Total Body Transformation with Simone Lovell | 031

Then I started to notice all these other pieces of my life falling apart

and the day when it really

hit home. There's a few breakthrough moments, but the biggest

one, it was my daughter's birthday. She was in preschool

and she wanted cupcakes for her friends,

so I baked. There were 12 kids in the class, so I baked 12 cupcakes.

And the day after was when she was going to take these

cupcakes in for her friends. And I ate every single

cupcake the night before. She got to even take them into school with

icing and everything. They're like big, big cupcakes.

And I remember sitting there after all 12 cupcakes

feeling like shit and just thinking,

wow, you know, like, here I am. I'm a

mom now. This is not just about me. Here I am.

My daughter just watched me do that. I'm a role model

and I just did that. I'm a health coach. I just did that. And,

like, I want to get my life on track. And like, what? What the

fuck is going on? Welcome back to another episode of

Resilience AF with Blair and Alana. Hold the

Atlanta. But welcome this Simone Lavelle. And what I

love is that Simone and I have been on a journey together. And today's

conversation, you know, like, I'm actually part of her journey

when she's a huge part of my journey. And we've developed a really beautiful

friendship. And so Simone, she's a mama, food coach,

mentor. She has been a health coach for over 20

years. Simone helps mamas informed and

healthy and transform from the inside out. And they become the best versions

of themselves by giving them the tools and roadmaps to achieve

optimum health and fat loss. And just so you know, I am a mama. I

mean, I am a fur mama. But she has helped me so much. Like, I

actually worked with her. I did one of her programs and lost

a significant amount of weight, retrained myself on how to eat. I still use

those recipes today because this was like before the pandemic. So I'm really

excited that she's here. She teaches her clients how to eat the right food

at the right time for the right reasons. She taught me all about

balancing my macros, and she empowers her clients and all of

her social media followers to make daily changes toward leading

a healthier lifestyle. And we live

in the same province. We've only recently met in person for the first

time, which was amazing. And yeah, and

she's, you know, currently you can buy Resilient

AF Stories of Resilience Volume 2. Read all about Simone's story.

But you know what? You don't even have to read it, because here we are.

I mean, I'd love you to buy the book and read it, but she's here

live and in the flesh. Thanks so much

for having me, Blair. I'm so excited to be here and to have this important

conversation. Yeah, it's. And it. And it is like, you

know, I think, like, I know your. Your journey is about

your depression and weight gain in postpartum and

how you broke the line of dieting from generation to generation, which

is this, like, cycle that we're told, like, on the news and in the

media. Like, you know, go on this diet, do this stuff. And it's. It's not

about, like, changing our. Our habits and whatnot. And

what I think is. Is so great is that

you create all this out of your postpartum depression and weight gain.

But I. Like, I am. I never. I mean,

like, I had my own struggles with miscarriage and in that way, a bit of

postpartum. But I struggled with weight gain because I moved in with my

boyfriend, who was a great cook and very common,

by the way. I hear that all the time. Yeah. And, like, anyways, and a

friend of mine was doing one of your programs, and she was looking good, feeling

good, told me about you, and then I explored what you were doing. I did

your program, and then I came into. I did a program. Program again, came

into your VIP world, and we just developed a beautiful friendship. And so

I'm not a mom, so just. If you're listening to this, this is applicable to

anyone? Absolutely. Absolutely. Anybody.

Yes. Professionals, Busy people. You

know, that's the world that I understand. But, yeah, just.

It. It came out of a time. You know, it's funny

how we get the best gifts

through our hardest times. Kind of like you. Right. And that's

why we're here. And so my

gift for myself was my health

and loving my body and, you know, breaking that cycle

of dieting. And, um. But that came out of a really, really

hard time. And. And let's talk about that. Let's, like, back up to the

beginning, like, postpartum depression and weight gain. Maybe,

like, tell us a little bit about your. Well, don't. Not even a little bit.

Tell us your story. And also maybe what is postpartum

depression and weight gain? Because there might be some new

mamas, soon to be mamas in here. Yeah, like, let's talk about your

story and what that is. Yeah, well,

it all started so it goes back to a time where

I was growing up with my parents and

my mom was just

this dieting fiend. That's all she did, that's all she

knew. And it was just one diet after

the other and gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight.

