In this special replay episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian joins Jenny Hutt on the Just Jenny podcast for a real, energizing, and thoughtful conversation about midlife, metabolism, hormones, GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, and what it truly means to feel good in your body.
Originally recorded for Jenny’s “Weight Wednesday” series, the recent conversation explores the evolving ways we think about weight, wellness, and identity in the shifting seasons of life. From the emotional complexity of body changes to the science of food, cravings, muscle, and movement—it’s an unfiltered, honest exchange between two women with decades of lived and professional experience (and a shared Tufts University connection).
Whether you’re navigating midlife, feeling overwhelmed by wellness headlines, curious about medication, or looking for a grounded perspective on your health—this conversation brings science, strategy, and self-compassion together.
It’s exactly the kind of episode that belongs here on 1,000 Waking Minutes: real life, lived well.
We Discuss:
(8:21) The public scrutiny around how people lose weight—and why it’s no one-size-fits-all
(10:50) GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro—how they help, how they don’t, and what still matters most
(16:55) “Resizing” vs. 'losing' weight and why words matter when it comes to health
(20:57) A superfood brownie debate, and the role of food joy
(31:43) The role of nutrition during weight loss, especially with medication support
(37:37) A refreshing take on movement and exercise: finding what you’re “least allergic to”
(42:05) Midlife metabolism shifts, cravings, and hormonal realities
(36:07) The value of humor, honesty, and hope in navigating body changes and self-talk
You can also find and subscribe to Just Jenny with Jenny Hutt wherever you get your podcasts, and follow her on Instagram at @JustJennyHutt. For more information, visit jenniferhutt.com.
CONNECT WITH WENDY:
Follow on Instagram: @1000WakingMinutes
Visit the website: wendybazilian.com
Email me: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com
PLEASE SUPPORT:
If you’re enjoying 1,000 Waking Minutes, help us grow!
• Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop.
• Rate & Review the show—your feedback helps others find the podcast.
• Join the conversation! Share your thoughts or questions by visiting wendybazilian.com or connecting on social media.
Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey—together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams, and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.
HEALTH DISCLAIMER:
The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Today I'm sharing a conversation
from a recent episode of
the Just Jenny Podcast with
Jenny Hutt.
We talked about how our
bodies change in midlife, the
buzz around GLP-1s, and
how we're thinking differently about
health, food, and feeling good
in our own skin, within
this season of life, and
(00:21):
during our 1,000 waking
minutes each day.
We experience 1,000 waking
minutes on average every day.
How are you spending yours?
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, and
you're listening to 1,000
Waking Minutes.
I can't wait to connect
with you here with practical
ways to eat well, move
daily, and be healthy, to
(00:42):
optimize every waking minute you
live for a happier, healthier
life.
Thank you for sharing some
of your waking minutes with
me today.
Let's get started.
I'm saying yes to better
days, yes.
I'm on my way, yes.
It's gonna be okay, yeah.
(01:10):
Hello and welcome to 1
,000 Waking Minutes.
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, your
host.
Today's episode is a little
bit different.
A few weeks ago, I
had the true pleasure of
joining Jenny Hutt on her
podcast, Just Jenny, for a
Wait Wednesday.
This was a conversation, and
I'm going to air that
(01:31):
episode for you today with
her blessing.
Thanks, Jenny.
Now, if you don't know
Jenny, you're in for something
special.
She's a longtime radio and
podcast host.
She has a smart, bold,
and completely unfiltered style, and
a real gift for making
(01:51):
complex topics feel personal, relatable,
and raw in all the
best ways.
She's had a long-running
show on SiriusXM, and is
now bringing the same sharp
honesty to her podcast, where
she talks about weight, health,
(02:12):
life, pop culture, her own
story, all along the way
and everything in between.
It was a total joy
to talk to her, and
also kind of thrilling, because
we didn't hold back.
We really got into it,
from the rise of the
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic
and Manjaro, to the realities
(02:33):
of perimenopause and our midlife
body changes that many of
us undergo and are somewhat
inevitable because of some of
the hormonal changes, and how
we think about health and
nutrition now, not 10 years
ago, not someday either, but
right now, today.
And what I appreciated so
(02:53):
much about the conversation was
that it wasn't one note.
It wasn't oversimplified.
It wasn't just a single
take on things.
We talked about the nuance.
We talked about adding nourishing
foods and not just cutting
things out, a favorite of
mine to talk about, as
(03:14):
you know.
We talked about cravings, about
guilt, and the gifts of
nourishing.
We talked about the shifting
metabolic changes that happen with
time.
We talked about our feelings,
real feelings, and real life.
And Jenny also shares a
lot about her own journey,
(03:34):
which is so refreshing.
She has her own major
weight loss story.
She has her own relationship
to movement and talks about,
and we talked about the
complexity of thinking and trying
about doing it right in
a world full of mixed
(03:55):
messages.
Oh, and I have to
mention, she's a fellow alum
of my own alma mater,
where I and we both
received our bachelor's degrees at
Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts,
which is right outside of
Boston.
And we were one year
apart, no less.
(04:15):
So though we didn't know
each other at the time,
we connected on many memories
of our times there, before
the episode, after, and a
little bit during as well.
And I am absolutely convinced,
I think we are both,
that we must have been
in each other's company at
least a couple times during
our years there.
Our conversation on this episode
(04:38):
of Just Jenny fits really
within the 1,000 waking
minutes ideology on what we
talk about, and it fits
really beautifully because we touch
on so many of the
themes that we come back
to again here, how we
move through the minutes of
our day with intention, how
we live in our bodies,
(04:58):
and how we can do
it with more compassion and
clarity, and how we can
collect tools that we need
now and over time to
live well, even if those
tools might change or modify
over time and adapt to
us in our seasons of
life now.
So a couple things to
listen for in this episode.
(05:20):
One is why it's not
helpful, maybe, maybe, to rush
to judgment when someone shares
how they lost weight.
So while we might be
interested and we might sort
of jump to conclusions, they
must have done it this
way or this trend or
that diet we've heard about,
why we maybe shouldn't judge
or jump to judgment, and
(05:42):
maybe how we feel when
others might do that or
have done that to us.
We talk about a distinction
I make somewhat often here
on this show, and we
discuss the idea about resizing
the body versus trying to
become something totally different, and
how resizing, whether it's for
(06:02):
weight or performance, can be
words that have empowerment and
health inspiration and motivation, and
how the words we choose
are super important when we're
discussing things like weight and
health.
And a fun story, a
true story, about how I
learned from the very best.
(06:23):
So I share how a
mentor of mine, and I've
mentioned her here, of 103
years young and still out
there talking about health and
wellness, an advocate for the
wellness industry, how to find
the exercise that you're least
allergic to in order to
build a life and a
(06:44):
long, vital life with these
choices.
So let's get into it.
I hope you enjoy this
conversation as much as I
had having it with Jenny.
And I'm truly honored to
have been invited, and I'm
so grateful for Jenny's environment,
her community, and for creating
(07:04):
the space for these important
and often complicated conversations.
You can always catch Jenny
on her Just Jenny podcast,
wherever you get your podcasts.
Definitely follow her on
@JustJennyHutt, and you can also
visit her website at jenniferhutt.com
.
(07:25):
Subscribe to her, and you'll
hear more of her candid
and smart and refreshing real
conversations.
Now, my guest appearance on
Just Jenny.
Welcome to the podcast on
this Wednesday.
I have with me Dr.
Wendy Bazilian.
...Like Brazilian, but I
actually prefer Wendy, being it's
(07:47):
like bazillion dollars.
I was listening to your
podcast, and 1,000 Waking Minutes
is the podcast, and I
love that you're like, and
I can tell you three
things or a bazillion things,
and it works, totally, totally
works, and makes your name
even more memorable.
You are a doctor of
public health, a registered dietitian,
(08:07):
an award-winning journalist, and
the author of Eat Clean,
Stay Lean series, and the
Superfoods Rx Diet.
So welcome to my podcast,
and I want to get
right into it, because this
morning, and I know you've
done a lot of television,
so you're no stranger to
sort of the pop culture
(08:28):
angle of all the diet
culture and weight conversation and
just all of it, and
just this morning, I was
reading that Chrissy Metz, who's
a friend of the show
and a friend of mine,
and I think she's just
a wonderful actor and singer
and all that, artist, came
out saying she lost 100
pounds, and then went further
(08:50):
to say, and I did
it without the use of
a GLP-1, and I
know that the internet is
sort of, per usual, on
fire about it with the
naysayers and the cheerleaders or
whatever, and so starting right
there, why do you think,
(09:11):
and what has been your
experience and your practice, why
do you think that people
are so caught up in
the method in which somebody
loses weight or maintains weight?
Yeah, it's a great, it's
a bazillion-dollar question there.
There we go.
Go right there.
Go straight for it.
(09:32):
There we go.
I would say I have
a bazillion ideas, not a
bazillion dollars, but a bazillion
ideas.
I think that that is
such an interesting one because
I think part of it
has to do with us
being sort of indoctrinated at
methods and stories and titles
that are like, this is
the way.
Here's the best diet.
(09:52):
This is the way.
No, no, this is the
way to lose weight.
So people are always intrigued,
and people who are health
-inspired or trying to resize
their bodies are always looking
for a way or a
hook.
I find it sometimes a
little bit sad that we
feel that we have to
justify any of us, let
(10:15):
alone a celebrity out there
to say how you did
it or didn't do it.
Maybe that's sort of none
of your business.
However, knowing that the next
question is going to be
how did you do it
or making assumptions, which I
think is a little more
dangerous.
So people try to cut
it off at the chase
by addressing the hard questions
(10:36):
or what they can predict
coming in.
But I think it's baked
into our society about the
ways to lose weight, and
it must be this way
and that way.
We know that GLP-1s
and all the new therapies
that are related to the
drug-related weight is on
(10:56):
people's minds, so they're making
a lot of presumptions and
it's probably a protective stance,
if nothing else.
And I don't know her
at all, though I love
and respect her very much,
but sort of probably PR
programming as much as anything
to sort of say, hey,
I'm proud of how I
did it.
I know.
Listen, I believe her, and
I also don't care in
the best way, meaning I
(11:18):
care about her health and
her well-being and I
want her to be happy
because I really like her.
But I don't care whether
she takes a medication or
she doesn't take a medication.
She gets to choose how
she lives in her body
and whatever she accomplishes or
doesn't accomplish, again, I don't
really feel it's my business.
I've never been of the
ilk that if somebody is
a public figure, they owe
full disclosure about everything at
(11:39):
all times.
I just, you know, and
- You're doing a great
thing here then, Jenny, also,
because it's so refreshing.
Your Weight Wednesday, you're able
to get into these questions
and talk about it, and
it's refreshing to be able
to have a conversation and
actually give the vocabulary like
you just gave it because
some people don't know not
to judge or not to
enter the conversation with a
(12:01):
presumption, and you're giving sort
of the language and tools
to be able to say,
oh, yeah, you know, maybe
I should just be, like,
psyched because they're happy about
where they're at with their
body and talking about it.
And I think, Wendy, I
look at it through a
different kind of lens because
when I lost weight, I
lost 70, 80 pounds about
15 years ago, and maybe
(12:23):
more.
It depends on the, you
know, weight is so f-ing
fluid, the number.
So, like, it's always, I
go back and forth because
one year it's this amount,
the next year it's this
amount, et cetera.
But at the time, I
remember people thought that I
had had gastric sleeve or
gastric bypass.
I never had surgery.
It just wasn't, it just
isn't how I lost weight.
