Stacy Smith-Foley, MD
Interview With Stacy Foley-Smith, MD
Click This Button To Listen:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Reading The Transcript While You Listen Is Recommended
Jackie Wicks: Hi. I’m here with Stacy, and I wanted to introduce her. Someone who is a participant in the Point of No Return program. We were just chatting a bit, and I just had asked, “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
Stacy, feel free to introduce, explain a bit… You know, just a bit about who you are and what kind of daily struggles you might face.
Stacy Smith: Well, I’m a young mother and I work full time. My kids are both pre-kindergarten age. My husband stays home with them. But it’s still very demanding, trying to work full time and be a mother. I found in that whole process that I had kind of lost myself and needed to carve out some time for myself so that I could be a better mother and wife for them.
Jackie: Right, and then, what do you do? You had just mentioned that you’re a physician.
Stacy: I’m a physician. I’m a radiologist, and I specialize in breast imaging. So on a regular basis, I have to talk to women about their potential fears and even the reality that they have breast cancer. It’s very stressful work.
Jackie: I can only imagine how much… It’s physical and emotional stress on you during a day. And how many times that I’m sure that… No matter how committed you are to making a good choice, you can get overwhelmed.
Stacy: Yes, you can let yourself fall into patterns of emotional eating to try to cope with all of the stresses in your work and your life.
Jackie: What would you say has been your… Have you been someone who was thinner when you were younger? Did you gain weight after your pregnancies? Have you always struggled with your weight? How would you describe yourself?
Stacy: I think I’ve always struggled with my weight, because I’m shorter. I’m only 5′ 2″, and my family are all overweight. But they’re all taller than me, so they carry it better than I do. And in that process of college and medical school, residency training, and even in fellowship, you just don’t have a lot of time for yourself. You’re focusing on your studies and learning what you need to learn. You get into bad habits and bad patterns of putting yourself last.
Jackie: Yes, absolutely.
Would you say that you are the type of person who works out easily? Is that a struggle for you? Do you have more trouble making good food choices?
Stacy: I work out fairly easily when I have an ingrained pattern, but it’s always been a hard pattern for me to start. I’ve stopped and started an exercise program, and I’ve stopped and started different eating programs over the past 15 or so years.
But it wasn’t until the Point of No Return program that it really all stuck for me. It solidified all of the things that I already knew, but it gave me some tools to really organize it and apply it to my life, in my real life as a full-time working mom. And with all the other busy activities I have in my life.
Jackie: What would you say is one of the specific weeks that really stuck out for you, or one of the tools that you find yourself using to help you stick with your new habits?
Stacy: Well, one of the tools that I find helps me the most is the breathing tool, and the creating space between myself… Between a stimulus and a response.
You can be having a great day, and then you have an interaction with a coworker that just makes you boil within. Maybe my old response would have been to the candy drawer in the office and get a piece of chocolate, and chill out with that. My new response is just to step away, go to my office, close the door, breathe, refocus… Get my heart rate down, my blood pressure down. And I don’t even think about that candy drawer.
Jackie: Wow. So, when would you say… How many weeks did it take you to really start to say, “Wow, this is making a difference. I feel like this isn’t something where I’m going to start for a couple weeks and really lose my energy and motivation to do it.” That’s kind of why we call it the Point of No Return.
You’ve got to this point where you realize, “I’ve amassed enough knowledge that I’m really in a new place when it comes to taking some of these habits and really making them stick.”
Stacy: I would say probably the third or fourth week.
Jackie: Wow, so in three or four weeks you changed. I mean, not changed… But you really felt like, “Well, this is different.”
Stacy: Well, in three or four weeks I changed fundamentally, and I continued to look forward to the next week and adding those new tools. I was so excited about where this is taking me.
Jackie: That’s amazing. Would you say that you learned new diet approaches, new fitness approaches, or did you more take some of the stuff that you had known prior and integrate it with some of the stuff that we had been teaching?
Stacy: I did learn some new diet approaches, and maybe new terms for some of the things that I was already doing. The diet fusion I was probably already doing that, but before PEERtrainer and the Point of No Return program I didn’t know very much about Dr. Fuhrman. Being introduced to Dr. Fuhrman’s approach was very enlightening.
The 80-20 part of the fusion, giving myself breathing room to not feel like I had to be perfect… That sets me up for success and not for failure.
Jackie: That is a key thing, obviously for me too, because that’s what I do. I find so many people end up slipping back because they do feel guilty, because they say, “Well, you know what? I just had a large pizza and I wasn’t supposed to do that, so why even bother, because I’m not going to like the results on the scale this week.”
I understand what you’re saying. A lot of people end up saying it gives them some freedom. And it stops their trajectory of that same familiar thing of them beating themselves up, so they go back to where started.
