Podcast Episode 13: How Pamela lost 101 lbs in 10 months! (with transcription)
Jul 26, 2022
Welcome to our 13th episode of True Health Solutions Podcast!
On this episode Brigitte interviews a True Health Weight Loss success story, Pamela Nogueira, who lost 101 lbs in 10 months.
Pamela shares her struggles, victories and top advice for those starting their weight loss journey.
Listen and share this episode as Pamela’s story will inspire many!!
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Brigitte Spurgeon (00:00):
How much did you lose in your first 90 days?
Pamela Nogueira (00:03):
51 pounds. Half more than half of my weight that I needed to lose in 90 days.
Dr. Lonnie Bagwell, DC (00:10):
Welcome to the True Health Solutions Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Lonnie Bagwell, stress, inflammation, and functional health clinician.
Brigitte Spurgeon (00:16):
And I'm your co-host Bridget Spurgeon Metabolism and nutrition expert.
Dr. Lonnie Bagwell, DC (00:20):
This podcast is where we bring hope, truth, and inspiration for your holistic health journey
Brigitte Spurgeon (00:25):
Because the world needs the best version of you. Hello and welcome to the True Health Solutions podcast. My name is Brigitte Spurgeon. I am hosting you today and we have a fabulous guest with us, the dynamic Pamela Nora, and I'm gonna have her introduce herself in a couple minutes, but just want to mention that I am standing in for Dr. Lonnie Bagwell today. Um, but we are honored that we get to host our first guest. So welcome Pamela. Thank you for being here.
Pamela Nogueira (01:02):
Thank you for having me, Brigitte.
Brigitte Spurgeon (01:05):
So as we get started today, let me just share with our listeners your fantastic results that you have had with your health in the last couple of years. I met Pamela about, I think two and a half years ago at this point, and she is going to be sharing with us today how she lost 101 pounds in under 10 months at the beginning of a global pandemic. So firstly, Pamela, congratulations on your huge success. And this success has not only been in your own health, which has had a ripple effect certainly to your family, I'm sure, and to your community, that you have been such an inspiration that you have caught the attention of TV stations of a couple of North American, like top magazines, and you now are truly living the life of your dreams, uh, you know, stepping into that transformation and helping others. You're a certified weight loss coach, and so I'm so incredibly proud of you. I'm so happy to know you. Would, would you just share with our audience just a little bit about yourself and your background?
Pamela Nogueira (02:20):
Hello, I'm Pamela Linda Gayda, and I'm 52 years young, and I live in Mooresville, North Carolina, originally from New Jersey. Um, I'm a wife and mom of two wonderful children who are in their twenties and, uh, one just graduated college. The other one's about to graduate college. And, um, and I'm excited to be alive, <laugh>.
Brigitte Spurgeon (02:46):
Well, well, praise God. I'm excited. You're alive too. Uh, your your life is amazing and you are, you are impacting people. So, so Pamela, why don't you share with us really where this journey started, the, you know, the place that you are at. I'm sure a lot of our listeners can probably relate with where you were a hundred pounds ago.
Pamela Nogueira (03:11):
Okay. Well, it all began when I was 12 years old. That's when I first started having negative feelings about my weight, and I really shouldn't have. Uh, but like a lot of people, you know, I thought I was the fat kid. And, um, as I grew up and grew out a little bit, um, I would gain weight, go on diet after diet, lose weight, but never really ever achieving a goal. I I never reached a weight loss goal that I had, so then I would just put on more weight, uh, try another program, lose a little weight. Uh, but it just kept going up, up, up through the years. Then the pandemic happened and that, So you
Brigitte Spurgeon (03:55):
Were on the weight loss, you were on the weight loss rollercoaster?
Pamela Nogueira (03:59):
Yes, yes. Like so many people <laugh> and then the pandemic happened. And, um, that is the thing that really got me serious about losing weight because it was the great unknown. Nobody knew what covid was back in 20, the beginning of 2020. And, uh, when I started hearing on the news that people who were morbidly obese, like I was, um, were getting sicker and were having complications and sometimes death that put the fear of the Lord in me <laugh>, I was really scared. And that's what finally gave me the push to do something to lose
Brigitte Spurgeon (04:39):
Weight. Wow. Yeah. There, there are a lot of people that came through the doors of our clinic, um, at the beginning of the pandemic and during the pandemic who, who felt the same way. And, uh, I'm just so grateful that they place that value on their health and they knew that it was serious. And, you know, sometimes it just takes, sometimes either it, it, it takes hitting rock bottom or it takes something that scares you into taking action. So I'm so glad that you took action. So how did you find true health weight loss?