(12:44):
And I didn't feel the
need at the time to
sort of be like, yay
me.
Like, I, because again, I
didn't feel anything more or
less than any other person
who had lost weight with
any other method.
I just remember at the
time being terrified when I
first lost a lot of
weight and was in sort
of the quote unquote healthy
(13:06):
body range that I would
gain it back.
Like, I didn't have a
moment, certainly not early on,
where I could take a
deep breath and say, oh
God, okay, I lost all
that weight, I'll be fine.
It's never coming back.
I'm good, so good.
No, it was just sheer
terror.
And so I think that
that feeling of sheer terror
(13:26):
made me really feel for
who, like whoever did what
to lose weight because it's
just not easy.
It doesn't matter how you
get there.
It's just not easy.
And as years went by
and different life events happened
and different stressors, my husband
and I separated a little
while ago and I dropped
a quick 10 or 15
pounds.
(13:46):
Like I couldn't eat.
I just couldn't eat the
quote unquote divorce diet, whatever.
And I just remember people
like side-eyeing me because
this is in recent, this
is in the years of
the GLP-1.
And it wasn't until like
a few months ago where
I just started taking Manjaro
because perimenopause and menopause is
(14:09):
kicking my ass and that
divorce weight started to creep
back, right?
So here I have this
hundred pound weight loss, which
is amazing.
And it's starting to creep
a little bit.
And so I'm like, well,
for the first time in
my life, I have a
small sense of relief that
I have this possible, like
this thing that could help
me keep this weight off
(14:31):
in a way that may
not keep me up at
night worrying, right?
In a way that I
still have to do everything.
And I guess the lens
through which I see all
this is it's not a
quick fix.
The GLP-1s, they're just
not magic because they're not
magic for me.
I mean, they're not magic
for me.
I would love to tell
you that I don't think
about food, that I eat
(14:52):
like what we deem as
perfectly, whatever that means, that
my weight doesn't fluctuate, that,
okay, well, here's the thing.
Like my weight went up
four pounds last week on
a GLP-1 because my
period showed up after being
gone for a month.
It just said, hi, I'm
back after, well, two months.
I was a month late.
And here I was like,
(15:13):
finally menopause.
And it was like, no,
just like, and so it
doesn't matter, the GLP-1.
I still needed to eat
the noodles and the butter
and whatever else my body
was telling me I had
to eat.
And I listened to it.
But the sense of relief
I have that I'll never
feel like it's going to
get out of control because
I won't let it get
out of control.
And there are resources for
me that didn't exist years
(15:34):
ago is like, I want
to shout it from the
rooftops.
That's my experience, right?
That's great.
I mean, it's not magic
and it's not a villain,
right?
Correct.
That's right.
But it's not magic.
And so there's this part
of me that wants to
sort of say to the
people that want to malign
anyone who chooses these medications
to lose that weight.
(15:56):
I just want it.
Like, I don't know how
to say it every other
way.
Like, it's just not magic.
They're not, yes, they're the
most effective of these medications
you can get with the
least, you know, scary profile
side effects, whatever.
I know the side effects.
I'm not go to a
doctor.
Don't just take these.
(16:17):
Don't, you know, don't go
to some back alley and
get yourself a syringe filled
with JLP ones.
No, but we're doing before.
So it's nice that I
think that's, you know, correct.
And, and now they're peptides,
which I want to get
into with you also, which
I didn't talk to you
about when we spoke before
we recorded this whole like
peptide thing people are doing.
Cause when it makes me
think of HCG, when people
(16:38):
were taking that and then
they found that that wasn't
good for you, like don't
do things that haven't been
regulated and tested people.
It's just not a great
idea.
But my point is that
like you just said, we
don't have to like heroify
these meds and we don't
have to vilify these meds.
And I think just letting
people do what they choose
(16:59):
to do with their doctor's
help without stigma would be
really great.
And enough of like getting
mad at somebody who was
plus size or whatever, as
you said, reshaping or re
what did you do?
You said something so good.
I love that expression.
I've not heard it before.
(17:21):
And I so prefer it
to the sort of like
I lived in a larger
body.
Now I'm in a smaller
body.
It's the same body.
I get it.
It was bigger.
I don't know.
I like the resizing concept.
It allows for, you know,
muscle shaping.
It allows for performance athletes.
It allows us all to
act in the same space
because we resize for different
reasons.
Exactly.
And I think what you're
(17:41):
saying, what I'm hearing is
what is a basic tenant
of what I always talk
about, that health is dynamic.
And so you collect tools
along the way.
We've got a great new
tool on the toolbox that
can be medication related, but
all the things leading up
to now in your, in
your story or in anyone's
story, When they've gone through
(18:02):
different life stages, we're always
dynamic.
So you're never just, and
hopefully that can bring a
little peace of mind over
time because we can get
so anxious that certainly when
you first get the weight
loss, it's anxiety.
That can be quelled over
time.
Yeah.
Well, it, but I'm telling
you, it took me years
and I have.
(18:23):
Back when blogging was a
thing, I have blog posts
from a year or two
years after I'd first lost
weight.
And it was all about
how I didn't feel like
a weight loss success.
And I wasn't going to
feel a weight loss success
until I was, I made
up numbers like five years
in six years.
And then I got to
the five years and I
still didn't feel like, Hey,
I've got this licked.
(18:44):
And I still don't really
feel like I have it
because that what you're talking
about, this idea that it's,
it is dynamic, that we
don't, everything changes.
Everything's in flux in our
bodies and in our lives.
So we don't really know
some of it does go
beyond our control, especially as
women can be water retentive
and have no idea why.
(19:04):
One food can work great
in your body.
And then two weeks later,
it doesn't, it is the
strangest thing and cravings are
real and the older, certainly
at 55 and we went
to the same university.
So I know around what
your age is trailing one
year, just one small year
behind you.
I wasn't even outing you,
but I'm just saying, I
(19:25):
know, but, but like, I'm
aware that some of it
does sort of go beyond
my control and that there
is this, this physiological response
to the changes in our
bodies and stuff.
And so, yes, I do
feel more.
Now there's a sense of
relief or hope because there,
there are these medications and
(19:45):
there's more stuff coming on
the horizon that if you
want to fight it in
a way that involves big
pharma, everyone's so mad about
big pharma.
And I'm like, well, we
have a life expectancy of,
you know, in the seventies,
instead of till you're 24,
like I'm happy with the
big pharma that exists and
chemotherapy, et cetera.
But, but yeah, I just
(20:06):
feel like everything keeps morphing
for me and I just
do the best that I
can.
And all about, you know,
our intentional living.
So it moves away from
how we talk about our
bodies to how we live
in the bodies, you know,
it does require us to
adjust and adapt on a,
like I always, like I
use, do you take ruins?
(20:26):
Do you take any of
the green stuff?
Like, probably not.
Cause you're a.
No, I mean, absolutely.
I, I know you will.
And I'll think of good
things.
Yeah.
Okay.
So like I eat gruins
because they taste like candy
and I'm like, I'm trying
not to eat as much
candy.
I don't eat Scooby snacks
anymore because my kids are
grown.
So like I do these
little stupid switches that these
have vitamins in them for
me, they make me happy.
(20:47):
Do I need everyone to
take?
No, I don't care what
someone else does, but like,
I like to use certain
supplements, like, but few and
far between to like makes
me happy.
I eat it.
It's yummy.
I also don't make like
super food brownies.
I make a f-ing brownie.
Like, because I, I feel
like we get crazy.
(21:07):
We make these calorie dense
that we think that we're
having a diet food because
the brownie is made with
45 dates, you know, two
cups of almonds and like,
I don't know, maple syrup
versus sugar.
And I'm like, well, wait,
I'm in flour calorie for
Cal.
It's way more calorie dense
than regular flour.
(21:28):
I know glycemic index.
I get it.
It is a morning nutrients
for sure.
But if you want a
brownie, have a brownie, you
don't have to have a
brownie.
That's 4,000 calories of
a brownie.
That's 2000 calories.
Right?
Like I agree.
I think we over supplement
and fortify our, you know,
our foods.
However, I will say that
I am very in favor
of like logical swaps.
So if you're like craving
a certain thing and the
(21:49):
groom's suit, you know, fits
that, it's not correcting, you
know, it's not saying instead
of a salad, I'll have
one of those.
No, it's it's instead of
having the 80 calories of
straight sugar, I'm having the
50 calories of fortified.
It tastes like the same.
It tastes, this is the
first like chewy gummy thing
I've had.
I've had been using them
for years.
That doesn't taste like ass.
(22:10):
Like it tastes, it, they
taste like candy.
They taste like the baby,
the things my kids used
to eat and I used
to eat them off their
plate.
But yes, correct.
Sort of calorie for right.
Like not calories, but if
it's an even swap in
a sense, go for the
healthier option.
If you were in the
mood, yes.
(22:31):
For the thing and you
can tolerate the lower sugar
and it tastes as good.
Great.
It's my issue when you
would be having a 400
calorie brownie and then instead
you have an 800 calorie
brownie because you may think
it's made with the super
foods.
You're not really benefiting.
That's a surprise.
You know, I mean, I
find that so many people
do that.
They become sort of shocked
to learn, you know, I
(22:51):
mean, you can, you can
talk up the nutrients.
I can do that as
good as any person can
about what's in nutrient wise,
something might offer, but if
you're looking at the overall
energy or the portion that
would be And if it's
like a lot more hassle
and you're really not enjoying
it, you might end up
(23:12):
having the other brownie anyway,
then, you know, that is
all in my book, all
the wrong reasons for going
for that super foods or
whatever brownie.
Although I have to say
on this topics of brownies,
this is one exception that
I will say, I will
definitely check, you know, check
the box on have the
brownie that you love the
most period.
(23:32):
I also do have a
really cool way of adding
pumpkin into brownies, which is
not intended to be sneaky.
It's different.
That boosts the fiber content
with you.
It's moisture.
And it actually cuts like
60 grams of fat.
And like, it really, it
really does.
That's a good.
Okay.
That's a good swap.
(23:53):
That's not what I'm talking
about.
That makes perfect sense.
That's like making two ingredient
bagels.
That's like making, you know,
my daughter now loves making
two ingredient bagels because she
loves the taste.
She puts cottage.
She calls them cottage cheese
bagels.
She puts cottage cheese and
flour together.
She makes herself a bagel
and she's happy and it
tastes good.
And it's a little more
nutrient dense than a regular
bagel and calories are pretty
close and it's great.
(24:14):
This is adding pumpkin to
something is only a benefit.
That's I use egg whites
instead of eggs and certain
things.
Of course you can make
oat pancakes instead of plain
white flour pancakes.
Sure.
It's sort of not the
disparity between the amount of
calories and nothing crazy.
And also it's just when
people think.
(24:34):
You see like million dollar
bars.
What were those calls called
those like shortbread cookies with
chocolate on the top, the
caramel, and then the bottom.
A hundred grand.
No, no, no.
This is the one it's
like a shortbread pastry type
thing.
And it's made with like
the Twix.
It's like a Twix, but
homemade.
And people are like, well,
(24:57):
Cashews and date syrup and
dates.
And, and at the end
of the day, it's more
calories than the regular version.
And you're not really getting
anything, you know, sugar, sugar,
it ends up being sugar,
sugar.
So that's all I'm saying.
But when you're talking about,
yeah.
How do you make those
brownies?
I had to tease that
in though, because it's a
(25:17):
really good, please explain, please
explain.
Yes.
Well, in that recipe, you
can take a commercial brownie
mix.
So, you know, like I'm,
I I'm where you're at,
you know, where we all
are at, you know, commercial
brownie mix.
