Josephine (Host)

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today we have two very special guests, Tracey and Jennifer from Westchester. So excited I’ve not even met them visually in person, only through online, and I’m really excited to meet them visually myself. So let’s see if we can see who’s waiting to come in first. I think Tracy’s waiting. Let’s see. 

Tracey (Guest)

Hi, hi, how are you? Oh, there I am.

Josephine (Host)

Good, how are you? This is so great.

Tracey (Guest)

Sorry, I was actually getting my hair colored and it just ran later than I expected. 

Josephine (Host)

Well it looks beautiful. 

Tracey (Guest)

Thanks. Thank you, well, it’s nice to meet you.

Josephine (Host)

Me too!. I love it so great. It’s so funny because for so long I deal with people I feel like I know them and then when I see them I’m like, oh this is amazing

Tracey (Guest)

Well, we definitely feel like we know you because I’ve listened to your podcast and I follow you on Instagram, and love to Live healthy. . But it’s more of a surprise for you because you don’t hear our voices. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes, exactly, exactly. It’s so funny, even when you were doing the program, like when you send your weight, I’m like I always know everyone’s feet. Lol But I never see their face. 

Tracey (Guest)

(Laughing) That’s funny, 

Josephine (Host)

Okay So we are waiting for Jen, so I’m gonna bring her in. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Hello, yes hi, how are? 

Josephine (Host)

Hi. How are you. I love this so much. So, you’re both from New Jersey, right? 

Tracey (Guest)

No, Westchester. 

Josephine (Host)

Westchester. Okay, why did I say New Jersey, I think Jeff told me that. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Then he’s sending all our food to the wrong place. 

Josephine (Host)

Hahaha. No that was totally my mistake. (all laughing) I blame Jeff for everything. 

Tracey (Guest)

(laughing), So funny. that’s a good thing to blame the man for everything (all laughing).

Josephine (Host)

Okay, tell me everything you want to say. It’s just free talk. 

Jennifer before you came in I was telling Tracy I feel like I know you guys forever, 

Jennifer (Guest)

Because we nag you (laughing) 

Josephine (Host)

No not at all. I love hearing from you both. It’s why I feel like I know you both so well. I always feel like I know clients forever then they will say to me, NO, it’s only been in like a 6 months or a year. And I can never believe that. I am like that can’t be I feel like we know each other forever. 

Tracey (Guest)

Josephine how long have you been doing this

Josephine (Host)

I have been doing this for over 15 years

Tracey (Guest)

What about the food and store

Josephine (Host)

Over 12 years. Yea, it’s been a long time. 

Tracey (Guest)

Yes it has been a long time. Wow.

Tracey (Guest)

Sorry, Jen, you were going to say something. 

Jennifer (Guest)

I was saying Tracy’s the reason why, how we got to you and because she’s more social media savvy than I am. And I said to her I can’t lose weight post covid. I did a post COVID diet and I got my weight down but only because I was exercising a ton but then it came right back. But you know, like north of 50, it doesn’t come off the same. So, tracy’s like literally like my sister from another mother, I was like I just can’t get a hold of my weight. I don’t generally have a weight issue but you know, with you know menopause and all that. 

Josephine (Host)

Right. I get it

Jennifer (Guest)

And I just felt like, should I just get accustomed to being a bigger person? And that didn’t feel right to me. So, you know, I kind of reached out to Tracy and Tracy said well, I’ve been following, Josephine Fitzpatrick and I think this is something we should try, And so that’s when we connected with you. Instagram really was really instrumental. 

Josephine (Host)

Love to hear that. Makes me so happy. That’s awesome. 

Tracey (Guest)

And I would say that you know, for me I was. I think I told you in the beginning that I used to teach a class called SLT, which was also on Long Island right, but I taught it in Westchester for eight years and then last year I had a really bad back issue and I couldn’t work out and I was really nervous. I mean, I had gained a little bit of weight over covid and like Jen I felt like oh, maybe you know this is my new norm now that I’m not teaching anymore, my activity level went down and so I just, you know I’m not going to be in the shape that I was in with my back. I couldn’t do anything with my back and I was scared because, to be honest, I always worked out. I know you can’t out train your diet but I always kind of was able to be okay.

Josephine (Host)

You maintained your diet because you at the time you weren’t overweight or anything and you didn’t have any issues. So you worked out and maintained your weight even if it wasn’t the weight you were 100% happy with. Then when you hurt your back I remember us talking about how you wanted to lose your coivd weight but also you were scared you couldn’t do it without working out because of your back. 

