235: Weight Loss Can Be Easy with Jenny Jackson [“I Did It” Series]

Introduction 

You're listening to Biceps After Babies Radio episode number 235.

Hello and welcome to Biceps After Babies Radio. A podcast for ladies who know that fitness is about so much more than pounds lost or PRs. It's about feeling confident in your skin and empowered in your life. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke, a registered nurse, personal trainer, wife, and mom of four. Each week, my guests and I will excite and motivate you to take action in your own personal fitness as we talk about nutrition, exercise mindset, personal development, and executing life with conscious intention. If your goal is to look, feel, and be strong and experience transformation from the inside out, you, my friend are in the right place. Thank you for tuning in, now let’s jump into today’s episode.

 

Amber B  0:47

Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to another episode of Biceps After Babies Radio. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke. And this is another Friday edition of the “I Did It” Series where we bring on women to be able to share their stories with you, in hopes that you can learn something from our community. I think that a lot of women have a lot of experiences and a lot of wisdom to be able to share. It's not just about me sharing wisdom. But I believe that everybody has wisdom that we can share and the more that we share it, the smarter we get, the better we build the community and the better results that we get in the long run. And so that's really the purpose of these Friday episodes. 

 

Amber B  25:32  

And today on the podcast, I'm super excited to be able to welcome Jenny Jackson. And in this podcast episode, we talk about how weight loss can be easy. And the theme of this, which I love so much was this idea that like just because it's complicated, doesn't make it work better. And in fact, really, the easier and the more fun that you can make this process the better results that you're going to be able to get. And really when you step into that role of the macro scientists, which I talk about all the time, instead of MACROS 101, you can become that like, it can be easy. It can not be such an emotional roller coaster that I feel like weight loss is for a lot of women, it's like when you go on a diet or on a weight loss journey that can become a very emotional time you're really tied to that scale, you're really tied to like are Am I getting results? Am I not? What does that mean about me? What does that mean about my body? And that's not fun for anybody. Nobody, nobody thinks that that is fun. And so we talk in this episode about how when we step into that role of the macro scientist and we can look at things more analytically and we can figure out how to customize this plan to us and our body then that makes all the difference in the world. And that's what we teach a lot inside of MACROS 101. 

 

Amber B  2:34  

So if you are not signed up for the waitlist for MACROS 101, definitely want to get on it, we will be opening doors in about a month, on August 29. Actually, it is a month, it's a month from today. So on August 29, we'll be opening up doors, and we only open it up twice a year. So it's kind of a big deal if you're wanting to get in, now is the time you can go to bicepsafterbabies.com/waitlist. When you sign up for the waitlist for MACROS 101, you not only will be the first to know when we open doors to the program but you will also be able to go through a free 14-day macro counting boot camp to kind of give you something to do now get you started to get you taking action so that when it comes time to for our five-day challenge and then into enrollment into MACROS 101 that you've already started to take that action and gain some of that traction and know what this process is going to be about. So again, go to bicepsafterbabies.com/waitlist to get on the first-to-know list when we open up doors to MACROS 101, and then you can look for that on August 29. 

 

Amber B  3:35  

All right, let's jump into the interview with Jenny Jackson. 

 

Amber B  3:39  

All right, I'm so excited to welcome Jenny Jackson to the podcast. Jenny, how are you doing? 

 

Jenny  3:44  

I'm good, how are you? 

 

Amber B  3:45  

I'm excellent. And I'm excited for the story that you're going to be able to share with everybody. And I know that people who are listening are going to learn something and be able to apply it to their journey, which is always an exciting part of what we do here. So let's start with just introducing you to the audience and telling us a little bit about you and you know what you've struggled with in the past?

 

Jenny  4:05  

Yeah, so my name is Jenny. I live in Texas. And really kind of start the whole story starts, kind of in 2017, I started working out and I wanted to lose some weight and look more toned. And I kind of thought I could do that without worrying about my diet if I just started working out. So I did that. And then through working out for a few years I had put on weight and had gotten really discouraged and tried different programs to lose weight and nothing really worked for me. And then 2020 hit and I put on some weight rather quickly. There's a lot of stress, I think everybody went through during that time and decided that I really needed to do something, find something that would work. So I started with macros, but before learning about you, I was struggling with staying on track hitting my macros. So I was kind of looking for some more just support just to, so I can stay on track. And that's kind of when I found all I think your Instagram is when I first found you. So, yeah.

