Two Old Bats in the Belfry
Two Old Bats in the Belfry
Battling the Bulge: Laughs, Losses, & Letting Go
Ever feel like shedding pounds is an uphill battle, especially as you age? This week on "Two Old Bats in the Belfry," join Vicki and Shelly as they hilariously navigate the rollercoaster of weight loss in their golden years. From the triumphs of Vicki's medically supervised protein-sparing fast to Shelly's lifelong, laugh-out-loud tales of battling the bulge, we tackle everything from sagging skin to those pesky "bat wings." We emphasize the critical elements of readiness and motivation, aiming to inspire you with our candid and determined approach to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Then, we get emotional—yet funny—about the bittersweet task of parting with our "fat clothes." We delve into the sentimental attachment we have to those beloved yet unworn garments and share the heartwarming decision to donate them to charities supporting women re-entering the workforce. Adjusting to a new body image comes with its own set of challenges, and we share our own psychological hurdles and triumphs with playful analogies and humor. Tune in for a motivational and light-hearted conversation that celebrates transformation and warns our husbands that we’re hotter than ever!
Hi everyone, this is Shelly G and Vicki Z, and we are Two Old Bats in the. Belfry.
Speaker 2:Well, hello, loyal listeners. It's Skinny Miss Vicki and Thin Miss Shell. I think it's time for us, vicki, to turn in both of our husbands for two 40 year olds, because after our dieting and our getting in shape, I don't think they're ready for us anymore.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm not sure I'm in shape, but I am thinner. I've been having symptoms of weight loss. All of us have had this happen one or more times in their lifetime and my partner and I my dear Shelly and I have gone through some time of weight loss programs, two different programs.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, that both had same really wonderful results. Shelly has lost 50 pounds, I have lost about 43 so far, but unfortunately without clothing on. I look like I'm melting. Oh please, I know.
Speaker 2:It's not pretty anymore.
Speaker 1:It's not pretty anymore.
Speaker 2:Well, we have to remember that we're a little older now. Just a little Dieting at the senior level Is very different than when, I did this 20 years ago.
Speaker 1:Yes, so as a consequence of this, I have skin hanging that never hung before, and I was running down the hallway the other day after one of my little dogs and my boobs were flapping like making noise.
Speaker 2:Actually, Flapping, Flapping. My arms are bat wings oh my arms are bat wings also. Well, here's a question. Yeah, have you looked at your knees lately? Oh, please Do I have to. No, yes, I have Well see, now we can see on knees.
Speaker 1:That's right, it's entirely different than it was before. But I mean, when does it end? When we're dead? Yes, it really doesn't. And then you have to consider the worst and most difficult part of losing weight, and there is a downside for those of us who are not completely able to stop eating. It's very easy to just go right back, and of course, one can't do that if one wishes to remain on the thinner side.
Speaker 2:Well, I just remember many years ago now. I mean, I have had a weight problem since birth, when I was 12 and my mother took me to the pediatrician. He told my mother that if I wanted to have a nice shape I had to stay at that weight for the next 10 years. So I told my mother never to take me back to this pediatrician. I don't blame you, and so I mean, it's been the bane of my existence, me too. But I remember once being at a meeting and asking if on the program we could have flavored coffee, and the leader said to me Shelly, do you think you've got fat on flavored coffee? Well, if you put in half and half and you have to have a little something to hold in the hand and dunk yes, you can, it's a problem.
Speaker 1:I know the program that I did does not allow flavored coffee or flavored tea or any flavored soft drinks, because of the sugar. Because of the sugar, I don't know whether it's chemically a problem, but the last time I did this I was at work and I decided to have a Starbucks mocha and some oh my god, decaf coffee.
Speaker 1:No, no, no a decaf coffee with sugar-free hazelnut syrup in it, because I thought, well, it's sugar-free, yes, so it should be fine. Well, I drank it and within 15 minutes I had the runs I was at work.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was going to say that's not a bad thing. No, it's not a bad thing. Then you step on the scale, unless you're at work.
Speaker 1:Well, yes, yes, and I realized and I called the doctor under whose care I am and I was told that, yes, you cannot have any of the flavors, even if they're artificially sweetened, or especially if they're not artificially sweetened, because it throws off the chemistry of what you're doing.
Speaker 2:So I think we did pretty well.
Speaker 1:I think we did too. Considering that eating is such a part of our social life, but I will say that you are someone I absolutely look up to because you have kept it off for more than a year. This is the first time ever and I am hoping so so much to follow in your footsteps, because I don't want to do this again.