Stacy: It helped me to, instead of micromanaging my eating and my exercise, it helped me look at how all of this relates in a bigger picture and the larger context of my life long-term. Not just what I’m doing today, but what I’m going to be doing for the next… rest of my life.
Jackie: That’s amazing. How much weight would you say you’ve lost?
Stacy: I’ve lost 27 pounds.
Jackie: How do you feel?
Stacy: I feel fantastic.
Jackie: Is your energy level completely different? Have you noticed if it’s a little different?
Stacy: It’s 110 percent different. My mood is completely different. I’m a happier person. I’m a more relaxed person around my kids and around my husband. My husband said that all of that was just kind of… The other day he said that he thought I had been holding myself back, because I’m so much more spontaneous and more apt to just jump in and say, “Hey, let’s just go have a fun day.” And not so focused on, “Oh, I can’t do that. I don’t know if I feel comfortable putting myself in that situation.”
Because, I feel good about myself and I’m self confident, I feel like I can do anything.
Jackie: Wow. That is… I’m so happy for you. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I hear things like that, because it’s really… Of course we want to focus on weight and health, but just some of the other changes that also happen after you…
You don’t necessarily anticipate what other personality changes you have, or other views. I know what you mean, because I hear that a lot, where people say, “Someone told me I’m smiling all the time now, and I didn’t even realize I wasn’t smiling all the time.”
Stacy: Yes, and there was so much… There were definitely points where… Jackie, at one point you even emailed me as we were doing that feedback of, “Let me tell you what I eat, and what I do.” And you gave me specific suggestions for change that I have applied, and it’s made a huge difference for me.
I had been drinking Slim-Fast for my breakfast for the past umpteen years, and I had lost weight on Slim-Fast. But you suggested that I maybe switch to eating a Kind bar and adding a hard-boiled egg to that. That has really made a huge change.
Jackie: Oh, I’m so glad. I remember that. That’s funny. I do remember. That’s really interesting to hear.
Did it make a change in your satiation levels?
Stacy: Absolutely, and I think increasing that protein has given me more protein to build muscle in my workouts. I don’t get hungry until lunchtime. I didn’t even think about food. I come in, and I eat my breakfast at my desk, and do my paperwork, and then I get busy with my day. Before I know it, lunchtime’s rolled around.
Jackie: Wow. That’s amazing.
Stacy: That was a very small thing that you did that made a big impact on my life.
Jackie: Amazing. Thanks for letting me know.
I am obviously very, very excited for you. Thanks again!
****
Are You Ready To See How Much Change You Can Make In A Month?
Click On This Link To Get The First Month Of This Program For $1.
I too would like to know what the cost will be after the 1st month at $1?
Reminds me of that god grant me patience NOW paulqe my mother used to have, though in this instant I suppose the issue would be tolerance. She wants to raise her children in a good world and the powers-that-be are giving her the opportunity to show her children how people can treat each other with kindness and respect- only she is not seeing the opportunity for what it is. Most people whose minds work that way eventually lash out in one way or another so I would beg any spiritual-minded individuals reading this to wish her and her children the best future possible as soon as they can. Reminds me of own (Evangelical)family and church; their faith and teachings effected me so much I eventually became a fairly good Buddhist/Wiccan. Life is a joker sometimes. And congrats on making the blog list! You have a lot of people very proud of you C.J.’S Mom!
Just signed up! I do really good all day, but when I get home, even after a healthy dinner, I can’t stop eating! I have 15 more pounds to lose until I reach my goal. Please Help!
Kids book: are we talking pirtuce book? I love the Miss Spider books for their lovely artwork, and I have a soft spot for Ferdinand the Bull. Otherwise, I’d say the Anne of Green Gables series, hands-down.Novel oh, what a tough one. How about a desert island grouping? I’d take all the Harry Potters, Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, House of Mirth, and Gilead, for starters.
What’s aKind bar?
Congrats, Stacy.
I’m interested in the fact that you are quoting Dr Fuhrman. I have been a long-time member of his website. I just can’t commit to the huge changes he suggests.
Signed up tonite! Need the support.
This sounds very promising, but I too would like to know how much it will be after the first month? Thank you.
please remove me as a subscriber I dont want to be emailed anything from this website
Thanks. I enjoyed Stacey…but am confused about her praise of Dr. Furhman and then eating the egg in the morning….conflict because Dr. F is strickly vegan no added fats etc.
Randy
I can’t seem to find the recipes for the soups, does anybody know where to find these? Thanks!
wanted to know……..if I eat one healthy meal for lunch and fruits for breakfast and dinner,
will it work? and plus skipping in the morning and afternoon.
How much does this program cost after the first month?
I am looking for a weight loss program that will work for me, but my husband us unemployed right now and the funds are extremely low. Hopefully this is a program I will get to try soon as it sounds like the type of program that will work.
