Balancing Diet and Exercise for Optimal Fat Loss and Muscle Definition
Jennifer came to me at the beginning of April frustrated that no matter how hard she worked out, she just couldn’t drop her body fat and gain muscle. She was not overweight but felt like she was over fat especially since she worked out hard 5 days a week.
First, I took a look at her workout routine. Jennifer was doing weights 5 times a week using the same muscle groups each time. This never allowed her muscles to grow. On top of that she would add a second workout to most days either a class, spinning or walking. Although it didn’t feel like too much, she was not getting results for two reasons – one being she was not resting her muscles enough between workouts, never allowing for growth. The second reason we would find out was the diet where she was eating the wrong foods to see a fat loss.
I took a look at her diet and found that many of the foods she thought were healthy were actually loaded with chemicals and artificial sweeteners, all which will cause the body to hold on to fat. In addition, she snacked on pretzels, Goldfish and other processed foods in the afternoon. Weekends included alcohol and maybe a day out to eat. Overall, she was just not being accountable to what was actually going into her body.
The bottom line – You can’t out exercise a bad diet!
Jennifer began by doing BodyDesigns Two-Week Detox Plan and we changed up her workout routine to do total body weight workouts 3 times a week and cardio on opposite days.
Two weeks later she felt great but had only lost 1 lb. on the scale. I assured her that most likely she had gained some muscle after switching up her routine and had lost body fat. She felt good so she was compliant and went on to do the next phase of the program, BodyDesigns Lifestyle Diet Plan.
Jennifer has followed her Lifestyle Diet Plan which was created to help her loss the rest of her body fat and learn how to maintain it permanently. I followed her for 4 months and we did some body fat measures and watched them go down from her original 28.8% to her current 20.7%. Her weight dropped from 136.8 to 128.9. So although she only lost 8 lbs. on the scale, she lost 8% body fat which tells us she definitely gained muscle. She has amazing muscle definition, lost body fat and looks and feels amazing. All the processed foods and artificial stuff is out of her diet and she not only eats better but her whole family has benefited from the changes.
When I asked her what helped her to be successful, she told me:
1. I didn’t realize that over exercising was possible. My thought process was the more I did, the more I would see results but it just wasn’t happening. Switching up my routine has made me stronger and I feel great.
2. Really being accountable to what I put in my body each day by keeping a food log and having Mary’s daily coaching to guide me along the way I learned how to eat for life not just for a diet.
3. Mary gave me ideas for quick items to grab that are healthy so it was easy to give up the snacks that used to be such a big part of my diet. Her recipes are super easy and helped me to not only eat clean but feed my family well too.
Congratulations Jennifer! I wish you the best of health always as you continue to use food as medicine.
Are you looking to transform your health? Mary works with clients all over the country developing personalized nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss and health. If you’re ready to get started on your journey to health and wellness contact her today!
Visit BodyDesigns Two Week Detox Plan or BodyDesignsbyMary for more information.