Pamela Nogueira (05:10):
I found true health by seeing you <laugh> in my Facebook feed as I was scrolling. It probably first started in January of 2020, and then I kept seeing you and kept seeing you, and I was interested, but I still didn't do anything about it, and I wasn't sure what the program was about. I didn't know how much it was gonna cost. Um, and then eventually I, uh, found you on YouTube and watched some of your YouTube videos, and one of them was a contest, um, International Women's Day contest. And, uh, I wrote an essay for that and uh, I entered it. And that was really good for me because it helped me to realize the journey I had been on to that point. Um, and it was very emotional and I cried when I wrote it. Um, but it was good for me to realize everything that had been happening through the years. I got a clear picture of, uh, my weight loss history that I was able to share with you.
Brigitte Spurgeon (06:13):
And I cried when I, when I read it, I was quite emotional. And I remember sharing your essay with our team, um, like we did with those essays. And it's just, you know, when I read those stories, I just, it, it, it really affirms to me why I do what I do and how God called me to this and, you know, reminds me every day that I'm living in my purpose and my calling. And, uh, so then the pandemic happened <laugh>, so that International Women's Day, I think on that year, I dunno why I remember the date, I'm pretty sure it was February the 27th. And if you all remember, it was like the first or second week of March when everything started shutting down, which impacted our clinic because we had to, you know, mask up, glove up cha, you know, clean up. It was just, you know, everything was crazy.
(07:08):
So we were busy pivoting and I actually lost focus on that contest and Pamela had won and I forgot to announce it. And the next thing I know, I see her name show up on my schedule and she was coming in for an appointment, which was, was perfect, but she didn't know that she had won. So when we met at, when we met each other, uh, she was later pleasantly surprised. So what, what did you share just a little bit about your experience coming in, because I'm sure that, you know, just a lot of people, you may be listening to this and maybe you do have a hundred pounds to lose or you know, maybe it's 50 pounds or even 30 pounds, but that is a really tender and vulnerable place and it takes courage to schedule an appointment. It takes courage to make a phone call after seeing a commercial on, on tv. And there are a lot of obstacles that come in your way and a lot of things that you can have anxiety or just be uncertain about. So how was your experience when you came in Pamela?
Pamela Nogueira (08:12):
I was nervous when I came to True Health. Um, and, and I kind of felt like, Oh, here I go again. Here's another, another attempt at losing weight. But I never felt negative about it. Something, you know, something made me feel like this was the place I needed to be and this was gonna work out. So I was nervous as I opened up that door, but I walked in and I just loved all the people, everybody, all the smiling faces. Uh, it felt like a nice family atmosphere and I felt like I was gonna be supported there.
Brigitte Spurgeon (08:44):
Fantastic. Now, were there any obstacles because you, you know, you said it took a little while for you to come in and, and you know, take that step. Wow. Were there, um, any obstacles that you had to overcome or, um, just anything that factored into, you know, that decision making process?
Pamela Nogueira (09:03):
I felt like the only obstacle possibly could have been the cost. I didn't know how much it was going to be. Um, so before I came in, I did have a talk with my husband. I told him I was coming in and he was excited for me and I said, I don't know how much the program's gonna be, but it could be quite a bit more than I've spent in the past. Um, but I really need to do this. And he said, Honey, I agree with you. You do need to do this. I want you happy and I want you healthy. So I had his blessing, you know, whatever the cost, the health co the health had to happen. So I just went in. That was the only major obstacle I knew. I had reached a point where I had to do something and I was willing to do whatever. The program was
Brigitte Spurgeon (09:54):
Interesting just knowing you, and I think it was a perceived obstacle cuz I don't actually think it was an obstacle. And, um, but I love that you shared that and thank you for being just so transparent about it and, and vulnerable because, you know, some people don't feel comfortable talking about finances, but it is a real factor because it plays a part in our decision making. And I've shared this on a podcast before and, and I think you and your husband are probably similar, but, uh, when my husband and I got married, we, we made a decision together. So now ahead of making decisions, we said we never want a health decision to be a financial decision. And we, so we always wanted to put our health as a priority, and we were in agreement with one another. And so now 21 years later, we have honored that commitment to place our health as a priority. And for those who know us, you know, you can see that we're living in the fruit of that. But I, I do see it as a real, a real obstacle. And so I love that you, you know, you addressed it together ahead of time and that you were on, on the same page and really at the end of the day, probably now when you look back, it wasn't a real obstacle, it was just a mental hurdle that you overcame, right?