 

Amber B  5:21  

That's awesome. And you know, what I'm hearing, which is a very common experience is that you know, you've tried a lot of things that you've gone through a lot of different programs and different like philosophies and things. So I'm curious what was different when you came in join MACROS 101 than the other programs that you've done?

 

Jenny  5:38  

Yeah, so the program I was on when I started, was based on your body type and that was how you'd pick your macros. And it was high protein, high fat, and then really, really low carb. And I was struggling with the low carbs. And I mean, of course, I could put like cheese and ranch on everything. So that was great but could not do this or like it was just so lovable. So I did Confidence In Your Numbers. And I'm like, and what I was seeing, I have been seeing progress. So when I started Confidence In Your Numbers, I was like, Well, let me just like, what if I just bring the fat down a little bit and bring the carbs up a little bit. And if it doesn't work, I could always go back. Like, I know, this other thing works. So I was like, let me give it a try. And then, I think I even increased my calories by 100 at that point, too. And then I was still seeing progress. I was like, Oh, this is great. So that's when I jumped into the MACROS 101 program, because I was like, Okay, this is working, like, what else can we can I kind of gain from this? 

 

Amber B  6:42  

Yeah, I want to take on that a little bit. Because there is often this thought that we lose has to be hard. And so like, the harder something is to do, the harder it is to like achieve, the better it probably works. And I see that a lot with low carb, you know, you said, it was really hard to keep those carbs really low. It's really challenging. And on some level, sometimes we think, Oh, but that, you know, this must work really well if I can just stick to it. And you had the experience of like really struggling with that making some changes, increasing your carbs, maybe even increasing your calories, and actually seeing better results because of that. Why do you think that was?

 

Jenny  7:19  

And I think it was  I wasn't struggling as much on the weekends, because it was always just like, okay, all week I was doing good and then the weekend came and it just everything fell apart. But when I increase my calories a little bit and increase the carbs a little bit, it was something I could stick to all the time. So it wasn't having this up and down. It was okay, this is like, this is where we're at, you know, this what? It was something I could stick to because it was for me, it wasn't for somebody else.

 

Amber B  7:51  

Yeah. And I think that's I mean, I really think that it is the key. It is like, what can you do consistently, what is going to work for you, which is going to be different than what's going to work for your friend or your sister, your mom or whatever, and really narrowing in on what that is for you in particular. And I think you know, that's one of the things that we highlight a lot in MACROS 101 is like how can we customize this to you? How can we make this your journey, your plan, something that's going to work for your body and your lifestyle and your goals? And when you get that ironed out, you're more consistent with it and you stick with it longer. And we all know that that consistency and you know, stick the longer you stick with something, the more results you're going to get. And so I'm excited that you saw that play out in real-time. So one of the things that you said that I think is really important to highlight is that you made adjustments to your macros, right? You tried something, but it wasn't working for you, it wasn't fitting the lifestyle, and you made adjustments to your macros. What gave you the confidence to be able to do that? I asked that question because a lot of women feel very unsure about making adjustments to their macros, and they don't really understand macros, they don't really know how to make those adjustments. So what gives you the confidence to be able to test that and try it and mess around with your macros for your own body?

 

Jenny  9:15  

I just figured I could always go back as I could always do what's gonna change him and I don't see any progress or I start gaining or whatever, I could always go back to what I had found that was helping me lose or make more adjustments and I was like, Okay, well, let's try it because I don't really like what I'm currently at the current macros that I'm trying to hit so so let's try and find something that works better. And if it doesn't work, at least I know this other thing works. 

 

Amber B  9:46  

Yeah,  that's good. So during this process, you let me know that you lost about 20 pounds. What was that experience? Like? What were some of the lessons that you learned along that path? 

 

Jenny  9:59  

Oh, I was just surprised that once I did kind of hone in on what my macros were, they were good for me. It was kind of easy. And I have never… I've tried so many programs and didn't see anything come off and I've gained and I just was like, Oh, wow. Like when you find what your body needs, it actually works. So yeah. 