You have your homemade brownie
mix.
You can literally have the
butter or the oil, even
though I'm a big advocate
of healthy oils in the
diet, I can talk at
(25:38):
length about that.
For sure.
You have that and you
put in the pumpkin and
it boosts the fiber and,
you know, five to 7
% of us are getting
enough fiber, not the other
way around.
So like 93% of
us in America are falling
short on fiber.
So there are a lot
of people in the world
who are like, It retains
the moisture.
It tastes delicious and it
cuts out 60 grams of
fat in the recipe, which
(26:00):
is monumental.
What's that?
Six times, nine, 500 calories.
Plus out of the recipe.
In something that if you
pass it off and I
don't mean to pass it
off in sneaky way.
You pass it off, but
people would be coming back
for more because they're like,
gosh, that's great.
Then we'd have to talk
about portions if people are
working on their weight.
Otherwise, have at it.
Not my place to judge.
(26:21):
But they're that good, and
it's a solid nutrient boost
and swap, plus carotenoids.
That pumpkin helps our skin
health, helps our eye health,
helps our immune system.
And I think those are
as important as these.
So talk about some of
the superfoods, because I know
you did write a book,
Superfood Rx, and I know
(26:42):
some superfoods do really exist.
I know blueberries are real
good for you.
Certain things, fiber is a
superfood in general.
And then certain foods have
been recently very vilified, like
seed oils.
And I get confused because
we can eat sunflower seeds
and that's fine, but don't
have sunflower oil.
So talk a little bit
about superfoods.
Yeah.
So when I got involved
(27:03):
with superfoods, it wasn't even
a word.
We sort of put it
on the map.
So the first superfoods book
came out and I did
all the menus and the
daily plans for it and
worked on the team that
put out superfoods, which went
sort of blockbuster.
And I was a little
bit hesitant, to be honest,
at calling certain foods out
as super.
I had to really write
my own mind knowing how
(27:24):
important the science was and
that all foods can fit.
However, what I started to
see is that certain foods
had more research, were accessible,
were convenient, were affordable, and
weren't a one-trick pony.
Those are components of superfoods
to me.
That could be like a
gateway to other foods that
had research and support.
(27:45):
So the blueberry sort of
stood out because we had
a lot of research out
of Tufts, come to mention
it from the USDA Aging
Center with great researchers there
who talked about blueberries and
memory and cardiovascular health.
Well, blueberries are sort of
like the benchmark of other
(28:05):
berries that have their own
unique traits.
And we called those the
sidekicks.
They have their own unique
traits, but they have things
in common.
And so the superfoods were
really all those things and
they were real food.
Come 15, 20, 15, 18
years later, since we were
doing that, a lot of
people use that term.
And so a lot of
people sort of get ornery
(28:26):
about a pill or bottle
that's talking about superfoods and
they put in a trace
ingredient at the bottom that's
so-called blueberry extract or
something.
Is that really a superfood?
That was never the intention
with me because I'm so
vested in the evidence.
And if you don't eat
it, it's not enough to
read about it.
You're not going to get
healthier.
So that's where it all
(28:47):
started with sort of identifying.
And what I found and
sort of was surprised is
that readers in a sea
of choices, you know, at
the time it was like
60,000 options in the
typical supermarket to choose from.
By giving like 14 of
them at the time, you
know, and then we evolved
it and there were like
seven more and then some
(29:08):
sidekicks, people could like start
to see clearer, you know?
And I said, okay, I'm
okay with this term, you
know, now let's build it
into an eating pattern that
makes sense.
You know, how do you
do that at breakfast and
lunch and dinner?
How do you get more
oranges and citrus, you know,
obvious things, tomatoes and other
lycopene sources, you know, how
do you get these foods
(29:30):
and their sidekicks into and
married into a diet that,
diet in the best ways.
I know you're saying diet
isn't actually how we eat.
Yes, you talk about that
on your podcast too.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
That how we can manage
our weight, manage our energy,
manage our performance, manage all
these things and feel happy
about it.
So, you know, that's, that's
(29:52):
where it all came from
really.
And I still stand, you
know, stand tall on the
superfoods idea, even though, oh
man, it's gotten really, uh,
you know.
Well, never.
Well, I think your intention,
your intention is right.
Your intention is look in
you, you, this is what
you eat every day, right?
You have a set amount
that you, your body consumes.
You're going to eat your
(30:13):
breakfast.
You're going to eat lunch.
You're going to eat dinner,
whatever it is, the way
that you eat.
Why not try to incorporate
the foods that are better
for you that we know
we're going to do right
by your body.
If you can do that,
like that's, there's no harm
in doing that.
That's only sort of a
beneficial idea.
It's not, yeah, it's not
hocus pocus.
Yeah.
(30:33):
Right.
And then it became a
very positive era because,
it was right when some
really important research was coming
out and now thankfully a
lot more, it was coming
off the like cut fat.
Well, it was still happening.
Cut, cut fat or the
intermittent, you know, we keep
going back and forth with
the cut, cut, cut fat,
cut carbs, cut, whatever, cut
salt, all that.
It was a time when
(30:54):
some important research was coming
out, looking at the idea
that the nutrients on your
plate may be more important
than the nutrients you're trying
to get off the plate.
And so I was just
trying to add layers, you
know, I was saying more
of this do add this
as opposed to people still.
Yeah.
I think people still don't
really understand what that's about.
And I, and actually it
(31:14):
ties into where we are
societally because we're back sort
of on the thin train,
it seems because of the
meds, you know, the sort
of the dark side of
that, that we're in this
direction of Twiggy as best
again, which again, that's not
my direction.
It's just like this weird
societal shift that's happening again
about that sort of not,
I don't know, beauty at
(31:36):
every size, right now it
should be, but we're a
little bit over-correcting and
this is trends.
This is what happens.
But to your point, and
I've been saying this all
along, even with the emergence
of the GLP-1s, nutrition
is as ever important, if
not more.
And a dietician like you
(31:58):
is crucial because especially if
we're consuming fewer calories than
shouldn't those fewer calories be
foods that matter and foods
that do benefit us.
And the idea of adding
in makes total sense because
what you add in makes
your body work more efficiently,
right?
So why not put in
(32:19):
the things that are going
to benefit us overall?
What the GLP-1s and
that category of medication has
done for me and how
I've been working with clients
is interesting because I used
to say, I guess I
would still say this, if
I could, you know, someone
who is looking to resize
their and they're like unhappy
with their weight, or maybe
(32:40):
they're suffering from joint issues,
blood sugar issues, whatever it
is that starts that journey.
Often I'll get to a
place where I say, well,
first of all, I'm in
no judgment zone.
I am like, not the
tough love, you do not
get that with me.
So people who just say
like, lay it on me,
doc.
You know, I'm like averse
to that.
I'll give you a hug
(33:00):
on that one.
But I will say, you
know, sometimes if I could
give you your weight loss
or that resizing this second,
but you would have to
commit for every pound or
however we're measuring an inch,
whatever, that many weeks plus
another one of commitment to
doing the work, you know,
(33:21):
but I'll give it to
you today.
Then, then I would, you
know, that I would feel
like magic.
And I feel like this
is about as close as
we can get to that
because like you said before,
you can't not do lifestyle
with the GLP ones.
I mean, it is very
clear right now that when
you're on this, and if
you have reduced appetite, your
every bite matters more maintaining
(33:44):
lean muscle, muscle, the intake,
the quality of what's on
your plate is probably even
more important.
And this is a tool,
not the solution, you know,
so that's super important.
And I think that that's
sort of how I, I,
I think about this when
I'm working with people who
are intrigued or starting on
(34:05):
a course with right.
And the idea of adding
in foods is also because
that can help oddly enough,
it can help you end
up in a, in the
right, in a better calorie
deficit because the food that
you're eating is supporting your
efforts to feel satiated with
fewer calories because fiber takes
up space in your belly
and protein sustains you longer.
(34:26):
And therefore maybe if you
eat those two foods, you'll
have fewer inclination or you'll
have less inclination to eat
more sugary carbs or, or
whatever is the thing that
is your poison, fewer potato
chips.
You'll eat fewer.
And we've become what we
practice.
So it gives you time
to practice those things too,
which I think is a
(34:46):
nice thing about those kinds
of tools.
By the way, practice is
a wheel that I, had
I not turned myself into
an exerciser six years ago,
I would not believe, and
I've exercised on and off
forever.
I mean, forever.
It's not that I wasn't
an exerciser, but I was
the kind of exerciser that
my listeners know this since
(35:07):
I started on air, that
to move my body was
pain, to move my body
was emotional torture, to have
to exercise as a purpose
of exercise made me want
to die.
It was the very worst
until something clicked in my
brain and I realized it
was actually the key to
my feeling okay.
And psychologically, okay, I'm not
(35:27):
talking about, you know, sort
of the physical benefits and
little by little I retrained
and it is a practice
myself to move every day.
And that was six years
ago.
And now maybe one day
every 30 comes around that
I don't move, but it's
so, it's like brushing my
(35:47):
teeth, taking steps is brushing
my teeth.
And it's not about the
numbers that like, I know
that's arbitrary.
It's just movement.
It's the movement for me
is so key to my
overall sense of being okay
in my mind.
And so good, but it's
linked chemically also.
So, I mean, that's what
(36:08):
I mean.
Well, that's where it is.
I said, I'm going to
give myself 30 days.
When I started, I said,
I'm giving myself a month
of every day doing something
that's movement.
I don't have to sweat.
I don't have to care
what it is, but I
have to move.
I can find joy while
I'm doing it.
I have to move my
body.
And it now is like
brushing my teeth.
(36:28):
I don't, you know, I
really, unless I'm sick, unless
there's a reason, unless there's
a, you know, there something
that makes me really unable
to do it.
I have to, I have
to do my brain to
like, I'll start, you start
craving it.
I crave movement, which is
the opposite of like the
who that I was for
most of my life.
(36:50):
And so I understand this
idea of practice.
If the practice is eating
vegetables and the practice is
adding in things like that,
we know are going to
be good for your body.
That's, that's like everything else.
It will eventually become like
brushing your teeth.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, let me share something
funny.
Interesting.
Maybe not.
(37:10):
Well, it is fun, but
this part's funny.
but what my basic
tenants that we talked about
in my practice for over
20 years is eat well,
move daily, be healthy.
And they were very specific
because move daily is exactly
what you said, you know,
does exercise on purpose does,
does intensity matter?
Of course it does.
If you're running a marathon,
do you need to, you
(37:31):
know, work out on a
certain schedule?
Absolutely.
The move daily has no
rules, you know?
Right.
But the funny thing is
that, my, uh, one
of my many mentors, the
so-called godmother of the
spa and wellness industry, she
just turned 103 a couple
of days ago.
Her name is Deborah Szekely.
She's still lectures.
(37:51):
She's still out there doing
it.
Founder of Rancho La Puerta
and Golden Door, who I've
known.
Oh, I know her.
I went to Golden Door
when I was a child.
For many, I've known her,
you know, I worked for
her in a variety of
capacities.
Lots of great stories.
She is this sort of
OJ.
Yes.
Yeah, absolutely.
But you know what she
said to me one night
we were doing what we
called, my husband and
(38:12):
I were leading a week
long retreat at Golden Door
and we did evening talks
every night.
And one of the nights
we invited her to talk
with us and we called
it a 'trialogue'.
