Have you ever looked at the scale, seen the number going up and thought, what the–how is this even possible? I’m eating less. I’m skipping snacks. I’m watching my portions. Maybe I’m even skipping meals. And maybe your next thought is should I just eat even less? Before you do that, I want you to hear today’s episode. that doesn’t mean the answer is always just eat less. Your weight can fluctuate with water, sodium, carbohydrates, hormonal changes, digestion, even what time of day you step on the if the scale jumps 2 or 3 pounds, that doesn’t necessarily mean you suddenly gain 2 or 3 pounds of body fat. Do you know how much you’re actually eating, are you guessing? Sometimes awareness can be incredibly powerful.
Bienvenidos. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Vanessa Cross and Fitness podcast. I’m doctor Vanessa Carlton, physical therapist and founder of Vanessa Carlton Fitness, where we help busy women become stronger, healthier and more confident without spending hours in the gym. Question for you. Have you ever looked at the scale? Seen the number going up and thought what the heck?
How is this even possible? I’m eating less. I’m skipping snacks. I’m watching my portions. Maybe I’m even skipping meals. Does that sound familiar? Or do you know someone that has been struggling with this?
And wondering why am I gaining weight? Makes no sense. And maybe your next thought is should I just eat even less? Before you do that, I want you to hear today’s episode. Because if you’re eating less but you’re still not seeing the results you expect, there may be more going on than you realize. But before we get into it, I am curious.
Have you ever felt like you were barely eating but still couldn’t lose weight? Maybe you’re experiencing that now. If you’re comfortable sharing, please let me know in the comments below and just say yes, because I think you’re going to see that you’re definitely not the only woman experiencing this. I’ve had many women middle age share these exact same things of barely eating or skipping meals and seeing their weight on the scale going up. Have you felt that way?
Okay, let’s dive in. First, I want to clear something up. Your body cannot simply create body fat out of nothing. Over time, changes in body fat are influenced by the balance between the energy you’re taking in and the energy your body is using. I’ve told this to many people. Fat is stored energy. Let’s figure out how we can release it.
But that doesn’t mean the answer is always just eat less. Isn’t measuring the or the scale? Excuse me? The scale of the number? Is it just measuring only body fat?
And your perception of how much you’re eating? May not always tell us the whole story either. So let’s start with the scale. Your weight can fluctuate with water, sodium, carbohydrates, hormonal changes, digestion, even what time of day you step on the scale, your way can fluctuate.
I have many examples, for instance, of women that when I normally, you know, when we do their way and measure if they want it and never force it. If we typically do it at one time of during the month, during the day, in the mornings, and then if we’ve ever changed that time and it’s late in the day, we know.
And they even tell me, oh, it’s later in the day. Yes, the number can fluctuate. So if the scale jumps 2 or 3 pounds, that doesn’t necessarily mean you suddenly gain 2 or 3 pounds of body fat. That’s why I don’t want you allowing one way in to determine whether you’re succeeding or failing. Look at trends, and I love coming alongside women and helping them figure this out. It’s like a puzzle.
We want to look at the trends. Look at how your clothes fit. Look at your strength. Look at your energy. Look at your habits. The scale is just one tool. It’s not the entire story. I have one particular client that I’ve been working with for a few months now, and there was a trend that I was noticing around the time she would get her cycle.
And then I also noticed that when she was getting in more activity and not sitting like she normally does throughout the day, how her body responded to that, and I was able to have a conversation and just share my thoughts that this is we’re not fighting against fat. There’s something else going on where your body is holding on to fluid, and there’s some hormonal changes we need to consider, which actually was a great conversation.
So she was able to reach out to someone in the medical field in that specialty of hormones. And now we’re collaborating. I’ve worked with women who have come to me and said, Vanessa, I’m hardly eating anything. And I believe that’s generally how it feels to them. So instead of judging, we get curious. We look at what a normal day actually looks like and talk about it, write it down, or they message me on the private app.
Maybe breakfast sometimes is just coffee. Lunch is something small. Then afternoon comes and they’re starving. A few bites while cooking a handful of something here or there, or drink here or there, then dinner a little more afterward. None of those things individually feel like much, but when we look at the entire day, sometimes the picture looks different. So let me ask you, do you know how much you’re actually eating, or are you guessing?
And I don’t mean that critically. Most of us don’t remember every bite, every drink, every handful, every taste we have throughout the day. We really don’t remember. There’s so much in a day. What would happen, though, if you simply paid attention for a few days? Not to judge yourself, not to obsess, just to learn. Sometimes awareness can be incredibly powerful.