 

Amber B  10:31  

And that's what I think is I love that you put that out there because I want women who are listening to this to hear what you just said that it was easy. And I think so often we're told by so many people that weight loss has to be hard, it has to be miserable. Like, you have to toughen up, you have to like suck it up and just like do the hard things. And I'm not saying that there won't ever have to be a sacrifice. But I think the whole goal is like how can we make this easy? How can we make this and when it's customized to you when it's made for you by you? It can feel easy. It doesn't have to feel miserable. It doesn't have to feel hard. And I love hearing you offer women that hope that like, what if this could be easy? What if it didn't have to be a grind every single day? And what if that was the thing that was going to make the difference? 

 

Amber B  25:32  

I have a question for you. Is there anything that you specifically do? Because one of the questions that I will give clients a lot of times is like, how could this be more fun? Like how can we make this more fun? How can we make this easier? Is there anything specifically that you did in your journey that you did to make it more fun or to make it easier? I know you already gave the example of adjusting your macros so that you had more carbs, and that made it easier for you. Is there anything else that you did along your journey that made it more easy or more fun to keep going?

 

Jenny  11:54  

Well, I'm like a sweets person and all of it, you know, chocolate, Sour Patch Kids, whatever it is. And putting that into my day ahead of time, making sure that I had room for it was just really big. And also like knowing that since I do have that coming, you know, I don't have to eat the whole bag of sour patch kids, like, I can have six or whatever, you know, fits in my day. And it used to be just if I get something, it's all gone. So knowing that I have that planned in and that it's coming and I'm not trying to keep myself from eating that. You know, it helps me not want the whole bag, I just Oh, I have a few and I'm happy with it and along.

 

Amber B  12:41  

A lot of women wonder, there's a lot of women who are sitting out here listening and it's like, well, wouldn't that be nice if I like could just eat a couple of Sour Patch Kids and I didn't have to eat the whole bag. But the experience that they're experiencing right now is like that's where they're at is it's either like, I don't eat any Sour Patch Kids or eat the entire bag and they haven't been able to find that happy medium. So what tips or advice can you give that allowed you to find that sweet spot of like, where you really feel confident now that you're like, Yeah, I can eat a handful of this. I don't have to eat the whole bag and I can enjoy it and move on. What has given you the confidence to do that? Or what tips or advice do you have for someone who's struggling with that moderation right now?

 

Jenny  13:25  

Yeah, I think having it planned in that, you know, it's coming, and then allowing yourself, if I have a craving for something special, then I just decide to have it because I've found that if I don't so like if I'm quite craving a blizzard from Dairy Queen, or whatever and if I deny myself it, like, I just want it more and more and more. If I just go get the mini one and have it and that day I went over a little bit but I'm gonna be back tomorrow. But I had what I got through that. And now I'm not craving it. So for me allowing myself that treat is what I needed to be able to stay to program and allowing myself to have those treats is what worked well for me.

 

Amber B  14:20  

Yeah, I'm really glad you said that. Because I think a lot of women think that the solution is to just willpower harder and to just grit your teeth and like make it through those cravings and not give in and have the motivation and you know all these like things that we double tap on Instagram that are like motivational and you can do it and stuck it up and that type of thing. They think that that's the solution. And then what they find is like that will last for a while, that willpower motivation will last for a while and then they have a weak moment and then they have all the things right. It's like you once you start eating, you can't stop. And so what I'm hearing for you that made a huge difference and I've seen this a lot in my clients is that when you allow yourself to have that whatever that craving is that treat that you like, and you build your day around that. And you know, I'm going to have said treat like, I love, for me, it's ice cream. So I'm going to have ice cream tonight, I know that I'm gonna have it, it's already planned in, it's already scheduled, I'm going to be able to enjoy it, it takes that like a lure away from it, it takes that like forbidden fruit mentality away from the food, and it allows you to start to develop that moderation. 