I don't know if that's
a made up word or
not still to this day,
but it was three of
us, having a conversation
around a said topic and
we were doing our preparation
and I already had known
Deborah and worked with her
(38:33):
in a different, totally different
discipline also, but in the,
the, the destination spa world,
I had been with her
for five plus years, but
we were doing some pre
-talks and I said, Deborah,
you know, "why did
you originally put all these
daily choices for guests who
come to Rancho la Puerta and Golden
(38:54):
Door?"
And for those of your
listeners who may not know,
it's a place you go
live for a week and
every day there's 15 to
39 different classes you can
do that are fitness.
And then there's spa wellness,
there's nutrition, there's eating all
these things.
But I said, "why did
you put so many?"
And you know, there's a
tendency, especially in your younger
self, to almost put
(39:15):
the words in the mouth.
Like I know what she's
going to say.
And I, but I sat,
I sat back cause she's
a woman of wisdom and
she's the founder.
And I thought what she
was going to say, of
course, was "...because I wanted
people, I wanted guests to
find the exercise they loved.
I wanted them to find
that."
That's what I thought she
would say.
Instead, she turned it on
(39:36):
its head.
And to this day, I
use this, I'm going to
say this to you today,
and I hope it connects
with some of your listeners.
She said, "I wanted guests
to find the exercise they're
least allergic to and then
do it every day."
I love it.
And I agree with that
philosophy.
And I agree with that
philosophy that it works.
We don't inherently, I mean,
(39:56):
you love it because you
know, what it gives you
and grant gives me back,
but that, but I have
to do that.
My brain is so weird
that there are days that
I will get on my
treadmill and I'm like, I
can't, I can't be on
here another second.
I got to get off
this thing.
And then I get on
my little mini stepper that
changed my life.
So my shout out to
Kim Shapira, who sent me,
(40:17):
you know, told me I
needed this teeny tiny hundred
dollar little non-electric stepper
changed my life.
I can jack up the
resistance, take it down.
I watched tell it's like
a mini elliptical.
I watched television on it.
And that's, it's become, I
have a much easier time
consuming junk content while I'm
moving than sitting on the
couch.
It's great.
(40:38):
No guilt.
I can watch hours of
television if I'm on my
stepper.
It's fantastic.
And, and it's, I don't
know.
It's like, uh, yeah, I
find the thing that I
hate the least depending on
the day.
And sometimes I have to
go through four different tries
of different equipment or different
methods of moving.
Sometimes it's dancing.
(40:58):
Sometimes it's actually trying to
learn a TikTok dance in
this old lady body.
And I will, but that
works and that's movement.
And I sweat.
It makes me sweat because
my brain is working my
body.
I don't know how to
kick or, you know, step
like that.
And so I'm not a
dancer.
And so, but you're right.
It's sort of the thing
that you're yeah.
(41:19):
That you're least allergic to
is so fair.
She was, she is correct.
Not golden doors.
I mean, I, I used
to go with my mom
and my sister when we
were kids.
And then, I went
a couple of times as
a grownup.
It's a very special, but
I mean, it's a very,
very special place for you
get to, if you get
to go there, it's so
special.
And, so yeah, but
(41:39):
she really knew she was
really one of the original
is one of the original
people who, really had
the right idea of the
concept of what wellness should,
should be.
Cause it's over, it's all
of it.
It's your mind, it's your
body.
It's now we're learning.
And she had certainly meditation
and all that long before
other people talked about it,
but the mind body connection
(42:01):
and lessening our stress.
And, and I know people
are like, oh, cause cortisol
cortisol, it's not really, you
know, I think our bodies
are just so responsive to
what we tell them.
So I don't even know
that it's exactly cortisol.
I think it's more of
the idea that if you're
self-talk, even on a
(42:21):
subconscious level is my body's
going to be crappy and
it's not going to work.
Right.
Then it might not work.
Right.
Yep.
But if, well, you know,
I just did two episodes
on criticism on my podcast,
you know, like sometimes when
we self critique versus changing
the, changing the, the, the
internal, uh, monologue dialogue, I
don't know how to say
it.
And, you know, the hormonal
(42:42):
shift is not to minimize
it because that physiological shift
is real, especially around the
perimenopausal menopausal period.
and it can make
you feel like you're doing
everything wrong or right at
a given moment.
But the thing is that
hormones are there for a
reason they're supposed to go
up and down.
They're just not supposed to
be peaked all the time.
And we can, we can
do things to help, help
(43:03):
them along in our dynamic
state.
So there's biology and then
there's intention.
Yeah.
Just like you said, and
that you can shift, shift
the messaging.
So it's not to diminish,
you know, cause some people
I'm sure are swearing like
it's my hormones.
Let me have my hormonal
reason.
No, no, that's real.
I'm not, I'm not I'm
living it.
I mean, I can't exactly.
(43:24):
I, I didn't, our generation,
at least mine with my
mother, you know, she didn't
talk about menopause.
She had a prophylactic hysterectomy
and she went on Premarin
and it was never, nothing
was really discussed.
We knew she would sometimes
feel crazy, but nothing was
really discussed.
It was sort of more
like the curse of the
period.
And then menopause, you know,
(43:46):
she just, it was more
that she was either unhinged,
which meant she was quote
unquote hormonal, but nothing was
really ever explained.
And as I go through
it myself with my son
is 26 and my daughter,
who's 24, like I, we
get into the nitty gritty.
Like I want to explain
how weird it all is
(44:07):
so that there's an understanding
of biology.
Like it is weird.
And yeah, you're lucky.
I mean, you're lucky now
or your kids are lucky,
especially because it is becoming
something that we can, we
will talk about and that
we are talking about.
You're seeing it in the
media.
It's not as stigmatized, even
though in the workplace, I'm
giving a talk in about
a month in a workplace
(44:28):
setting.
And it's tricky to, you
know, people want to listen,
but they don't want to
say the words because there's
still that perception of aging
and are we relevant and
do we matter and can
we be visible post periods?
And our reactions, you know,
I mean, think about it
in a, in, you know,
we're working with men and
women and if women somehow
(44:48):
admit that they're in a
menopausal stage or show it
in some way, then are
their reactions to certain, you
know, responses to meetings, are
they perceived as unhinged because
of that?
Or are there really good
points, you know?
Well, honestly, it's a superpower.
So I actually think, I
mean, I've said also for
(45:11):
years, like sometimes I think
PMS is a superpower when
you just don't give a
about anybody's response.
And the same thing when
you have a decrease in
estrogen and nothing protecting your
brain and telling your brain
to calm down and soothe
and soothe others, that that's
actually a superpower.
That's how men live.
And so like, how cool
is that to just not
care about how somebody's going
to react when you make
an actual good point in
(45:32):
a meeting or, or, right.
Or say the thing that
needs to be said, but
no, I, I, I really
am so appreciative that women
are talking more about it.
I talk about it too
much, but only because I
can't, like, I can't believe
what, how my, what my
body's been going through.
Like, I'm, I can't believe
(45:53):
what the past few years
have been like with my
periods.
It's so weird.
Like, it's so distressing and
that's not talked about enough.
Like how sick I feel
when my period shows up.
Like, I can't wait for
it to all end because
I, it takes me out.
Why should it take me?
Because that's a physiological response
that some women have at
this age.
Like that's just real.
And if we don't, I
(46:14):
mean, if we shrouded in
secrecy and we don't share
it, then I think that's
cruel because then women are
feeling crazy.
They're feeling like they're the
only ones.
Like I'm the most competent,
non-lazy, get up and
go get shit done type
of person.
Like that is how I'm
wired.
I get my period.
(46:35):
I want to crawl up
in a ball, not leave
my house until it's over.
I can't, I feel so
sick from head to toe.
It's just real.
There's little I can do
until it ends.
So I can't wait for
it to end knowing that
it's good for me to
still have it at this
age.
I still need it to
end.
And I'm going to talk
about it because that's fair.
(46:56):
Good that you're doing that
because it's giving that I'm
not alone feeling to so
many people, you know, our,
our culture, you know, the
sort of Western, if we
can just broadly generalize, but
our sort of American culture
really does shroud that more
than other cultures.
So, I mean, not to
go deep into deep cultural
dive, but other places in
(47:16):
the world don't look at
menopause the same way, or
don't even have words for
it because not because they
eliminate it, you know, ignore
it, but because it's a
next life stage and it's
more of a shared experience.
Just like breastfeeding in America
is still very isolating for
women unless someone joins a
(47:37):
group or is of a
different cultural origin that has
internal groups that they can
rely on around the world.
That's a very common thing
for people to experience and
go through together.
And I think menopause and
perimenopausal period is, is so
would still benefit from that.
And I think that there's
quite a bridge to get
there, you know, in our
society, just because of, you
(47:59):
know, we're just, just starting
to open.
We're just at the beginning
of the conversations.
Yeah.
There's still a little too
much to me, emphasis on
like staying sexy after menopause,
like, like how long do
I have to fight to
be sexy?
Like, can I just be,
you know, there's this, it's
just exhausting.
(48:20):
And that, you know, it
just still exists for women.
We have to constantly, I
don't know, be morphing into,
and I'm right there doing
it.
I might, I might complain
about it, but you will
not see me have a
chin hair.
You'll, I, you know, I'm
going to take care of
the things that are important
to yourself is not, you
(48:40):
know, succumbing to a societal
norm, you know, I really
don't.
I agree.
No, I agree with you.
I'll never have gray hair.
Cause I will not.
It's a choice and that's
mine, but you have such
a great energy.
Wendy, you, you are so
open and clearly don't have
judgment.
(49:01):
You are obviously a very
smart, kind soul.
And I think people will
benefit from listening to a
thousand waking minutes, which is
your podcast and how, how
can they work with you?
Can you work with people
virtually?
Yeah, I do.
I've had a long sort
of interesting path as we
all do in our careers.
And I work virtually with
(49:22):
individuals all over the world.
So I'm pretty good at
time zones.
You know, even my Chilean
friends who have sometimes a
three hour difference, sometimes four
and sometimes five, depending on
what week we're on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I work virtually, I work
in person.
Sometimes I travel to individuals.
Sometimes we do retreats, you
know, sometimes I do private
(49:42):
or I create retreats at
different places.
And so there's a variety
of ways.
I'm, I'm, I'm just not
a one size fits all
type of gal.
So, you know, cause we're
all unique.
But I work with individuals
and then I just really
hope that my podcast has
become a forum for community.
So it's small.
It's not like yours, Jenny,
(50:03):
it's growing, but I feel
like it's an environment that
can build community where conversation
can start to happen.
Even though it's broadcast out,
as you all know, you
know, it's there, it's not
the channel like you've had
in live broadcasts in your
experience.
I have some ideas moving
forward on how we can
get a little bit more
(50:23):
interaction and conversation going there
as well.
I have no doubt you'll
do that.
How can people find you?
Thanks.
Well, they can go to
wendybazilian.com and that's my
website.
And my last name is
spelled just like Brazilian from
Brazil, but without an R.
So wendybazilian.com and people
can email, I love emails
(50:45):
at 1KWM.
That's like 1,000 waking minutes,
a short acronym,
1KWM@wendybazilian.com.
So pretty easy to find.
If you sort of, you
probably could put Wendy Bazilian
and you get to me
too.
And you do.
Yeah, I think you probably
would.
Uh-huh.
I think you're right.
I'm at Just Jenny Hut
on Instagram and TikTok at
Jenny Hut.
(51:05):
And any questions or comments
about this episode or really
anything you can email justjennypot
at gmail.com.
Thank you, Wendy, for being
on the podcast.
I hope people check out
1,000 Waking Minutes.
It's really good.
You're very soothing and smart
and reasonable.
All things that I like.
And I really appreciate you're
(51:26):
talking with me today.