Tracey (Guest)

I was scared and really your diet, was the way for me. It’s very simple and easy to follow, first off and second it really retrained my feeling towards food really for the first time. And both Jen and I have tried things together we work out together. We’re the best of friends and have very similar mentalities. When we gain weight, we don’t let ourselves get past a point, but for us both, after covid we felt like we were heavier than we wanted to be. A little bit goes a long way, you know, and you and your diet just really connected with us. 

I think for both of us, but for me especially, that it’s really about your diet and learning you know to have to eat in the calorie deficit. Weight loss, for everyone I mean, it is a roller coaster. I think it continues to be a roller coaster for us, right? 

Josephine (Host)

Yes absolutely it’s a roller coater for everyone that is all part of real life.

Jennifer (Guest)

For me, I mean, I almost wouldn’t call your plan a diet per se. I think we’ve all been on like diets (air quotes).  I think it’s a way to have a better relationship with food, Because, you know I tried everything. I even did intermittent fasting before you and then, as soon as the fast was over, I ate everything in sight and I always couldn’t understand why I was not losing weight. (Laughing).  

And so, you know, with your fast, it helps me to structure my food intake and, you know, even with the regular innovation I felt like the food and choices never got out of control for me. 

In the past like I would just pick, pick, pick, pick, pick, and it was just like a blob of eating day and this structures with the innovation or the fast is like, okay, this is my snack, this is my morning meal, you know, this is my breakfast, or this is my lunch and this is my dinner, and I get another snack and It’s just a better relationship with food regarding portions and structure and I know what I am always doing. 

Josephine (Host)

I love that. That’s great. And I do agree because I do think the control that you get from innovation, the 5 hour fast or the detox is what helps you the most because its not so many choices you know what you are doing and that’s it. Because sometimes it’s not just the amount of food, but it’s also all the choices, because when you know like, okay, this is it, this is what I am having – it does give you that sense of control. 

And that is really why I think you said it perfect Jen, the relationship with your food is so much more because you’re actually enjoying what you’re eating instead of thinking like what am I gonna have next? Sometimes all we think about is what is next instead of enjoying what we have in front of us. So when you know this is it. Well this is it.  

Tracey (Guest)

I love that and OMG your muffins. 

Jennifer (Guest)

I mean your muffins. 

Tracey (Guest)

I mean, those muffins are so super filling. I just actually, even before this call, today I’m doing the cleanse (detox) and I had my juice earlier. And it’s interesting, Jen and I we talk all the time. Part of this journey is that we have each other, which has been very helpful, And so we talked about this. But she, you know, drinks her juice quickly. But I actually, you know, like I started my juice today at 11 30 and I didn’t finish it until 145. I drink it slowly and I drink water in between, but then right before getting on this call, I hadn’t eaten. You know, 3:45 pm. I was hungry, and I ran and I had my muffin and now I’m so full. There’s something about those muffins that are so filling they are so amazing.  I don’t know that I’ll ever live without them. 

Josephine (Host)

That makes me so happy that you enjoy. I know you listen when I say – if you’re eating less, you better love what you’re eating. You know really love it and look forward to it and it has to fill you. You know it has to fill you to a certain extent. And that makes me so happy when clients tell me how filling they are. 

Tracey (Guest)

You know I have a sweet tooth which I’ve never, ever, really get over, no matter how many times I’ve tried, I’m always gonna have a sweet tooth. It’s just ingrained in me. And you, I don’t know how you make your products, but you know you make them great and they really work.  

And I would say the other thing that I think is really impactful, at least for me, is that you know you’re kind of in my brain. I don’t always follow it, but you’re in my brain, in when you one of your podcasts a long time ago talked about, if you cheat and even when we were working together, you would text us and say those little cheat bites are going to make a difference and you’re not going to get to where you want to be. And it’s a hundred percent true, because when I follow your program, the program to a T, it is, it works 100% . And when I have a little bite of this and a little bite of that, I think it’s nothing. The scale doesn’t move. It’s amazing. 

Josephine (Host)

I love that is so great. You don’t understand, like right now, everyone that’s going to be listening to this it makes such a big difference when they hear it come from you more than me, because they always hear it come from me but when they actually hear that you say it and have experienced it. That makes all the difference. 

Tracey (Guest)

It’s amazing. We don’t realize how just the little bites makes a difference, but it really does impact you and if you just stick and be more mindful about eating these things, it works and it is filling and satisfying. j I have tried other diets and you know, once I try it I can’t go back to it. And this is the only program me and Jen can go back too. Like when we fall off we can’t come back but we are excited to come back to Innovation. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Yes. It was nice to go into the holidays, you know, feeling like you always say I can enjoy, and then, knowing that, okay, I’m going to enjoy and then go back, and it’s funny my husband said to me you really earned those extra pounds this holiday season. Because I really enjoyed myself. But I knew that when I returned I was going to go right back to my innovation and, you know, work on it and get myself right back and get the number right back down. it didn’t feel hard and I didn’t feel deprived. I was never out of control or like I was on this merry-go-round of up and down.