 

Amber B  15:27  

Now, it's not instantaneous for everybody. And it is a process to be able to kind of find that balance between not eating anything and eating all the things. But it is something that can be developed. And I've seen it over and over with clients of people who come into MACROS 101 saying, There's no way I could ever just eat like two Oreos. It's like just, it feels impossible right now to be able to do that. And, you know, over time, working together and getting coaching and being able to understand the process and feel really confident in adjusting your numbers. And you know, being able to get rid of that guilt and that shame, allows them to come to the place where they really can't just have a couple of pieces of candy or a couple of cookies. And I think one of the things that you said that was so important that I really want to highlight is that when you really understand that you are in control of your macros, and you are in control of your actions. And you can get to the place where you can say Hey, today I'm choosing to go over 400 calories like I'm going over 400 calories, and it doesn't become guilt filled, it doesn't become a shame, it doesn't become of like, I'm never gonna get results, or I'm the worst person in the world, it becomes like I'm choosing to go 400 calories. And I can make that choice because I'm a big grown-up woman and tomorrow I can get back on track. That becomes a really solid place to make those decisions from. So I'm really glad that you shared that because I think it's something that a lot of women do, it really can change the way that you experience food, it can change your relationship with food, and really make you feel more empowered through this journey. 

 

Amber B  17:05  

I'm curious about your experience during MACROS 101. And if there's anything that you remember learning, or hearing or you know, being in a coaching call that really has kind of stuck with you, or change your perspective on anything, is there anything like that for you?

 

Jenny  17:24  

So I guess, the idea of, before an event or holiday deciding how you want to feel after, and going in with that mindset, because I've found like a lot of times that it's I want to feel connected to the people that I'm with. I don't want to stress about what I'm eating, but I also don't want to be stuffed and feel sick afterward. So a lot of times for me that ends up,  if it's like a buffet type situation, I tend to like okay, I'm gonna try a little bit of everything, and then find out the things that I'm going back for. Because, you know, sometimes the mashed potatoes are great, but sometimes they are not. The good ones are not that good ones. Are they worth it? Or aren't they? So yeah, I think kind of having that. And then, you know, going back and getting the things that I like and then enjoying it enjoying the people and then, you know, moving on, and getting back. I plan after that. So yeah. 

 

Amber B  18:21  

That's really good. Yeah, we teach about creating a feed plan inside of MACROS 101 and how that can really change your experience for those like events and parties and vacations and the spontaneous things that happen in our daily lives. One of the things that you had mentioned to me before was that you had a fear of the scale before you joined MACROS 101 and that you feel like you've overcome that now or have made a lot of progress in that area. And since this is an area that a lot of women struggle with, you know, what caused that shift for you? And how have you been able to work through improving that relationship with the scale?

 

Jenny  18:59  

Yeah, so previously, I was like, a toss-the-scale person mainly because I just didn't like what it was saying. So I thought I didn't step on it and that would make things better somehow but it didn't change what weight I actually was or anything, so I think really focusing on the average of my weight for the week instead of the daily fluctuations because you get on the scale and it's up a pound from yesterday or whatever. And you just feel down but then the next day it's down a pound or whatever it is but it doesn't feel as good but so I try to just you know when I get on the scale Okay, the number I still sometimes you feel those emotions when you see you know, a big jump up or whatever. But I'm I tried to tell myself Okay, well, let's just see what the average for the week is. And if we need to adjust that we just because when I'm sitting down and calculating what the average is. And I'm looking at it compared to the last week's average. At that point, my mind is just in a totally different place. And, okay, we did get last week, we're, you know, making good progress, okay, and maybe we need to make some tweaks, but you're not in that emotional state of standing on a scale or looking at it. When for some reason, it's still hard sometimes, but I just have myself go back to my average and see that average, and then we can see how I feel. 

