Crystal O'Keefe: Welcome to the MetPro Method podcast. I am your host, Crystal O'Keefe. Today I'm joined by Brooke Taylor, and we are going to talk to you about a few different things today. We're going to talk about Brooke's MetPro journey, getting healthy in middle-age, motherhood, all the challenges that come with all of those things.
Brooke, thank you so much for being here today.
Brooke Taylor: Thank you. What a fantastic delight. I'm happy to be here.
Crystal O'Keefe: Oh, we are so happy to have you. I'm so excited about this. I was hoping we could start with just a little bit of your background and how you found MetPro and decided this is what I want to try, this is the thing I want to do.
Brooke Taylor: Well, I'm a mom of five and a wife, and my background is in media, specifically radio. And I left my career to my full-time morning show, co-host gig to come home and care for my family, and I have a special needs daughter, so that was a big part of that. And just be a wife and mom full-time. And I found out about MetPro.
In the years of that transition, always being a runner, loving to run, listening to podcasts. I listened to Marathon Training Academy and initially thought that MetPro would be really good for my husband. He's a former Army paratrooper, has a lot of injuries, and I just felt like I was always dedicated to fitness and eating well, and he is too, but he has a different metabolism.
So, I found out, I think, It felt like, it feels like years ago, maybe 2018 or 19, I heard about MetPro and it took that long to actually take that leap and make an investment. And when it finally happened, it wasn't for him, it was for me. And I know we'll get to that, but I'm just so glad of the way that it worked out and the journey that I've been on through MetPro.
Crystal O'Keefe: Yeah. Well, I'm really curious, about that journey, so I want to dig into that now. Yeah. What is, what does that look like for you?
Brooke Taylor: Well in 2020 with Covid, my husband actually lost… it really jolted him. He's the provider, the protector, into I've got to do something for my health long-term and, and forever.
And so, he ended up losing like 60 pounds. For me, I was kind of going the opposite direction. I was working really hard at my fitness and what I thought was my nutrition, but I was feeling really fatigued and burned out, and also just kind of the weight gain piling on, and at that point I was in my early forties, but feeling like this just is middle-age, like they tell you, focus on the things.
That you can worry about and what's out of your control. Don't worry about it. And I think that I actually wrongly thought that the weight in my middle age I was gaining was out of my control. And so, I kind of just thought, I'm going to do the best I can. Continue to run half marathons, marathons, and ultra-marathon, and enjoy life.
Eat the best I can. But just recognize I'm going to have that middle-aged spread, like the weight gain and the belly and all these things. And so, it really, now looking back, is remarkable and a blessing that. It is something that I could have controlled, I can control, and I got to a point where I just felt at an all-time low, and for so many years having pregnancies and getting up and doing morning shows, I just have never had good energy.
I don't know what a normal threshold of energy is because I, and I think for a lot of people, you know, just the pace of life, you're kind of always just in this frantic go, time deficit and the fatigue would ebb and flow, but it just got to a point where I knew because it was taking over, you know, emotionally, mentally, and then it would trigger, uh, cravings and I would eat too much.
That just something wasn't right. And so, at that point, we actually had a family meeting because as a mom and a caregiver looking at MetPro and thinking about the investment, it was really daunting. And I thought, I can't do that. I can't justify that. I'd gotten to a point where I actually had consulted a surgeon about a breast reduction because that's where I would gain my weight, and I would wear several sports bras, and I just felt so uncomfortable in my skin.
And we talked, my husband and I before we. Invest and spend a lot of money in this and in, I mean, it would've been justified really. Let's try to see if MetPro will work. And um, now as I record this with you, I've lost 18 pounds. Wow. And, um, like a lot of it is, you know, up in the chest area where, um, I've just seen an extraordinary change in body composition and beyond what I ever imagined at this stage of my life.
And I will say concurrently that I have a friend who is a hormone doctor, and that was a big part of it too. I didn't realize, the degree of impact that this perimenopause stage that a lot of women are in, you know, in their forties and it can last a decade. Can have on the impact of fatigue and exercise and burnout and just stress everything.
So, for me, I feel like that two-pronged approach optimized everything, the hormones and the nutrition, because. had, she helped me with my hormones, but I had not changed my eating habits. I don't think that it would have been as effective and the same vice versa, I think because I wasn't eating a ton of carbs and sugar and all of the salty chips and things that I enjoyed, and again, I was a runner, so I thought it's okay that I can treat myself.
