I personally think is themost true for me when I'm in
(32:41):
Italy is that I never gainweight when I'm there, even when
I'm not on any kind of anything.
And I eat, I eat till I'msatisfied. The ingredients are
so fresh I enjoy my meal. It'sbetter than sex. I freaking love
everything I eat. I have gelatoa reasonable portion, though,
and I'm satisfied. I'm notcraving to eat all the time in
(33:04):
Italy, because we're off all theprocessed stuff. The food tastes
delicious. There are so manyfresh, natural ingredients
available. The past is differentin how it's processed. I just
wish that it could be like that,because it would be so much
easier to accomplish this if wehad that kind I mean, it's, it's
(33:25):
here, it's just expensive andtime consuming to eat that way,
yeah, in America.
Dena Pistor (33:33):
I mean, I just got back from France, and, you know,
I croissants like they weregoing, like, you know, like it
was my business. But what Inoticed different is, when I did
eat it, I never felt right.
There was just somethingdifferent about it. Whenever I
ate them that you know howthey're made, and it's just,
again, we go to the grocerystore. It's just mayhem here.
(33:55):
Let's just talk about that,right? The whole grocery store
should not be as big as theyare, right? Because we have the
filler. All of the filler needsto go right, and we need to stay
on the perimeter with the meatand the vegetables and the
fruits, etc. But that's foranother
Colette Fehr (34:12):
thing. Yep, you're right, and that's what it is
like in Europe. It's the freshvegetables and produce and a
little bakery, yeah, and alittle bakery, but even the
bakery then, like you can toDina's point, you can tolerate
when that's 25% of your diet,you know, a croissant that isn't
full of complete processedfoods, but even has flour and
(34:36):
wheat and sugar. For most of us,unless you have extra health
issues, our bodies can processthat, so it's a bummer. It takes
more effort here to
Dena Pistor (34:45):
eat. It does. It's hard. We are thrown with food in
our face all the time. It's veryit's very distracting
everywhere,
Colette Fehr (34:53):
most of it's crap, crap. Most of it's crap. Yeah,
and I find that the more I eat,like, you know. The ways I've
done the best in my life, nosurprise to anyone probably
listening or certainly not toyou, but the times I've done the
best managing my weight are whenI eat pretty clean, more of a
Mediterranean diet. I'm noteating processed food. I'm
(35:16):
having fish, wild rice, someveggies, you know, dessert or
sugar a couple times a week, andmoderate doses. That is sort of
my sweet spot, because then Ihave those, those processed
foods make us crave more thanthe brain, yeah, and I already
(35:37):
believe that there are some ofus, like me, where I don't have
naturally enough leptin. Ireally believe this is part of
my struggle, both my genetic setpoint and then leptin, which is
the satiety hormone that tellsyour brain you're full and it's
time to stop eating. I don'tthink I have enough of that, or
I have too much ghrelin, thehunger hormone, which is why
(36:00):
these diet shots have personallyhelped me, but I notice a
difference in it. Even withoutthe diet shots, when I'm eating
cleaner, that part is certainlymore manageable,
Laura Bowman (36:13):
and I concur with that, like it takes me weeks to
sort of get the processed foodout of my palate and out of my
gut where it's like, my gutmicrobiome is craving sugar. I
will default to, like, sugar andcaffeine if I'm stressed, and if
I'm there it takes me. It's likea Jag. I have to, like, work my
(36:33):
way out of it for like a week orso, and then it'll take like,
three months to a month, likethree weeks to a month before I
go, Oh, that's right, I love thetaste of an apple, yeah, I love
the taste of like, real food,right?
Colette Fehr (36:47):
You have to your palate has to get back there.
It's so true. When you're eatingprocessed junk, you stop wanting
the quality stuff.
Dena Pistor (36:56):
Yeah, it's so flat.
And Laura, you made a goodpoint. You said, when I'm
stressed, right? Well, we are asociety of stress, okay? So, I
mean, every day we are all theresomewhere, so it's hard to reel
that need and want for the sugarin, and it's that's why this is,
you know, like I said, climbinga ladder. Every day, you get up
(37:17):
two steps and then you go backdown, because you never know
what's being thrown at you. Andit's hard. I just want to,
again, you know, validate thatthis is not something that is
easy for me, for anybody. It is,it's it's a work in progress
every single day. And I, I hatewhen women, whenever they get
(37:37):
down on themselves, wheneverthey, you know, do eat bad or
missile, it's, it's not likethat, okay, like we need to all
be together and understand thatthis is, like I said, a journey,
okay, that we're all intogether. And now you're talking
about your, your the drug
Colette Fehr (37:59):
collect, yeah. I just, I'm curious for our
listeners, but I want you tospeak openly about your
perspective. As someone who'shelping women with fitness every
day, what you think your opinionand people can figure out what's
right for them, of course.
Dena Pistor (38:13):
Yeah. So last year, when I did the podcast, you
know, I was frustrated with thedrug right? Because, again, I'll
use me as an example, right? SoI have over exercise issues I
have in the past. So you know,I'm getting up at 330 in the
morning and working and eating,right? And eating turkey and
(38:33):
veggies for every day, for lunchand dinner and and then I'm
like, oh, man, and these peopleare taking this drug, and the
weight is just falling off ofthem, right? Absolutely, the
drug is, is needed for a lot ofpeople, okay? But also what I've
seen is, you know, people likeyourself, Collette, who I love
seeing you, you know, flourish,and I seen your whole mood
(38:55):
change and whatnot by losing theweight. And I guess my
perspective on it has changed alittle bit, right? That as long
as it's not, we don't know thelong term, right? But my worry
is, this is what I'll say. Myworry is, can you, are you
what's going to happen when yougo off of it? Okay? Or do you go
off of it? And that goes all theway back to my 222, rule, 111,
(39:19):
and or now maybe 1010, 10, in 10years, are you still going to be
giving your shot itself a shotevery week. And if the answer to
that is yes for you and alsofinancially, then more it's
great, right? But that is mybiggest worry of it, to be
honest with you,
Colette Fehr (39:37):
yeah, yeah. I think that's very valid. And
people have said to me, I joke.
But people are like, what? Whenyou go off, are you? I'm like,
Are you kidding? Or Steve, willmy husband will say to me, like,
you know, wow, like, thissometimes makes you kind of
sick. And I'm like, I don'tcare. I'm like, you could
surgically remove limbs and Iwould still stay on the drug. I
think it's a valid point. Wedon't know the long term cause.
(39:58):
Concerns. I think there is, I amscared to go off of the shots. I
think that for me, it is weighthas not fallen off, flown off.
Me, it's not been effortless atall. It hasn't been has been.
For some people, it's not been.
My experience, I've lost about25 plus pounds over a year, I've
(40:21):
been on the shots for a year.
