Get Fit in Your 40s

How Juliana Lost 23 Pounds and Got Her Energy Back

• Become Fit Forever • Season 2 • Episode 4

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Welcome back to Get Fit in Your 40s — the podcast that helps you lose fat without giving up your favorite foods, without spending hours in the gym, and all while easing perimenopause symptoms naturally.

If you're ready to feel strong, empowered, and energetic in your 40s and beyond — you’re in the right place.

💥 In today’s episode, we’re joined by Our bestie Juliana a mom of twins and a powerhouse who has been able to lose 23 lbs and not only that she gained her energy and confidence back..

We chat about:
✨ Her journey, from struggles to aha moments 
🏋️‍♀️ What systems and practices that helped her achieve her goals and how that it can help you as well

📞 Book a free call with us to kickstart your healing journey  

📥 Download your FREE guide: How to Optimize Hormones & Lose Body Fat in Perimenopause 

📲 Follow me on Instagram for daily tips, inspiration, and support → 


Doucky:

Welcome to another episode of Get Feeding Your Voice Podcast. I'm your host, Duki, and today we have a very special guest. She is one of the busiest person I know. She's a nurse practitioner and she's the mom of the coolest twins on the block. She's Juliana. She found BFF. method through other Jersey City moms. And I started our program with a feed in your 40s, which is our shorter program, four weeks. since then she has lost 23 pounds and she continues her journey with us. Welcome Juliana.

Juliana:

Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be here.

Doucky:

I'm very grateful because you are taking this time to be with us. I know how busy you are. And I think your next day off is in a month again. So she took this time to be sharing with us her journey. So let's just dive in. Let's set the picture for our besties. tell us a little bit about yourself, your relationship with food. if you thought about losing weight in the past, tell us

Juliana:

So I never had a bad relationship with food. My mom was a nutritionist, so we had healthy and well balanced foods growing up. growing up in Columbia, most people eat lasagna with rice. That did not happen in my house because my mom knew better. we do have a lot of diabetes in our family. So on both sides of the family. my mom was very overprotective about no sweets in the house. Like if you don't eat all your food, you don't get dessert, things like that. So that placed dessert and chocolate and sweets and treats in a high pedestal. So whenever I would go to a friend's house and they had a pantry full of sweets, it was like Willy Wonka land, perfect deliciousness. So that for me placed a high value on treats and it placed a high value whereas like If I don't finish my plate, then I can't have the Oreos. if I finish everything on my plate, then I can have chocolate or I can have ice cream or I can have this. it was funny because when I first met my husband, we would go out to restaurants with his family. They would never order dessert. My family would always order dessert. And so when I went with them for the first time, I'm like, My whole meal is missing. I did not have a meal because there was no dessert and they were used to not eating dessert. I got them used to eating dessert because I was like, no, we need to stop this. We need to order something.

Doucky:

So, but your mom had dessert or treats in the house or was like negative?

Juliana:

It was never there. The time. So we had it there. you had to finish your plate.

Doucky:

to have your dessert.

Juliana:

I wouldn't say I had a bad relationship with food, I honestly don't think I ever saw or heard my mom say that's going to get you fat or don't eat that.

Doucky:

was about the fear of getting diabetes,

Juliana:

you don't want to be diabetic. Your grandfather's diabetic, your grandmother's diabetic, your great grandfather, everyone's diabetic. So please don't eat the sweets because the sweets are going to get you diabetic.

Doucky:

We know

Juliana:

now that the lack of exercise plus the overindulgence in sweets, the overindulgence in the carbs is probably what led all of us and genetics to be diabetics,

Doucky:

Not just the sweets. yeah, that is one piece of the puzzle. Okay. So what about exercise? Were you in sports when you were a teenager? I know that you are from Colombia. So how was there? Let me see similar to my experience because I'm from Venezuela So we were talking about that Colombia, Venezuela kind of the same thing at one point. We were one country So tell me about your experience with exercise

Juliana:

No one in my house exercised my dad would go play golf with my brother. That was their only exercise over the weekend. My mom, my sister and I would cuddle under the covers and enjoy our time inside without the boys. And it was fantastic. But my parents never exercised. They did try to put us in, you know, tennis classes or different classes, but it was more for like, cause you need to learn how to do a sport. Right. Because you know, if you ever gonna. market or do something you need to know at least how to hit the ball, but it wasn't for sport or for health. It was more for like, you should know how to hit a ball, but that's about it.

Doucky:

Exactly Yeah, pretty similar to my experience. The only one who was into sports was my brother. He was in the swimming team Doing some martial arts, but it was really for people who had the free time as a hobby Actually, we're like, Oh, you have time to exercise. People could look at them like weird.

Juliana:

Where do you get all this extra time from? Because I don't have it. you have extra hours in the day that I don't because you get to exercise.

Doucky:

The priority was having a career, being at home, doing the chores and stuff like that, but never exercise for sure. Okay. So then you moved to Miami. Yes. How was that?

