Meet the JoinCrave community members: Valeria

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

How a 40 years old woman lost 45 kilos in 15 months

Valeria is a legal adviser who loves cats, traveling, books, good coffee and spending time in nature with her husband. Before finding out about Yummdiet from her therapist, she was considering stomach reduction surgery as a way to lose extra weight. But everything changed when she met Cori Grămescu and the team behind JoinCrave. Valeria lost 45 kilos in 15 months. We talked to her and asked her to share her story with us. Here is what she had to say about her experience.

”I feel this is the biggest achievement of my life”

What made you use Yummdiet and what were your objectives?

I found out about JoinCrave my therapist, at the beginning of our collaboration. Due to a long history of unsuccessful dieting that brought me to a shocking weight, I decided I need help to lose it and to learn again how to eat properly.

The idea of stomach reduction surgery was very tempting to me, especially since I had examples among known people who did it and the results were spectacular. But I realized I wasn’t really ready to change my perspective on food, so I chose to work with a therapist while starting a classic diet, so to say, made of meat, salad, relatively small amounts of food and not tasty at all.

After two months of therapy sessions and when the initial effect of dieting started to slow down, my therapist told me to talk to Cori about diet and exercising. I knew about her, but I never worked with her until that moment.

I was drawn to the idea of working with someone who knows what is doing, because Cori had results with both herself and other people too and she was about to give me a fresh perspective. The main objective I had was to lose weight, but I also wanted to learn to eat better and make better choices when it came to that. I was a bit skeptical regarding exercising, but I started my journey determined to get the results I wanted.

How was your interaction with the platform?

The best part was the moment I started to eat according to the meal plan the app gave me, I was never hungry again. (laughs) I loved the ideas, the choices, the fact that the food was tasty and never the same. I loved that I always had many vegetables (I am a fan), that I didn’t miss bread and potatoes (even if in smaller amounts than usual and correctly combined), that I even ate something sweet weekly so, as an overall, I never felt frustrated.

The variation of the menus, the fact that I could eat the same food two days in a row ( I didn’t use to cook too much in the beginning) and the shopping list in the platform were amazing to me and the replacement computer … pure magic!

I felt motivated because I had results in the short and long term and they were visible. Everything fit like pieces in a puzzle. From the number of meals a day, to combining food and cooking it, the way I ate completely changed.

How did the JoinCrave team support you in your journey?

Cori was close to me step by step and helped me understand the more technical aspects of my journey, gave me advice regarding exercising, adapted my monthly way of doing sports and shared knowledge and personal experience. I was listened to and guided permanently and absolutely everything Cori told me was true.

I found support, understanding, cheering, but also hardness when needed.

Cori’s advice and then Marina’s, the delicious recipes and their permanent support were priceless. I asked for their advice everytime I was in a situation I didn’t know what to do, when I needed advice to adapt my meals to a certain occasion, when I had bad days and felt like eating more or I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was right or wrong.

When did you see the first results and how did you feel along the way?

The results were immediate. The meal plan was amazing for me and I was evolved constantly. I was losing around 3 kilos a month without feeling hungry, frustrated or with an amplified sweet tooth. I had amazing energy and I was feeling very good. I started to feel lighter and lighter, more energized, I started to experience the freedom of doing things I wasn’t able to do before because of my weight and I started to like again what I saw in the mirror.

The more I progressed with my journey, the more I started to understand why the way we eat is important, how can I choose good food for me and why eating healthy is something I have to be aware of all the time. I was feeling confident, happy and proud of my achievements!

What surprised you the most about JoinCrave?

I didn’t expect to not feel hungry and to not crave sweets. I didn’t expect learning so many new ways of combining food and tastes. I didn’t expect learning to cook and actually liking it. Thank you, Cori!

I never thought I would exercise constantly with so much joy and I was surprised finding myself eager while waiting for new LadyFit classes. (LadyFit is a gym in Bucharest, Romania owned by Cori Grămescu, the creator of JoinCrave) I never expected the instructors to become so dear to me, each of them so different, but all together like peas in a pod.

Marcela and Raluca taught me to be gentle to myself, Loredana gave me her jolliness and the playful spirit, Paula disciplined me and took me to the next level where I was pumped by Cristina, provoked by Oana and super proud when I managed to keep up with Dalanda for an entire class. Cori is by my side in many workouts and I discover Andreea and Monica more and more with each day passing.

Which are the most important lessons learned from using JoinCrave?

I learned that being organized and patient is the way to success. I learned to juggle with options, to adapt meals to my own needs and different moments. I realized eating enough and healthy is not as expensive as I thought.

I learned how to choose the healthy food, to appreciate new tastes and to try foods I never tried before.  I understood what it meant a right amount of food on my plate and I learned to adjust it.

I plan to maintain all of these new habits and to integrate them in my lifestyle forever!

When did you reach your goal and how did it change your life?

My journey was long and, as I said, I wanted to lose weight and change my eating habits. I reached my final goal after 15 months and I lost 45 kilos with 4-5 workouts a week.

Therapy helped me a lot too as it made me understand my previous habits and gave me the determination, confidence, patience and relaxation to keep going and accept the not so good days as well without considering them a defeat.

I felt proud and that this is the biggest achievement of my life. I felt happy, liberated, bold and, again, beautiful. My life changed for the better, I became more organized, more confident, even wiser.

Why would you recommend other women to try JoinCrave, too?

I already recommended it and at least one person I know is already in the program and is extremely excited about the results. I will keep recommending it because it is an extremely useful tool: complex, up to date and very easy to use. It gives you complete and easy to understand information, multiple recipes and options, diverse and accessible workouts.

I recommend JoinCrave mostly because it makes you feel part of a community of extraordinary women you can talk to, share information and experiences with, tell them your fears or worries, comment on the good days and the bad ones, enjoy the victories together!