Pamela Nogueira (11:16):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yep. It's easy to find the excuses.
Brigitte Spurgeon (11:20):
Absolutely. Yeah. There's always, if you want it, if you want one, there is always an excuse and, but if you are focused on a result mm-hmm. <affirmative> and you like, you just know that there's a path that you have to take, then that path will be clear.
Pamela Nogueira (11:38):
Yep. Absolutely.
Brigitte Spurgeon (11:40):
So, uh, share with us Pamela, uh, just, you know, you made the decision to get started with your program and yeah. How, just how did that go for you? How, like how did you feel? What were there some things that were hard? Uh, you know, were you surprised? I, you know, how did you feel as you started your journey?
Pamela Nogueira (11:58):
I was super excited. I needed structure. I absolutely needed a plan, a structure, and I needed accountability. And that's why I loved having a coach, uh, someone I could go to every week. So when I first got the plan, um, I looked it over and looked it over, it became my Bible, and I just kept referring to it. I w I was just so excited. I wanted to succeed so much. Um, failure was not an option this time. I had always failed. I had never lost all the weight I wanted to lose on any diet or any program I had ever been on. So I was just determined to make this happen. And it did <laugh>, it absolutely did it, it was exciting. It was, the program was clear. It was, it was good. It was healthy, it was very easy to do.
Brigitte Spurgeon (12:47):
How much did you lose in your first 90 days?
Pamela Nogueira (12:50):
51 pounds. Half more than half of my weight that I needed to lose in 90 days.
Brigitte Spurgeon (12:58):
Amazing.
Pamela Nogueira (12:59):
Yes.
Brigitte Spurgeon (13:00):
So if there's, if there's someone listening and they have just started a program or they're on their program, what would be, um, your number one piece of advice that you would, or maybe it's two pieces of advice that you would give someone on program or just starting their program that would give them the type of success that you had?
Pamela Nogueira (13:24):
First of all, stick to it 100%. Challenge yourself. You can do it. But with each phase of the program, just say, you know what, For this phase of the program, I'm gonna stick to it 100%. Don't think too far into the future. Don't think about I need to lose 101 pounds, or whatever it is that your goal is. Do not think about that, that big number. Think about small, little tiny goals that you're going to hit the first five pounds, the first 10 pounds. Then after that, if you have a lot to lose, then you wanna just focus on the next two pounds and then make your goals smaller as you go further into the program and you'll stay motivated. And, you know, I always used to keep that on my refrigerator. I would say the next mini goal is, and then when I achieved it, I would write that I would keep it up for a day to honor myself, and then the next day, the next mini goal would, would come up there.
(14:27):
So that's the first piece of advice that I have for anybody starting the program. The second one is kind of unusual, but make people adapt to your program. Don't adapt to everybody else's life. So that means I've trained my family and friends that when I was gonna go to their house, I was bringing my food. And the first time was kind of awkward. Um, it was actually <laugh> uh, a week after I started the program. I turned 50 and my father got me my favorite kind of birthday cake, and I said, Thank you so much. And I really appreciated that he got the cake that I liked. And I said, But I want everybody to enjoy it. And I ate my apple sprinkled with cinnamon and I enjoyed it and it was really good. But that was the first step in getting other people to adapt to my program instead of me adapting to every special occasion that there was. Like, I would fall pride, you know, I would fall, you know, victim of every single time. In the past, there
Brigitte Spurgeon (15:32):
Was probably a time in your life where you would've had the cake, not because you wanted it, but because you were doing it to please someone else, or because it was what you thought was expected of you. So that's amazing that you had a transformation in your mindset and in the way that you believed in yourself, your value and your worth, that you made yourself and your needs a priority versus making someone else's needs and their feelings a priority. So I'm really proud of you for that. That's a, that's a big step. That's a big thank you deal. And you were only a week into your program, so it's almost like guided, prepared you in advance to really, really walk this path. Pamela, what would you
Pamela Nogueira (16:23):
Yes, absolutely.
Brigitte Spurgeon (16:24):
Um, what would you share with just like, you know, speaking about that, like in a transformation and like the mindset changes and you, you saw habit changes and it's like the way that you, you know, three months, six months into your program, the way that you were thinking about circumstances, yourself, life, people around you, it, it was changing. What would you say to your, or like pre hundred pounds self? Like what, what would you say to the Pamela a hundred pounds ago who was, who was struggling?
