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The Last Diet Podcast 🎙️
The Last Diet Podcast is for people who want to rebuild a strong, athletic body that supports their life — not consumes it.
We talk training, nutrition, structure, and identity for people in their 30s–50s who’ve been fit before and want a clear, sustainable way to perform well again in work, family, and life.
No extremes. No gimmicks. Just standards, structure, and long-term performance.
Welcome to the Last Diet Podcast, the last podcast you'll ever need to create the last diet you ever need. I'm your host, Mike Finnegan. Let's dive in. Right, folks. We're back with another episode, and I'm gonna get straight into today's episode because on the other end of the line, I have my client and cousin, Neve, who we're gonna have a chat with today.
Speaker 1:Like other podcasts we've done with with clients, guys, we're just gonna have a casual chat about Neve's journey. And hopefully, like, if you're listening to this, you you might get one or two things from this that might might help you as well. So, Neve, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm good. Thank you, Mike. How are you?
Speaker 1:Good. I'm excited to to get into this. I feel like we've got so much to talk about, but at the same time, I want to keep it succinct to the point. What we might do, Niamh, we might just quickly start with just a quick introduction to you and where you're at and just give people a small bit of background.
Speaker 2:Of course, I started my journey, obviously, Mike, with you. And I actually didn't know what I was going to get from this. I signed up in the vision of my sister is getting married in July and this was last October and I thought to myself, I've got to lose weight if I'm gonna fit into a bridesmaid's dress. And now we are here in April and I'm down those weight but actually the biggest thing I've taken from this is that my mindset around this and I think Mike you can confirm this, having gone through many voice notes from me, is that I have changed how I feel in my body, my mindset and it's not just about the weight loss journey anymore, it's about how I feel. Love it.
Speaker 2:I
Speaker 1:I love love it. We'll peel back and all this, Niamh. Like I wanted to go into some of the specifics about it because I remember having them conversations with you in October. And just for context guys, so Niamh actually joined. I run around eight week challenge pre Christmas, and I remember having a conversation with Niamh.
Speaker 1:She wants wants to do something, but she was a bit of kind of apprehensive about joining as well. So the eight week was a nice little kind of break in just to see how she got on with things. So just just before we kind of get into when you fully started going with the one to one coaching, like, before you started, like, how were you feeling physically to the point that you actually because I know was scary, very scary thing for you, even though I'm your cousin to reach out to me. So How were you feeling physically that made you want to reach out?
Speaker 2:I could say that I'd be happy to do a walk, but that would be a slow walk. Physically, I look after children for a living and you would say that you run after children. I wouldn't say that I would do that. You slow them down, you put them in a pram, you push the pram. Some might say, Yeah, that's weightlifting.
Speaker 2:It's not. Where I am today versus where I was when I started, it was very much slow. I got through the day. And I'm delighted to be where I am today in terms of being able to be more active with what I do in my career. And just today for example, got up and went out for a run.
Speaker 2:Nobody that knows me would ever hear me say that. So I'm thrilled. To see how far I've come in such a short amount of time is amazing.
Speaker 1:I love it. It. That's just the physical stuff because if I really want to delve in, we'll do this shortly, but I really want to delve into kind of the mindset and relationship building you've done with this journey as well. So just to kind of frame that, what were your worries before starting? So I know you were even with me, like someone you trusted, you were still very, very kind of apprehensive and worried that it might work for you or it would be too much for yourself.
Speaker 1:What were the kind of thoughts that were spiraling around your head before we started?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Like, you know, even yourself as my cousin Mike, I think a lot of it went into Mike's going to make me go to the gym, he's going to make me cut back my favorite sweet treat, he's going to tell me you can't have a glass of wine, you can't just go out on a Saturday night and have a meal in a restaurant, you have to eat this amount of calories and you know in my brain it was always chicken and rice and a bit of broccoli. That was my initial thought when I signed up with your eight week challenge. And what I found out through it all was so much more. Like I was able to have my, and I still am, able to have my sweet treat or my dessert, go out for dinner, do everything that I want to do.