Hey Danna, I just wanted to encourage you to start right now. I’m in college and can’t afford this program, but I’m taking advantage of the different free tips and starting with the basic pdf on ‘how to cheat’ and I’m already noticing a difference. Even if you can’t afford the program, this site has so many free tips that will ease your journey to a healthier you even if you don’t have the full premium package. You can do it!
I was very inspired by your videos. I felt like the person you were talking about…someone who has a ton of knowledge about nutrition & exercise, but can’t seem to fully commit for the long haul. Thank you for the information. I look forward to learning more!
looks like a great place to be.
I have just graduated both my boys- one from college, one from High School, I am a psychotherapist and the oldest daughter in my family. Let’s just say I am a “born caretaker”. But I have taken care of everyone else but myself. I am ready to focus on my health now and find a holistic program that answers the emotional aspect to overeating.
i am so happy to find a program can work for me, thank you one more time
i am giving my information before i saw this videos, but how i known, if i am in this program, but i am so happy find a program is going to work in me. thank you
i am 25 have a three year old and have been struggling with my weight for as long as i can remember i always start execise routines and stop every year being big is really a struggle trying to lose weight is more like almost impossible please hlp me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Here I go ……again, but for some reason it feels different this time after listening to the Peertraining videos!
I hope that I can crawl out of my pit and stick to this and be a success. In the past I have proven to be my own worst enemy and constantly set myself up for failure. How does one truly change their thinking to overcome and move on to success?
Stacy has inspired me. I see so much of Stacy’s behavior in myself.
Last March I started weight watchers, went to the gym several times a week and lost 22 pounds.
It got really hot this summer and the gym has poor air condition so I quit going then I kinda got off my weight watchers when I had to go down another point (it was like one to many in my mind)
so I just kinda of gave up, I have gained my weight back but I kept getting your emails and decided to actually read it the other day and it has made me really want to try again. Last night I listed to your videos and when you have that $77 special I am going to join. Keep me informed when it starts and until then I am starting back to the gym and today I am doing WW again.
Thanks for your encouragement…………Karen (memaw) I have 3 beautiful grandchildren.
Follow-up: how about the indulgence that you rlealy know you shouldn’t take part in (for whatever reason cost/politics/decorum/health/wellness), but that allure is just too darned appealing to resist?and a new thread (or not): favorite find at a thrift store, used book/music store and/or garage sale?
After having my fourth child and my mother’s death, I am having a hard time losing the last 15 lbs. My clothes don’t fit and I just want to have some peace around my eating, my body and my life.
Hi! I’m 47 and a wheelchair user from India. It’s been an ongoing battle to keep my weight down. I’m 5 ft tall and weigh 62 kgs.. HELP!!!!
I’m sitting at my computer wondering whether to sign up. I really want to but am scared! What if I try one more thing and I fail? I so want to succeed in this. This program seems so amazing and is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I just need the courage to push that button!
Really. It sounds like a lot of these comments are fake just to boost the site. What’s up with that?
I agree! After receiving your emails each morning and getting suggestions on diet and exercise, I have made a real change in my life. Dr Fuhrman’s approach is fantastic. Without it I probably would have fallen off by now. But after 5 months using both his and your suggestions, I have been able to lose 50 lbs without yo-yo’ing. Thanks Jackie.
Great to hear!!
Wow, this is amazing. I constantly look for motivation to stay on track. And here it is!
wow .. I hope I can acomplish what Stacy , did in my life 2
Stacy sounds just like me. I work full time and my husband stays home with our 3 yr old twins. It is hard to find time for myself. I too first heard of Dr Furhman through the PONR program. I really feel different some how — more positive and just happier. I try to follow Dr. Furhman — probably about 70/30. The PONR sessions are really inspiring. When I listened to the first one, I felt excited to get going. I like how realistic this program is and it is also very healthy — no weird stuff
I am losing slowly — 10 lbs so far. I need to get to 80/20 or higher and be more consistant with exercise. But I finially feel that I have found what I have been looking for all these years! Thank you!!
I’ve been participating in the PONR program for the last four weeks and have found it to be invaluable! The concept of desire vs. expectations has helped enormously and my expectation level has gone from a 7 (I’d already lost 100 lbs when I signed up, so I have some experience of success) to an 8. And I EXPECT that it will soon be at a 10. Thank you!
shanfle- glad to hear that!
I am looking forward to starting the program soon
Suzanne- we look forward to working with you!
I echo the comments! The tools are also helping me stay on track and deal with my perfectionism in a rational way. this is my life, not my diet! I dont know for sure if I am at the point of no return but I know I am different now and have confidence that I can do this one day at a time forever!
I am a beginner and looking forward to starting this program.
Glad you signed up! The next month is going to be very exciting….