Episode - The Right Mind Set with Esta McIntyre

Author, Coach, Speaker, Fitness & Nutrition Specialist

Hi, I’m Esta McIntyre, sexagenarian, food lover and non-enthusiastic exerciser.  I’ve spent most of my adult life searching for the answer to an age-old question:  Why can’t I eat what I want and not gain weight?  So, what is someone like me doing in a fitness career?  I found out that getting strong and healthy is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.  In my quest to be a normal weight, I embarked upon many programs that would be the “last program I’d ever need to do” (or so they claimed).  The result was losing and gaining over 50 pounds five times over my adult life.  I never gave up and I discovered some basic premises that might make sense to you. I’m absolutely committed to helping others to find their “Custom Fitness Blueprint.”

www.estamcintyre.com

Fitness For Women
Who Love To Eat
And Hate To Move

With a sense of humor and a touch of common sense, Esta McIntyre weaves reflections of childhood experiences with traces of science resulting in a prescription for overcoming the challenges associated with aging gracefully in a one-size-fits-all society. While this book was written with sexagenarian women in mind, it provides a valuable framework for overcoming obstacles to readers of all backgrounds and ages.  This not a weight loss book, nor is it a nutrition guide.  It's about finding sustainable methods for staying healthy through the aging process while keeping a sense of humor.

Full Transcript 

Roy (00:02):

Hello, and welcome to another episode of feeding fatty podcast. I'm Roy. I’m Terry. You can find us at www.feedingfatty.com. We would love your feedback for professionals out there, or for those that have struggled and lost some weight. We would love to hear from you today. Uh, you know, this show is mostly about, uh, mine and Terry's journey. We talk a lot about our ups and downs about cooking exercise, kind of what's going on in our world. But as we've said, we, we do want to bring guests to our show to help spread the wealth of information that's out there to help everyone. So today we are very fortunate to have Esta McIntyre with us.

Terry (00:47):

Yes, Esta is a fitness guru and nutritionist, and all things. She just recently released a book called fitness for women who love to eat and hate to move, and that was released in August. So we wanted to have her on here to discuss that. It's not just for women she can talk about everybody. Esta, we are so proud to have you here and very honored.

Esta (01:25):

Well, thank you for having me. Thank you.

Roy (01:30):

New. Uh, do you want to start by telling us a little bit about your journey and kind of how, um, you know, what made you write this book or, you know, kind of how you got into the fitness and nutrition area?

Esta (01:44):

Sure, sure. Well, you know, I am the product of two clinically obese parents. I don't know if anyone else can relate to that. And I always say I just have some pretty poor gene, you know, um, my dad was up a hundred down, a hundred up a hundred down a hundred pounds. And so, um, and he died young. He died at the age of 58, uh, 58. And my mom was very similar, probably a few less pounds than my dad, but she also struggled with her weight. So I myself have gained and lost over 60 pounds, five times in my adult life. And yeah, and, and every time I felt myself getting closer to that hundred pounds, um, I would get it together somehow and find some quick fix and I'll get into that in a minute to just help me get that weight back off. So, um, the last time I lost the weight I did, what any self-respecting would would do. I walked into a plastic surgeon's office and I said, I want you to suck it out. Oh yeah. Right. Because like everybody, I got tired of fighting that battle. I just wanted some, some way to get, get the job done and not have to go through that process. And we all know that.

Roy (03:18):

Yeah. And you know, I'm just going to say, we talked a little bit about that on one of our previous episodes is you really have to, if you're overweight, you really have to sit down and get a pencil and paper and think about how we put weight on. And, and I always speak, uh, I will speak to me because I'm very impatient. I've made up my mind. I want to eat, right. I want to exercise. I'm ready to lose some weight. And then, you know, it just comes off with the trickle, but I know that's the healthiest and I know that's what we strive for. But if you think about how we put weight on, for me, uh, you know, we went to the grocery store and we, you know, read the labels. So what happens is we look at, uh, you know, on the way home from the grocery store, we probably, I would have probably had a candy bar and a bag of chips coming home.

Roy (04:13):

And we think about, well, you know, I don't know what that, what exactly that would be, but probably 1,012 hundred calories, just in a snack on the way home. And so, you know, what is it, a thousand calories of extra a day we'll put on two pounds a week. That's easy to do. I mean, I can eat some pizza, some pasta, some bread. It's not a problem for me. The hard part though, is when you think about just to lose one stinkin pound a week, we have to cut 500 galleries off or have a 500 calorie shift with cutting the calories or exercise or some combination. It's tough. I mean, it's very tough and coming into this this time, because I'm like you, there's been times over my adult life that, you know, I've gained and lost 50 pounds or more probably a few times. But this time I took a different approach and said, I'm going to be happy if I just move one pound. If I can lose one pound a week and not get crazy and, you know, shoot for two, three, four, and get discouraged and quit. So it's, it's a definite mindset change that I think people have to really look at hard

Esta (05:29):

There, there's no doubt about that, but you know, you have to, you have to get to that point where you're able to flip that switch in your mind. And, you know, I, I talk about the, um, the phases of decision making and it applies those days. Those phases apply to every kind of decision that we make, but when it comes to food, especially, uh, there, there are a couple of things that are number one, food is very emotional. Some food is very addictive, not just psychologically, but physiologically like sugar, for example. And the other thing about this whole calories in and calories out concept is that we all assimilate calories differently. One from the other. So some people may have, you know, if I, if it's the calories in calories out model, always work and calories are important, but if it always works, I'd have been back to my birth weight by now, I did that for so many years.

Esta (06:37):

Some people are insulin resistant, some people are carbohydrate resistant. So in some people we have to tweak those macronutrients until we get it right for who they are, you know, but, but so I struggled with it. And when I went to that plastic surgeon, he thank goodness. He was a conservative man in his industry because he told me that I was too fat basically to get any surgery that I wouldn't be happy and I need to go away and lose some weight and come back later. You know, you know, the thing about that is when, when a surgeon who can make thousands and thousands of dollars on a procedure sends you a way that you have a pretty deep problem.

Roy (07:31):

Exactly. Exactly. And I had had some, uh, I had had some surgery years ago and I, uh, developed a hernia in my stomach. And so when I had gone back at the, um, they were at the time he was concerned about my weight, but since I carried it low, he said, it's all right. The anesthesiologist was concerned if I would have carried it high, but he said, I'll tell you what I'll do. He said, I'll give you $25,000 worth of advice. And he actually wrote out a prescription and he said, I think it was eat, uh, four tablespoons of food three times a day, you know, kind of like, that's what they did for bariatric back in the day. But again, the problem is that if you don't for me, if I don't change my mindset, that worked awesome. And I, you know, I did it for about a year, lost a lot of weight. It's very unhealthy, you know, I was drained all the time, but anyway, the real problem was not changing the mindset and wanting to do things different.

Esta (08:35):

Right. Well, I hadn't changed my mind back in those days when I told me to go home. And in fact, I thought, well, I will show you, I'm going to lose that weight. And I did it back then using you, you remember fenfin? So that was, yeah, that was the drug back then he was center mean and fenfluramine, and one was an upper and one was the downer. And quite frankly, I thought it was a miracle drug. You know, it, I didn't have to, I, I, I took it and I didn't have to think about food. And it was just easy peasy until they took fenfluramine off the market, because it was, it was causing severe heart problems in people. And yeah. And this shows you how off date my thinking was because I had lost my weight before it was taken off the market. And I thought, well, thank God. I found that stuff before they took it off the market, not, Oh gosh, what if I have a heart attack? I didn't think any of that. I just thought I'm so glad I found it before. Now that it's, that's not incorrect thinking, I don't know what it is.

Esta (09:56):

Yeah. I'm one of the lucky ones. And I am one of the lucky ones in that I had no heart damage from it. So, um, I am one of the lucky ones in that respect, but I knew, I knew that in my heart of hearts that a drug was not my ticket. And so, so the, so I asked the surgeon to give me names of two doctors who may be able to help me, or, you know, dieticians who might be able to help me to get this taken care of. And, uh, he gave her the name of two doctors. One doctor was the person who had given me the Benson. I, I immediately discounted him. And then the second one was a chiropractor in town. He's not practicing here any longer, but he just had a favorable carbohydrate, you know, food program and with accountability.

