How Eating Twice As Much Got Me in the Best Shape of My Life!

If you’re a mom, you know one of the biggest struggles is trying to maintain your shape For me, it was both emotionally and physically draining. Trying to look like my 20-year-old self—or worse, scrolling through Instagram and seeing women who seem to have it all together—just made things harder.

I honestly tried everything out there. I’m not someone who expects a quick fix—I knew I had to put in the work. But no matter how hard I tried, I still felt bloated, exhausted, sometimes my body would be a thousand degrees, but my feet would be freezing, everything was just… off. My hormones were all over the place, and my confidence was nowhere to be found.

Here’s just a sample of what I put myself through:

P90X (I can still hear Tony Horton’s voice in my head)
Boot Camps and all kinds of group fitness classes
Running, early morning workouts, extra cardio sessions
Low carb
Keto
Intermittent fasting
Juice cleanses
“Clean eating”
You Name It!

And through all of it, I still felt stuck with my body image. I was exhausted, hungry, and honestly, frustrated that nothing ever seemed to actually work long-term. All this while trying to raise a family, keep up with work, and do all the daily things that moms do.

I think my lowest of lows came when I was down to, in some weeks, 1,000 calories a day just to maintain my weight. I felt bloated, was irritable, and my cycle was completely messed up. I was just done.

My Turning Point…. and it took a lot of convincing for me to do it.

My friend from my moms group (who is in kick ass shape) insisted I try her program. I feel like we all have had friends insist their program works, but she told me, trust me, you’ll eat more and be in the best shape of your life. I do see her eat way more food than I do and she is in incredible shape. So, I figured what the heck.

Step 1 – Tracking

So, I started the journey. I went to their website, it’s called Mamian Fitness by the way (should probably mention that) filled out the form online to see if I was a good candidate for their program. Then it started with a phone call where the trainer went over the program and really listened to all the issues I had, which was really nice.

The next step was they track my eating for one week and decide what stage of the program was best for me.

Step 2 – Increasing Calories – The Hardest Part (for Me!)

Well, since I have been cutting calories my whole life, I needed to start eating more. Honestly, this was the toughest step. Increasing my calories felt impossible. Any time I ate even a little more in the past, my weight would go up. So why would I intentionally eat more calories?

Basically, the way Sam (that’s my trainer) explained it was: years of cutting calories had slowed my metabolism way down, and that’s why we needed to “reverse diet.”

She worked with me to gradually raise my calories each week, focusing on more protein and a good balance of carbs and fats. Each week, we’d bump things up just a bit, tweaking protein, carbs, and fats as needed.

I won’t sugarcoat it—this is the hardest part. Eating more sounds great, but when every diet you’ve ever tried says “cut calories,” it really messes with your head.

But, Sam would do a weekly check-in with me to go over all my stats, what I am eating, weight, workouts, and more. In the middle of the week, she would check on me to see if I needed anything, and if I had a question, she was just a text away.

Step 3. Lifting Weights and Walking More

Week 1 to Week 12 eating more calories than ever before.

Step 3 occurred simultaneously with Step 3. She gave me a training program focused on lifting weights. I’d always used lighter weights before (because, let’s be honest, we’ve all heard “lifting makes women bulky”—which couldn’t be more wrong). This time, I started lifting heavier, four times a week, and it made a huge difference.

I just used my iPhone to aim for 9,000–10,000 steps a day, and made sure I got in four workouts a week.

Honestly, this part of the program became my favorite. I felt myself getting stronger every week, it wasn’t as exhausting as endless cardio, and I genuinely started to look forward to my workouts.

Step 4: The Deficit

This is where it all clicked. I was already feeling stronger, but now it was time, as Sam says, “to cut.” He dropped my calories down to 1800 for about three months, and immediately, the weight started flying off. For the first time, I was actually toned. I could see my abs, which honestly felt unreal!

The best part! There’s no way to describe the joy of going through this process. My body had gotten used to eating 2,100 calories, so even when we lowered it to 1,800, it never felt like I was starving. In fact, I was still eating almost 80% more than before I started the program—and I WAS LOSING WEIGHT.

It felt incredible to finally see results without having to go hungry.

Step 5: Returning to Maintenance

One of the biggest keys to success was returning to maintenance calories. Sam wanted my metabolism to get used to eating 2,100 calories—not get stuck at 1,800. So, after my cut, we brought my calories back up to 2,100.

Now, I can confidently eat well, work out, and enjoy life—without stressing over every bite. I truly feel like I’m in the best shape of my life, and I’m not afraid of food anymore.

The Results! I’m in the Best Shape of My Life at 43 years old

It’s wild to say, but I finally feel strong, healthy, and truly happy in my own skin. I’m not obsessed with the scale or exhausted all the time—and for the first time, I genuinely like the person I see in the mirror. (Honestly… I love the person I see in the mirror now. ) Plus, my hormones are so much better, a regular cycle, no more sudden hot flashes. Life is Good!