November 19, 2024 • 29 mins
In Episode 52 of the Pound of Cure Weight Loss Podcast, we delve into Vanessa Ruiz’s (@myvanety) personal and transformative journey with sleeve gastrectomy, her experiences with body dysmorphia, and her decision to include compounded semaglutide in her weight management plan. Her story provides insight into the challenges many face with obesity treatment and the importance of the “Choose Your Hard” mindset.
Vanessa’s Journey to Sleeve Gastrectomy
Vanessa grew up struggling with weight, influenced by family dynamics and cultural pressures around food. In her 20s, life changes, depression, and a PCOS diagnosis caused further weight gain, prompting her to pursue a sleeve gastrectomy in Mexico. Despite undergoing the surgery during the pandemic and navigating limited post-op care, she took her recovery into her own hands by researching and preparing herself, leading to successful early results.
The Role of Compounded Semaglutide in Long-Term Success
Three years post-op, Vanessa began to experience weight regain—a common hurdle for many sleeve gastrectomy patients. Compounded semaglutide, a variation of GLP-1 medication, became essential in helping her control food noise and support her appetite regulation, enhancing the long-term success of her sleeve gastrectomy. This medication, while not a replacement for lifestyle changes, provided Vanessa with the support to maintain her achievements, highlighting its importance in post-surgical weight management.
Navigating Body Dysmorphia After Weight Loss
A surprising challenge for Vanessa was body dysmorphia, a disconnect between her physical transformation and her self-perception. Despite her progress, Vanessa struggled to see herself as others did, facing persistent negative perceptions about her appearance. Therapy and mindfulness practices proved valuable in helping her manage these emotional hurdles, emphasizing the importance of psychological preparation for those undergoing significant weight loss.
Advice from Vanessa: “Choose Your Hard”
Vanessa’s motto, “Choose Your Hard,” speaks to the importance of making difficult but rewarding choices. She shares how the challenges of surgery, weight regain, and mental health management all contribute to a healthier life—a difficult but preferable alternative to the hardships of obesity. Her message encourages listeners to face the tough journey with resilience, as the outcome is worth the struggle.
Building Community and Support
Vanessa’s story also highlights the critical role of community support. By connecting with others facing similar experiences, she found encouragement to push through both the successes and setbacks.
Final Thoughts: Empowering Yourself for Sustainable Health
Vanessa’s journey offers a realistic look at the emotional and physical dedication needed to achieve weight loss success after a sleeve gastrectomy. For those managing body dysmorphia, considering GLP-1 medications like compounded semaglutide, or simply seeking encouragement, her story is a testament to the power of determination and the strength that comes from “Choosing Your Hard.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Weiner (00:00):
If the nutrition's not there, you don't get this.
If the exercise isn't there,you don't get this.
If the sleeve isn't there, youdon't get it.
It's all of those thingstogether, and when you stack
them all together systematicallyover time, you can get the
results you want.
Vanessa Ruiz (00:16):
So I don't think it's one thing, I think it's the
combination of everything.
Zoe (00:22):
Welcome back to the Pound of Cure Weight Loss Podcast.
This is Choose your Heart withMyVanity, aka Vanessa Ruiz.
Vanessa, welcome, thank you,thank you, thank you.
Yeah, we're really excited forour conversation today.
So why don't we just kind ofget to know your story and a
little bit about your history,your weight loss history and
(00:45):
what you've done?
Obviously, you have a presencehere in Tucson and around the
world at this point, but wewould love to learn a little bit
more about, specifically, yourbariatric journey so far.
Vanessa Ruiz (00:57):
Well, I was always one of those weight loss
strugglers.
Out of my family I was probablythe heaviest one so I grew up
very conscious that I needed totake care of my intakes and
exercise and that was somethinggrowing up, especially in the
Mexican family.
It was really, really hard.
I'm in therapy for that,actually being really, really
open, but that led to just a lotof psychological issues with
(01:22):
weight when I moved to Tucson tostart school.
That's where I had theindependence to eat whatever I
want.
So it kind of backfired on me.
I struggled a little bit more,got married and had kind of a
love hate relationship withexercising and weight loss, but
then got divorced and thatreally brought me down.
Depression made me gain themost amount of weight I've ever
(01:43):
I've ever gained and I hit apoint where I was looking at
options and I ran into abariatric sleeve option and it's
really funny.
I usually think of signs.
The universe sends me signs andI was being sent a lot of signs
throughout this period of timewhere I think it would push me
in that direction, and it wasactually COVID, april 2020.
(02:06):
So I found a doctor in MexicoNogales, mexico, sonora and he
was a friend of a plasticsurgeon friend of mine and so I
did a consultation with him.
I always struggled with PCOS,so that was kind of against me.
And then he did mention I washigh in my cholesterols and my
dad's had three heart attacks.
First one was at 38.
(02:27):
So there was all these thingsthat were really really kind of
forcing me to do something.
So yeah, right in the middle ofpandemic drove myself down to
mexico.
But my parents drove me.
I would have drove myself but Igot the bariatric sleeve what
did you weigh before you hadthat sorry?
203, 203, and I'm 5'2 yeah sosmall frame, 5'2, and I had had
(02:48):
a tummy tuck in 2006, so myweight was distributed a little
bit differently.
So some people even now tell meI can't believe you weighed
that much or it didn't look likeyou were chubby back then.
But yeah, I got up there prettyquickly.
Zoe (03:03):
So what was that recovery process for you like during
COVID, when the world was shutdown?
Vanessa Ruiz (03:09):
I couldn't go back for your follow up appointment
Exactly, and I never did either,because, being in the hospital,
the aftercare wasn't verywelcoming and warm.
I had to kind of fend formyself.
I was there for two days.
It should have been three, butthey were again very limited on
space.
So they're just like okay, you,you can do this on your own,
good luck.
And so it was.
(03:31):
It was hard but I had supportfrom family and I am a very
persistent and kind of obsessiveperson.
So I would listen to podcastsand I would read books and I
would watch YouTube videos.
So I would expect everything tohappen to me and I would listen
to podcasts and I would readbooks and I would watch YouTube
videos.
So I would expect everything tohappen to me and I would know
the answer as much as I could.
And I think that reallyprepared me, because in Mexico
they don't do it as they do here, where they have you go to all
(03:53):
of these you know process of you, get that psychological help
and your cardiology, and yeah,they, they don't do all of that
there.
It's kind of a shortcut whichisn't obviously the safest, but
I prepared myself on my own.
Dr. Weiner (04:08):
Did you look at insurance coverage?
Did you have insurance orcoverage, or was that an option
for you, or were you just kindof like this is the fastest way
it?
Vanessa Ruiz (04:15):
was the fastest way at the darkest moment of my
life.
So I needed a quicker.
A quicker fix and I mean moneywas actually a better option
because that's when they did thestimulus checks right.
At that time the dollar was thehighest it's been in Mexico, so
I paid almost nothing.
Honestly, it was the rightplace at the right time.
(04:36):
And then I worked for a dermoffice at that point, so it was
so slow, we weren't doing anyaesthetics, patients were really
low, so I was able to take twoweeks off.
So that would have been theonly time I would have had that
flexibility at work.
Zoe (04:49):
You like signs from the universe.
Vanessa Ruiz (04:51):
Yes, absolutely, and it's like when you are
thinking of something, it justpresents to you.
