I'm joined by MetPro clients, Rachel Cook and Rebecca Lobello. They have more in common than being MetPro clients. They are also sisters and they are going to join me to discuss how having a partner within the MetPro process can be such a huge help. Thank you both for joining me so much. I appreciate it.
Thanks for having us.
It’s my pleasure. I'm curious. What made each of you decide to join MetPro?
I started first with a MetPro and it was from reading your other blog about Peloton and having Angelo on giving tips every week. What he was saying made a lot of sense to me. It was very scientifically driven and being an engineer made sense. I loved hearing how you both were having success on it for you and your husband, and it was sustained because I have been on many different programs throughout my life and it hasn't been sustainable. That was the biggest thing. When I did the consultation call and they explained the process and what it looked like, it was something that I could do in my life and it seemed it would have healthy behaviors for me. That's what got me interested.
Rebecca, how about you?
It was interesting. I didn't realize Rachel was signing up for MetPro and I was doing the research to understand a little bit more about it as well because I have also read your other blog. I was looking more into the details around that MetPro and then one day, Rachel and I were talking and she was like, “I signed up for it,” and I was like, “I was looking at it, too. Maybe I will do it,” because it is something doable for my lifestyle as well.
Rachel, when you talked to Rebecca and you said, “I signed up.” Did you have to talk her into signing up with you since you signed up a little bit before her? What was that conversation like, the change there?
It was a lifestyle change. I had to change and be prepared over the weekend for the coming week. It was a commitment to me. I remember mentioning to her where I was talking to her. I was like, “You were going to have to be dedicated. It has to be consistent and an actual choice.” I was making sure she came in with both feet to make sure she fully understood the commitment needed. I was excited to have someone part of it as well as not having my coach for accountability. Being part of it was pretty cool too.
Rebecca, what has your journey been so far with MetPro?
It’s unlike anything I have tried before. I'm able to stay consistent on the plan. I have been on MetPro since February 2022. Consistency is the key. Having the meal preps. I do my meal preps on Sunday too. It has been a complete lifestyle change as Rachel said as well. It's nice to have that support, not from inside my house but also outside too so I can reach out at any time and ask for help.
I bet it's nice knowing you have multiple avenues that you can reach out to. Rachel, how about you? What has your journey been like?
I started back in January 2022 and did about four months working with a coach full-time, and it was super beneficial. I lost over 20 pounds in those couple of months and it was a huge improvement, not just from losing weight but being consistent with it and being sustained. That was great. I thought I had enough confidence that I could do it on my own, so I stopped the full-time coach. Sadly, I did not have enough self-control, so I'm back using the app which has been beneficial.
Having that consistency of logging what I was eating and having the math telling me exactly what to eat and what amounts. I'm still continuing to lose on the app. I'm still having discussions with Becky if I have any questions about the types of food I'm eating, “What would you think this would be bucketed as,” or different questions that I have.
I fully believe in the program. We have convinced our mom to also look into it. It has been part of our lives now. We are going on vacation and Becky brought her scale. She's going to measure things out with us. It's a full change in how we view food, how we fuel our workouts, and seeing the actual proof in those scales as well. It's pretty cool.
That's exciting, and I have to say that your coach would be very proud of you.
I was going to say too, anytime she does have questions that I don't know the answer to, I do feed them through you. “It’s a good question. I don’t know. Let me ask Crystal.”
That's what we are here for. I have told you both this. I have told most people that once you are on my roster, I feel like you are on my roster forever. You can reach out to me directly, Rachel. It's okay. I give you permission. I love that you involve each other. What do you think are the biggest benefits of having each other as part of the journey instead of just a coach?
It's that support system and we challenge each other. Rachel is based out in Texas and I'm in New Jersey, so we still cannot compete but we motivate each other to not eat well but to exercise too as well. I am the one who convinced Rachel to get a Peloton. We do a lot of the challenges. We do the Power Zone challenges together. We will ride on the weekends together and having that support system both in diet and in exercise helps because we push each other, so we know what we are capable of accomplishing.
Rachel, do you think there are any other benefits or do you feel that she covered them all?
The other one I can think of is when I have gone off plan or been inconsistent and when we talk, she's still on play and making good choices. It lets me have that kick in the butt saying, “No. There are people that are doing this, and I have a consistency buddy to make sure I'm good to go.” Even when we were on vacation together, she prepared snacks that met both of our plans.
It helps to have that reminder that it's possible and it's okay to trip up but getting back on plan and getting consistent again. She helps me with that by reminding me she's doing the same thing. It has that sisterly bond there, knowing that we are in it together. Even if I have a celebration planned or have some chips with dinner, she's on plan and reminds me that I can get back on plan, too.
I feel I saw a little guilty look with the chips with dinner.
Chips for dinner, I love it, though. You will see a plus one junk food from me.
Do I remember correctly that when you went on vacation together with your whole family, you also worked out together?
We did. We went for 5.5 miles running down to the beach and back.
I love the picture of you two. That was great. It's so fun to see that. It's nice to see people having fun. That's another aspect of it. It's not only the accountability but if somebody knows what you are going through. Whenever there are moments to have food that you are working within a little bit more restriction and trying to be a little bit more careful, you can still make it fun and understand that in a way other people in your family may not understand. Do you feel there are any potential downsides to having somebody else that you know doing the program with you?
In the back of my head, I always have to be having self-talk about not being competitive with her. When I have tried to lose weight in the past, especially with my husband. I would be shocked at how much weight he would lose right away and be like, “I'm not losing that much,” and have that competitive vibe.
