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The Last Diet Podcast 🎙️
Tired of losing the same weight over and over? On The Last Diet Podcast, we go beyond quick fixes and restriction to help you finally achieve sustainable weight loss without giving up the life you love.
Hosted by Mike Finnegan, we dive into the mindset shifts, lifestyle habits, and emotional breakthroughs that make lasting change possible. From breaking free of yo-yo dieting to rewiring your relationship with food, this is where weight loss meets freedom.
Because this isn’t just another diet…
It’s the last one you’ll ever need.
Welcome to Weightless Mind, the podcast where we break free from toxic fitness methods and redefine what it means to live a healthy, empowered life. I'm your host, Mike Finnegan, and in each episode, we will explore how to build a sustainable, balanced approach to wellness, mindset first, fitness second. Let's dive in.
Speaker 2:Okay, guys. Welcome back to the waitlist mind. It is another episode, and it is another amazing client that we're gonna have a conversation with today. I'm excited excited about today's chat. Hopefully, Helena's Internet holds up.
Speaker 2:It's been a bit dodgy, so we'll see how we go with it. But just a small bit of context behind this, guys. I've known Helena since school, so this has actually been it's been a great journey because, obviously, we're both a bit older, similar age, and life has totally changed obviously for Halena's as an hour mom of two and two amazing young children. Things were different for her and this this whole journey was very much about figuring out what was actually going to suit her without overwhelming her. Helena, how are we before we get into it?
Speaker 3:I'm good. Mike, I'm very good. Thank you.
Speaker 2:No worries. It's we're not doing too bad with Internet because it was a bit of a lag there, but it seems it seems pretty good now. So we get straight into it. Right? Because I know this can be daunting for some people, like, just just waiting.
Speaker 2:So what we might do is just give us a brief introduction to you in general, and then we can start to dig into the actual story behind of the the the fitness journey.
Speaker 3:So like you had mentioned, yes, I am a mom of two. My youngest is one. So when I started the program, she was around six or seven months. So it kind of came at the perfect time really because I found my day was a bit chaotic and it kind of didn't have really have any structure to it so I was glad this all came about because I was hoping you could have helped with stuff like that and you did so it was great but I worked from home and I knew I'd have like the time to be able to pull into this and I was really dedicated and really wanted to do well at it and I'm delighted it happened.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. And we'll dig into all that because I love painting the picture with this Alina because this is, I suppose for people that obviously haven't come through the programme or people on their own kind of finish journeys, it's it can be hard for them to understand, you know, like, a journey might look like. And you might get like, I know we we had your before and after pictures up, and we talked a little bit of the story on on Instagram. But I love these long form conversations because people can actually get to understand you a bit more and the stuff to know you you have to kind of do to to get here. And as you said, like, Eva was only six six months or something like that when you started.
Speaker 2:So six months ago. So I'm sure for a lot of new moms, and I know she obviously, that that's her second child after David. Having having a six month old isn't isn't easy when it comes to trying to juggle your work life and your sleep and then obviously the fitness on top of that. So take us back to before you started. Like, why did you feel like you wanted to start this like what were the struggles you were having?
Speaker 3:I think my main struggle was that I lacked a bit of energy. Now I know you know with nighttime sleeping and stuff with a baby that can happen anywhere but I just knew that I could feel better than what I was feeling. I knew that I could probably just do something about it but it's just the push really that that I felt like I needed. But yeah it was kind of just like I wanted to feel better and knew that like the way I was feeling was just like oh you know like I feel like I could really be doing something about it. So yeah really I think that was it like I just really want to just feel better.
Speaker 2:Yeah I love that. Love it being about a feeling because a lot of people come to me obviously it's just driven by just predominantly weight loss but I think for anyone I know you had the whole pile of weight through or anything like that, but for anyone it's still a feeling that we're looking for. It's just a feeling of feeling better. Would you say it's only since you had Ava that you were feeling that way, Helena? Or like, what were you even before you got pregnant with Ava?
Speaker 2:How would how was life then? Was it different? Were you feeling better at that stage or?
