Meet the JoinCrave community members: Cătălina

Our community means more than guidelines, it is a shared experience, and many times we understand more by getting to know our members, Cătălina.

32 years old mom shares her post pregnancy weight-loss story

A mom who wanted to lose weight after giving birth to her son shares her story.

Now I have the body of a high school teenager and the maturity of an adult.

Cătălina G. is a 32 years old mother and wife who takes care of her young son and is getting ready to return to her job after her maternity leave. She loves to spend time with her family because it gives her good energy, to read, to listen to music and to watch a good movie or series.

After giving birth to her child, she wanted to feel good in her own skin again and to lose the extra weight that she gained during pregnancy. She started to use the Yummdiet platform after a friend of hers recommended it and she thinks it is the best move she made. This is her story!

Why did the JoinCrave mobile app draw your attention?

A few months after I gave birth, I realized I needed to change my lifestyle so I can lose the extra weight gained during pregnancy. I wasn’t feeling mobile and active enough and 80% of my wardrobe was on stand-by because I needed bigger sized clothes.

I didn’t like what I was seeing in the mirror and, on top of it all, I discovered that my metabolic age was 10 years older than I actually am.

I then started to look for information and discovered JoinCrave on Instagram and Facebook. I already knew about Cori Grămescu and her work. A friend also shared her experience with Cori’s platform and how satisfied she was with the results. This convinced me to ask for her help to achieve what I had in mind!

What was your goal when you started the journey?

I wanted to go back to my weight before giving birth (73kgs vs. 64kgs), but without rushing or compromising. Further, I wanted to get to the proper weight for my age, under 60kgs.

Cori’s style got me: she has information, she transmits a lot of confidence, respect for the body and mind, she knows and understands what is going on emotionally with a woman who eats a lot and has little to no physical activity.

I felt Cori is the right person to ask for help, one who will not judge me at all and who can guide me into losing weight.

How was the experience with the platform and Yummdiet team and what you liked the most?

The beginning of my experience with the JoinCrave team meant interacting with Marina and Cori. I didn’t meet the Lady Fit Gym team because I chose to exercise at home. At first, I received a lot of support via Whatsapp, then the platform evolved and we all moved online with everything, meaning monitoring and feedback for the food diary, exercising, emotional and physical health.

What I liked the most is that I was feeling like part of a big group of friends, because all of us had the same objective. I never felt judged or as in a competition with someone else, that I needed to rush or put any sort of pressure on myself.

Marina and Cori are a great team and I am extremely grateful I chose to work with them. It is the best investment in myself in this highly provocative year. I could go on and on about how important Cori and Marina were for my journey. All I can say is that if I had to start it all over again, I would surely go to Cori and her team, without doubt.

Cori has a unique style of attracting anyone: she is very down to earth and understands the reality of an overweight woman and this makes her respect a woman’s personal rhythm while empowering her in the journey of changing her lifestyle. Her advice has a very practical effect.

Marina is very empathic, she is the kind of person you need when you start such a process and want to keep the faith that you can do it, but also be kind to yourself, while being determined and ambitious.

What did you learn about healthy eating with the help of the platform?

• I learned how to organize my time so I can eat healthy and in a way that helped me lose weight
• Shop according to my weekly menu
• What to eat and when to eat it
• Drink plenty of water
• Change my perspective on new or known food
• Read labels so I can know what I eat

I understood to never eat fruit/ sweets after the main meal or in the afternoon, use many vegetables and lean meat, without leaving healthy fats and carbohydrates out. I had difficulties drinking enough water before, now it is a daily routine.

I discovered food I didn’t know about before or that I didn’t use to eat. I understood how I can combine food, which ones are fine, from a nutritious point of view and which ones I have to give up.

When did you start to see the first results and how did you feel?

I lost a lot of weight from the very beginning. I felt confident and proud that I can do it. I wasn’t hungry at all, I felt energized and motivated to go on.

It was a fantastic boost on energy and confidence, that I am on the right track and all of my effort will take me places, even further than I imagined.

How did JoinCrave change your life?

I feel I have the body of a high school teenager and the maturity of an adult and this is more than I ever imagined achieving when I decided to ask Cori for help. I did some blood tests and I am thrilled that I also managed to solve some health issues I had before losing weight.

Now I feel I have the energy that I need to take care of myself and my family.

I didn’t take any meds during my weight loss process or any other supplements of any kind. I also integrated exercising in my life and this is a big achievement because, previously, I would have done anything to skip it.

How long did it take to achieve your goal and what did it mean to you?

After 6 months I managed to reach and maintain my desired weight. It was an experience about knowledge of my own body, what foods to choose, how to take care of my mind. This time gave me the opportunity to change how my look and lifestyle with the resources that I had.

I learned that there is a direct link between what I eat and how I feel, what compulsive eating is and what do I have to do when I feel like eating even if I am not hungry.

What are the most valuable lessons that you learned after using the mobile app?

• What to eat and when, including what to eat when I am out in town or on holiday
• When to weigh in and what are the normal weight fluctuations
• How to exercise so I don’t get bored
• How cool it is to look in the mirror and like what I see
• Accept my flaws as my body doesn’t look the same after pregnancy, accept that it looks even better
• How to handle difficult moments when I am tempted to eat due to emotional stress
• That it is normal to crave for certain food and that I don’t have to feel guilty about it
• Assume what I choose to eat and determine how much I exercise

Why would you recommend other women to use JoinCrave?

I already did that and I am glad they had the same great experience.

I will continue to recommend JoinCrave because it is the right place for any woman who wants to change her eating and exercising habits, who will find support, trust, acceptance to achieve her desired weight and maintain it.

After just one month on the platform, the quantity and quality of the information I could find is precious and the winning mindset for our journey settles in quickly.