This really is so easy to do. And, like Tracy said that you know the muffins are amazing. I’m on the cleanse but I didn’t get to my muffin until like 245 today, just by virtue of my schedule, right, but I mindfully ate my muffin. I’m, you know, satiated. I’m drinking my water and then, you know, have my juice, probably in an hour, and my dinner, and you know that’ll be it. 

Josephine (Host)

Right, I love that. That’s great. I love that you said mindfully ate my muffin. 

Jennifer (Guest)

I savored it. it was delicious. (Laughing)

Josephine (Host)

That is so important. I love that. 

Tracey (Guest)

Josephine I think you talked about once that you eat the crumbs off your muffin.

Josephine (Host)

I do I actually just had mine before the call

Tracey (Guest)

I actually cut my muffin into five thin slices and I eat a slice at a time and sometimes I don’t eat it all at the same time. I’ll eat like maybe two or three slices and then wait a bit. So it’s really been helpful listening again to listen your podcast and hearing how you enjoy the muffins, and like how you eat these innovation foods. I’ve learned so much from you really. 

And one of the other things that I was going to just say is that during the holiday time, both Jen and I, you know, we go out a lot. We go out to dinners a lot, and you know I like my cocktails. 

Josephine (Host)

Yeah, that’s great you have to live that’s a big part of it. 

Tracey (Guest)

And you know, but we were very nervous that you know we were starting to gain a weight that was going to be really hard to come back from, and so we collectively said let’s start doing what we did with Josephine and let’s text each other in the morning and at night the way we did with you. Right, Try to keep ourselves just on track. And it helped. 

Josephine (Host)

I absolutely love that. It’s great. It’s really great because you’re motivating each other, which honestly there is nothing better than that and nothing makes me happier. 

Tracey (Guest)

So I think that for me, especially when it comes to trying to lose weight, which I think is probably one of the hardest things to do, I think actually having someone else to be able to talk to and not be alone in it is really, really helpful. Because, you know, jen and I both have the same situation. We still have kids at home that we have to make dinner for. We have husbands that we’re making dinner for and my husband is never gonna say I wanna do this with you. So, and neither are my kids, although I do have to put a sticky when I would take a muffin out of the freezer and leave it on my counter. 

Jennifer (Guest)

(Laughing) I also have to put a sticky that says do not touch, so my children don’t touch it either. Or when I’m eating them, they’ll say, ooh, can I have some of that? And I say no. Do not touch my food. I only get this much to eat (laughing) 

Josephine (Host)

Yes you only have this much you can’t share (all laughing)

Tracey (Guest)

But having each other and having a friend is helpful and helpful really in the hard times, because there are hard times. It’s not easy. You’ve said that. 

Josephine (Host)

There’s always going to be hard times. You know there are days when it’s easy and days when it’s tough. You have to take advantage of the easy days and try your best on the hard ones.

Jennifer (Guest)

Yes we are doing really well with them.

Josephine (Host)

Yeah, when you can control the days it’s amazing. So Jen what are you doiing now the cleanse (detox)

Jennifer (Guest)

Me. Yeah, I just started the cleanse (detox). I was a not sure about the cleanse because I’m not like the juicing type. And I can’t drink a green juice. But Tracy said no, they’re really good. And so I took the plunge and I had the banana strawberry, yeah, and I like gulped it down. It was so delicious and I’m going to do the apple fire after today.

Josephine (Host)

Okay, good, let me know what your favorite one is. 

Jennifer (Guest)

I will. I’m trying them all. But Tracy’s like the juice person. That wasn’t me. But I started it yesterday and I found it to be very easy and also the juice also very satiating. Did not really feel hungry. I’ve been enjoying that too, and it’s nice to switch it up, because I was doing the five hour for a while and getting a little bored with it, and then maybe this weekend I’ll do the regular innovation. 

Josephine (Host)

Right, right, good, I love it. I love how you mix them all up. Tracey, you’re doing the juice too this week, right? 

Tracey (Guest)

Yeah, well, I actually I think from one of your recent podcasts, when you talked about doing Doubling Down the five hour fast for three days and then the cleanse for two days, and so that’s what I did last week and that’s what I’m doing this week again. It’s really working great. So I did the five hour fast the first three days of the week and this is the second day of the cleanse and I guess for the weekend I will do the regular innovation. 