Speaker 2:I was so apprehensive that I was going to go to the gym and I would hate it. And, know, Mike, we still have these conversations now that I'm not ready for the gym and you've never forced that upon me of like, you you have to go to the gym if you want to do this and get these results. But I have been getting the results and I think, I hope you're quite happy with where I am and I'm quite happy with where I am to this date.
Speaker 1:And you know it's funny because it doesn't even matter like if I'm happy or not because the second thing you said there's all that matters. You're happy where you are right now. Of course, I'm delighted with the progress you've made. But again, either way, it doesn't matter because you're the only one that matters here and the journey that you've gone on. Can I ask you actually?
Speaker 1:I don't even think we've talked too much about Snee, but had you tried much in the past on your own before doing this?
Speaker 2:We actually haven't spoken about this at all, I don't think. I would dip in and out of the latest fad on Instagram or I suppose it was Facebook back then. And something that you speak a lot about is I'll start again on Monday because I've had, you know, Friday night I was out and Saturday night I was out and then it became a bank holiday Sunday, Monday and well it's Tuesday now so I'll start again next Monday. But I would say that nothing was consistent for me ever. I tried the gym once and I really hated it so I haven't gone back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah and I know because we've obviously only got to this point now we've been talking about this in the gym, the next kind of step for that because like as you talked about you had a perception of this before you started as well. So we do need to explore the gym as well and see can we find a relationship with that that suits you because it doesn't have to be the gym but it's like it's always nice to try things because even with the running you know if we were talking here like six weeks ago you would have said I haven't been running yet and now you're getting into that and you're trying to sell it to you. I love how you've challenged all the lease around everything. We had to start with the food and the lifestyle stuff. Now the exercise is coming in as well.
Speaker 1:There's been so many changes. Just before we kind of get into how we did this and the impact it's had on you, what negative impact was it having on you before you joined? Like, I know, obviously, if you wanna wedding was a big thing for you, it still is a big thing for you. So that was the kind of initial driver. But, like, from a day to day point of view, like, what impact was not feeling great physically having on you and energy wise and everything else?
Speaker 2:I would come home and my first thing would be to just slug off on the couch and just, you know, I've had I've put down a hard day and I may not have dinner because I'm too tired. Then the next morning I'd wake up and I'm like well now I'm so bloated because I have snacked my evening away. I would get into bed and post shower just be like that was rubbish. That was a rubbish evening. Never left the sofa.
Speaker 2:My weekends were either out eating dinner making what I would now say poor choices on a menu and just not thinking about it. Not thinking about anything, to be honest. And I suppose my motivation for anything was very low. My energy was so low. My sleep was absolutely chronic.
Speaker 2:If you just think back about the things that I've just said now, my sleep has recovered, I would say. My energy has come back a massive amount. I'm kind of bouncing off the walls concerning me. And my diet in general, and I don't cutting back on carbs, I mean in terms of what I eat, I'm so happy to cook. I'm so happy to make a fun, nice meal that I actually enjoy.
Speaker 2:And my snacking has gone way down. Like the awful snacking that I did, I'd happily pick out anything and that was my filler for the day. But now it's completely changed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. We'll definitely delve into some of the things that we worked for you knew because there were so many lessons in that. But overall, I'm hearing there is that you felt like you were in a bit of a rush and you hadn't the kind of motivation or maybe even the understanding of where to start to start to kind of get back to feeling your best. And I know at that stage as well, you were obviously working and trying to start your own business and there was just a lot of kind of stresses and stuff on that. Like it's not easy when you're when you're that busy to kind of pull yourself out of it yourself.