I watched her weigh herself every single day.

There was a tape measure that sat on her

on the bathroom, you know, counter, and she would

always be measuring herself and her waist and

obsessed with her, her waist and shrinking it. And I

watched this, you know, and so I saw it and, and from

a very early age, it was ingrained in me that this is, you know, the

way to live really. And back then it was the 80s and it was all

about low fat, right? And like, take out

fat, Fat is the enemy. And then it was low carb. And so

I just saw her, you know, go on to every single fad. And,

you know, I was a fairly thin kid. I didn't

gain weight easily. And I got to university

and for the first time in my life, I had to fend for myself. And

I ate anything and everything, and I gained 35 pounds in

one year. And this was the

first time where I started to, like, obsess a little bit, right? And I, and

I started to learn. I started to learn about food and how to

fuel yourself. And so this was when I, I turned to nutrition. I became a

nutritionist and I became a strength and

conditioning coach, and I went on to train clients and help clients, you know,

lose the weight. I lost the 35 pounds. I was back to my healthy weight.

It was good, but there was still this little piece of me

that was obsessed with that number on the

scale. You know, it was always there. And

I then went on to have my daughter. And

when I got pregnant, I gained

65 pounds and I continued to gain weight. When she

was born, I don't even know the, the end number that I was, was at,

but this was when I was in a full on

postpartum depression. I. Yeah, I

mean, it was a dark time. And

yeah, I mean, I'm sure there's others listening to this and they can

relate because the more I tell the story, the more like, oh my gosh, I

had that too. And you know what, in the time, Blair, I didn't actually know

that that's what it was. And like, I guess, like the weight

gain and the postpartum depression feed into each other, right? Like,

I mean, again, like, I don't. This is not my wheelhouse,

but I am someone who lives with depression, who Turns to food.

Yes, yes. And you're a mom,

and you were. You were a new mom. So, like, you were in

survival mode. In survival. Absolutely in survival mode.

Drinking coffee to stay awake and copious amounts of coffee. I remember I'd

make this pot of coffee at the beginning of the day. You know, like the

old school pots, right, Is drip, drip coffee. And I would drink the

entire pot over the course of the day. Do you know how bad that is

for your health? Like, it's so bad, so bad for anxiety,

right? And, like, when you're struggling with depression, there's that anxiety piece, and that

coffee is like, it's just feeding it, right? You're basically spurting

cortisol out of your adrenals. It's hazardous.

And so I was exhausted. I

was. My health was. Was deteriorating

in every way. I was suffering from migraines. I was

covered in a rash from head to toe that nobody could figure out. Went from

doctor to doctor, and they're like. Like, I had a rash all over my face,

you know, and. And I'm a health and nutrition coach, right? And I'm online

and I have a digital course, and I'm, like, showing up for my videos with

the rash all over my face, you know, it was like my health was a

mess. And on top of that, the anxiety was,

like, through the roof. And

I. I didn't. Again, like, I actually didn't know that what I was

struggling with was postpartum. I only figured that out years later when

I was out of it. Right? Because sometimes when you're in it, you just, again,

you're in survival mode. You don't even know what you're dealing with. But there were

days where I would wake up in the

morning and I felt like I needed to go right back to bed. I would

go to the bathroom and I would lie down on the floor in my bathroom,

and I couldn't breathe. My anxiety was so high that I had

to lie down on the cold floor and just try and breathe

to stand up again. It was

bad. And how did

you pull yourself off

that bathroom floor? How did you. How did you

finally, I guess, get the energy or the. The

what you needed to make those changes? Like, what. What was

that straw that broke that camel's back? And, like, what did you do? Because

you are. I just want to reiterate, like, you are a health and

wellness expert, and this was something you were struggling

with. So, like, you know, people who are experts aren't immune

to navigating the same challenges that they help you get out of.

You hit the nail on the head. Which was. Which actually made it worse

because I kept, you know, like, telling myself, come on, Simone, like, you

know better, right? And here I was drinking the

coffee, and I forgot to mention also the minimum, two

glasses of wine every single night, right? Just to cope.

And. And then the chocolate. On top of that, every single day, I put my

daughter in the stroller or jump in the car if it was raining too hard.