Juliana:

It was very nice. I loved Miami. I love my friends in Miami, but I hate the heat. And I didn't realize I hated the heat until I moved to New Jersey and didn't have the heat and I would not go back. I would stay in my house or in a building with an air conditioner. we lived in the south of Miami so we had horses growing up. they would literally put a mark on the wall anytime I would go down because they were like, Oh my God, she came outside.

Doucky:

Baring the weather,

Juliana:

I would never go outside, ever. Now, living in New Jersey, the first time I told my husband, Hey, let's walk to the park, he was looking at me like I was an alien. I would never tell him to walk anywhere. with now prioritizing my health, prioritizing movement throughout the day, a short walk to the grocery store, I got a few more steps in, I'm a little bit more active, that makes a difference in my health. Versus, let's drive to the store or let's drive to the park. No, we can walk there, we can, enjoy the

Doucky:

outside. Miami is pretty sedentary.

Juliana:

a lot,

Doucky:

Because of the heat and you have to drive everywhere.

Juliana:

no public transportation, the ones that there are is very minimal, so you're not walking anywhere.

Doucky:

So I lived in Miami for almost two years and we didn't own a car.

Juliana:

Oh my God, no wonder she's so fit because if you walk in Miami, You're going to sweat

Doucky:

I know.

Juliana:

pounds off.

Doucky:

We didn't own a car that is bizarre.

Juliana:

commitment.

Doucky:

My journey started when I moved to New Jersey. we didn't own a car I used to walk everywhere. I lived in Brickell and my work was in Coral Gable, so I used to take public transportation, but it was a pain. it doesn't exist.

Juliana:

Burkle is like one of the most walkable cities of them all. Yeah. Like at all in Miami. So thank God you were there because if not You would have been walking. sometimes there's not even sidewalks.

Doucky:

Brickell is like the downtown and then there is a metro that I used to take to Coral Gables, take the trolley, take the buses

Juliana:

But even those are not as efficient as the trains here in New Jersey.

Doucky:

you said, it's non, it's basically non existent. So I have to walk everywhere and the heat was terrible. I was sweating. I remember going to my office and just putting perfume, almost like showering again because it was really disgusting.

Juliana:

I refused

Doucky:

Yeah. So people are really sedentary. I did it for almost two years and then I moved here. I love walking. I think that is one of the reasons I stay here in Jersey City as well. Like just the walking everywhere. Okay, cool. So then you move to New Jersey and you have. twins. They are now four years old. I met Juliana when they were toddlers. They are the cutest. So, when did you decide that it was time for a change? Because your nutrition wasn't that crazy, that bad. So when did you decide that it was time to change,

Juliana:

the toddlers grew up. The toddlers started walking and running faster and jumping and playing and being boys and active as they should be. And I got more sedentary and it was hard for me, I want my kids to be at the playground but it was hard for me to run behind them and jump with them mommy play with me and it was like, wait a minute, mommy has to sit down because I'm short of breath and I was 31 years old, I should not be short of breath at 31 years old. I don't have asthma, there's no medical problem with me that I cannot run behind my kids, it was a lack of exercise, lack of mobility that made me more short of breath behind my kids. in my coaching call with Coach Cowsard, I told her, I just want to be able to run behind my kids. I don't know how much weight I want to lose, but I want to be able to run behind them and feel good. Like I'm going to beat them in the race because I'm competitive and I need to win. so that's how it started. And then little by little, it was.

Doucky:

I made

Juliana:

So it started becoming more and more important for me to do that. Also, working as a nurse practitioner, I would see the difference between the 60 year old patient that exercises and the 60 year old patient that does not exercise, I would see the difference in the medications that the 60 year old patient that exercises and the 60 year old patient that doesn't exercise take, One medication list is So, the other medication list is two, the other medication list is 15 meds. Those all have side effects, And so sometimes it's hard to manage and as a nurse practitioner, when it's staring you in the face, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, every other patient. It's blatantly obvious the type of patient you want to be. Do you want to be the one that says my knees hurt, my back hurts, I have 15 meds and this one makes me itchy and this one gives me that and I don't want to take this one. Do I really have to? Well, yes, you really have to. Your cholesterol is this, your sugar is this, you have diabetes, you have high blood pressure. Yes, you really should be on these things. Or do I want to be the one that says, yeah, I take my vitamins.

Doucky:

I

Juliana:

And I exercise in the morning and I do my yoga I have a patient with 60. She goes on a cruise every other week or every other month. I want to be like her, right? Because I want to be able to do all those cool and fun things when I'm that age and still run behind my kids or my grandkids at some point.

Doucky:

Exactly. So your I have moment was right on your face all the time. Yeah. I want to become this cool person who have mobility, who is active and who can run behind the kids. Yeah, who doesn't

Juliana:

have to take 15, 30 medications

Doucky:

Exactly.

Juliana:

to function.

Doucky:

I love that the weight loss wasn't your main goal. It was just a byproduct of the whole progress. So you decided it was time for a change. I need to be more active because I'm gasping for air and I'm in my thirties. This is not possible. What did you do? What was your plan?