Esta (10:53):

So you weigh in once a week and, and find that was it. I was not in fitness at the time I was in corporate America, sitting at a desk and I went to the local big box gym, which I hated. I hated every second of it, you know? And, um, and we became friends with the chiropractor and his wife and belong in the short of it is he, he said, I have a friend. He was trainer to the stars and, and he'll see you for free. And I thought, Oh my gosh, if he's trainer to the stars, I can't afford them. And I'm not going, you know, but I did go on. And the only place he would meet with me was that the local tennis club dairy expensive tennis club. And so I met with him. His undergrad degree is in exercise physiology, but his master's and subsequent doctorate are in psychology.

Esta (11:48):

And so while he had me on this equipment, he was also kind of in my head, you know? And, um, and when we were done with this session, I knew that he was different. And I said, I'm interested in your services. Can you please tell me your fee? And he said, why don't you come back? And I reluctantly left and reluctantly came back and went through another session with him. And he said, the same thing is he, um, um, I said, can you please tell me your fee? And he said, why don't you come back? And now I'm a, I'm a New York girl, little New York girl raised in the housing project in New York city. And if you don't tell me what you cost, I'm not coming back.

Esta (12:40):

And, um, but at the end of the day, I, I paid a lot of money. He and I had to join that tennis club. And yes, but you know what? And I immediately had buyer's remorse because I, you know, again, I had that housing project mentality. And, um, and so I went through my closet. By that point, I had lost a lot of weight and I started selling clothing on eBay and I went from zero to $300. And then before you knew it, I would go to Ross and TJ Maxx and Marshall's and buy things. And if they didn't sell, I returned them. But that's how I paid for him for two and a half years. And it changed my life. Oh, wow. That's amazing. Yeah. I mean, it, it changed my life and I, and I was still in, in corporate America sitting at a desk. And at some point he said to me that it was time for me to pay it forward. And I said, what does that mean? What do you mean pay it forward? And he thought I would be very good at what I do today and what I've chosen as my retirement career. And I went back to school and at the age of 50 and cause now I'm 65. Wow. So there you go. You are right now

Terry (14:16):

To have somebody like that, you know, just kind of take you under his wing and know that you are one of the ones. Oh my gosh, that's amazing.

Esta (14:29):

And you know, what I, what I realized was the whole time that he was giving me these three sessions, I thought as cocky as I was that I was evaluating him, but not, not. So he was evaluating me because he never took on clients. Um, unless he thought they would, they would, that they could be successful. You know, he never took them on or that, or any, he would not take on anyone. He thought would waste his time. Right. How interesting is that is really cool. So I wasn't evaluating him, but rather being evaluated, you kind of did a double-take there, right?

Roy (15:14):

Like right a man at

Esta (15:17):

Exactly. And so my philosophy in all of this is, and the reason I broke the book is because even to this day, when left to my own devices, I am completely unreliable when it comes to doing the right thing with food and movement. I love my food and I, and I don't love exercise. So to be right,

Roy (15:50):

Right. Yeah. I mean, you know, and I guess I'm the same way I'll speak for me, but I love food. It's the texture, the taste. And, you know, being from the South, everything, it's emotional, everything revolves around it that, you know, when you you've had a bad day, it's all, let's go get something to eat. You'll feel better. It's like, Oh my gosh, everything went awesome. Let's go celebrate. Or, you know, you know, when you

Esta (16:17):

Just in the South,

Roy (16:19):

That's international, you know, just when, when I'm TA I think what really hurt me the last 10 years is I got to be when I would get tired and extremely, um, not necessarily, uh, stressed from typical stress, like word problems. But when my body became stressed, because it was so tired, that's when I would reach for food, you know, all through the afternoon and into the evening, you know, working late and things like that. And it just, uh, and then it's perpetual because you do that. And then you don't feel like going to work out and, you know, having a job and working all day, we have to push ourselves to go to that gym in the evening, or to get out, walk around the neighborhood or our something. It's just, so if, if I didn't have anything to do all day, except to worry about exercise, I love it. I mean, I love to go to the gym, love to sweat, love to do all the stuff, but, you know, I can spend two or three hours there if I'm not careful. So, you know, being mindful of all of that. But anyways, I think the other thing is just that cycle you get into when you eat and you start feeling bad, and then it's like, I don't even feel like going to the gym.

Esta (17:37):

Well, you know, the aging process in and of itself is not for sissys, you know, losing process, take away everything else. Uh, the age of the aging process can be rough. Um, so for each human, it really is about finding sustainable method for staying healthy through the aging process. Um, and be able to keep your sense of humor about the whole thing. You know,

Roy (18:09):

I'll lose mine quickly because I'm quiet, but between my mother and my kids and, and Terry, you know, when I'm, I picture myself as my 26, 28 year old self, and that's just who I am, and then they know they not so gently remind me that, Hey, you know, you're pushing 60, so maybe you shouldn't be doing that anymore. Oh, I never said that. Yeah.

Esta (18:34):

Yeah. That, that's, that's where I specialize with my clients, because we all feel as though we, we are able to do those, uh, boot camps or, you know, why, why, why we should, why shouldn't we do burping or whatever the case may be, you know, and for many years I had this vision in my head and, uh, about what I, how I should look. Um, but it wasn't really a vision. It was a delusion if I think about it, right? Because in my mind I imagined a taller, it's a sleeker version of Esta, but in reality, I'm a five foot, two woman with a big personality and big hips know,

Roy (19:27):

And even being as big as I am. And, um, but I don't picture the only time I really picture that is when I have to put dress clothes on and they choke the life out of me, then it's like, you have a realization, but for the most part, you know, if I'm around the house, got my, you know, my gym shorts and a tee shirt on, I do not think about myself as a big person. I just, I just don't, I don't feel that, but in reality, I know that I am,

Esta (19:59):

But I think that, I think in my, in my research, that is the biggest difference between men and women in this, because women are always feeling too big. Yes. Does this make me look fat? Is this, you know, you know, that age, old question, do these pants make you affect something, then don't feel as big as they might really be. And so that's the biggest difference in, uh, in my, not only my research, but in the people that I, with whom I work, you know, and the question then becomes, how do we reconcile with what we are versus what we believe we should be? And each of them is cut from such a custom cost that we require uniquely excluded solutions. There's no one fitness regimen that I believe. I believe that that is works for everyone, you know? And that's why assembling a team that can weed you to quote the promised land is so important,

Roy (21:11):

Right? Yeah, you are correct. And I think, uh, you know, it's not only the, the right designation after their name, but I think it's somebody that you actually can get along with and respect and not feel, uh, don't have hard feelings against, but,

Esta (21:30):

And can I ask the questions, the hard questions, right, right, right. You have to connect, you have to connect with your team. And that's why I say in the book, each of us will have a different team for me, there's a lot of restorative work and a lot of regeneration and recovery work. So there's massage therapy there. You know, there are, I do, you know, I got an acupuncturist there. I also have a fitness coach. I have occasionally I see a therapist if you know, or hypnotherapy or whatever, whatever each of us a need, that's what we should do, but you may not require them. We might not, even my husband, doesn't like miss boss therapy. So I love it. I know me too, each of us.

Roy (22:25):

Yeah. I'm a little bit freaked out by it too. Yeah.

Esta (22:27):

He's not interested. So what does that, what does that tell us? It tells us that getting strong and healthy is not a one size fits all proposition.

Roy (22:41):

You know, we had a little place that opened up that we got a free trial to and went that I just loved. It was a stretching. And I don't remember the, the name of it, but basically they had a, like a physical therapist that would lay you on a table and stretch you all.

Esta (23:02):

That's why we have that inhale that my health. It's amazing.

Roy (23:08):

So how important is that overall

Esta (23:13):

Red bull. Okay. Because we important fall rolling. We forget, we all forget about, you know, we're so busy lifting weights and getting our cardio and doing all of that. We forget about the recovery and regeneration process.