Speaker 2:I don't want to think about it again and you know, if somebody asked me what my goal is, my goal is just to be able to wear the same size clothes from season to season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, and of course I can do that now because all of mine have elastic waistbands, so it shouldn't be a problem at all.
Speaker 2:Well, Vic, since you were so successful and it seemed like it was flawless for you, Certainly, we spoke every day and I saw you often and I mean, you didn't struggle, you really did a good job. But why don't you tell everybody how you did it, how you lost your weight?
Speaker 1:Well, what I figured out is that you have to be ready, and I saw a picture of myself that was absolutely unbelievable. I hadn't realized how out of control I had become. So I went back on something called a protein sparing fast, which I had done several, quite a few years ago and had great results. It's a very fast weight loss. It doesn't involve any drugs. You do have to be seen by a doctor who is doing this program, and you have to have your blood work done every two weeks, so it's very carefully monitored. It's very fast. You burn a half a pound of fat every single day, but it spares your muscles, your bones, it's only burning fat.
Speaker 1:And the reason that I liked it is because I need to see results right away. And in the first 10 or 12 days I lost nine pounds, wow and consistently lost after that. And I am coming to the end of it now. And, of course, the one thing that has me concerned and that is why you are my role model is keeping it off for the rest of my life, because this is not easy on your body. You go into a state of ketosis, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with, but this is not easy on your body. You go into a state of ketosis which I'm sure everyone is familiar with. But this is different than the other keto diets out there, but for me it worked like a charm. I feel really wonderful.
Speaker 2:See, that's the key.
Speaker 1:Yes, Whatever works for you, exactly, exactly. So tell me about your. I know what you did, but I want you to tell our wonderful, faithful listeners about it.
Speaker 2:I grew up and went to school with Jean Nidish's boys. Jean Nidish was the founder of the program of Weight Watchers and I grew up in her neighborhood and my mother was one of the first that started with G90s in her basement. So I've been surrounded by the Weight Watcher program since I'm 15 years old, wow, and unfortunately, have used it up and down, up and down, up and down, and for me Weight Watchers always worked, no matter what the program was, when it was strict, when it was lax, and now it really, really helped me this last year. But I went through the same machinations in my head. I said how many times can I abuse my body?
Speaker 1:You know, if you ask me how much weight I lost.
Speaker 2:I lost 5,280 pounds over the last 50 years Me too.
Speaker 1:There are several people around, and you know and again.
Speaker 2:I just want to be able to be healthy, wear the same clothes, because I can't begin to tell you what it cost me over the years. Of course From a size 8 to a size 18 in the closet.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, when I got married, my wedding dress was a size 8, and I wanted to wear the label on the outside because I hadn't been a size 8 for a long long time.
Speaker 2:Please, I would never date anybody if they were thinner than.
Speaker 1:I was Well when my husband and I got married, we both weighed the same 118 pounds, and I asked him the other day, as a matter of fact, what he weighs. And I still don't weigh less than him. He still weighs 10 pounds less than me, really, yes. So I have to really get to my goal and a little below, and not throw out my elastic waist clothing because I don't want to take the chance of having nothing to wear.
Speaker 2:Please. I have a friend in New York and she knows who she is who says thank God for elastic waists. What are you planning on doing with all of these so-called fat clothes?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm keeping all of them for a little while because I want to promise myself that I will maintain, but I will donate to certain charities for women going out in the workforce now. I think that would be a great way, because I have wonderful clothing.
Speaker 1:I know I know me too, and I really hate to get rid of things. I keep looking at things in my closet that I haven't worn for years and I'm sure every woman does this, but I like them so much I find I can't get rid of them just yet. So it's an emotional thing too. No, I get, I can't get rid of them just yet.
Speaker 2:So it's an emotional thing too. No, I get that. You know it takes time for us also because we're so used to looking in the mirror and seeing a fat person.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:You know it's hard to imagine us as a thinner person, Of course.
Speaker 1:I have to say I look thinner with clothes on than I do without. Well, I think I would scare the world.
Speaker 2:That's like when you build a house and you see it just framed and it looks so small, and then you put furniture in it and you know it's amazing that all the furniture fits. I know Right, so now we're as big as a house.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's a wonderful comparison and I get it completely. Well, I think we both deserve kudos and congratulations, and congratulations to you too for keeping it off for a year and more Thank you, and all I can say is our hubbies.
Speaker 2:they better watch themselves.
Speaker 1:Yes, we're really hot now. Yes, we are. Better watch it, guys, and we'll leave you with this. Remember, age is mind over matter If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.