Speaker 3:No I actually think I felt worse to be honest. I have felt like lacking energy with a long long time and to be honest I didn't know what I was doing wrong like I always tried like little things and I just felt like nothing was making a difference like I was always tired like it was just kind of chaotic and like you don't realise how chaotic it is until you actually step away from it and change something. But when I got pregnant with Ava and had her I started to feel just like a little bit better but then like slowly I felt like I was starting to slip into an old an old kind of habits of just like kind of accepting that I was just feeling tired and no energy and just and I just knew that I had to feel better like I just didn't want to go through this again and feel like this again for years because it impacts your life because like you want to be there and you have to run around with the children. I need to be able to lift them. Do know what I mean?
Speaker 3:Take them around and I just didn't want to have to go through again of being feeling so tired and so terrible all the time because that's how I felt. I felt terrible most of the time.
Speaker 2:I know and when you're in it like you said it's hard to actually see how chaotic it is and like how much it actually is impacting you. How would you say it was showing up on a day to day basis? Like how what was the impact that was having on your Practicly?
Speaker 3:Day to day I would wake up in the morning and I'd it was like a feeling you would have in the morning. It's just like oh god it's kind of like almost sometimes you don't even want to get up out of bed do you know of what you might have to face into but day to day then it's just like mealtimes are everywhere like in the morning like you know the kids you know you look after the kids but then yourself just gets kind of pushed aside so I'd wake up in the morning do know what mean look after them and then it could come to like 10:00 and I'd be realising oh my god I didn't even have breakfast yet and that if when that starts sometimes it can just continue on for the day because you don't want to put yourself first to know you're looking after somebody else and it just has an effect on you then you know and you're exhausted by the time it comes to the end of the day.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, there's gonna be so many people listening, Leenan, like nodding away like that. That is that's that's obviously a very tough test to be because when you're in that road, it's it's so hard to put yourself out of it. But it especially resonated with there when you said that want even to get out of bed in the morning and not having the drive to do that like that. It's such a horrible feeling, I'm sure everyone can resonate with having that feeling at some stage. But it's such a horrible feeling.
Speaker 2:And when it's every day, then it can just feel like Groundhog Day. And you know, the opposite feelings of that when you actually have things to do and you bounce out of bed, like, that is where we all want to be. You know, it's like where we all strive towards and, like, no. Everyone's human. Like, no one's gonna have that every day.
Speaker 2:But I suppose it's just about having that feeling more often than not, you know, and getting their place where that is more natural than than than the feeling of not wanting a little bit. So I think that's that's so powerful. Just before starting late, Nick, because I know I know a lot of people are in this kind of headspace a lot. Like, were the kind of stories you were telling yourself? Like, was there any fear about starting this and putting yourself into?
Speaker 2:Look, I know I know for you it was it was seamless not, but had you any fee like, feelings of fear before joining?
Speaker 3:I think my my only kind of fear was that was probably food related. Like I was unsure what my meals would look like because normally you know what I mean if I miss a meal I'm just like just snacking I'm just like just having something really quickly just to get me through for the next couple of hours so I was unsure how how I would get on with the meals because I knew there would be have to be full and proper and I would have to you know what I mean there'd be you know work involved in it and I was thinking then I was like oh my god am I going to have the time? Like what am I going to have to do to get this done? So there was some of that but I was a little bit afraid of it but it was okay, was grand, I didn't, it just it was okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah no I totally understand. Everyone comes into this process thinking like it's going to be drastic change and will I be able for it, will I be able to stick to it, will it be too chaotic? But it's funny when you start to actually go through it, realize things haven't changed that much. You've just got a bit more structure and routine around it and it actually makes it easier for you because you understand what you actually need to do in order to feel better that day. Then obviously as you have more energy and stuff, things become better.
Speaker 2:So talk us through it. Why did you feel like this worked so well for you? Like what were the elements that actually you felt can really align to that actually helped you to kind of go through this seamlessly?
Speaker 3:I think one of the first things that I realized that really worked was getting up a little bit earlier. I know it feels like something that's so simple and you wouldn't even think about it but I found getting up a little bit earlier and just putting the time aside to just do things for myself in the morning you know before the kids get up or something like that and just doing that alone I think made my morning a lot more better like it ran a lot better like everything was so much smoother because by the time they're up thin it's just dim you have to look after because you know yourself then you're fine I'm all right until you know later on until they're going to school or whatever but yeah I think just like doing that and just like kind of you know saying to myself right you have to eat you can't like just be pushing out your meals like oh I'll eat in an hour you know or something like that or I'll do it later and I think just realising that no you need to eat it's been a couple of hours now, you need to have something, need to have a proper meal, a good meal and just doing it and not like putting it off.