I had two patients in one weektell me that they had the
gastric sleeve, without evenasking.
So I knew that was kind of asign.
Zoe (05:03):
So so then, how much weight did you originally lose and at
what point did you decide totake the next steps on your
journey?
Vanessa Ruiz (05:13):
Well, I, had lost about 20, 30 pounds on my own,
and then I got COVID.
So, june, I was one of thefirst people in my office I
actually brought into the officethat got COVID so quickly lost
20 pounds.
I got um right after yoursleeve, right after my sleeve.
Yes, yes, it was rough.
Dr. Weiner (05:29):
And I got pneumonia.
Vanessa Ruiz (05:31):
Oh so.
Dr. Weiner (05:31):
I was in the hospital.
Vanessa Ruiz (05:32):
I know it's like all right.
So, yeah, it was a really hardrecovery, but I am very
persistent again, when I wantsomething, I go after it.
So it's funny, cause I took theturn to becoming more
vegetarian and doing a lot ofrunning.
So that's how I dealt with theexercise and I felt like I was
skinny fat.
Have you guys heard that word?
(05:53):
Yeah, yeah.
So it took about a year and ahalf to find the exercise that I
loved, which is weightlifting,to really feel the happiest with
my body, cause it was bar andit was running and spinning and
it just took one trainer to giveme proper nutrition and a good
routine.
And that's really whereeverything turned around for me.
And that was what about a yearand a half ago, a year and a
(06:14):
half ago, last March, I wantedto get fit for a birthday dress,
so a good friend of mine wasstarting to do it and I reached
out to her and she actually gaveme a free couple of lessons.
And I reached out to her andshe actually gave me a free
couple of lessons, and then Isent her so many people that she
just never charged me ever.
Zoe (06:28):
That's great Good relationship there.
And so now you are on acompounded semaglutide, right?
Yes, yes, tell us a little bitabout that.
Vanessa Ruiz (06:43):
So I last year in October, september, october I
was weightlifting heavier, sothat means you get hungrier,
right?
So I was kind of falling backinto the habits of overeating
and emotionally eating and I wasgoing through a little bit of a
hard time with my business tooand just other aspects.
So it was something that Ilooked into and I lost about
nine pounds the first month andthen lost a little bit more, so
I lost about a total of 20.
Dr. Weiner (07:04):
On semi-glutide, yeah, yes, how far after your
sleeve did you start thesemi-glutide?
Vanessa Ruiz (07:09):
three and a half years, three and a half, almost,
yeah so.
Dr. Weiner (07:13):
So I think you know we all tell ourselves these
stories where, hey, I wasexercising more or something
else happened in my life andthere was this emotional piece
that caused me to eat more, butit was probably just the sleeve
effects wearing off.
Yes, and we see that so oftenwhere sleeve is great for a year
(07:33):
, two years, three years, atsome point we start to see some
of the effects wear off and theweight starts to come on.
And I think, with all theresearch you've done, you
figured this out on your own.
Vanessa Ruiz (07:45):
Absolutely.
Dr. Weiner (07:46):
The semaglutide, the GLP ones.
In that setting they are moneyright.
Vanessa Ruiz (07:52):
Yeah, just solve the problem for you Right,
because I knew what to eat.
I was eating healthy.
I was just eating a lot of it.
I was eating a lot of proteinand I just felt bloated all the
time.
So it was either that or, youknow, go back on what I was
doing more cardio but that's notwhat I wanted to do.
So the semi-glute head helpedcontrol my cravings and all of
(08:12):
that.
So, yeah, I was really happy.
I found that.
I think it's great.
Dr. Weiner (08:15):
And how much are you paying for it?
If you don't mind me asking Idon't pay anything for it.
Vanessa Ruiz (08:18):
Well I I you know I'm called a lead magnet.
That's what I'm known for.
So I have such a good followingthat I've built over the last
few years that if I believe insomething and I put it out there
, I kind of expose it on aplatform.
So the company that I startedgetting it from they were like
you've sent us so many people,how can we repay you?
(08:41):
So now my whole family's on it,my dad's like 30 pounds, my
sister's, everybody.
So it's just been one of thosethings that I've been happy to
talk about freely, becausethat's me.
I don't gatekeep, I don't.
I don't want anybody to miss anopportunity to be inspired and
this is one of the things thatit should be of access to
everybody.
Zoe (09:01):
And that's something that I think is so inspiring about how
you use your platform and,obviously, just who you are as a
person is.
You're very uplifting andempowering to everybody and I
and I think that's rare andreally beautiful.
Vanessa Ruiz (09:14):
So yeah, well, I go back to those signs, right?
And so if somebody is lookingthrough their Instagram and they
see my post on semi-glutinousand it's something they're on
the fence about, that might tipthem over.
And I've gotten messages from alot of people just saying thank
you, I've lost weight, I canfit into my old clothes.
I got pregnant now, so so manyaspects that I am not
necessarily responsible fordoing, but I just just showed
(09:37):
them the light, you know, andthey did the work.
So that's the beauty ofsemi-glutide.
Zoe (09:41):
Yeah.
So what about um ofsemi-glutide?
Yeah, so what about um?
How about your like?
Did you have loose skin?
Did you have excess skin?
Did you have a removal surgery?
Like, talk to us about how you,because if anybody's looked at
your what's your instagram, needto tell them my vanity.
So if you've looked at herinstagram, I mean you've got six
(10:02):
pack I.
Dr. Weiner (10:04):
so zoe, zo, zoe found you and brought you on the
podcast.
She sent me your info and I waslike Zoe, are you sure this is
the right person?
She did not have bariatricsurgery.
She had bariatric surgery.
Really, and I've done 4,000 ofthese cases, I know what people
look like after bariatricsurgery.
So, yeah, I think, just to pairit with what Zoe was saying you
(10:27):
don't look like a bariatricpatient.
So what?
What have you done to kind ofpull that off?
Vanessa Ruiz (10:32):
So I did have an a tummy tuck after my first baby,
which was she's 19 now, so Ihad 18, um had a little loose
skin, a lot of stretch marks, soI went in and had the tummy
tuck.
So I always had just theabdominal muscle pretty tight,
but then I gained weight.
I had another baby who's ninenow and just gained weight
tremendously.
So I was losing weight slowlyenough that I think that tummy
(10:55):
tuck also helped.
But once I started developingloose skin I was offered by
another local clinic here, theMorpheus 8, to help with
tightening.
Dr. Weiner (11:03):
Let me guess you got it for free.
I sure did.
So what the Morpheus 8.
?
Okay, to help with tightening.
Let me guess you got it forfree.
I sure did.
I sure did.
So what's the Morpheus 8?
Vanessa Ruiz (11:08):
Morpheus 8 is radiofrequency microneedling, so
it heats up the skin as it'sgoing down and so you're getting
tightening.
There are some settings whereyou can target fat, but my
provider, my laser tech, said Ididn't need that part because I
had already slimmed down.
So it was just kind of thediets, the exercising, as well
as some little extra add-ons.
Lymphatic drainage massages, Ithink, are great too, so they
(11:31):
really help mold my body.
But I don't think it's onething, I think it's the
combination of everything.
Zoe (11:36):
Well, just like you're saying, you know the the hard
work that you've put in yourrelationship with weightlifting,
your maybe more aestheticprocedures, that kind of help,
the skin tightening andeverybody asks cause they?