It's been very slow. I've hadmonths where I've lost a pound.
I've never lost more than apound a week. I still eat. I'm
still hungry. But I'm glad tohear you say actually, although
I'm open to whatever you had tosay that, you know, maybe you've
seen it be helpful for somepeople. I do think there are
people out there like me, andyou have to weigh your own pros
and cons who this has been alifelong struggle. Keeping
(40:45):
weight off just is never, hasnever been sustainable, and we
know obesity is a major cause ofdeath. So you know, getting my
weight down has helped mycholesterol. It's improved my
mood. It's been it's better formy lungs. I have lung problems,
so it's, I think it's a costbenefit for you. But I don't
(41:06):
know where the journey is going,so I think we're all along for
the ride on that one. I justspeak from a place too of I want
to make sure that I'm open aboutthese shots, because I don't
like the fact that women havesomething else they're supposed
to feel ashamed of. Fuck that.
Yeah, you know what? I'm notlike hiding my ass anymore when
(41:27):
I get in the pool because itdoesn't look how some douchey
person thinks it should look, orpretending that I'm effortlessly
thin, like that's not myreality. And I don't want to
have to pretend, and I don'twant other people to have to
pretend it's so easy either.
Dena Pistor (41:43):
Where I get frustrated are the people who
are already incredibly thin, whoare taking this to become
thinner. That, to me, isfrustrating, okay, but there
that's a different beat too. Butyou know, you have, you know,
Colette, you mentioned you hadyou lost 25 pounds in but look
(42:03):
what it's done for you, right?
And again, I will fully admit Ihave changed my thought process
on that, right? Because, youknow, yeah, last year
Colette Fehr (42:12):
I was when we did the podcast Dena, I was against
it too, because I was afraid ofthe side effects, and I thought
it was an easy way out, too. Imean, I really, I've changed my
own thinking,
Dena Pistor (42:22):
but to watch people who who have struggled, who are
now lost the weight, and whatit's done for their mood, you
know, the world's sort of likethe lens is changing on how they
feel about themselves and theirmotivation. Yeah. And can you
take that away from somebody?
No. And I did say last year, inthe years that I've been doing
(42:42):
this, this is the magic pillshot, if you will, that has
really seemed to work foreverybody. And again, my thing
was just that the people who arealready incredibly thin, who are
taking this to become sicklythin, right?
Laura Bowman (42:56):
You wonder too like about, will the body adapt?
And I think it does. And I thinkthere is sometimes, like, a,
like, a diminishing return onwhat you get out of these drugs,
and that regardless of if youtake these drugs or if you don't
take these drugs, we all haveto, like, kind of climb that
same ladder, right that you'retalking about Dina of like, we
(43:16):
have to focus on sleep, and wehave to focus On the
Mediterranean diet and andexercise and like, that doesn't
change for anybody, right? Soit's like, if you gotta take
you're taking the drugs, andthat helps you, and that's a
tool still climb the ladder,yes, do all the things. That's
where I see people like, theythey take the shortcut, but
they're not claiming the ladder.
Yeah, do all the things,
Colette Fehr (43:40):
like Holistic Health, yeah, yeah.
Laura Bowman (43:43):
And we Holistic
Dena Pistor (43:44):
Health, you know, listening to you, Laura, though
you're said, you know, oh, youknow, you gotta sleep, you gotta
eat, right? You gotta cut down.
I mean, look at this. We're justkeep listing things and things
that everybody you know we haveto do to be healthy, on top of
everything else that we'redoing, right? So I'm going back
to this is hard. It is justplain hard. It's not fun, yeah,
Colette Fehr (44:08):
and let's not pretend it's not No,
Dena Pistor (44:10):
it's just yeah, be what it is, right? Let's be
authentic,
Unknown (44:15):
like you're talking to life. There's more life.
Dena Pistor (44:18):
Yeah, there is definitely more to life, for
sure. But if people can alsothink of it as, you know,
exercising and eating, right,what's that doing for the
inside, not esthetically?
Because we, I mean, we could doa whole nother podcast on, you
know, heart disease for peoplewho are younger, and
osteoporosis and all of that.
So, you know, I like people whoare coming in and maybe not
(44:42):
seeing the esthetic benefits,but the health benefits that
they're getting. I mean, youcan't put a price tag on that.
Yeah, right. So
Colette Fehr (44:50):
beautifully said.
A great way to wrap this up.
Dina, this is so helpful, andit's just such a good reminder
of what we need to be doing. Andit's not this is. Not about
vanity. This is about health andliving your best life. Yeah, and
it's not easy for anyone, evenfor the people that it looks
like it's easy. You know, if youlook at someone like Dina and
(45:11):
think like, oh, you know, she'sjust effortlessly like this, no,
she puts a lot of time andeffort into practicing what you
preach. And I think that's whatwe've all got to do, and do it
in a way that's healthy andbalanced, and figure out what's
right for us, but stick to someof these core principles that
are going to support our longterm health in three weeks, in
(45:32):
three years, in 30 years,hopefully, if we're all still
here. So thank you so much forbeing with us, and thanks to all
of you guys for listening toinsights from the couch. If
today's episode sparkedsomething in you, join our chat.
Share what's on your mind. Youcan ask Dina questions too.
She's in the chat. All you haveto do is go to insights from the
(45:55):
couch.org, and click join thechat. It's our totally free
community for all of us, womenwho are going through all of
these unique challenges and joysat midlife, and if you're ready
to go deeper, stay tuned,because we're opening enrollment
soon for the midlife masterclass, a small, powerful group
for women ready to stop spinningtheir wheels and feeling stuck
(46:18):
and start creating what's next.
So until then, keep going.
You're not alone. We're herewith you, and as always, we hope
you got some insights from ourcouch. Thanks everyone. Bye,
guys. You.
Foreign Welcome to insights from the
(00:02):
couch, where real conversationsmeet real life at midlife, where
Colette and Laura, twotherapists and best friends
walking through the journeyright alongside you, whether
you're feeling stuck, restlessor just unsure of what comes
next. This is the space forhonest conversations, messy
truths and meaningful change.
(00:24):
And if you find yourself noddingalong, don't forget to join our
free community, the chat atinsights from the couch.org
that's where we keep theconversation going, and where
women like you and us arefinding clarity, momentum and
real connection. So let's divein. We have a very special guest
today, our good friend andfitness guru and health and
(00:48):
wellness genius extraordinaire,Dena block pister, who has her
own studio DP Fitness here inFlorida, and is also a professor
of health and wellness atRollins College, also here in
Florida. Dina, welcome back toinsights from the couch. We
cannot wait to dig into hackingweight loss at midlife. With you
(01:09):
today,
Dena Pistor (01:11):
I am so psyched to be back with you two podcast
gurus. That was quite the nicelittle introduction there. But
again, I'm honored to be back onwith both of you.
