Crystal: Welcome to the MetPro Method Podcast. I’m your host, Crystal O’Keefe, and today I’m joined by MetPro client Abigail Derby, and we’re going to be hearing about Abigail’s journey. Abigail, thank you so much for being here today. How are you?
Abby: I’m good. Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Crystal: Oh, thank you for doing this. So do you go by Abigail or Abby?
Abby: Abby. Either is fine, but pretty much everyone shortens it to Abby.
Crystal: Abigail is my daughter’s middle name. It was almost her first name. I tried about a million different combinations and finally landed on the middle name. And you spell it the right way. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to find MetPro.
Abby: Okay, so I am 33, born and raised in Pittsburgh, still living here. Very close with my family. I work as an operating room nurse, which through a coworker is how I got connected to MetPro. A good friend and coworker of mine had used the program and one-on-one coaching. I could see her transformation myself and was like, “What are you doing?” I asked her about it, and I started using the app originally just to get acquainted and see how I liked the program. Then I ended up utilizing the one-on-one coaching a little bit down the road.
Crystal: That’s a fun transition. I’m curious, what made you decide to switch from the app to coaching?
Abby: A couple of different things. Someone from MetPro reached out to me to try coaching with one month free. I had been wavering back and forth about it, but I really thought it would give me a better understanding of the program, accountability, and that quick, easy, accessible resource to get the best results in the quickest way. So when that opportunity presented itself, I just felt, okay, yeah, I’m going to go for it. I’m going to try it.
Crystal: This is my sign.
Abby: Yeah, exactly. I was like, this is the universe telling me to do it.
Crystal: So what has it been like working with a coach? Was it what you expected?
Abby: I would say overall, it is what I expected. I think when other people hear me talk about utilizing a coach, their expectations are much different. They think someone’s telling me I can’t eat this, can’t do that, but that’s not what it’s like at all. It’s a very positive and encouraging environment. For me, working with the coach has been great for accountability, but not because they’re going to ridicule me if I get off track. They help me navigate holidays, family events, difficult seasons, work schedules, kids’ schedules—whatever hinders you from following a meal plan or workout schedule. The coach helps you figure out how to work with your personalized life to meet your goals and stay healthy. They give you tricks and tools to do that. So it’s been a very positive experience. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and things I can use regularly to stay on track with my goals.
Crystal: That’s wonderful. Has there been anything you’ve noticed that you’ve struggled with while doing MetPro?
Abby: I’ve always been the kind of person who wants a bowl of ice cream after dinner or a glass of chocolate milk, even a square of chocolate. So I think the hardest part for me was fighting off those cravings. People say if you don’t eat the sugar, you won’t crave it, but they never totally go away. You’re not going to kick your sugar craving totally, or just enjoying sweet treats or a Starbucks latte at Christmas. But there is a way to enjoy them once in a while and not let it throw off your day, week, or whole meal plan. So that’s always been a consistent struggle for me. I’ll have it fixed in my mind, like, I want ice cream, I want it. Just taking control of that. Obviously, with the program, those kinds of things are very limited, but nothing’s ever totally eliminated. You get used to letting that be a once-in-a-while moment, and the rest of the time, being on track and you’re good to go.
Crystal: It’s easier said than done—taking that moment, enjoying it, and getting back on track. I am a fellow carb lover, and ice cream is the best.
Abby: Yeah, it should be its own food group.
Crystal: I know, right? It’s just not a healthy one. Has there been anything that surprised you about MetPro? You thought it was going to be one thing and it ended up being something else?
Abby: I don’t think so. I feel like I had a decent understanding, having a close friend who had done the program. I feel like I had a good idea of what I was getting into. I will say, though, I had used many other apps and programs, counting calories and different types of eating in the past. Some of those things had worked for me before, but I got to a place where they weren’t working for me now. This was something I had never done before. So, there’s always an adjustment when you’re doing something new that you’re not familiar with, and you don’t know how your body will respond.
A specific example of something that surprised me was after a cut cycle, when we’d go back into a build, I’d always be nervous that I was going to gain back everything I had just lost. I was amazed every time that wasn’t the case, and that those cycles were really needed to keep my metabolism going and to keep getting me to my end goal. It’s not just staying in the cut phase that’s going to get you the end result. That was something I hadn’t tried before, and every time I was cautious, like, I don’t see how adding back in all these carbs is going to work out. But it did work out. That was the most surprising part for me.
Crystal: It’s very counterintuitive to what the rest of diet culture tells us. It’s not crazy that you would be unsure about doing that. I’m so glad that you saw that work and you feel good about it. Presumably, you’re more confident about it these days.
