Chris Manderino is a former NCAA and NFL professional athlete who pursued an opportunity to live abroad while playing football in Italy post his NFL career. He is the founder of LYFE FUEL, a whole-foods plant-based company that helps people achieve optimal health.

While in Italy, he was struck by the vast cultural differences between the Italian approach to food and the American approach. Italians, even with all the pizza, pasta and high carb lifestyle seemed a much healthier population than the US. Chris boiled it down to this striking difference: in Italy, food was simpler. The Italians used higher quality, mostly plant-based ingredients and had smaller portion sizes. His revelation inspired a career change and he ended up taking a job in the nutraceutical industry.

Later on, Chris decided to study dietary and training theories, and while most nutritionists and food experts disagreed on just about everything else, there was one thing everyone seemed to agree on: eating a plant-based diet is the most important thing you can do for your health.

Using this knowledge, Chris co-founded LYFE Fuel, where every aspect of the company is backed by science, right down to the amounts of each ingredient. Instead of simply throwing healthy ingredients together, LYFE’s products are engineered with the specific purpose of aiding absorption to make sure the body receives the full benefits of each life-sustaining nutrient.

After speaking with Chris for almost an hour, I am convinced that LYFE Fuel is one of the best plant-based nutrition products on the market, and I can’t wait to try it for myself.

Vince Ferguson:

Dr. Ashley Lucas is the Founder of PHD Weight Loss. She holds a PhD in sports nutrition and chronic disease, and she's also a registered dietician. She comes to the field of nutrition and weight management with a unique background as a professional ballet dancer. That's right, a professional ballet dancer, and joining me today on my podcast to discuss long-term weight loss success, which is so important and why she believes that weight gain isn't your fault. Let's welcome Dr. Ashley Lucas. Dr. Ashley, how are you?

Ashley Lucas:

I'm great. Thanks so much for having me.

Vince Ferguson:

Well, thank you for coming on this show, but before we get started, I want to know, I want you to share with my listeners and viewers where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

Ashley Lucas:

Sure. Yeah, I grew up in Washington State and it was a great childhood. I trained as a classical ballet dancer when I was young and worked real hard and just didn't have any natural talent to speak of. And so I was always pushing my body to do things that it naturally didn't want to do. I was injured all the time and I really just had a constant fight to fit the really lean body that we are or were at that time required to fit, you know, as being a ballet dancer. So I had struggles with that. I was told I was fat countless times despite restricting calories like crazy and not eating any fat because I thought that if we ate fat, we'd get fat.

Vince Ferguson:

Right.

Ashley Lucas:

And so I had that constant struggle, but throughout that childhood, I learned perseverance and persistence and wouldn't have changed any aspect of it, but it pushed me into what I'm doing now today.

Vince Ferguson:

Really? So how long were you a professional ballet dancer?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah, I started training when I was 4 years old and I went to a boarding school for it during high school. I completed my undergraduate degree in ballet performance and then went on and danced with companies across the country. And so, yeah, I had a fairly successful career because I'm just a little bit obsessive and I was so passionate and just loved everything about it. And actually the end of my dancing career, it was when I landed in New York, I was actually chosen to perform at The Joyce Theater.

Vince Ferguson:

Nice.

Ashley Lucas:

And I was flown up there, but instead of finding myself in the spotlight there, participating in these once in a lifetime performances, I found myself in the ER.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah, I had no idea what was going on with my health. I thought that maybe I was having a heart attack, a panic attack. Yeah and basically that's what it was. It was a panic attack and the doctors after a whole bunch of different tests said I was just underfed and overexercised and I just couldn't keep going. So I had to step away from my dancing career at that time in my mid 20s.

Vince Ferguson:

Really? And so what brought you to PHD Weight Loss?

Ashley Lucas:

Well, from that point, I knew my body couldn't continue doing what it was. And I was really frustrated that I was injured all the time and my body was never at the body composition it needed to be despite working really, really hard. So I decided, you know, I understood how significantly nutrition impacted my own sport performance. So that pushed me into just learning more about nutrition and I went on and earned my PhD in sports nutrition and chronic disease. And I studied exactly that. I wanted to understand what happens to our metabolism when we chronically under eat, you know, when we're always dieting, what happens there and how do we achieve optimal body composition? How do we drop weight? How do we reduce body fat without causing harm metabolically? So I studied that. And then I think most importantly what I looked at is mentally and emotionally from the habits and behaviors that we have, how do we create sustainable change? So we don't just drop weight quickly.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

And doing our metabolism and then have it all come back.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

So, that's really what I focused on, and after that, I taught at the Ohio State University, but there realized.....