I'm so grateful, Jenny.
Thanks for having me on
your show.
It's wonderful.
Thank you for tuning into
1,000 Waking Minutes.
A huge thank you to
our amazing collaborators, including our
production and marketing teams and
Gabriela Escalante in particular.
To the ultra talented Beza
(51:47):
for my theme music, my
lifelong friend and artist Pearl
Preis Photography and Design.
To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,
Joanna Powell, and of course
my family.
And everyone working tirelessly behind
the scenes.
And to you, our valued
listeners, I so appreciate your
support.
If you enjoyed today's episode,
please consider leaving a comment,
(52:09):
writing a review, and giving
1,000 Waking Minutes, that's us,
a five-star rating.
And please hit subscribe on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever
you enjoy your podcasts.
Please follow and stay connected
at wendybazilian.com.
And don't forget to share
with your friends.
Your support helps us grow
and bring you more great
(52:30):
content.
Until next time, find some
simple opportunities to optimize those
1,000 Waking Minutes each day.
(53:01):
It's gonna be okay.
Today I'm sharing a conversation
from a recent episode of
the Just Jenny Podcast with
Jenny Hutt.
We talked about how our
bodies change in midlife, the
buzz around GLP-1s, and
how we're thinking differently about
health, food, and feeling good
in our own skin, within
this season of life, and
(00:21):
during our 1,000 waking
minutes each day.
We experience 1,000 waking
minutes on average every day.
How are you spending yours?
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, and
you're listening to 1,000
Waking Minutes.
I can't wait to connect
with you here with practical
ways to eat well, move
daily, and be healthy, to
(00:42):
optimize every waking minute you
live for a happier, healthier
life.
Thank you for sharing some
of your waking minutes with
me today.
Let's get started.
I'm saying yes to better
days, yes.
I'm on my way, yes.
It's gonna be okay, yeah.
(01:10):
Hello and welcome to 1
,000 Waking Minutes.
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, your
host.
Today's episode is a little
bit different.
A few weeks ago, I
had the true pleasure of
joining Jenny Hutt on her
podcast, Just Jenny, for a
Wait Wednesday.
This was a conversation, and
I'm going to air that
(01:31):
episode for you today with
her blessing.
Thanks, Jenny.
Now, if you don't know
Jenny, you're in for something
special.
She's a longtime radio and
podcast host.
She has a smart, bold,
and completely unfiltered style, and
a real gift for making
(01:51):
complex topics feel personal, relatable,
and raw in all the
best ways.
She's had a long-running
show on SiriusXM, and is
now bringing the same sharp
honesty to her podcast, where
she talks about weight, health,
(02:12):
life, pop culture, her own
story, all along the way
and everything in between.
It was a total joy
to talk to her, and
also kind of thrilling, because
we didn't hold back.
We really got into it,
from the rise of the
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic
and Manjaro, to the realities
(02:33):
of perimenopause and our midlife
body changes that many of
us undergo and are somewhat
inevitable because of some of
the hormonal changes, and how
we think about health and
nutrition now, not 10 years
ago, not someday either, but
right now, today.
And what I appreciated so
(02:53):
much about the conversation was
that it wasn't one note.
It wasn't oversimplified.
It wasn't just a single
take on things.
We talked about the nuance.
We talked about adding nourishing
foods and not just cutting
things out, a favorite of
mine to talk about, as
(03:14):
you know.
We talked about cravings, about
guilt, and the gifts of
nourishing.
We talked about the shifting
metabolic changes that happen with
time.
We talked about our feelings,
real feelings, and real life.
And Jenny also shares a
lot about her own journey,
(03:34):
which is so refreshing.
She has her own major
weight loss story.
She has her own relationship
to movement and talks about,
and we talked about the
complexity of thinking and trying
about doing it right in
a world full of mixed
(03:55):
messages.
Oh, and I have to
mention, she's a fellow alum
of my own alma mater,
where I and we both
received our bachelor's degrees at
Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts,
which is right outside of
Boston.
And we were one year
apart, no less.
(04:15):
So though we didn't know
each other at the time,
we connected on many memories
of our times there, before
the episode, after, and a
little bit during as well.
And I am absolutely convinced,
I think we are both,
that we must have been
in each other's company at
least a couple times during
our years there.
Our conversation on this episode
(04:38):
of Just Jenny fits really
within the 1,000 waking
minutes ideology on what we
talk about, and it fits
really beautifully because we touch
on so many of the
themes that we come back
to again here, how we
move through the minutes of
our day with intention, how
we live in our bodies,
(04:58):
and how we can do
it with more compassion and
clarity, and how we can
collect tools that we need
now and over time to
live well, even if those
tools might change or modify
over time and adapt to
us in our seasons of
life now.
So a couple things to
listen for in this episode.
(05:20):
One is why it's not
helpful, maybe, maybe, to rush
to judgment when someone shares
how they lost weight.
So while we might be
interested and we might sort
of jump to conclusions, they
must have done it this
way or this trend or
that diet we've heard about,
why we maybe shouldn't judge
or jump to judgment, and
(05:42):
maybe how we feel when
others might do that or
have done that to us.
We talk about a distinction
I make somewhat often here
on this show, and we
discuss the idea about resizing
the body versus trying to
become something totally different, and
how resizing, whether it's for
(06:02):
weight or performance, can be
words that have empowerment and
health inspiration and motivation, and
how the words we choose
are super important when we're
discussing things like weight and
health.
And a fun story, a
true story, about how I
learned from the very best.
(06:23):
So I share how a
mentor of mine, and I've
mentioned her here, of 103
years young and still out
there talking about health and
wellness, an advocate for the
wellness industry, how to find
the exercise that you're least
allergic to in order to
build a life and a
(06:44):
long, vital life with these
choices.
So let's get into it.
I hope you enjoy this
conversation as much as I
had having it with Jenny.
And I'm truly honored to
have been invited, and I'm
so grateful for Jenny's environment,
her community, and for creating
(07:04):
the space for these important
and often complicated conversations.
You can always catch Jenny
on her Just Jenny podcast,
wherever you get your podcasts.
Definitely follow her on
@JustJennyHutt, and you can also
visit her website at jenniferhutt.com
.
(07:25):
Subscribe to her, and you'll
hear more of her candid
and smart and refreshing real
conversations.
Now, my guest appearance on
Just Jenny.
Welcome to the podcast on
this Wednesday.
I have with me Dr.
Wendy Bazilian.
...Like Brazilian, but I
actually prefer Wendy, being it's
(07:47):
like bazillion dollars.
I was listening to your
podcast, and 1,000 Waking Minutes
is the podcast, and I
love that you're like, and
I can tell you three
things or a bazillion things,
and it works, totally, totally
works, and makes your name
even more memorable.
You are a doctor of
public health, a registered dietitian,
(08:07):
an award-winning journalist, and
the author of Eat Clean,
Stay Lean series, and the
Superfoods Rx Diet.
So welcome to my podcast,
and I want to get
right into it, because this
morning, and I know you've
done a lot of television,
so you're no stranger to
sort of the pop culture
(08:28):
angle of all the diet
culture and weight conversation and
just all of it, and
just this morning, I was
reading that Chrissy Metz, who's
a friend of the show
and a friend of mine,
and I think she's just
a wonderful actor and singer
and all that, artist, came
out saying she lost 100
pounds, and then went further
(08:50):
to say, and I did
it without the use of
a GLP-1, and I
know that the internet is
sort of, per usual, on
fire about it with the
naysayers and the cheerleaders or
whatever, and so starting right
there, why do you think,
(09:11):
and what has been your
experience and your practice, why
do you think that people
are so caught up in
the method in which somebody
loses weight or maintains weight?
Yeah, it's a great, it's
a bazillion-dollar question there.
There we go.
Go right there.
Go straight for it.
(09:32):
There we go.
I would say I have
a bazillion ideas, not a
bazillion dollars, but a bazillion
ideas.
I think that that is
such an interesting one because
I think part of it
has to do with us
being sort of indoctrinated at
methods and stories and titles
that are like, this is
the way.
Here's the best diet.
(09:52):
This is the way.
No, no, this is the
way to lose weight.
So people are always intrigued,
and people who are health
-inspired or trying to resize
their bodies are always looking
for a way or a
hook.
I find it sometimes a
little bit sad that we
feel that we have to
justify any of us, let
(10:15):
alone a celebrity out there
to say how you did
it or didn't do it.
Maybe that's sort of none
of your business.
However, knowing that the next
question is going to be
how did you do it
or making assumptions, which I
think is a little more
dangerous.
So people try to cut
it off at the chase
by addressing the hard questions
(10:36):
or what they can predict
coming in.
But I think it's baked
into our society about the
ways to lose weight, and
it must be this way
and that way.
We know that GLP-1s
and all the new therapies
that are related to the
drug-related weight is on
(10:56):
people's minds, so they're making
a lot of presumptions and
it's probably a protective stance,
if nothing else.
And I don't know her
at all, though I love
and respect her very much,
but sort of probably PR
programming as much as anything
to sort of say, hey,
I'm proud of how I
did it.
I know.
Listen, I believe her, and
I also don't care in
the best way, meaning I
(11:18):
care about her health and
her well-being and I
want her to be happy
because I really like her.
But I don't care whether
she takes a medication or
she doesn't take a medication.
She gets to choose how
she lives in her body
and whatever she accomplishes or
doesn't accomplish, again, I don't
really feel it's my business.
I've never been of the
ilk that if somebody is
a public figure, they owe
full disclosure about everything at
(11:39):
all times.
I just, you know, and
- You're doing a great
thing here then, Jenny, also,
because it's so refreshing.
Your Weight Wednesday, you're able
to get into these questions
and talk about it, and
it's refreshing to be able
to have a conversation and
actually give the vocabulary like
you just gave it because
some people don't know not
to judge or not to
enter the conversation with a
(12:01):
presumption, and you're giving sort
of the language and tools
to be able to say,
oh, yeah, you know, maybe
I should just be, like,
psyched because they're happy about
where they're at with their
body and talking about it.
And I think, Wendy, I
look at it through a
different kind of lens because
when I lost weight, I
lost 70, 80 pounds about
15 years ago, and maybe
(12:23):
more.
It depends on the, you
know, weight is so f-ing
fluid, the number.
So, like, it's always, I
go back and forth because
one year it's this amount,
the next year it's this
amount, et cetera.
But at the time, I
remember people thought that I
had had gastric sleeve or
gastric bypass.
I never had surgery.
It just wasn't, it just
isn't how I lost weight.
(12:44):
And I didn't feel the
need at the time to
sort of be like, yay
me.
Like, I, because again, I
didn't feel anything more or
less than any other person
who had lost weight with
any other method.
I just remember at the
time being terrified when I
first lost a lot of
weight and was in sort
of the quote unquote healthy
(13:06):
body range that I would
gain it back.
Like, I didn't have a
moment, certainly not early on,
where I could take a
deep breath and say, oh
God, okay, I lost all
that weight, I'll be fine.
It's never coming back.
I'm good, so good.
No, it was just sheer
terror.
And so I think that
that feeling of sheer terror
(13:26):
made me really feel for
who, like whoever did what
to lose weight because it's
just not easy.
It doesn't matter how you
get there.
It's just not easy.
And as years went by
and different life events happened
and different stressors, my husband
and I separated a little
while ago and I dropped
a quick 10 or 15
pounds.
(13:46):
Like I couldn't eat.
I just couldn't eat the
quote unquote divorce diet, whatever.
And I just remember people
like side-eyeing me because
this is in recent, this
is in the years of
the GLP-1.