Vanessa Ruiz (11:55):
everybody thinks it's going to be an easy fix,
Like what, what can I do?
And it's just like all right,take your pen and paper out.
It's going to be a long processand you have to go in with
everything.
And that's where I think I'm alittle different.
I am very much like you.
Give me homework, I will do it,so I.
But it's not one thing and it'snot magic.
It did not happen overnight,but I think I have the mindset
that I enjoy it.
I enjoy the journey more thanthe end goal.
(12:16):
So it doesn't feel like a lotof work, as bad as that sounds,
it just feels like life.
Dr. Weiner (12:21):
Just another example of what we've talked about so
often, which is it is not thatone thing.
You need all the things.
You know.
If the nutrition's not there,you don't get this.
If the exercise isn't there,you don't get this.
If the sleeve isn't there, youdon't get this.
If the GLP one's there, youdon't get this.
If the aesthetic procedures arethere, you don't get it.
It's all of those thingstogether and when you stack them
(12:43):
all together systematicallyover time, you can get the
results you want.
But it really you're right.
What's the one thing?
There is no one thing.
There is not.
Vanessa Ruiz (12:52):
Yeah, and that's what I hate people's faces when
I say that, but it is thereality and I put it on
Instagram and I put it out thereon social media so that they
can see, cause of course I'llupload a picture and the first
thing I get is how much breastsurgery have you had, or you
know that kind of thing?
I did get a breast augmentationand a breast lift last year,
but then I lost more weight.
So that was kind of, yeah,defeated the purpose of that.
(13:14):
But I feel like I'm at a pointwhere, if something bothers me,
I'll, I'll seek help and I'llimprove, knowing that I'll never
be perfect, but I I'm prettyclose to feeling comfortable and
confident.
Zoe (13:26):
And you said something that I just want to kind of echo and
and amplify is that it's it'syour lifestyle.
Now you've embodied all of thehabits that are required to not
just get you to where you wantto be but maintain it, because
it is the lifestyle, it's thenutrition, it's the fitness, it
is the, the maintenance that,the therapy, the work that
(13:48):
you're doing internally toreally kind of heal for the to
have this, this great lifestyle,for the rest of your life.
Vanessa Ruiz (13:56):
I think if something's on overdrive, like
my head or just my body,everything else can give out
faster.
So I try to keep everything atthe thermostat pretty much so
not too high, not too low, andthere's times where my emotions
are really high, so I kind ofcompensate with other things.
And yeah, you're right, there'sjust so much out there.
I like to stay informed and upto date with trends and new and
(14:19):
improved treatments, and so I amalways being offered which is a
really good thing new stuff.
So I love my position and rolethat I play in Tucson and I just
want to share it with everybody.
Dr. Weiner (14:32):
Yeah, it's a lot of work to be happy and healthy.
Vanessa Ruiz (14:36):
Women a woman too, and especially with my industry
you always want to lookpresentable because you're
selling yourself, right?
You're selling your brand.
I'm selling my makeup, but alsomy presence.
I want people to look at me andsay who is she Right?
So that's something I've beenworking on and that's a never
ending job.
Especially with social mediathese days, you want to look
(14:59):
presentable on camera.
So if there's something I don'tlike like with weight loss, uh,
facial slimming and loose skinon your face has been a project.
So I worked in aesthetics, sowe had to fill some areas and,
uh, that that's something nobodytells you about.
So that's that was one thingthat I was not expecting to have
to work on so much.
It's just refilling the face sothat you look healthy.
Zoe (15:17):
So do you mind digging into that a little bit more?
The working in the industry,the makeup industry, the
dermatology, the aestheticsworld how has that changed for
you over the years, as you havechanged?
Vanessa Ruiz (15:34):
A lot of tools and knowing what to do with them,
because you working in skincare,I can apply that to makeup.
Working in makeup, I can applythat to the aesthetics part of
everything else, and then havinga fashion sense, then I can
show up on camera and beconfident to have a platform and
a following.
So it all kind of ties in.
(15:54):
I'm also a very passionateperson, so I will go to an event
just to network with peoplebecause I love people.
So being comfortable with theway you look and confident lets
me be able to do that.
Because even before, when I wasoverweight and not happy with
what I looked like, I was stillfriendly, but I was not that
(16:15):
that wall was still up.
Now that wall is done and thisis truly who I've always been.
I'm just more proud of her now.
Zoe (16:22):
And have you noticed?
Have you been receiveddifferently by people?
Yes, yes.
Vanessa Ruiz (16:27):
It was a very big transition on how people treated
me.
Not everybody was a fan of whatthey called the new Vanessa.
I would have friends tell methat they liked me better when I
was fat because I was nevertrying to be seen.
I was just a little bit morequiet.
I would compensate with beingfunny.
So now that I felt comfortable,it truly does bother people to
(16:49):
see you.
They want to see you do better,but not better than them, right
?
Zoe (16:52):
So it goes back to kind of showing you know, like the
people that truly, yes, care andcheer you on you, you can
really have them by your side,and and kind of shows what maybe
you need to distance yourselffrom a little bit and sometimes
the social media platform is,people who are on the other side
of the screen are moresupportive than the people
(17:13):
around you.
Vanessa Ruiz (17:14):
Because when I was going through my sleeve, I
almost didn't tell anybody,because obviously they're going
to be the people that try totalk you out of it, and I was
already set in stone that that'ssomething I really wanted to do
, so I kept it to myself, I toldmy parents and I did not come
clean about my sleeve until lastyear.
So three years later, wow,there was one moment where I
(17:36):
just it just felt right.
Zoe (17:37):
I gathered all my pictures and videos and I posted it and I
remember posting it and puttingmy phone down and I did not
want to look at it and it wentcrazy with support and, as a
makeup artist, that made me morerelatable with women, which
made me more successful in mycareer interesting yeah, yeah,
because I wasn't just anothermakeup artist, I was an
inspiration and so now, withtalk to us about how you use
(18:05):
your career in makeup and and asa makeup artist to help empower
women, to kind of have thatsame sense of confidence that
you've now been able to create,as you know, as inspiration by
being who you are right becauseit started with makeup with me.
Vanessa Ruiz (18:18):
I remember in high school, makeup made me feel
better.
Whether I felt um, overweight,underweight, whether I felt
confident or not, makeup wassomething I could put on and
feel good, but it was verytemporarily.
So having makeup and my careerand my presence now, it just
shows everything that goes intofeeling confident.
It doesn't just start at makeup.
You wash it off at night andthen you have who you are.
(18:39):
So, being at the gym everymorning and I tell people all
the time when I open my eyes, Ilook at my Instagram, my
algorithm is weightlifters.
It's healthy eating.
You are going to become whatyou look at who you hang out
with.
So my friends are all intofitness right now and I follow
people like you.
That's how we kind of met.
So I am very inspiredconstantly by other people in
(19:00):
the same industry because theywant to feel better too, and
posting and connecting withpeople in the same, with the
same goal, is really what I lookafter.
Yeah.
Dr. Weiner (19:10):
Yeah, I think something that's interesting.
When I kind of first first sawyour Instagram and heard your
story, I thought, okay, so shewas overweight and she was in
the beauty industry.
Then she lost all this weight.
And how are things different?
How is it different from beingoverweight to being thinner?
So I think that's my firstquestion, but my second, as I
(19:32):
kind of started to hear yourstory, I thought, well, it was
actually the transformation.