Juliana:

So my plan was to eat healthy, right? As everyone is. So we tried to eat salads and then I realized that eating salads has a lot of hidden calories some salads have a thousand calories and you don't even know and you think it's going to make you skinny by just eating a salad at lunch. That wasn't the case. then I put 500 alarms to force myself to get out by 5 a. m. because the person that works out, works out at 5 a. m. and you have to do it. But I was unrealistic because I'm a mom of twins and at that point they were maybe two years old. Sometimes getting sick, not sleeping through the night, one would wake up at 1 a. then the other one would wake up at 2 a. m., then the one that woke up at 1 a. m. would wake up at 3 a. m. And it was unrealistic for me to be able to say, oh yeah, I'm gonna wake up at 5 a. m. No, it wasn't gonna happen. You know, the alarm rang and rang and snooze and snooze and snooze and I didn't get up. And I felt bad, right? I felt, Oh, you failed again. You didn't do it.

Doucky:

Exactly.

Juliana:

so then I found you guys through the Jersey City mom group. you guys were at an event and you gave like a free coaching and I was so upset that I did not win that free coaching that I said, forget it. I'm going to save for it. And so I saved and then I reached out and that's how I started with the program. Yes.

Doucky:

okay. So you decided to join the program. Juliana joined our, I could say the trial that is our shorter program is only four weeks. And in that program we help women like you to change their habits and started counting macros, right? So can you tell me your aha moments on those four weeks?

Juliana:

So the first one for sure was fix your breakfast. 30 grams of protein are non negotiable at breakfast. It has to be done and it will, help curb your cravings in the afternoon. So all that chocolate that I was craving that's my thing. Sweet tooth talking. I know it's not my sweet tooth talking. It was the lack of protein at breakfast. So just fix that. And then all that is fixed, It's not me trying to resist the urge. The urge is not there, so I don't have to resist anything. fix my breakfast and then get movement in. Right? So at the beginning I put the alarm, woke up, forced myself. I even told my husband like, when you hear the alarm, just push me, just push me out of Coach Coach Cousar knows this and it's a little embarrassing. I would go to sleep in my workout clothes so I didn't even have to change my clothes in the morning.

Doucky:

You know what? That is a great tip.

Juliana:

That's how bad it was. it was like the last things you have to do and you just go. So I would get up and go for a walk. The other thing that I did was I made it pleasant. I love to read. I love, love, love to read. So I would grab my

Doucky:

Kindle,

Juliana:

to the treadmill and then now I associate the walk on the treadmill at 5 a. m. with my favorite book. I love to read, so I'm going to do that. I want to know what happens in the story. I obviously cut the chapter short, so then the next day, I want to know what happened in the book. So I get up at 5 a. m. because I want to know what happened. Then I realized that that wasn't really working perfectly for me. so with Coach Calzar, I would talk and say, listen, it's just getting really hard to wake up at 5 a. when the kids are up at 1 Like, I just, I'm drained, right? She said, okay, this is too much for you. Let's adjust because with the program, you can adjust and talk and figure out what works for you versus what works for someone else. So we looked at my schedule throughout the day and realized that I have a one hour lunch break. It does not take me an hour to eat lunch. So I can eat lunch for 30 minutes and then go on a walk for 30 minutes. it has been the best aha realization. It is my favorite part of my day. When I get to go on my walk at first. My co workers were like, where is this one going? Like you're leaving? Okay. Bye now I got one more co worker and two more co workers now. It's like four or five of us going on a walk during lunchtime, we're like, all right, quick, finish your food. We're going to go for a walk. come on, let's go. And it's so much better now because it brought us closer together. We talk about different things that it's not about work related. We talk about life. Whereas in a busy healthcare facility, you don't have time to talk about life because you have a patient then another one, then another, everyone's ready at their appointment, waiting in the waiting room for you.

Doucky:

But

Juliana:

it was a perfect middle part of my day that

Doucky:

So you just gave three amazing tips for our listeners Number one. talk about how was your breakfast before and and how is it now by just finding a high protein breakfast? Really change the way you saw food Number two. Yeah, you can sleep on your workout clothes You can find your favorite book for some people that might work for you. Of course mom of twins That didn't work, but it is actually a really good tip. Number three, you made a community. you multiplied the effect to your community and also have accountability because if you don't want to go, now you have your besties. At work telling you, hello, we have to go for a work. And also a BFF tip that I'm gonna give you is that after eating your lunch is the best time to go for a walk because it helps you to regulate your blood sugar. So you are likely to have less cravings, you're gonna have more energy, you have a better mood, et cetera. Okay, so let's go back to your breakfast.

Juliana:

was

Doucky:

was your breakfast before joining the program so we can give some examples on how Easy is to just adjust because it's not about changing your personality or your whole life It's just about making little adjustments.