Speaker 1:So which is why we had to start from the ground up and and make sure that it suits you. And it's just interesting because your perception of fitness and this is so common, like so many people listen to this will resonate. The perception of fitness was like chicken and broccoli, as you said, chicken rice and broccoli and like lots of exercise going straight into the gym five, six times a week maybe and just the opposite of what you actually maybe enjoy or even kind of resonate with. Yeah, I'm that you're able to explain that. So just talk me through the weekend stuff, because I know this was a big part of the journey when we started, being able to not feel guilty for socializing.
Speaker 1:Because as a busy person who's trying to obviously, you're living in London, You're obviously trying to keep your career going and you're very busy with that, but you obviously want to keep a social life. How did you find that side of things? So what were you struggling with initially and what did you find work for you?
Speaker 2:So initially I found it incredibly hard to be very honest. I found that I was so willing and able to get
Speaker 1:up in
Speaker 2:the morning on my weekdays and I work five days a week. So I get up in the morning, have my breakfast like when I get to work, but have it prepared at home. I'd prepare my lunch and then dinner would be either at work or at home, but that would be organized. And then Saturday, Sunday would roll around and I'd have a bit of a lay in and suddenly, okay, well, now it's too late to have breakfast because then I'll miss lunch. And then if I miss lunch, dinner is going to spiral.
Speaker 2:So then I found myself missing a meal. But actually, what I found is that if you put yourself to bed Well, sorry, this is what I've noticed for myself is that if I put myself into kind of a routine of you're not going out tonight, so get yourself to bed at a reasonable time. You don't need to stay up until silly o'clock in the morning and follow the same routine as much as you possibly can. And then on the nights that you that you're going out, follow the same routine, but like you are going to have the extra drink, you are going to have the extra meal. And I just found that falling into the pattern of making better choices, which on a menu, which is what I learned from yourself, Mike, was huge for me.
Speaker 2:Making a routine on a Saturday and a Sunday is okay to do that. And at the start I found that incredibly hard but I fall into it now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no I really like that. I think it comes back again, it's like the alternative mindset of if I'm unplanned then I shouldn't be going out at a weekend or everything should be perfectly aligned. But it is just having that mindset. Like you said, you can make better choices. It doesn't to be the exact same food you're having all the time.
Speaker 1:Your results are credit to that as well. And not just physical results, but I always call I use the word freedom. Freedom to me is like freedom of like of overthinking everything you eat, freedom of overthinking this journey and actually being able to be relaxed around the things you do as well. I really, really like that. The last two weeks, obviously, you're back in Ireland for the hen, and that was a big milestone for you just physically to fit into the dress and feel good enough.
Speaker 1:But talk us through the actual because I know we checked in this week and you were very proud of how you managed the the the two weeks. So talk us through how you maybe the fear that you had gone home, like, for that while doing this, but also how you managed it.
Speaker 2:So obviously, being home for two weeks, I would the last time I was home was Christmas and I think you'll remember this was just before I signed up to the one to one with you Mike. And I suppose there was a gap in things for us in terms of the eight week challenge and signing up one to one. So I think because I was so on track, I like a routine and
Speaker 1:I
Speaker 2:think you know that very much about me now. And in my head going home, not being in my own home, my own space, being able to control the setting made me feel like I was going to fall off the wagon basically. The one thing I would say is that I got home and I was able to control myself. So obviously, yes, I had the hen. I felt like, you know, sorry, I felt like I was going into it.
Speaker 2:I was super stressed, I'm not gonna lie. But I controlled everything within my diet. I controlled everything within my alcoholic consumption on the day and that was the best I could do. And it turns out that I actually came home, came back to London and I had done Trojan work without even realising it. Like it was completely out of like, it felt out of my control, but I was so in control.
Speaker 2:It was it was shocking. So I was thrilled coming back to London. And I arrived in Ireland so stressed. So yeah, I was delighted with that.
