From Stuck & Exhausted to Running 5Ks at 47 (Without Crash Dieting)

🎙️ Welcome to Fit in Your 40s Podcast

What happens when the methods that used to work… stop working after 40?

In this episode, Connie shares how she went from feeling stuck, exhausted, and frustrated with her body to becoming stronger, more confident, and even running 5Ks — all without extreme dieting or over-exercising.

We talk about:

• Why weight loss feels harder in your 40s
• The biggest mindset shift that changed everything
• How focusing less on the scale led to better results
• The power of strength training, protein, and consistency
• And how she finally started working with her body instead of against it

If you’ve been feeling like nothing works anymore… this episode will change the way you see your journey.

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Transcript

Kausar 0:24

Welcome back to another episode of Get Fit in Your forties, the podcast where we bust fitness MITs and help women over 40 lose weight in perimenopause without giving up the foods they love or having to exercise endlessly. Today we have a very special guest, Ms. Connie. She joined the BFF program back in May of 2025. Starting with our four week challenge, after seeing incredible results, she decided to continue and she's now part of our VIP membership. She's a mom of two she works full-time in insurance and claims for 20 plus years, Today Connie's going to share not only what changed for her physically, but also her mindset shift that helped her get results. So make sure that you're listening to this episode, sharing it with your friends and family, and taking lots of notes. Welcome Connie.

Connie Zamora 1:18

Thank you for having me.

Kausar 1:19

We are so excited to be talking with you today. why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself,

Connie Zamora 1:24

Well, I am, 47. I'm gonna be 48 in a few weeks. I'm an Aquarius. I have a 22-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. so it's kind of like having two only children. That 18 year gap is quite unusual I think. I've just been, working most of my life time being a mom, trying to stay active and healthy, trying to, sustain all of those things to, commit to this second phase of motherhood.

Kausar 1:54

That's so beautiful. So what was that moment when you knew that I just can't keep doing this old ways anymore, and you had to decide to join a program?

Connie Zamora 2:05

I guess it would have to be late in, 2023. Really put simply, I saw pictures of myself during the holidays and I just did not like what I saw. I was very unhappy with it. and I just couldn't believe it, I just felt like I was stuck in a body that I was trying so desperately to change. And I think, you know, I was just trying to use strategies that worked when I was having to lose post baby weight in my twenties. I had my first daughter at 25. It was so much easier to lose that weight. And then in my thirties, you know. I wasn't ever really at my goal weight. I feel like now having gone through this program, I realize my goal weight's probably unsustainable for me. was always easier to at least get to a place that I felt, comfortable in my own skin and happy. The second time around, I was 43, I was also having a lot of different symptoms like, losing my hair and, the increase in belly fat was, something that I could not, do anything about. I was not treating myself very kindly, you know, being really hard on myself, being over restrictive, you know, stressing myself out, which now I know, probably added to the problem So it just clicked for me because at the same time I happened to be, seen BFF on Instagram and just all of the stories, Posts, they just spoke to me. I felt like they were really relatable to me. The women that were being featured, were women just like me, busy moms who were just tired of being stuck in that rut. And so for me it was just like, okay, maybe I'm just doing this wrong. Maybe I'm trying to do things that my body really isn't gonna respond to at this stage in my life.

Kausar 3:48

Yes. And that is so true'cause we talk to a lot of women on daily basis. That's like true for a lot of us, right? Like as soon as we hit the 40 40th number and then all these hormonal shifts, I love that you took action and also you had a pregnancy when you were 43. While dealing with hormonal shifts, it must have been very stressful and your body couldn't just bounced back immediately like you thought it

Connie Zamora 4:11

Right, right, right. I thought it would take longer for me to actually get pregnant at 43, but that was actually a plus indication that there was, something good happening, in terms of my body and my hormones and all of that, because I was able to do it so easily, which surprised me. But the bounce back was not happening.

Kausar 4:29

what surprised you most about your body once you stopped, that restrictive cycle?'cause I know you mentioned that you were doing some diets before you joined the BFF program. is there something that you realize that, okay, this is not gonna be working for me.'cause if I'm restricting, then I'm overeating and it's not helping me with my hormones.

Connie Zamora 4:48

I think the biggest change for me is this mindset that. Weight loss at my age was gonna have to be this arduous, uphill, challenging battle forever. That, I had to restrict heavily. I had to, Constantly be aware of the amount of food that I was eating, but also using food as a way to earn more food. to use movement in that way. The more movement I did, the more I ate thinking that it was a prize, a reward instead of, looking at food, which I think this program helped me do as fuel and not as a punishment or a reward, but just what my body, my life, my hormones need. To sustain itself. and I think that was sort of the biggest mind shift through the program is, how I looked at food, what food was really designed to do for me. And, now whenever I have a meal, I just know that what I'm doing is fueling myself for the activities of that day rather than, you know. Is it something that I should do? that kind of reward or punishment mentality that I had for so many years.