Juliana:

Yeah, and that's the biggest thing I learned from the program was making little adjustments because a big change is sometimes really hard, If you hate broccoli, it's hard to get you to eat broccoli, right? But if you love oatmeal, let's make your oatmeal a little better. Let's add some fruit to it or let's add protein right? Let's make it a healthier, heartier version that nourishes your body. for me breakfast used to look like Toast, sometimes an egg or two, no more than two because you're cholesterol, and now we know better. but it would look like cereal for breakfast, which had zero protein. So, little by little, we've made adjustments, and now I have the same breakfast Monday, Wednesday, Friday. My husband cooks it for me, and he already knows the portions, he measures it out, he has everything set up. He cooks it for me every morning, Tuesday, Thursday, it's the same breakfast. So I have variety.

Doucky:

what is it?

Juliana:

So Monday, Wednesday, Friday, we have protein oats and they are ready made he just has to warm it up, and it's delicious every single time. Tuesdays and Thursdays we have eggs with egg whites, lots of vegetables in those eggs. I have a side yogurt with lots of berries and fruits and a little bit of granola to balance out the carbs But it's the same thing and it's funny because one of my kids they were doing a Mother's Day card And they were asking like what is your mom's favorite? They said eggs Because they see me eat that every single morning.

Doucky:

exactly. So you also built a system for your family because with that big family, you need to do that. whereas before cereal is the quickest option, but maybe not the best for you. And then with that breakfast, how that did that change your day?

Juliana:

Oh my god, it gave me so much energy. The cravings for chocolate at 2 3 p. m. were so much less and manageable and I could actually say like, Well, do I really want chocolate or am I thirsty do I really want chocolate or am I tired? Do I really want chocolate or am I just over the day and eating my feelings? Well, no, that's not the case, right? With having a higher protein breakfast, I'm full. I'm satisfied all the way to lunch. I am not hangry. And if you know me, you know, I am a hangry person. Very, very hangry. So it kind of helped balance that where I could just focus on what I needed to do for the day. It turned all that noise away.

Doucky:

Okay. So what I'm hearing is that. Maybe for the first time in your life, you started listening to your body and yourself. Yeah, because I am hearing, you know, I'm out thirsty. Do I really want the chocolate? So you started making yourself those questions. Absolutely.

Juliana:

And that was all coaching from coach Kowsar because she was like, why do you have to have chocolate after your meal? And I'm like, because that's what you do. Right? She's like, no, ask yourself why. And I was like, Because I'm stressed. Because I'm anxious. Because I had a hard day. Because I'm tired and the kids woke up three to four times. Because the kids are sick. Because life happened and there was a bad thing that happened in the house. Or because my patients are driving me crazy. I'm eating my feelings. Exactly. And I don't

Doucky:

need to. Basically you started facing your feelings instead of coping. with the chocolate. I think humans are afraid of feeling. When humans are actually meant to feel and every time we feel sad or angry, we just cope either with food or Alcohol, shopping, social media is a big one, right?

Juliana:

You just scroll, scroll, scroll,

Doucky:

scroll

Juliana:

all the way.

Doucky:

You don't want to think about your issues, but listening to yourself, it wasn't that bad, right?

Juliana:

no, it seemed easy, but it was hard work. when I first started the program, I thought I had to do it perfectly, You gave me a recipe. I had to follow it and it had to be perfect. when I realized that the Kindle didn't work for me, waking up at 5 a. m. didn't work for me. We modified it. And guess what? We found what works. And then now, as I have progressed through the program, I started with the fit in your forties and now I'm part of the BFF method. So as I transitioned, we keep working on that. So now coach calls are when I have my coaching calls with her, okay, what's working well, my walks are a non negotiable. They happen every day. Rain, shine, snow, doesn't matter where it's freezing. I'm out and walking 30 minutes every single day on my lunch break. It happens. Well, okay, we need to add weights, right? Because we need to prevent sarcopenia. We need to prevent osteoporosis. We need to get strong. We need to bulk up. So, how are we going to get that done? Well, Saturdays and Sundays, I don't work. most Saturdays and Sundays I have the time. So, I would talk with my husband. Can you watch the kids? But then the kids are like, Mommy, I'm going to go with you. Mommy, I want to go with you. Mommy, I want to do it with you. And I said, okay, let's try. And so we started bringing the kids and I said, okay, well, you know, this is how you have to behave. This is mommy. Why are we, well, we're doing this so we can all be strong because we're going on a trip and we need to be able to lift the suitcases. The suitcases are heavy. Oh yeah, yeah. I'm going to take my suitcase. Yeah. You're going to take your suitcase and you're going to carry it. So you better lift heavy. So now on Saturdays and Sundays, we work out as a family. We all lift weights, all four of us. The kids have two pound weights and five pound weight. They're up to five pounds now that they're lifting by themselves. it's motivating because they see me and they go, you know, wait, it's a healthy habit that is building for them to seeing me exercising. That exercise as prioritizing on the weekend is a great example for them too.