That's the story.
Yeah, that's really the story.
It's not what it was likebefore or what it was like after
.
Where you are now.
It's that transformation.
I think that's what you've beenable to leverage and that's
what makes you relatable toother people, because there's a
lot of people who you know arewhere you were four years ago,
(19:54):
wanting to kind of get to whereand in many ways, because even
girls that look at me andthey're like wait, you went
through a divorce and you werefeeling sad and this is how you
became, and so you came out ofit.
Vanessa Ruiz (20:04):
Now you're on your home, your business.
I used to work three jobs, soit was very tiring.
All the time it was easy tojust pick up a hamburger and eat
.
Now I own my own business.
I don't, I make my own schedule, so life is really good, but it
is the journey that brought mehere.
I had to go through all of thatto be the person I am right now
.
I forgot the first question youasked me, though.
Dr. Weiner (20:25):
What was it like being overweight?
Oh, it's funny.
Vanessa Ruiz (20:29):
I always felt okay , I always felt good.
I always dressed sexy.
I always felt there's a word inSpanish that says gordita, sexy
.
And that's what I'd be knownfor, because I would embrace my
curves and I would not cover up.
What I'd be known for because Iwould embrace my curves and I
would not cover up.
So I felt like I was alwaysmeant to be who I am, but now I
just am more.
(20:49):
I don't even think of it inthis way.
I'm just healthier now.
So I give my kids that example.
Um, but no, it was.
I wasn't as insecure as youwould think.
Dr. Weiner (20:59):
I was, you know that doesn't surprise me at all you
would think I was.
Vanessa Ruiz (21:04):
you know, that doesn't surprise me at all.
No, it's always there.
Dr. Weiner (21:06):
Yes, yeah, and I think that's also really
important is that you know ifyou think losing weight is going
to give you the confidence it'sprobably not.
Vanessa Ruiz (21:12):
If any, absolutely oh gosh.
Can we talk about bodydysmorphia Even at this point?
I go through it all the time,yeah, yeah, bloating periods or
just times in my life where I'mjust like, ok, I'm bulking up a
little bit right now because Iwant to grow a top shelf, but
I'm also losing the dimension onmy abs, so it does get to you.
(21:33):
So that is very much whytherapy is good for me and why I
continue that.
Dr. Weiner (21:39):
But good nutrition and my trainer and what kind of
stuff do you talk about intherapy for body dysmorphia,
like what's been helpful for you?
Vanessa Ruiz (21:44):
Funny you say that she did an exercise for me
where I was very vulnerable withher for a good 40 minutes, I'm
right, my sessions are an hourlong and then she's like let's
do an exercise.
She pulled out a mirror andopened up the window and said go
stand in front of the mirror.
And I couldn't.
I didn't want to look at myself, not because of how I looked at
on the outside, but because Ihad been stripped so raw of
feelings I could not look atmyself in that state.
(22:06):
So it just goes to show you yougot to be up right on your head
as well as on your body to showup as the person that you're
meant to be.
Can't look a certain way andjust be okay mentally.
So, yeah, therapy's got methrough a lot of the body
dysmorphia, because why Istarted going to therapy was my
choices in men, really.
But then it develops into howis your upbringing and what
(22:31):
we've uncovered was all thatbody dysmorphia I went through.
Upbringing because of thepressure of being skinny made me
want to be seen, and so thatopened up a whole new door of
just why I am the way I am.
So that, yeah, it got reallydeep.
Zoe (22:46):
So do you have maybe one nugget of like, tangible tip,
for I'm sure that there are manylisteners right now who
struggle with body dysmorphia orstruggle with confidence.
Do you have one like if theycould hear one tip from Vanessa
on that topic?
What would it be Just?
Vanessa Ruiz (23:05):
choose your heart.
I got tired of feeling tiredand tired of not looking the way
I wanted to look in the mirror,and so I had to do something.
There's no change with nochange.
I was just tired of being thatway.
So it is hard to do the work.
But it is also hard and sittingin who you're not happy with,
with who you are with being.
(23:25):
So I started off slow.
I always tell people do onething.
It's like a domino effect Doyour eating or do your
exercising, and when you seechanges it inspires you to do a
little bit more.
And at this point, even myworkout gear in the morning sets
my mood for the rest of the day.
So if I feel good, I look good.
(23:48):
So it is just.
I was just tired and tired ofbeing unhappy, so you got to do
something about it Take action.
Yes, and surround yourself withpeople who are good for the
lifestyle that you want, becausethat's been game changer and I
lost a lot of friends who weredrinkers and partiers and just
not good for my mental state aswell as my physical state.
So that was really big and justeducating yourself.
Really, we don't know how muchthere is out there and once you
(24:11):
get a little bit of information,that's what you do with it, so
I like to be prepared for thingsthat come my way.
That was one of them.
Dr. Weiner (24:19):
And yeah, that's how I live my life.
I think that choose your heartis really powerful, because
that's, you know, so manypatients come in my office and
they're like, well, I don't wantsurgery, I don't want to be on
the meds.
Eating is you know, eating is I, just I don't have any time and
I just grab food and that'swhat I do.
I mean it's excuses, but it'salso the truth.
(24:41):
Oh yeah, it is hard.
Surgery is so.
I mean it's excuses, but it'salso the truth.
Oh yeah, it is hard.
Bariatric surgery is hard.
I had a doctor.
It's expensive, it is.
It is Some side effects.
And eating well is not easy.
But so is being overweight.
But yeah, being 300, 350 poundsstruggling to get out of your
car, to get out of bed, to movearound, that's hard too.
Vanessa Ruiz (25:03):
And so I think you're right.
You're going to have hard.
It's an expense to let yourselfgo.
It really is Cause, then youhave to deal with it in other
ways.
Dr. Weiner (25:09):
Life is filled with pain, uncertainty and constant
work, and I think the second yougrasp that like, hey, that's
what this is, this is what Isigned up for, this is what it's
always going to be.
It's always going to kind ofsuck, huh, yeah, well, I should
probably make the best of itthen.
That's a great set you got toshow up and show up for yourself
(25:31):
because nobody's going to showup.
Vanessa Ruiz (25:32):
I had a doctor that I worked for who tried to
talk me out of it, cause he'slike everybody who does
bariatric surgery regrets itbecause they can't eat, and I
said that's not true, but that'salso not.
I want to break up with food.
I have a bad relationship.
It's toxic.
I need to break it up.
So I'm ready for that.
Yeah, but yeah, that obviouslydidn't stop me and I'm glad he
did it Well you.
Zoe (25:53):
You made your mind up and you followed through.
You took the action.
You.
You put yourself in full forceand clearly it's your lifestyle
that you're so proud to live now, and I think that's really
inspiring.
So why don't you share with ourlisteners whoever's watching on
YouTube?
What can they do to get incontact with you?
(26:15):
Do you have any services youwould like to share?
Vanessa Ruiz (26:19):
I.
So I started off as a makeupartist, and now I'm launching
more of the digital downloads,which are huge these days, right
, so I'm doing makeup classes.
I have a very specific style ofmakeup look that I love,
especially here in Tucsonthere's there's a niche for that
natural look that I specializein.
Zoe (26:37):
She taught me how to do my makeup for my wedding.
So I was like, ok, I've got tomake sure my makeup looks good
today for my wedding.
Vanessa Ruiz (26:43):
So I was like okay , I've got to make sure my
makeup looks good.