Speaker 1:I love it. I really think people listening to this will resonate hard with that, like that sense of I'm out of control. And so what am I going to do when the anxiety builds up? And sometimes that's worse than, you know, any diet or everyone. It's the feeling of like, you know, I need to actually relax.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like sometimes we love the punishment almost. It's like, oh, I'm perfect. But it's the time when you actually need to relax around things. It's the hardest. And I know you've fought this an awful lot throughout this journey and you've worked so much on it where you were coming away from the all or nothing thinking, where it wasn't just a case of, Okay, this has slipped.
Speaker 1:Everything has to go to crap now. It's all just going to spiral that you like you said it there perfectly, that you actually are in control. You know, it's like you are human. You're going to you're going to make mistakes. There's obviously going to be external things that come up as well, but you actually have the control to bring it back.
Speaker 1:And like you said, without even knowing it, you you had a really, really great two weeks. And that's the key as well. Like it wasn't a restrictive, like, I'm not enjoying this. It was actually, no, I'm actually I'm enjoying this even more because I'm looking after myself as well a little bit, but I'm not overdoing it either to the point where I'm feeling bloated and everything. So I love that because I feel like that's a big lesson for a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Just on that need as well, because obviously, like physically, you progressed really well since you started and that is still continuing. But I always think to myself, right, like if we look back over your journey and how many, let's say, nights out you've had and how many days where you felt like you may have slipped, quote unquote, or you had Christmas, you had a hen. If we looked over all that, you know, to be easy to Jesus, like, how would you make progress doing that? But the key thing that I'm seeing, you may agree, is that you came away from the all or nothing. So instead of spiraling, you were able to just reset, get back to what you knew worked.
Speaker 1:And it's it's helped you to to to get to where you are right now. Is that fair to say?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Definitely. I mean, the amount of times that it was back and forth for me and, you know, you'll remember this yourself, Mike, like I said to you not long after signing up to the one to one, will back out of this. And you'll remember that message I sent to you. I remember being so dead set on saying to you, you'll get a message from me one day going, I'm done now.
Speaker 2:Thanks a million. Appreciate all your help. Even though you're my cousin, I was so happy to send you that message. But It I asked hasn't. It's been drafted.
Speaker 2:But even though, you know, would be so happy to send the bloody message, but I don't want to. And there's been ups and there's been downs and there's, you know, as you have had me on your voice notes, I've had Manny a tantrum, but I don't want to give it up. Like, I'm so happy, I'm feeling so healthy, I feel great. So it's definitely something that the all or nothing thing is not something that should be followed, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:100%. Niv, if there was one word I'd use for you throughout this journey, resilience. It's such a crucial characteristic for people coming through this. The people that have it are the people that always succeed. And that's why you're succeeding because everyone has the tantrums.
Speaker 1:Everyone has the moments of doubt. I have them on the weekly for many things. But it's like, what do we do? Like, do we feed into it? Do we accept this?
Speaker 1:Or do we have our tantrum and then you know, move on? And that's the thing you've done really well. Resilience to actually say, Okay, I may have drafted a message, but I'm not leaving this until I feel ready. And that's key because you will leave, but it's just it's how you leave. And I've had clients in the past that I know that haven't been ready to leave, but there's only so much you can do for someone if they're in that mindset because sometimes you can commit yourself, oh yeah, I know I'm ready, realistically you know deep down that you're not.
Speaker 1:And that's the beauty of this is like when you feel genuinely ready it's such an amazing thing to say I'm actually gonna try this on my own because I've got the tools. And that's what it's about. It's not about dependence on me forever. It's just about building confidence in yourself. And that's what's happening.
Speaker 1:You're building confidence because you're showing up for yourself. How many times have you showed up yourself to know when things haven't been going great and you've done it anyway and you've fought it? And that to me is absolutely a class. So just quickly before we close this out because I'm conscious of your time, like what impact would you say this has had on other areas? So you've obviously done a lot in terms of physical changes, you started running now, your habits, your sleep, there's a lot going on.
Speaker 1:How has it impacted other areas of your life?