Kausar 5:56

Oh wow. And that actually leads me to my next question.'cause mindset is so huge. So you were in that all or maybe nothing mentality from time to time. Okay. I'm gonna eat some exercise, some and nothing works and I'm gonna just give up completely.

Connie Zamora 6:14

Right.

Kausar 6:14

And how did your mindset around aging and. Weight loss, changed after you entered the program and what were your aha moments,

Connie Zamora 6:24

Well, it was interesting because I joined the program initially to lose weight I wasn't losing a lot of weight with the program, to be honest. I think in total, in the last six months, I've only lost seven pounds. But I've lost four inches off my waist, which is huge, and I've lost three inches off my hips, which is also huge. So I think the mindset shift was this focus, this relentless focus on the scale victories and thinking that if. The scale didn't move enough that it meant failure and that. Was a total shift in thinking that the program helped me have, because instead of focusing, even still now when I do my coaching calls, we never focus on the number I do take the progress photos, I do weigh myself, I do all the measurements, but we're never discussing that. We're discussing my new goals, which, you know, through the program, I've discovered and achieved that. These strategies that I've learned have helped me be stronger and have more endurance or learning to respect and, appreciate the things my body can do. And the biggest thing that it's revealed for me is that I'm a runner and I have never been a runner. I never thought I would be a runner, but in October of last year, I did my first 5K and I have three more runs set for this year. And every time I think about it, it just seems so incredible that that is where this journey has brought me.'cause I never thought that I would be that person and I feel so much stronger. I feel so much, more capable You get into your forties and then things just have to stop, is totally, absolutely wrong.

Kausar 8:05

Oh my God, I just got chills when you're talking about your running. That is incredible. I know Duke has been your primary coach and she tells me the stories and they see your pictures. truly an incredible accomplishment Six, seven months, right? Like you started in May of 2025 and it's not even a year yet, and your accomplishments have been huge. You did mention something about scale, So that has not been your main focus versus your inches and how you see your progress anymore. Even smallest thing not feeling fatigued and your sleep is feeling better and you're fitting into your clothes better.

Connie Zamora 8:42

Right.

Kausar 8:42

how did like strength training and the kind of program that was given to you help you accomplish that?

Connie Zamora 8:49

I think it just made my body stronger. My body was built to do the harder things, right? Like, you know, I recently experienced because of the heavy rains, I slipped and fell on the porch and I actually braced myself with my hands and I got a little, tendonitis in my thumb, but I felt like. Six months ago, I probably would've had a much more severe injury. But the fact that I was able to use my arms, in a way to brace my fall, to have that strength, that muscle strength to be able to do that, I thought that was a game changer for me. doing the strategies that's gonna help me go into my fifties, my sixties, my seventies in a healthy way for my child, but also for me, at first it was, you know, I just wanna be able to have the energy to chase a 4-year-old around in my forties. But now it's beyond that. I can do so much more than just chase my kid around. You know, like I've just gained so much more confidence in what my body can do, and it's not even about heavy lifting. It's not even about, competing with the next person beside me at the gym. It's really just loving what my body can do at this stage in my life. Really that strength training has brought that for me because when I first started at five pound weights, then at 10 pound weights, and then when I got up to 20 pound weights, it just seems so unfathomable that I could even hold weights that heavy and to now know that my body can do that, just, it empowers you in so many other ways. you feel like anything is possible.

Kausar 10:22

That's, that is just incredible. And so are you still feeling some of the symptoms of perimenopause How are your. the hormonal shifts been contained since you have been, very active and lifting weights and doing your running program.

Connie Zamora 10:36

The biggest change I've noticed is that honestly, I can't even tell when I am going to be on my period, because it's usually before it was, you know, I was moody, I was tired, feeling run down. I had all of the. PMS feels, and now it's like I have to check my app, That helps me regulate because I'm like, oh, when am I supposed to have my period? Because I'm just so, even hormonally throughout the month, and I think that is from. balancing out my macros, eating those balanced meals, doing the strength training, adding the cardio, the running came out of the idea that maybe I needed to up my cardio because of the slow. Scale victories I was experiencing. So I was like, you know, maybe I'll just do a little bit more cardio than I'm used to. Not just walking. Maybe I'll start with light jogging. And then I started this couch to 5K program It ended up being one of those things where I was like, okay, well I'm running for five minutes at a time. Let's see if I can run for nine minutes at a time. Let's see if I can run for 15 minutes at a time. Oh, let me see what I can do my first 5K, and then it went from there. so I mean, all of that in a really roundabout way is just to say that. Hormonally. I've just been more even than I ever have. sleep is better. I feel like, I'm not losing as much hair. My skin feels better naturally. I've never really liked to wear makeup, so I feel like I haven't needed to do a lot of that, in the last six months. so it's all kind of just clicking for me right now in that regard.