Doucky:

I think I'm going to cry. Just imagining. Well, I have seen pictures, some videos of them super active and pushing you to go to the gym. So you have accountability in all your circles at work and at home. You have us too. So there is no possible, you have to move

Juliana:

Nicholas and Sebastian on Friday. they will go, mommy, tomorrow, can we do upper body? And then Sebastian will say, no, but I like lower body. And they have to pick a workout. So now they pick the workout from the app and they say, no, I want upper body, or I want lower body. And they want the little check mark, the little thumbs up at the end. They wait until it's up. So they know they completed their workout.

Doucky:

So you just gave them the best gift a parent can give to their kid.

Juliana:

Yeah,

Doucky:

Just the habit of working out just as natural as brushing your teeth. That's amazing. And what about eating? Are they eating the same food that you're eating? How is that?

Juliana:

that gets really busy as a mom, right? To have to meal prep for four adults. And sometimes on the coaching calls, we have other, BFFs. they will say, Oh, I have to cook something different for me and something different for the rest of the family. And that can be really cumbersome. No, you don't. Right. So I have always meal prep being a nurse. You take your food to work. Because you don't know when you're gonna eat. So I always used to meal prep. that was a habit already in place for me. The type of foods I'm cooking is different and smarter. So for example, I will cook all my lunches for the week, but then I will batch cook a lot of protein. So either a bunch of chicken or a bunch of ground turkey or ground beef or something like that. And then throughout the week we use that as our dinner, right? So my dinner is, my husband's and I's dinner is mostly a salad or some form of vegetables with that protein that we only have to warm up in the microwave. Very easy because at 5. 30am with two hungry boy, four year old, you need it as quick as possible very quick. You don't have time to stir the pot for an hour,

Doucky:

So

Juliana:

for them, I will do the same salad. I'll just break it up for them So if I put apples in my salad or whatever I separate it for them So they get more used to Eating a salad, we're still working on it. Nicholas is very proud when he eats a salad or very proud when he tries something new. We have a little song we sing every time we try a new food. it's just about trying. not about finishing your plate. And then they'll have the same protein that we have on their plate. And then they'll have other stuff, like if I have a protein we'll make pasta. I put a little extra pasta on because I know it's their favorite food, My plate has pasta for lunch, so I save it and eat it later, right? And we meal plan and it's takes away about like 50 percent of the decisions of the house, My breakfast is the same Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday, Thursday, My lunches are already made from Sunday, they're made throughout the week. What we're gonna have for dinner, half the dinner is made up already. So, there is no discussion of like, Babe, are you cooking or am I cooking? Who's cooking? Are you ordering? Are we ordering? No! You get home, warm it in the microwave, you have to make one side, that's it. Dinner for everyone. it's simple and it's easy, doesn't matter who's taking care of the kids that evening. Or if you have to stay to work late, doesn't matter who picked them up. Easy, put it in the microwave, 30 minutes. Breakfast or dinner is done.

Doucky:

Again, building systems that work for your family. with little kids. That's amazing. So it is possible. tell me a little bit about salads.

Juliana:

Because

Doucky:

you mentioned at the beginning of our interview that you thought just eating. salads was going to help you to lose the body fat or just being healthier. So what is your perspective now on eating salads?

Juliana:

I see it as fiber that's going to keep me full for longer, I see it as a way to introduce new foods to my kids, So if they're used to romaine lettuce, let's add spinach and see what they do, The leaf looks different. but let's see, when I build a salad, I don't see it as, okay, you're going to make me skinny. So I'm going to eat all of you and you're going to make me skinny. No, I see it as I'm adding half a salad to my plate because you keep me full and you don't make me hangry and you make me satisfied and I'm happy. We have movie night with pizza every Friday in our house. I have the slice of pizza and half a plate of salad. my husband's like, can I have some? No, this whole salad is mine. So you order your own. He's like, I'm seriously ordering two salads. Yes, you are seriously ordering two salads because I'm going to eat it all and it's delicious and I love it. And I'll still have my slice of pizza. I won't feel bad about the pizza. I feel full. I feel satisfied. All the way to dinner. I don't have to have a cookie or chocolate after dinner because I'm satisfied and happy.

Doucky:

Yeah. And probably you are building the salads differently than in Latin America. Yolanda is from Colombia. I'm from Venezuela. And in my country, salads wear lettuce, a big onion,

Juliana:

onion, cucumber. That's it.

Doucky:

and tomato with vinegar.

Juliana:

And the tomato was soggy.

Doucky:

Why?

Juliana:

I don't know.

Doucky:

Why was always soggy? Soggy.

Juliana:

I hate tomatoes. I still cannot eat a tomato because they are always soggy. I can't.

Doucky:

True. So that was your salad back in Colombia. now of course it's totally different and it was the

Juliana:

It's the symbol

Doucky:

of restriction. Now it's more like an addition to your meals just to get healthier.