Speaker 2:I would say that you know one question that you ask on your weekly review is your mood. Shockingly amazing. Like I am able to show up for the things that I need to show up for. I would say that you know my energy is all there now for my friends, my family, work. Like you know it's kind of like a 180 that you do and you're like okay she's like the bloody energiser battery.
Speaker 2:Like you know it's I just feel like everything is so much clearer in in terms of life. I had at the hen three people come up to me and say, your skin looks amazing. And I thought, oh wow, like that thank you. Like what else would you say obviously? But I was stunned.
Speaker 2:I was shocked and delighted. Absolutely delighted. And I just know that the background of everything that I'm doing, the little things, even my skin on my face is just glowing. So it's working.
Speaker 1:Love hearing things like that, Neve. Am, know it's hard to sell to some people like the energy stuff and the mood stuff, but it's like it's so important because I do know I do know I love people say as well, like they hear, let's say, like like people have come up to and say, gee, you seem different. And it might even be like about the way or it might be about anything else like that. It might be just you seem different. It could be like your energy, your confidence.
Speaker 1:Like, just amazing how especially people that are kind of closest to you will notice It's like, yeah, definitely. I can definitely notice it in you. And I love hearing that because I'm like, well, ultimately, that's what we truly want. We can say we want a number in the scales, but at the end of day, the scales can be very, very misleading at times. So we're gonna finish it with a couple of things, Neil.
Speaker 1:Right? So I'd love to just ask you, why don't we work through a lot in terms of your relationship with this? And the scale has been a big one, like having to pull away the scales for a while and take the kind of pressure off you. How do you think you've coped with that? And maybe just give a background in terms of, like, the difference between when you were maybe getting a little bit obsessive about that versus where you have been in the last maybe month.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I remember I actually remember the exact day that you told me to take the scales away. I was so obsessed about the scales. I was bloated. I was, you know, as a female, you're gonna be a bit more bloated.
Speaker 2:And I was watching the numbers and some days they would rise and some days they'd really fall. And that would actually make me so upset. Like, I was anxious about it. I remember I would send you a message straight away going, look at this or like, you know, how do you feel about this or knowing what your answer would be. And then I remember you taking them away.
Speaker 2:It's telling me to take them away. Sorry.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I was trying to take them away from you.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Know. Sorry, guys. But I remember when you said, look. Take them away and whatever.
Speaker 2:To this day, I don't miss them and I feel absolutely brilliant. Like, I feel so positive about the meals that I make. And I had kind of like two weeks off for being at home and the hen and stuff but I still feel great. I still feel like I don't need to rely on a number that I stand up on a scale in the mornings and it just yeah I definitely would say that it has had a positive impact on me.
Speaker 1:Love it. Yeah, it's like obviously, and we talked about this name, it's like it's not that you know the scales is all evil either, it's just understanding how it's impacting us and like everything you said there is what most people want, you know, that that feeling of I'm actually cooking nice meals and I'm doing the things I need to do. So trusting yourself that if you're doing them things, that's all that we can control. So we can't control what the scales says in a given day. But like you said, the impact the scales can have on our mood can be a net negative because then it starts to impact the actual actions we're taking and we're starting to try to chase it.
Speaker 1:I thought it just really, really interesting how I've seen in you, you know, how freer you've seen or seemed in the last month because you haven't been using it and it's interesting how you've kind of come back to just how you're feeling more which is really important.
Speaker 2:Absolutely and I think it's very clear in how I show up in everything that you have the weekly reviews and things like that. I just feel like I'm more willing to show up for those now that I don't have this kind of like step on the scales Neve and figure it out. So I'm happy. I'm so happy to fill in your weekly reviews now.
Speaker 1:I don't know, it's gas. I just got off a call, but I had a couple of people there. Look, they joined the programme and I said this to them, I was like, the only thing that ever stops someone from achieving results in this programme is avoidance and avoidance can be very very closely like connected with scale weight. Like you said if the scale isn't gone down in a given week you're less likely to want to talk to me and it's it's backwards but that's where our mind goes sometimes especially when we attach the guilt and shame to our weight and it's happened for so many people for so many years that it's hard to disconnect from that so the only way sometimes we can do is actually literally by pulling it away. But thanks for being so honest with that.