And I would drive to Safeway and I would get the cheapest

chocolate bar. Love Snickers. That was my thing. I'd have to have a

chocolate bar every single day, at least one chocolate bar. And then it would just,

you know, I'd get home and it would be like a free for all. And

I would go into the baking, and it was just. It was another

level. And, you know, and there's actually science

behind this. When you are depressed, that chocolate in particular

provides a dopamine hit. So your body actually physiologically

knows that you're going to get a dopamine hit, which is. Is the same thing

as, like a drug, right? It's going to make you feel good. So that's why

we turn to the chocolate or we turn to the sugar, we turn to the

sweets. And so I was turning to that over and over again. Um, and

it just, you know, again, my health was, like, fully falling apart because

of the way I was fueling my body. So I, you know, you

asked, like, how did I get out of it? Well, I hit rock bottom, basically.

And I think this is, you know, for a lot of people, when I talk

to them, much like you, like, you know, how did. How do you get out

of this? It's like you have to sometimes, like, hit rock bottom to

realize that things are really bad, you

know, And I started to notice every part of my life was falling apart. I

wasn't a great mom, you know, like, because I was falling apart. I

wasn't a great partner to my husband at the time, and I

wasn't a good friend. I wasn't a good daughter, like, you know, all the things.

And I started to notice all these other pieces of my life falling apart

and the day when it really

hit home. There's a few breakthrough moments, but the biggest

one was when I've told this story before to some of my clients.

I was. It was my daughter's birthday. She was in

preschool, and she wanted cupcakes

for her friends. So I baked. There were 12 kids in the class,

so I baked 12 cupcakes. And

the. The day after was when she was going to take these cupcakes in for

her friends. And I ate every single cupcake the night

before. She got to even take them into school with icing and everything.

They're like big, big cupcakes. And I remember

sitting there after all 12 cupcakes feeling like.

And just thinking, wow,

you know, like, here I am. I'm a mom now. This is not

just about me. Here I am. My daughter just

watched me do that. I'm a role model,

and I just did that. I'm a health coach. I just did that. And,

like, I want to get my life on track. And, like, what. What the

is going on? Yeah. So what did you do? How did you get

your life back on track? Like, what was this like? I guess admitting there's a

problem is definitely the first step, or knowing that you need to make a change.

And sometimes that rock bottom, like, there's nowhere lower to go, or,

you know, you hit that rock bottom. But really, maybe it's kind of bouncy, and

you bounce up, you bounce forward. What. Besides, like, once you

had that realization, like, holy, that was not cool.

No. What did you do? Well, I knew that

what I'd been trying, because I tried, you know, I'm like, okay, I'm telling my

clients what to do. I'm telling my clients what to eat and how to work

out. And I would try, like, okay, today's the day. I'm gonna work out today.

Get it done. But the things weren't sticking that I would. That I used to

do. So the things that I used to do in my 20s and things that

I had taught my clients up until this point, and the knowledge that I had

up until this point was not enough. It wasn't enough to help me get out

of this depression and make a solid habit out of it, and

also, like, really learn the tools. So I dove

into the science of two things. Cleansing and

macros. And this was when

everything changed for me. So because

I've been eating so much processed food, because I was drinking the coffee and because

I was eating all the chocolate and drinking the wine,

my body was just overloaded with toxins. And

as soon as I realized that and realized that I needed to do a detox,

but not just any detox. I needed to flood my body with very specific

nutrients to help cleanse my liver, that this would be the boost

to give me the energy back that I needed and also to start

speeding up my metabolism. Metabolism again. So I

started with that, and then I dove into the science of macros. Macros are simply

your proteins, your carbs, your fats. But figuring out how many grams of

protein I needed, carbs and fat, what are those sources

that I needed to go for? Omega 3 fatty acids? What do they look like?