Abby: Yes, oh yes, definitely. Now I’m like, “Oh yeah, bring it on.” Great. I’m happy. It’s time to celebrate. It’s going to be okay.
Crystal: So what about using the program when you’re out and about, maybe at work or if you go on a trip? Is there anything that you’ve had to do differently in those places?
Abby: Yes. For most of last year, I was traveling regularly for work. I would make about a three-hour drive to the hospital where I worked, spend three days there, then drive home. So I was spending half the week there, half the week here. I had a very diligent meal plan for when I went to work. I meal-prepped every single meal and snack, packed up my cooler every week, and tried my best to adhere to only what I took. It was a large investment of my time, but the three days I was working, it was mindless—I packed the same thing, ate it, and all was good to go. There were definitely workarounds with traveling.
As a nurse, most people can understand that in healthcare, and probably a lot of industries, you’re not always guaranteed your break might not be the length you want it to be. With MetPro and coaching, you’re trying to fit in morning and afternoon snacks. I work a 12-hour shift and try to fit in three or four meals while I’m at work, and I get one break if I’m lucky. So I came up with quick grab-and-go ideas. In the OR, I can’t really take my snack with me where I’m working. So I struggled at times to get in the snacks, primarily bars, which had to work. Sometimes it wasn’t an exact fit for the phase I was on, but it was the best we could do. You have to adjust for people’s lifestyles, and working with the coach enabled that possibility.
One of the hardest things was also staying hydrated. I’m hungry, I’m tired, my muscles are sore from my workout plan, but now I’m at work, and I can’t have water with me in the operating room. I’m lucky if I get a break, and I don’t even have time to run to the bathroom. So I was definitely fighting dehydration on the days I worked those long days. But you don’t have to work in healthcare to have long days and have trouble with these things. It’s about coming up with creative ways to fit that in and being aware of how much fluid you should be getting in a day. The more you’re aware of it, the more likely you are to take little steps to try to get it in throughout the day. When you’re more hydrated, you recover better, sleep better—it all plays a part in a bigger picture.
Crystal: So true. Wow, you’re saying all the things. It’s always interesting because, as a society, we’re a spectrum of people who are willing to try new things, versus some of us who get stuck in our ruts and want to do things the same as we’ve always done them. We want to change, but we don’t want to change the things. Again, diet culture doesn’t necessarily support some of these things. It doesn’t make it easier when you don’t hear people explaining that water does impact diet. Everything you do, every part of your body, is affected by water. We all know we’re made of water
, but we don’t see the impacts in the same way. Or to your point, when you want to do the things but you’re not able to due to your hectic work schedule. I’m really curious if you have any hacks that you and your coach came up with for navigating the OR. I’ve heard some over the years from different people who work in the OR. Some as extreme as having a smoothie and literally holding up their hands, drinking it, and then coming back.
Abby: That’s wild. I just definitely made it a habit, depending on how long a surgical case might be, but in places I was working, I was doing multiple cases throughout the day. So I made it a habit of mine that after every case, I would drink a 12-ounce cup of water and use the restroom. I made it a habit—as soon as the case is done, I know I’m going to get my water and stop at the restroom. On my breaks, I do my best to do that. I also made it a habit in the morning to drink at least 16 ounces of water on my drive in. Before I even clock in or start my day, I felt like I had more control over that time. When I get up, I’m going to get in that water to start the day. I like my morning cup of coffee, but drinking that water more in the morning helped me get going and wake me up. By the time I got to work, I was ready, hydrated, and caffeinated.
Crystal: I’m also curious about your workouts and how you were able to structure those while being on the road three days a week. That seems difficult to do. If you don’t mind sharing, I’d be curious.
Abby: I don’t mind sharing at all. My three days that I worked out of town were pretty consistently Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Sometimes I would drive Wednesday morning before my first shift; other times, I’d drive up Tuesday night. The four days I was off and home, I pretty consistently got a workout in each of those days. If I was in a higher phase and doing heavier weightlifting, I might need a rest day. In lower phases, where I was doing more endurance, I didn’t normally need a full rest day because I knew I’d get them when I was traveling for work. Sometimes I would drive up Wednesday, and after a three-hour drive and 12 hours of work, I never made myself work out that day. The middle day would be the day I’d try to get in at least 30 minutes of a workout. I have a small at-home gym with a Peloton, which I love, and some free weights, but nothing too extensive. I was getting to a place where I wanted heavier weights to reach different body goals and strength training. They opened a Planet Fitness close to my house, and there happened to be one very close to where I was working. They’re all over the place, so I joined there. I would work out in hotel gyms at first, and then when I joined Planet Fitness, I’d use that membership because they’re everywhere. My goal was to do one workout out of the three days I worked, only 30 minutes, but once you get going, it usually ends up being longer. The days I drove, though, that was all I was doing that day.