Kausar 12:05

you have crossed that bridge and now you're with this positive mindset and you saw all beautiful things that came with the strength training and not only strength training, more like a progressive overload, that is something that we're very big on, right? Like you don't just lift five pounds for the rest of your life. You go a little bit more, and a little bit more until you've built that strength and that endurance. Let's talk a little bit about food. I know besties who talk to me throughout the day with the They tell me that get intimidated by the macros. Get intimidated by, putting food on the scale. and I always tell them, it's just a tool. It's not a lifestyle. You use it just for a short period of time to get to that next goal, and then you maintain. What were your thoughts before? During and now about tracking your food. What kind of knowledge have you received through this journey?

Connie Zamora 12:54

The biggest takeaway I think I have is that you are probably eating more than you realize. You need to start with tracking just to understand what a serving is.'cause a lot of people really think they know, but they have no idea, especially with things that are good for you, like walnuts and avocado. Like I just thought I could, you know, eat tons of that and there would never really be Any consequence, but when I really started to track it, I was like, whoa, I am eating way too much of those. No wonder good food, but high calorie, high fat, I think now I know what a good portion just eyeballing it, what a good portion of avocado is for a meal, what a good portion of walnuts are And I found that out through the program. And I say that to mean that a lot of people think, oh, I don't need to count calories because. I know how much this is, I know how much that is, and I'm kind of eyeballing it the whole way. But you don't, you can't really know that until you start tracking to get a baseline and then it starts to all click. Oh, yes. that's the reason why that wasn't successful, you know, especially eating out. What I loved about the program was, the Eating Out that you guys give. I really looked at that a lot because I did travel a lot for work for some time, and I was always doing these eating out trips with the family you have busy days but making smarter choices there and still being able to add that to everything else you eat. And it is not a, all or nothing approach. Like just because I had one meal out doesn't mean I ruined my whole day of tracking, you know, I can track around it. so that was another big takeaway that I could still enjoy meals out. And be successful and still have that idea of balanced, eating. the other takeaway I had was, that I don't need to be overly restrictive. In fact, right now we've increased my calories because I've been doing so much work and sometimes struggling meeting the, the new goals because it feels like a lot of food and I'm still achieving success and it's all amazing. Like I love being able to eat more and still lose weight.

Kausar 15:05

Oh my gosh, that is so incredible. You know, through my own journey of losing 35 pounds, I realized that, for women the idea of restricting not eating, eat less, cut this, these negative words are. So harsh and it doesn't work. if you want your results to be sustainable, these negative synonym, they just don't work because then you just give up cause it's too restrictive. So what I enjoyed about, implementing BF method is that freedom, right? That you have X amount of carbs, you can fill it with whatever you want. can have your ice cream and you can log it and you move on. So I love that you shed light on that. I appreciate that. so what is that one small change you didn't expect to make such a big difference in your journey?

Connie Zamora 15:52

I would say the amount of protein that I eat, everybody's talking about it. Protein, protein, protein. I think true. The more protein you put in your body, the more your body responds. for me it hasn't been really a struggle to find that extra protein because I was always naturally drawn to. plainer foods. I'm kind of a plain eater, so, I I think it is one of the smallest changes and it's been. So incredible. I can feel the boost in energy. I don't have any cravings. The breakfast protein is really the game changer for me every day. I cannot walk out of the house without having a high protein breakfast with coffee to follow. I don't. Drink coffee now on an empty stomach because I know how it makes me feel. It makes me jittery. It, increases my stress. So now I've, learned to have a protein, breakfast that fuels me for. The better part of the day, I can go four or five hours after that without having to need a meal. I'll eat lunch, but it doesn't feel like I'm starving by the time the lunch hour comes and I don't feel drained.

Kausar 17:05

Honestly, we don't think of it as such a big thing, but it's so key. Out of all the macronutrients, protein is just the king, with so many benefits for women in perimenopause. so how has this journey affected your relationships with your family, your work, your relationship with yourself?