There’s another side to this conversation as well. When women want to lose weight, sometimes they dramatically cut their food. And I have been guilty of that. Years ago, when I was training for my physique show and then they had very little energy, then they’re tired, then they’re hungry, then their workouts suffer. They may move less throughout the day.
They don’t have the energy and they do that without even realizing it. And eventually that extreme restrictive plan because becomes almost impossible to maintain. That’s why I don’t want you asking how little can I eat? Or thinking it’s okay to just not eat anything at all, or just constantly skip meals? I want you asking, how can I know my body while still working towards my goals?
Those are very different questions. Remember what we’ve talked about in the last few episode, Protein Matters? Getting in your vegetables matter. String training matters. Daily movement matters. Sleep. Oh, that’s where the magic happens. Sleep matters. Consistency matters. We want to keep that positive feedback loop going. And yes, the amount of food you’re eating matters to but health.
Isn’t built by seeing how little food you can survive on. I’ve seen women get stuck in this cycle. They want to lose weight, so they eat less than they’re hungry, and they have less energy than they try to be. Perfect. Eventually life happens. They’re exhausted. They’re starving. It’s getting frustrating. And then they eat more than they planned. Then they feel guilty.
Shame. And what they do the next morning, they eat even less and it just becomes super, super frustrating. And then the cycle starts all over again. Maybe instead of becoming more restrictive, we need to become more consistent. Balanced meals, adequate protein. Getting in your vegetables. Vegetables give you life. Give you energy. Makes your cells alive. Foods that satisfy you.
Fruits. Healthy fats. Carbohydrates that fit your needs. Foods you enjoy. Guys not perfection. A way of eating you can actually maintain and feel good about. And there’s something else I don’t want you to ignore. If your weight is changing unexpectedly, despite no meaningful change in your eating or activity, or if you’re experiencing other symptoms, definitely talk with a health care provider for sure. There can be other medical factors. Maybe it’s changes to medications, hormonal changes, things outside of your control.
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There may be other things that deserve a proper evaluation. Don’t diagnose yourself based on something you saw on social media. I really want to encourage you. Your body is not your enemy. You don’t need to punish it. You don’t need to starve it. You don’t need to spend every day angry at it. Get curious instead of critical. There’s enough criticism out there. What can I learn? What can I improve? What does my body need?
That’s a much healthier place to start. And if you’re over 40, I especially want you thinking beyond becoming smaller. I want you preserving muscle, building strength. Eating enough protein. Getting in your vegetables. Staying hydrated. A lot of women are not staying hydrated. They may be drinking water, but then drinking a lot of things that are caffeinated or dehydrate themselves.
So getting enough protein, getting in your vegetables, staying hydrated, staying active, supporting your health for the decades ahead. So doing this helps you now, but also helps your future self because the goal isn’t simply to weigh less. The goal is to live better. It’s to be well and enjoy this life. Because when you feel good and look good and do good, it helps everyone else around you.
So here is my final question for you. What if instead of eating less this week, you focused on eating better? What would that look like for you? What would it feel like?
Would it be more protein? Would it be more vegetables or different kinds of vegetables? Planning your meals? Drinking more water. Eating a real breakfast. Not just something on the go instead of just surviving on coffee.
Don’t get me wrong, I like coffee too. But everything has its place. What’s one thing you could improve without making your meal choices or your diet more restrictive? If you’re comfortable sharing, tell me in the comments! I would love to hear what you’re working on. Here’s your challenge this week. So we don’t want to just listen to this and not do anything for a few days.
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Pay attention. Not with guilt, not with judgment, or blaming yourself, or blaming your friend or your spouse or significant other. Not with any of that. With curiosity. What are you eating? When are you eating? And are you getting enough vegetables throughout the day? Are you getting enough protein? Are you actually hungry? Are you eating? Are you eating only when you’re stressed?
Are there little bites and drinks here and there adding up without you noticing? Learn about your habits before immediately deciding you need to eat less. Because sometimes the answer isn’t more restriction, it’s better awareness. Let’s look at those trends. I truly believe there’s a big difference between taking care of your body and punishing your body that God gave you.
He gave us this beautiful temple, this beautiful body. And caring for it requires wisdom, patience, discipline and grace. You don’t have to do this by yourself. You don’t have to hate your body to want to improve your health. You can be grateful for the body you have while working to become healthier tomorrow. And I understand you can feel frustrated.
Forgive yourself for the times you’ve come up short. Let that go. Take the weight off your shoulders. Emotionally. Mentally. Physically.
Take it off. Sometimes it just weighs us down. And let’s move forward together. If today’s episode has helped you, please share it with another woman who’s saying, I’m barely eating and I still can’t lose weight the way it’s going up or the scales going up.
