Why Chasing Health Works Better Than Chasing Fat Loss
Why Chasing Health Works Better Than Chasing Fat Loss
Table of Contents
The Confession Most Trainers Won’t Admit
Starting Where Most People Think They Should End
Why I Stopped Chasing Fat Loss
The Simple Strength Routine That Changed Everything
Stick-to-itiveness Was the Real Win
Identifying the Roadblocks
Building the Next Phase of Progress
Why Simplicity Wins in Fitness
The Confession Most Trainers Won’t Admit
I have a confession to make. As a personal trainer, I still feel I am a long way out from my aesthetic goals where I think people will click on my picture in an ad and go, “Yup, I want to look like that.” And I’ve had to learn to be okay with that, for now.
The reality is I started where most people assume they should be before they start their strength training. So let this part be a lesson for those thinking they need to lose the weight before they build the strength. Even being thin, not only was I not happy with how I looked, but I wasn’t healthy either.
Starting Where Most People Think They Should End
My joints were on fire. My cholesterol had started creeping up. I’m thin everywhere except for the extra fluff on my already short torso, which gives me an apple shape, only made worse by the No-ass-itis I have (translation: no butt syndrome). Perimenopause symptoms also started hitting around 38. Anxiety was a chronic drain on both myself and my family.
When I decided to get back into fitness, I was eager to chase it all, as most of us are. I wanted visible abs, large glutes, shape to my legs, and to get my health back in order.
So I simplified.
I decided I would chase health rather than aesthetics.
Why I Stopped Chasing Fat Loss
Health is the first domino in the stack. Once that one gets hit, the others begin to fall as well.
I had already learned, both through studies and personal experience, that if I chased fat loss by tackling abs first, I would just be sitting malnourished in a calorie deficit with an even smaller butt (was that even possible?) while tanking my hormones even more.
What’s worse, it would all come back the moment I upped my calories again.
Sound familiar?
The Simple Strength Routine That Changed Everything
Between learning that muscle could correct my joint pain and hormone health, increase fat burn at rest, and build shape to my body, I set to work practicing just the big lifts two to three times a week, with a day of rest in between.
I alternated three exercises at a time.
One day:
Squat
Bench Press
Barbell Row
The other day:
Squat
Overhead Press
Deadlift
I did this for more months than you would likely care to hear, but it was nearly two years.
What happened?
My joint pain went away almost immediately.
I got incredibly strong.
My legs started to develop shape.
My lab work improved.
Stick-to-itiveness Was the Real Win
The other big difference was this was the longest I had stayed consistent with working out in my entire life.
However, we eventually we moved across the country and I no longer had the convenience of our squat rack in the garage. The new house lives on stilts with old hardwood floors and a property with the propensity to flood.
We set the rack up at my mom’s house just a few minutes away, but it wasn’t the same. The space was cramped. I found myself avoiding workouts until one day I faced my roadblock head on.
Why wasn’t I going?
I didn’t like the setup and I couldn’t trust myself not to spend too much time socializing with my mom when I needed to get back to work.
The solution was simple.
Join the gym ten minutes away, where I also have the flexibility of training local private clients.
Lesson learned. Identify your roadblocks, then make a plan that you can stick to.
Building the Next Phase of Progress
At this point I had reached some of my original goals, but I also understood my body better.
My remaining weak points were clear:
Midsection body fluff
Stubborn glutes
Chasing health and strength is still the main focus, so I went to work with a new full body workout, still 3 days a week, but with it being glute focused. Glutes are the largest muscle group in the body. They also support a healthy back while giving a more curvy figure. Every time I’d start to get self-conscious that I was still wearing a one piece bathing suit, or wearing shape wear under a tight shirt, I reminded myself to simply stay the course.
Why Simplicity Wins in Fitness
It’s been many months since then, and while I still have more work to do, I feel I’m at a good place to scale back on my calories to drop some of the body fat. The difference now is that the extra muscle I’m carrying, and continuing to build, will continue to grow demand on my caloric intake. In other words, I’m less likely to put the weight back on now that my metabolism has improved.
In a world where we expect instant results and still get bombarded with snake oil salesmen giving us supplements and workouts with manufactured results, it’s easy to get impatient. I found patience in the simplicity. I broke down what I wanted, found what I needed to get there in the most efficient way possible, and leaned into a step by step process that continued on until it was time for the next step.
While I thought I would be further along nearly 3 ½ years later, I realize that muscle takes a long time to grow – a lesson for anyone delaying it in favor of losing weight first, that there was nearly a year a didn’t do very much, and that even though it’s been 3 ½ years, I’m the furthest I’ve been in the 10+ years I spent chasing the fastest results and not really getting anywhere.
Don’t be afraid to simplify everything because it’s the fastest and most enjoyable path you can take.
Simple Action Steps
Stop chasing weight loss first. Build muscle first.
Focus on the big lifts two to three times per week.
Identify the biggest roadblock preventing consistency.
Simplify your training instead of complicating it.
Stay the course long enough for results to compound.
FAQ
Do I need to lose weight before I start strength training?
No. Building muscle first often improves metabolism, joint health, and long-term fat loss.
How often should I lift weights?
Two to three full-body workouts per week is enough for most people to see meaningful progress.
Why are compound lifts important?
Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and presses recruit large muscle groups, making them efficient for building strength and muscle.
How long does it take to see results from strength training?
Strength gains can appear within weeks, but visible muscle growth often takes months or even years.
Why do simple workout plans often work better?
Simple plans are easier to follow consistently, and consistency is the biggest driver of long-term results.
What's Next
If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by health advice, fitness programs, and lifestyle content, start with simplicity.
Choose one small habit today. Commit to it for a week.
If you want help building a system that supports consistency without burnout, join me inside M.O.V.E. Studio. It’s designed to feel calm, grounded, and actionable so you can build health that actually fits your life.
Simple. Sustainable. Repeatable.
That’s where real change begins.
