It’s already time for a Deb update. We made her famous with the Attention Scale Addicts, part 2 post back on June 22, and the Limitations post on June 1. You should really read those posts for the individual points they make, but I will review the motivational parts here today.
Deb started here.
First things first, she lost her fat and got all the way down to a size zero.
We saw this comparison picture of 2 very different Debs at 155 lbs. (Be sure to click on all these pics to see more detail.)
At this point in her health and fitness evolution, Deb’s focus was strength and power. She was trying to get as strong as she possibly could and pack on as much muscle as possible to counteract the effects of menopause on her muscles. (In my humble opinion, it’s a huge mistake when women at this age skip this step.) So, hot flashes be damned, her workouts often looked like the videos below.
Deb has been happy with her body for a long time now, but about six weeks ago she told me she thought it would be fun to see how lean she could get for the summer. We made a few small changes to her nutrition and backed off her big lifts just a little. The results have been astounding!
These pictures look great, but they aren’t exact comparisons so the results can be hard to see. We will need to look at the data.
Deb probably lost around 15 lbs of fat by my rough estimates. The scale says 20 lbs, but the it is often too vague to be useful, and household methods of body fat testing are usually worthless. The good stuff is in her circumference measurements. Just 6 weeks after changing her focus, here are her measurements:
Waist went from 32.75 inches to 30 inches.
Chest went from 39.75 inches to 37.25 inches.
Hips went from 36 inches to 34 inches.
Upper arm went from 11.25 inches to 10.75 inches.
Not too shabby considering we are talking about a (almost) 52 year old woman, in the middle of menopause, who has already made some extremely dramatic changes to her body. It’s not like this was her first 6 weeks in the gym. Deb has plenty of excuses she could fall back on, but she chooses to get results instead.
Deb is one of my favorite people in the whole world, but their isn’t anything inherently special about Deb that gave her an advantage here. You can have these exact results. Want it like Deb and you will have it like Deb.
If you are motivated by Deb, she will be happy to be your friend on Facebook. Ask her about her fitness. I’m sure she will tell you she hasn’t ever felt this good.
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Amazing and inspiring!! Deb, you look even younger than your previous “after” photo!
It is pretty amazing how much younger she looks.
I was thinking the same thing! Muscles are awesome but her face looks ten years younger!
Agreed! Great job, Deb!
i am so inspired, that is just fantastic! Way to Go Deb!!
How can you post that without some details on what little “tweaks” you had her do for the summer???
Any chance you can share?
I can’t say that I’m entirely comfortable sharing her “little tweaks” for fear that many would try them when they aren’t ready. The methods I am able to use with Deb are not necessarily the methods I use with many other clients, and certainly not with brand new clients, because Deb is in complete control of her nutrition and exercise. In other words, her cortisol levels are great, her sleep patterns are perfect, her exercise intensity is exactly right for her, and she always does exactly what I tell her to do. If I throw out Deb’s exact training and nutrition in a blog post, some people will get hurt, more will get poor results, and most will end up frustrated.
2 or 3 solid months of honest paleo with minimal cheats, exercise that makes sense (not cardio!), and good sleep habits will get amazing results for almost everyone. Just stick to the basics and don’t get impatient. Remember, we get healthy first.
What do you mean by “not cardio”?
I mean don’t do cardio.
I would like to answer a couple of really good questions I have been asked today….
Yes, I am really in full blown menopause, and No, I don’t use HRT or BHRT. I feel the side effects aren’t worth the trade off, and as I became healthier the symptoms of menopause seemed to go away. Still have hot flashes, but a little cool water, or ice and I’m fine. (I think, being fit and healthy just takes care of so many other issues.)
I really wanted to share my perspective on this too. Before my journey started, (before Paleo, and CPC) I thought “I’ll just wait until I am done with this “hormonal hell” then get healthy and fit”. I am so glad I didn’t wait! The truth is, that being healthy has made it so much easier on me. Besides, if I had waited for it to “blow over” I would have missed what turned out to be the most awesome part of my journey (so far). Life is too short, ladies, we got to go for it!
