Let me share my story and then I will ask you, “does it sound familiar”? I read articles and try what works for others. I even research their reputation and others results for losing weight and gaining muscle. When I try something new, the scale drops for about a week or two, followed by a stall. I change my routine. I change my diet, again. Months later, I hardly lose weight. I give up, then want to try again – cycle, repeat!
Through many trials and all error – I found the secret you cannot read about in anyone’s article! The secret? Your body will only respond to what YOUR body wants! What works for one, may not work for you. How I finally started gaining muscle and dropping fat was that I practiced common sense eating and listened to my body. Beginning to find what works for you is not that simple, yet once you crack your code then you can see that it is actually very simple!
Food (aka Nutrition)
Macros. The science is real! I am a 49-year old female who strength trains 4-5 days a week at a moderate level in a home gym. During the day, I have an office job where I can sit long periods, but also get up and have to move/walk around just as often. I am 5’3″ and was 165 pounds at my heaviest in the last year. So, for me (and find a macro calculator for your numbers) I knew to set my Fitness Pal (or use your favorite food tracking app) to Protein 130g, Carbs 130g, Fat 50g. This is how I started.
Track. Track it all! Every bite of anything that goes into your mouth that has a nutrition label – even seasonings, oils and supplements. Yes, those 2 Mike & Ike’s you grabbed on your way past the cupboard. Once you track often enough, you may find your favorite meals. Then you decide you do not need to keep tracking any longer.
Lists. Find recipes that use lean protein, little fat and carbs and meal plan in advance. Write down ingredients you need to stock up on and leave 2 blank lines on your list. This means you are buying ONLY the meat, veggies, fruits you NEED to create your balanced meals. The extra 2 lines are for you – smart treats. For me, sometimes that is a bottle of wine for a friend’s night that week and a bad of unsalted pretzels for a crunchy snack. Sometimes it is for a can of sugar free whip cream to elevate my fruit for a sweet treat some nights.
Discoveries: I found out that I can maintain my weight on the scale very well! No matter how much better I did the next week, I moved the scale very little. Was I gaining muscle while losing fat? I hoped so. Food did not move the scale while working out, so I began taking body measurements. I still eat what I want, but I changed how I season foods and skip sauces, which cut calories, fat, and salt. Salt proved to be a major factor, and I felt defeated with daily bloating until my doctor asked about my sodium intake.
I don’t have sodium in my macros calculator, so I reviewed all tracked meals. I kept the macros, yet I consumed 2800-4000 mg daily and had no idea. My doctor said I need about 1500 mg, with a bit more on workout days. I had meals well over 500-600 mg per serving, which caused water retention. That excess led to ongoing bloating, and salt became my enemy. Sodium is essential, but too much creates health problems and weight-loss roadblocks.
Exercise (gaining muscle while losing fat)
Do what motivates you! You don’t to exercise for gaining muscle, just move! For me, I learned that following someone talk through a routine on an app was not for me. The Hevy app is the one I rely on (not a sponsor, just sharing what I found on my own that works for me).
I loaded 5 routines – an upper strength, lower strength, upper hypertrophy, lower push and conditioning. I chose exercises I can do with equipment I have. RitFit Cable machine and RitFit Leg Press are in my setup. Since requesting a review, I have acquired the RitFit Leg Press, and it has turned out to be a true game changer. I will share more about this PINK machine at the end of this article.
I follow an app for 2 reasons! #1, as I mentioned, following someone on routine was boring and found myself wanting different or more. #2, by following an app I can turn on my favorite shows no one else in the house likes and get into some great series. Currently, I am watching The Girlfriend on Prime. I go into my home gym continue my series and shut the door. It is my me time! The motivation is that I only watch my series when I work out, so I can only see what happens next if I get back into that workout room!
What about cardio? I have a treadmill, but I truly hate cardio. So, to sneak it in I use my 2 minute resting periods between upper body day sets and jump on the treadmill at 3mph on 13 incline. In the end of a workout, I can easily have 30 minutes total walking time at a healthy pace.
Supplements
Oh, the supplements I have tossed because I decided to switch up over and over again! I found my final routine (for now, but going strong on this regimen for a while now). For me, I switched my standard probiotic to a GLP-1 probiotic that helps me feel full. I am not on any GLP’s, but researched ones others use in their efforts to feel full. Live Probiotics Akkermansia, Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Chicory Inulin Probiotic, Prebiotics & Postbiotics Supplement is what I love. Because it is live, I break open the capsule and stir contents into a glass of water when I wake up. Here is a link to the probiotic blend I use, not sponsored.
Along with my probiotic blend, I take Omega with CoQ10 (also have Vitamin D and K2), a Zyrtec as I am allergic to Earth and all that grows and floats around. Before dinner I take apple cider vinegar and at night I take my best supplement ever – Magnesium with Ashwagandha. Magnesium because I do weight train and it helps with recovery, brain fog and the added Ashwgandha is a sleep game changer.
Rest
I finally made sleep a priority and wish I had acted sooner. To keep alcohol to a minimum, I drink less on most nights, Sundays through Thursdays alcohol-free. I rarely crave a night-cap and reserve drinks for weekends when I am out. This approach, together with the earlier supplement, markedly improved my sleep. Do not neglect rest; wind down and limit screens an hour before bed especially while the body recovers from the work put in.
My current weight 151 pounds and my measurements are my biggest gains. Better than measurements changing sizes for the better and the few pounds I lost in over a year was that I am currently weaning myself off of 1 of my blood pressure medications I am on because I have naturally lowered by blood pressure per my Doctor. Health win!
About my home gym! RitFit makes home gym equipment and accessories. I have built my equipment 100% by myself. Their instructions are so well labeled and well packaged. My new RitFit Leg Press is PINK! RitFit’s new Pink Series is a full line built around the idea that your workout space should look like it belongs to you. For a lot of women, that matters more than it sounds like it should: the equipment you look at every day is either something you tolerate, or something that actually feels like you.
Also, RitFit runs a monthly program called We All Fit. Each month, an applicant living with a disability, including children and teens, receives a curated set of home gym equipment at no cost to the family. Applications are open now, with a new winner announced on the 25th of every month, and the program runs on an ongoing basis. Caregivers are often the ones navigating equipment costs and logistics for a family member with a disability, and we think this is a story worth covering, both as a resource and in its own right. I am gaining muscle and losing fat with RitFit and a diet and health kicks that work for me!