And it wasn't until like
a few months ago where
I just started taking Manjaro
because perimenopause and menopause is
(14:09):
kicking my ass and that
divorce weight started to creep
back, right?
So here I have this
hundred pound weight loss, which
is amazing.
And it's starting to creep
a little bit.
And so I'm like, well,
for the first time in
my life, I have a
small sense of relief that
I have this possible, like
this thing that could help
me keep this weight off
(14:31):
in a way that may
not keep me up at
night worrying, right?
In a way that I
still have to do everything.
And I guess the lens
through which I see all
this is it's not a
quick fix.
The GLP-1s, they're just
not magic because they're not
magic for me.
I mean, they're not magic
for me.
I would love to tell
you that I don't think
about food, that I eat
(14:52):
like what we deem as
perfectly, whatever that means, that
my weight doesn't fluctuate, that,
okay, well, here's the thing.
Like my weight went up
four pounds last week on
a GLP-1 because my
period showed up after being
gone for a month.
It just said, hi, I'm
back after, well, two months.
I was a month late.
And here I was like,
(15:13):
finally menopause.
And it was like, no,
just like, and so it
doesn't matter, the GLP-1.
I still needed to eat
the noodles and the butter
and whatever else my body
was telling me I had
to eat.
And I listened to it.
But the sense of relief
I have that I'll never
feel like it's going to
get out of control because
I won't let it get
out of control.
And there are resources for
me that didn't exist years
(15:34):
ago is like, I want
to shout it from the
rooftops.
That's my experience, right?
That's great.
I mean, it's not magic
and it's not a villain,
right?
Correct.
That's right.
But it's not magic.
And so there's this part
of me that wants to
sort of say to the
people that want to malign
anyone who chooses these medications
to lose that weight.
(15:56):
I just want it.
Like, I don't know how
to say it every other
way.
Like, it's just not magic.
They're not, yes, they're the
most effective of these medications
you can get with the
least, you know, scary profile
side effects, whatever.
I know the side effects.
I'm not go to a
doctor.
Don't just take these.
(16:17):
Don't, you know, don't go
to some back alley and
get yourself a syringe filled
with JLP ones.
No, but we're doing before.
So it's nice that I
think that's, you know, correct.
And, and now they're peptides,
which I want to get
into with you also, which
I didn't talk to you
about when we spoke before
we recorded this whole like
peptide thing people are doing.
Cause when it makes me
think of HCG, when people
(16:38):
were taking that and then
they found that that wasn't
good for you, like don't
do things that haven't been
regulated and tested people.
It's just not a great
idea.
But my point is that
like you just said, we
don't have to like heroify
these meds and we don't
have to vilify these meds.
And I think just letting
people do what they choose
(16:59):
to do with their doctor's
help without stigma would be
really great.
And enough of like getting
mad at somebody who was
plus size or whatever, as
you said, reshaping or re
what did you do?
You said something so good.
I love that expression.
I've not heard it before.
(17:21):
And I so prefer it
to the sort of like
I lived in a larger
body.
Now I'm in a smaller
body.
It's the same body.
I get it.
It was bigger.
I don't know.
I like the resizing concept.
It allows for, you know,
muscle shaping.
It allows for performance athletes.
It allows us all to
act in the same space
because we resize for different
reasons.
Exactly.
And I think what you're
(17:41):
saying, what I'm hearing is
what is a basic tenant
of what I always talk
about, that health is dynamic.
And so you collect tools
along the way.
We've got a great new
tool on the toolbox that
can be medication related, but
all the things leading up
to now in your, in
your story or in anyone's
story, When they've gone through
(18:02):
different life stages, we're always
dynamic.
So you're never just, and
hopefully that can bring a
little peace of mind over
time because we can get
so anxious that certainly when
you first get the weight
loss, it's anxiety.
That can be quelled over
time.
Yeah.
Well, it, but I'm telling
you, it took me years
and I have.
(18:23):
Back when blogging was a
thing, I have blog posts
from a year or two
years after I'd first lost
weight.
And it was all about
how I didn't feel like
a weight loss success.
And I wasn't going to
feel a weight loss success
until I was, I made
up numbers like five years
in six years.
And then I got to
the five years and I
still didn't feel like, Hey,
I've got this licked.
(18:44):
And I still don't really
feel like I have it
because that what you're talking
about, this idea that it's,
it is dynamic, that we
don't, everything changes.
Everything's in flux in our
bodies and in our lives.
So we don't really know
some of it does go
beyond our control, especially as
women can be water retentive
and have no idea why.
(19:04):
One food can work great
in your body.
And then two weeks later,
it doesn't, it is the
strangest thing and cravings are
real and the older, certainly
at 55 and we went
to the same university.
So I know around what
your age is trailing one
year, just one small year
behind you.
I wasn't even outing you,
but I'm just saying, I
(19:25):
know, but, but like, I'm
aware that some of it
does sort of go beyond
my control and that there
is this, this physiological response
to the changes in our
bodies and stuff.
And so, yes, I do
feel more.
Now there's a sense of
relief or hope because there,
there are these medications and
(19:45):
there's more stuff coming on
the horizon that if you
want to fight it in
a way that involves big
pharma, everyone's so mad about
big pharma.
And I'm like, well, we
have a life expectancy of,
you know, in the seventies,
instead of till you're 24,
like I'm happy with the
big pharma that exists and
chemotherapy, et cetera.
But, but yeah, I just
(20:06):
feel like everything keeps morphing
for me and I just
do the best that I
can.
And all about, you know,
our intentional living.
So it moves away from
how we talk about our
bodies to how we live
in the bodies, you know,
it does require us to
adjust and adapt on a,
like I always, like I
use, do you take ruins?
(20:26):
Do you take any of
the green stuff?
Like, probably not.
Cause you're a.
No, I mean, absolutely.
I, I know you will.
And I'll think of good
things.
Yeah.
Okay.
So like I eat gruins
because they taste like candy
and I'm like, I'm trying
not to eat as much
candy.
I don't eat Scooby snacks
anymore because my kids are
grown.
So like I do these
little stupid switches that these
have vitamins in them for
me, they make me happy.
(20:47):
Do I need everyone to
take?
No, I don't care what
someone else does, but like,
I like to use certain
supplements, like, but few and
far between to like makes
me happy.
I eat it.
It's yummy.
I also don't make like
super food brownies.
I make a f-ing brownie.
Like, because I, I feel
like we get crazy.
(21:07):
We make these calorie dense
that we think that we're
having a diet food because
the brownie is made with
45 dates, you know, two
cups of almonds and like,
I don't know, maple syrup
versus sugar.
And I'm like, well, wait,
I'm in flour calorie for
Cal.
It's way more calorie dense
than regular flour.
(21:28):
I know glycemic index.
I get it.
It is a morning nutrients
for sure.
But if you want a
brownie, have a brownie, you
don't have to have a
brownie.
That's 4,000 calories of
a brownie.
That's 2000 calories.
Right?
Like I agree.
I think we over supplement
and fortify our, you know,
our foods.
However, I will say that
I am very in favor
of like logical swaps.
So if you're like craving
a certain thing and the
(21:49):
groom's suit, you know, fits
that, it's not correcting, you
know, it's not saying instead
of a salad, I'll have
one of those.
No, it's it's instead of
having the 80 calories of
straight sugar, I'm having the
50 calories of fortified.
It tastes like the same.
It tastes, this is the
first like chewy gummy thing
I've had.
I've had been using them
for years.
That doesn't taste like ass.
(22:10):
Like it tastes, it, they
taste like candy.
They taste like the baby,
the things my kids used
to eat and I used
to eat them off their
plate.
But yes, correct.
Sort of calorie for right.
Like not calories, but if
it's an even swap in
a sense, go for the
healthier option.
If you were in the
mood, yes.
(22:31):
For the thing and you
can tolerate the lower sugar
and it tastes as good.
Great.
It's my issue when you
would be having a 400
calorie brownie and then instead
you have an 800 calorie
brownie because you may think
it's made with the super
foods.
You're not really benefiting.
That's a surprise.
You know, I mean, I
find that so many people
do that.
They become sort of shocked
to learn, you know, I
(22:51):
mean, you can, you can
talk up the nutrients.
I can do that as
good as any person can
about what's in nutrient wise,
something might offer, but if
you're looking at the overall
energy or the portion that
would be And if it's
like a lot more hassle
and you're really not enjoying
it, you might end up
(23:12):
having the other brownie anyway,
then, you know, that is
all in my book, all
the wrong reasons for going
for that super foods or
whatever brownie.
Although I have to say
on this topics of brownies,
this is one exception that
I will say, I will
definitely check, you know, check
the box on have the
brownie that you love the
most period.
(23:32):
I also do have a
really cool way of adding
pumpkin into brownies, which is
not intended to be sneaky.
It's different.
That boosts the fiber content
with you.
It's moisture.
And it actually cuts like
60 grams of fat.
And like, it really, it
really does.
That's a good.
Okay.
That's a good swap.
(23:53):
That's not what I'm talking
about.
That makes perfect sense.
That's like making two ingredient
bagels.
That's like making, you know,
my daughter now loves making
two ingredient bagels because she
loves the taste.
She puts cottage.
She calls them cottage cheese
bagels.
She puts cottage cheese and
flour together.
She makes herself a bagel
and she's happy and it
tastes good.
And it's a little more
nutrient dense than a regular
bagel and calories are pretty
close and it's great.
(24:14):
This is adding pumpkin to
something is only a benefit.
That's I use egg whites
instead of eggs and certain
things.
Of course you can make
oat pancakes instead of plain
white flour pancakes.
Sure.
It's sort of not the
disparity between the amount of
calories and nothing crazy.
And also it's just when
people think.
(24:34):
You see like million dollar
bars.
What were those calls called
those like shortbread cookies with
chocolate on the top, the
caramel, and then the bottom.
A hundred grand.
No, no, no.
This is the one it's
like a shortbread pastry type
thing.
And it's made with like
the Twix.
It's like a Twix, but
homemade.
And people are like, well,
(24:57):
Cashews and date syrup and
dates.
And, and at the end
of the day, it's more
calories than the regular version.
And you're not really getting
anything, you know, sugar, sugar,
it ends up being sugar,
sugar.
So that's all I'm saying.
But when you're talking about,
yeah.
How do you make those
brownies?
I had to tease that
in though, because it's a
(25:17):
really good, please explain, please
explain.
Yes.
Well, in that recipe, you
can take a commercial brownie
mix.
So, you know, like I'm,
I I'm where you're at,
you know, where we all
are at, you know, commercial
brownie mix.
You have your homemade brownie
mix.
You can literally have the
butter or the oil, even
though I'm a big advocate
of healthy oils in the
diet, I can talk at
(25:38):
length about that.
For sure.
You have that and you
put in the pumpkin and
it boosts the fiber and,
you know, five to 7
% of us are getting
enough fiber, not the other
way around.
So like 93% of
us in America are falling
short on fiber.
So there are a lot
of people in the world
who are like, It retains
the moisture.
It tastes delicious and it
cuts out 60 grams of
fat in the recipe, which
(26:00):
is monumental.
What's that?
Six times, nine, 500 calories.
Plus out of the recipe.
In something that if you
pass it off and I
don't mean to pass it
off in sneaky way.
You pass it off, but
people would be coming back
for more because they're like,
gosh, that's great.
Then we'd have to talk
about portions if people are
working on their weight.
Otherwise, have at it.
Not my place to judge.
(26:21):
But they're that good, and
it's a solid nutrient boost
and swap, plus carotenoids.