Roy (23:28):

Right. Right. Because it, uh, you know, that's one thing that even when we're walking good and, and doing a little lifting and I don't do heavy lifting, I do it mainly, uh, for the range of motion just to, you know, kind of get the movement. But I feel very stiff. And, you know, in my younger days, I was always very limber, of course, playing sports as a very first thing that we ever did was, you know, we spent a good amount of time stretching. And you know, now when I go to the gym, it's just hurry and hurry out and never even give it a second thought. So I do feel like that's a place that I need to make a personal adjustment has taken that time to do a good stretch every time,

Esta (24:12):

Absolutely critical. If you're, if you're going to do resistance training, weight training, even the cardio, you know, if you're going to hop on an elliptical machine, um, I'm I teach, um, I'm a regional trainer for a, uh, a trampoline company. And I teach a lot of fitness trampoline work. And I, I, I'm not selling fitness trampoline, and I'm, I don't own stock and fitness trampolines, but I will say that I feel is responsible for turning around my osteopenia. I had been diagnosed with osteopenia now I'm normal down the right down the column.

Roy (24:54):

No,

Esta (24:56):

But it's, it, it really needs your muscles tight and you've got a threat, no matter what you're doing. Yeah.

Roy (25:04):

No, and that's a good point that there's so many different things out there that everybody should be able to find something that they like and enjoy and want to go back, because if you do something that's a drudgery then of course, after, you know, you can force yourself to do it for only so long. And then it's like, I just can't go back and do that anymore.

Esta (25:26):

Right. It's what I always say to people, if it's not sustainable, don't go there in the first place. Right. So people go to, you know, I shouldn't say, I don't want to name any names. People go, people go and do these crazy programs, you know, that, and, and then sustain injury.

Roy (25:46):

Right, right. Yeah. Especially the older we get, the more susceptible to that. Well, let's talk about, um, for just a minute, w a lot of us think, um, if, if it doesn't happen in a gym, then it's not happening. And I don't feel that way. I really do feel like being outdoors. There's a lot of things in where we live it's same. Like I have an endless amount of trees that need to be cut down and cut up. And so what I enjoy is that bending and lifting and doing, um, doing things that aren't typical in the gym type of stuff. But I feel that it gives me a much more, a better body workout. And the other thing that, um, you know, back in the day, we, especially in sports, we worked on a universal machine is just, you know, pushing weights up and down on some poles basically. And the one thing that, that they always talk to us about was that that really didn't work our stabilizer muscles, like a, you know, lifting free weights. And so not that I advocate free weights for anybody, but what I think the point is that, like, when I'm out doing tree stuff and using a chainsaw and bending and picking and, uh, pushing a wheelbarrow, I use the stabilizer muscles. And I think the larger group of muscles, then when I typically go to a gym,

Esta (27:19):

I think I'll start by saying that all movement is good for the most part, unless you're, um, over exerting, I think all movement is good. Don't ask me to go out there and use that. Oh yeah. So, so I, that would not be my thing, but it is your thing, but let me start with the basics because, so when I start somebody out there, there's a certain methodology that you use that I use with the act with an actively aging client. And it's really different than the method that I would use with the bus bride, for example, or somebody that's much younger. So, and especially if somebody is starting from a place of obesity. Um, I start them on nutrition because nutrition is 80 to 85% of the deal here. Right. But, but I will start them with something that's steady state at the beginning.

Esta (28:32):

So let me identify with steady state is, um, steady state and aerobic meaning, um, op I put a heart rate monitor on them and I give them an app that goes on their phone and the app makes it so easy because if I want them in an aerobic plate, you know, place where their heart is aerobic. And so that's the green zone in this particular app I use with them. And I just say, get yourself up in the green zone and stay there for 10 minutes. That's what I asked. So steady state for 10 minutes. Oh. But, and typically when somebody is obese, they can get there pretty quickly because their heart is, they're a little bit deconditioned, you know, their heart is beating much more quickly. Exactly. But then they find over time that that's 10 minutes of steady state becomes 15 and becomes 20. Right. So I'm just trying to get them in a steady state phase. Whereas I suspect that when you're an outdoor, I don't, if it, I mean, I love a walk walk, some Hills or walk among, you know, it doesn't have to be in a gym, you know, I just tell them whatever you do, stay there for 10 minutes in that green. So, so, but it's the whatever makes your heart sing and whatever you'll do for the long run. Right. Right. Yeah. That's it.

Roy (30:09):

And we typically tend to use the gym more in the, uh, you know, the winter and the summer, especially with it getting dark so quick, you know, nowadays that, that, that hampers us. But if I have my choice, I would much rather be, you know, getting it naturally outside in the fresh air and, you know, just doing things that, I guess that are natural movements and, uh, not necessarily in a gym, personal preference.

Esta (30:36):

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's and that's awesome. And, and even in the gym, you know, when I have somebody inside the gym as a pertaining to that universal system that you talked about, you know, the universal system has cables, right. Has pulleys. Yes. So we talk about functional training. So, so think about this. So think about driving your car and you look in that backseat, and there's your big, old brick case that you left back there, and you've decided as you're driving, you need something from that briefcase. So you're going to reach your arm back there. You're going to pick up that briefcase is heavier than you thought. You're going to hear this forward to the front seat. And chances are you ripped something because the next day you're hurting, hurting, hurting your shoulder. Why, why is that? Because we're not conditioned to do that when you, haven't trained to move in multiple planes of motion, like what you're talking about when you're using that chain thought, right? So you're reaching up and you're reaching diagonally and you're reaching down the way you move in life. So my suggestion is that when people do train in a gym, they train, they start with somebody who understand functional movement and understands how to strengthen them the way that they move in life. So then when they're on your own working, they won't sustain injury. If that makes sense.

Roy (32:16):

Yes, yes it does. And breathing. The other thing that, uh, I actually used to have a note written above my desk that said, don't forget to breathe because even, uh, through the day working or whatever, I just, I find myself kind of holding my breath or not breathing. And then the other thing, you know, as being in a gym to be sure and take those deep breaths, but you can regulate a lot of stress or I've found that I can regulate a lot of stress. And a lot of feelings I guess, is through very conscious breathing efforts.

Esta (32:57):

Absolutely critical. So I'm in the gym. I mean, when you're lifting weights, doing resistance, work, the resistance work, the breathing is a little bit different, but we do something with people when we're cooling down from a class and it's called five, five, five, five. Do you know what? Do you know what that is? No. Never heard of that. Oh, it's really cool. So you breathe in two accounts of five. You hold it for a count of five, you blow it out or a count of five, and then you take a five second rest and then you do it again. That's the five, five, five, five. Okay. And it is so, so you breathe it in through the nose, hold it for five and then blow it out for five and then take a five second breath and then do it again. It is very relaxing.

Roy (33:55):

Okay. How many times do you do that? Yeah,

Esta (33:59):

I just five times. Okay. How's that?

Roy (34:01):

Yeah, that makes it easy.

Esta (34:05):

Five, five, five, five, five. Yeah. And it's, for me, it's sort of, if I'm sitting at my desk, if I'm writing or it's a great reset,

Terry (34:17):

I'm going to have to change my numbers up. I don't know why I do breathe in four and then out seven. I don't know where that came from.

Esta (34:25):

So many different, so many different, you know, there's, I don't know that there's any wrong way, except if you, if you gasped in through your mouth, then probably get the TIG you pretty quickly. So, um, yeah, but that's the one that I use and I find it really relaxing. Yeah. Breathing.

Terry (34:48):

Okay. Um, yeah. I was going to ask you about, um, can you touch a little bit on energy enhancement? I mean, how can you find the energy when we were talking about that we were so stressed after the work day. Um, how can you, how can you find that, that does that go back to the mindset of every, I mean, I'm sure it's all intertwined, but,

Esta (35:13):

And nutrition. It's both. Yes. So I think, I think it's that three legged stool that we talk about, uh, um, right. So if you have the three legged stool and you cut one of the legs off, can you sit on it not easily? Right. So, yeah, so the three legs of the stool would be the foundational work, which is the nutrition first and foremost, and then your movement and your sleep. Those three things are really important. And each person responds differently. Like some people, um, some people respond well to, uh, uh, their macronutrients being set at 35, 30, 30, so 35% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 30% protein. Some people can't take in that many carbs, right. It fatigues them. So you find the right combination that, that gives you that energy boost and then together with a medical professional or a dietician, um, you, you have to see what, where your body is, is, um, you know, needs supplementation. So whether you're going to be 12 vitamin D, whatever vitamins your body needs, you know, you have to have the right supplementation and stuff. You know, food is medicine and, uh, supplements are medicine. So you really have to work with somebody who understands. And that would be a registered dietician or a physician who understands really more a dietician because of physicians don't get that much nutrition training. Right.

