This episode of the podcast is a follow up on last weeks weight loss, get fit and healthy for your  wedding where I speak with Tracie who lost an incredible 30kg for her wedding. Having just returned from her honeymoon in Hawaii and coming back lighter than before she left while eating and drinking what she liked, I wanted to know how?

One year ago, almost to the day, Tracie weighed a touch under 100kg and she drew a line in the sand. After trying “everything” to lose weight up until that point and being engaged to be married with a date set for the following summer she said, “that’s it, no more!”

It took a while for her to get on track once making that commitment to herself and after finding the right weight loss program for her, she was away and losing a kilogram a week! With results like that, there was no stopping her.

During the interview we discuss:

• 
  
• Which diets and programs didn’t work
  
• The one program that did
  
• The hiccups along the way
  
• Foods Tracie avoided
  
• How much exercise was required – less than you may think
  
• What she did when results stopped
  
• The goal that drove Tracie to success
  
• Tricks to stay motivated
  
• Why isolating herself worked but not for long
  
• How hungry she was during the weight loss period
  
• Why “weighing in” every day is NOT a good idea
  
• How much weight her husband Darren lost by ONLY changing his evening meal
  

A before and after photo of Tracie – one year ago, almost to the day. What an achievement!

Following the interview, Tracie emailed me to fill in some important points that she felt were important if you are considering following in her footsteps and plan to lose weight for your wedding. She reveals times spent crying in frustration as the excuses to do the wrong thing kept creeping into her head, the cost to follow the program she succeeded with and how she had to purchase two wedding dresses!

Items mentioned in this episode: 

 Michelle Bridges – the official website

The 12 Week Body Transformation Plan  - Tracie did 2 of these back to back

Jenny Craig – diet and weight loss programs

Weight Watchers – the weight loss program that uses a points system

The Biggest Loser  – TV program about contestants losing weight to win. Michelle Bridges is one of the trainers.

Feedback

Do you have a weight loss story, tip or advice – I’d love to hear about it and share it with other listeners to the show. You can email me, andrew@theweddingpodcast.com.au or leave a comment below.

Hope you enjoy the episode.

Speak soon!

Andrew

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Transcript:

[TWP 009 – Tracie Lost 30kg for Her Summer Wedding – Here’s How]

 [length: 00:33:58]

Andrew: The Wedding Podcast session number nine.

[Intro music]

Andrew: Hi, it’s Andrew Hellmich here from Impact Images and The Wedding Podcast. Welcome to another episode. Like I said earlier, this is session number nine. And this is the podcast to help you have the best wedding day through advice, tips and ideas brought to you by me, and also the people that I interview. I managed to squeeze in one more interview before I head off to my trip for my holiday for the year over to Japan. I shouldn’t say for the year – I totally squeeze in as many holidays as I can possible get throughout the year, but this is certainly the big one for 2013. I’m going to get it out of the way early in January. I really want to try and make sure that I don’t break that sequence of my podcast coming out to you. I know there will be a little interruption while I’m away. I’m going to try and collect some interviews while I’m over there in Japan, but I did manage to get one more interview in before I leave later on tonight. Today’s episode is an interview with Tracie, who’s a wedding client of ours at Impact Images. She was recently married on the Central Coast and photographed by one of our team members Corey – you did an amazing job by all accounts. The reason I wanted to speak to Tracie was basically, I was inspired by the chat that I had in last week’s episode about fitness and getting healthy and losing weight for your wedding. I remember that Tracie had actually lost 30 kilos for her wedding. So I thought, “Look, let’s get in touch with Tracie and find out how she actually did that, what the process was, what she went through along the way.†She was really good and said yes and was happy enough to come on and have a chat in between that Christmas-New Year break. So I really appreciate that, Tracie. I’m not going to get ramble on too much. I did want to give you a quick tip from last week. My top tip or the big takeaway from last episode regarding the wedding weight loss. A lot of girls talk about losing weight for their wedding, but a lot of girls don’t have to. I also know, after speaking to Kel-Leigh, which I alluded to in the last episode, that a lot of girls set their sights on having a smaller dress than what would actually fit them at the moment. They’re ordering their dress, and she said to me that nearly every time in that case, the girl doesn’t lose enough weight to fit the smaller dress. She generally just ignores that when they suggest that she makes the dress a size or two smaller.