Connie Zamora 17:26

Well, it's boosted my confidence tremendously. I think one of the biggest indicators of that is as soon as I started seeing the progress I wanted to see. I dyed my hair blonde. I've never been a blonde. I just wanted that Outward expression to match how I felt inside, I was just always a brunette I'm 47, I've been a brunette for 47 years, and then after this program I had so much success, I was like, oh, I'm gonna have a little bit more fun because I've got more confidence. So yeah, there's that. But the other big thing that has happened is that it's, inspired my husband.

Kausar 18:01

Nice.

Connie Zamora 18:02

he's been so supportive of me and he was the one that was taking my progress photos for me, Was blown away by my results and it motivated him, inspired him to get his own coach and to be on his own journey, and he's doing that now and he's seen his own results and it is so nice. To have a partner on this journey, somebody who will count macros with me, who will meal prep with me, who will understand the importance of me getting my movement in'cause he has to get his movement in. So it's been a really good, way for us to connect and grow as partners. And then I will also say that, it's given me more energy and patience around my 4-year-old,'cause when you're not at a hundred percent, you're not giving a hundred percent. And so, not to suggest that I'm at a hundred percent every day, I'm not. But it's giving me more fuel to achieve that on most days it sparked me to be intentional with my other family members, my sister, my brother. We're all very close. to just feel like, I'm empowered to be here for the long term and connect more deeply with everyone around me,

Kausar 19:13

Oh my God. That is literally, so beautiful.

Connie Zamora 19:16

Now my husband can't use that as an excuse. Oh, it must be that time of the month. No, You don't know that anymore. I'm just upset right now.

Kausar 19:23

I really love that. Amazing. so if you could speak to the version of yourself who felt stuck, overwhelmed, and exhausted, what would you tell her?

Connie Zamora 19:33

I would tell her that you need to not necessarily silence that inner critic, but listen to it. Don't take it that seriously. Basically just say, okay, that's what you wanna say right now, but I think you're wrong and I think I can do this thing. It's gonna be hard. and you're gonna probably feel like you're failing, but you can do it and you're going to love the results and you're gonna have no regrets. And you just have to understand and appreciate that the goal is not perfection, It's just progress and showing up for yourself every day.

Kausar 20:14

Oh, I love that. And last but not least, what would you say to a woman over 40 is on the fence about starting their journey?

Connie Zamora 20:23

Try to understand your why. Have a goal in mind, what your purpose is, why you're doing it. Always keep it in mind, but always remember that it's about progress and consistency and showing up for yourself rather than being perfect. If you don't feel like doing something one day, then maybe try replacing it with something smaller, right? small and effective, I think is the name of the game. Break whatever your goal into smaller parts. And then if you know you can't do that one thing today, Then maybe switch it to something smaller that feels more achievable and call that a victory. as long as I'm doing something, as long as I'm showing up for myself in some way I'm still making some progress. And I would say for most women in their forties that think they're stuck and that there's no way up. Everything is downhill. I would say absolutely not. it is not, set in stone that once you reach your forties everything goes downhill. In fact, I think just the opposite. I think at any age you have to consider it. a different season of your life rather than, trying to come up with a perfect strategy, just come up with a more effective strategy for the time that you're in for that season of your life. and I feel like having someone there. To, talk to about the goals that you wanna achieve or, you know, keeping you on track when you don't feel like keeping yourself on track is key. what I find very, effective about the program is the that you get. Not just with the coaches but from the participants. everyone else is going through the same thing and they are supportive. The accountability, the friendship, the connection, the understanding and insight that the coaches give you and that the other participants give you, I think is well worth. whatever time, money, and effort you're spending, to be part of the program. I think that was just the thing that clicked for me when I started is, you know, I've been trying to do this on my own for so long, and maybe that's not working anymore, so let's try something new. And it worked out so well for me.

Kausar 22:40

Oh, that is so incredible. We're so proud of you, Connie. You have come a long way and I'm so looking forward to our audience to listen or watch, on YouTube and get inspired. feeling good about getting started. With their weight loss journey at any age. Just because you crossed that road into forties, that doesn't mean that you give up on yourself, on your body, or on your dreams. Thank you so much, Connie. Thank you for being here

Connie Zamora 23:07

I had a lot of fun. Great talking to you.

Kausar 23:09

if you love this episode, make sure to follow us on Apple Podcast or Spotify or YouTube podcast. Please make sure to check out our Instagram at Become Fit Forever or check out our website BFF Zone. In the show notes you can also find a link to book a call with us to learn more about how we can help you. I'll see you guys in the next episode.