Today.
She was a great, and this isthe beauty of what I do.
I meet people like Zoe and theysit in my chair and they are
just.
They let their guard down andlet me take care of their face
and we become friends and thenit just connects you to other
people in the same way.
So I love what I do.
I teach people to do makeup onthemselves.
It's not something I want totake advantage of people and
(27:04):
there's only one of me.
So having everybody have thatknowledge and get ahead with
their own makeup skills justbruise confidence and then it
just bleeds into somebody else.
So if I can make a differencein the world that way, then
that's how I want to live.
Love it, and so to follow youon Instagram Follow me on
Instagram.
So and so to follow you onInstagram Follow me on Instagram
.
So it's a little tricky becausepeople, when I say my vanity,
look me up under my vanity.
(27:25):
The way a vanity.
You know whether that's adresser or whether you're vain
and it's vanity, but it'sactually the first letters of my
name, so it's Vane.
Dr. Weiner (27:34):
Okay.
Vanessa Ruiz (27:34):
And that's how my everybody in my family calls me
Vane.
So it's my Vane-ty, so it'sV-A-N-E-T-Y Perfect.
Zoe (27:42):
And we'll link it in the description as well.
Well, this was wonderful.
Thank you so much for sharingyour story.
Thank you for having meAbsolutely I appreciate it.
If the nutrition's not there, you don't get this.
If the exercise isn't there,you don't get this.
If the sleeve isn't there, youdon't get it.
It's all of those thingstogether, and when you stack
them all together systematicallyover time, you can get the
results you want.
Vanessa Ruiz (00:16):
So I don't think it's one thing, I think it's the
combination of everything.
Zoe (00:22):
Welcome back to the Pound of Cure Weight Loss Podcast.
This is Choose your Heart withMyVanity, aka Vanessa Ruiz.
Vanessa, welcome, thank you,thank you, thank you.
Yeah, we're really excited forour conversation today.
So why don't we just kind ofget to know your story and a
little bit about your history,your weight loss history and
(00:45):
what you've done?
Obviously, you have a presencehere in Tucson and around the
world at this point, but wewould love to learn a little bit
more about, specifically, yourbariatric journey so far.
Vanessa Ruiz (00:57):
Well, I was always one of those weight loss
strugglers.
Out of my family I was probablythe heaviest one so I grew up
very conscious that I needed totake care of my intakes and
exercise and that was somethinggrowing up, especially in the
Mexican family.
It was really, really hard.
I'm in therapy for that,actually being really, really
open, but that led to just a lotof psychological issues with
(01:22):
weight when I moved to Tucson tostart school.
That's where I had theindependence to eat whatever I
want.
So it kind of backfired on me.
I struggled a little bit more,got married and had kind of a
love hate relationship withexercising and weight loss, but
then got divorced and thatreally brought me down.
Depression made me gain themost amount of weight I've ever
(01:43):
I've ever gained and I hit apoint where I was looking at
options and I ran into abariatric sleeve option and it's
really funny.
I usually think of signs.
The universe sends me signs andI was being sent a lot of signs
throughout this period of timewhere I think it would push me
in that direction, and it wasactually COVID, april 2020.
(02:06):
So I found a doctor in MexicoNogales, mexico, sonora and he
was a friend of a plasticsurgeon friend of mine and so I
did a consultation with him.
I always struggled with PCOS,so that was kind of against me.
And then he did mention I washigh in my cholesterols and my
dad's had three heart attacks.
First one was at 38.
(02:27):
So there was all these thingsthat were really really kind of
forcing me to do something.
So yeah, right in the middle ofpandemic drove myself down to
mexico.
But my parents drove me.
I would have drove myself but Igot the bariatric sleeve what
did you weigh before you hadthat sorry?
203, 203, and I'm 5'2 yeah sosmall frame, 5'2, and I had had
(02:48):
a tummy tuck in 2006, so myweight was distributed a little
bit differently.
So some people even now tell meI can't believe you weighed
that much or it didn't look likeyou were chubby back then.
But yeah, I got up there prettyquickly.
Zoe (03:03):
So what was that recovery process for you like during
COVID, when the world was shutdown?
Vanessa Ruiz (03:09):
I couldn't go back for your follow up appointment
Exactly, and I never did either,because, being in the hospital,
the aftercare wasn't verywelcoming and warm.
I had to kind of fend formyself.
I was there for two days.
It should have been three, butthey were again very limited on
space.
So they're just like okay, you,you can do this on your own,
good luck.
And so it was.
(03:31):
It was hard but I had supportfrom family and I am a very
persistent and kind of obsessiveperson.
So I would listen to podcastsand I would read books and I
would watch YouTube videos.
So I would expect everything tohappen to me and I would listen
to podcasts and I would readbooks and I would watch YouTube
videos.
So I would expect everything tohappen to me and I would know
the answer as much as I could.
And I think that reallyprepared me, because in Mexico
they don't do it as they do here, where they have you go to all
(03:53):
of these you know process of you, get that psychological help
and your cardiology, and yeah,they, they don't do all of that
there.
It's kind of a shortcut whichisn't obviously the safest, but
I prepared myself on my own.
Dr. Weiner (04:08):
Did you look at insurance coverage?
Did you have insurance orcoverage, or was that an option
for you, or were you just kindof like this is the fastest way
it?
Vanessa Ruiz (04:15):
was the fastest way at the darkest moment of my
life.
So I needed a quicker.
A quicker fix and I mean moneywas actually a better option
because that's when they did thestimulus checks right.
At that time the dollar was thehighest it's been in Mexico, so
I paid almost nothing.
Honestly, it was the rightplace at the right time.
(04:36):
And then I worked for a dermoffice at that point, so it was
so slow, we weren't doing anyaesthetics, patients were really
low, so I was able to take twoweeks off.
So that would have been theonly time I would have had that
flexibility at work.
Zoe (04:49):
You like signs from the universe.
Vanessa Ruiz (04:51):
Yes, absolutely, and it's like when you are
thinking of something, it justpresents to you.
I had two patients in one weektell me that they had the
gastric sleeve, without evenasking.
So I knew that was kind of asign.
Zoe (05:03):
So so then, how much weight did you originally lose and at
what point did you decide totake the next steps on your
journey?
Vanessa Ruiz (05:13):
Well, I, had lost about 20, 30 pounds on my own,
and then I got COVID.
So, june, I was one of thefirst people in my office I
actually brought into the officethat got COVID so quickly lost
20 pounds.
I got um right after yoursleeve, right after my sleeve.
Yes, yes, it was rough.
Dr. Weiner (05:29):
And I got pneumonia.
Vanessa Ruiz (05:31):
Oh so.
Dr. Weiner (05:31):
I was in the hospital.
Vanessa Ruiz (05:32):
I know it's like all right.
So, yeah, it was a really hardrecovery, but I am very
persistent again, when I wantsomething, I go after it.
So it's funny, cause I took theturn to becoming more
vegetarian and doing a lot ofrunning.
So that's how I dealt with theexercise and I felt like I was
skinny fat.
Have you guys heard that word?
(05:53):
Yeah, yeah.
So it took about a year and ahalf to find the exercise that I
loved, which is weightlifting,to really feel the happiest with
my body, cause it was bar andit was running and spinning and
it just took one trainer to giveme proper nutrition and a good
routine.
And that's really whereeverything turned around for me.