Vince Ferguson:

The Ohio State?

Ashley Lucas:

Ohio State, that's right. I realized that I just am very impatient and I need to see dramatic change in people, probably like you, or probably pretty similar in that respect. And so I went back to school again to become a registered dietician. I wanted to be this true expert in the field of weight management and I felt that, that was what it needed to take. But there I was filled with all of this same information. I was told, well, people just need to eat less. They need to move more. It's all a calories in, calories out kind of equation and people just need to have more discipline and eat everything in moderation and avoid fat and eat 6 to 11 servings of grain a day. And it didn't make sense to me. And so I took what I learned there and flipped it all upside down, pretty much everything that I was taught I questioned.

Ashley Lucas:

And from the answers that I found from more research and the research in my doctoral work, I created PHD Weight Loss. So we have five brick and mortar locations, but we also have an amazing nationwide at-home program where we are serving thousands of people all across the country no matter where they live in a really unique approach that challenges the standard ways of thinking when it comes to nutrition and weight loss. So that is my story of kind of how I've come to this point in helping people just reverse obesity and obesity related health conditions and I'm more passionate about this than I was when I was dancing. So I'm so glad that I've found purpose and passion within myself.

Vince Ferguson:

Oh yeah. I'm sure. And I'm sure quite a few other people are happy that you found purpose.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. Maybe. I hope so.

Vince Ferguson:

Exactly. How long have you been doing this now?

Ashley Lucas:

Oh, probably about 12 years.

Vince Ferguson:

About 12 years.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes.

Vince Ferguson:

Wow. because I've been to your website and I've seen hundreds. I'm not sure if it's hundreds, but I've seen quite a few testimonials.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

We have hundreds of testimonials.

Vince Ferguson:

You do have hundreds?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

That is amazing. That's amazing. Okay. Because we are overwhelmed right now with information about diet and exercise, right, and so much thought, so much is given, so much information is out there, it's like information overload. So what makes your company different from other companies that's out there with this information?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. I mean, we just streamline it all. We don't listen to the conventional wisdom. We create mostly a metabolic shift in the body. So we teach the body how to burn fat for fuel. And it doesn't require you to be Keto or very low carb or Atkins or Paleo or vegan. But what we do is we really take this unique approach where we can guide you on what your unique body needs, on how much to eat, when, what, and just create a really clear customized meal plan to support that aspect and create a metabolic shift from within. So it feels good and you don't have hunger or cravings and we can break that sugar addiction without any withdrawal symptoms.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm. So there's no cookie cutter approach here.

Ashley Lucas:

No, it's going to be customized to each person.

Vince Ferguson:

But you believe in a low carb diet basically.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. I mean, I believe that we all have a unique tolerance level of how many carbohydrates we can consume. Everybody's different. What I can tolerate is probably much different than what you can tolerate. My husband and I were on a different paradigm as well from what we can tolerate. He comes from a family of morbid obesity, and in order for him to maintain his optimal level of health, he's pretty low carb. For me, I can tolerate a little bit more, I've got to be aware, but I now exercise much less. Probably I need to do more. You could help me with that, but...I took in much less and I weigh, my body fat is leaner than it ever was when I was dancing because of the shift in how I eat now.

Vince Ferguson:

Really amazing. And you've seen, with what you've seen through your research, you've been able to reduce chronic obesity, chronic illnesses. Basically, you've seen a lot of that happen.

Ashley Lucas:

So much. And, it's not from the weight loss necessarily. It's from how we're eating and creating this shift in the body. I mean, we have a client who comes to mind, John, and he started with us, had about 50 pounds to drop, but was on 90 units of insulin a day type two diabetic, like that's pretty intense.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

Within a week, he had to drop his insulin needs in half. Within three weeks, he was on about six units of insulin a day and now he's dropped to the 50 pounds and he's no longer diabetic. So, you know, a lot of these conditions were told they're chronic, you know, you're just going to have to medicate to continue dealing with diabetes. And that's not true. It doesn't have to be progressive. You can put it into remission. And I like to use the word remission.