And especially the coach that I have, Cat, I think she's a huge part of this process in helping me relearn proper eating habits. And she's tough, but that's what I needed. And so, yeah, there's just so many aspects, but those are definitely the biggest part. Of the journey that's ended up being a life change, not just for me, but for my husband and our entire family.
Crystal O'Keefe: I'm curious what, a typical day of eating looked like for you. Did you eat, was it that you were, before you started MetPro, before you started down this journey? Was it that you weren't eating enough? Was it that you weren't eating the right kinds of food? Were you overeating maybe different days?
All those things? Um, I know for me it was, that's why I'm curious.
Brooke Taylor: You know, it's a great question because I fasted a lot and that actually isn't good. And I found out from my friend who's the hormone doctor, that it put my body in a state of stress. And that had a very adverse effect. And it was actually doing more harm.
And I fast for spiritual reasons. And depending on what time of year it is, if it's lent or advent, and there are times of extremes with the fasting, and that's one thing that Cat taught me and that I've learned through listening to the podcast and just the other MetPro coaches as well, that the, you can really do damage to your metabolism either by chronic undereating or overeating.
And on a typical day, if I may be training for a race, I would have an egg white omelet with lots of veggies, some coffee in, not eat again, probably maybe just a little bit in the afternoon and then till dinner. And maybe if I would get hungry, I would grab chips. Like chips were my weakness. I just love a good salty chip.
And then every meal I would have dessert. Yeah. And depending on, where I was. In the month, I might have like half a bag of something. And Cat early on identified I'm not able to practice temperance or discipline when it comes to a bag of chocolates, you know?
And she's like, just. You don't need it. And that was tough. But really when you look at the way you approach food and you analyze why am I eating it, what purpose does it serve? Where is this fuel going? When you break it down as opposed, and again, it, so much of it, goes into prep and really planning ahead.
And then I don't have to worry about when I'm in the rush or I'm stressed for my schedule changes. It's already there. And it actually keeps me through the day, so I'm not tanking. And that was the funny part, is when the kids would come home and I went through different stages where I was homeschooling, but typically in that afternoon, that's when I would hit my wall.
So right when everyone needs me, I'm like, I need a nap. And it was because I was coming down from my sugar, crash or whatever. So, um, there's just been so many things that I can't, it's incalculable in terms of the investment. That MetPro has given back to me and my quality of life, and especially as a caregiver.
Yeah, the energy that I'm able to have, that I need to have for, you know, not only my daughter. who I bathe and feed and do everything for, but then, my sons and my husband as well, obviously I don't care for them that way, but, you know, just the different needs and responsibilities we have.
Crystal O'Keefe: Hey, being a mom of any kind is tough. And especially when you have a child with special needs, like, you just, you give and you give and you give, and I can't, I mean, I'm just talking about my family. I can't imagine how much you have to give when you have a special needs child so it does require a lot mentally and physically, and, uh, that nutritional support really does make a big difference.
I'm curious if exercise for you, like you running, if that is also a mental escape for you as well.
Brooke Taylor: Absolutely. For years and years, it really has been. It's a time of reflection and sometimes you run to zone out and sometimes you run to zone in, and for me it is a, it is an exercise in prayer and Thanksgiving and just recognizing whether it's the footfalls or the sweat, you know, the different ways that we are alive, and the struggle is part of the journey and we see that and hear it over and over again. That analogy of life and that in order to grow you have to really push.
That's where growth is. It's in those uncomfortable places. It's in the hills and it's in the days where you just don't feel like it, but we have to push through. And so recognizing that, taking the long view. I think with MetPro, my initial approach having, you know, my background is in media, so I've had the gift of being able to do a lot of endorsements and different diet programs before and I knew in the years of listening and following and kind of just being in the background of MetPro, that this was different.
It's not a diet and you are customizing through the concierge aspect, the specific metabolism because we are so biodiverse and that to me was profound because it was something that is, you're gonna set a foundation that will last a lifetime, and that's certainly what I've experienced.
And the running, the hormone correction, the nutrition, it all has had a massive impact on, I think our quality of life and just improving.
Crystal O'Keefe: Yeah, do you feel like there's been, any special challenges given that you are a mom, given that you're in your middle age? Do you feel like as you go through this process, there's been things that have popped up that maybe might be specific to you and your family, as opposed to other demographics?
Brooke Taylor: Yes. I would say for us having a large family, and I know that a lot of people celebrate life through food. You know our heritage.
Crystal O'Keefe: Yes.