 

Amber B  20:31  

Yeah, that's so good. And we do a lot of work inside of MACROS 101  about helping you become that scientist and look at the data more critically and analytically and less emotionally. And for the people who are listening who feel like they're in that like making decisions from an emotional space and having their day be determined by what the scale said, and is it gonna be a good day is it gonna be a bad day if that's the place that you're in, I just want to offer to that, like, there is a possibility for you to be able to improve that relationship this with the scale to be able to improve that relationship with yourself to not have it define you. And the solution to it isn't just to get rid of it but to be able to look at it more analytically. And it's why we talk about becoming a macro scientist inside of MACROS 101, it's where I teach you the process of being able to look and analyze the data and figure out what your body's trying to tell you and making adjustments from that really powerful place rather than from that, like, emotional Oh, I'm a terrible person, I can't believe I gained so much weight, or I'm never going to be a successful type of place because you're gonna get, you're gonna take much better actions and get much better results from that scientist's perspective that I hear you talking about. So that's awesome. I love that. To kind of wrap things up at like, the last question I'm curious. What you would say to somebody who was thinking about joining MACROS 101 if your friend was asking you about the program, what would you say?

 

Jenny  21:54  

I'd tell them that it's a program that's for everybody where they're at. Because it's because you're going to come up with a plan that's customized to you, and it builds your confidence to know, going forward. What your life changes what, what fits into my life now, maybe it's different than it was before. So you have the confidence to go forward and live your life and this kind of just flows into the rhythm of your life. 

 

Amber B  22:27  

Yeah, okay, that's really great. Because I think, oftentimes, I get asked that question a lot is like, is this for moms? Is it for not moms? Is this for someone who has weight to lose or is wanting to gain muscle? Or is this for someone who has PCOS or not, like all these questions about like, very specific things, and I think the thing that I'm hearing you communicate is that, because you're learning how to become a scientist, and how you're learning to customize this program to yourself, and you're learning how to make adjustments to your own macros, that it really can fit into whatever requirements or circumstances, I guess, maybe a better word that is unique to you? And I think that that is different than a lot of programs where a lot of programs are like a top-down like you should, you need to do X, Y, and Z. And that's not how we do it in MACROS 101, I'm really teaching you the process of analyzing the data, gathering the data, analyzing it, and then figuring out what your body is telling you and how to make adjustments over time and that it creates a different experience. And it creates a much more empowering experience that I think you've spoken to Jenny about of being able to step on the scale and be able to not freak out and walk yourself through that. Because you have an understanding of your body of how you know, you've seen the trends in the past with your weight and the fluctuations, and you can kind of walk yourself through it. Hey, like, just because it scales up today doesn't necessarily mean that anything's wrong, because I've seen these fluctuations before and I've seen it played out and I know that I can look at all the data and make a much smarter decision. So thank you for sharing that with everybody. Is there any last thing that you want to make sure that you share with anybody who's listening as we wrap up? Is there anything else coming up for you?

 

Jenny  24:14  

I think just yeah, just sharing again, that you don't have to be a mom to do this program. So I am currently actually pregnant with my first so I feel really confident down now though, knowing that, okay, you know, after the baby and everything that okay, now I know what to do when I get on the other side and I can see, Okay, where am I at, what's going to be the right you know, figure out the right timing to cut again and go from there. But I feel confident right now in this part, knowing that I already have done this part because I didn't think I was going to have to track like when I was in the program that I thought it was gonna have to track forever and I haven't like I've maintained for a year and not done a lot of tracking. That'd be a day or two here just to see where I was at. But, knowing now, having all that knowledge, okay, I can feel really confident going forward. 

 

Amber B  25:18  

That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing Jenny. Thanks for coming on and sharing your story and your wisdom with everybody. I'm so glad to have you here. 

 

Jenny  25:29  

Thank you. 

 

Amber B  25:32  

Thanks for listening to this episode, I hope that you learned something. And I hope that you have a takeaway with you that you can apply to your journey. A really great question to be asking yourself right now is do I feel like I am that macro scientist that Jenny talked about? Am I able to look at things analytically? Am I able to figure out what's going on with my body? Am I confident in making decisions on how to tweak things for my unique circumstance and body? If not, then that is exactly what we do inside of MACROS 101. So if you want help with that, if you want coaching through that, I highly suggest getting on the waitlist at bicepsafterbabies.com/waitlist. When you do, you'll also be able to go through our free 14-day macro boot camp that will get you primed and started on that journey so that you can get to that place that Jenny is at with confidence in your body with the results that you're able to get and maintain long term. That wraps up this episode of Biceps After Babies Radio. I'm Amber, now go out and be strong because remember my friend, you can do anything. 

 

Outro

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