Vince Ferguson:

Okay.

Ashley Lucas:

If you go back to the old habits and behaviors that got you there in the first place, you know, it's going to come back. It's not that we've cured it, but we've put it into remission. And if we can maintain the weight loss and these habits and this lifestyle, then it never needs to come back.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm. Because I know you believe that weight gain is not all full necessarily.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes. Right.

Vince Ferguson:

So what do you base that on?

Ashley Lucas:

A few things. So the first thing is, so the belly fat, we know. Yeah that's right. We all like to let go of.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Ashley Lucas:

These active, these fat cells in the belly. They're different than the fat throughout the rest of the body. They get in there, they pack in tight into your organs and around the organs, it squeezes the organs and in time, this belly fat mass becomes almost like a tumor. It grows its own blood vessels and it secretes its own hormones and I want you to think that this fat mass in your belly is hungry. It has demands and urges and cravings and addiction. Like it has a mind of its own. And all it wants to do is get fatter as fast as possible.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

So the more belly fat you have, the more hunger and more cravings and more addiction to food you have. The slower the metabolism you have. So you really don't have to eat that much, and you'll witness continued weight gain. I talk to women all the time who say, gosh, I just really don't eat that much or I eat really healthy, but no matter what, I'm still putting on the pounds. Maybe I exercise a lot, but I'm still, you know, 30, 50 pounds more than I want to be or need to be. And so that's not your fault. It's all driven by this fat mass that's in there that just wants to grow. It makes you hungry. It makes you lazy because the last thing it wants you to do is go expend a ton of energy. So, yeah, it has nothing to do with willpower or your personality.

Ashley Lucas:

It's all just driven by this thing that just wants to grow. In men, it secretes this hormone called aromatase, which takes your testosterone and converts it into estrogen.

Vince Ferguson:

Wow.

Ashley Lucas:

So if you're carrying belly fat and you're a guy you're going to have much lower T and higher estrogen and you're going to find that your fat deposits are primarily in the chest, the throat and the face area.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

And you're going to be at real high risk of high blood pressure and sleep apnea. So, it secretes this hormone called Interleukin 6, which is a really inflammatory hormone.

Vince Ferguson:

Okay.

Ashley Lucas:

And what's really interesting is that has come to light with all of this COVID-19 situation. And so we know that individuals who are overweight and specifically obese are at a real high risk of suffering from severe COVID-19. And the reason why is because of interleukin 6.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm.

Ashley Lucas:

What happens when we have COVID-19 and some of us have the cytokine storm that we've heard of on the news.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

And what's happening is these cytokines are releasing interleukin 6. So if you already have this belly fat mass in there that's producing interleukin 6, you're at a baseline high level. Now, you have the cytokines flowing through and it's just a load of interleukin 6 that your body cannot handle and it mounts this severe response. So that's why if we're overweight or obese, we have such a higher risk of having a severe condition. It doesn't have to do with the actual, necessarily the fat, but it's what the fat is doing in the body that creates the havoc we're experiencing.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm. Wow. That's very good. Why is belly fat so dangerous?

Ashley Lucas:

Because of that. Because it secretes these hormones, because you know in women it secretes also this hormone called aromatase that increases our risk of estrogen dependent breast cancer. So, yeah, it's just an active tumor that we do not want in the body. It acts like that.

Vince Ferguson:

Now, in addition, I know you said, so it's not our fault, not totally. Would you also blame the food industry because some of the food is addictive, the chemicals that's in the food.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. I know. I had said there are a few reasons and that is one of the reasons for sure. They create these foods that smell and taste and look just perfectly. So we really cannot eat just one.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah exactly.

Ashley Lucas:

A huge component of it.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Yes. So how do we stop cravings? because you know, all of us have these cravings that we got to grab another donut, we got to eat more ice cream. How do we control those cravings?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. I mean, there are a few different ways. So one is to create a shift in the body metabolically. So if we can teach it how to burn fat for fuel, then the body is not going to have the cravings for the fast food and the sugar. We can dull the signals. So right now most of us are carbohydrate, sugar burners. And we need to eat every three to four hours. If not, we get hangry, we crave these certain foods and usually they're kind of carby or salty foods that we're just craving and our hunger cues, we can't trust our body when we're hungry, when we're tired, it's all out of whack. So when we can create this shift in the body and feed our body in a different way, then you will find that we can actually trust what it's telling us and we won't be hungry.