Brooke Taylor: And for it's like so hard to separate and not, and that's a good thing. It is. It's just learning how to approach it with balance. And nutrient dense, rich foods instead of the things that we might not have even thought about.
You just grow up enjoying. And for us, we are a big Catholic family, so we have feast days and there are a lot of them. We celebrate birthdays and when in our faith tradition, we have maybe a saint of the day, they might be an Italian saint. So I would have this whole pasta cuisine menu and you know, someone might be, uh, mother Teresa, we'll have Indian today, you know, whatever.
And then of course birthdays and all of, when you have a large family, all the celebrations that revolve around food. And not only getting everybody in our house at the same page, but also our relatives like, okay, if we're coming over, let's try to rethink and reorder what we're doing. And that's, it sounds like it's not very fun, but it actually has been fantastic because, um, having four sons, they really do pay attention to their health now. They always did
Brooke Taylor: before, but you know, teenage boys, like they get really into bulking and the whole thing. And um, I told my son, I said, everything that you do now is impacting you. for the rest of your life. So, these patterns that you are learning. And so, because I'm the mom and all the MetPro meals and the recipes I see I will make for dinner and so I try to modify if the boys are able to have, more carbs or starch the than I am at that particular phase.
We just build it in, but it allows them to see what a healthy. Dinner plate looks like in terms of portion control and size, hydration, how much water we need to drink and all of these things that now they are able to take with them for the rest of their life. As we look at bad habits that we conform in our teenage years and when we're younger, we know it's so hard to shake them for the rest of our life that if I can move it the other direction and establish good habits, then I think we're ahead of the game.
And this is something, you can't put a price tag on. It's so valuable. So, it's really been beyond what I ever expected. And it's also been neat to be able to connect with others too, because there's so many women, that we walk alongside life together that are in this. Same boat and they don't feel good, but they don't really know why.
They're not sure what to do. I thought that I kind of knew the basics and you realize how much there is because we, our bodies are all so different. And that's what I love about MetPro is being able to really dial into my particular biology and metabolism, in what I need in order to thrive right now
Crystal O'Keefe: It really stands out to me. The last couple of years how much I've learned about. There's all this like diet culture things out there. Like if you, if you just search diets on, you know, if you were to Google that, there's just so, so much out there and there's so much information that it can be really hard to cut through the clutter.
I feel like most of it is based on a very. Not only a cookie cutter approach, to your point of how dialed in Met Pro is, but also it's dialed into be restriction, restriction, restriction. And it feels like they don't really, they being general, they don't really explain to you how you're going to come out of that, how you're going to, how you're going to have ebbs and flows.
And, to me that's, For me, going through the process, that's been one of the biggest things that I've learned. And, and that's what I hear you talking about and touching on when you're saying those different phases and how you're showing your boys and your family. Like sometimes we eat a little bit less and sometimes we eat a little bit more.
It's not all just eat less, eat less, eat less to lose weight or to get thin. Um, it's to get healthy and to have the proper nutrition to be able to support the things you want to do.
Brooke Taylor: Absolutely. And it's real. I think when you were talking about the diet fads and the different things, because of social media, we see the ideal, and of course it appeals to our hopes because we want to be at that ideal weight and the physique that we dream of, but the reality of it.
is, like you said, a lot of times it's extremes and it's not maintainable. And I think I heard Angelo say something if it was on this podcast, one of the podcasts where he was talking about owning your own weight. Yeah. And yes, you can lose a bunch of weight and you can. get to this goal, but you don't really own that weight.
It's just like if you get sick and you have a few days where, oh look, the scale's great. It's just gonna come right back and over and over. That's what we see. But when you go to the source and when you're able to really rev your metabolism and have it optimized, that makes all the difference and that.
To me is what I wanted because it's long-term and it's lifelong and I'm repairing the damage that I did because of those other diet programs. And it really does work. And it's taken, now I've been on Met Pro, I think it's been over six months. And at first I was like, come on, I should be noticing something like week one, week two, no, I mean it's taken, but I now see like my entire body, I can't, I don't recognize it in the best kind of way.
Like I can't believe it. And. It's because of just this, every day, every day, every hour, preparing the meals, putting the work in, and we know this, we always hear it. There are no shortcuts. There is no magic trick. It's just truly being faithful to the little things. And I think that definitely has been the biggest lesson, and I feel like I'm just getting started six months in.