Speaker 3:I felt like I was doing that a lot, I was just putting things off and it was a disaster.
Speaker 2:So would you say it was just the fact that you're actually setting the intention to do something for yourself and making it a priority so that you you show up better?
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's it's prioritizing. I think, yeah, yourself and realizing that, like, I actually have to look after myself as well as everyone else. And, like, it has to happen.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. I I get this so often. It's it's it's one of things, you know, especially for moms where you you feel like you need to do everything else for everyone for everyone else. And that's just to be selfless, but it's it ends up, you know, putting you in a position where you've you struggle to do it.
Speaker 2:You know? Obviously, like, for you as now, how you're showing up so different. And it's it's it's in a much better way, even though you're giving time back to yourself, it hasn't impacted other people negatively. It's it's impacted them in really good way. And you're obviously being a really great example as well for for the two lads, which is which is important as they grow up and see that you are willing to put yourself first as well and and look after yourself, which is which is going to be a great example for them.
Speaker 2:Is there anything that surprised you? Is there anything that surprised you as you went through the process in terms of, like, what you would have maybe believed around health and fitness in the past compared to, like what you actually you experienced when you went through it?
Speaker 3:I think what I experienced was that like it's okay to have a bad day, you know, like even if you don't do really well like one day you have like the next day you know like there were some days there where you know if I didn't go for a walk and I feel terrible about it but then I was like look tomorrow if I can get it in and even just get ten or fifteen minutes in it's something I didn't want to be putting myself under too much pressure either because I'd feel terrible then if I didn't do it but I think just like being okay with having a bad day and just realising look I can I can start again tomorrow it'll be fine but I think that was it really?
Speaker 2:That's huge and would you say like in the past you would have put too much pressure on yourself and then ended up kind of hating it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Like if I put too much pressure on it and then it didn't work out of like, no, that's it. I'm done.
Speaker 3:I can't can't do no more.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's such an important point. It like especially for you when you have so much more going on that like like fitness isn't your life. And I think some people like during this type of journey, it's like, oh, this needs to be all encompassing now, you know, for a while until I get to my results. But it's like fitness isn't what you love the most.
Speaker 2:It's nice. It's complementary. It it helps you. But you have other priorities, like your family, pad, the two lads, work, social life. Like, that has to be, you know, really high on your priority list.
Speaker 2:And I think there's there's a big difference between, you know, having you know, I I I was talking a lot this week about, like, excuses versus actual genuine reasons and comp having compassion. When you're, for example, you're sick because, like, you obviously get a lot of sicknesses now. It seems to
Speaker 3:come back
Speaker 2:every couple of weeks. When you're sick, like, sometimes you just need to be okay with the fact that you can't do things and and having compassion for that. Whereas other times, might be just excuse because you're, like, you're lazy or you can be bothered. So being able to distinguish between them two things is really important because if you're constantly putting that that pressure on yourself to be perfect, it's like you're going to hate it and you're just going to give up and take away all the, you know, positives that it's actually bringing you as opposed to just not being able to be okay with that as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. Yeah. What did I did feel like that prioritizing myself you know when I didn't feel good or whatever join if something like that happened during the week and I didn't feel great I felt like just if I just prioritise myself and do something for myself at the weekend so that would make me feel a lot better than as well going into the next week and that's kind of how I did a few things as well and I really enjoyed that because that's not something I would have really done before or thought about before so I was glad I did that as well.
Speaker 2:I love that and a lot of that was driven by you Helene as well like you know people come into this thinking that I'm going to be telling them what to do all the time but it's like a lot of that was driven by you actually saying you know it's okay it's okay to have a slip and then like you said they're like do something for yourself over the weekend so you're feeling good coming into next week and actually be let let it be driven more by feelings which which is amazing because it worked for you. Like it worked for you because you you set the standards what you wanted from it and then you your consistency has been amazing. But it's been amazing because you've actually allowed yourself to be imperfect with it. I think that's that's a crucial point. When we try to be 100% on it all the time, we end up fucking around 20%, 10% because it's on, off, on, off.