Maybe she doesn’t need another extreme diet to understand what’s actually happening. And if you’d like help building a fitness and nutrition strategy around your body, your goals, and your real life with all your demands, I would love to walk alongside you. Visit Vanessa Carlson to learn more about our one on one live coaching and virtual training and supportive community.
Thank you. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Any of these episodes are encouraging you and helping you become healthier and stronger. I’d love to have you join us and consider subscribing. Hit the like button so you don’t miss out on future conversations. We release new episodes every weekday. I’d love to continue this journey with you.
Until next time guys. Keep smiling. Keep moving. Keep getting stronger. 1% better every day. Progress over perfection.
And remember, don’t ask how little can I eat? Start asking how can I make better choices? How can I take better care of my body? God bless you and I’ll see you in the next episode where we’re going to discuss why strength training becomes more important as you get older.
Ciao for now.
Vanessa Carlson, and I am the owner of Vanessa Carlson Fitness. I am Raider Carlson and I am the general manager. At VC fitness our first goal is our fun first approach with all of our clients. Working out should not feel like a punishment at all, and we strive to make it the highlight of their day. The workouts are tailored.
I love using my background as a doctor, physical therapy to make sure that we’re meeting our clients where they’re at, to help them to get to where they want to be. And I think the third thing is the accountability and communication. So not only do we have one on one sessions with our clients in person and via zoom, but with the app, we are communicating with our clients almost on a daily basis so that they feel confident.
Those companies don’t have a doctor of physical therapy on staff. And so obviously Vanessa is a doctor of physical therapy and highly sought out around the country. And that brings me to my next point that we are the highest rated, the most reviewed personal training company in Portland, Maine, where our headquarters are located. However, we train virtually nationwide through zoom, through live zoom sessions, and so it doesn’t matter where you live.
You can work with Vanessa. And then the third thing is our very first session with Vanessa is only a dollar. We call it the region rise assessments, where basically it’s a meet and greet where she looks at your body using her Doctor of physical therapy skills to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your session and make sure that it’s a good fit for you.
I mean, obviously, we know that we can work with anybody, but obviously it’s got to be a good fit for you. So when I was a child, my grandmother had breast cancer and I was very close with her and was with her for a lot of her appointments with chemo, radiation, all the things and kind of seeing how that affected her.
And I just knew early on I wanted to do something to help people with their health. I didn’t really know what that was going to look like. Fast forward as a child, I remember getting my first Barbie workout video working out with Dance Barbie, and that just was a core memory for me. It closed the door, worked out, felt great, and then fast forward some more.
I knew that I wanted to do something in the health and medical field, and had really great mentors and teachers that helped direct me where I knew I wanted to have a gym one day. I didn’t know how I was going to look, and we had our opportunity. As I was a physical therapist to open our first gym, I just went for it and just really wanted to help people learn how to take care of their bodies.
I just knew that fitness was my passion. And just over the years, it just all worked out together. And here we are. The rest is history. So here’s the thing you don’t have to figure this on your own. And I totally understand how exercise can be overwhelming. We all know that we need to eat healthy and exercise and work out on carve time for it, and don’t feel like you have to know it all.
Do it all by yourself. And even if you’re feeling unmotivated, know that you’re not alone. So my my message to you is surround yourself with someone who is motivated. For someone that is passionate about exercise and eating well and building a positive habits, good healthy habits. I don’t know how to paint, but if I want to make a canvas painting, I’m going to go to a place that the person is a great teacher and passionate about it.
And I’m going to come out with a beautiful painting. Same thing with this. Take the shame. Take the pressure off of your shoulders. You’re not alone in this. Many people I work with all the time don’t know where to start, and I am honored to come alongside and help you figure it out. And just start building that momentum and get in your stride.
And I promise you, you won’t regret it. So anything that we’re saying resonates with you. Don’t wait. Just call the number. Or you can put your information on our website and someone will get. Get back in touch with you very, very quickly. I mean, you got to do it so fast and you don’t know what you’re doing because your mind, which I get in the.
So don’t let them get in the way. Only it’s only $1 to try, Vanessa. And it might be the most impactful hour in 15 minutes of your life. Here at VC fitness for your first consultation, it’s only $1. The assessment is going to just go over some things that are on your heart. Give me a good idea of your body awareness, your mechanics and see if we are a good fit and it only costs $1.
So you can find us at BC fitness. Or you can call the number (207) 467-5509. Again, that is (207) 467-5509. And you can look at us and VC Fitness dot live. And one more time you can call (207) 467-5509. And we are waiting for your call.