Speaker 1:So just last question, we'll finish on this right because this has been so helpful for so many people, I'm sure. Thanks for your honesty with it all. What would you say to you? Because there's probably a lot of people listening at the moment that are struggling, like struggling with the minds that you had before starting. Right?
Speaker 1:I don't want this to be a, well, come to Mike and join Mike's programme. I want this to be more about what would you recommend to someone or what advice would you give someone that's feeling that way from your own experience to even just help them to take a first step to do something that's actually going to make them feel better long term if they're overwhelmed?
Speaker 2:So I would say that yes of course Mike you are my cousin and I would say that you know I watched you launch what you've launched. I reached out to you years ago and I was like yeah maybe it's something that I should do and then I backed out of it. And I thought to myself I don't need to do that. I'm young, I'm fit, I'm healthy, I can do that on my own. And as years went by, it kind of dawned on me that I suppose it's a you know more of a maturity thing on my end that actually I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:I was stuck in a rut. I was feeling down about every piece of clothing that I was putting on me. I was snacking endlessly to the point that it was not healthy for me. My sleep was chronic but I never envisioned that my sleep would get better with a programme like this. I figured that I would work on my health or I would work on my diet and I'd work my sleep out myself.
Speaker 2:But actually it all fitted into one. Now I have seven hours of sleep a night and I'm eating healthier and my scales are coming down as well. When I just came to you initially and was like, I need to bring the scales down. As you know Mike, I have fitted it into a hand dress that I just did not expect to fit into. A bridesmaid's dress that is actually I haven't told you this yet, but it's now too big on me.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So it's like seriously. Several different things that I'm I'm shook about that never expected to happen, but it has. So all in all, if I was young and wise again, I would have signed up many years ago because the results that I've gotten out with, in terms of mindset, in terms of energy, in terms of positivity, I think that's a huge thing to mark here. It's all been huge for me.
Speaker 1:Lovely, that is so so powerful. Even to think back to that, that's called years and years ago. And I always say this, like, this is why I say, like, you know, anyone listening now, this isn't about getting you to join my program. It's it's it's about helping people to understand that. As you said there, like there's always reasons not to do something.
Speaker 1:But at the end of the day, can you can start small with anything you do. Like you didn't join the one to one, you joined the eight week programme. But even for anyone else, right? Like I always have calls with people before they come on board because I want to make sure the time is right for them as well because some people like and this is funny, but years ago, you may not have been in the right place for this. You might have been the way you thought you were going to be.
Speaker 1:You you might have been like that back then. So timing can be everything.
Speaker 2:And I don't think it would have worked for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So there there you go as well. So this isn't a case of, oh, join my program now because some people aren't ready for my program. Like, they're not ready to accept the stuff that you have to do right now. And that's okay as well.
Speaker 1:But there are things you can still do right now to to get moving in the right direction. And it could be the smallest of changes, like even just going for walks or friends or something, but just something that's going to make you make you just happy that you're doing something and actually feeling better overall. Look, this has been amazing. Absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for coming on and doing this.
Speaker 1:And like I said, I hope anyone listening, I'm sure they will will get a lot from it because you've been very honest and I know a lot of people can resonate of feeling the way you felt before you joined. So, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna post on there. As as always, guys, thanks for listening. If anyone has any questions on the podcast, reach out to me on Instagram. Happy to have a discussion, and we can, yeah, chat more.
Speaker 1:Have a good week. Talk soon. Thanks for tuning in to the latest episode of The Last Diet podcast. If you want to inquire about how you can join The Last Diet lifestyle and find out more about our coaching, then the show notes below has a link to coaching inquiries. Just fill that out, and we'll be in contact as soon as possible.
Speaker 1:See you in the next one.