That pumpkin helps our skin
health, helps our eye health,
helps our immune system.
And I think those are
as important as these.
So talk about some of
the superfoods, because I know
you did write a book,
Superfood Rx, and I know
(26:42):
some superfoods do really exist.
I know blueberries are real
good for you.
Certain things, fiber is a
superfood in general.
And then certain foods have
been recently very vilified, like
seed oils.
And I get confused because
we can eat sunflower seeds
and that's fine, but don't
have sunflower oil.
So talk a little bit
about superfoods.
Yeah.
So when I got involved
(27:03):
with superfoods, it wasn't even
a word.
We sort of put it
on the map.
So the first superfoods book
came out and I did
all the menus and the
daily plans for it and
worked on the team that
put out superfoods, which went
sort of blockbuster.
And I was a little
bit hesitant, to be honest,
at calling certain foods out
as super.
I had to really write
my own mind knowing how
(27:24):
important the science was and
that all foods can fit.
However, what I started to
see is that certain foods
had more research, were accessible,
were convenient, were affordable, and
weren't a one-trick pony.
Those are components of superfoods
to me.
That could be like a
gateway to other foods that
had research and support.
(27:45):
So the blueberry sort of
stood out because we had
a lot of research out
of Tufts, come to mention
it from the USDA Aging
Center with great researchers there
who talked about blueberries and
memory and cardiovascular health.
Well, blueberries are sort of
like the benchmark of other
(28:05):
berries that have their own
unique traits.
And we called those the
sidekicks.
They have their own unique
traits, but they have things
in common.
And so the superfoods were
really all those things and
they were real food.
Come 15, 20, 15, 18
years later, since we were
doing that, a lot of
people use that term.
And so a lot of
people sort of get ornery
(28:26):
about a pill or bottle
that's talking about superfoods and
they put in a trace
ingredient at the bottom that's
so-called blueberry extract or
something.
Is that really a superfood?
That was never the intention
with me because I'm so
vested in the evidence.
And if you don't eat
it, it's not enough to
read about it.
You're not going to get
healthier.
So that's where it all
(28:47):
started with sort of identifying.
And what I found and
sort of was surprised is
that readers in a sea
of choices, you know, at
the time it was like
60,000 options in the
typical supermarket to choose from.
By giving like 14 of
them at the time, you
know, and then we evolved
it and there were like
seven more and then some
(29:08):
sidekicks, people could like start
to see clearer, you know?
And I said, okay, I'm
okay with this term, you
know, now let's build it
into an eating pattern that
makes sense.
You know, how do you
do that at breakfast and
lunch and dinner?
How do you get more
oranges and citrus, you know,
obvious things, tomatoes and other
lycopene sources, you know, how
do you get these foods
(29:30):
and their sidekicks into and
married into a diet that,
diet in the best ways.
I know you're saying diet
isn't actually how we eat.
Yes, you talk about that
on your podcast too.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
That how we can manage
our weight, manage our energy,
manage our performance, manage all
these things and feel happy
about it.
So, you know, that's, that's
(29:52):
where it all came from
really.
And I still stand, you
know, stand tall on the
superfoods idea, even though, oh
man, it's gotten really, uh,
you know.
Well, never.
Well, I think your intention,
your intention is right.
Your intention is look in
you, you, this is what
you eat every day, right?
You have a set amount
that you, your body consumes.
You're going to eat your
(30:13):
breakfast.
You're going to eat lunch.
You're going to eat dinner,
whatever it is, the way
that you eat.
Why not try to incorporate
the foods that are better
for you that we know
we're going to do right
by your body.
If you can do that,
like that's, there's no harm
in doing that.
That's only sort of a
beneficial idea.
It's not, yeah, it's not
hocus pocus.
Yeah.
(30:33):
Right.
And then it became a
very positive era because,
it was right when some
really important research was coming
out and now thankfully a
lot more, it was coming
off the like cut fat.
Well, it was still happening.
Cut, cut fat or the
intermittent, you know, we keep
going back and forth with
the cut, cut, cut fat,
cut carbs, cut, whatever, cut
salt, all that.
It was a time when
(30:54):
some important research was coming
out, looking at the idea
that the nutrients on your
plate may be more important
than the nutrients you're trying
to get off the plate.
And so I was just
trying to add layers, you
know, I was saying more
of this do add this
as opposed to people still.
Yeah.
I think people still don't
really understand what that's about.
And I, and actually it
(31:14):
ties into where we are
societally because we're back sort
of on the thin train,
it seems because of the
meds, you know, the sort
of the dark side of
that, that we're in this
direction of Twiggy as best
again, which again, that's not
my direction.
It's just like this weird
societal shift that's happening again
about that sort of not,
I don't know, beauty at
(31:36):
every size, right now it
should be, but we're a
little bit over-correcting and
this is trends.
This is what happens.
But to your point, and
I've been saying this all
along, even with the emergence
of the GLP-1s, nutrition
is as ever important, if
not more.
And a dietician like you
(31:58):
is crucial because especially if
we're consuming fewer calories than
shouldn't those fewer calories be
foods that matter and foods
that do benefit us.
And the idea of adding
in makes total sense because
what you add in makes
your body work more efficiently,
right?
So why not put in
(32:19):
the things that are going
to benefit us overall?
What the GLP-1s and
that category of medication has
done for me and how
I've been working with clients
is interesting because I used
to say, I guess I
would still say this, if
I could, you know, someone
who is looking to resize
their and they're like unhappy
with their weight, or maybe
(32:40):
they're suffering from joint issues,
blood sugar issues, whatever it
is that starts that journey.
Often I'll get to a
place where I say, well,
first of all, I'm in
no judgment zone.
I am like, not the
tough love, you do not
get that with me.
So people who just say
like, lay it on me,
doc.
You know, I'm like averse
to that.
I'll give you a hug
(33:00):
on that one.
But I will say, you
know, sometimes if I could
give you your weight loss
or that resizing this second,
but you would have to
commit for every pound or
however we're measuring an inch,
whatever, that many weeks plus
another one of commitment to
doing the work, you know,
(33:21):
but I'll give it to
you today.
Then, then I would, you
know, that I would feel
like magic.
And I feel like this
is about as close as
we can get to that
because like you said before,
you can't not do lifestyle
with the GLP ones.
I mean, it is very
clear right now that when
you're on this, and if
you have reduced appetite, your
every bite matters more maintaining
(33:44):
lean muscle, muscle, the intake,
the quality of what's on
your plate is probably even
more important.
And this is a tool,
not the solution, you know,
so that's super important.
And I think that that's
sort of how I, I,
I think about this when
I'm working with people who
are intrigued or starting on
(34:05):
a course with right.
And the idea of adding
in foods is also because
that can help oddly enough,
it can help you end
up in a, in the
right, in a better calorie
deficit because the food that
you're eating is supporting your
efforts to feel satiated with
fewer calories because fiber takes
up space in your belly
and protein sustains you longer.
(34:26):
And therefore maybe if you
eat those two foods, you'll
have fewer inclination or you'll
have less inclination to eat
more sugary carbs or, or
whatever is the thing that
is your poison, fewer potato
chips.
You'll eat fewer.
And we've become what we
practice.
So it gives you time
to practice those things too,
which I think is a
(34:46):
nice thing about those kinds
of tools.
By the way, practice is
a wheel that I, had
I not turned myself into
an exerciser six years ago,
I would not believe, and
I've exercised on and off
forever.
I mean, forever.
It's not that I wasn't
an exerciser, but I was
the kind of exerciser that
my listeners know this since
(35:07):
I started on air, that
to move my body was
pain, to move my body
was emotional torture, to have
to exercise as a purpose
of exercise made me want
to die.
It was the very worst
until something clicked in my
brain and I realized it
was actually the key to
my feeling okay.
And psychologically, okay, I'm not
(35:27):
talking about, you know, sort
of the physical benefits and
little by little I retrained
and it is a practice
myself to move every day.
And that was six years
ago.
And now maybe one day
every 30 comes around that
I don't move, but it's
so, it's like brushing my
(35:47):
teeth, taking steps is brushing
my teeth.
And it's not about the
numbers that like, I know
that's arbitrary.
It's just movement.
It's the movement for me
is so key to my
overall sense of being okay
in my mind.
And so good, but it's
linked chemically also.
So, I mean, that's what
(36:08):
I mean.
Well, that's where it is.
I said, I'm going to
give myself 30 days.
When I started, I said,
I'm giving myself a month
of every day doing something
that's movement.
I don't have to sweat.
I don't have to care
what it is, but I
have to move.
I can find joy while
I'm doing it.
I have to move my
body.
And it now is like
brushing my teeth.
(36:28):
I don't, you know, I
really, unless I'm sick, unless
there's a reason, unless there's
a, you know, there something
that makes me really unable
to do it.
I have to, I have
to do my brain to
like, I'll start, you start
craving it.
I crave movement, which is
the opposite of like the
who that I was for
most of my life.
(36:50):
And so I understand this
idea of practice.
If the practice is eating
vegetables and the practice is
adding in things like that,
we know are going to
be good for your body.
That's, that's like everything else.
It will eventually become like
brushing your teeth.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, let me share something
funny.
Interesting.
Maybe not.
(37:10):
Well, it is fun, but
this part's funny.
but what my basic
tenants that we talked about
in my practice for over
20 years is eat well,
move daily, be healthy.
And they were very specific
because move daily is exactly
what you said, you know,
does exercise on purpose does,
does intensity matter?
Of course it does.
If you're running a marathon,
do you need to, you
(37:31):
know, work out on a
certain schedule?
Absolutely.
The move daily has no
rules, you know?
Right.
But the funny thing is
that, my, uh, one
of my many mentors, the
so-called godmother of the
spa and wellness industry, she
just turned 103 a couple
of days ago.
Her name is Deborah Szekely.
She's still lectures.
(37:51):
She's still out there doing
it.
Founder of Rancho La Puerta
and Golden Door, who I've
known.
Oh, I know her.
I went to Golden Door
when I was a child.
For many, I've known her,
you know, I worked for
her in a variety of
capacities.
Lots of great stories.
She is this sort of
OJ.
Yes.
Yeah, absolutely.
But you know what she
said to me one night
we were doing what we
called, my husband and
(38:12):
I were leading a week
long retreat at Golden Door
and we did evening talks
every night.
And one of the nights
we invited her to talk
with us and we called
it a 'trialogue'.
I don't know if that's
a made up word or
not still to this day,
but it was three of
us, having a conversation
around a said topic and
we were doing our preparation
and I already had known
Deborah and worked with her
(38:33):
in a different, totally different
discipline also, but in the,
the, the destination spa world,
I had been with her
for five plus years, but
we were doing some pre
-talks and I said, Deborah,
you know, "why did
you originally put all these
daily choices for guests who
come to Rancho la Puerta and Golden
(38:54):
Door?"
And for those of your
listeners who may not know,
it's a place you go
live for a week and
every day there's 15 to
39 different classes you can
do that are fitness.
And then there's spa wellness,
there's nutrition, there's eating all
these things.
But I said, "why did
you put so many?"
And you know, there's a
tendency, especially in your younger
self, to almost put
(39:15):
the words in the mouth.
Like I know what she's
going to say.
And I, but I sat,
I sat back cause she's
a woman of wisdom and
she's the founder.
And I thought what she
was going to say, of
course, was "...because I wanted
people, I wanted guests to
find the exercise they loved.
I wanted them to find
that."
That's what I thought she
would say.
Instead, she turned it on
(39:36):
its head.
And to this day, I
use this, I'm going to
say this to you today,
and I hope it connects
with some of your listeners.