Laura Bowman (01:25):
Yay. I'm so glad to be talking about this,
because it's starting to, like,really hit me that, like, when
they talk about how when you getperimenopausal and menopausal,
like, there's like, this middlething happening. And I always
thought, like, Ha, that doesn'tapply to me, because, like, I
run and I walk and it'll nevercatch me, and I feel like it's
(01:48):
catching me all of a sudden,
Dena Pistor (01:51):
there's something that just happens, right? You're
going on that happens so much,happens so much, and it's super
frustrating for so many womenwho try so hard, right? They're
doing everything right, and allof a sudden they hit mid 40s and
50s, and then you're talkingabout the waking and the in your
(02:14):
midsection, right? Is that whatyou're talking about? Yeah, all
that stuff that startshappening. You know, I feel like
now the word menopause andtalking about it is become so
the norm where, you know, 510,years ago, even a couple years
ago, it wasn't. I have clientsnow coming in and actually talk
say, I think this isperimenopause. I think this is
(02:36):
menopause. I've been doing thisfor 24 years, and that's never
been a thing. It's just, Oh, Ifeel gross on, you know, tired
on this, on that. So I do think,in a positive way, that we're
finding out a little bit moreabout what the why when we get
to be this age.
Colette Fehr (02:54):
Yeah, I do too. I think there's a huge shift. I
mean, it's become a running jokehow I attribute all things to
perimenopause and menopause,it's all I talk about. But it's
just occurring to me as we diveinto this topic, that I'm
sitting here with you two SkinnyBitches, and I'm gonna have to,
like, hold down the camp forwomen who really maybe don't
(03:15):
have it always under control. OrI know we all struggle at a
relative point, but there istruth that whatever your
fitness, current fitness stateis, or weight loss situation,
the fat starts to redistributeas the hormones change. And it's
interesting for me, because I'ma pear shape and I've struggled
(03:38):
with weight my whole life. Myweight has fluctuated my whole
life. Nobody knows how to loseweight better, I just want to
say this, than somebody whostruggles with their weight. I
have lost weight throughdiscipline. Will torture you,
fucking name it, and I'm notkidding like nobody's business.
I mean, I can't even tell youhow good I am at losing weight.
(04:01):
What has remained elusive iskeeping weight off genetic set
point. I want to talk about thata little. But also, as with
respect to perimenopause andmenopause, what I've noticed is,
as a pear shaped woman, I neverhave held fat in my stomach
until this phase of life. I'vealways gotten fat like on my
thighs like saddlebags in myhips, but I usually used to not
(04:26):
really have much. Now that's theprimary place I'm noticing fat
depositing so Dina, do you heara lot of women talking about
that, and
Dena Pistor (04:35):
everyone, everyone, and you know, when we go through
menopause, high estrogen, right?
Causes weight gain in just thoseareas that you're talking about,
and stress. So let me just backup so we have all this stuff
happening in our body, right,the menopause, the getting
older, but if we can break itdown to more reasons as. The the
(04:57):
why I always like to talk about,you know, eight to 10 Things
Women in their 40s or 50s shouldbe doing, right? So let's wait.
Put those out there. Can't wait.
So, um, hit us. Number one.
Number one for me, okay, this ismy not everyone might not agree
with me. I take a very differentapproach when a client comes in
(05:18):
and wants to lose weight. Thisis not a race. This is going to
take a long time. And I talkedabout this on your last podcast.
I live to the 111,rule 222, rule, whatever. 333,
rule, what you choose to do tolose weight, slash, become
healthy. Can you do it in threeweeks, three months and from
(05:38):
three years from now, can you bedoing that? If the answer is
yes, we're good to go. Allright, if you are, you know,
trying some crazy diet whereyou're, you know, eliminating
carbs and this, and that is thatrealistic? No, okay, so right
there. But most people don'twant to. They want the quick
(05:59):
fix, right? We live in a countrywhere we want it quick, and we
want it now, and nobody wants towait. But my thought process is,
the longer it takes to come off,the longer it stays off, the
quicker off, the quicker backon. Is that really? Can I just
ask you? Is that really true?
(06:19):
And the only reason I say thatis that that has not proven out.
For me, I hear experts say thatall the time, like, is that
something that's definitivelyproven by science? Well, if you
think of it, if you're losingweight quickly, okay, how are
you doing? Most people aredecreasing carbs, so you're
(06:41):
losing water weight, right? Orrestricting your caloric intake.
So is that able to besustainable long term? Probably
not. Okay. So for most people,whenever I see them lose weight
very quickly, I do see it comeback on pretty quickly. Okay?
For the most part, I'm surethere's, you know, if that that
(07:03):
works and it doesn't happen foryou. Well, what I'm speaking
from the place of, like, I'velost weight slowly at times, and
it just and I think part of itis, and there are other women
out there, like me, that thereis a real thing with these with
genetics and, like your setpoint. So once you hit a certain
(07:23):
weight, your body wants to getback there. And also my body
doesn't want to be skinny, youknow, like I was born to breed,
and if you I was I, if I livedin a different generation, I
would have had 14 kids, justlike my grandparents. Well,
that's my great grandmother wasone of 14. I got my period at
11. I had boobs at 11, and hips.
Those things go with the type offemale body that holds onto fat,
(07:48):
even at a younger age. So, youknow, that's part of it I'm
always up against, like thealgorithm, right? The genetic
algorithm. You missed yourcalling, Colette, you did your
body, you know, is main purposeis to protect you, right? So
that's what you have to think ofit. And it's smart, okay? And it
(08:09):
knows what it's doing. And whenyou say the genetic set point
there is that, right? It there'sa set point. It's, you know, I
like to say it your body'shomeostasis, where it's happy,
it's okay. I can do this, thatand the other at this weight.
When you try to go against that,okay, it does not like it. Why?
Because it can't keep you fromgetting sick. It can't give you
(08:30):
the energy that it needs. And ifyou think of it as a machine,
which it is okay, you have togive it the fuel. And it's happy
at a certain area, okay? And alot of people try to do things
to go past that. And most of thetime, if you ask people, you
know, what is your normalweight, most people can come in
and say, it's roughly betweenthis and this, okay, right? So
(08:53):
trying to get 10 pounds, 15pounds lighter than that, the
body is not going to be okaywith that, and it will fight you
to get back to where it wants tobe. It will. And I think that
explains, then the variance ofwhat you're talking about,
where, even when I lose weight,slowly, it comes back right
away, because my body, my body'shappy at a place that I'm not
(09:15):
happy. And
Laura Bowman (09:19):
does that set point shift upward as we age,
like, if I'm like, nor if like134 is like my sweet spot. Am I
looking at like 144 for thenext, you know, and or can I get
back?