Josephine (Host)

Perfect. I love that. What would you say is the best advice you can give someone. That’s listening. 

Jennifer (Guest)

You know what I think, and you’ve said this many times and this occurred to me. You know I work but I, like you know, I also exercise in the morning and then I play tennis sometimes and I remember doing the five hour fast and wondering can I get through all the exercise ? You know, like you know, it was one of those days I was light on work and heavier on physical activity and, you know, during the match I’m wondering can I survive on this? And I basically whizzed through everything and didn’t feel like you say this often, I did not feel like I was in deprivation at all and I think it makes you realize you don’t need as much food as you think you do, and you say that a lot. So I would just say you know, try, you know, start with regular innovation and to mix it up, the five hour fast is a great way to show yourself that control. 

Jennifer continues: 

And you say this all the time, and I catch myself with this is one thing is I catch myself wanting to go for food and I say do I need this or do I want this? So when I realized that 99.9% of the time I just want it because there’s nothing else going on, it’s an easier way to stick to the program and walk away from it, because if you really think about stop and mindfully say, do I need this or want this, and you answer that question honestly, you can really stick to the program quite well

Josephine (Host)

I absolutely love that. Wow that is really great. What about you Tracey what would be your advice.?

Tracey (Guest)

I would say two things. The first I would say is to trust the program, to trust the process, because I think that’s the hardest part for people is to really trust, like, a new program that it’s gonna work, to really buy into it. And then the second thing I would say is to not be too hard on yourself, and I think that was the one things that was so important with working with you, is that you were there for accountability, but you were supportive and you were constantly telling me not to beat myself up if I had a bad day, but to try harder next time. And this is what I should be doing. 

Tracey Continues (Guest)

And I think that I tend to be the type of person that if I fall off, and I do think this is common you know, I would go dark and I would avoid the scale or I would go away, as opposed to regrouping and saying, okay, big deal, so I had a bad weekend. I need to move on. So fften it’s a weekend right, not just the cheat day and it’s okay. And now I’ve gotten to a point where I know, if I’ve had a big weekend, and I’m not going to get on the scale on Monday, because that’s only going to make me feel badly and I’m going to get up on Monday and go back to innovation and I’ll weigh myself on Tuesday. But I think that those two things are the most important thing, because I think a lot of people fall into that of having a bad couple of days and then feeling like I got to throw my hands up and I’m done. 

Josephine (Host)

That’s great. Both great advice. I love it. Thank you .

Jennifer (Guest)

Oh my God. Well, it’s all from you. 

Josephine (Host)

Oh, thank you so much makes me so happy to hear that. It’s so, so wonderful.

So now are you guys going away together at the end of the month. 

Tracey (Guest)

I wish Jen was coming. She has to go visit her son at college. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Yeah, it’s Traceys big birthday but it’s also my son’s mom’s weekend at college with his fraternity, and there are only so many of those in life, so I felt like that’s right. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes absolutely you have to go with him. I’m sure you’ll have many celebrations with Tracey in the future. 

Jennifer (Guest)

That’s right. God willing, we’ll be around for many, many more years

Josephine (Host)

Yes, absolutely. Well, that’s so exciting. So you’re ready to go Trace. 

Tracey (Guest)

Well with the weather here in New York. Yes!. That’s the other thing I would say. It’s very hard. Where we live, you know, being it’s cold in the winter. I tend to be a person that when it gets cold and I think a lot of people feel this, you know you feel like you need to eat more becuase it’s cold out, right. So it’s been very hard to stay really on program, you know fully, but I’ve gotten to a number that I’m really happy with. 

Now. I have two weeks and I’m just really like trying to stay really good for the next two weeks and not cheat, and I’ve actually did one thing that was a choice to just not drink this month, and I think that is very helpful, because that’s the other piece of this is that I think when I do have a drink even though I love that the program allows me to have a drink I often will have two, and then that leads to not having as much discipline. 

Jennifer (Guest)

We have to make it out to to you to Innovation on Long Island, we have to make it out to see you. 

Josephine (Host)

OMG I would love that. You both haven’t been in the old store or the new store right?

Jennifer (Guest)

No We haven’t. We’ve got to get out there. 

Tracey (Guest)

Oh my God, I want you to open a satellite store in Westchester, so your stuff would be here and would sell great. Your next business?

I do have a one question for you. so, like Jen, and I never really know, like, what maintenance is, and I feel like you haven’t really talked so much about maintenance. So like I know it’s like you can be a little more, but I’ve never felt that I’m at a maintenance point even though we have both made it to our numbers because we aren’t sure what maintenance is,

Josephine (Host)

Right, okay, so that’s a great, great question and it’s definitely something I should incorporate more, even when I’m doing like my little talks on instagram, I think you are right it would be helpful because a lot of people have been with me for a long time and are in maintenance, you know, but everyone does it so differently and you have to see what works for you.