She said, "I wanted guests
to find the exercise they're
least allergic to and then
do it every day."
I love it.
And I agree with that
philosophy.
And I agree with that
philosophy that it works.
We don't inherently, I mean,
(39:56):
you love it because you
know, what it gives you
and grant gives me back,
but that, but I have
to do that.
My brain is so weird
that there are days that
I will get on my
treadmill and I'm like, I
can't, I can't be on
here another second.
I got to get off
this thing.
And then I get on
my little mini stepper that
changed my life.
So my shout out to
Kim Shapira, who sent me,
(40:17):
you know, told me I
needed this teeny tiny hundred
dollar little non-electric stepper
changed my life.
I can jack up the
resistance, take it down.
I watched tell it's like
a mini elliptical.
I watched television on it.
And that's, it's become, I
have a much easier time
consuming junk content while I'm
moving than sitting on the
couch.
It's great.
(40:38):
No guilt.
I can watch hours of
television if I'm on my
stepper.
It's fantastic.
And, and it's, I don't
know.
It's like, uh, yeah, I
find the thing that I
hate the least depending on
the day.
And sometimes I have to
go through four different tries
of different equipment or different
methods of moving.
Sometimes it's dancing.
(40:58):
Sometimes it's actually trying to
learn a TikTok dance in
this old lady body.
And I will, but that
works and that's movement.
And I sweat.
It makes me sweat because
my brain is working my
body.
I don't know how to
kick or, you know, step
like that.
And so I'm not a
dancer.
And so, but you're right.
It's sort of the thing
that you're yeah.
(41:19):
That you're least allergic to
is so fair.
She was, she is correct.
Not golden doors.
I mean, I, I used
to go with my mom
and my sister when we
were kids.
And then, I went
a couple of times as
a grownup.
It's a very special, but
I mean, it's a very,
very special place for you
get to, if you get
to go there, it's so
special.
And, so yeah, but
(41:39):
she really knew she was
really one of the original
is one of the original
people who, really had
the right idea of the
concept of what wellness should,
should be.
Cause it's over, it's all
of it.
It's your mind, it's your
body.
It's now we're learning.
And she had certainly meditation
and all that long before
other people talked about it,
but the mind body connection
(42:01):
and lessening our stress.
And, and I know people
are like, oh, cause cortisol
cortisol, it's not really, you
know, I think our bodies
are just so responsive to
what we tell them.
So I don't even know
that it's exactly cortisol.
I think it's more of
the idea that if you're
self-talk, even on a
(42:21):
subconscious level is my body's
going to be crappy and
it's not going to work.
Right.
Then it might not work.
Right.
Yep.
But if, well, you know,
I just did two episodes
on criticism on my podcast,
you know, like sometimes when
we self critique versus changing
the, changing the, the, the
internal, uh, monologue dialogue, I
don't know how to say
it.
And, you know, the hormonal
(42:42):
shift is not to minimize
it because that physiological shift
is real, especially around the
perimenopausal menopausal period.
and it can make
you feel like you're doing
everything wrong or right at
a given moment.
But the thing is that
hormones are there for a
reason they're supposed to go
up and down.
They're just not supposed to
be peaked all the time.
And we can, we can
do things to help, help
(43:03):
them along in our dynamic
state.
So there's biology and then
there's intention.
Yeah.
Just like you said, and
that you can shift, shift
the messaging.
So it's not to diminish,
you know, cause some people
I'm sure are swearing like
it's my hormones.
Let me have my hormonal
reason.
No, no, that's real.
I'm not, I'm not I'm
living it.
I mean, I can't exactly.
(43:24):
I, I didn't, our generation,
at least mine with my
mother, you know, she didn't
talk about menopause.
She had a prophylactic hysterectomy
and she went on Premarin
and it was never, nothing
was really discussed.
We knew she would sometimes
feel crazy, but nothing was
really discussed.
It was sort of more
like the curse of the
period.
And then menopause, you know,
(43:46):
she just, it was more
that she was either unhinged,
which meant she was quote
unquote hormonal, but nothing was
really ever explained.
And as I go through
it myself with my son
is 26 and my daughter,
who's 24, like I, we
get into the nitty gritty.
Like I want to explain
how weird it all is
(44:07):
so that there's an understanding
of biology.
Like it is weird.
And yeah, you're lucky.
I mean, you're lucky now
or your kids are lucky,
especially because it is becoming
something that we can, we
will talk about and that
we are talking about.
You're seeing it in the
media.
It's not as stigmatized, even
though in the workplace, I'm
giving a talk in about
a month in a workplace
(44:28):
setting.
And it's tricky to, you
know, people want to listen,
but they don't want to
say the words because there's
still that perception of aging
and are we relevant and
do we matter and can
we be visible post periods?
And our reactions, you know,
I mean, think about it
in a, in, you know,
we're working with men and
women and if women somehow
(44:48):
admit that they're in a
menopausal stage or show it
in some way, then are
their reactions to certain, you
know, responses to meetings, are
they perceived as unhinged because
of that?
Or are there really good
points, you know?
Well, honestly, it's a superpower.
So I actually think, I
mean, I've said also for
(45:11):
years, like sometimes I think
PMS is a superpower when
you just don't give a
about anybody's response.
And the same thing when
you have a decrease in
estrogen and nothing protecting your
brain and telling your brain
to calm down and soothe
and soothe others, that that's
actually a superpower.
That's how men live.
And so like, how cool
is that to just not
care about how somebody's going
to react when you make
an actual good point in
(45:32):
a meeting or, or, right.
Or say the thing that
needs to be said, but
no, I, I, I really
am so appreciative that women
are talking more about it.
I talk about it too
much, but only because I
can't, like, I can't believe
what, how my, what my
body's been going through.
Like, I'm, I can't believe
(45:53):
what the past few years
have been like with my
periods.
It's so weird.
Like, it's so distressing and
that's not talked about enough.
Like how sick I feel
when my period shows up.
Like, I can't wait for
it to all end because
I, it takes me out.
Why should it take me?
Because that's a physiological response
that some women have at
this age.
Like that's just real.
And if we don't, I
(46:14):
mean, if we shrouded in
secrecy and we don't share
it, then I think that's
cruel because then women are
feeling crazy.
They're feeling like they're the
only ones.
Like I'm the most competent,
non-lazy, get up and
go get shit done type
of person.
Like that is how I'm
wired.
I get my period.
(46:35):
I want to crawl up
in a ball, not leave
my house until it's over.
I can't, I feel so
sick from head to toe.
It's just real.
There's little I can do
until it ends.
So I can't wait for
it to end knowing that
it's good for me to
still have it at this
age.
I still need it to
end.
And I'm going to talk
about it because that's fair.
(46:56):
Good that you're doing that
because it's giving that I'm
not alone feeling to so
many people, you know, our,
our culture, you know, the
sort of Western, if we
can just broadly generalize, but
our sort of American culture
really does shroud that more
than other cultures.
So, I mean, not to
go deep into deep cultural
dive, but other places in
(47:16):
the world don't look at
menopause the same way, or
don't even have words for
it because not because they
eliminate it, you know, ignore
it, but because it's a
next life stage and it's
more of a shared experience.
Just like breastfeeding in America
is still very isolating for
women unless someone joins a
(47:37):
group or is of a
different cultural origin that has
internal groups that they can
rely on around the world.
That's a very common thing
for people to experience and
go through together.
And I think menopause and
perimenopausal period is, is so
would still benefit from that.
And I think that there's
quite a bridge to get
there, you know, in our
society, just because of, you
(47:59):
know, we're just, just starting
to open.
We're just at the beginning
of the conversations.
Yeah.
There's still a little too
much to me, emphasis on
like staying sexy after menopause,
like, like how long do
I have to fight to
be sexy?
Like, can I just be,
you know, there's this, it's
just exhausting.
(48:20):
And that, you know, it
just still exists for women.
We have to constantly, I
don't know, be morphing into,
and I'm right there doing
it.
I might, I might complain
about it, but you will
not see me have a
chin hair.
You'll, I, you know, I'm
going to take care of
the things that are important
to yourself is not, you
(48:40):
know, succumbing to a societal
norm, you know, I really
don't.
I agree.
No, I agree with you.
I'll never have gray hair.
Cause I will not.
It's a choice and that's
mine, but you have such
a great energy.
Wendy, you, you are so
open and clearly don't have
judgment.
(49:01):
You are obviously a very
smart, kind soul.
And I think people will
benefit from listening to a
thousand waking minutes, which is
your podcast and how, how
can they work with you?
Can you work with people
virtually?
Yeah, I do.
I've had a long sort
of interesting path as we
all do in our careers.
And I work virtually with
(49:22):
individuals all over the world.
So I'm pretty good at
time zones.
You know, even my Chilean
friends who have sometimes a
three hour difference, sometimes four
and sometimes five, depending on
what week we're on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I work virtually, I work
in person.
Sometimes I travel to individuals.
Sometimes we do retreats, you
know, sometimes I do private
(49:42):
or I create retreats at
different places.
And so there's a variety
of ways.
I'm, I'm, I'm just not
a one size fits all
type of gal.
So, you know, cause we're
all unique.
But I work with individuals
and then I just really
hope that my podcast has
become a forum for community.
So it's small.
It's not like yours, Jenny,
(50:03):
it's growing, but I feel
like it's an environment that
can build community where conversation
can start to happen.
Even though it's broadcast out,
as you all know, you
know, it's there, it's not
the channel like you've had
in live broadcasts in your
experience.
I have some ideas moving
forward on how we can
get a little bit more
(50:23):
interaction and conversation going there
as well.
I have no doubt you'll
do that.
How can people find you?
Thanks.
Well, they can go to
wendybazilian.com and that's my
website.
And my last name is
spelled just like Brazilian from
Brazil, but without an R.
So wendybazilian.com and people
can email, I love emails
(50:45):
at 1KWM.
That's like 1,000 waking minutes,
a short acronym,
1KWM@wendybazilian.com.
So pretty easy to find.
If you sort of, you
probably could put Wendy Bazilian
and you get to me
too.
And you do.
Yeah, I think you probably
would.
Uh-huh.
I think you're right.
I'm at Just Jenny Hut
on Instagram and TikTok at
Jenny Hut.
(51:05):
And any questions or comments
about this episode or really
anything you can email justjennypot
at gmail.com.
Thank you, Wendy, for being
on the podcast.
I hope people check out
1,000 Waking Minutes.
It's really good.
You're very soothing and smart
and reasonable.
All things that I like.
And I really appreciate you're
(51:26):
talking with me today.
I'm so grateful, Jenny.
Thanks for having me on
your show.
It's wonderful.
Thank you for tuning into
1,000 Waking Minutes.
A huge thank you to
our amazing collaborators, including our
production and marketing teams and
Gabriela Escalante in particular.
To the ultra talented Beza
(51:47):
for my theme music, my
lifelong friend and artist Pearl
Preis Photography and Design.
To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,
Joanna Powell, and of course
my family.
And everyone working tirelessly behind
the scenes.
And to you, our valued
listeners, I so appreciate your
support.
If you enjoyed today's episode,
please consider leaving a comment,
(52:09):
writing a review, and giving
1,000 Waking Minutes, that's us,
a five-star rating.
And please hit subscribe on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever
you enjoy your podcasts.
Please follow and stay connected
at wendybazilian.com.
And don't forget to share
with your friends.
Your support helps us grow
and bring you more great
(52:30):
content.
Until next time, find some
simple opportunities to optimize those
1,000 Waking Minutes each day.
(53:01):
It's gonna be okay.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!