Pamela Nogueira (17:03):
Oh wow. I would say, you can do it <laugh>. You don't think you have it in you, but you do have it in you. Just try it. Just do it. You know, Just stop making excuses. Don't think everybody else can do it, but you can't do it. You absolutely can do it.
Brigitte Spurgeon (17:23):
So if you're listening right now and you have a hundred plus pounds to lose those words, were just for you. Don't make excuses. Don't wait. You can do it. You're worth it. Your life and your future have so much value. So now on the other side of losing 101 pounds, I'm sure that life has changed quite a, quite a bit for you. Would you share with our listeners what life is like, what, you know, what this Pamela is enjoying and celebrating, and tell us about your life,
Pamela Nogueira (18:04):
<laugh>. Oh, it's absolutely boring. No <laugh>, no everything. But my life has been so exciting, so wonderful, Um, from losing the weight, um, I'm doing things I never thought I would do. Um, I always had a goal of going kayaking, but when you're a hundred pounds overweight, you're a little afraid to get in a kayak <laugh>, you think it's gonna flip over, um, or I'm not gonna fit in there. Um, so that was one of the first things I did. I went kayaking and I was so happy I went ice skating because the last time I had gone ice skating, my feet were hurting me so bad from all the weight on the skates. Um, and that was so hard because my whole family, my sisters, my nieces, my kids, they were all skating for an hour and it was two minutes and I had to get out of the skates and ask for a refund.
(18:58):
Um, but I skated. Um, I went, uh, on a roller coaster that I had wanted to get on because, you know, it wouldn't close. It was very close to not closing the last time I went on it. Um, so physical things like that, getting on an airplane and not worrying at all that it, I'm gonna have to ask for a seat extender. Uh, but then there's some like unbelievable dream-like things that happened. Um, I always had a dream of being, um, an extra in a movie and I was actually in two movies as an extra. And the first one I was in, it was a role that I never would've qualified for if I was a hundred pounds overweight. I had to be a normal weight for that role. Cause it was at a swanky rooftop bar. Um, that was so exciting, so wonderful. And then, uh, I was on tv, local TV station, They came to my house and, and interviewed me about my weight loss journey. I was in first for Women Magazine last year. This year I was in, uh, Women's World Magazine. Um, these are incredible things that I never ever could have imagined that I would be doing. And here I am, I'm, I'm doing it and I'm loving life. I mean, and I just see life full of possibilities and opportunities. And I don't think anymore, oh, that'll never happen to me. I I just know if, if I wanna do something, I'm gonna make it happen. It, it's such a change, Bridget. Such a change. Thank God for it.
Brigitte Spurgeon (20:27):
And what about your professional life?
Pamela Nogueira (20:30):
I have the best boss in the world, <laugh>. I am now a certified weight loss coach in the Opti Burn program. And I'm working at True Health weight loss, and I absolutely love coaching people and helping them on their journey so that, that they could reach their goals and love their life, Not just live their life, love their life.
Brigitte Spurgeon (20:51):
Well, you certainly are living life to the fullest. A big congratulations to you, Pamela. If our viewers would like to thank you, connect with you and join in if you are still doing your Sunday night motivation videos, um, how, how can they best connect with you on social media? Pamela?
Pamela Nogueira (21:13):
I think the easiest way to get in touch with me would be on Instagram and on Instagram. My name is Spam Nog, S p a M N O G, Spam Nog. I'm also on Facebook, Pamela Noga. And I have a private weight loss group on there as
Brigitte Spurgeon (21:32):
Well. And what, what's that weight loss group called?
Pamela Nogueira (21:34):
Worth the Weight Loss.
Brigitte Spurgeon (21:35):
Worth the Weight Loss. I love it.
Pamela Nogueira (21:38):
Thank you.
Brigitte Spurgeon (21:39):
Worth the weight loss. Well, Pamela, thank you so much for spending this time with us today for sharing your story and for inspiring so many. If you have been listening today and you have been inspired to take that next step in starting your weight loss journey, um, there will be a link in the description or in the comments where you can schedule a metabolic appointment with yours truly. And we will take a customized approach. We'll, we'll set up a strategy just for you. So I look forward to connecting with you soon, and we look forward to seeing you on the next episode.
Dr. Lonnie Bagwell, DC (22:24):
Thanks for joining us today on True Health Solutions Podcast. Make sure that you click to subscribe. Also go to our website, www.truehealthcharlotte.com, where you can download any resources related to today's show or any future shows. And lastly, if you search for True Health Center Group on Facebook, you'll be able to join our free health community. We look forward to seeing you there.