Speaker 2:Whereas you are you allowed yourself to be, you know, seventy, eighty percent, and it's been up there all the time, and you've had little blips, but it's it's coming back to what actually what actually works for you. Is there any other kind of bits of advice you would give people that just find this whole thing, the thought of it even starting like a a fitness regime, like, daunting? Is there anything else that you feel like helped you kind of just just maintain it for that 80% of the time?
Speaker 3:I think just don't people shouldn't be so hard on themselves I I'd like especially mothers to know because like we are looking after like everyone else and I think just prioritising yourself even when it's just such a small little thing like even if it's just like a half an hour in the evening you know just like that go for a bath go for a walk like just meet up with someone for like a half an hour it just makes such a difference it made it such a big difference for me anyway that like if I just did these little things you know it would make me feel better for the next day or like that for the next week So I would definitely like to know if someone was going into it not to be too hard on themselves and just like that take the chance and like prioritise yourself and it'll make such a difference and I found myself that it just trickled into every single other part of my life then as well so everything just became better like all aspects just became so much better like it even trickled into my work like I didn't you wouldn't even imagine something like that would happen but it's brilliant it's great it's just you know and then you have every week then to reflect on everything and it makes you feel more positive than yourself so I would advise anyone anyone to do it no matter you know your circumstances I think it's it's a great thing to be able to do and you know it's brilliant.
Speaker 2:Yeah you're an amazing example though Helena when someone comes into this with a mindset of not being over, like not overdoing it and not not always thinking about, I need to get to the end point of it. And actually, just like you said, the little things that you were doing for yourself that trickled into all the other things. Think that's so undervalued with with fitness. It's like if you can think about the things that will actually just bring your energy up and the small things throughout the week that will help you, you did that so so well. And I couldn't get over like the diff like within a week, two weeks, three weeks, the difference in you your energy, the difference in how you were talking to me and back and forwards, it was like it was it was night and day and it wasn't that you drastically changed anything.
Speaker 2:Where you know I was like oh I've lost loads and loads of weight and I'm really really fit and it's like you were just doing things for yourself again and your energy and everything raised because of it. So I loved I love to hear that it's trickled into other areas of life as well because that's so that's so undervalued. Like you said, especially for moms because they stopped doing all the things for themselves. And even the socializing and just taking up meeting a friend and things like that can can make such a difference. So just as was for just before we kind of finish and wrap this up, right?
Speaker 2:How would you say your life just generally again practically day to day has changed from before you started to now? Like what's the difference within you and what you're doing and just how you're feeling?
Speaker 3:Like when I mentioned before about like even kind of struggling to get up that pretty much disappeared. A lot of things just slowly just disappeared. Getting up in the morning was just so much easier like I know we're not always could be on 100 but just being able to get up was just so much so much easier. The house runs better you're less stressed you know because everything is running so so much better and like that we do get sickness here a lot like but I remember at this when I first started the programme and remember the kids getting sick and it was like the first time they had gotten sick since he you know returned back to school and stuff and I was like oh my god I was like I can't like this is just so overwhelming I was like because I was trying to work trying to mind them they were off school do know what mean it was chaotic and I remember texting you and being like oh my god Mike I was like I haven't a clue what I'm doing like this is just brutal and then by the time we got would say off to about a month ago like the kids are still getting sick and it's like it was just such a difference like everything was just ran so much better like I was okay with it it was grand I mean you're able to handle things more and so everything just I think lots of things changed but I definitely feel better a lot more energy just mean getting out into the fresh air you know going for walks even when it is just ten or fifteen minutes half an hour an hour you know I did whatever I could do and it just made a massive difference so I definitely feel day to day you feel so much better and like even at your weekend you mean I just had so much more energy to go and do things and actually wanting to go and do things because sometimes before when you're not feeling good just like you don't want to go anywhere, don't leave the house, you don't want you don't want to do anything really and even just the wanting to go and do things was a change as well.