Roy (37:04):

Yeah. And we work with an awesome nutritionist, that's kind of what got us kicked off. And I mean, a dietician, sorry, that kind of what God has kicked off in this is, you know, when I had had enough, again, enough, um, you know, we looked through connected with the young lady that turned out to be phenomenal for us. And, you know, I've had really dramatic results. And, you know, I tell people now, and I don't have, I'm not worrying about cutting back. I have to really work every day to eat enough. And you know, that when I don't eat enough, I can feel it. But we have a very nice app that has all the macro, new micronutrients as well. So we can look at, you know, all the BS and D and everything zinc, you know, the big ones for me, because I'm diabetic and have low high blood pressure.

Roy (38:02):

So, you know, watching the sodium has been a, you know, a huge help, I think for me, but also, you know, trying to make sure in the balance, it's, you know, I'm not a dietician nutritionist doctor. I don't even, haven't ever played one on TV even, but, you know, there's certain things that have to be imbalanced, like your Omega three in your Omega six. And I don't know, they're on this app, they're like four or five where, you know, you, you've got to keep them in sync. So it's, there's a lot to, I mean, it it's worked and, you know, we

Esta (38:38):

Right. And there there's a definite science, um, you know, that's why, and we're each so uniquely created. And, and that's why I never understood these one size fits all program. We, because we're so unique. Each of us, there are some basic foundational things, you know, I talk about, um, in the book, I, I say I'm kind of leaping through to find that one sentence to read to you, but I talk about the fact that, um, you know, we, we all think that we can do the same thing and people say to me, well, why didn't you tell me in the book, why don't you tell us what to do in the book? They want it, they want another nutrition book or another diet book or enough, it's crazy, right? It's because we fund so differently.

Roy (39:40):

Right? Exactly. And we all have different, we have different needs, but we have different obstacles just like myself being a diabetic, uh, you know, and, and having the high blood pressure, you know, I've had to, I think my salt intake is a lot less than what maybe a normal person would be, but then also my carbs, I can't number one, I can't do the amount of carbs in a day that most people can. But number two, I can't, what I have found for me personally, is that if I consume too many in one meal of the wrong kind and not, you know, again, it's, there's a science, because if you have almond, you have the fiber, this, sometimes it doesn't spike you as much. And this and that. But, you know, basically what I've found is if I have probably over 20 carbs in a setting, I tend to get a spike.

Roy (40:34):

And so, you know, just have no in your body, but monitoring that's where we can't preach this enough is not only entering everything. And I mean, you know, we don't guess at anything, if we put something in a recipe it's measured out, it's not a dash or a tweak. It's we know exactly what's in there. And then, um, and like with me being able to test my glucose level throughout the day after these meals to find out, well, you know, we're trying a new recipe is like, Ooh, that didn't work too well, got a big spike out of it. Or maybe we need to tweak that recipe just a little bit going forward. So we don't, but yeah, everybody's got different, different needs. And we were very cautious too, because I got, you know, I had reached out to somebody some years ago and they called themselves a professional. But basically what they wanted to do was they all their clients, the same mix of box meals, they weren't meals. They weren't like real meals. They were smack stuff or ready to pour water on it. And it,

Esta (41:46):

Yeah, gosh, I don't like that. You know? Um, I'll, I'll tell you, um, I'm going to read this just, it's just a little extra from the book as well. It is while it is not my intent to give a nutrition class in this book. Most scientists agree with the concept that food is medicine. In other words, what we eat has a direct impact on our health. Here are a few basic concepts that are universal among those researchers. I've studied one coolant on the sugar, reduce your intake of processed foods. But if you eat them, choose healthier ones, learn to read nutrition labels. If a processed food has ingredients that you cannot pronounce, leave it on the shell. And the last thing which tends to be a little bit controversial is explore intermittent fasting with a medical professional who understands how to implement a fasting regimen and knows you and your medical condition get help from credentials and knowledgeable specialists who can help you and for goodness sake, utilize your team to keep you on track. So, so I think it is critically important, especially when you're in the weight loss phase to log your food, because you're a medical professional. If you're, if you're plateauing or you're having a challenge, they're not going to be able to pinpoint where you're going wrong, because you're not going to remember if you don't log it. Right. So,

Roy (43:26):

And we've even found that from meal to meal, that if we don't put it in while we're cooking it or putting it together two hours from now, it's like, Oh, what did we do? Was that a tablespoon or a teaspoon? And, but all the things that you mentioned are really, you know, those are the hot points that we have been, um, hitting the nutritional labels because you find, uh, you know, like for me, finding hidden sodium in things that you would never think is there. And the processed foods, typically what we've found is the more process, um, the worst that they tend to start getting because of the carbohydrates or the, uh, uh, uh, salt involved. And then, um, the other thing is taken, you know, when I knew this has been five or six years ago, when I knew I wasn't eating, right. I took a lot of supplements, a lot of vitamin supplements to try to make up for it. But you know, one thing that our dietician has, you know, really hammered on us, that it's always better for you. If you get it naturally out of a food versus again, trying to take a pill that solves all of your problems,

Esta (44:41):

Right. That's exactly, you know, and you see, people will also build, eat poorly and then exercise themselves silly. And I always tell them, you could just can't out exercise, poor nutrition. You can't do it.

Roy (44:55):

Yeah, no. And when we talk about that calorie swap, it's just, it really brings that home is that, like you said, that diet is 80 to 85% of this and the, the exercise we needed to keep in shape and keep our body fit. But, you know, on the weight loss side, that's just an extra bonus of whatever you get out of that.

Esta (45:15):

Yes. And also the exercise helps you with those endorphin, you know, it gives you that also gives you some of that history.

Roy (45:24):

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I was just done the, um, you know, a colleague the other day. I said, you know, I have a tendency to text or email while I'm out walking, because it said, once I get walk in and get kind of working up a little sweat and breathing hard, all of a sudden I start thinking very clear. So that's, that's, uh, that's where I do my thinking anyway, but, well, it's been great having you on, uh, we, you know, of course we want to invite you back. There's so much, we could probably talk for another hour or two and not even scratch the surface of everything. Uh, but you've been an awesome guest. And, uh, we appreciate all the great information, but if you would tell the listeners, um, how they can get a hold of you.

Esta (46:11):

Sure. Well, um, they can go to my website, which is Esta McEntyre.com. It's E S T A M C I N T Y R e.com. And they can contact me through that website. Um, I also have operated a uniquely wonderful fitness studio for the past 15 years called my health studio. And they can go to my health studio.com and contact me through that website and, uh, you know, just follow us on Instagram, you know, and or Facebook.

Roy (46:48):

Yeah. And I'll say that, uh, looking at your picture on your, uh, studio website, it looks like y'all are having a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun than the gym I go to. So people need to take advantage of that.

Esta (47:05):

It's funny, the website’s currently being redone because we most recently become a medical fitness facility under the American Sickness Association. And so we're kind of excited about that. There's a lot that goes along with that.

Roy (47:24):

Well, congratulations.

Esta (47:26):

Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you. And thank you for me. You bet.

Roy (47:30):

You bet. All right. Well, thanks again for listening to another episode of the feeding fatty podcast and, uh, you know, again, you can find us on, uh, at www dot feeding, fatty.com, feeding fatty Facebook group. We have a feeding fatty, Instagram, and also feeding fatty pod on Twitter. Look forward to, uh, you know, hearing from y'all what stories you would like to hear some challenges that you may be having some successes that you're having, uh, let us know about it for this for now. Anyway, I'm Roy I'm Terry. Thanks a lot.