Ashley Lucas:

We won't have cravings. So that's one of the aspects. Also recognizing what are our trigger foods, they're different for each person. And that's why the eating in moderation, everything in moderation I think was coined by someone who's naturally lean. Because I think I've met three people in my lifetime and working with a lot, thousands of people, who can actually eat everything in moderation.

Vince Ferguson:

So you don't believe in that.

Ashley Lucas:

I don't. I think it's caused a lot of issues actually.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Now, but you do believe in eating three or four hours each day.

Ashley Lucas:

It's different for each person. Generally when we start with our clients, we have our clients eating every three to four hours a day just to make sure that we're managing blood glucose and we're moderating it. So there's no highs or lows, but once someone becomes fat adapted, they don't have to eat every three to four hours. Their body, when their metabolism is fat adapted, they can actually tap into the fat we have stored on our body and burn that for fuel when needed. So a lot of our clients maybe, you know, breakfast if they're hungry, but breakfast really isn't the most important meal of the day.

Vince Ferguson:

Really? Explain that. It is not? What really?

Ashley Lucas:

So, you know, Kellogg actually coined that phrase to sell more breakfast cereals.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. There's not research to support the fact that breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day. It is when you're trying to sell more frosted flakes though.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Yes. Most definitely, a lot of research, a lot of companies that sponsor research is using to push their product. Correct?

Ashley Lucas:

That's right.

Vince Ferguson:

That's funny. But that's quite interesting too though. Now tell my listeners about, my viewers, how important is supplements, supplementation.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. You know, I think that there is a time and a place for supplements. I mean, I take some of them to help me with different aspects. Like, let's see, vitamin D I think that the majority of us are deficient in vitamin D, especially during the winter. So that could be an important one to take.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

A lot of us these days because of our environment and stress levels, we have gut issues. And so taking support for the gut for some people can be helpful, but there's not going to be supplements that are just going to allow you to drop the weight. And if there are, it's usually a quick fix and you haven't changed any habit, behavior, or really learned what your body needs and it's not going to have the lasting impact that you're really looking for. So yeah, I think there's a time and a place, but just being aware of what your body needs is going to be important with that.

Vince Ferguson:

And you talked about behavior, and I know you focus on behavior and emotional support. How important is that in your client's weight loss journey and sustainability.

Ashley Lucas:

It's the most important part.

Vince Ferguson:

The most important part.

Ashley Lucas:

It is.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Ashley Lucas:

The nutrition aspect is actually one of the most simplest part. Once we can get it all dialed in, but 80% of any big change comes from the mind and dropping weight and maintaining it is definitely categorized as such. So yeah, the majority of this journey comes from the mind, the mental, emotional, habits, behaviors. So with our clients they're coming in or we are helping them over the phone or by video every week with one on one coaching, support, and accountability, where we talk about those things, what habits and behaviors do we need to shift? What are those sabotaging thoughts that keep coming up and how do we respond to them in a different way? How do we change our stories?

Ashley Lucas:

You know, oftentimes I'll sit with clients and they'll say, I'm never going to get to 160 or I'm stuck here at 160. Well, that's just a story. And if they talk to themselves with those words, then that's going to become their reality. So we're constantly shifting and moving that and creating new neural pathways in the brain. So we can actually sustain a new body and a new mind.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm. Wow. That's awesome. Sounds like a lot of psychology going on in here too.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. It is.

Vince Ferguson:

Wow. That's amazing. Now what about inflammation? Because you touched on that as well. What foods cause inflammation in the body?

Ashley Lucas:

So in general, when we eat above our carbohydrate tolerance level and it really doesn't matter where that comes from, it could be a sweet potato, it could be rice, it could be pasta, it could be gummy bears. It doesn't matter where the carbohydrate really comes from. If we're eating too much of it for our unique body, then we're going to secrete a hormone called insulin. And I'm sure you guys have heard about insulin, but insulin is a really inflammatory hormone. And I think we can all agree that we don't want to have high levels of insulin in the body. So we just need to eat to support keeping that insulin as low as possible. And with that, we'll see that our inflammation continues to reduce.