And that was what about a yearand a half ago, a year and a
(06:14):
half ago, last March, I wantedto get fit for a birthday dress,
so a good friend of mine wasstarting to do it and I reached
out to her and she actually gaveme a free couple of lessons.
And I reached out to her andshe actually gave me a free
couple of lessons, and then Isent her so many people that she
just never charged me ever.
Zoe (06:28):
That's great Good relationship there.
And so now you are on acompounded semaglutide, right?
Yes, yes, tell us a little bitabout that.
Vanessa Ruiz (06:43):
So I last year in October, september, october I
was weightlifting heavier, sothat means you get hungrier,
right?
So I was kind of falling backinto the habits of overeating
and emotionally eating and I wasgoing through a little bit of a
hard time with my business tooand just other aspects.
So it was something that Ilooked into and I lost about
nine pounds the first month andthen lost a little bit more, so
I lost about a total of 20.
Dr. Weiner (07:04):
On semi-glutide, yeah, yes, how far after your
sleeve did you start thesemi-glutide?
Vanessa Ruiz (07:09):
three and a half years, three and a half, almost,
yeah so.
Dr. Weiner (07:13):
So I think you know we all tell ourselves these
stories where, hey, I wasexercising more or something
else happened in my life andthere was this emotional piece
that caused me to eat more, butit was probably just the sleeve
effects wearing off.
Yes, and we see that so oftenwhere sleeve is great for a year
(07:33):
, two years, three years, atsome point we start to see some
of the effects wear off and theweight starts to come on.
And I think, with all theresearch you've done, you
figured this out on your own.
Vanessa Ruiz (07:45):
Absolutely.
Dr. Weiner (07:46):
The semaglutide, the GLP ones.
In that setting they are moneyright.
Vanessa Ruiz (07:52):
Yeah, just solve the problem for you Right,
because I knew what to eat.
I was eating healthy.
I was just eating a lot of it.
I was eating a lot of proteinand I just felt bloated all the
time.
So it was either that or, youknow, go back on what I was
doing more cardio but that's notwhat I wanted to do.
So the semi-glute head helpedcontrol my cravings and all of
(08:12):
that.
So, yeah, I was really happy.
I found that.
I think it's great.
Dr. Weiner (08:15):
And how much are you paying for it?
If you don't mind me asking Idon't pay anything for it.
Vanessa Ruiz (08:18):
Well I I you know I'm called a lead magnet.
That's what I'm known for.
So I have such a good followingthat I've built over the last
few years that if I believe insomething and I put it out there
, I kind of expose it on aplatform.
So the company that I startedgetting it from they were like
you've sent us so many people,how can we repay you?
(08:41):
So now my whole family's on it,my dad's like 30 pounds, my
sister's, everybody.
So it's just been one of thosethings that I've been happy to
talk about freely, becausethat's me.
I don't gatekeep, I don't.
I don't want anybody to miss anopportunity to be inspired and
this is one of the things thatit should be of access to
everybody.
Zoe (09:01):
And that's something that I think is so inspiring about how
you use your platform and,obviously, just who you are as a
person is.
You're very uplifting andempowering to everybody and I
and I think that's rare andreally beautiful.
Vanessa Ruiz (09:14):
So yeah, well, I go back to those signs, right?
And so if somebody is lookingthrough their Instagram and they
see my post on semi-glutinousand it's something they're on
the fence about, that might tipthem over.
And I've gotten messages from alot of people just saying thank
you, I've lost weight, I canfit into my old clothes.
I got pregnant now, so so manyaspects that I am not
necessarily responsible fordoing, but I just just showed
(09:37):
them the light, you know, andthey did the work.
So that's the beauty ofsemi-glutide.
Zoe (09:41):
Yeah.
So what about um ofsemi-glutide?
Yeah, so what about um?
How about your like?
Did you have loose skin?
Did you have excess skin?
Did you have a removal surgery?
Like, talk to us about how you,because if anybody's looked at
your what's your instagram, needto tell them my vanity.
So if you've looked at herinstagram, I mean you've got six
(10:02):
pack I.
Dr. Weiner (10:04):
so zoe, zo, zoe found you and brought you on the
podcast.
She sent me your info and I waslike Zoe, are you sure this is
the right person?
She did not have bariatricsurgery.
She had bariatric surgery.
Really, and I've done 4,000 ofthese cases, I know what people
look like after bariatricsurgery.
So, yeah, I think, just to pairit with what Zoe was saying you
(10:27):
don't look like a bariatricpatient.
So what?
What have you done to kind ofpull that off?
Vanessa Ruiz (10:32):
So I did have an a tummy tuck after my first baby,
which was she's 19 now, so Ihad 18, um had a little loose
skin, a lot of stretch marks, soI went in and had the tummy
tuck.
So I always had just theabdominal muscle pretty tight,
but then I gained weight.
I had another baby who's ninenow and just gained weight
tremendously.
So I was losing weight slowlyenough that I think that tummy
(10:55):
tuck also helped.
But once I started developingloose skin I was offered by
another local clinic here, theMorpheus 8, to help with
tightening.
Dr. Weiner (11:03):
Let me guess you got it for free.
I sure did.
So what the Morpheus 8.
?
Okay, to help with tightening.
Let me guess you got it forfree.
I sure did.
I sure did.
So what's the Morpheus 8?
Vanessa Ruiz (11:08):
Morpheus 8 is radiofrequency microneedling, so
it heats up the skin as it'sgoing down and so you're getting
tightening.
There are some settings whereyou can target fat, but my
provider, my laser tech, said Ididn't need that part because I
had already slimmed down.
So it was just kind of thediets, the exercising, as well
as some little extra add-ons.
Lymphatic drainage massages, Ithink, are great too, so they
(11:31):
really help mold my body.
But I don't think it's onething, I think it's the
combination of everything.
Zoe (11:36):
Well, just like you're saying, you know the the hard
work that you've put in yourrelationship with weightlifting,
your maybe more aestheticprocedures, that kind of help,
the skin tightening andeverybody asks cause they?
Vanessa Ruiz (11:55):
everybody thinks it's going to be an easy fix,
Like what, what can I do?
And it's just like all right,take your pen and paper out.
It's going to be a long processand you have to go in with
everything.
And that's where I think I'm alittle different.
I am very much like you.
Give me homework, I will do it,so I.
But it's not one thing and it'snot magic.
It did not happen overnight,but I think I have the mindset
that I enjoy it.
I enjoy the journey more thanthe end goal.
(12:16):
So it doesn't feel like a lotof work, as bad as that sounds,
it just feels like life.
Dr. Weiner (12:21):
Just another example of what we've talked about so
often, which is it is not thatone thing.
You need all the things.
You know.
If the nutrition's not there,you don't get this.
If the exercise isn't there,you don't get this.
If the sleeve isn't there, youdon't get this.
If the GLP one's there, youdon't get this.
If the aesthetic procedures arethere, you don't get it.
It's all of those thingstogether and when you stack them
(12:43):
all together systematicallyover time, you can get the
results you want.
But it really you're right.
What's the one thing?
There is no one thing.
There is not.
Vanessa Ruiz (12:52):
Yeah, and that's what I hate people's faces when
I say that, but it is thereality and I put it on
Instagram and I put it out thereon social media so that they
can see, cause of course I'llupload a picture and the first
thing I get is how much breastsurgery have you had, or you
know that kind of thing?
