Why I’d encourage you to focus on gaining your next pound of muscle

Oct 21 (edited) • 🧱 Mind & Body Foundation

…. rather than losing your next pound on the scale.

I know you’ve been doing the work — planning what you eat, prioritizing workouts, stepping on the scale — and it can be easy to think that “less weight” automatically means “more progress.”

But here’s the truth: the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. What truly changes your body, your energy, and your metabolism is MUSCLE.

Muscle is metabolically active tissue — meaning the more you have, the more calories your body burns all day long, even while resting!!! 🙌🏼

According to research, differences in muscle mass can account for a big part of your resting metabolic rate (how much energy your body uses just to stay alive). (Link to the PMC study)

Women start losing 3–8% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30 if they’re not strength training. (PMC study on sarcopenia) That means slower metabolism, lower strength, and more struggle maintaining results. That’s why it’s easy to fall for the “metabolism slows as we age” story… But it doesn’t have to be that way if we preserve muscle proactively!

So, instead of chasing smaller numbers on the scale, imagine chasing stronger muscles — because that’s what keeps your metabolism humming, shapes your body (“toned” is really just visible muscle under less fat), supports your joints, and helps your bones stay healthy as you age.

What does that actually look like?

• Strength or resistance training (weights, bands, or body weight)

• Eating enough protein so your body can repair and grow

• Giving yourself time to recover — because recovery is progress (sleep is so key here!!)

And in the case that you’re using a GLP-1 as a tool and/or eating in a calorie deficit, this becomes *even more important*. Without enough strength training or protein, your body can start breaking down muscle instead of fat — which makes keeping results even harder.

You don’t need to have this all figured out. You don’t have to know every answer. That’s why this community exists — so you can learn, get the tools, and have support while building a plan that fits you.

Inside this space, you’re surrounded by others doing the same thing — learning, trying, growing, and showing up for themselves.

You’re not just building a stronger body, you’re building a more confident, capable version of you. It is worth investing in your muscle, your strength, and your future.

Tell me, what can or will you do to focus on gaining that next lb of muscle???

— Amanda

Sources if you want to explore more cause you’re nerdy like me 😹

• Skeletal muscle metabolism and resting energy expenditure (PMC)

• Mayo Clinic: How metabolism works

• Harvard Health: Preserve your muscle mass

• MDPI Study: Lean body mass and resting metabolic rate

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