Dena Pistor (09:34):
I hate to say yes, because everything is
individualized per the person.
So when I have a client that youknow is starting new with me,
there's a variety of questionsthat I ask them from the get go.
Most of them are not do youexercise and what do you eat? We
start with number one, how muchsleep are you getting? Okay,
because if someone is notsleeping, it's not going to
(09:55):
work. Sleep is at the top of thefood chain. When. You don't
sleep, you don't think, well,you're cranky, you're arable
which makes you crave high fat,high carbohydrate foods.
Cortisol is released, right?
Which does make you crave highfat, high carbohydrate foods. So
(10:15):
for me, we look at sleep, welook at what do you do for a
living. Okay? Do you have a jobwhere you're sedentary? You have
a job where you're up and movingaround? The average person does
not get 10,000 steps a day thatthey say you should get.
Colette Fehr (10:32):
If I work, I get like, two steps. I mean, I'm in
my chair all day, literally,like, that's the worst. It's the
worst. It's
Dena Pistor (10:39):
honestly not fair to put that sort of stipulation
on people. I am active, and it'shard for me dates some days that
I don't run, right, to get, youknow, 5000 steps. So to tell the
average person to get 10,000steps is, is not, I mean,
applicable, right? So for me, aslong as you're doing something
(11:03):
is better than nothing. Okay? SoI get frustrated with the Go big
or go home seven days a week.
No, okay. We are all workingwomen, most of us have kids, and
to be sit and healthy is a thirdjob. If you have a job, if you
have kids, yeah, you know it is,it's it's it's worth Thank
Colette Fehr (11:20):
you for saying that it is a lot of time, and
it's not realistic thateveryone, Laura and I were at a
function last night, and thiswoman was saying, how, you know,
it's six days a week for herthese hour long workouts, and
she's in great shape. I'm nottrying to put her down. That's
amazing, but I just wasthinking, like, this is part of
her life, good for her. There'sjust no way I that's not going
(11:43):
to be me. It
Dena Pistor (11:44):
is not plausible. I mean, I do it six days a week,
but I do it at 333 but I alsoget up at 330 in the morning to
get on the channel, really, yes,I have when I start work at 530
that's the only time I can doit. Okay?
Unknown (12:02):
Sometimes you go to bed. Well, now it's really a 45
but
Dena Pistor (12:07):
I'm not saying that to be like, Oh, wow. Look at me.
What I'm saying is when peoplesay, Oh, wow. You know, you do
this. Yeah, I'm up three hoursbefore when you're still in bed.
Okay, so it is work, it is hard,it is not fun. I'm just putting
it out there. You know, I have aclient who they can work out
three hours a day at the gym.
Well, great for you. I mean,that's not reality for it's not
(12:29):
everyone. That's not everyoneyou know, 99% of the population,
Colette Fehr (12:35):
right? And I'm up at the crack of dawn, but like,
I have other things right now,at this phase of life I'm
writing and taking care of the10,000 other jobs I have. That's
not my main job that puts paysmy bills. So it's, I'm not
saying I can't work out, becauseI do believe anything that's a
priority, there's time to fit itin. I learned that from Oprah 25
years ago. Thank you, Oprah,right when she said, like you, I
(12:59):
get up earlier if I if I'm goingto do it, I have to do it. I'm
not at a place where I'm willingto get up at 330 because, to
your point about sleep, I knowI've got to juggle all these
different pieces, and I'm not agreat sleeper. Sleep doesn't
come easily, and I know that hasto be more the priority, even
than the other pieces, because Ican't do my job if I'm not well
(13:22):
rested, not to mention it's nothealthy for me. So it's, it's a
juggling of priorities.
Dena Pistor (13:27):
It is and, you know, like everyone chooses to
be on there, I always say, youknow, how long are you on your
phone, right? A day where youcould be out doing something? I
mean, it's just choosing. It'shard work. And most people, not
all, but most people, they don'twant to be uncomfortable, right?
And the uncomfortable is gettingup a little bit earlier. You
(13:50):
know, eating going out, eatingstuff that you might not
necessarily want but your bodyneeds. It's uncomfortable to do
that, but it's what in myexperience, at some point in our
life, and we're there, right?
We're not in our 20s and early20s and teens where we could go
and eat, you know, cookies andbe fine. It's all changing, and
(14:12):
it we're not,
Laura Bowman (14:15):
I know. I know this is the hard part for me.
Colette Fehr (14:21):
I know I used to do the cookie diet. I used to
eat a huge Barney's cookie allday. I mean, I used to be so
unhealthy in college, I lived ondrive through daiquiri and like,
three French fries and a pack ofcigarettes, and I would weigh
105 pounds. And think I waslike, the most powerful person
in the universe. And I, not onlydo I not want to put myself
(14:43):
through that anymore, but itwouldn't even work. Not to
mention, it's so unhealthy, andit was unhealthy then. So you're
really Dina, it sounds likeyou're saying too. First of all,
sleep is important, but also itis. There are some basic
fundamental things, maybethey're not super sexy, but that
we. Got to do if we want to besuccessful, and let's factor in
(15:03):
genetics. That's going to look alittle different for everyone.
There are people who are notgoing to look like you no matter
what they do. Everyone wants tolook like you, maybe, but
they're not going to. We've allgot to be realistic like you're
right in that I'm not doing someof the things that I could do
that would help me. And are wewilling to make those choices?
(15:28):
That's a hard question. And thenmaybe, can you go through some
of these like, you know, youmentioned the eight things,
like, what are these things weshould all be doing, but sleep,
Laura Bowman (15:36):
our job, our exercise, how much we miss? And
Dena Pistor (15:39):
again, the moving right. So if Yeah, and again,
it's called the non exerciseactivity, thermogenesis, big,
little phrase there. But whatlittle things can you do in the
day that are not exercise, thatyou're moving right? Like
elevator, yeah? I mean, COVID isa perfect example of that people
who used to go into the officeand did not exercise. Okay?
(16:02):
Their exercise was walking intothe office, walking to the
bathroom, walking to a meeting.
Now they're sitting in theirhome, not moving, and look what
happened. Those little bit ofcalories that they were burning
over time added to waking right?
So if you can't make time toexercise. And when I say make
(16:24):
time, I don't care if some of myclients even it's a 10 or 15
minute walk, because there's twothings that are going to happen
there. Number one, you're goingto get some exercise in, and
number two, you're going to feelbetter. I can 100% guarantee
that not one time has someonegone for a walk, gone for a
workout and said, I wish Ihadn't done that. Okay? A lot of
times people say, I don't wantto do it the minute they walk in
(16:47):
here, or walk do anything. Sothat is an immediate mood
booster. You feel better, okay?
And most of the time it changesyour outlook on the day, okay?
So there's the sleep, there'sthe moving, the drinking water.