I do know that after last week’s episode, the biggest proportion that’s going to have the effect in you losing any weight is the diet side of things. Not so much exercise. Obviously, the exercise is going to make you feel better about yourself, and also tone up and look better, but it’s actually the eating side of things that’s going to help you to lose that weight that you want to lose, if you do want to lose any. That was a real surprise to me. I thought exercise played up a much bigger role than that, but yes, 20%. Only small. That’s a big tip – if you do want to lose weight, you really have to watch that diet and watch what you’re eating. And that takes me straight into the interview with Tracie because she went through this whole process herself and she can testify to the fact that diet really is 80%. And I think in Tracie’s case, it may even be more than 80% of the equation. So let’s get into the interview now with Tracie.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

Andrew: Alright. Thanks for joining me today, Tracie.

Tracie: Thank you for having me.

Andrew: It’s an absolute pleasure now. I know that you are recently married because Corey from Impact Images photographed your wedding, and by all accounts it was an awesome day. Do you want to tell us a little bit about it?

Tracie: It was hot, so that was a good thing. It was a beach wedding. It was just magical. It was everything that I’d ever wanted. Couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Andrew: Unreal. Excellent. And you had a pretty cool honeymoon, didn’t you?

Tracie: I did. We went to Hawaii for two weeks. That was awesome.

Andrew: Excellent. And the shopping was good?

Tracie: Fantastic.

Andrew: I saw a few of your Facebook posts. It sounds like you’re shopping up a storm over there.

Tracie: I was, yes. It was great.

Andrew: Awesome. And look, I really wanted to talk about the fact that you lost a lot of weight before your wedding. Are you happy to tell everyone how much you actually lost?

Tracie: I lost 30 kilos in 6 months.

Andrew: 6 months. That’s amazing! So that’s pretty quick to lose that much weight, isn’t it?

Tracie: Yes. It is. I did it the right way though so hopefully it will stay away.

Andrew: So was the wedding day the catalyst to get you started with the weight loss? Or is it just something that you planned to do when you said, “That’s the day I’m going to start.â€

Tracie: I’d always wanted to lose weight that I guess having set the wedding date, I definitely had my eye on the prize and that was to be a gorgeous bride.

Andrew: Was the engagement six months? Or were you engaged for longer than that?

Tracie: We’re engaged for 14.

Andrew: Okay. So that first seven or so months, you were actually thinking about losing the weight? Or you already had a few go’s at it?

Tracie: Sort of half-hearted I was at it. It was sort of a turning point was New Year’s day when I [unclear] and just thought I’d weigh myself. And nearly had a heart attack when I got on the scales. So that was the turning point.

Andrew: So new year’s day 2012.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Are you happy to say what the measurement was that day?

Tracie: It was 99.5 kilos

Andrew: Okay. Right. So you drew a line on the sand that day and said, “That’s it.â€

Tracie: Absolutely. I didn’t want to be conscious of myself in my wedding dress, having my photos taken.

Andrew: So you’re already engaged for two months or so, you still got 12 months to the wedding, you made that [unclear] to start losing that weight but you weren’t successful until another six months later?

Tracie: I started in February and I actually had got to where I wanted to be in about August, and then maintained it.

Andrew: Oh, okay. Right. Have you had other go’s at losing weight before then?

Tracie: I’ve tried everything. I don’t think I was dedicated or hungry enough to stick to it and make it work.

Andrew: Okay. Are you happy to share a couple of things that you might have tried that other girls would know about?

Tracie: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Lite n’ Easy. I tried doing it myself, which is portion control, but there were too many temptations in the world that I just said, “One of them won’t hurt.†And yes, I just never really stuck to anything.

Andrew: Would you think any of those things that you tried could’ve worked if you have had stuck to them? Or they just weren’t right for you?

Tracie: I just don’t think they were right for me.

Andrew: Okay. So what did you actually do when you came to that February when you started something that actually worked? What was it that you did?

Tracie: I was actually flicking through a  magazine and saw an ad for the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation.

Andrew: So that’s Michelle Bridges from The Biggest Loser, right?

Tracie: Yes. I was always a massive fan of her. Always wanted her to be my trainer. So before and after [unclear] and [unclear], if that works for them, it might work for me. I really had nothing to lose, except a lot of weight. I came home, Google it, and signed up right then and there. And the diet started on the 8^th[?] of February.

Andrew: So was it actually a program that you signed up for? Or was it just a diet? What did you sign up for?

Tracie: It’s a program. She does all your menu planning for you. And does your shopping list. So all I had to do was print everything out and do the shopping, and then cook the meals.

Andrew: So she writes the full diet.

Tracie: Yes. She takes all the thinking out of it for you, which is why I think I was successful. Because I didn’t have to think too much. I just had to eat what was on the menu for that day and prepare it.

Andrew: Okay. Right. So that was breakfast, lunch, dinner and the snacks in between?

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: And what she set out for you, was that a big change to what you were normally eating?

Tracie: Oh yes.

Andrew: In what regards? Just smaller portions? Or just different types of foods?

Tracie: Different types of food. I’ve never tried so many new foods in my life; things that in the past I regard all that as disgusting, but when I’d actually cooked it and tried it, I actually liked it. And I just had to stop being so naïve about food.

Andrew: So when you say naïve, remove the bad things like the chocolates and the sweets?

Tracie: Yes. And it really is mind over matter.

Andrew: To remove those things?

Tracie: Yes. And it’s only a fleeting second that you think “I really want that chocolate.†I would go and have a drink of water instead of having that chocolate.

Andrew: Is that something that she taught you? Or that’s just something you worked out that worked.

Tracie: She does mindset lessons with you as well, once a week, that address everyday issues – whether you’re a self-sabotager, temptations in life – and just gives you coping mechanisms in how to deal with things if you’re put in that situation. I would just have a look at it, think, “Oh yes, that looks nice and I don’t really want that.†And I just kept my eye on the prize.

Andrew: Okay. You would obviously have lots of little get-togethers with your bridesmaids and family in the lead up to the wedding. There must have been hundreds of temptations.

Tracie: There was. Earlier on in the year, I would not go to functions; I didn’t go to Australia Day, get-togethers with family. I just removed myself from situations wherever temptation would be laid out in front of me. I’m a big savory person so cheese, bickies, dips – anything like that, if it was put in front of me, I would’ve eaten it. So I just thought I’m just not going to put myself in that position. This is where I want to be for my wedding. And I just kept focused on my goal.

Andrew: Unreal. Okay. So it was easy just to not go to some of these things at the start.

Tracie: Yes. Definitely.

Andrew: Okay. So once you got the food that you had to eat – and obviously it was a little bit different – were the portions a lot smaller too than what you were used to?

Tracie: The portion sizes were actually pretty good. And it’s a calorie-based program; it’s 1200 calories a day. And when I first started, I couldn’t eat the 1200 calories a day – I was full.

Andrew: So it was actually more than what you’re used to eating?

Tracie: Yes. And just because you’re eating constantly – breakfast, then you have snack, then lunch, and then snack – I was never looking for food, so to speak, because I was hungry.

Andrew: Okay. Because there was always something there to have.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Okay. It sounds so strange. What were you doing so wrong before you started this thing?

Tracie: Drinking too many wine every night of the week.

Andrew: Linda’s not going to like to hear that one.

Tracie: Alcohol, take away – Darren travels a lot for work so when he wasn’t here, it would be just too easy to go to a McDonald’s or KFC for dinner. And portion size. I would eat huge meals.

Andrew: Okay. And then once you started this thing, you weren’t really hungry then the whole time you’re losing weight? Surely you must’ve been starving.

Tracie: Once my body got used to the 1200 calories, I would think to myself, “Gee, I’m hungry†but it was a fleeting, fleeting thought. I wasn’t really hungry. It was probably just my brain telling my stomach that it was hungry when I actually wasn’t. There was plenty of food, plus I was exercising every day as well. I would exercise and then come home and eat dinner, and that would fill me up.

Andrew: So e exercise is part of the program as well?

Tracie: Yes, definitely.

Andrew: And how much – an hour a day or less?

Tracie: She suggested 500 calories a day. So depending on what you were doing – if you were doing a cardio session at the gym and you were running, you could burn that really quickly. It was a punk[?] class, it would obviously take you a little bit longer. I was at the gym six to seven days a week, averaging an hour to two hours a day.

Andrew: Okay, right. So that’s a fair bit then. The fitness part of the equation, did that play a big part in the weight loss? Or was that more just the feeling healthy part?

Tracie: I could not go to the gym for a week and still be really strict with my food, and I would still lose weight. I would walk out of the gym and feel energized and feel really good about myself and come home, cook dinner, and run around the house with so much energy. Whereas before I get home from work, cook dinner, and sit on the lounge and have a cup of glass, sip wine, and then go to bed. I had an abundance of energy after being at the gym.

Andrew: So the gym helps out, just with the mindset as well as feeling good.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Are you wearing a bracelet?

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Are you happy to take that off? It’s just clinging a lot in the audio.

Tracie: Okay. It’s off.

Andrew: Thank you. You must be using your hands a lot when you’re talking.

Tracie: I see.

Andrew: So the fitness was a big part, and then the size of your meals were cut down. But you said you a went too hungry a lot of the time. What about the times when you go for the chocolate, or you have the cheese and bickies at the friend’s house. Did that happen at all in that eight months?

Tracie: It did and I would have a couple, but then I would pull myself up and stop thinking. You still have to live life while you’re doing these. Otherwise, once it’s finished and you get to your goal weight, you’ll full strike back off the wagon. So it is definitely a lifestyle change. And you have to factor everyday life into it. If I was going somewhere where I was going to be naughty, I would not have two of my snacks. I would make up my calories with the naughty food.

Andrew: Okay. So you still weren’t going over with your calories, but you just make them up with the stuff you shouldn’t be having.

Tracie: Right.

Andrew: And that was okay to do that on the program? Obviously it worked. Is that what she suggests that you do?

Tracie: I can’t sort of withdraw from life, which I did for the first three months. After that, I thought, “This isn’t fair on my family and friends.†So I just worked out a way that I could have both.

Andrew: Sure. So what about now after the wedding? Are you back into the chocolates and snacks?

Tracie: Well, Christmas and New Year [unclear]. Especially going to Hawaii for your honeymoon whereas the Americans know how to eat. So I actually came home a kilo and a half lighter from Hawaii. I think that was just all the walking. I ate what I wanted and I drank what I wanted. I thought, “I’m on my honeymoon.†Basically, I didn’t care for two weeks. And I have put a couple of kilos back on but I’m not worried about it because I know how to get them off.

Andrew: Okay. So you don’t beat yourself up now if you have something that you shouldn’t be having?

Tracie: Definitely not.

Andrew: And were you doing that during that eight months? If you had a slip up, did it mess with your head or you just ignored it the next day and get started again?

Tracie: On that [unclear] it definitely messed with my head. I felt like I’d – not failed – but I’d only let myself down in the long run if I kept going down that road. You’d feel guilty, you wake up the next day, tomorrow is a new day and you’re back on the wagon the next day.

Andrew: So did you ever feel like chucking it in after a bad eating session?

Tracie: Never.

Andrew: So you must have been seeing results pretty quickly, I’d imagine, with the way it changed.

Tracie: And I think that’s why this worked for me – because the results were very quick. I was averaging a kilo and a half a week weight loss.

Andrew: That’s huge, isn’t it?

Tracie: Definitely. When you’ve constantly got that happening, that’s your determination. You can see the numbers coming down and you’re getting closer to your goals. So that spurs you on.

Andrew: So with your goal, was that a set weight? Did you say, “I want to be this many kilos.†Or did you have a measurement or you had a size dress? What was your goal?

Tracie: I wanted to be under 70 kilos. I didn’t care if it was 69.95. I just wanted to be under  70. So I got to that and people were telling me that I started to look sick. Amazing I was in a size 10. I had all the confidence. I felt incredible. Then I felt that’s okay. So I purposely put on a kilo or two. And I was still staying in a size 10. And I felt great.

Andrew: Unreal. So what size were you when you started?

Tracie: I was a size 18.

Andrew: Wow. That’s amazing. During that eight months, when you were dropping that kilo a week, was there a stage anywhere along the way where it just plateau-ed and just didn’t move for a week or two weeks?

Tracie: Yes. And that was very frustrating. I questioned why.  I haven’t done anything different, my eating is the same, I’m still doing the same exercise at the gym. But it’s just how your body works, unfortunately. And it was only a week or two. And I find that for the first two days – because I’d weigh myself every day, which I shouldn’t have done but I did – and you wouldn’t see the number’s changed and you think, “Ugh†and you get really frustrated. But I actually had a picture on my fridge of me in Bali when I was a size 10. And I would just constantly look at that photo and go, “No. Just stick at it. You’ll get there. If you put in the hard work and stick to it, you’ll succeed.â€

Andrew: Okay.  What would you suggest – say, someone else was doing the same sort of thing. It doesn’t matter how much they’re looking to lose. If they started to plateau, do you contact someone there or you talk it over or just keep plugging away?

Tracie: I have a fairly good network of people around me as well. There’s a Facebook group in the Central Coast where girls all joined. So if you ever had any questions or anything, you could just ask them on Facebook. And a lot of people had the same problem, and you’ve just got to ride it out. Really, there’s no answers to how you can change at all or anything like that. I just had to stick with it and stick to the program. Two weeks after that I lost 2 kilos.

Andrew: Wow. Okay. So you got double the result from the week before.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Okay. I had a chat to a fitness expert for the last episode of the podcast. And she was suggesting that women in particular should only weigh themselves once a month because their weight fluctuates so much, particularly around their cycle. So did you see that weighing yourself every day?

Tracie: [unclear]. And it was a love-hate relationship I had with the scales because it could fluctuate daily.

Andrew: Go up and down.

Tracie: Definitely. It could go up two kilos overnight. I’ve lost weight. So that was in the beginning. I’d weigh myself every day. As the program got and the smaller I got, I tended to only do my weekly weight.

Andrew: So to  say, normally once a week is what’s recommended?

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Okay. That’s awesome. So what would you say to someone that, say, just wanted to lose, say, 5 kilos, or 10 kilos? Before their wedding in particular, would you suggest that they start well before the wedding or just leave it for the last six weeks?

Tracie: I would start probably six months out because in my experience, the last five to ten kilos are the hardest, and you really, really have to work hard to budge those five kilos.

Andrew: So do things change for the last five kilos? Or  you just had to keep doing the same thing and see less results?

Tracie: I had to step up my workouts, be really, really tight with my food, and I definitely had to work harder to drop those last five kilos.

Andrew: So what about now. Once the program’s finished, you’re married, you’re happy with your weight, everything’s going great and you’re off the program, how do you prepare your meals then? Do you still prepare the same meals, or do you go back to the start? What are you doing for your food?

Tracie: I printed out all her recipes so I’ve got hundreds of recipes. And the key to this and keeping it off is to be organized? So if I don’t sit down on a Saturday night or a Sunday morning and plan my week’s food and write my grocery list and then go shopping on Sunday, that’s when I’ll tend to – McDonald’s is only five minutes down the road; I’ll just sweep down there and grab dinner. For me, I need to be organized. And I highly recommend it to anybody.

Andrew: Get sorted at the beginning of the week for the whole week.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: And what about Darren – is he enjoying this food?

Tracie: Darren, at first, would turn his nose up at the food. He’s a meat and three vegetable sort of guy, so when I was putting all these feta and cottage cheese – [unclear] things in front of him. He was like, “I’m not going to eat that.†But he learned to love it and he himself lost 20 kilos as well just by eating what I was putting in front of him.

Andrew: Without even trying? He just lost 20 kilos?

Tracie: Yes. Without even trying. [unclear].

Andrew: So he ate his normal meals – breakfast and lunch – he would’ve just changed his dinners, is that right?

Tracie: Pretty much, yes. He’s a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast so he’ll have the same thing every day for breakfast, which is muesli and grated apple. Lunch, he would make just a sandwich or leftover salads that were in the fridge, and then I’d cook in dinner.

Andrew: And he lost 20 kilos? That’s amazing!

Tracie: Yes. So he feels great too.

Andrew: You said a meat and three vegetable guy, isn’t that a good meal? Meat and three veg?

Tracie: As long as your portion controls are fine. Darren would eat a huge sized steak and a big lump of mashed potato. I didn’t eat potato for six months, basically. I didn’t eat a great deal of pasta – just all your carbs.

Andrew: So you took out carbs. But you would still had carbs for breakfast, surely, for doing your exercise and things?

Tracie: Yes, I did. But I didn’t have any carbs past 10 o’clock.

Andrew: Alright, okay. And you weren’t hungry. That’s the big thing.

Tracie: Halfway or three-quarters of the way through the program, she introduces a no-carb day, which was always on a Tuesday. And the first time I did, I had a stinking headache and I was starving all day. But come Wednesday, I was fine. And that way, you’d know come Tuesdays, you’ve got that horrible day ahead of you. And towards the end of it all, I was fine with the no-carbs.

Andrew: You just get in and do it.

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Okay. So looking back now, if you had to go back and do it all again – say, you picked the Weight Watchers diet or one of the other ones you mentioned earlier, the Jenny Craig – do you think any of those would work if you had just stuck to it?

Tracie: Maybe Weight Watchers, but then I’m not a huge fan of counting points. And I think that for my experience with Weight Watchers, if I still wanted to have my chocolate, I could, as long as I included that in my daily points. I don’t think it actually educates you properly as far as good, clean eating goes.

Andrew: Right. Because you can still have your bad food and just get the points?

Tracie: Yes.

Andrew: Just to finish off, how did you actually feel in your wedding day? Obviously in your photos, I know how happy you looked, just knowing that you’d lost that weight and had the dress that you wanted and everything worked out perfectly.

Tracie: I can’t describe how I felt that day. Putting on my dress and when Corey got there, I loved having my photo taken. I just couldn’t get enough of it. For me to say that in 12 months earlier, I was terrified of having a camera put in front of me.

Andrew: Really?

Tracie: Yes, I was never ever in photos. I’d always take photos. And I just really wanted to look the best that I could because the day flew. And all I’ve got now on my photos – I’ve got the memory – but photos are special. And I look amazing, if I can say that.

Andrew: You sure can! Look, it’s so unreal. I just want to say thanks again for coming on and telling me about it. If you’ve got one bit of advice for anyone that’s looking to lose even if it’s a couple of kilos for their wedding, or five kilos, what would be your word of advice?

Tracie: Stick to it. Give it everything that you’ve got. And even if you stick a photo of your dream dress on your fridge or somewhere where you’re going to see it every day and be hungry enough for it, you’ll definitely succeed.

Andrew: I didn’t ask you about this. Just quickly with the foods that you shouldn’t be eating – did you remove all those from the house?

Tracie: Yes. I had a big kitchen cupboard and a big fridge cleaned out before I started the program. I’ve got two teenagers so obviously, there was still crappy foods in the house for them. But they would eat all that rather quickly anyway so it was never a temptation. [unclear] shopping and stay in the chips or biscuits or things in the cupboard.

Andrew: Okay. So you still had some of those stuff in the house?

Tracie: Yes. I had too for the kids because they were eating what we were some times of a night. If they liked it, they would eat it. Otherwise, I would cook two meals.

Andrew: Right. Because you don’t want to be doing that every night.

Tracie: No. But yes, I was hungry for it. And I really just had my eye on the first of December and looking my best, and nothing was going to get in my way.

Andrew: That is awesome. Look, congratulations on the wedding and the weight loss! I hope you guys have an awesome life together. I know you guys will. I can see how happy you were on your wedding day.

Tracie: Thanks, Andrew. And thanks to Corey too for taking those amazing photos!

Andrew: He had a ball too. He had a great day.

Tracie: Excellent.

Andrew: Thanks again. Maybe we’ll check in again in the future and see how it’s all going!

Tracie: No problem. Thank you!

Andrew: Thanks Tracie!

Tracie: Thanks Andrew!

Andrew: That’s awesome. Thanks for doing that!

Tracie: No problem.

Andrew: You’re going to go and get ready now for tonight?

Tracie: Yes. I’m casual tonight. Not dressing up, no makeup or heels.

Andrew: That should be a fun night. I hope that’s great. I might add another little bit to this podcast but I’ll let you know as soon as it comes out and you can come over and have a listen.

Tracie: Okay, cool. Wonderful.

Andrew: Unreal. Thanks again Tracie. Have an awesome new year!

Tracie: You too. Thanks Andrew!

Andrew: I’ll speak to you soon.

Tracie: Okay.

Andrew: Bye!

——————————————————————————————————————————-

Andrew: I just want to say thanks again Tracie for doing the interview. And funnily enough, once we’ve finished the call, Tracie emailed me back and she says that she actually remembered a few different things that she could’ve answered a bit better. And she wanted to add a little bit more information. Maybe I didn’t ask the right questions, but she had a few extra points that she wanted to make to help you if you plan to lose some weight for your wedding.

I’ll just read what she sent me. She says, “At the beginning of the program, you do what Michelle Bridges calls pre-season tasks. One in particular that has stuck with me was writing down excuses. Oh my God, I wrote the rule book on excuses.†Tracie goes on to say, “I had an excuse for absolutely everything. Writing them down was very confronting and if I was to be successful, it was time to be brutally honest. I remember sitting at my PC and crying. It was just another turning point for me.†I guess that’s pretty fabulous there and I think what Tracie said in the interview there when she had those excuses, or when she had that craving, she would just go for the glass of water instead and that craving would pass quickly. I guess that’s how she got around having loads of excuses and doing the wrong thing. That’s awesome.

She also says that she had to set some goals, short-term and long-term. And a part of the pre-season tasks is really having a good look at yourself. She says that “They get you in the right head space to give you the best chance of success.†So a couple of more tips there from Tracie.

I didn’t ask about the cost of the program, which is a bit silly. And Tracie actually added that information in for me. And I’ve also added links to the exact program that Tracie did at the show notes. So you can find them at . But Tracie does say that the program was $200. That was for a 3-month program. And she actually did two of those programs back-to-back. So she spent $400. And it goes on to say that it was the best $400 that she’s ever spent.

Funny thing too that Tracie also mentioned in that email to me was that she had to have two wedding dresses. The first wedding dress that she bought was a size 16 because she did aim to lose some weight. I remember her saying she’s a little bit larger than that when she first had her goals to lose weight. But that size 16 still couldn’t be taken in enough to actually fit her when she lost all her weight.  So she had to go in and order a size 10 dress, which still had to be taken in for her  wedding. So that was just fantastic. Tracie says that her advice to brides that want to lose weight is to not order your dress to early. Good piece of advice there.

I’ve also added some before and after photos, thanks to Tracie. She sent those over. And again, you can find those at the show notes for this episode of the podcast.

That’s it for this episode of the podcast. If you’re living in Australia, have an awesome summer. And if you’re in the northern hemisphere, I  hope it’s a super cold winter because I’m heading up there this afternoon, up to the north end of Japan to go skiing, and I can’t wait. So when you hear this episode, I’ll actually be over there. Like I said, hopefully I’ll be able to bring you a couple of interviews from Japan while I’m there.

Again, if you’ve got any comments, if you want to make any suggestions for the show, if you have any weight loss tips or advice or things that you’d like to pass on to other brides, I’d love to hear from you. You can do that by email – .

Have a great summer or a great week or two without me, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Bye for now.

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