Bye.

 

Author, Coach, Speaker, Fitness & Nutrition Specialist

Hi, I’m Esta McIntyre, sexagenarian, food lover and non-enthusiastic exerciser.  I’ve spent most of my adult life searching for the answer to an age-old question:  Why can’t I eat what I want and not gain weight?  So, what is someone like me doing in a fitness career?  I found out that getting strong and healthy is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.  In my quest to be a normal weight, I embarked upon many programs that would be the “last program I’d ever need to do” (or so they claimed).  The result was losing and gaining over 50 pounds five times over my adult life.  I never gave up and I discovered some basic premises that might make sense to you. I’m absolutely committed to helping others to find their “Custom Fitness Blueprint.”

www.estamcintyre.com

Fitness For Women Who Love To Eat And Hate To Move

With a sense of humor and a touch of common sense, Esta McIntyre weaves reflections of childhood experiences with traces of science resulting in a prescription for overcoming the challenges associated with aging gracefully in a one-size-fits-all society. While this book was written with sexagenarian women in mind, it provides a valuable framework for overcoming obstacles to readers of all backgrounds and ages.  This not a weight loss book, nor is it a nutrition guide.  It's about finding sustainable methods for staying healthy through the aging process while keeping a sense of humor.

Full Transcript 

Roy (00:02):

Hello, and welcome to another episode of feeding fatty podcast. I'm Roy. I’m Terry. You can find us at www.feedingfatty.com. We would love your feedback for professionals out there, or for those that have struggled and lost some weight. We would love to hear from you today. Uh, you know, this show is mostly about, uh, mine and Terry's journey. We talk a lot about our ups and downs about cooking exercise, kind of what's going on in our world. But as we've said, we, we do want to bring guests to our show to help spread the wealth of information that's out there to help everyone. So today we are very fortunate to have Esta McIntyre with us.

Terry (00:47):

Yes, Esta is a fitness guru and nutritionist, and all things. She just recently released a book called fitness for women who love to eat and hate to move, and that was released in August. So we wanted to have her on here to discuss that. It's not just for women she can talk about everybody. Esta, we are so proud to have you here and very honored.

Esta (01:25):

Well, thank you for having me. Thank you.

Roy (01:30):

New. Uh, do you want to start by telling us a little bit about your journey and kind of how, um, you know, what made you write this book or, you know, kind of how you got into the fitness and nutrition area?

Esta (01:44):

Sure, sure. Well, you know, I am the product of two clinically obese parents. I don't know if anyone else can relate to that. And I always say I just have some pretty poor gene, you know, um, my dad was up a hundred down, a hundred up a hundred down a hundred pounds. And so, um, and he died young. He died at the age of 58, uh, 58. And my mom was very similar, probably a few less pounds than my dad, but she also struggled with her weight. So I myself have gained and lost over 60 pounds, five times in my adult life. And yeah, and, and every time I felt myself getting closer to that hundred pounds, um, I would get it together somehow and find some quick fix and I'll get into that in a minute to just help me get that weight back off. So, um, the last time I lost the weight I did, what any self-respecting would would do. I walked into a plastic surgeon's office and I said, I want you to suck it out. Oh yeah. Right. Because like everybody, I got tired of fighting that battle. I just wanted some, some way to get, get the job done and not have to go through that process. And we all know that.

Roy (03:18):

Yeah. And you know, I'm just going to say, we talked a little bit about that on one of our previous episodes is you really have to, if you're overweight, you really have to sit down and get a pencil and paper and think about how we put weight on. And, and I always speak, uh, I will speak to me because I'm very impatient. I've made up my mind. I want to eat, right. I want to exercise. I'm ready to lose some weight. And then, you know, it just comes off with the trickle, but I know that's the healthiest and I know that's what we strive for. But if you think about how we put weight on, for me, uh, you know, we went to the grocery store and we, you know, read the labels. So what happens is we look at, uh, you know, on the way home from the grocery store, we probably, I would have probably had a candy bar and a bag of chips coming home.

Roy (04:13):

And we think about, well, you know, I don't know what that, what exactly that would be, but probably 1,012 hundred calories, just in a snack on the way home. And so, you know, what is it, a thousand calories of extra a day we'll put on two pounds a week. That's easy to do. I mean, I can eat some pizza, some pasta, some bread. It's not a problem for me. The hard part though, is when you think about just to lose one stinkin pound a week, we have to cut 500 galleries off or have a 500 calorie shift with cutting the calories or exercise or some combination. It's tough. I mean, it's very tough and coming into this this time, because I'm like you, there's been times over my adult life that, you know, I've gained and lost 50 pounds or more probably a few times. But this time I took a different approach and said, I'm going to be happy if I just move one pound. If I can lose one pound a week and not get crazy and, you know, shoot for two, three, four, and get discouraged and quit. So it's, it's a definite mindset change that I think people have to really look at hard

Esta (05:29):

There, there's no doubt about that, but you know, you have to, you have to get to that point where you're able to flip that switch in your mind. And, you know, I, I talk about the, um, the phases of decision making and it applies those days. Those phases apply to every kind of decision that we make, but when it comes to food, especially, uh, there, there are a couple of things that are number one, food is very emotional. Some food is very addictive, not just psychologically, but physiologically like sugar, for example. And the other thing about this whole calories in and calories out concept is that we all assimilate calories differently. One from the other. So some people may have, you know, if I, if it's the calories in calories out model, always work and calories are important, but if it always works, I'd have been back to my birth weight by now, I did that for so many years.

Esta (06:37):

Some people are insulin resistant, some people are carbohydrate resistant. So in some people we have to tweak those macronutrients until we get it right for who they are, you know, but, but so I struggled with it. And when I went to that plastic surgeon, he thank goodness. He was a conservative man in his industry because he told me that I was too fat basically to get any surgery that I wouldn't be happy and I need to go away and lose some weight and come back later. You know, you know, the thing about that is when, when a surgeon who can make thousands and thousands of dollars on a procedure sends you a way that you have a pretty deep problem.

Roy (07:31):

Exactly. Exactly. And I had had some, uh, I had had some surgery years ago and I, uh, developed a hernia in my stomach. And so when I had gone back at the, um, they were at the time he was concerned about my weight, but since I carried it low, he said, it's all right. The anesthesiologist was concerned if I would have carried it high, but he said, I'll tell you what I'll do. He said, I'll give you $25,000 worth of advice. And he actually wrote out a prescription and he said, I think it was eat, uh, four tablespoons of food three times a day, you know, kind of like, that's what they did for bariatric back in the day. But again, the problem is that if you don't for me, if I don't change my mindset, that worked awesome. And I, you know, I did it for about a year, lost a lot of weight. It's very unhealthy, you know, I was drained all the time, but anyway, the real problem was not changing the mindset and wanting to do things different.

Esta (08:35):

Right. Well, I hadn't changed my mind back in those days when I told me to go home. And in fact, I thought, well, I will show you, I'm going to lose that weight. And I did it back then using you, you remember fenfin? So that was, yeah, that was the drug back then he was center mean and fenfluramine, and one was an upper and one was the downer. And quite frankly, I thought it was a miracle drug. You know, it, I didn't have to, I, I, I took it and I didn't have to think about food. And it was just easy peasy until they took fenfluramine off the market, because it was, it was causing severe heart problems in people. And yeah. And this shows you how off date my thinking was because I had lost my weight before it was taken off the market. And I thought, well, thank God. I found that stuff before they took it off the market, not, Oh gosh, what if I have a heart attack? I didn't think any of that. I just thought I'm so glad I found it before. Now that it's, that's not incorrect thinking, I don't know what it is.

Esta (09:56):

Yeah. I'm one of the lucky ones. And I am one of the lucky ones in that I had no heart damage from it. So, um, I am one of the lucky ones in that respect, but I knew, I knew that in my heart of hearts that a drug was not my ticket. And so, so the, so I asked the surgeon to give me names of two doctors who may be able to help me, or, you know, dieticians who might be able to help me to get this taken care of. And, uh, he gave her the name of two doctors. One doctor was the person who had given me the Benson. I, I immediately discounted him. And then the second one was a chiropractor in town. He's not practicing here any longer, but he just had a favorable carbohydrate, you know, food program and with accountability.