Okay, hydration is huge. Ithelps in so many ways. Okay, a
it helps with digestion. It doeshelp fill you up and helps with
(17:10):
your skin. I am not the bestperson to be speaking about
this, but I will tell you this,I don't crave water. My body
doesn't want it. I can go outfor a run and come back in and
not really want water. But everymorning, before I leave for
work, I drink 1.5 liters donejust down the hatch, and it's
done. Okay, so water is,
Laura Bowman (17:33):
what's the Daily Dose? What's the Daily Dose
there? Dana,
Colette Fehr (17:36):
realistic. I mean,
Dena Pistor (17:40):
you know, they always say, what? 64 ounces of
water a day. Some people say anounce for pound of body weight.
Whatever works for you, right?
Some people carry around theirbig jugs. I would like to say,
you know, a liter, okay, atleast a day. Some people drink
Colette Fehr (17:55):
How much is that?
I don't even know what
Laura Bowman (17:56):
that is. How many cups is that? How many eight
hours? I don't know
Dena Pistor (17:59):
you're asking a digital math right now, and that
is not my strong suit.
Colette Fehr (18:03):
Okay, okay, no, no. But I mean, do you carry
around a big joke? No, I drinkit
Dena Pistor (18:07):
in the morning the minute I wake up, down the hatch
before I walk out the door.
Laura Bowman (18:11):
So it's like four glasses, guys, it's like four,
eight ounce glasses. Yeah, atleast two, at least 33
Colette Fehr (18:19):
Yeah. But that makes me feel better. And like
you said, Dina, you know, ifyou're not drinking any water,
drink some. Like, yeah, startwith
Dena Pistor (18:28):
this. Try the morning. Although, for you and
I, when we're in, when you'redealing with clients, right? And
you're drinking this water, it'slike, oh, it's the bathroom
breaks are the problem, right?
So, but whenever you can getthat in. Okay? So the water,
okay, this is a big one stopobsessing with the scale. Okay,
the scale own one Oh, the scaleis your enemy. Okay. Number one,
(18:51):
it is not a daily accuraterepresentation of your weight.
Someone can gain three to fivepounds in a day, if they step on
the scale in the morning and atnight, and you have to ask
yourself to gain one pound, is3500 calories? Okay, so did I
really consume over 3500calories? Or someone says I
(19:12):
gained two pounds? Did youconsume over No, you didn't.
Okay. So my philosophy, if youhave to weigh yourself, it's one
time during the week. I alwayssay Wednesday or Thursday, not
right after the weekend, whereyou've settled into your weekly
routine and or you have a pairof pants that sit, jeans sit,
and those, you put those on oncea week, every day, whatever, if
(19:36):
you want to do it every day,because then the number does not
define your day, right? Andwe've all been there where you
see the number and you're like,Oh, that's good today, and all
of a sudden, you know, your moodgoes here, or you see a number
and you're like, so what doeshappens there? I'm not going to
work out. I'm going to go eatthat. It just,
Colette Fehr (19:56):
it's discouraging.
It's a mind s
Dena Pistor (19:59):
for people. People.
So I am not a proponent at allon the scale, okay? I
Laura Bowman (20:05):
think that's great. And I feel like clothes
are such the best, likerepresentation, like a pair,
there you go. No, there you go.
Just
Colette Fehr (20:13):
now, I just want to say one thing about that, and
I'm not obviously a weight lossexpert, and also let me
acknowledge, and then I want toget your take on this too, that
I am on the diet shots, I'm onZep bound or zepatide. And it's
really a passion of mine toreduce the stigma around that
and make it a part of normal,natural conversation, just like
(20:35):
perimenopause and menopause arebecoming so that women don't
feel shame around struggles andmen, too, and everybody, non
gender, everybody, I just wantto say, in case anyone relates
to me, for people who are onmore of the compulsive eating or
overeating, or, you know, theytend to snack all the time, or
(20:55):
can easily gain tons of weightin small periods of Time, for
whatever reason, I so appreciatewhat you're saying about the
scale, but I find that if Idon't monitor my weight, it's
really easy for me to spiral outof control. And I don't think
obsessing overweight or weighingyourself multiple times a day,
(21:18):
but for me per actually, rightnow, let me, let me take that
back, because now that I'm onthe drug I'm like, I don't even
ever weigh myself. I don't evenI haven't weighed myself in six
or seven weeks because food isnot a preoccupation, but I'm
also not that hungry. So it'seasier now for me to not get out
of control. But at times, I'vebeen successful in maintaining
(21:40):
weight loss. If I don't weigh Ilike go off track so quickly.
But I appreciate what you'resaying, because you don't want
it to be an obsession, andyou're right that it can become
that. So I just find that hard.
Dena Pistor (21:55):
Yeah, I know so many people still do it in in
again for me, because, you know,I shared on the last podcast my
struggles with eating. I mean, Iwould get on it, you know, five
to 10 times a day, again, it'shard, but you're right some,
it's a check in, right? But whatI see for some is, is it derails
(22:18):
them. If that number is notthere, which I I'm trying to
help present that right? Let'sstay on the the straight and
narrow here, and then once aweek and see where we're at. I
just don't want them to get that
Colette Fehr (22:30):
week is a good balance. That's a
Dena Pistor (22:33):
good for some it might not.
Laura Bowman (22:34):
Don't worry, I rely on my clothes. My clothes
give me, like, perfect feedback.
I know exactly
Colette Fehr (22:39):
well. That's great for somebody who's at like, a
consistent weight, but I haveclothes for every size woman who
exists, yeah? So, like, I can'tthink for everyone just go into
a new pair of pants that arefrom. Like, I mean, it's, yeah,
it's, but I think Dina, goingback to this, you're saying,
Don't obsess, do something thatkeeps you and, like, create the
(23:01):
lifestyle where you're doing thehealthy thing and you're not
obsessed with the number, yes,which is hard, okay? And then
after you continue your things,I want you also, and I want this
to not be you know, you and Iare close friends. I want to
hear your take on the diet shotsbased on what you're seeing. And
think I know there's noprevailing factual thing. We
(23:23):
don't know where this is going.
I do want, like our listeners,to hear your thoughts on that.
And I don't want you to have tofeel like you have to censor it,
since I'm on it, because I amlike a like, I would be their
spokesperson if I could forlife. But I want to hear your
thoughts on that. I
Dena Pistor (23:39):
want to, okay, I wanted to mention two more
things, then I we're diving intothat number. So two more things.
Do not skip meals. Okay? Do notskip meals. Don't it will catch
up with you no matter again yourbody needs the food, it will
make you take in the food. Ifyou skip the meals, you're doing
(23:59):
yourself an injustice. Okay?
Women
Laura Bowman (24:02):
think they're doing a justice by themselves.