What are the. The exact nutri nutrients that I need to get my health back

on track. And as soon as I learned the stuff, it was like a

major breakthrough and it became very easy. So within just a

few months, about six months, I was able to lose all that weight. I've kept

it off since then. But there was also

a. An emotional and mental component that came with

it as well. You know, this is when I started to realize, okay, I got

to break this cycle here, because clearly that dieting piece had not

stopped for me. Right. And that number on the scale hadn't stopped, and I really

had to. To overcome some of those mental

barriers. Yeah. And so, like, you

had, like, you have the tools, like, you had the knowledge to do

that. So if someone's listening to this, like, this isn't the portion where I'm

asking for a solid. Like, I mean, like, everything you're saying is advice. But, like,

if someone's listening to this and they, you know, are in a similar boat where,

like, they know they need to make a change, what's like, the first thing. Thing

that they need to do? First step, you don't need me.

First step, you need just to turn to water.

Okay, so most of us, first of all, most of us are

super dehydrated. Yeah. Drink your water. Yeah, we're super

dehydrated. Our body is made up of 70% water. And I'm sure, like,

anyone listening to this is like, oh, God, here we go again. Rolling their eyes.

I always hear, water, water, water. Well, that's because it's so important. But there's some

nuances around our water. First of all, eight cups is a, like, the bare minimum

of water that you should be drinking. Water is going to detox you. So this

is like, the best way to detox. It's also going to

hydrate your cells, Right? Every single cell is now going to be hydrated.

When your cells are hydrated, your organs can function properly.

Here's another amazing fact about water that a lot of people don't know is that

the thirst receptor in your brain is so weak that it's

often confused for hunger. So this is why our

cravings are so high for things like sugars. We're just dehydrated.

So if you start drinking your water you're, you're naturally

going to have less cravings, which is really exciting. Right.

But it's going to give you that energy back too. And a lot of us

are sluggish. We're not focused, we're not productive,

and we're like super low energy because life is so

hard and life is so stressful. But this is the first way to get your

energy back so that you can start to meal prep, work out, and do

all the things that a healthy lifestyle requires. Right. So I really

feel like this is the first, first step. And you know what's so great about

water, Blair? It's free. It doesn't take extra

time. There's literally no excuse why we shouldn't be Getting

minimum of 8 cups of water per day. And by the way, that's minimum,

minimum, minimum for most of us. It's like upward of 16. Do

you have, like, a water drinking, like, tip to keep you drinking more water? Like,

I know that, like, I, like when I have a straw, I

drink more water. I know that when I'm at a restaurant, like, I always get

a glass of water with lemon. Like, I generally, if I'm

out to eat, like, I'm sober, so I don't drink. But, like, I don't really

order mocktails, like, unless it's like a special occasion. I always

either have water or like fancy bubbly water. But

like, mostly always water with a lemon if I can a straw at home,

I have a cup with a straw. And some people get the cups with, like

the timeline. Okay. So my favorite hacks is,

first of all, a lot of people are like, I don't want to drink that

much water because I'm going to run to the bathroom every five minutes. Which is

true because you're not adding salt to it. So you want to

add a little bit of salt or a little bit of electrolytes. But I like

salt. It's super easy. Right. So I use Celtic sea salt, which

is a very, very clean salt. You do it just a dash, dash, dash of

salt, and it's going to be enough for you to absorb it. Yeah. And then

you're not running to the bathroom every five minutes. So that will be motivating itself.

Right. The hack is set a timer on your phone.

Have a glass every single hour. Set a timer on your phone that goes off

every single hour. Because I promise you that we all have the best

intentions when it comes to these things, but we don't get it done because we're

not proactive with, with habits. Right. We're not

making this a habit. How do you make it a habit? Well, you have to

set reminders. So have maybe a post it note that is everywhere. It's

like on your water bottles, on your phone, it's above the toilet. And you're like

seeing that post it note throughout the day to drink your water, set that timer

and then you'll have a way easier time getting it in. So I love

that. So like something that most of us in most parts of the world

can do and not. I just want to acknowledge that like I

do have some people in our community where I know that it's actually not that

easy. Like in Ghana, where I was in

Ghana, like you had to buy water

and you have like, if you drink out of the tap, like you get sick,

even the locals and you have to drink, you have to like, I think it

was like $0.01 or $0.10 for like a bag of water. And then like my

stomach wasn't even ready for that. I had to buy bottles. But like, I do

want to acknowledge there are some places that like, we're so lucky, you know, we

are so lucky. And. Yeah, yeah. And like we, you know, depends on

where you are in the world and how much access you have. But

like, like for, for us in North America, like very

easy. It is easy. It's. It's easy and it's. And

so we don't need to over complicate it. So step one, like just drink more

water. Like. Yes, drink more water. Like when was the last time you drank

water? And I don't know, is this considered a hack? Like, I know sometimes like

I drink tea. Tea is fabulous, especially this time

of year. But make it herbal, right? Yeah. And also choose in it

usually I have peppermint. I have peppermint tea. Yeah, I love it.

