Composition ID Arlington, VA client, Gigi, tried several approaches to change her body composition until finding what works best for her body, and shifting her mindset to transform her lifestyle – which in-turn transformed her body. By relying on data and staying realistic and motivated, she dropped 11lbs of fat and gained muscle – and is maintaining her results over time.
What diet/nutrition plan have you been following and for how long?
I tried them all! I started my “weight loss” journey in September of 2017, where I began with Paleo, then I tried Keto, carb-cycling, and intermittent fasting. Now I focus on just macros and having a healthier relationship with food – all foods – and have found what works for me!
Describe your results/progress to-date.
To date, as of my first DEXA scan to my most recent one, I have lost almost 8% body fat, gained 11lbs of lean mass and lost 11.8lbs of fat. My TOTAL lbs have not changed, but over my 2 years, and almost 8 scans, my body composition has drastically changed! My baseline began at 150lbs, dipped to 140lbs, and now I am back to 150lbs, basically exchanging 11lbs of fat for muscle.
What’s the biggest challenge you have faced while following this plan?
The biggest challenge I faced was finding something that I could actually stick to and integrate into my life, and changing my mindset from following a “diet’ to shifting my lifestyle. Life should be filled with foods you actually enjoy and you have to make the process fun. I love data, so for me, tracking my macros, using my Whoop band to monitor my workouts, and planning my meals is enjoyable and keeps me in control. It also gives me insight into what works and what doesn’t. That, paired with my quarterly DEXA scans allows me to have an incredible insight into my body composition. I have learned so much over the past two years, knowledge I could only truly gain through trial and error. As long as you never give up you can never fail.
What advice do you have for others interested in this plan?
My biggest piece of advice is that even when you “cheat” or have a meal that wasn’t planned, or not as healthy as you wanted, you can get back on track at any second of any day. Get rid of the “my diet starts Monday” mindset. Enjoy a Friday night pizza, and once you are finished with it, get right back into working towards your goals. You control so much more than you realize, and however slow or fast you want to see changes is 100% up to you – you have to own every aspect of it.
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