Esta (10:53):

So you weigh in once a week and, and find that was it. I was not in fitness at the time I was in corporate America, sitting at a desk and I went to the local big box gym, which I hated. I hated every second of it, you know? And, um, and we became friends with the chiropractor and his wife and belong in the short of it is he, he said, I have a friend. He was trainer to the stars and, and he'll see you for free. And I thought, Oh my gosh, if he's trainer to the stars, I can't afford them. And I'm not going, you know, but I did go on. And the only place he would meet with me was that the local tennis club dairy expensive tennis club. And so I met with him. His undergrad degree is in exercise physiology, but his master's and subsequent doctorate are in psychology.

Esta (11:48):

And so while he had me on this equipment, he was also kind of in my head, you know? And, um, and when we were done with this session, I knew that he was different. And I said, I'm interested in your services. Can you please tell me your fee? And he said, why don't you come back? And I reluctantly left and reluctantly came back and went through another session with him. And he said, the same thing is he, um, um, I said, can you please tell me your fee? And he said, why don't you come back? And now I'm a, I'm a New York girl, little New York girl raised in the housing project in New York city. And if you don't tell me what you cost, I'm not coming back.

Esta (12:40):

And, um, but at the end of the day, I, I paid a lot of money. He and I had to join that tennis club. And yes, but you know what? And I immediately had buyer's remorse because I, you know, again, I had that housing project mentality. And, um, and so I went through my closet. By that point, I had lost a lot of weight and I started selling clothing on eBay and I went from zero to $300. And then before you knew it, I would go to Ross and TJ Maxx and Marshall's and buy things. And if they didn't sell, I returned them. But that's how I paid for him for two and a half years. And it changed my life. Oh, wow. That's amazing. Yeah. I mean, it, it changed my life and I, and I was still in, in corporate America sitting at a desk. And at some point he said to me that it was time for me to pay it forward. And I said, what does that mean? What do you mean pay it forward? And he thought I would be very good at what I do today and what I've chosen as my retirement career. And I went back to school and at the age of 50 and cause now I'm 65. Wow. So there you go. You are right now

Terry (14:16):

To have somebody like that, you know, just kind of take you under his wing and know that you are one of the ones. Oh my gosh, that's amazing.

Esta (14:29):

And you know, what I, what I realized was the whole time that he was giving me these three sessions, I thought as cocky as I was that I was evaluating him, but not, not. So he was evaluating me because he never took on clients. Um, unless he thought they would, they would, that they could be successful. You know, he never took them on or that, or any, he would not take on anyone. He thought would waste his time. Right. How interesting is that is really cool. So I wasn't evaluating him, but rather being evaluated, you kind of did a double-take there, right?

Roy (15:14):

Like right a man at

Esta (15:17):

Exactly. And so my philosophy in all of this is, and the reason I broke the book is because even to this day, when left to my own devices, I am completely unreliable when it comes to doing the right thing with food and movement. I love my food and I, and I don't love exercise. So to be right,

Roy (15:50):

Right. Yeah. I mean, you know, and I guess I'm the same way I'll speak for me, but I love food. It's the texture, the taste. And, you know, being from the South, everything, it's emotional, everything revolves around it that, you know, when you you've had a bad day, it's all, let's go get something to eat. You'll feel better. It's like, Oh my gosh, everything went awesome. Let's go celebrate. Or, you know, you know, when you

Esta (16:17):

Just in the South,

Roy (16:19):

That's international, you know, just when, when I'm TA I think what really hurt me the last 10 years is I got to be when I would get tired and extremely, um, not necessarily, uh, stressed from typical stress, like word problems. But when my body became stressed, because it was so tired, that's when I would reach for food, you know, all through the afternoon and into the evening, you know, working late and things like that. And it just, uh, and then it's perpetual because you do that. And then you don't feel like going to work out and, you know, having a job and working all day, we have to push ourselves to go to that gym in the evening, or to get out, walk around the neighborhood or our something. It's just, so if, if I didn't have anything to do all day, except to worry about exercise, I love it. I mean, I love to go to the gym, love to sweat, love to do all the stuff, but, you know, I can spend two or three hours there if I'm not careful. So, you know, being mindful of all of that. But anyways, I think the other thing is just that cycle you get into when you eat and you start feeling bad, and then it's like, I don't even feel like going to the gym.

Esta (17:37):

Well, you know, the aging process in and of itself is not for sissys, you know, losing process, take away everything else. Uh, the age of the aging process can be rough. Um, so for each human, it really is about finding sustainable method for staying healthy through the aging process. Um, and be able to keep your sense of humor about the whole thing. You know,

Roy (18:09):

I'll lose mine quickly because I'm quiet, but between my mother and my kids and, and Terry, you know, when I'm, I picture myself as my 26, 28 year old self, and that's just who I am, and then they know they not so gently remind me that, Hey, you know, you're pushing 60, so maybe you shouldn't be doing that anymore. Oh, I never said that. Yeah.

Esta (18:34):

Yeah. That, that's, that's where I specialize with my clients, because we all feel as though we, we are able to do those, uh, boot camps or, you know, why, why, why we should, why shouldn't we do burping or whatever the case may be, you know, and for many years I had this vision in my head and, uh, about what I, how I should look. Um, but it wasn't really a vision. It was a delusion if I think about it, right? Because in my mind I imagined a taller, it's a sleeker version of Esta, but in reality, I'm a five foot, two woman with a big personality and big hips know,

Roy (19:27):

And even being as big as I am. And, um, but I don't picture the only time I really picture that is when I have to put dress clothes on and they choke the life out of me, then it's like, you have a realization, but for the most part, you know, if I'm around the house, got my, you know, my gym shorts and a tee shirt on, I do not think about myself as a big person. I just, I just don't, I don't feel that, but in reality, I know that I am,

Esta (19:59):

But I think that, I think in my, in my research, that is the biggest difference between men and women in this, because women are always feeling too big. Yes. Does this make me look fat? Is this, you know, you know, that age, old question, do these pants make you affect something, then don't feel as big as they might really be. And so that's the biggest difference in, uh, in my, not only my research, but in the people that I, with whom I work, you know, and the question then becomes, how do we reconcile with what we are versus what we believe we should be? And each of them is cut from such a custom cost that we require uniquely excluded solutions. There's no one fitness regimen that I believe. I believe that that is works for everyone, you know? And that's why assembling a team that can weed you to quote the promised land is so important,

Roy (21:11):

Right? Yeah, you are correct. And I think, uh, you know, it's not only the, the right designation after their name, but I think it's somebody that you actually can get along with and respect and not feel, uh, don't have hard feelings against, but,

Esta (21:30):

And can I ask the questions, the hard questions, right, right, right. You have to connect, you have to connect with your team. And that's why I say in the book, each of us will have a different team for me, there's a lot of restorative work and a lot of regeneration and recovery work. So there's massage therapy there. You know, there are, I do, you know, I got an acupuncturist there. I also have a fitness coach. I have occasionally I see a therapist if you know, or hypnotherapy or whatever, whatever each of us a need, that's what we should do, but you may not require them. We might not, even my husband, doesn't like miss boss therapy. So I love it. I know me too, each of us.

Roy (22:25):

Yeah. I'm a little bit freaked out by it too. Yeah.

Esta (22:27):

He's not interested. So what does that, what does that tell us? It tells us that getting strong and healthy is not a one size fits all proposition.

Roy (22:41):

You know, we had a little place that opened up that we got a free trial to and went that I just loved. It was a stretching. And I don't remember the, the name of it, but basically they had a, like a physical therapist that would lay you on a table and stretch you all.

Esta (23:02):

That's why we have that inhale that my health. It's amazing.

Roy (23:08):

So how important is that overall

Esta (23:13):

Red bull. Okay. Because we important fall rolling. We forget, we all forget about, you know, we're so busy lifting weights and getting our cardio and doing all of that. We forget about the recovery and regeneration process.