Like, oh, my God, I like, don'teven eat breakfast.
Dena Pistor (24:08):
Yeah, it deserves it. And number two, protein,
okay, yeah, here I want to hearthis protein is, I'm, like, a
protein. Like, it's all I usedto not because I'm like, Oh, I,
you know, I don't want to getbig and bulky. It's not going to
happen, okay? And what it does,it helps fill you up. There is
no worse feeling to me than tobe hungry, right? And need food
(24:32):
protein for every snack andmeal, okay? It helps fill you
up. It builds muscle, okay,repairs to eat, tinnitus,
ligaments, you know, all the allthe good stuffs. And don't be
afraid of protein every meal andevery snack needs to have. You
know, 20 to 30 grams of proteinsomewhere around there. Okay,
Colette Fehr (24:51):
okay, so we should be having protein consistently
all the time, 20 to 30 grams atevery meal, and not skipping.
Meals that's such kind of it'sso important. You know, I've
Laura Bowman (25:03):
watched my husband and my daughter, they're like,
so on this like protein thing.
Like, they consume protein.
Like, it's ridiculous. I mean,Dina, you know, both of them,
and I've watched them like, bothbecome like, so much like rocks.
They're like, rock solid, like,you could bounce a quarter off
these two. My husband's 56 sothat's like, saying something.
(25:26):
And I am, like, not a proteingirl. Like, I don't love like,
sources of protein, like cottagecheese, like, or like, lots of
meat. Like, I hate that. And theonly thing my body has, like,
always responds to is, like,loading up on fiber. Like,
that's where I tend to, like,finally lose weight. Or like, my
(25:47):
body, like, comes to the centeris when I really focus on fiber.
But I've watched these twobecome, like, muscled. It's
ridiculous. So I believe you, Ijust don't know how to get there
Dena Pistor (26:00):
again. I just like to have my clients do it for the
the building of the muscle,right, and then also to keep you
full. Because when people arehungry, no good choices are
made. You should always stayahead of your hunger. That's why
I want breakfast snack. Ifyou're hungry, you're behind the
eight ball. Okay, your bloodsugar's dropping. Your
(26:21):
metabolism is dropping, and youalmost 99 95% of the time are
not going to make a good choiceregarding your food. Another
little trick, if you will, whicha lot of people don't like this,
but I like to have people have apretty consistent diet through
the week, because when you havechoices is when we sort of go
(26:42):
off the rails, right? So if Iknow, for breakfast, I have
these couple choices, this is mysnack, this is my lunch snack,
and this is my dinner, you know,through the week, then I know if
I eat this, it's going to keepme full to here, and then this
is going to keep me full tohere, because we have to stop
eating selfishly, okay? And giveour body what it needs. Not
(27:04):
every time you eat, is it goingto be this big, amazing
experience, right? Sometimes,yeah,
Unknown (27:09):
I know this is where I'm losing you. Dina, this is
where the whole country of Italyis losing you, right? I
Laura Bowman (27:16):
want, like, meals to be sensual. I
Colette Fehr (27:19):
know you're saying it's when you say stop eating
selfishly. You mean eat from aperspective of health and fuel,
not from every meal. Is thissybaritic pleasure. What
Dena Pistor (27:29):
is this doing for me? This is protein. It's gonna
help fill me up. Okay? It'sgonna keep me full till the next
time. I mean, I don't know ifyou guys have been in a session
where you're starving and you'relike, right? And you can't even
pass out. To me, that is theabsolute worst ceiling ever. And
my goal for everyone is to neverget there, right? And so if you
(27:51):
can eat consistently and throwin that protein, that's what you
should do.
Colette Fehr (27:56):
And I love this phrase, stop eating selfishly,
because really what we'retalking about is it's not
eating. Oh, I want to eat, andwhat am I going to eat that
feels good in the moment, andthen it's over anyway, it's
eating unselfishly. Isprioritizing your health. What's
going to give you that likelasting satiety? What is going
(28:18):
to fuel your cells with enoughprotein and carbohydrate to
carry you over to the next mealor snack.
Dena Pistor (28:28):
Yes, and I always say, ask people, you know, if
you look at your diet as awhole, ask yourself, what
percentage of your diet doessomething for you, and what
percentage does nothing for you,and then nothing for you is, you
know, the sugar and all that,and then the dust, something
that's so revealing, right? Soask yourself. And now let me and
just so you know, I am aproponent of the does nothing
(28:52):
for you. Okay? I'm not saying it100% has to do something. I
mean, if you guys do you knowme, sugar is my thing, right?
But it is not a largepercentage. But every day
finding, you know, a littlesomething to have. But if your
percentage is, you know, 75% offast food and Starbucks and etc,
(29:12):
etc, you know, we need to flipthat to 25% nothing for you. 75%
something for you.
Colette Fehr (29:20):
I'm glad you said that. You know, I want to ask
you before we go back to thediet shots, too. One more thing
about diet and food that fuelsyou eating unselfishly for
health. The thing I have foundwhen I'm not whether I'm on the
diet shots or not, and actuallynot on the diet shots, because
one of the hard parts of thediet shots is that I feel like I
(29:41):
did when I was in my earlytrimester of pregnancy, where
I'm nauseous and so some it'svery bizarre what I can eat and
what I can't eat, or what Icrave, what sounds good, maybe
not always the healthiest food,but the diet I have found that
works best. I recognizeeveryone's different, but that
works. Works best for me is alsothe one that's still really
(30:03):
touted medically, which is aMediterranean diet where you're
having fish, vegetables, wholegrains, you're not starving
yourself, you're eating realfood. There's protein. It's very
balanced. I also think it'srelatively easy to eat food that
tastes good on a Mediterraneandiet, perfect. What do you think
(30:24):
of that
Dena Pistor (30:26):
done that is exactly how we should be eating.
And you eat it, and hopefullyyou feel good when you're eating
it, right? Yeah, you don't have,you know, when you're eating
something bad, right? You knowit's coming. You feel like shit.