Juliana:

So now the salad has romaine lettuce, arugula, spinach, mixed greens, kale. It'll have some walnuts because they're heart healthy

Doucky:

fat

Juliana:

that we need. to help build different parts of our body. We have some apples or some cranberries and then we have a small bit of dressing. It doesn't have to be schlopped in dressing because the salad, it

Doucky:

Okay.

Juliana:

No, it has to have the decent amount of dressing and that adds nutrition too, right? The vinegar adds nutrition too.

Doucky:

Yeah, so and um, tell me about your traditional foods

Juliana:

Arepas. Arepas. And we're not going to star the Colombian versus Venezuelan war.

Doucky:

Well, because it's Venezuelan, that's why we're not going to fight.

Juliana:

I hope no Colombians are listening, but I actually make Venezuelan arepas in my house,

Doucky:

Oh my, you see?

Juliana:

because they're delicious. They really are very yummy.

Doucky:

They are. Do you? I

Juliana:

them every Sunday,

Doucky:

Every Sunday you have arepas? Right. Excellent. What do you put inside?

Juliana:

actually we don't put them inside. We put them on the side. So we're not that Venezuelan, but we'll have them with eggs. and our eggs normally are scrambled with some vegetables in it or something. then we'll have an arepa. Before I needed to have an arepa the size of my head. Then I realized, it doesn't need to be the size of my head. I can have two small ones. Now, most of the time I'll have one, one and a half, depends on the size and how many grams it is. I don't need to have the one the size of my head. It can be a small one and it's still just as satisfying.

Doucky:

In my case it was more about the feeling of the arepa because arepa is like a corn bread, corn. pancake, like fat pancake maybe. I used to put just butter and cheese inside. I wanted to eat like four of those. when I realized and learned that, I have to increase my protein intake. I was like, okay. So I put one kind of tuna inside or a bunch of eggs.

Juliana:

That was one of my favorite recipes from the BFF app and from the reels and TikToks that you do because I realized, wait a minute, like if she's eating arepa and she looks like that, well, I can eat an arepa too. So then when you made it and the can of tuna, that was at the beginning before I was able to be comfortable with modifying things safely, to meet my macros. That was almost every dinner.

Doucky:

Yeah. For me, it's like a hug from my mom back in Venezuela. I love arepa.

Juliana:

Do

Doucky:

you need to quit your traditional foods to get healthier or to lose body

Juliana:

Absolutely not. We have pancakes on Saturdays too and the pancakes will now I realize why are my kids hangry? We had breakfast at 8 a. m. Why are they hungry at 1030 and asking for snacks

Doucky:

1030?

Juliana:

Well, because my pancakes didn't have any protein But guess what my pancakes now have two scoops of protein and they taste just the same Just as delicious kids love them. They are not hangry, which means I'm more calm peaceful and a better mom I'm not hangry either.

Doucky:

Mm hmm.

Juliana:

So we are both having a much better morning When we have pancakes on Saturday morning.

Doucky:

Of course So it's just about little things to add up to your favorite foods

Juliana:

foods. Absolutely.

Doucky:

now we're talking about relationships and how this change in your lifestyle has changed you So, being in BFF has changed your relationship with your husband, with your kids, just in general. I'm not saying that it was chaotic before. but with hormonal changes, your demanding job, tell me how, how is it now?

Juliana:

So before, when I was preparing for the interview, you sent me a few questions, to kind of think about what you were going to ask me. And last, yesterday, my parents came into town. We had babysitters, which is not common in my house to have babysitters So my husband said, let's go on a date night. date night before would be Give kids dinner eat dinner with the kids then go to a restaurant Have another dinner and order dessert because it's a non negotiable. You have to order dessert and have a few drinks, right? Last night We went and he's like, are you hungry? I'm not really hungry. And he's like, well, then let's go for a walk. I'm like, okay. So we started walking the boardwalk, by Newport.

Doucky:

Mm hmm,

Juliana:

So we walked the beautiful boardwalk that oversees Manhattan. So like all the beautiful high rises and we were going right when the sun was setting. We walked, for almost two hours and talked it was the best date night we've had in a very, very long time. There was no food involved, there was no alcohol involved, but he started asking me the questions you had sent

Doucky:

me,

Juliana:

and he was like, Wow, I'm learning so much about you by asking all these questions about how, like, this has been, become now so important to you, and how it's ingrained in who you are now. And because it's ingrained in who I am, it's easy. to do, right? So it's not a chore to get up and go exercise. It's not Oh, I have to do the weights on Saturday and Sunday. No, as a family, it's a habit. It's done. It's easy. It's simple. So as a mom, I'm more patient with my kids when I exercise in the morning. So now I want to exercise in the morning so that I'm more patient with them and more present with them in the morning before they go to school and they don't have a chaotic morning where everyone's running around. As a nurse practitioner, I have much better advice to give my patients. I'm able to tell my patients You need to eat 30 grams of protein at breakfast. Please stop not eating breakfast or just having coffee That's not enough. As a wife, We have become a better partnership whereas he understands how important this is to me and supports me in this and he's getting healthier because of it and sees the change that we've both made in our house. He supports me by baking my breakfast every single morning. with the measurements and the macros and the grams and measuring everything, that's true love when someone else is measuring your food for you. it has made me a better person.