Vince Ferguson:

Huh. Now as a trainer, I often discuss the importance of exercise when it comes to losing weight and nutrition. But I understand you don't put as much emphasis on exercise when it comes to sustainable weight loss. Correct?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. You know, so I view exercise as not being a huge weight loss tool, but a really big wellness tool. So it's very important leading an active lifestyle, moving, oh, I read this interesting research study today actually and I hope I say this right, but basically they said that even if you move 180 minutes a week of cardio, which is about what, 30 minutes a day of zone two cardio, which means that like you're having a hard time talking to the next person, and if you sit over five hours a day, it erases the benefits of all that cardio.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Ashley Lucas:

Yes.

Vince Ferguson:

What?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. So movement for heart health is important, but if you think you're going to get on the elliptical or workout and drop 50 pounds, it's likely not going to happen. So, I look at exercise as huge important to maintain muscle and mood and stress and sleep and to maintain a weight loss. It's going to be important. I think resistance training, lifting weights is like the number one thing.

Vince Ferguson:

Build muscle.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah, muscle. And it's hard to do. I'm trying to build muscle right now and man, it's a challenge.

Vince Ferguson:

Why is it hard though? Because I know you're on a great diet. Why is it hard for you?

Ashley Lucas:

I mean, I think genetics have a lot to do with it. You know, some people are going to build muscle easier. I think hormones also have a lot to do with it. And it just takes overload and someone knowing what their doing to help you. So same thing, you know, I think that weight loss, it just takes accountability and support and outside knowledge and same thing with building muscle. You know, it's helpful to have someone by your side to tell you what to do and how to time collapse. You're not wasting so much time in the gym or trying all these different diets on your own and it just not working and you could just get help and make it happen. And it happens quickly. Our men drop three to five pounds a week, our women two to three pounds. So it doesn't have to take forever.

Vince Ferguson:

Well, what about people who believe they need to drop 10, 15 pounds right away? And they think like the crash weight diet is the way to go.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

What’s wrong with that?

Ashley Lucas:

We know that doesn't work. Lots of water weight there and also to create any kind of habit change, it takes at least six weeks. And that's quick. So yeah, if you drop it in three weeks through a juice cleanse, it's not going to work.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm. So you are familiar with juice cleanses because a lot of people use them, do them.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. A lot of people do them.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. But I think in addition to a sustainable weight loss program, I mean, I think juicing is fine as part of your regular dietary program, but not something that you're looking to do just to lose weight and think you're going to keep it off that way, you know.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. I mean it depends. Juicing, you know, I actually prefer a smoothie if you're going to do that. Because if you think, let's say you juice apple and how much apple are you going to have to squeeze down in there? And all that's left is the sugar. It took out all the fiber, a lot of the nutrients with it. So you're left with a cup of sugar really.

Vince Ferguson:

Hmm.

Ashley Lucas:

So you're much better off just eating the apple whole if you want it because that fiber is going to slow the insulin response or if you juice a whole bunch of green stuff, it's still just the sugar that's left with some vitamins and minerals in there, but you're much better off eating the salad so you can actually feel full.

Vince Ferguson:

Right.

Ashley Lucas:

And delay the response of insulin and glucose, so. Yeah, juicing is kind of tricky.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. Yeah. Because I know some people believe that you juice, you get the vitamins, minerals right to the blood system right away, you know, so that's one school of thought.

Ashley Lucas:

Right.

Vince Ferguson:

But I agree with you as well. I believe in the best of both worlds. I juice and I do smoothies. Right. So that's my school of thought. Anyway, yeah, that's good. Now, how long are your sessions with your clients? Are they hourly sessions?

Ashley Lucas:

No. We have availability for our clients to connect with us as often as they need throughout the week. So it's really whatever they need, but most often, I don't find that long sessions talking about things and circling back and forth is really effective. We're very effective and efficient and to the point, so we give our clients, you know, three things that they can focus on each week to actually take and implement, come back and then we add three more on top of that. So, really all about us is baby steps, bite size pieces so that it's not overwhelming. We respect our clients' time so that, you know everyone is so busy that I wouldn't want them to have to hang out with us for an hour every time, but we're always available. We see our clients each week for as long as they need to get their questions answered, but since we have such good communication with them, people are usually in and out in about 15 minutes.