Choose an organic peppermint, ideally. Right. Because when you're,

when you're dealing with just regular teas, I want to be cognizant of the

fact that there's. They're often sprayed. Right. And so there's toxins

or some teas, they add sugar to them. Right. Which is not

helpful. So, so choose a good one. Or you can make your own. It's very

easy to dry your own leaves and make your own tea leaves.

Yeah. So I like peppermint tea, especially like after I eat. So that's a

good idea. Like maybe this summer I grow peppermint. Yes. Yeah, I

love that. Yeah. So that's amazing. So

another, another great little tea hack is

ginger. And I love this this time of year because you're also in a really

cold place. If you struggle with circulation, you feel cold.

You take ginger root that you buy in the store, right? Ginger, and you just

cut off a few pieces, throw it in some hot water. It tastes

amazing. It's great for your gut. It will actually work to heal your gut.

It's also cancer fighting. Plus it's warm, it will keep you warm. If you're

going skiing. It will help with your circulation. So it's a really

nice hack this time of year. Love it. I love that

we're going to New York. I'm bringing ginger with me. I'm going to have it

in hot water. I love it. I'm so scared it's going to be freezing. Can

you bring ginger across the border? Ginger

tea? I'll bring a ginger tea. Yeah. I'm gonna bring ginger tea. Already made. That

I can bring. Good, I love that. So, I mean, so

Simone, like, her links are all in the show notes and she

has like, we didn't really even touch on hormones, but she does

have a gift for those of us with hormones called the Hormone

Smart workout guide. And it's a free gift for you to help balance your

hormones. And you know, that's a whole nother, I

guess, like series is hormones. And like,

you know, us, us hormone havers,

do we do men have hormones? Men have hormones,

yeah. So everyone has hormones. Everyone has hormones. Just men, they

don't talk about it as much because they don't go through menopause. Right. But here's

the thing. When you live a healthy lifestyle, when you're doing all the things, you're

going to sail through perimenopause, you're going to sail through menopause and you won't even

notice that it's there. In fact, there's some cultures where they don't

even have a name in their language. Menopause, because they don't have

any symptoms. How amazing is that? Well, let's do that.

Let's not have. Let's do that. You know what G.

I mean, I have endometriosis at pmdd. Like

I, I would love to have no symptoms

of anything, but some of us are not as blessed.

But hormones is really big, like managing hormones. So.

Yeah. So, okay, so we touched on your journey with

postpartum depression, weight gain. You know, you had, you know, you

grew up in a house where your mom was very much like scale

measuring. You went to university, put on the freshman

15 times to

a bit, you know, and like then you had the postpartum

weight gain and depression and really made a big lifestyle change. And

you've kept the weight off, you've balanced your health,

you've navigated other hard things in life that didn't throw everything off,

which is a huge testament to the work that you've put in. Because you're

basing it on science. Right? Science is one of those things where, like,

it is proven and yeah, it's proven. And like,

I can tell you that she has built such a,

such a cool program and community. Check out her links

on social media and, like, just start following her. She's such a ray of

sunshine. She, you know, has all sorts of fun tips and tricks and,

you know, she has a gift, like a smart workout guide. So

I love that. Well, I have to share. Just before this call, I actually

got on, on a quick call with someone who's been following me

on Facebook. She says she wants to do some private coaching.

And we got on a call and I said, you know, how'd you find me?

She goes, I don't know. I've just been following you for the last six months.