Doucky:

Oh, that's so amazing. it has become your identity, I feel that you were another person now you're a better version of yourself.

Juliana:

And I want to emphasize that it doesn't mean that the other person was bad, right? The other person was good and happy. That other person, I was a very happy person before, right? But this change has added life to me. It added many, many more years because I'm healthier. So maybe I'll live to 90. I don't know, but I have that possibility now in a better way, in a healthier way, in a more fit way.

Doucky:

Exactly. And now you are multiplying again, the effects or what you learn in the program. So with your husband, with your kids, with your patients. So that is amazing. You are just spreading the healthy love.

Juliana:

Yeah, so I'm not longer putting the fear of diabetes into my kids. it's let's eat vegetables because they give you vitamins So you don't get sick. Let's eat protein because they make you strong and you want to be strong Let's eat carbs because they make you fast and you want to run fast behind your friends and you want to win the race And so that's the conversation at my dinner table It's no longer like you have to finish all that so that you can have the oreos No, the oreos are on their plate The protein's on the plate, the carbs are on the plate, the vegetables are on the plate, and they pick what they're gonna eat. And then they'll ask me, Mommy, what's in this? Oh, that has vitamins. Oh, Mommy, what's in this? Well, that has protein. Oh, so that makes me strong. Yeah, you're gonna be strong like Luisa in Encanto, in your favorite movie. when they grow up, they will have seen their mom exercise. They will have seen their dad exercise. They will know that this is normal. To make time for exercise is normal. It's now family time.

Doucky:

True.

Juliana:

It's special time that they get to spend with us at the gym.

Doucky:

And that is one of the important things that I see in your journey is that, I see some moms that struggle finding the time to work out because the kids are there, but you, including your kids. It's a great idea because they see you and they learn by seeing, not by you telling them, hey, you have to exercise. It's very hard,

Juliana:

with small children, it's very

Doucky:

hard

Juliana:

to put them in an environment they're not familiar with or don't touch that, that weight is too heavy, you're gonna fall, this is gonna fall on your head, you know, it's hard. But the more you do it, and you do it in small, and we didn't start with a 30 minute weight workout, we started with 15 minutes. And we said, okay, you have to give mom space because I have things that are in my hand that are very heavy, so you have to give mom space. So we each have a mat, you stay on your mat, I stay on mine, so we keep the space safe. Obviously, there were snacks involved. They had snacks. readily available. And they had other distractions, coloring things and whatever, that if they got bored, because it's the first time doing it, they had other things to do. But, you're going to give mom space, because it's important for me. I want to be strong for you. And, the day they broke the rule and they didn't give mom space, the workout ended for you. So dad takes them and I finish my workout and then the next day they're like, well I'm not gonna do that again because I want to work out with mom because mom is special. They're obsessed with me.

Doucky:

Of course. So they should, they should.

Juliana:

So then that's how I kind of slowly now we do a 30 minute workout with weights and they know they can have their snack Or they can sit there or they can participate. It's their choice But they give mom space.

Doucky:

it's like that for everyone too. in our program we have 10 minutes workout

Juliana:

and then

Doucky:

then we start increasing, just to avoid the boredom or, just to, emphasizing the consistency on the long term. That's the key. Okay, great. So what was your favorite part? of the program. You're still in the program because you continue to exercise, which is your main goal. what was your favorite part?

Juliana:

My favorite part is how customizable it is. If you tell your coach, this isn't working for me, I'm not waking up at 5am. Okay. Let's find a time where it is going to work for you together. I hate this lunch. I'm not eating tofu. I don't want to eat it. Okay. Let's find a food that works for you. I really want arepas. Okay. Ask coach Duki. Don't ask coach Calzar. So it's so customizable where like, I would tell her, Oh coach, I'm really craving this thing that my mom makes. Okay. Let me see the recipe. Let me see how I can tweak it so that it fits your macros. Oh coach, you know, I'm going on vacation okay. Let's figure it out. What time in your vacation are you going to get movement in? It doesn't have to be your same workout. what time are we going to do it? Plan for it with the coach. When you have someone planning with you, it makes it easier. It doesn't make it so overwhelming. my favorite part is that as your life changes, as my kids grow older, as life happens, as we have transitions and things happen in the house, Everything is customizable because you work together and you say this is working. This is not working. It's everything is working. Perfect. I love it. Don't change anything

Doucky:

Yeah. And that way it's sustainable, right? Because it's just made for you. It's not a cookie cutter program that you find in YouTube or in internet or they want your copy from your friend. This is Juliana's plan to succeed.

Juliana:

Yeah. And the same thing that works for me doesn't work for another person that is my same weight with my same height It doesn't work because they have a different lifestyle. Maybe they are more active, maybe they are less. So the fact that everything from the workout to the meals to the calls is customizable is what works.