Crystal: That’s a lot. Three hours plus work is a lot of driving.
Abby: Yeah, but it still amounted to five workouts a week. That was my goal, to stay consistent with five workouts a week, and I was still able to meet that goal.
Crystal: As you should be. Very nice. What about your friends and family? Are they supportive of MetPro? Do they change their habits at all?
Abby: That would be nice, but no. You’re going to have people who are gung ho, totally supportive of what you’re doing, and then you’re going to have people who don’t understand, don’t even know what a macro is, think you’re starving yourself, and you’re like, “You got it all wrong.” They don’t get it, they don’t care. They’re like, “Why aren’t you eating?” The supportive people are more interested, asking questions about what I’m eating, wanting to understand the phases of eating, what kind of workouts I’m doing. I got a lot of “What weight are you trying to get to?” but it’s not really all about weight loss for me. This is about my overall health and wellbeing, trying to cut back on processed foods, eating whole and clean, and being able to teach those things to my son. Then there are people who don’t understand, and you can try to explain, but a lot of times, they’ll still see it the way they see it. You might have to accept that.
There were times when I chose not to attend a family event centered around a meal because I didn’t want to feel ridiculed for choosing to eat something different when there wasn’t an opportunity for understanding where I was coming from. Unfortunately, some people struggle to be happy for you reaching your goal because they’ve struggled to reach a goal themselves. When they see you meeting your goals, they feel a certain type of way because they’re struggling. I saw a little bit of everything in different circles. But at the end of the day, you just have to know why you’re doing this, be confident in your choice, and know that what you’re doing is for your own health. You’re the only person in charge of that, so don’t let the naysayers change your mind.
Crystal: So true. What have we missed? What do you want to make sure that people listening know about your journey that we haven’t touched on?
Abby: I was thinking about this. When I started with MetPro, I was in a very transitional place in life. My career was changing, I had recently gotten out of a 10-year relationship, I was potentially going to be moving—all these things. But I still found a way to make this work for me and my schedule, largely because of working with the coach. What I say to people is, don’t wait for a certain time in life to make your health and wellness a priority because life is always going to have stuff coming at you. When one thing ends, another thing will come. There will be highs and lows, but that’s the whole point—being able to navigate and fit a healthy lifestyle into the life you have. Don’t be afraid to jump in and try it. Don’t put it off because your health is important.
When I think of the habits I’ve come to have as an adult from how I was raised, I think about what habits I’m going to teach my son when he grows up. Is he going to think it’s important to take care of himself, to work out? As a nurse, I see so many patients who truly do not take care of themselves—people with uncontrolled diabetes, cardiovascular disease. You’d be amazed at how many people are uncomfortable lying flat because of their habitus. Childhood obesity is beyond frightening to me. I see patients with amputations, complex conditions, and ailments, and what they go through, what their families go through, supporting them, their caretakers. That’s all a big part of why I’ve made my health and lifestyle the way it is. You have one body, and it’s up to you what you put into it, how you move it. It’s easy to take for granted the privilege of having clean water, healthy food, and the ability to move your body. When I think of people who don’t have those things and how accessible they are to me, why would I not take advantage of that so I can show up as my whole self?
I’m all about the holistic mind, body, soul, and one feeds into the other. If you’re not taking care of your body, the other things will catch up and not be full either. To me, it’s a whole big picture. It’s not just about losing the weight—there’s so much more to it. If you dig deep into why you’re invested, you will succeed because your why matters.
Crystal: Yes, oh Abigail, tell them again. So true. Thank you for your time today. If people have questions, are you on social media somewhere that you feel comfortable sharing?
Abby: Yeah, I’m on Facebook or Instagram. Either would be fine. On Facebook, it’s just Abigail Derby, like Kentucky Derby, D-E-R-B-Y, that’s easy to remember. On Instagram, my name is Abby Hanny, A-B-B-Y H-A-N-Y. You can inbox me or post—I’d be happy to answer anyone’s questions about anything at all.
Crystal: Wonderful. Thank you again. Listeners, that’s all for this week. You can find all the MetPro Method episodes anywhere you get podcasts or at MetPro.co/podcast. Please be sure to follow the show and rate and review—that lets others know what they can expect. You can also learn more about MetPro at MetPro.co. I’m your host, Crystal O’Keefe, and I will be back next week. Until then, remember, consistency is key.