I did get a breast augmentationand a breast lift last year,
but then I lost more weight.
So that was kind of, yeah,defeated the purpose of that.
(13:14):
But I feel like I'm at a pointwhere, if something bothers me,
I'll, I'll seek help and I'llimprove, knowing that I'll never
be perfect, but I I'm prettyclose to feeling comfortable and
confident.
Zoe (13:26):
And you said something that I just want to kind of echo and
and amplify is that it's it'syour lifestyle.
Now you've embodied all of thehabits that are required to not
just get you to where you wantto be but maintain it, because
it is the lifestyle, it's thenutrition, it's the fitness, it
is the, the maintenance that,the therapy, the work that
(13:48):
you're doing internally toreally kind of heal for the to
have this, this great lifestyle,for the rest of your life.
Vanessa Ruiz (13:56):
I think if something's on overdrive, like
my head or just my body,everything else can give out
faster.
So I try to keep everything atthe thermostat pretty much so
not too high, not too low, andthere's times where my emotions
are really high, so I kind ofcompensate with other things.
And yeah, you're right, there'sjust so much out there.
I like to stay informed and upto date with trends and new and
(14:19):
improved treatments, and so I amalways being offered which is a
really good thing new stuff.
So I love my position and rolethat I play in Tucson and I just
want to share it with everybody.
Dr. Weiner (14:32):
Yeah, it's a lot of work to be happy and healthy.
Vanessa Ruiz (14:36):
Women a woman too, and especially with my industry
you always want to lookpresentable because you're
selling yourself, right?
You're selling your brand.
I'm selling my makeup, but alsomy presence.
I want people to look at me andsay who is she Right?
So that's something I've beenworking on and that's a never
ending job.
Especially with social mediathese days, you want to look
(14:59):
presentable on camera.
So if there's something I don'tlike like with weight loss, uh,
facial slimming and loose skinon your face has been a project.
So I worked in aesthetics, sowe had to fill some areas and,
uh, that that's something nobodytells you about.
So that's that was one thingthat I was not expecting to have
to work on so much.
It's just refilling the face sothat you look healthy.
Zoe (15:17):
So do you mind digging into that a little bit more?
The working in the industry,the makeup industry, the
dermatology, the aestheticsworld how has that changed for
you over the years, as you havechanged?
Vanessa Ruiz (15:34):
A lot of tools and knowing what to do with them,
because you working in skincare,I can apply that to makeup.
Working in makeup, I can applythat to the aesthetics part of
everything else, and then havinga fashion sense, then I can
show up on camera and beconfident to have a platform and
a following.
So it all kind of ties in.
(15:54):
I'm also a very passionateperson, so I will go to an event
just to network with peoplebecause I love people.
So being comfortable with theway you look and confident lets
me be able to do that.
Because even before, when I wasoverweight and not happy with
what I looked like, I was stillfriendly, but I was not that
(16:15):
that wall was still up.
Now that wall is done and thisis truly who I've always been.
I'm just more proud of her now.
Zoe (16:22):
And have you noticed?
Have you been receiveddifferently by people?
Yes, yes.
Vanessa Ruiz (16:27):
It was a very big transition on how people treated
me.
Not everybody was a fan of whatthey called the new Vanessa.
I would have friends tell methat they liked me better when I
was fat because I was nevertrying to be seen.
I was just a little bit morequiet.
I would compensate with beingfunny.
So now that I felt comfortable,it truly does bother people to
(16:49):
see you.
They want to see you do better,but not better than them, right
?
Zoe (16:52):
So it goes back to kind of showing you know, like the
people that truly, yes, care andcheer you on you, you can
really have them by your side,and and kind of shows what maybe
you need to distance yourselffrom a little bit and sometimes
the social media platform is,people who are on the other side
of the screen are moresupportive than the people
(17:13):
around you.
Vanessa Ruiz (17:14):
Because when I was going through my sleeve, I
almost didn't tell anybody,because obviously they're going
to be the people that try totalk you out of it, and I was
already set in stone that that'ssomething I really wanted to do
, so I kept it to myself, I toldmy parents and I did not come
clean about my sleeve until lastyear.
So three years later, wow,there was one moment where I
(17:36):
just it just felt right.
Zoe (17:37):
I gathered all my pictures and videos and I posted it and I
remember posting it and puttingmy phone down and I did not
want to look at it and it wentcrazy with support and, as a
makeup artist, that made me morerelatable with women, which
made me more successful in mycareer interesting yeah, yeah,
because I wasn't just anothermakeup artist, I was an
inspiration and so now, withtalk to us about how you use
(18:05):
your career in makeup and and asa makeup artist to help empower
women, to kind of have thatsame sense of confidence that
you've now been able to create,as you know, as inspiration by
being who you are right becauseit started with makeup with me.
Vanessa Ruiz (18:18):
I remember in high school, makeup made me feel
better.
Whether I felt um, overweight,underweight, whether I felt
confident or not, makeup wassomething I could put on and
feel good, but it was verytemporarily.
So having makeup and my careerand my presence now, it just
shows everything that goes intofeeling confident.
It doesn't just start at makeup.
You wash it off at night andthen you have who you are.
(18:39):
So, being at the gym everymorning and I tell people all
the time when I open my eyes, Ilook at my Instagram, my
algorithm is weightlifters.
It's healthy eating.
You are going to become whatyou look at who you hang out
with.
So my friends are all intofitness right now and I follow
people like you.
That's how we kind of met.
So I am very inspiredconstantly by other people in
(19:00):
the same industry because theywant to feel better too, and
posting and connecting withpeople in the same, with the
same goal, is really what I lookafter.
Yeah.
Dr. Weiner (19:10):
Yeah, I think something that's interesting.
When I kind of first first sawyour Instagram and heard your
story, I thought, okay, so shewas overweight and she was in
the beauty industry.
Then she lost all this weight.
And how are things different?
How is it different from beingoverweight to being thinner?
So I think that's my firstquestion, but my second, as I
(19:32):
kind of started to hear yourstory, I thought, well, it was
actually the transformation.
That's the story.
Yeah, that's really the story.
It's not what it was likebefore or what it was like after
.
Where you are now.
It's that transformation.
I think that's what you've beenable to leverage and that's
what makes you relatable toother people, because there's a
lot of people who you know arewhere you were four years ago,
(19:54):
wanting to kind of get to whereand in many ways, because even
girls that look at me andthey're like wait, you went
through a divorce and you werefeeling sad and this is how you
became, and so you came out ofit.
Vanessa Ruiz (20:04):
Now you're on your home, your business.
I used to work three jobs, soit was very tiring.
All the time it was easy tojust pick up a hamburger and eat
.
Now I own my own business.
I don't, I make my own schedule, so life is really good, but it
is the journey that brought mehere.
I had to go through all of thatto be the person I am right now
.
I forgot the first question youasked me, though.
Dr. Weiner (20:25):
What was it like being overweight?
Oh, it's funny.
Vanessa Ruiz (20:29):
I always felt okay , I always felt good.
I always dressed sexy.
I always felt there's a word inSpanish that says gordita, sexy
.
And that's what I'd be knownfor, because I would embrace my
curves and I would not cover up.
What I'd be known for because Iwould embrace my curves and I
would not cover up.
So I felt like I was alwaysmeant to be who I am, but now I
just am more.
(20:49):
I don't even think of it inthis way.