I don’t ever remember feeling this good, even in my twenties! Thank you all for your kind comments.
Thanks for putting your voice with your pics Deb.
Deb:
I am so inspired by your stories. I am a 27 year old woman just starting my fitness journey. Thanks for allowing your story to be shared, because it does a lot more good than I am sure you will ever know. Keep up the good work.
Deb-you look amazing! Congrats on all your hard work….would you be willing to share a few days of what you are eating?
Deb: This is incredible and inspiring. I have sent this to everyone I know.
Great results & story! Congrats, Deb!
One question. How are you a size zero? My measurements are 34.5-26-35.5 and I wear a size 2-4.
She is a zero in the pic with me before we started putting muscle mass on her. She is a 4 in the pics below that. I’m sorry, I think I made that more clear in the preceding posts and I just assumed everyone was with us all along. I’ll be more clear if we do another update on Deb.
great results. I started following Paleo in Feb of this year. I’m down 35 lbs. My exercise has been hit or miss. I feel tremendously better. So now my focus is the exercise.
Keep of the great work.
Jason, I have to ask about the cardio thing. Running is not a good idea?
I’m trying to get more fit (a rare thing in OK), and have been hitting the stair master and jogging on the treadmill. What should I be doing differently?
Yes, quit doing cardio. I will give you the details in a post next week some time. Deb does ZERO cardio outside of walking and cycling at a walking equivalent pace.
Wow! Great work… very inspiring! Back to the gym I go.
You are what I am aiming to be at 46. I’m sharing your story with everyone….hope you don’t mind!
i must ask also….when you say no cardio….then are you suggesting to only lift weights? and if so, how long must you do weights (a half hour continuous,an hour continuous…?) i think most (including myself) are under the impression that one needs to do cardio alongside weight lifting. please clear up this misconception so that we can benefit from this as well!
I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION….i am nursing. can i do the paleo diet and exercise with out ill effects to your knowledge?
thank you!!
crystal
No cardio. As I said above, I’ll clear this up next week. For now, just stop.
Paleo, exercise, and nursing are great together. Use the search function on this very site and search for “Nursing”. Sarah has some great info here.
What about swimming, I’m a swimmer.
That would depend on how far you swim. If it is long slow distance, then it would be considered cardio. Details are coming soon.
So I am reading this thread on October 19, where can I find the details you said would be posted?
thanks
ALSO check out http://www.growinguppaleo.com as Chrissy is a pro about pregnancy, nursing and toddler issues
Yes, please share!!! That’s the goal, to pass on what we know, change some minds, and maybe even change the culture with women’s health/fitness.
you look simply amazing, what an inspiration!!
Can you clarify “backed off her big lifts just a little” with Deb? I’m feeling a little bulky with all the Crossfit weight lifting I’m doing. I naturally have big quads, calves & biceps, so I’m interested in how to keep myself from getting too bulky.
Deb You look wonderful, my daughter got me started on this I am on it 21days I have lost 20lbs. Iam just starting my exercise walking for now. keep up the good work Deb. Donna
Deb,
I am 52 years old and started doing crossfit in Feb. I am over weight but mostly worried about the loss of muscle. I went through surgical menopause at age 30. I have lost 15lbs and not sure how many inches but I am feeling stronger everyday. I think CFC has saved my life and give me a better life to look forward too. My daughter in law sent me your story and it will help me to stick to my goal to get health and strong.
WOW!!! Thank you! for sharing your story. I haven’t sent the scale move in about 9 months, but I know I’m getting stronger. I thought I was doing something wrong. But looking at your story makes me see that you don’t have to have the scale move to change your body! In March I could not climb a rope, today I climbed that thing 9 times! You are inspiring! And yes, I plan to share your story! Thank you!