Many of you know Katy.
If you've ever emailed us to ask a quick question or chatted in the private Facebook group, it's usually Katy who's providing a really helpful and super thoughtful response.
Late last year Katy also became a mom!
Over the last 12 months, Katy has experienced an incredible body recomposition journey.
Her body has gotten stronger, she's decreased body fat, increased muscle... all while the scale wasn't moving much.
Which is why I wanted Katy to share her story and top tips with you today.
To achieve true lasting "weight loss", what we're really looking for is "body recomposition".
This is where you lose fat without losing muscle.
The process of body recomposition helps you transform your body without sacrificing your health or tanking your metabolism.
And as you can see with Katy's picture below, she's had some incredible body recomposition results!
And these results were achieved with a mere 4 pound "weight loss" on the scale!
This is why the scale is so deceiving.
I want you to scroll back up and look again at Katy's results. Truly incredible!
And yet look at her weight results below:
Based on her results she lost less than 4 total pounds.
But check out her muscle - it increased!
This is also why her metabolism (measured with the top results) increased as well, despite the fact that she was losing weight!
This is the core principle of our Body Recomposition Program to achieve sustainable, lasting results.
Checkout Katy's top 5 tips for success below!
Katy's Top 5 Tips
1. Lean into your current season of life
I accepted this wasn’t a season for a lot of ingredients or intricate recipes for me, so I chose my top 2-3 favorite meals for breakfast, lunches, and dinners that I could rotate each week until I could get my feet back under me. I made sure these meals were something easy to prepare and that I looked forward to.
I prepped ahead of the week a few freezer meals (saucy enchiladas, shepherd’s pie, and zucchini lasagna) so I could just heat and eat for family dinners when I was too exhausted to cook. I also freezer prepped egg muffins and protein waffles for quick lunches.
Made a quick “tentative” meal plan each Thursday (looking at the week ahead to see what our family schedule was) and a grocery list so that I could shop when I had someone to watch the baby on Fridays. It helped keep me focused at the store and not overbuy.
I purchased a lot of precut fresh and frozen produce. It saved me prep time and was easy to grab and use for things like roasted veggies or smoothies/yogurt bowls.
2. Ease back into exercise
To first become active again, I started wearing my FitBit to see how many steps I was getting a day. From there, I added just a daily 10 minute walk for 2-3 weeks using free walking videos (like Leslie Sansone) on YouTube. I knew I could fit in 10 minutes a day without being rigid about when it could be done, even if the weather was bad and I couldn’t get outside.
Once I felt I could handle more walking, I increased my time. It was a humbling process in the beginning when even 10 minutes of house walking would leave me breathless. But after a few weeks, my cardiovascular system felt stronger and that was the motivation I needed to see to trust the process, even it was going to take more time than I had hoped.
3. Set a foundation of strength
Once I become consistent getting my steps back up to 10K a day, I added in strength training. I found a beginner Program using body weight/light weights and made a goal to do only 2-3, 15 minutes sessions a week. The workouts were more full body focused, hitting the major muscle groups and I made a point to focus on my form over how quickly I could get through the workout. If I didn’t get the entire workout finished in 15 minutes, I knew it was okay and that I would eventually get there with consistency.
After 6 weeks of re-building my foundation for strength training, I repeated the same style of workout and increased my workouts to 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times a week, increasing the weights I was lifting as I got stronger for the next 5 months. There were many moments where it felt hard, but I enjoyed my routine of daily walking and workouts, even when it was between naps or as “play time” with my baby or stroller walks outside. Once I felt comfortable in my new routine and knew I could be consistent, I decided to take my strength training to the next level and focus on heavy weight training. I dedicated an hour (usually during naps) just two times a week for 4 months.
During my strength rebuilding phase, if I felt too sore, stressed, or busy on the days I had a planned workout, I chose to be flexible and allow my body the physical and mental rest it needed. Instead of allowing the feeling of guilt, I chose to feel empowered in listening to what my body needed that day by giving it rest and knowing I would have a great workout the next day. I would occasionally plan entire weeks of rest after 4-5 weeks of lifting heaving if I felt my body needed the recovery. I always seemed to come back into the gym rested and able to progress in strength!
Seek inspiration
If I ever felt uninspired to workout or bored with my meals, checking in with the AEN Facebook Group or the blog always left me with a smile and new motivation.
Measure what matters
Despite feeling the progress I was making (stronger, more energy, better sleep), I didn’t physically see a lot of change, or see much change on the scale the first few months. It was at this time I decided to get an InBody Scan and plan quarterly check-ins. This helped keep me consistently working towards my fat loss goal for a long period of time without feeling defeated by slow progress. To see body recomposition actually happening with increased muscle mass while body fat was decreasing during my check-ins, it really helped the realization hit home for me as to why the scale is such a poor measurement tool. It also motivated me to keep getting stronger in the gym and continue fueling my body properly (a much different mindset than just the goal of weighting less). This helped me be more patient with the process and continue eating the right types of food, instead of focusing on food restriction.
A little note from Katy ❤️
For anyone who is struggling with a slow weight loss/body recomposition journey, know that the good habits you're adding into your day are making a difference. Your body, like mine, may just need more time to heal and change. You may feel the positive changes first well before you see it. For myself, acknowledging the non-scale wins of better sleep, feeling stronger (buying heavier dumbbells), and having the energy to play and take care of my family during those times of discouragement helped keep me showing up daily to put in the work.
Unlock the tips, tools, meal plans and recipes to help you achieve your goals with the Body Recomposition Meal Plan!
50+ recipes, 6 weeks of meal planning, science-backed tips and so much more!
Head over HERE to get started!
❤️ Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition
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