Vince Ferguson:

Is that right? Really?

Ashley Lucas:

Yep.

Vince Ferguson:

What about virtually, when they call you for consultations?

Ashley Lucas:

Same thing, about 15, maybe 20 minutes max, but you know, if they want to have three of those a week, they can, but we're so on top of it and they're just getting it and we make it easy. We provide about 85% of the food at the beginning as well. So no cost associated with the food and for our nationwide clients, we ship it for free. Everything's covered and it covers breakfast, most of lunch and snacks. Yeah. And dinner is always or at least one meal, usually it's dinner is going to be the client's responsibility so that they learn one meal at a time. Clients can do their own food if they want to, but I'd say 97% of our clients choose to use our foods because they're just a tool. So we help them with this dinner meal and what it looks like, recipes, dining out, takeout.

Ashley Lucas:

And then they have the foods to help support them earlier in the day and then they feel like they're this expert. They become very self-sufficient for dinner. And we work on, we practice lunch. So now they've got their dinner and they've got lunch. Then we move on and we practice breakfast. So by the time we get the body where it needs to be, which in our eyes is fully collapsing that belly fat mass, we've got to fully collapse the fat mass or else the weight is going to come back.

Vince Ferguson:

Right.

Ashley Lucas:

Right. It's like shaving the top of the weed. If you lose 30 pounds of the 60-pound fat mass. So for a lot of people who dropped weight only to regain it, they've not gotten their body where it needs to be. So, anyway, once we get the body where it needs to be, all of our clients understand their eating style for the future.

Ashley Lucas:

They're not dependent on any of our food items, but we've allowed habits and behaviors and new ways of thinking to start to be ingrained in the brain and then we practice that in maintenance, and maintenance with us is free, it's for life. We never leave our clients' side. So most of our clients like to meet at least once monthly and they do that forever. You know, we have clients from you know, six, seven years ago when I opened our first PHD brick and mortar space who come in and, Susie, I just got a note that she was back in, checking in and she started with me six years ago and she's up five pounds over that course of time. And she's about 70 years old.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Ashley Lucas:

So yeah, she just checks in and five pounds makes her feel uncomfortable. Her pants are a little tight.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Ashley Lucas:

And so we just air correct early on and get her back down where she feels her best. And there's no cost associated, you know, as we can air correct that early on.

Vince Ferguson:

Maintenance. Amazing. Awesome. Awesome. I also went to your website. You seem to have a large team of professionals working with you.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah, we are almost 40 of us now, which is so fun.

Vince Ferguson:

40?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

How do you manage all those people?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. That's a whole another podcast.

Vince Ferguson:

That's a whole another podcast.

Ashley Lucas:

No, it's so fun. We love it. And we just have systems and accountability charts in place and it's clear responsibilities and roles. But as we expand, our nationwide program is amazing. We've actually doubled the number of clients who got started just in a month, last month. Yes. So our schedule is just filling up for nationwide clients, which I just love.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Amazing. But it's only one of you, so it's not easy, you know, what I'm saying? So you have to have systems in place.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes. Definitely.

Vince Ferguson:

Has the pandemic affected your business in a positive note, beyond the fact that it was rough on people, but business wise, has it been a blessing for you?

Ashley Lucas:

You know, I know that we are so busy now, but we have always been very busy.

Vince Ferguson:

Always been?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. So I do know and believe in my heart that we are, and what you do, we are on the forefront of all of this.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

The only thing that we can slightly control right now I feel like is our health.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

The only thing we can do to make sure that we are strong enough to overcome whatever comes our way is to get healthy.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

So I think that people are understanding that and maybe taking more responsibility for their own health because the only person who can change it is you.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Ashley Lucas:

And I think people will have maybe a negative outcome to COVID and then be like, oh my gosh, my health does matter.

Vince Ferguson:

Most definitely.

Ashley Lucas:

You know, and then decide to make a change or the best way would be, if they realize that, if we can it before something happens.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes, yes.

Ashley Lucas:

Be proactive rather than reactive. That is definitely ideal.