You're done. And you're like,Oh, why did I do that? I feel,
uh, the Mediterranean diet. It'stextbook, perfect. Vegetables,
(30:49):
grains, protein, yeah, if we allcould stick to that, maybe a
little, you know, sugar here,whatever. Fine, right? Done. I
mean, look at the European
Laura Bowman (31:01):
shout out to, like, I mean, if I'd be in like,
perfect shape, if I didn't have,like, that emotional process
where there's a part of me thatwants to really care for me
through food, and that's normal,you know? And, yeah, and that's
the part that I'm always tryingto, like, talk to and get to,
like, a more mature place, butit's there. It's like, rooted
(31:23):
from, like, childhood, whereit's, it's like, oh my god, I
gotta take care of me and andthat's gonna look like like,
that's gonna look like somethingthat isn't that's eating
selfishly, that's
Dena Pistor (31:34):
okay. And guess what, Laura, that's reality,
right? That we have thosemoments in our lives. I mean, it
can't be text perfect, and weall are going to have that's why
I say it's for the long haul,right? Let's figure out how we
can do this with the bumps inthe road. The big thing is, when
you have that bump in the roadand you sort of feel yourself
(31:55):
going, is getting back on track,it's where people go down, and
then it's like, oh, I'm, youknow, forget it. I've stopped
exercising. I'm eating bad, andthen they just die. D, it's
fucking epic. Yeah, yeah. I havea day like that, or a couple
days like that, and then say,Okay, I need to remember how I
felt, and let's get back on theright track. And that's hard for
(32:17):
people
Colette Fehr (32:19):
well, and I want to acknowledge that ideally for
me, food should be somethingthat's caring and loving and
sensual and enjoyable and alsohealthy. And one thing I know,
I'm obsessed with Italy likehalf the planet. But one thing
that I've always noticed that'strue of many parts of Europe,
but I personally think is themost true for me when I'm in
(32:41):
Italy is that I never gainweight when I'm there, even when
I'm not on any kind of anything.
And I eat, I eat till I'msatisfied. The ingredients are
so fresh I enjoy my meal. It'sbetter than sex. I freaking love
everything I eat. I have gelatoa reasonable portion, though,
and I'm satisfied. I'm notcraving to eat all the time in
(33:04):
Italy, because we're off all theprocessed stuff. The food tastes
delicious. There are so manyfresh, natural ingredients
available. The past is differentin how it's processed. I just
wish that it could be like that,because it would be so much
easier to accomplish this if wehad that kind I mean, it's, it's
(33:25):
here, it's just expensive andtime consuming to eat that way,
yeah, in America.
Dena Pistor (33:33):
I mean, I just got back from France, and, you know,
I croissants like they weregoing, like, you know, like it
was my business. But what Inoticed different is, when I did
eat it, I never felt right.
There was just somethingdifferent about it. Whenever I
ate them that you know howthey're made, and it's just,
again, we go to the grocerystore. It's just mayhem here.
(33:55):
Let's just talk about that,right? The whole grocery store
should not be as big as theyare, right? Because we have the
filler. All of the filler needsto go right, and we need to stay
on the perimeter with the meatand the vegetables and the
fruits, etc. But that's foranother
Colette Fehr (34:12):
thing. Yep, you're right, and that's what it is
like in Europe. It's the freshvegetables and produce and a
little bakery, yeah, and alittle bakery, but even the
bakery then, like you can toDina's point, you can tolerate
when that's 25% of your diet,you know, a croissant that isn't
full of complete processedfoods, but even has flour and
(34:36):
wheat and sugar. For most of us,unless you have extra health
issues, our bodies can processthat, so it's a bummer. It takes
more effort here to
Dena Pistor (34:45):
eat. It does. It's hard. We are thrown with food in
our face all the time. It's veryit's very distracting
everywhere,
Colette Fehr (34:53):
most of it's crap, crap. Most of it's crap. Yeah,
and I find that the more I eat,like, you know. The ways I've
done the best in my life, nosurprise to anyone probably
listening or certainly not toyou, but the times I've done the
best managing my weight are whenI eat pretty clean, more of a
Mediterranean diet. I'm noteating processed food. I'm
(35:16):
having fish, wild rice, someveggies, you know, dessert or
sugar a couple times a week, andmoderate doses. That is sort of
my sweet spot, because then Ihave those, those processed
foods make us crave more thanthe brain, yeah, and I already
(35:37):
believe that there are some ofus, like me, where I don't have
naturally enough leptin. Ireally believe this is part of
my struggle, both my genetic setpoint and then leptin, which is
the satiety hormone that tellsyour brain you're full and it's
time to stop eating. I don'tthink I have enough of that, or
I have too much ghrelin, thehunger hormone, which is why
(36:00):
these diet shots have personallyhelped me, but I notice a
difference in it. Even withoutthe diet shots, when I'm eating
cleaner, that part is certainlymore manageable,
Laura Bowman (36:13):
and I concur with that, like it takes me weeks to
sort of get the processed foodout of my palate and out of my
gut where it's like, my gutmicrobiome is craving sugar. I
will default to, like, sugar andcaffeine if I'm stressed, and if
I'm there it takes me. It's likea Jag. I have to, like, work my
(36:33):
way out of it for like a week orso, and then it'll take like,
three months to a month, likethree weeks to a month before I
go, Oh, that's right, I love thetaste of an apple, yeah, I love
the taste of like, real food,right?
Colette Fehr (36:47):
You have to your palate has to get back there.
It's so true. When you're eatingprocessed junk, you stop wanting
the quality stuff.
Dena Pistor (36:56):
Yeah, it's so flat.
And Laura, you made a goodpoint. You said, when I'm
stressed, right? Well, we are asociety of stress, okay? So, I
mean, every day we are all theresomewhere, so it's hard to reel
that need and want for the sugarin, and it's that's why this is,
you know, like I said, climbinga ladder. Every day, you get up
(37:17):
two steps and then you go backdown, because you never know
what's being thrown at you. Andit's hard. I just want to,
again, you know, validate thatthis is not something that is
easy for me, for anybody. It is,it's it's a work in progress
every single day. And I, I hatewhen women, whenever they get
(37:37):
down on themselves, wheneverthey, you know, do eat bad or
missile, it's, it's not likethat, okay, like we need to all
be together and understand thatthis is, like I said, a journey,
okay, that we're all intogether. And now you're talking
about your, your the drug
Colette Fehr (37:59):
collect, yeah. I just, I'm curious for our
listeners, but I want you tospeak openly about your
perspective. As someone who'shelping women with fitness every
day, what you think your opinionand people can figure out what's
right for them, of course.
Dena Pistor (38:13):
Yeah. So last year, when I did the podcast, you
know, I was frustrated with thedrug right? Because, again, I'll
use me as an example, right? SoI have over exercise issues I
have in the past. So you know,I'm getting up at 330 in the
morning and working and eating,right? And eating turkey and
(38:33):
veggies for every day, for lunchand dinner and and then I'm
like, oh, man, and these peopleare taking this drug, and the
weight is just falling off ofthem, right? Absolutely, the
drug is, is needed for a lot ofpeople, okay? But also what I've
seen is, you know, people likeyourself, Collette, who I love
seeing you, you know, flourish,and I seen your whole mood
(38:55):
change and whatnot by losing theweight. And I guess my
perspective on it has changed alittle bit, right? That as long
as it's not, we don't know thelong term, right? But my worry
is, this is what I'll say. Myworry is, can you, are you
what's going to happen when yougo off of it? Okay? Or do you go
off of it? And that goes all theway back to my 222, rule, 111,
(39:19):
and or now maybe 1010, 10, in 10years, are you still going to be
giving your shot itself a shotevery week. And if the answer to
that is yes for you and alsofinancially, then more it's
great, right? But that is mybiggest worry of it, to be
honest with you,
Colette Fehr (39:37):
yeah, yeah. I think that's very valid. And
people have said to me, I joke.