Doucky:

Okay. After 23 pounds you lost after having this amazing routine, these systems built, what is next for you?

Juliana:

Maintaining and continuing to get stronger. So right now my focus is my 30 minute walks that make me happy now and they're not a chore. And then my workouts in the Saturday and Sunday with the family that make me happy because it's family time. And now slowly the last two months we've been building time for me, right? Because every mom needs time for herself. Every mom needs it and it's essential. And so because I was doing all the workouts with my co workers, with family on the weekends, I wasn't really having time for myself and that's an important recharge. So now I do wake up around 5, 530 and I'll do a 20 minute weight workout and then I'll read my favorite book for about 10 minutes. But it is such a game changer because now I'm proud of the fact that I woke up, whereas before it was so hard for me to wake up. My kids are older, they don't wake up in the middle of the night anymore. So a person that felt bad for not waking up at five a. m. And snoozing the alarms now is able to do that because your kids are older, right? So they sleep better. So I'm able to do that. I'm more proud. And so I'll do those workouts and then the meals. Now I know what my portion sizes look like. Now I know what my macros look like. there was a period a few months ago where I said, Coach, I'm tired of logging my macros. Okay, take a break. And I took a break. I didn't gain a pound. I didn't lose a pound. I maintained because I knew exactly what my portion size is. The systems were built where my breakfast was the same. My lunches were the same. The dinners were the same. I knew the portion sizes.

Doucky:

and I

Juliana:

Stopped the program, I guess. I stopped

Doucky:

Yeah, that is important to take a break sometimes and to trust what you learned through the program because sometimes we're afraid, You're not the same Juliana that started the program. what would you say to that Juliana, by the way,

Juliana:

I'm proud of you. I'm very proud of you.

Doucky:

Because

Juliana:

you built lots of good habits, lots of good things. I remember exactly a year ago, my dad got very, very sick and was in the intensive care in Columbia. And I had to fly, like I got a butterfly at 7 p. m. left at 11, landed there. And I said, Oh no, this was in the middle of my weight loss journey. I said, Oh no, like obviously my father's my priority, I will drop everything. What am I going to do with my meals? This is going to set me back, right? And it wasn't, because one text to Coach Calazar and she was like, don't worry, 30 grams of protein at breakfast and get what you need. Focus on your dad. That's it. at the hospital there was a little lake and I would pull my mom, Mom, let's go, let's go for a walk. What do you mean go for a walk? Like, I would never go for a walk. And I said, no, we just we need to step out. This is very stressful situation. We need to step out. I was craving my lunchtime walk. Let's Go for that walk. Come back. We're reset. We can deal with whatever news, they're gonna give us and it's been a year now my parents are walking to pick up my kids today while we record this. So it's a huge change and shift. Like I said, it's made me a better nurse practitioner, a better daughter because I've, given that gift to them, right? Where they see me doing it, my kids see me doing it, my coworkers see me doing it. now we have a healthier community all around because one BFF started walking and now everyone else has started walking. So we have a healthier community because of it.

Doucky:

My God, that decision is making you help all these people.

Juliana:

That's

Doucky:

I'm so proud of you Your program

Juliana:

is making you help all these people,

Doucky:

Thank you, but you took the action. So what would you tell our listeners, those moms who are really busy, who are on the fence trying to do everything themselves, but they don't see progress. They don't know where to start. What would you tell them to take action like you and multiply that effect?

Juliana:

Number one, get help because whenever you have a situation, you always find an expert. you could consider me an expert, right? I'm a nurse practitioner. I work in health care. I should know about this. But no one knows about this to the extent that a nutritionist knows about this, we only get a small lecture about nutrition and that's it. We don't get any more. It's lifestyle changes and then give them medications, give them this, give them that, if I tell you like, Oh, you need to modify your lifestyle. What does that mean as a patient, right? Well, you need to go on a walk. Lady, I'm so busy. What time do I have for a walk, right? And so as a mom, I would tell you, yes, life is busy. Just find 10 minutes for a walk. Start with 10 minutes. And that's how I started on my walks. I would go walk for 10 minutes and come back. Go walk for 15 a week later, then 20, then 30. Now I do 45 minute walks and it's easy, but just go for 10 minutes. Do not underestimate them, but just Find an expert, start. Start small and understand that you don't have to do it perfectly every time. You just have to keep doing it. Be consistent. If one day you did six, the next day you did ten, that is

Doucky:

progress. Excellent advice. Thank you so much, Juliana, for being here, sharing your journey and taking the time because we know that is so valuable to you and your patients. Thank you. I'm so proud of you.

Juliana:

Thank you for having me

Doucky:

thank you so much for listening to this amazing episode. If you want to start your journey like Juliana and you want to eat your traditional foods and multiply the effect of having a healthy lifestyle to your family, to your co workers like Juliana did, you just have to check the note and book your free one on one call with us. Thank you and see you in the next episode.

People on this episode

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Kausar

Host
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Doucky

Co-host