I would say this is probably the majority Monday through Friday clients are 100% and Saturday and Sunday they’re not full out cheats, but they kind of like are mindfully cheats through the weekend and they go through the weekend and have what they want and enjoy. You know, that’s definitely probably the most popular as far as maintaining. If you do that, remember you may not be the same number on Monday, but you should be the same number by the following Friday. So every Friday your number should be the same if you’re going off on the weekends and then go back on 100% program Monday through Friday. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Oh okay that makes sense so every Friday it should be the same

Tracey (Guest)

Also can maintaining be for someone like me and Jenn the innovation 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes, absolutely that would be a great maintenance. Im going to do a podcast on all the ways to maintain but those are two great starts

Tracey (Guest)

Got it Okay. 

Josephine (Host)

Have you guys been, you’ve been on vacation doing the program. Or when you went on vacations while you were on program, did you go off completely? 

Jennifer (Guest)

I think I haven’t, I think I haven’t gone on vacations on program.  You know, on it, I usually, like you know, buckle like Tracy’s, like buckling down preparing for vacation. Then I go and I, you know, just, I try and be mindful and make choices but not, you know, like I’ll have a few cocktails, right, and then, knowing that you know I’ll, I’ll reel it in, you know, when I get back. So I don’t weigh myself when I get back, I wait, you know, I wait a few days and then get a baseline and see where I am and then adjust from there, 

Josephine (Host)

That’s perfect, okay. Good. What about you, Tracy, when you go away? Do you ever stay on it? 

Tracey (Guest)

I think that what I do is try to wait to eat my first meal, if I can on vacation and I’m not where you know, my family is having breakfast every morning I will be mindful to make my first meal at lunchtime, you know. So not quite the five hour but a version of it. 

Josephine (Host)

Right. A version of it. That’s good.

Tracey (Guest)

So that I know that I’ll have less control of what my choices are, but I’ll have less meals. So in my mind, that’s still eating in somewhat of a deficit, definitely, without a doubt. I learned so much from your program and Instagram stories, 

And now with the meals and snacks the info you sent me with whats a meal 1,2 or 3 and a snack. I felt like I was always asking Jeff, you know what is this? Is this a meal, is this a snack? Before, and now it’s very well and clear. So thank you for sending that

Josephine (Host)

Oh good, I’m glad. Of course makes me happy that it helps.

Tracey (Guest)

Yes, I have everything printed out, all in different places around my kitchen. And I’m like oh, I’m not doing five hour. Where’s the cleanse (detox) ? 

Jennifer (Guest)

or where’s my regular innovation? (All laughing)

Tracey (Guest)

I need to make a notebook with it now it’s just all in one place. I love it all because of you. Because I love that you really talk about being able to switch it up and going back and forth. That’s what I think, honestly, is the greatest thing. It isn’t just one plan. It’s really like three different options and you can go to either one of those options and have success or keep switching them up as much as you want.

Josephine (Host)

Right, right, which I’m glad. I’m glad that you feel that way, because it’s easy to get bored. And you can’t be bored with weight loss. That’s why, even with the innovation food, I’m constantly changing the food, because you know, when you’re trying to do the right thing, you need the change, you need to feel like you have other new options and it’s something different, you need something new to look forward to, or just something different to look forward to. I realized it’s really important for my clients and customers. I guess if you really think about it that it’s actually the whole name behind innovation. That’s what Innovation means. It means new and change. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Absolutely. Yeah, well, you’re doing that. Thank you, my other piece of advice would be use Josephine. 

Josephine (Host)

Oh, thank you, Thank you. 

Jennifer (Guest)

Consult her, ask her questions, and you’re always so kind and you know, like Tracy said, so you know, when we’re not forgiving with ourselves, you are forgiving with us, Like that means everythinggggg….

Josephine (Host)

Zoom what are you doing to me? Okay, for some reason Zoom cuts us off just while she was saying all these amazing things about me 🙁 How horrible zoom!. 

But I really, really appreciate it. I really appreciate you both. I appreciate you both for being on. Thank you so much. I probably had the time set wrong and it gave us a half hour instead of an hour, but I really do appreciate you both being on. I appreciate all kinds of words. You both look gorgeous, amazing, you’re doing so wonderful and I’m so happy that you feel so good in your body and that you are loving and living the innovation program. Nothing makes me happier all the way from Westchester. So thanks again and I will be talking to you both soon. And happy birthday, Tracey. 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick