Latest / SAY GRACE | Weight Loss + Health for Overwhelmed Women- Stress, Busy, Consistency, Realistic, Motivation, Starting Over, No Restrictions / Part 2 with Ann Lauren- How she’s lost 34 pounds so far

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Part 2 with Ann Lauren- How she’s lost 34 pounds so far · SAY GRACE | Weight Loss + Health for Overwhelmed Women- Stress, Busy, Consistency, Realistic, Motivation, Starting Over, No Restrictions

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Music.
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Welcome back to part two of my conversation with Ann Lauren,
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who is a longtime PFN turned PFN Plus client who is now down 34 pounds and counting.
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On the last episode, we dove in on her weight loss struggles and began discussing
0:55
her journey into motherhood, ending on an emotional note about surrender.
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Today, we're picking up there with her pregnancy, weight loss afterwards,
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and her lifestyle changes since then.
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Anne-Lauren shares details of what has finally clicked with her to make consistent
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weight loss feel easier, and I cannot wait for you to hear the rest of her story.
1:16
So then in my first trimester, I gained 20 pounds, and that's not baby weight.
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Yeah, no, that was, I did that with Sarah Mason. I was like,
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oh, I'm pregnant. Now I need to eat.
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Like I need to take care of the body, which everybody tells you,
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eat, you're pregnant, baby. I did.
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Yeah, and I remember like, And I felt like I was just going to pass out like all the time.
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Like, you know, when you're so hungry, you are feeling like I'm having that.
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I just felt like that. So I just kept eating.
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But I would eat like, I wish I kind of knew what I know now.
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Like, I'll get into that later. But I was just eating like crackers or like
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bread, like stuff that really isn't like going to keep me full.
1:59
That is exactly what I did. I would keep sleeves of Ritz in my drawer at work.
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And I would just eat like half asleep because I was the same way.
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I either felt like I was going to pass out or throw up.
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And so I was just constantly eating Ritz.
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And then I look up and wonder like, why have I gained quite literally 20 pounds in my first trimester?
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Just the same, you know, with Sarah Mason, I gained 60 pounds in my pregnancy
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with Sarah Mason, but there is hope because with Gloria, I only gained like 30.
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I got my life together So, first thing in pregnancy, you know,
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there's so many ladies that go through our program that do that.
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Like, they come to us after their first pregnancy to get that weight off,
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and then they'll get pregnant again, and they're like, okay,
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I got to stay around, and y'all got to help me with my healthy pregnancy weight gain.
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And it's cool, though, because they almost all always do a little bit better,
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you know? That's so funny.
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Yeah, I remember, like, getting numbers. I was like, okay, I'm pregnant.
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Like, can I get some new numbers? So it's like I said, I would always kind of
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like, I had it there, like, but I wasn't like actively like working it.
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So, but you know, like I would email and Stacey's like, but listen to your body.
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And I'm like, oh, I'll listen to my body.
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No problem. Say that too. So I'm like, okay.
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And like my doctor wasn't like worried about the 20 pound weight gain either.
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She wasn't, she was like, it's totally fine. It happens. so after that though
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I was kind of I was more cognizant like second and third trimester because I
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was like I don't want to gain like 100 pounds so I think I gained like 45 pounds and then but at like,
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And so Harper was born at the beginning of January and I was like,
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I am ready like to get my body back because like with fertility stuff,
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I just felt like I was, I was not like, I just, it was not my person.
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It was not like fully me.
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So, and like mentally it was such a struggle. So I even like,
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I'm mentally, physically, like all the way around felt so much better after he was born.
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And well physically like right because I was sick my whole pregnancy right yeah I guess,
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but I was like need to lose this weight so after like I you know that initial
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like swelling like goes down and I kind of like got weight off to where I was
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like okay this is like my weight after I'd gained 20 pounds in my first trimester.
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So then I've like got my numbers and was working that challenge like in February
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and then join or like was like actively on that one.
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And I'd gotten like 10 pounds off, but then I just could not break like a cycle.
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That I was in. Losing and then just kind of, yeah, gaining a few and then losing
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the same few and then gaining. Yeah.
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Yeah. So I would like do really good during the week. So this is what,
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this is what happened to me.
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You're about to tell everybody's story. I just want you to know every woman
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listening is about to relate to this.
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Monday through Friday lunch It was really good.
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Like calorie deficit goal numbers through the week. Like so good. Friday night.
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So we go through like stages where we'll kind of, at first we were making pizza
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on Friday nights. We were kind of like, now we do chicken Parmesan.
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But it was kind of same calorie. Yeah.
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Same style food. Yeah. So we would make pizza on Friday nights.
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Well, in my brain, even still, even after all these years, like,
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and I'll say, like, I love CFN because you're not restricting any food groups.
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Right. So that's why, like, I would sign up, come back.
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Like, you know, because it's like the one thing in life.
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It's like, you don't have to restrict anything. It's really like you just portion
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control, you know, like, like, you got your calories.
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What do you want to eat? How do you want to make the most of it?
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Right. right so to me it's like budgeting like you a hundred dollars okay where
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do you want to spend it right you're gonna spend it all at target or you're
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gonna have some gas with it today.
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So we're okay so friday nights we
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make pizza and and i mean
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this would relate to everything even like prior so make
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pizza I like start to track it and I'm
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going like 300 calories over and I'm like at like a 300 calories over my calorie
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deficit goal and I'm like why am I even tracking like I'm failing today yeah
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so then that I stopped tracking so then I'd eat like way more of the pizza than it even matters,
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And then Saturday, I would just eat whatever I wanted, eat whatever I wanted Sunday.
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Because what's the point? You went over your own brownie, right? I blew it out.
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So, and then kind of like mindset from before, like PSN in general,
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like, you know, when you, you know, you're about to go on a diet.
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So it's like, okay, I'm going to go to the grocery store. I'm going to get these
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brownies and these cinnamon rolls and I'm going to eat these because I know
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I'm not going to be able to eat them for a season.
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So like, you're getting ready for Monday. get
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ready for monday so you like eat everything in the pantry
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like you finish the cookies that are in the pantries to get
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you ready for monday yeah for sure yeah yeah and then you
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know something clicked okay so i i was
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like i have to do something different like to get off this cycle so
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i had known about pfm plus like like during
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all like the stuff i had going on prior
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but i was like i'm not like in a mind in a
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place for that like i'm not focused on losing weight right now so
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afterwards I like saw you
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post something on your Instagram that was like about pfm plus
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and I was like I was like and I kept thinking about it like in the back of my
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head I was like okay I think I need pfm plus I think I need the extra accountability
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and that is exact so I messaged you and I was like are there spots open so and
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I was like okay and I guess I remember I'd gone to a workout and I came home,
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signed up immediately because I was like, I'll sign up in two weeks.
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And I was like, no, you won't.
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You'll sign up now or else you're not going to, you're not going to sign up.
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So, and I was like, and I want to fix the problem now. Like I want to start working on myself now.
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So signed up. And then I think it's just like me sending over my tracking like
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daily at that point, I would send it over.
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And so like, I knew I had like had to track, Like, yes, I've said,
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like, I was, I used to track before and I did, but I never really tracked on the weekend.
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So I think that was like a downfall. So this, I've really gotten comfortable
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with, like, weekend food tracking.
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Right. So I was like, so I'm plugging in the pizza and I'm like,
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that's not as bad as I thought it was. And then, like.
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Yeah, because you're probably like, I'm imagining, again, it's back to,
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like, the brain, the brain cycles, right?
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It's like prior, before you started PFM Plus, when y'all got to the Friday dinner,
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you were already probably low-key anticipating overeating or,
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you know, eating the pizza.
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And so I'm imagining that you weren't even trying to be realistic about it,
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if that makes sense, you know.
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Because I feel like we've talked about y'all would have cinnamon rolls in the
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morning and you'd be like, well, you know, if I'm going to have one cinnamon
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roll, I may as well have three.
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Until you really started paying attention to the one cinnamon roll and how like
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it wasn't going to break the bank if you just kept it at one.
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You know what I mean? Right.
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Like if I had known like,
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One brownie? So I'm like, okay, I want one brownie.
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Well, then the whole pan's there. So I'm like, well, I'm going to eat the pan
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because they're going to go bad in two days.
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So all these calories are going to get in my body anyway.
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So I'm going to just eat them. And now what I do, which is perfect for me.
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Y'all, listen, everybody get ready.
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I'm telling you, she's got to be throwing out some wisdom, but it really is. This is the greatest.
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I love it. I love it. Okay, keep going.
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I will make brownies. because she is not stopping her brownies.
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I will tell you in Charleston, she's got a Trader Joe's.
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She's always coming back. Like I'll look at her tracking and I'm like,
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what did you, where is this?
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What did you get? Like, what is that? She's always got some good sweet treats,
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some good, you know, and I think brownies are like your favorite,
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right? Yeah, they're my favorite.
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So she still makes all the things that she was making. Okay, continue.
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You so then I go ahead I let them
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cool and then I cut them all up and I
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put out like a few that I know I'm gonna eat and then I individually wrap them
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in saran wrap like portion them out and then put them in the freezer so and
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for me it's like a mental thing of okay they're well it takes a long time for
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it to thaw out so it's like if I'm gonna want it tomorrow I'll go ahead and make the hot Right.
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But it requires you actually thinking through it instead of walking by and just
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pinching another piece off. Yeah.
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Yeah. Because I will say, I mean, that is one thing you're notorious for on
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my end is like you make really great food choices throughout the day.
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And your balance is so impressive, honestly.
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And when I say balance, I mean, you have like a salad with a good protein at
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lunch, but then like you will always have something sweet for a snack or after
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dinner snack or something like that.
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Like you are never depriving yourself of the things that are good.
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And how much weight have you lost total? So...
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Before I had Harper, well, after, okay, I don't even know how to say this.
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When I was pregnant with Harper, okay, since I've had Harper, I've lost 60 pounds.
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Okay. But that was with him.
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Like with his weight and yeah.
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So I've lost, like once I got like down to the 20 pounds I had gained in my
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first trimester. Right.
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That's not baby weight. I've lost 34 pounds.
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Right. Yeah. That's your before and after pictures look like a 34 pound loss. Yeah. Yeah.
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That's awesome. Yeah. Okay. So anyway, we freeze, we freeze the dessert.
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Let's keep talking about the weekend though, because I do feel like this is the shift for you.
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Like this is what, and I will say this, like about PFM Plus,
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I think it's different for everybody, right? Like some people just need that
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extra accountability. just the fact that they know that on Monday morning,
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I'm gonna be like, okay, how was the weekend?
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You know, like, yeah, enough for some people to just like, think twice,
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instead of going to that same old habit, that same old cycle.
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And then like you said, for some people, it is just knowing that my eyes are
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going to be on your tracking, there is, you know, someone holding you accountable to your goal.
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And then for some, it's really like, oh, gosh, for some of our ladies,
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It is really a lot of mindset work, like digging themselves out of that negative
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pit day in and day out so that they can get up and try again tomorrow.
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And then for others, it's just, you know, actually having someone to say something.
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Like, and Lauren, have you thought about, you know,
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having this with your lunch so that you are more full, you know,
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like somebody that can really provide feedback for when you are having issues
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that would otherwise, if you were doing it on your own, make you just want to
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give up and feel like I can't do this, you know?
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So for you, I do feel like that accountability, though, of the Monday morning,
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you know, I know when I open my messages on Monday that you are going to have
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sent me your whole weekend.
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But so okay I want you to keep talking about that though because I think this is,
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yeah yeah because I used to be in like like if I saw a negative number on my fitness pal,
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that's what did it for me I was like you're a failure
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you're in the net you have a negative like you whatever
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and then I guess maybe
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because I went out of town like a couple
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times this summer and at that point
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it was like okay just look at your maintenance number just like
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try to try to look at your maintenance number you know don't worry
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about your calorie deficit you know that's what you were
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like look at that maintenance number and I was I focused on the maintenance
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number and I actually think I lost weight when I got back in town which I was
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surprised yeah I know you didn't gain I remember that yeah and then I think
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maybe from that it kind of started to stem like Like,
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okay, you have a maintenance number.
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Even if you're in between, you're not.
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Gaining. Gaining. Right. So I was like, huh.
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So then I was like, so even if I just go over like 150 calories on Saturday,
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400 calories on Friday, 200 calories on Sunday, like that's not so bad.
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Because I think I remember like the first because months
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I'm sorry but Monday through Thursday
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you're losing so then if you're just maintaining
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ish on the weekend you're still losing right like
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you're still losing anyway okay you remember the first five-in lesson well and
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you asked me you said all right are you being too rigid and I was like you know
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what yeah I think I am I was like I'm being way too hard on myself and I'm being
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really rigid like during the week to where I want that extra on the weekend,
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but I'm not mentally letting myself like be okay with it.
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But now I'm like, I'm okay with that.
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If I go over 200 calories, like I know we're going to have chicken parmesan
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again tomorrow night and I'm going to go over 200 calories.
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Calorie tomorrow that's okay that's fine
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last night i must have did you this last night
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i had my ice cream sandwich
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baby they've these really good ice cream sandwiches right now at
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aldi by the way if you like pumpkin flavored anything they are
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like pumpkin spice cookies and they
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with vanilla ice cream they are so good
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but i was only gonna have half
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of it because it actually I mean it's a really good size I was
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only gonna have half of it I opened it and it was very uneven like
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the ice
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cream was off with the cookies I was like gosh I'm shaking the whole thing whatever
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yeah so many calories so yeah go ahead if I did that before I would have literally
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like gone off the rails and it kind of because you didn't plan that right you didn't know Oh, yeah.
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No. Yeah. And I would have been like, you're a failure.
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Because somehow in my mind, one brownie would equal a thousand calories.
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So it's like, if you actually track it, it's really not that bad.
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And then like, just that maintenance number has just helped me so much just
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to know like, if you're under that.
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You like, especially for the weekends, like if you're under it, you're still losing.
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Because sometimes it really is hard, especially dependent on like,
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like tonight for you, you've got a dinner thing to go to and like,
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it's a tasting of all kinds of different things.
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And so like, it would be extremely hard for you to stay in your calorie deficit tonight.
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Like sometimes it is just hard to stay in your calorie deficit.
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Like if you had breakfast at your kid's school and then you had a work lunch
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meeting and then your family wants to go out to dinner tonight,
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like that is, that is, that is hard, you know?
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Yeah. So I think, but a lot of people, when they think about that,
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they're like, oh, I've got breakfast at my kid's school. I've got lunch with work.
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I've got dinner out. I'm just going to blow it today. And then that in their
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mind allows them to choose, you know, maybe a higher calorie item because it's
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like, what's the point anyway?
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When in reality, if you just kind of reined it in and didn't eat three donuts
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at your kid's school, maybe only ate one, you know, or two.
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And then at dinner, at the work lunch, maybe you got fried chicken, but on a salad.
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Or, you know, if you worked it in the way that it could be worked,
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which requires you looking at yourself, even when you feel like it's not going to be perfect.
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Like a lot of us, when we make up our minds that it's not going to be perfect, we check out.
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We check out on our goals. We look the other way. We assume this posture of shame and failure.
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And then we make decisions from that posture, which are not,
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you know, they're self-destructive decisions, right?
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And so, but if you could just come back to that awareness.
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And so I think that's exactly what you did on the weekends is you're like,
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okay, I'm just gonna like do it and see what it
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looks like and then be okay
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with where I land you know and and so I
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just I don't know I'm so proud of you for that yeah it's such a I don't like
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my mindset has shifted so much like just really after knowing my maintenance
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number yes because your maintenance number I feel like yeah you could go because
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I used to all the time go over that very easily But it also,
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like, when your goal is your calorie deficit number, your maintenance number
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gives you, like, enough wiggle room to where...
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Eat an extra brownie. Like if you really, really want one, you're not going
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to gain weight. Right. Yeah.
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And if you're having an off day, eat two or three or four and you're probably
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still maintenance. That's right.
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That's right. It gives yourself that room to breathe. Yeah.
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Yeah. And I feel like you have done that so well and so much,
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you know, and I would say, and even you, even you yesterday,
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you're like, I lost a lot of weight this week. Like, is that what's in the maintenance?
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You know? But, like, I think your body thanks you for that, right?
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Like, because you aren't just trying to starve yourself every single day.
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You are allowing that wiggle room. And I personally think it is why we have
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not seen a plateau with you yet.
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Because you, not only, like, you did maintenance week, right?
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But some weekends, it'll be a Saturday and a Sunday where you're closer to maintenance.
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And so I feel like your body's like, oh, thanks, girl. But then you are so diligent
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about getting back at it on Monday.
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And that is, you know, you don't let it bleed over and you don't let it get
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into your mind. And I think that is what has kept you progressing with your
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success, you know? Yeah.
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Yeah. That's the hard part. Someday we make like typically pork,
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pork chops and Chip makes such a good pork chop.
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And I'm like, I'm only going to have five ounces. And I'm like,
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no. I'm going to have more.
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I'm going to have more. I need Chip's pork chop recipe.
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You know I can't cook pork chops to save my life. Like, I don't even buy pork chops.
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Yes, it's a whole thing over here. I cannot cook a pork chop to save my life.
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They're so good. Okay, so I want to ask you, though.
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I think I've told you, like, all my thoughts. But, like, if there's one thing
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that has been the most impactful after joining, specifically PFM Plus, like, what was it?
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For me, with joining specifically PFM Plus, it's the accountability for me.
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And, like, the daily, like, kind of, like, encouragement or, like, just talking.
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But for me, it was definitely the accountability because I knew I was sending
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my tracking. because I was like, okay, I'm sending this over.
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Like, do I really want that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Yeah. So for me, that's what it was, but I love like the encouragement and just like the daily,
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like knowing like that you're there, that if I just need something or, and just learning like.
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Because there is a time period like for lunches, like I would eat my lunch,
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but I would be hungry like soon after.
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Like a salad and a meat doesn't do it for me.
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Like I have to have some sort of like bread in there.
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And that's one thing that you had said, like add rice or like try something like this or this.
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And like then like with snacks too, like you were like yogurt with granola and
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fruit or whatever. And like that, like stuff that really like will keep me full.
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Like it still tastes good, but it keeps me full. So I'm not, or satisfied.
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So I'm not like getting hungry. Where on days that like, I don't do that.
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I'm like, wow, I'm hungry. Yeah.
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Which is, which you would think, you know, people listen who maybe work out
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of the home or whatever, like they would think that it would be easier at home
23:31
to eat like balance, but it's really not.
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Like me being at home, I have to like force myself to like put a balanced meal
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or snack together because it's so easy to just go grab a handful of something instead to satisfy.
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And so I've been really proud of you about like, you know, just being intentional
23:49
when you do eat with making sure that, you know, it all kind of goes well together.
23:54
Yeah, yeah. And then that's one thing, too, that, like, I've learned is,
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like, trying to be, like, the best I can, like, to be present when I'm eating.
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So, enjoying my food and I'm not like, oh, my gosh, where did my plate go?
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Like, my food's gone and I didn't even know that I ate.
24:12
Yeah. And that in this world, that is so common. Even if we do get a minute
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to ourselves to be able to eat, like even by ourselves, like what are we doing?
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We're scrolling our phone while we're shoving food in our mouth or watching,
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you know, and it's such a thing like our brain has to register that we're eating
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for it to tell our stomach, hey, we're eating.
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And then our stomach to say, oh, we're full now. You know, it's a whole thing.
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And that is I feel like that as Americans is just something we're lacking.
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People always driving down the road eating.
24:41
You know what I mean? Like it's just. next thing you know, you've eaten your
24:44
whole hamburger and drank your whole milkshake and all your fries.
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When, if you had just sat down with the meal, you may not have,
24:51
you know, eaten all of it and would feel a little bit better about it all, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
24:58
Okay. So I want to know, like, cause I think I've mentioned this a couple of
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times, like I am super impressed with like your, the way you eat and you know, how, how your day looks.
25:09
And so give us a rundown of just like a normal day in the life of you.
25:12
I know we talked about Harper's schedule, but what is Anne Lauren's schedule
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as far as how you're going to, you know, have meals and snacks and what it's
25:22
going to look like and all of that.
25:24
Okay, so I've gotten in a really good, you have helped me, like rhythm of meal planning on Thursday.
25:33
I think that was another big thing, right? It's changing to actually meal planning
25:38
the week before because I think on what?
25:40
Sunday, Monday, you were kind of frantic about getting and getting to the grocery
25:44
store and all the things. Yeah.
25:46
And then maybe it's like a mental thing because it's Monday and going to the
25:49
grocery store on Monday and it's just like I feel behind because Monday I'm not prepared on Sunday.
25:55
So I like, yeah, so that's a meal plan on Thursday and make my grocery list and I go to the.
26:07
So I plan all my meals out. And that's the one thing.
26:11
Like I've never, even working full time, I was never a, yes, I would eat fast food.
26:18
I'm not saying I never ate fast food, but I did not go out to eat at lunch. Like it was very rare.
26:23
I just never had like options around me.
26:26
And this last job I had for like 10 years, I had a 30 minute lunch.
26:31
And I'm not going to spend 10 minutes going somewhere,
26:35
10 minutes coming back and scarfing my food down inside like
26:38
so I would always pack my lunch so
26:41
I really got in a good habit of
26:44
that and then I would make dinner at home like I've just always
26:48
been so it's easy for me to meal plan and like as far as like plan out a meal
26:54
because I've always had to do that so so I kind of know like what I'm going
27:00
to eat during the day already and it does change so like at the beginning of
27:03
the day when I'm logging my breakfast in my fitness pal,
27:06
I actually go ahead and put like anything else I know that I'm going to have
27:10
in there just to kind of get it over with.
27:13
Especially the dessert because I know I'm going to eat a dessert at the end of the day.
27:17
So I will go ahead and log that to make sure there's room. And if I need to
27:24
pick a smaller dessert, that's fine.
27:26
Yeah. Yeah. Adjust. Yes.
27:29
And then another thing like is my water. So like I said, I'm hyperthyroidism.
27:35
So when I wake up, take my medicine and then I have an hour of where I cannot eat or drink anything.
27:40
That's a great opportunity to start getting my water in. And I feel like that's
27:47
been really helpful for me.
27:49
But you want to know my like my daily routines.
27:54
Keep going yeah i'll log that in and then i kind of just like i'll clean.
28:02
Around the house but like with meals i will i'll make something at the beginning
28:07
of the week and i'll pretty much eat that for lunches the the whole week except
28:12
friday because i'm just kind of,
28:14
over it and just want something new yeah but dinner's chip is a really good
28:20
cook and he loves to cook.
28:22
So he'll do pretty much most meals.
28:26
Okay. Breakfast, I do something easy. Like right now I'm on a kit of those,
28:31
pfn breakfast like protein sandwiches yeah
28:35
so i've been doing those because it's just you make them
28:38
once and then they're there yeah so do
28:41
you plan the meals for chip or
28:44
does chip have input on the meals we together so on he has later nights on mondays
28:53
and thursdays so that's when i'll do what i want to do that i know he will not
28:57
eat okay one thing we do have in common is we both do not like mayonnaise,
29:02
but he does not like mayonnaise on a whole nother level.
29:04
Like he won't even have it in a recipe. That's hilarious.
29:09
So there goes half my recipes. He won't eat them. So I save those,
29:14
which he does. He loves the chicken spaghetti.
29:17
Okay. And the million dollar spaghetti, which that doesn't have that in there.
29:20
I don't think mayonnaise is in the chicken spaghetti. It's not. It's not.
29:25
It's cottage cheese is, I think. Yeah. Yeah.
29:29
So I kind of I'll do what I want on those nights which it's
29:32
that's not to say I don't want to eat the other stuff but Tuesdays
29:36
we always do like tacos so that's easy
29:38
to plan yeah Wednesdays we're on like a chicken
29:42
Caesar wrap kind of a kick so been
29:45
doing that if I don't want a chicken Caesar wrap I'll sometimes make like
29:48
a buffalo wrap yeah and then
29:51
Fridays we kind of do the same thing we're creatures
29:54
of habit Saturdays they're up in the air and then
29:57
Sundays are going to be like me lately it's
30:00
pork chop with like green beans and mac and cheese or salad
30:03
yeah I love it so
30:07
it's like it's not hard you know you don't make it complicated you
30:11
know I feel like that's another people want to make it complicated and it just
30:14
doesn't have to be you know yeah and I feel like you've been out to lunch a
30:19
little bit lately you know and you've been navigating that well yeah yeah and
30:24
then that's where that maintenance number comes in Yeah, that's right.
30:28
Well, you can breathe easier when you go. Right. You can just be like,
30:31
OK, if I do go over, you know, it's I'm still in maintenance.
30:36
Yes. And it's funny because I'll like look at a menu before I go if I have time
30:40
or know where I'm going. And then I'll look and I'll be like, OK.
30:44
This is the, like, probably the lowest calorie option that I, that I like.
30:50
Then there's this, then there's like this, if I really want to like blow it.
30:55
But yeah, I'm like, okay. And then when I get there, it's most of the time,
31:00
always like the middle option. Yeah.
31:02
Yeah. But I've kind of, and then I just know that. And it's,
31:05
I mean, when you go out to eat, like, it is hard to say, It's hard to say for
31:10
me in a calorie deficit number going out to eat.
31:15
So now that I know like maintenance, I'm like, okay, that's fine.
31:18
You know, I'm over a couple hundred. That's totally okay. Yeah.
31:22
And I think it's, I love how you just said that about like how you're looking
31:27
at the menu and you're able to analyze it.
31:29
And I think that just shows how far you've come, right?
31:32
To be able to look at the menu and to be able to look at the item and say like,
31:36
okay, I I know that's got a creamy sauce, so it's going to run me high.
31:40
Or I know, you know, that's got a red sauce, so it's going to not be as high as the creamy sauce.
31:45
But here's this chicken salad, you know, like salad with grilled chicken on
31:50
top. And I know that would be my lowest calorie.
31:52
I mean, you know, like you're able to kind of look at that and really know,
31:55
because I think that's part of the progress too, right?
31:59
And with people tracking, I think we talked about this on the Zoom call the other day.
32:04
Like you can become obsessive over it and that's not the goal,
32:08
but the goal is to track your intake,
32:10
to literally know what you're looking at as far as food goes,
32:14
to be able to look at a menu and know how your choice is going to impact your weight loss.
32:19
And like so many people don't because they're so used to looking at a menu and
32:25
saying, oh, that has bread, that has carbs, that's fried.
32:28
I can't have it, you know, but not really understanding like nutritionally how
32:33
it may stack up, like how a salad with fried chicken on it actually may be better
32:38
than, you know, some other casserole that you see on the dish, on the menu.
32:43
And so I think that's been a really good, a really good thing for you is to
32:47
just every day, like you see, you, you see the result of what you're eating.
32:53
You know, I hate to say consequence because I hate that, that word in terms of weight loss,
32:57
but you know, it is like you eat something and then you plug it in and then you're like,
33:01
oh okay well now I know that you
33:04
know this is gonna run yeah a little higher than
33:08
than other foods you know yeah and one thing I've noticed that's helped me too
33:12
is like if I'm like okay do I want another like dessert like do I not want another
33:18
piece of something I'll plug it in and I'm like is it worth it yeah I'm like
33:23
is that worth it today that's our anthem no it's not worth it.
33:28
Might be tomorrow right tomorrow closer to the weekend it might be worth it you know,
33:33
Yeah. All right. Anything else you feel like we missed here?
33:39
I don't think so. I can't think of anything. Okay. I know everybody is just
33:45
going to love this episode.
33:47
Let's do our Q&A. So we each have three questions for the other one to answer.
33:54
We can just take turns. So I'll ask you the first one.
33:58
You can ask me the first one. Okay. So I, okay, one thing that we really didn't
34:02
talk about is, well, I think I mentioned it, but your grocery trips.
34:06
Like, I love when you go to the grocery store because I just, I feel like you're fine.
34:11
You've got like a newfound love for the grocery store lately.
34:13
And so, you know, I resonate with that.
34:16
So what are your top five grocery buys each week? Oh, okay. Top five.
34:25
This is a tough one. Okay. Because you're always buying different things.
34:29
So many different things.
34:30
I will say like non-sat plain Greek yogurt because I make a lot of stuff with that in there.
34:37
And I forgot about this. I haven't done this in a while.
34:40
But and I learned about this from PFN, mixing that with like the ranch packet, I think.
34:47
And then just for like a dip for like vegetables or whatever.
34:50
So I think it just because it's so like I use it in recipes and stuff a lot.
34:54
The second one is going to,
34:58
I'm going to have to say tortilla chips because I haven't been eating them as
35:03
much as I normally do because I have found this like black bean salad that Aldi has that's really good.
35:10
So I've been eating that instead. But we do always have tortilla chips.
35:15
Okay. And Chip eats them like every week.
35:20
So that is the top grocery bag. Yeah, they've been on your tracking weeks ago.
35:25
I haven't seen them lately. Yeah.
35:28
There's always going to be a dessert that I buy at the grocery store. Any or all dessert.