Speaker 3:So I was delighted that it worked out really well and I feel great.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Wanting to go do things. That is something I hear so often from people. And I love to hear that because that is that is nice. It's just a feeling, like you said, getting up in the morning, actually wanting to go do things.
Speaker 2:And as you said, it's not always perfect. You're not always feeling that way. And I don't want people listening to this thinking, oh, there's this, like, there's this this switch where, oh, I'm gonna be happy forever. That is in real life, but it's I always like to look at this as a ratio. It's like, well, more often than not, we can feel pretty good.
Speaker 2:More often than not, we're gonna be excited about little things and and fulfillment because you had so many areas of your life that were in a really good place. You know, as in, like, you have the family you wanted, you know, you're working and you have your friends. So there was lots of things that were in good place. It was just for you. You're just that pillar of looking after yourself and your health wasn't maybe being fulfilled.
Speaker 2:You said something as well, Helena, a while back. It was that you feel like you can take on anything now. And that empowerment, I think, just it was just such an like, such a powerful thing to say because everything externally hasn't really changed for you. Do you know the sicknesses are still coming? The work stresses are still there.
Speaker 2:The day to day stuff is still the same, that we can't change that. But what we can change is how we deal with it and how we feel about it. And I think that's been such an amazing amazing switch for you. And like the byproduct of the body and everything is changing, like you said, that wasn't really a huge goal for you, but it was. And you were feeling fitter, fitter and healthier in yourself.
Speaker 2:So I just think from my perspective, I love I've loved your journey. That's why I wanted to talk about it because we we don't even know how much of an impact this will have for the rest of your life because I always think of, stress as it's it's a it's it's a silent killer. Like, eventually, you know, we get sicknesses and diseases and stuff because we're constantly under stress, stress that we don't need to be under because it's it's just day to day stress. We don't have to the world is not the end because, you know, we were under stress. And the fact that you're dealing with that better now and everything, like, much of an impact that can have for rest of your life, I think it's just it's just so amazing.
Speaker 2:Okay. So last thing just to close it out. I I always kind of like to end with this, Selena, is, like, have you any like, for anyone at the moment that is, again, like I said, really, really kind of afraid of this and kind of thinking, oh, well, this won't work for me. The the circumstances are different. Like, what's the one piece of advice you'd give someone now just to take that first step and and do something about not feeling the best?
Speaker 3:I think if you're if you're not feeling the best definitely just I'd say just reach out and see you know try find something that suits you to know something that like suits your life you know like you know like the let's say the plan that I was on was you know it was suited for me and like there's something out there that would suit everyone and as well you know like that nothing I didn't have to make any like big drastic changes. Like you you can still do these things and you know like when I said she was at the start I was a bit afraid of you know the meals and you know the cooking and stuff like that like that nothing major changed for me. Do you know I mean? Like I was still making the same meals as the kids were eating. I was eating the same as them and like that I still got to where I wanted to get and like that is possible.
Speaker 3:So I think that someone if they're feeling any type of way that they they think that something can change, they should definitely just like reach out and even just send a message to know and see what happens and not to be afraid and there's something that will suit everyone. That's what I think anyway I think there was something that suits everyone.
Speaker 2:I love it. It's great to hear from your perspective as well you know because I haven't gone through it and having all them kind of reservations it's it's nice for someone else to kinda think, yeah. Do know what? Okay. That that sounds reasonable.
Speaker 2:And I hope you know that you will impact people. The way you've talked you spoke today, I think it's it's been great. There's lots of people out there that won't resonate with me because I'm not a mom. I don't have kids, and I'm not a woman. So, like, the fact that you've taught your story will impact a lot more people than you realize because the the listeners have gone way up recently, and I and I think it's great that we can have these conversations because it's more real than just a progress picture, a general, like a success story because people can't resonate with that.
Speaker 2:So thanks so much for your time. It's been absolutely amazing. I've loved it. Guys, hope you have liked listening as well. As always, if you have any feedback or any questions on anything we've talked about today, reach out.
Speaker 2:I'm more than happy to answer. And, yeah, better than that, have a fantastic week.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in to the latest episode of Waitlist Mind. If you found the episode useful, please share on your socials or with a friend, and give us a rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify as well. As always, we appreciate you tuning in and see
Speaker 2:you in the next one.