Crystal O'Keefe: Wow. I mean, couldn't have said it better myself. That's, that is fantastic. And, and you also talk about, uh, cooking for your kids. Do they enjoy the foods, the different things that you're cooking?
Brooke Taylor: Yes. Farro, for example, is something that we didn't really have a whole lot. It's like a Mediterranean kind of quinoa and so trying different things and it is hard because again, with boys, like, uh, you know, they want the protein milk or the macros or, I don't know, it depends on if they're bulking or whatever they're doing and they eat so much.
But, um, what I find is like there's a great MetPro vegetable lasagna. That's super good. Yes, and that's, I just have favorites and I kind of have them on standby. And I have meals like there's Little Meatloaf that is on the MetPro recipe page as well, and you can prepare those that. , as long as things are ready, they will always choose the grab and go.
That's healthy. And we try mightily to have sit down dinners as many times a week as we can, but we're at stages of life now where the kids are either in sports or working and they've got to run out to their job or whatever. But still, that foundation is there. And that's why for me, like you can't, it's, it's so, it's been so valuable.
and they do. And I, you know, I don't, I think it's never been easier to actually eat healthy. And I know the costs of things like eggs and things like that. Oh my gosh, are expensive. We're in a weird time in the world right now. But it is possible because I think about how much we, and now like there's always a learning curve, I think at.
First when I was prepping and getting all of the combinations, the way that the app works, like my husband, he has the app. He started the program. It's not the full concierge like I have, but he loves it. He, he set a new weight goal for himself that he just reached this morning, actually. Oh, congrats.
Amazing. Yes. Thank you. Good job, to him. Um, but at first I was like, whoa, okay. I don't know. And then like anything, Like a marathon. You see the full, 26.2 miles and think, I don't know, but it's just taking it one mile at a time and the same thing. And now it's so much a part of our life in terms of the groceries.
We know that we need to buy and the um, the way that we prepare our meals, it almost becomes second nature. So, it's just the learning curve.
Crystal O'Keefe: Yeah. Yeah. Do you, do you, as you think back and you think back through that learning curve, was there like one particular thing that stands out that you struggled with?
Brooke Taylor: I think for me it was, am I not going to have, I remember asking Cat because I had gone out on a date with my husband and everyone has a different plan. Well, my husband, he has cheese on his plan. I don't have cheese and I was like, when am I ever going to be able to have cheese? You know? I just was like, kind of being a baby about it. At first, like, where's my little thing that says a piece of chocolate? I can have dark chocolate, dark chocolate's okay.
I can have a piece of cake and I can't have a glass of wine. I mean, this is healthy. It's been, you know, and so I had to adjust my way of thinking. I got to a plan where later on I was able to have bananas, but I wasn't at first. And she said, but we, we look at it as is this going to spike your blood sugar?
All of these things that my metabolism needs or doesn't need. And when I approached it that way, and she talks about this a lot, you, when you go to a doctor, they diagnose the issue, they develop a protocol, and then hopefully, Receive healing. And that's really for me, the mindset that I had to adjust into grow into.
And now it's like I see it because I feel it. That's the biggest thing. I feel so much better. And that is the evidence right there.
Crystal O'Keefe: What about your workouts? Are you still running marathons actively today? Like do you still train for them and, and if so, how has that shifted over time?
Brooke Taylor: Definitely the weight that's gone, as I mentioned, almost 20 pounds. And a lot of that, you know, I've always been heavier on top, have had to wear multiple sports bras, and it feels like a new, it's, I'm going to get emotional, like a new person when I'm running. Oh, I feel that I'm lighter. I feel that I'm kind of freer, you know, because you're carrying with you, you carry with you the extra skin, the baggage, proverbial and literal sometimes.
And so, to feel the lightness. It has made all the difference. I haven't yet been able to test a PR because I've not in the winter. Uh, I'm a treadmill runner in the winter and then in the summer, because a lot of it is the cadence of the year with my family. Wow. And um, and I like running in the summer, so I have in May a half marathon coming up and I have big goals and I'm working with my coach on that.
So, I'm really excited and I have confidence that it's gonna be an amazing race because every time I go out I feel it. So it definitely is. Like a second wind and it's the best feeling ever.
Crystal O'Keefe: That's incredible. I love hearing that you'll have to update us and tell us how your race goes. I'm super excited to hear for sure, uh, with you having so much energy as you train.
I have no doubt you are going to PR. This is very exciting. Thank you. , you're juggling a lot. You've got the kids, you work from home, you do all these things. Do you ever experience, like this is all so much in, in a sense of burnout? And if so, how do you deal with that?