Roy (23:28):

Right. Right. Because it, uh, you know, that's one thing that even when we're walking good and, and doing a little lifting and I don't do heavy lifting, I do it mainly, uh, for the range of motion just to, you know, kind of get the movement. But I feel very stiff. And, you know, in my younger days, I was always very limber, of course, playing sports as a very first thing that we ever did was, you know, we spent a good amount of time stretching. And you know, now when I go to the gym, it's just hurry and hurry out and never even give it a second thought. So I do feel like that's a place that I need to make a personal adjustment has taken that time to do a good stretch every time,

Esta (24:12):

Absolutely critical. If you're, if you're going to do resistance training, weight training, even the cardio, you know, if you're going to hop on an elliptical machine, um, I'm I teach, um, I'm a regional trainer for a, uh, a trampoline company. And I teach a lot of fitness trampoline work. And I, I, I'm not selling fitness trampoline, and I'm, I don't own stock and fitness trampolines, but I will say that I feel is responsible for turning around my osteopenia. I had been diagnosed with osteopenia now I'm normal down the right down the column.

Roy (24:54):

No,

Esta (24:56):

But it's, it, it really needs your muscles tight and you've got a threat, no matter what you're doing. Yeah.

Roy (25:04):

No, and that's a good point that there's so many different things out there that everybody should be able to find something that they like and enjoy and want to go back, because if you do something that's a drudgery then of course, after, you know, you can force yourself to do it for only so long. And then it's like, I just can't go back and do that anymore.

Esta (25:26):

Right. It's what I always say to people, if it's not sustainable, don't go there in the first place. Right. So people go to, you know, I shouldn't say, I don't want to name any names. People go, people go and do these crazy programs, you know, that, and, and then sustain injury.

Roy (25:46):

Right, right. Yeah. Especially the older we get, the more susceptible to that. Well, let's talk about, um, for just a minute, w a lot of us think, um, if, if it doesn't happen in a gym, then it's not happening. And I don't feel that way. I really do feel like being outdoors. There's a lot of things in where we live it's same. Like I have an endless amount of trees that need to be cut down and cut up. And so what I enjoy is that bending and lifting and doing, um, doing things that aren't typical in the gym type of stuff. But I feel that it gives me a much more, a better body workout. And the other thing that, um, you know, back in the day, we, especially in sports, we worked on a universal machine is just, you know, pushing weights up and down on some poles basically. And the one thing that, that they always talk to us about was that that really didn't work our stabilizer muscles, like a, you know, lifting free weights. And so not that I advocate free weights for anybody, but what I think the point is that, like, when I'm out doing tree stuff and using a chainsaw and bending and picking and, uh, pushing a wheelbarrow, I use the stabilizer muscles. And I think the larger group of muscles, then when I typically go to a gym,

Esta (27:19):

I think I'll start by saying that all movement is good for the most part, unless you're, um, over exerting, I think all movement is good. Don't ask me to go out there and use that. Oh yeah. So, so I, that would not be my thing, but it is your thing, but let me start with the basics because, so when I start somebody out there, there's a certain methodology that you use that I use with the act with an actively aging client. And it's really different than the method that I would use with the bus bride, for example, or somebody that's much younger. So, and especially if somebody is starting from a place of obesity. Um, I start them on nutrition because nutrition is 80 to 85% of the deal here. Right. But, but I will start them with something that's steady state at the beginning.

Esta (28:32):

So let me identify with steady state is, um, steady state and aerobic meaning, um, op I put a heart rate monitor on them and I give them an app that goes on their phone and the app makes it so easy because if I want them in an aerobic plate, you know, place where their heart is aerobic. And so that's the green zone in this particular app I use with them. And I just say, get yourself up in the green zone and stay there for 10 minutes. That's what I asked. So steady state for 10 minutes. Oh. But, and typically when somebody is obese, they can get there pretty quickly because their heart is, they're a little bit deconditioned, you know, their heart is beating much more quickly. Exactly. But then they find over time that that's 10 minutes of steady state becomes 15 and becomes 20. Right. So I'm just trying to get them in a steady state phase. Whereas I suspect that when you're an outdoor, I don't, if it, I mean, I love a walk walk, some Hills or walk among, you know, it doesn't have to be in a gym, you know, I just tell them whatever you do, stay there for 10 minutes in that green. So, so, but it's the whatever makes your heart sing and whatever you'll do for the long run. Right. Right. Yeah. That's it.

Roy (30:09):

And we typically tend to use the gym more in the, uh, you know, the winter and the summer, especially with it getting dark so quick, you know, nowadays that, that, that hampers us. But if I have my choice, I would much rather be, you know, getting it naturally outside in the fresh air and, you know, just doing things that, I guess that are natural movements and, uh, not necessarily in a gym, personal preference.

Esta (30:36):

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's and that's awesome. And, and even in the gym, you know, when I have somebody inside the gym as a pertaining to that universal system that you talked about, you know, the universal system has cables, right. Has pulleys. Yes. So we talk about functional training. So, so think about this. So think about driving your car and you look in that backseat, and there's your big, old brick case that you left back there, and you've decided as you're driving, you need something from that briefcase. So you're going to reach your arm back there. You're going to pick up that briefcase is heavier than you thought. You're going to hear this forward to the front seat. And chances are you ripped something because the next day you're hurting, hurting, hurting your shoulder. Why, why is that? Because we're not conditioned to do that when you, haven't trained to move in multiple planes of motion, like what you're talking about when you're using that chain thought, right? So you're reaching up and you're reaching diagonally and you're reaching down the way you move in life. So my suggestion is that when people do train in a gym, they train, they start with somebody who understand functional movement and understands how to strengthen them the way that they move in life. So then when they're on your own working, they won't sustain injury. If that makes sense.

Roy (32:16):

Yes, yes it does. And breathing. The other thing that, uh, I actually used to have a note written above my desk that said, don't forget to breathe because even, uh, through the day working or whatever, I just, I find myself kind of holding my breath or not breathing. And then the other thing, you know, as being in a gym to be sure and take those deep breaths, but you can regulate a lot of stress or I've found that I can regulate a lot of stress. And a lot of feelings I guess, is through very conscious breathing efforts.

Esta (32:57):

Absolutely critical. So I'm in the gym. I mean, when you're lifting weights, doing resistance, work, the resistance work, the breathing is a little bit different, but we do something with people when we're cooling down from a class and it's called five, five, five, five. Do you know what? Do you know what that is? No. Never heard of that. Oh, it's really cool. So you breathe in two accounts of five. You hold it for a count of five, you blow it out or a count of five, and then you take a five second rest and then you do it again. That's the five, five, five, five. Okay. And it is so, so you breathe it in through the nose, hold it for five and then blow it out for five and then take a five second breath and then do it again. It is very relaxing.

Roy (33:55):

Okay. How many times do you do that? Yeah,

Esta (33:59):

I just five times. Okay. How's that?

Roy (34:01):

Yeah, that makes it easy.

Esta (34:05):

Five, five, five, five, five. Yeah. And it's, for me, it's sort of, if I'm sitting at my desk, if I'm writing or it's a great reset,

Terry (34:17):

I'm going to have to change my numbers up. I don't know why I do breathe in four and then out seven. I don't know where that came from.

Esta (34:25):

So many different, so many different, you know, there's, I don't know that there's any wrong way, except if you, if you gasped in through your mouth, then probably get the TIG you pretty quickly. So, um, yeah, but that's the one that I use and I find it really relaxing. Yeah. Breathing.

Terry (34:48):

Okay. Um, yeah. I was going to ask you about, um, can you touch a little bit on energy enhancement? I mean, how can you find the energy when we were talking about that we were so stressed after the work day. Um, how can you, how can you find that, that does that go back to the mindset of every, I mean, I'm sure it's all intertwined, but,

Esta (35:13):

And nutrition. It's both. Yes. So I think, I think it's that three legged stool that we talk about, uh, um, right. So if you have the three legged stool and you cut one of the legs off, can you sit on it not easily? Right. So, yeah, so the three legs of the stool would be the foundational work, which is the nutrition first and foremost, and then your movement and your sleep. Those three things are really important. And each person responds differently. Like some people, um, some people respond well to, uh, uh, their macronutrients being set at 35, 30, 30, so 35% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 30% protein. Some people can't take in that many carbs, right. It fatigues them. So you find the right combination that, that gives you that energy boost and then together with a medical professional or a dietician, um, you, you have to see what, where your body is, is, um, you know, needs supplementation. So whether you're going to be 12 vitamin D, whatever vitamins your body needs, you know, you have to have the right supplementation and stuff. You know, food is medicine and, uh, supplements are medicine. So you really have to work with somebody who understands. And that would be a registered dietician or a physician who understands really more a dietician because of physicians don't get that much nutrition training. Right.