35:34
Yeah, that's going to be on there. Like, we did find, if anyone's near a Trader
35:38
Joe's, their chocolate chip cookies are so good.
35:43
It's like a chocolate chunk with sea salt. They are delicious.
35:48
Are they pre-made? Like pre-made or do you make them? Yes, they're pre-made.
35:51
Okay. They're pre-made.
35:54
And they're like a good size. It's only like 200 calories for like...
35:58
You could definitely split that in half. And then...
36:02
This is a really tough one for me for some reason. I think because I do.
36:07
So I try to do so many different things. We're always going to have ground beef. So I'm always.
36:11
Yeah. That's going to be a top one.
36:15
And then stuff for salads. I buy that every week. Like to keep our salads like stocked.
36:22
Yeah. So that stuff's always going to be in there. Love it. Those are good ones.
36:28
Okay. So the holidays are coming up. What is your favorite side dish,
36:34
either like Thanksgiving or Christmas?
36:36
Like it's not a holiday meal without that dish.
36:42
Okay, this is a good one.
36:46
So my mom makes, which we have this more than at the holidays,
36:50
but it's definitely like going to be at Thanksgiving. Everybody will exile her.
36:56
She will not be able to come if it's not there. but
36:59
it's hash brown casserole and it's just like
37:02
the creamiest hash brown casserole she puts ritz
37:05
on top of it like it's so good I've talked about lightening
37:08
it up and I just I don't know it's just so good that sounds really good that
37:14
but also I really love corn casserole I do too it is so good it is and so I
37:23
will sometimes volunteer to make it just so we can have it.
37:27
You know, like, I really love that. That's a good question.
37:31
Okay, the next one. What is the top thing that changed about your weight loss
37:37
efforts after you became a mother?
37:41
Oh, I think like...
37:44
My mindset around my meals is like not focused on like when I can eat anymore, I guess.
37:52
It's like when it's all based on his schedule.
37:56
So it's not like, oh, I'm going to eat at 12, like, which I'll eat when he's napping.
38:00
But it's like not my that, you know, I just that makes sense.
38:07
It's like I kind of whereas before I would be like, OK, this is my breakfast time.
38:12
This is my lunchtime. And, like, dinner is still the same. I mean,
38:16
it's still based on his schedule.
38:18
So I try to eat, like, when he's napping if I can, just so I have that time
38:23
to myself so I can enjoy my meal.
38:26
But if not, it's totally fine. Like, I will, like, try to eat when he's,
38:32
like, playing or when he's awake.
38:34
But that's one thing that's changed where it's not really focused on,
38:37
like, just my time anymore.
38:40
I think being, becoming a mom is like, first of all, you realize how selfish
38:45
you were before you were, you know, like you realize like, oh,
38:48
the world revolved around me and I didn't realize that it did, you know.
38:52
But also it does make you have to be more intentional about your time,
38:57
you know, because you're like, you don't have unlimited time.
38:59
And so for some people, that actually is a gift because then they're like,
39:03
OK, if I'm going to do it, I got to do it now.
39:05
Like I remember when my girls were young, like if I wanted to work out,
39:09
there were only certain times of the day that I could, you know,
39:12
and so it's like either I'm going to do it now or I'm not going to get it done.
39:14
So what's the answer going to be? You know what I mean?
39:17
So, yeah. Okay.
39:22
What's your current like go to song on your Spotify?
39:25
So like if you're driving in your car and you only have three minutes to listen
39:28
to one song, what are you going to listen to? Oh my gosh, that is an impossible question.
39:37
Literally. So I have, I'm looking, okay.
39:41
So I have a playlist that I started when, when did I start?
39:48
I started this playlist when, like I mentioned how we lost the pregnancy before glory.
39:55
And so it's called you will get me through and
39:58
so i it's like all christian songs and
40:02
i've shared it with other people and so they add songs and so
40:05
like i add songs clear like literally weekly
40:08
because oh i love it so much when spotify will like suggest you know songs and
40:13
i'm like this is a jam this isn't on my playlist that i'm listening to right
40:16
now but let me add it to my playlist and so right now though i would say i listened
40:22
to it on the way after carpool this morning and like literally cried.
40:26
Like I can't listen to it without crying. And it's called Yield by John Reddick. And it is just...
40:33
You got to listen to it. It is just, it's like, I, like I yield my life to you,
40:37
God, you know, and it's such a reminder to just like, I want control and I want to do it my way.
40:42
And I have these ideas about how things should go, you know,
40:46
but then it's like such a reminder to just continue to surrender,
40:50
even if maybe things aren't going the way you, you thought they would go, you know?
40:55
So that is my, now, if you had asked me like eight years ago,
41:01
it would have been some kind a hood rat like you know like
41:05
but now I keep this playlist going
41:08
every day when I'm working in fact when I
41:11
like when I'm out walking and talking to
41:14
y'all you know to my pfm plus people like it plays until I hit record to like
41:19
talk to you you know so I just anyway yeah it's always on my phone or my computer
41:23
and it's got like a lot of songs on it so that's a fun playlist yeah see I'm
41:28
like one of those people where if I have a song,
41:31
like, I will repeat it over and over and over.
