Back with another episode today to share more about how to grow muscle!
I lost 100lbs using a glp-1 medication in about 10 months. I drastically altered my diet and started moving my body.
When I reached a healthy weight for my height, I was so surprised that my body didn’t look the way I thought it would. Here I am in May 2024 after losing 100lbs and about 140-145lbs.
I have come SO FAR. It almost feels crazy to say I wasn’t happy with how my body looked. I have truly loved and accepted my body at every size.
My husband and I snapped some pics before we headed to a Dexa scan in June 2024. I love that I have these pictures because I think they shows how happy I was in this changing body.
I felt so good in both of these pictures!!
I think it’s important to know that you can love your self from the inside out AND have a desire to change your appearance. So that’s what I set out to do last summer. I started lifting heavy weights and focused on super boring, repetitive workouts consistently all summer and fall to grow specific muscles.
How I grew my muscles
I started with my upper body to target my bat wings and had such success that I moved on to my lower body in August 2024.
These workouts were BORING. Nothing fancy. Just repeating the same workouts week after for a month at a time.
I have a Tonal Home Gym that tracks my weights and automatically increases the weight for me each workout. But if I didn’t have that, I’d find a good workout program to do at home or the gym and just stick with it.
Write down your weights for each workout and then increase them when you repeat the same workouts for several weeks in a row. Don’t think you have to be doing anything fancy. My workouts have been super simple and honestly boring!
When I was focused on my upper body I did two days of upper body, a leg day, and a full body day. When I was focused on my lower body, I did two days of legs, an upper body day, and a full body day.
The magic is in doing the same workout week after week with heavier weights each week. Consistent work pays off.
On other days I did Pilates, core work, running, pickleball, hiking, and other fun ways to incorporate movement. I also walk an average of 12,000 steps a day.
I wasn’t trying to lose weight, but through this journey of building muscle I also lost an additional 25lbs. I had a Dexa scan in October and was able to see that they bulk of that 25lbs came from my trunk area. Which is great because now my abs are visible, but I also completely lost my big booty.
Like it was just gone. Flat as a pancake!
So I got to work. And after five months of focusing on growing my booty, I finally started to see some results.
I will never be someone with tiny, twig legs. I’ve always been bottom heavy and pear shaped. But now my legs are so toned and look athletic!
My journey to build muscle looked a lot like my journey to lose weight. It was all about consistency and honoring the plans I made for myself. There aren’t any shortcuts.
You just have to get to work and start lifting weights.
But it has been so worth it!!
I not only love and accept my body from the inside out, I am so comfortable now (even with loose skin and imperfections everywhere) because I know I am strong and healthy.
A few links to things I mentioned in today’s episode (I may receive a small commission when you purchase from one of my links- thank you!):
Kitchen scale for tracking and measuring food
Creatine I started using in the fall to help with muscle growth
Measuring tape for body measurements
Share this post