Roy (37:04):

Yeah. And we work with an awesome nutritionist, that's kind of what got us kicked off. And I mean, a dietician, sorry, that kind of what God has kicked off in this is, you know, when I had had enough, again, enough, um, you know, we looked through connected with the young lady that turned out to be phenomenal for us. And, you know, I've had really dramatic results. And, you know, I tell people now, and I don't have, I'm not worrying about cutting back. I have to really work every day to eat enough. And you know, that when I don't eat enough, I can feel it. But we have a very nice app that has all the macro, new micronutrients as well. So we can look at, you know, all the BS and D and everything zinc, you know, the big ones for me, because I'm diabetic and have low high blood pressure.

Roy (38:02):

So, you know, watching the sodium has been a, you know, a huge help, I think for me, but also, you know, trying to make sure in the balance, it's, you know, I'm not a dietician nutritionist doctor. I don't even, haven't ever played one on TV even, but, you know, there's certain things that have to be imbalanced, like your Omega three in your Omega six. And I don't know, they're on this app, they're like four or five where, you know, you, you've got to keep them in sync. So it's, there's a lot to, I mean, it it's worked and, you know, we

Esta (38:38):

Right. And there there's a definite science, um, you know, that's why, and we're each so uniquely created. And, and that's why I never understood these one size fits all program. We, because we're so unique. Each of us, there are some basic foundational things, you know, I talk about, um, in the book, I, I say I'm kind of leaping through to find that one sentence to read to you, but I talk about the fact that, um, you know, we, we all think that we can do the same thing and people say to me, well, why didn't you tell me in the book, why don't you tell us what to do in the book? They want it, they want another nutrition book or another diet book or enough, it's crazy, right? It's because we fund so differently.

Roy (39:40):

Right? Exactly. And we all have different, we have different needs, but we have different obstacles just like myself being a diabetic, uh, you know, and, and having the high blood pressure, you know, I've had to, I think my salt intake is a lot less than what maybe a normal person would be, but then also my carbs, I can't number one, I can't do the amount of carbs in a day that most people can. But number two, I can't, what I have found for me personally, is that if I consume too many in one meal of the wrong kind and not, you know, again, it's, there's a science, because if you have almond, you have the fiber, this, sometimes it doesn't spike you as much. And this and that. But, you know, basically what I've found is if I have probably over 20 carbs in a setting, I tend to get a spike.

Roy (40:34):

And so, you know, just have no in your body, but monitoring that's where we can't preach this enough is not only entering everything. And I mean, you know, we don't guess at anything, if we put something in a recipe it's measured out, it's not a dash or a tweak. It's we know exactly what's in there. And then, um, and like with me being able to test my glucose level throughout the day after these meals to find out, well, you know, we're trying a new recipe is like, Ooh, that didn't work too well, got a big spike out of it. Or maybe we need to tweak that recipe just a little bit going forward. So we don't, but yeah, everybody's got different, different needs. And we were very cautious too, because I got, you know, I had reached out to somebody some years ago and they called themselves a professional. But basically what they wanted to do was they all their clients, the same mix of box meals, they weren't meals. They weren't like real meals. They were smack stuff or ready to pour water on it. And it,

Esta (41:46):

Yeah, gosh, I don't like that. You know? Um, I'll, I'll tell you, um, I'm going to read this just, it's just a little extra from the book as well. It is while it is not my intent to give a nutrition class in this book. Most scientists agree with the concept that food is medicine. In other words, what we eat has a direct impact on our health. Here are a few basic concepts that are universal among those researchers. I've studied one coolant on the sugar, reduce your intake of processed foods. But if you eat them, choose healthier ones, learn to read nutrition labels. If a processed food has ingredients that you cannot pronounce, leave it on the shell. And the last thing which tends to be a little bit controversial is explore intermittent fasting with a medical professional who understands how to implement a fasting regimen and knows you and your medical condition get help from credentials and knowledgeable specialists who can help you and for goodness sake, utilize your team to keep you on track. So, so I think it is critically important, especially when you're in the weight loss phase to log your food, because you're a medical professional. If you're, if you're plateauing or you're having a challenge, they're not going to be able to pinpoint where you're going wrong, because you're not going to remember if you don't log it. Right. So,

Roy (43:26):

And we've even found that from meal to meal, that if we don't put it in while we're cooking it or putting it together two hours from now, it's like, Oh, what did we do? Was that a tablespoon or a teaspoon? And, but all the things that you mentioned are really, you know, those are the hot points that we have been, um, hitting the nutritional labels because you find, uh, you know, like for me, finding hidden sodium in things that you would never think is there. And the processed foods, typically what we've found is the more process, um, the worst that they tend to start getting because of the carbohydrates or the, uh, uh, uh, salt involved. And then, um, the other thing is taken, you know, when I knew this has been five or six years ago, when I knew I wasn't eating, right. I took a lot of supplements, a lot of vitamin supplements to try to make up for it. But you know, one thing that our dietician has, you know, really hammered on us, that it's always better for you. If you get it naturally out of a food versus again, trying to take a pill that solves all of your problems,

Esta (44:41):

Right. That's exactly, you know, and you see, people will also build, eat poorly and then exercise themselves silly. And I always tell them, you could just can't out exercise, poor nutrition. You can't do it.

Roy (44:55):

Yeah, no. And when we talk about that calorie swap, it's just, it really brings that home is that, like you said, that diet is 80 to 85% of this and the, the exercise we needed to keep in shape and keep our body fit. But, you know, on the weight loss side, that's just an extra bonus of whatever you get out of that.

Esta (45:15):

Yes. And also the exercise helps you with those endorphin, you know, it gives you that also gives you some of that history.

Roy (45:24):

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I was just done the, um, you know, a colleague the other day. I said, you know, I have a tendency to text or email while I'm out walking, because it said, once I get walk in and get kind of working up a little sweat and breathing hard, all of a sudden I start thinking very clear. So that's, that's, uh, that's where I do my thinking anyway, but, well, it's been great having you on, uh, we, you know, of course we want to invite you back. There's so much, we could probably talk for another hour or two and not even scratch the surface of everything. Uh, but you've been an awesome guest. And, uh, we appreciate all the great information, but if you would tell the listeners, um, how they can get a hold of you.

Esta (46:11):

Sure. Well, um, they can go to my website, which is Esta McEntyre.com. It's E S T A M C I N T Y R e.com. And they can contact me through that website. Um, I also have operated a uniquely wonderful fitness studio for the past 15 years called my health studio. And they can go to my health studio.com and contact me through that website and, uh, you know, just follow us on Instagram, you know, and or Facebook.

Roy (46:48):

Yeah. And I'll say that, uh, looking at your picture on your, uh, studio website, it looks like y'all are having a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun than the gym I go to. So people need to take advantage of that.

Esta (47:05):

It's funny, the website’s currently being redone because we most recently become a medical fitness facility under the American Sickness Association. And so we're kind of excited about that. There's a lot that goes along with that.

Roy (47:24):

Well, congratulations.

Esta (47:26):

Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you. And thank you for me. You bet.

Roy (47:30):

You bet. All right. Well, thanks again for listening to another episode of the feeding fatty podcast and, uh, you know, again, you can find us on, uh, at www dot feeding, fatty.com, feeding fatty Facebook group. We have a feeding fatty, Instagram, and also feeding fatty pod on Twitter. Look forward to, uh, you know, hearing from y'all what stories you would like to hear some challenges that you may be having some successes that you're having, uh, let us know about it for this for now. Anyway, I'm Roy I'm Terry. Thanks a lot.

Bye.