41:36
I don't think a lot of people are like that. Yeah.
41:39
But some reason I think people aren't. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm just like tired of
41:43
it and then I'll go into it. And you know every word. Yeah. Yeah.
41:47
What is yours right now? Current. It's about to change because I have played it. Your burnout.
41:53
Out. But break. And I found it recently. I mean, it's an older song,
41:57
but it's Phil Wickham, House of the Lord.
42:01
Yes, that's a jam. I love that one. Like, it's so good. It is so good. That's a good one.
42:09
Okay, your last one is, what is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
42:15
It doesn't have to be about like weight loss or anything, but just like,
42:18
if there's some advice that you feel like you kind of are rooted in, what would that mean?
42:24
I had a feeling you were going to ask me this for some reason.
42:29
I was like, wait, what is something? And I mean, I like my granddaddy is like
42:34
someone I look up to so much in my life.
42:38
And I'm so like, so blessed that he is still around today.
42:43
But he wrote me a letter right after when I graduated college.
42:48
And he just put a bunch of stuff in there. And one thing he told me,
42:53
which I do like, I go back and reread that letter like often.
42:58
And one thing he said to me in there, I'm probably going to reword it wrong, but it's like,
43:05
Pretty much like do something kind for, and this is something that has stuck
43:09
with me like forever, like since reading that, like do something kind for someone
43:15
once a day, even if it's just letting someone out in traffic,
43:20
just like be kind to someone.
43:22
Like we are all, we're all children of God and we're all on the earth.
43:27
Like we all have our own struggles and we're all just doing this day to day thing.
43:32
He was like, and if you just remember that, that like your days will like slow easily.
43:38
Wow. I love that.
43:41
That's some good advice. So I'm like, and every time I let someone out in traffic,
43:45
I'm like, oh, my granddaddy.
43:47
I'm kind today. I've done my one good day today. Now I'm going to cut the rest of these suckers off.
43:56
But I do, I feel like road rage is a real thing.
44:00
And the more you like just kind of exhale on the people who are,
44:06
you know, not as kind and, you know, it just makes you it affects no one but you.
44:13
Right. When you do the kind thing or when you don't yell back or honk or whatever it is.
44:19
So, yeah, I feel like we all could use a little more of that in the world right
44:22
now. Yeah, no. Yeah, for real.
44:26
Okay, so your last question. What is a like kitchen tool or like cookware or
44:33
something that you have in your kitchen that surprised you by how much you ended
44:37
up loving it after you got it?
44:40
Easy. Easy. An immersion blender.
44:45
Like I did not know that I needed one of those like my whole life.
44:50
And I got one, I think on like Black Friday last year or something.
44:54
And it, y'all better buckle up because whatever, whatever soup recipe we got
45:00
coming down the pipe, you know, for this, for the winter is going to include
45:05
an immersion blender. So y'all may want to go ahead and get it on Black Friday.
45:09
You know, like, I think I'm like, oh, my gosh, it's magic.
45:13
It just thickens everything up. It blends everything so well.
45:16
I've always had a hand mixer and I thought that was good enough.
45:19
So I don't I mean, I don't use it as often as I could.
45:25
But when I do use it, I'm so I love it. I will also say I will forever die on
45:30
the hill of a cheese grater because,
45:34
you know, We buy blocks of cheese and grate our own cheese. Have you never seen me talk about that?
45:40
It's like it's got a handle and you roll the handle. Oh, my gosh.
45:45
It is a game changer for cheese grating so you don't have to,
45:48
like, wear your arm out. Yes.
45:50
Yeah, you just, it's like you roll it and it comes out. My kids love to do it.
45:57
And my last one is a grape cutter. This is for you and you only.
46:02
A grape cutter. You know?
46:04
Because like this year Sarah Mason was like mom please stop cutting my grapes.
46:17
Those are three that I just like if if
46:20
it broke today baby Amazon would have one at my door tomorrow yeah so yeah those
46:28
immersion blenders are so nice I mean like I agree that's something we got for
46:34
one specific thing and then use it like we don't use it every day but like it,
46:41
you need it okay like this morning when
46:43
I was listening to your thing about you made the whipped feta
46:46
like use use it for the whipped blender because it it gets that feta so much
46:52
like smaller which makes the whole thing creamier you know anyway yes okay all
46:59
right anything else Are we wrapping it up here? I think that's all.
47:05
I think I have. Yeah, that was, this is a good one.
47:09
All right. Well, y'all, we are so glad to have Ann-Lauren with us today.
47:13
And I know you will resonate or you have resonated with a lot of what she said.
47:17
She's just a girl's girl living, living life like the rest of us.
47:20
And so we are so thankful to have had her on today. Thank you for coming on Say Grace Ann-Lauren.
47:28
Anytime. Fun to be here.
47:30
Music.