I do have to remind myself that I'm not in competition with her. I'm in competition with my best self for that day and to remember to cheer her on and be a cheerleader for her and focus on that. It is very easy and my mentality to slip back into the competitive mode and be self-doubting myself. With that much talk that we have about our health, it's very easy for me to do that. It's good to self-remind myself but that's one of the pitfalls is being conscious of that behavior of myself.
I can understand that. I'm competitive, too. It's that type A thing, plus your sisters. Rebecca, do you have any other downsides you could think of, or is it easy for you because you are competitive?
I'm in the same boat. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm here to cheer her on for her journey and it's her journey and not mine. I'm on my own separate journey. It's a constant reminder for ourselves.
Do you ever say that to each other? Do you ever see the other one struggling and say, “I see this and I want you to know that you have to work on it with yourself?”
We repeat mantras in our group chat to each other to make sure that we are following the same mentality and having those reminders to each other.
Do you think somewhere down the road, a long time from now, when you decide you've got this down path and leave MetPro? Do you feel you will continue to have a connection and accountability to each other?
Absolutely. She's my sister for one. We talk through text messages almost every day. We will still always have some form of communication and support for each other.
It has been beneficial to me to push each other on. We did Robin Arzon’s 30 for 30 challenge in June and texted each other what our workouts were every day. There were some days where I wanted to sit on my couch after work and I did not want to go for my walk or my ride. Even after leaving MetPro, those conversations and pushing each other get me to be my strongest self. I have found so much benefit in having that workout buddy with me and that accountability buddy making good decisions.
For the downfalls, when I would gain a pound, I was right on the phone with Becky talking about it, being like, “This could be water weight. Follow the plan and be consistent.” All of that is beneficial to have that support system because I have tried it on my own and it's much harder. I see forever talking about our workouts and our eating habits from here on out.
Has there been anything through MetPro journey in general that either of you has been surprised at? Rachel, maybe you found that Rebecca was doing it differently or Rebecca you found Rachel was doing it differently and you were surprised by that?
The one thing that's surprised me what she eats for lunch. You would always have yogurt with berries or something like that. I cannot be sustained on yogurt during lunch. That is not something I gravitate towards. I have been very surprised about what she picks and chooses for her different macros. That's the most surprising thing for me.
That’s a lot of food. Eat yogurt, berries, and carrots.
It's a lot that's going to fill you up. It's going to last you a long time because you are eating. That takes a while to eat versus a couple of ounces of chicken. What about you? Maybe you've run into something that Rachel has done that surprised you.
The conversations she's had with her coach. We share the same coach. Sometimes Rachel will be like, “Did Crystal tell you A, B or C?” I'm like, “No. I got to go ask Crystal about A, B, and C, and see what's going on over there.”
Rachel asked it a different way.
I'm very proud of Rachel and her journey with MetPro. I'm sure she was shocked too as well as the amount of weight she was able to drop within the four months that she was on the program, with working with the coach. It’s amazing and I'm super proud of her for that.
I'm proud of you too, Rachel and Rebecca. You have both done so great. It's tough to lose as a woman who is getting to the 40 range of age. Whenever you add kids, summertime, and all of the things we do, it's hard. Our bodies are made a little bit differently than men. Our bodies are programmed to hold on to fat in a different way than men's bodies are.
While that makes sense to me, it doesn't make it any less frustrating. You both have done great. It's a lot of hard work and it does take consistency and dedication to be able to do that day in and day out. That's not an easy thing to do. You both should be proud of yourselves. Do you feel that there's anything else that maybe you want to make sure that the readers know about yourselves or about MetPro in case they are jumping in or hearing about MetPro for the first time and you are like, “I want to make sure they know this?”
Meal prepping was overwhelming at first, especially not knowing if my plan was going to change or if I was going to have some surprise football scrimmage pop-up for my family. It was overwhelming trying to plan out. I tried at first to do a week at the time. Crystal, you taught me how to only do a couple of days at a time and make 1 protein and 1 carb.
That helped me take the stress and the overwhelmingness off of it and made it something that's helping me be organized for the week. One less decision I have to make in a day for what's coming up and that has been beneficial. At first, I made it into this mountain to meal plan for the whole week. It doesn't have to be. It has to be simple and something to take those decisions away from me and cause less stress in the end.
That's good advice because everybody struggles with meal prep at the beginning. It's like anything else you do for the first time. It's a skill. The first time I did it, it took me over an hour or maybe closer to two hours the first time. It's a lot and now it's ten minutes. I got it. How about you, Rebecca?
The one thing that I focused on with MetPro is that I look at it, not as a diet. I look at it as a meal plan. A lot of people come up to me and even my daughter. She will be like, “Your diet.” I'm like, “We don't call it a diet. It's a meal plan.” I take a look at it is that I want to sustain this for after I leave MetPro too as well. Trying to change her mindset too. That's something that when people tell me that I'm on a diet. It's like, “No. This is a meal plan. I'm staying consistent with how I'm eating, eating healthy, and eating the right foods in the right amount.
That's important, especially for parents who have children reading. We want to be mindful that they are eating healthily. That's part of it but also that they don't feel that we are depriving ourselves of or restricting how we are eating or the amount that we are eating. It's like, “We are making this choice to eat healthy foods 80% of the time.”
There's going to be the time that mom or dad decides to have a drink and maybe a piece of chocolate cake and that's okay. There's no bad or good. It's just consistency. Both of you bring up excellent points. Thank you so much for your time, Rebecca and Rachel. Readers, that's all for this episode. You can find all the MetPro method episodes anywhere you get podcasts or you can go to MetPro.co/podcast. Please be sure to follow the show and rate and review. That lets other people know what they can expect. You can learn more about MetPro at MetPro.co. I will be back next episode. Until then remember, consistency is key.