But people are like, what? Whenyou go off, are you? I'm like,
Are you kidding? Or Steve, willmy husband will say to me, like,
you know, wow, like, thissometimes makes you kind of
sick. And I'm like, I don'tcare. I'm like, you could
surgically remove limbs and Iwould still stay on the drug. I
think it's a valid point. Wedon't know the long term cause.
(39:58):
Concerns. I think there is, I amscared to go off of the shots. I
think that for me, it is weighthas not fallen off, flown off.
Me, it's not been effortless atall. It hasn't been has been.
For some people, it's not been.
My experience, I've lost about25 plus pounds over a year, I've
(40:21):
been on the shots for a year.
It's been very slow. I've hadmonths where I've lost a pound.
I've never lost more than apound a week. I still eat. I'm
still hungry. But I'm glad tohear you say actually, although
I'm open to whatever you had tosay that, you know, maybe you've
seen it be helpful for somepeople. I do think there are
people out there like me, andyou have to weigh your own pros
and cons who this has been alifelong struggle. Keeping
(40:45):
weight off just is never, hasnever been sustainable, and we
know obesity is a major cause ofdeath. So you know, getting my
weight down has helped mycholesterol. It's improved my
mood. It's been it's better formy lungs. I have lung problems,
so it's, I think it's a costbenefit for you. But I don't
(41:06):
know where the journey is going,so I think we're all along for
the ride on that one. I justspeak from a place too of I want
to make sure that I'm open aboutthese shots, because I don't
like the fact that women havesomething else they're supposed
to feel ashamed of. Fuck that.
Yeah, you know what? I'm notlike hiding my ass anymore when
(41:27):
I get in the pool because itdoesn't look how some douchey
person thinks it should look, orpretending that I'm effortlessly
thin, like that's not myreality. And I don't want to
have to pretend, and I don'twant other people to have to
pretend it's so easy either.
Dena Pistor (41:43):
Where I get frustrated are the people who
are already incredibly thin, whoare taking this to become
thinner. That, to me, isfrustrating, okay, but there
that's a different beat too. Butyou know, you have, you know,
Colette, you mentioned you hadyou lost 25 pounds in but look
(42:03):
what it's done for you, right?
And again, I will fully admit Ihave changed my thought process
on that, right? Because, youknow, yeah, last year
Colette Fehr (42:12):
I was when we did the podcast Dena, I was against
it too, because I was afraid ofthe side effects, and I thought
it was an easy way out, too. Imean, I really, I've changed my
own thinking,
Dena Pistor (42:22):
but to watch people who who have struggled, who are
now lost the weight, and whatit's done for their mood, you
know, the world's sort of likethe lens is changing on how they
feel about themselves and theirmotivation. Yeah. And can you
take that away from somebody?
No. And I did say last year, inthe years that I've been doing
(42:42):
this, this is the magic pillshot, if you will, that has
really seemed to work foreverybody. And again, my thing
was just that the people who arealready incredibly thin, who are
taking this to become sicklythin, right?
Laura Bowman (42:56):
You wonder too like about, will the body adapt?
And I think it does. And I thinkthere is sometimes, like, a,
like, a diminishing return onwhat you get out of these drugs,
and that regardless of if youtake these drugs or if you don't
take these drugs, we all haveto, like, kind of climb that
same ladder, right that you'retalking about Dina of like, we
(43:16):
have to focus on sleep, and wehave to focus On the
Mediterranean diet and andexercise and like, that doesn't
change for anybody, right? Soit's like, if you gotta take
you're taking the drugs, andthat helps you, and that's a
tool still climb the ladder,yes, do all the things. That's
where I see people like, theythey take the shortcut, but
they're not claiming the ladder.
Yeah, do all the things,
Colette Fehr (43:40):
like Holistic Health, yeah, yeah.
Laura Bowman (43:43):
And we Holistic
Dena Pistor (43:44):
Health, you know, listening to you, Laura, though
you're said, you know, oh, youknow, you gotta sleep, you gotta
eat, right? You gotta cut down.
I mean, look at this. We're justkeep listing things and things
that everybody you know we haveto do to be healthy, on top of
everything else that we'redoing, right? So I'm going back
to this is hard. It is justplain hard. It's not fun, yeah,
Colette Fehr (44:08):
and let's not pretend it's not No,
Dena Pistor (44:10):
it's just yeah, be what it is, right? Let's be
authentic,
Unknown (44:15):
like you're talking to life. There's more life.
Dena Pistor (44:18):
Yeah, there is definitely more to life, for
sure. But if people can alsothink of it as, you know,
exercising and eating, right,what's that doing for the
inside, not esthetically?
Because we, I mean, we could doa whole nother podcast on, you
know, heart disease for peoplewho are younger, and
osteoporosis and all of that.
So, you know, I like people whoare coming in and maybe not
(44:42):
seeing the esthetic benefits,but the health benefits that
they're getting. I mean, youcan't put a price tag on that.
Yeah, right. So
Colette Fehr (44:50):
beautifully said.
A great way to wrap this up.
Dina, this is so helpful, andit's just such a good reminder
of what we need to be doing. Andit's not this is. Not about
vanity. This is about health andliving your best life. Yeah, and
it's not easy for anyone, evenfor the people that it looks
like it's easy. You know, if youlook at someone like Dina and
(45:11):
think like, oh, you know, she'sjust effortlessly like this, no,
she puts a lot of time andeffort into practicing what you
preach. And I think that's whatwe've all got to do, and do it
in a way that's healthy andbalanced, and figure out what's
right for us, but stick to someof these core principles that
are going to support our longterm health in three weeks, in
(45:32):
three years, in 30 years,hopefully, if we're all still
here. So thank you so much forbeing with us, and thanks to all
of you guys for listening toinsights from the couch. If
today's episode sparkedsomething in you, join our chat.
Share what's on your mind. Youcan ask Dina questions too.
She's in the chat. All you haveto do is go to insights from the
(45:55):
couch.org, and click join thechat. It's our totally free
community for all of us, womenwho are going through all of
these unique challenges and joysat midlife, and if you're ready
to go deeper, stay tuned,because we're opening enrollment
soon for the midlife masterclass, a small, powerful group
for women ready to stop spinningtheir wheels and feeling stuck
(46:18):
and start creating what's next.
So until then, keep going.
You're not alone. We're herewith you, and as always, we hope
you got some insights from ourcouch. Thanks everyone. Bye,
guys. You.
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