I'm just healthier now.
So I give my kids that example.
Um, but no, it was.
I wasn't as insecure as youwould think.
Dr. Weiner (20:59):
I was, you know that doesn't surprise me at all you
would think I was.
Vanessa Ruiz (21:04):
you know, that doesn't surprise me at all.
No, it's always there.
Dr. Weiner (21:06):
Yes, yeah, and I think that's also really
important is that you know ifyou think losing weight is going
to give you the confidence it'sprobably not.
Vanessa Ruiz (21:12):
If any, absolutely oh gosh.
Can we talk about bodydysmorphia Even at this point?
I go through it all the time,yeah, yeah, bloating periods or
just times in my life where I'mjust like, ok, I'm bulking up a
little bit right now because Iwant to grow a top shelf, but
I'm also losing the dimension onmy abs, so it does get to you.
(21:33):
So that is very much whytherapy is good for me and why I
continue that.
Dr. Weiner (21:39):
But good nutrition and my trainer and what kind of
stuff do you talk about intherapy for body dysmorphia,
like what's been helpful for you?
Vanessa Ruiz (21:44):
Funny you say that she did an exercise for me
where I was very vulnerable withher for a good 40 minutes, I'm
right, my sessions are an hourlong and then she's like let's
do an exercise.
She pulled out a mirror andopened up the window and said go
stand in front of the mirror.
And I couldn't.
I didn't want to look at myself, not because of how I looked at
on the outside, but because Ihad been stripped so raw of
feelings I could not look atmyself in that state.
(22:06):
So it just goes to show you yougot to be up right on your head
as well as on your body to showup as the person that you're
meant to be.
Can't look a certain way andjust be okay mentally.
So, yeah, therapy's got methrough a lot of the body
dysmorphia, because why Istarted going to therapy was my
choices in men, really.
But then it develops into howis your upbringing and what
(22:31):
we've uncovered was all thatbody dysmorphia I went through.
Upbringing because of thepressure of being skinny made me
want to be seen, and so thatopened up a whole new door of
just why I am the way I am.
So that, yeah, it got reallydeep.
Zoe (22:46):
So do you have maybe one nugget of like, tangible tip,
for I'm sure that there are manylisteners right now who
struggle with body dysmorphia orstruggle with confidence.
Do you have one like if theycould hear one tip from Vanessa
on that topic?
What would it be Just?
Vanessa Ruiz (23:05):
choose your heart.
I got tired of feeling tiredand tired of not looking the way
I wanted to look in the mirror,and so I had to do something.
There's no change with nochange.
I was just tired of being thatway.
So it is hard to do the work.
But it is also hard and sittingin who you're not happy with,
with who you are with being.
(23:25):
So I started off slow.
I always tell people do onething.
It's like a domino effect Doyour eating or do your
exercising, and when you seechanges it inspires you to do a
little bit more.
And at this point, even myworkout gear in the morning sets
my mood for the rest of the day.
So if I feel good, I look good.
(23:48):
So it is just.
I was just tired and tired ofbeing unhappy, so you got to do
something about it Take action.
Yes, and surround yourself withpeople who are good for the
lifestyle that you want, becausethat's been game changer and I
lost a lot of friends who weredrinkers and partiers and just
not good for my mental state aswell as my physical state.
So that was really big and justeducating yourself.
Really, we don't know how muchthere is out there and once you
(24:11):
get a little bit of information,that's what you do with it, so
I like to be prepared for thingsthat come my way.
That was one of them.
Dr. Weiner (24:19):
And yeah, that's how I live my life.
I think that choose your heartis really powerful, because
that's, you know, so manypatients come in my office and
they're like, well, I don't wantsurgery, I don't want to be on
the meds.
Eating is you know, eating is I, just I don't have any time and
I just grab food and that'swhat I do.
I mean it's excuses, but it'salso the truth.
(24:41):
Oh yeah, it is hard.
Surgery is so.
I mean it's excuses, but it'salso the truth.
Oh yeah, it is hard.
Bariatric surgery is hard.
I had a doctor.
It's expensive, it is.
It is Some side effects.
And eating well is not easy.
But so is being overweight.
But yeah, being 300, 350 poundsstruggling to get out of your
car, to get out of bed, to movearound, that's hard too.
Vanessa Ruiz (25:03):
And so I think you're right.
You're going to have hard.
It's an expense to let yourselfgo.
It really is Cause, then youhave to deal with it in other
ways.
Dr. Weiner (25:09):
Life is filled with pain, uncertainty and constant
work, and I think the second yougrasp that like, hey, that's
what this is, this is what Isigned up for, this is what it's
always going to be.
It's always going to kind ofsuck, huh, yeah, well, I should
probably make the best of itthen.
That's a great set you got toshow up and show up for yourself
(25:31):
because nobody's going to showup.
Vanessa Ruiz (25:32):
I had a doctor that I worked for who tried to
talk me out of it, cause he'slike everybody who does
bariatric surgery regrets itbecause they can't eat, and I
said that's not true, but that'salso not.
I want to break up with food.
I have a bad relationship.
It's toxic.
I need to break it up.
So I'm ready for that.
Yeah, but yeah, that obviouslydidn't stop me and I'm glad he
did it Well you.
Zoe (25:53):
You made your mind up and you followed through.
You took the action.
You.
You put yourself in full forceand clearly it's your lifestyle
that you're so proud to live now, and I think that's really
inspiring.
So why don't you share with ourlisteners whoever's watching on
YouTube?
What can they do to get incontact with you?
(26:15):
Do you have any services youwould like to share?
Vanessa Ruiz (26:19):
I.
So I started off as a makeupartist, and now I'm launching
more of the digital downloads,which are huge these days, right
, so I'm doing makeup classes.
I have a very specific style ofmakeup look that I love,
especially here in Tucsonthere's there's a niche for that
natural look that I specializein.
Zoe (26:37):
She taught me how to do my makeup for my wedding.
So I was like, ok, I've got tomake sure my makeup looks good
today for my wedding.
Vanessa Ruiz (26:43):
So I was like okay , I've got to make sure my
makeup looks good.
Today.
She was a great, and this isthe beauty of what I do.
I meet people like Zoe and theysit in my chair and they are
just.
They let their guard down andlet me take care of their face
and we become friends and thenit just connects you to other
people in the same way.
So I love what I do.
I teach people to do makeup onthemselves.
It's not something I want totake advantage of people and
(27:04):
there's only one of me.
So having everybody have thatknowledge and get ahead with
their own makeup skills justbruise confidence and then it
just bleeds into somebody else.
So if I can make a differencein the world that way, then
that's how I want to live.
Love it, and so to follow youon Instagram Follow me on
Instagram.
So and so to follow you onInstagram Follow me on Instagram
.
So it's a little tricky becausepeople, when I say my vanity,
look me up under my vanity.
(27:25):
The way a vanity.
You know whether that's adresser or whether you're vain
and it's vanity, but it'sactually the first letters of my
name, so it's Vane.
Dr. Weiner (27:34):
Okay.
Vanessa Ruiz (27:34):
And that's how my everybody in my family calls me
Vane.
So it's my Vane-ty, so it'sV-A-N-E-T-Y Perfect.
Zoe (27:42):
And we'll link it in the description as well.
Well, this was wonderful.
Thank you so much for sharingyour story.
Thank you for having meAbsolutely I appreciate it.
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