And I lost 60 pounds. And, and

she's just been doing. So all my free content is there. There's free recipes,

there's free work, you know, if you are looking. And

besides that, she's elevated her health in a whole different

way. Right. So it's not just about the weight loss, but she was so

excited that this is where she's at and now she, she's hit a plateau and

she wants to do more. So we're going to look at those nuances. But really,

like, I've got so much free content out there and so I would love

those, listening to, explore that and, and start

taking those steps to. Living a healthier lifestyle. And I just want to say, like,

before we, you know, wrap up, you don't need to hit a rock bottom to

work with Simone or to, like, follow her. Like, it wouldn't. Like, I think it's

like, why not take a proactive approach. Like, we don't need to wait till, like,

we hit that. Oh, God, I need to make big changes. Like, the only

way to go is up. Like, I think now is a good time. Like, we

are walking through life. We are thrown hard times

and good times and temptations. And, you know, like,

I. What I love is Simone on her, I think you still do this, but

like, on your hard, on the workout days, like the hardest day, leg day, you're

allowed treat and you always have a donut do you still do that? I love.

Yes, I love. Yeah. And it's so funny because, like, so I have a

trainer. And so today was leg day. And on leg day I'm always like, today's

donut day. But like, I never have a. Like, I don't. Like, donuts are not

my kryptonite, but sometimes it's milk duds. But it's like I had a really

hard leg day, so if I eat a treat, it's okay. Yeah,

well, you know, and that's, I think where people go wrong is that

they, you know, they get on the latest fad diet and they're like, I'm gonna

restrict myself. I'm. I'm not having anything and I'm gon

deprive myself. And it only leads to failure, you

know, because you feel like you are on a diet and that's the last

thing it should be about. It should be about understanding your food, understanding how to

fuel yourself properly, but having a strategy to have those treats and enjoy your life.

You can absolutely enjoy our life and still see results. 100%. I

love that. So, you know, what's a piece of

advice you have? I know you've given tons of advice, but, like, what is a

piece of advice you have for that mama who is now struggling in

postpartum with weight gain and depression? Like, from one

person who went through it to someone who is maybe in it?

What advice do you have? Start now.

Start now and stop making excuses, right?

Because we're always like, oh, I'm going to start in the new year. I'm going

to start after my son's birthday, after my mom's birthday, after the

summer, right? Like, we're always making excuses and we're afraid of failure. Many

times we don't commit to starting because we're actually

afraid that we're going to fail. Right? Don't be afraid of

failing. Start with something as small as water and realize that this is

just habits. There's nothing wrong with you just because you

have gained some weight or just because you are feeling the

depression or anxiety. Nothing's wrong with you. These things, you know,

obviously see a doctor when it comes to the postpartum and make sure you're

getting the help that you need. But all the lifestyle

pieces for your health, they're just habits, right? So you're not a

good or bad person or flawed if you have fallen off

track. It's just a habit that you can build. It takes 30 days of,

you know, doing something day in and day out. For you to start creating

that habit and 90 days of consistency for that habit to become a part of

you, like brushing your teeth. So just do it. Start 30 days. It's going to

start feeling easier after 30 days to do the thing right.

90 days later, you're not even going to recognize your old self. You're going to

be like, oh, my. Gosh, like, why wouldn't I get my workout in? Why wouldn't

I drink my 3 liters of water today? Right? It's just who you are.

So it's. It gets easier. But you got to start now and stop

making excuses. I love it. Amazing. Well,

Simone, you're amazing. Thank you for joining us. Read

her story in our book, Resilient AF Stories of Resilience, Volume 2, out

now on Amazon and probably various other

places. TheGlobalResilienceProject.com will have all that information for

you. And thank you for taking time to inspire our community.

Thank you so much for having me, Blair. It is such an honor, honor, honor

to be part of this book. It is a movement. Like, this is a movement

that you've created. I'm so happy to be part of it because

more people need to see that this is all possible. We

are all resilient. It's all in us. But these stories are

really inspiring and will be helped. So thank you so much. I love that one.

And thank you for being a part of it. And thank you to you, the

listeners, the viewers, the ones out there

welcoming us into your ears, your eyes, your brain, getting

inspired. You're resilient af. You can do

this. You can get through the hard times. You are not alone. Like,

start now, even listening to this podcast. You are starting

now. And you will get through it. One foot in

front of the other. My friends, we are that lighthouse in the

storm. We are here to walk through the hard times with you and to celebrate

in the good times. And just remember, you are

resilient af.