Brooke Taylor: When I started MetPro, I was at my lowest and I felt burnt out.
Not just physically, but emotionally. And there are still moments and that is, I would say, independent of the program. Of course. I don't want to say it's a man, woman type thing, but again, I'm in a stage of life where there's a lot going on with my hormones, and thankfully that's been corrected and that's helped.
But I do, we all have our issues of things that might trigger stress or maybe depression and so, I do definitely have moments where I feel weary and tired and weak a little bit, but that's what I think is so amazing about the structures that are in place because they actually bring me back out.
They help because, usually when I would get to that place, I would eat way more than what I should, and I would only then feel worse, and then I wouldn't want to exercise and then I would beat up on myself. And now, I know because I've seen and I've witnessed the change that. I'm stronger. I have more in me than what I even believe half the time.
Again, going back to what I said before, that idea of don't worry about what you can't control. Only just focus on what you can. Well, I can actually do more than what, you know, I think, and I think there's a great balance of just being okay with surrender. just letting it go, but also recognizing I still have more to give.
I still have more to do. And you know, my daughter really inspires me a lot. She's severely autistic and she has an intellectual disability and she has a lot of challenges and a lot of times I feel frustrated and burned out when it comes to the caregiving aspect, insofar as I. I'm not able to alleviate so many of the challenges that she faces, but yet I see the joy that she has every day and she every day gets up and she is singing and happy to be alive.
And I think her zeal really, and not just me, the entire family impacts everyone. So, I think in the way that we're all connected, It reminds me to just keep going and, and my husband, you know, all in our family, we, we like to work hard. We like to play hard. And, even if I can't do something big today, I can do something little if I'm tired, if I'm not having a good day, I might not go out and do a 10 mile run, but I can do a 20 minute run.
I can do that, and it always makes me feel better. Um, and I can stick to my plan and I can drink my water, and I know Cat will be happy. A lot of this journey for me has felt very isolated. Sometimes you go through things and you think, really, it's hard for some people to understand.
People empathize and they have compassion. They don't really understand. And so, for me to be able to have a coach alongside me, um, has really been a gift because she. Cares enough where she knows and understands that I'm going to be having a bad day, but she's also not going to let me make an excuse for doing something that I'm going to regret later.
And I really think that aspect has been a lot more, it, it's impacted me more than I even expected.
Crystal O'Keefe: Wow. That's very powerful. Congrats on your weight loss, your success on all of it I'm very happy for you as a coach. It always just brings us so much joy and I know, Cat thinks very highly of you.
So, great job and continue the great work. Is there anything else that you want to share with listeners though, that we haven't touched on already?
Brooke Taylor: Well, I just would say if you're thinking about it, maybe if you're listening, you've already been completely converted to MetPro and the system and the coaches and the reality that it works.
And if you're thinking about it, I would say that we know, your health is your wealth and the investment is something that you will not regret because it impacts every aspect of life, not just today. And not just for how you might want to look in the mirror or weigh on a scale, but in all aspects from emotional to physical.
I think even spiritual as well. So I'm a big fan and I would just say, You know, to, to have confidence in the Met Pro system. And a big thanks to Cat. I think highly of her as well, by the way, and everybody there. So, um, it's been a beautiful experience.
Crystal O'Keefe: That is wonderful to hear. Brooke, thank you so much for your time today.
Before we let you go, where can our listeners find you if they would like to hear more or learn more about you.
Brooke Taylor: I think the place I'm most active is probably on Instagram, and you can just find me at the number one, Brooke Taylor, and I'm also on Facebook as well and just share a lot of times on Instagram.
You know, the MetPro snacks and hacks and goodies. I love, by the way, the Facebook community. I've never posted on there, but I love seeing everyone sharing their recipes and their dinners. I don't know. There's something about seeing a picture of it. You're like, okay, yeah, why I make that.
Crystal O'Keefe: Why does that make it different? It does though. That's such a good call out.
Brooke Taylor: Yeah, it's been a big help for me. So yes, those places.
Crystal O'Keefe: That is wonderful. Listeners, that's all for this week. You can find. All the MetPro Method episodes, anywhere you get podcasts, or you can go to metpro.co/podcast. Please be sure to follow the show and rate and review that lets other people know what they can expect.
You can also learn more about Metpro@metpro.co. I am your host, Crystal O'Keefe, and I'll be back next week. Until then, remember, consistency is key.