Vince Ferguson:

Definitely. Wow. I just think that you guys are doing an amazing job, but before I let you go, I know you have a book and talk about that. And I know it's accessible to people. I really want to talk about the book.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes. It's called the Ultimate Weight Loss Secrets and I talk a lot about the visceral fat, the belly fat, what it does, how it works, you know, why weight gain isn't your fault. And then I provide a lot of simple evidence based strategies that folks can implement into their own life right away to see big change. So a lot of folks have said that it's really helpful. And then I share a lot of stories in there. So it's fun. And it's free right now to download at our website.

Vince Ferguson:

And, yeah. Okay. And speaking of your website, please tell my listeners and viewers where they can download it.

Ashley Lucas:

Sure. Yes. It's available at myphdweightloss.com. So that's myphdweightloss.com. And then sometimes I'll put it up on our social media and I try to provide a lot of tips there. And my handle for social media is Dr_AshleyLucas. So that's another place to be able to access it.

Vince Ferguson:

Perfect. Perfect. Any last words from my viewers and listeners before I let you go.

Ashley Lucas:

Gosh, I would just say that there is hope to making change. So even if you've dropped weight in the past only to regain it, it really isn't your fault. You don't have to live there. You can make a change for the rest of your life and simply because you want to. So just that there's hope and you can do it if you have this strong desire within you to do, to make a change.

Vince Ferguson:

So you've actually put the responsibility, the onus back on the person on the client, right?

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. Yeah. If we have the right tools in the toolbox, then it's doable.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Oh. And you make it sound so doable and I know why you're doing so well because you have, and you have the research behind you, you have the testimonials and your clients who absolutely love you and your work. It's amazing. And the timing couldn't be better.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you for all the work you do, and keeping people fit and strong.

Vince Ferguson:

Oh, it's my pleasure. That's something I'm committed to doing. And hey, we're in this together and you know, I actually watched the video with you and Pedro.

Ashley Lucas:

Pedro. Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Actually, he is a great guy as a matter of fact.

Ashley Lucas:

Yes.

Vince Ferguson:

I have seen his videos and I had his current CEO, Bryce Henson on my show.

Ashley Lucas:

Yeah. Bryce is great. I chatted with him a few weeks ago.

Vince Ferguson:

Great dude. Great dude. Has on our podcast a few weeks ago. Great guy. A lot of good energy going on around here.

Ashley Lucas:

Right.

Vince Ferguson:

So with that being said, Dr. Ashley Lucas on behalf of Body Sculpt of New York, it's my nonprofit and Six Weeks To Fitness, I want to really thank you for coming on my show today.

Ashley Lucas:

Thanks for inviting me.

Vince Ferguson:

Ah, it was truly a pleasure and to my listeners and viewers, I hope this program was encouraging and inspiring that you will continue tuning in to my Six Weeks To Fitness Podcast. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the show, please leave them below or email me at vince@sixweeks.com and don't forget to subscribe. So you don't miss any future episodes. And remember, we don't stop exercising because we grow old. We grow old because we stop exercising.

Jennifer Stehlin was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and danced her way through pre-school and high school graduation -- her passion for and dedication to the world of dance are the foundation of her career today. While earning a degree in Broadcast Communications at the University of Florida, Jennifer balanced academics and a demanding schedule as a Division 1 cheerleader. It didn't take long for ESPN Gainesville to offer Jennifer a Sports Reporter spot on their roster. Jennifer has also done on-camera hosting and reporting for Fangirl Sports Network, Pop Hearts TV, and other outlets.

For multiple seasons, Jennifer starred in the FX Network promo spots for Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. Her other TV credits include Valley Junk TV and Posers.

Jennifer stars alongside an all-star cast in Hulu's highly-anticipated limited series, Pam and Tommy. The dark comedy depicts the marriage of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, and the release of their infamous unauthorized sex tape that was filmed privately on their wedding night. Making pop culture history turned the couple into global mega-superstars overnight -- their close circle of family and friends (with Jennifer as Pam's best friend) join the rollercoaster ride. Pam and Tommy premiere 02/02/22 on Hulu.

Off-screen, Jennifer is a Las Vegas-based NFL Cheerleader, fitness instructor and on-camera spokesmodel.