Strength vs. Cardio: The Weight Loss Showdown
Welcome to the Counter Culture Health podcast. I'm doctor Jen McWaters. And I'm coach Kaitlin Reed. We're here to help high achieving women overcome mental blocks, find freedom from anxiety, create an abundant life, and build the body and life that they deserve and desire. In this weekly podcast, we'll uncover the raw truth about mental health, nutrition, fitness, and beyond. Let's get to it.
Jen:Hey, guys. Welcome back to Counter Culture Health. And today, we have our own Kaitlin Reed walking us through why cardio exercise isn't the gold standard to achieve weight loss. So, Kaitlin, tell us more about this, and maybe first tell us why is this a countercultural idea.
Kaitlin:Yeah. I love this topic, and it's very hard. I think, most people come from an age where, like, cardio was what you did, especially as women. Right? Like nineties, that's what it was.
Kaitlin:Cardio, all these classes. And so it's very hard to that's that's what we knew. That's what we were taught. So it's very hard to kind of unlearn that and kind of teach people to and get them to grasp this concept of how it's not the most effective way for weight loss. So I'm gonna do my best to to kind of make this clear and and get the point across then, teach the appropriate way.
Jen:Let's get into it.
Kaitlin:1st, I wanna start off with I'm not this is not me saying that cardio is bad and that you shouldn't be doing cardio because we know there are health benefits of doing cardio. You know, it's good for our our physical and mental health. It's good to always be active and and be moving. So I'm not saying don't do cardio, but I am saying that if your goal is weight loss, which a lot of people it is, cardio is not going to be the best approach for that goal.
Kaitlin:So for health purposes, yes. Absolutely. If you're trying to achieve a weight loss goal or body composition goal, absolutely not.
Jen:So weight loss, but also muscle building is what you're saying. Right? Either direction like weight loss or even maybe muscle gain. Would cardio is not the way to go about that.
Kaitlin:Yes. So, of course, like, cardio is not the best option for us. So you're probably asking, well, what is strength training is the best option. Ding ding ding.
Jen:We're back to strength training.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. And that's it's really hard to grasp because it's like, well, if my goal is to lose weight, why would I want to gain muscle? And and so that's kind of the where all the questions come up. But the thing is with when you're doing a ton of cardio, it teaches your body to be more efficient by pairing muscle down because muscle is a very expensive tissue.
Kaitlin:It takes a lot to build, and it takes a lot to maintain. So if you're doing a a ton of cardio, your body's saying, well, this is, this is expensive for us to have, so we're gonna pair it down to be more efficient. So and as we know, the benefits of muscle and the importance of keeping the most amount of muscle on our body and how important that is for our metabolic health. And so if you're only doing cardio, pairing muscle down is going to make it very, more challenging for your fat loss goals or your weight loss goals, and then put you in a worse position metabolically. Now you can lose weight by doing cardio.
Kaitlin:Like, you will lose weight doing that, but most of the weight that you're going to lose is going to come from lean tissue. So it's not you're not just losing weight, but you're also most of that weight is coming from muscle, which is what we don't want. And then you add a calorie deficit on top of all of this cardio, and it puts you in an even worse position. So, you know, research shows that strength training, even in a calorie so cardio let me let me back up a little bit. Cardio can contribute to weight loss, but also results in more muscle loss.
Kaitlin:Strength training is pure fat loss, so you're maintaining muscle and only losing fat. So the weight that you are losing is coming from fat, not your muscle mass. Does that make sense? Mhmm.
Jen:And maybe you'll get to this, but why do you think it is that women are so adverse or maybe uncomfortable with weight training and but just gravitate towards cardio? Is it just cultural messaging, growing up with, like, Jane Fonda on the TV, or is there something else about it where women tend to be more drawn to that? Like, when you go to the gym, you look at the cardio machines, often there's more women. You go into the weight room, it's more men.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. Thank goodness this is changing, today where strength training is becoming more mainstream. We're realizing the importance of muscle, the importance of strength training. So it is changing a little bit, but there is still that resistance to it.
Kaitlin:And I think for a couple of different reasons, one, it's easy and feels safer and more comfortable to just hop on a cardio machine than it is to go try to pick out pick up some weights and try to figure out what you should be doing. You know, you you might not really know what you're doing, so there's kind of that that discomfort, the unknown, and it's just much easier to just go hop on cardio. So I think that plays a role too. And, also, there still is a little bit of fear of getting bulky or, you know, gaining or building. There's still kind of that hesitation around there.
Kaitlin:But you also have to understand that building more muscle increases your metabolism, therefore, helps you lose more body fat. So building muscle all actually helps your ability to decrease body fat, which is the goal. And then within that toned sculpted look that everybody talks about that they want comes from building muscle, not from doing a ton of cardio. Also, another big contributor too is that people look at exercise as a way to burn calories, and they maybe choose the exercise that they're doing based off of, the calorie burn that they're gonna get from it. So when you're looking at cardio compared to strength training, you burn, like, 3 times as many calories doing cardio than you do strength training.
Kaitlin:So people are looking at the calorie burning like, oh, well, if I'm burning way more calories doing cardio, that means it's probably more effective and therefore going to help me get to my my goal. Strength training, you really you don't burn a ton of calories during a strength training workout. Very, very minimal. So then people look at that, and, then think that strength training is ineffective because I'm not burning very many calories. However, they're not thinking about the adaptation that's happening, where you're only if you're only doing cardio, you're only burning calories in the moment, not it doesn't have a downstream effect later on.
Kaitlin:Whereas, if you're strength training and building muscle, you might not be burning a ton of calories in the moment while you're doing the activity, but now you're as you're building muscle, your metabolic rate increases. So now you're burning calories at rest just from having more muscle mass on your body. So maybe not in the moment, you're not building a ton, but now you're built or burning calories while you're sitting at your desk working, while you're watching a movie, or whatever. So the downstream effect is much greater. And this also you know, you hear a lot of people that just do cardio, and then they talk about how they eat something off.
Kaitlin:Or, you know, they go out to dinner, and then they feel like it just sticks to them, or they're they're bloated. Or have you ever heard people say that they go out to eat and then they feel like it just sticks to them and or they gained a bunch of weight from having one off meal or something? That's that's probably more of my world than, you know, things that I hear more often, but that's a very common thing of, like, I ate more I had one meal where I ate more than what I used to. I went out to eat, and now I feel like everything sucks me. And that's and and often this happens with people that only do cardio, don't have a lot of muscle mass because, they don't have that extra flexibility with their muscle that's you know, muscle's a storage vessel for carbohydrates.
Kaitlin:It gives you more metabolic flexibility. So, that's how eating off your plan can impact you much greater, when you don't have a lot of muscle mass on your body too.
Jen:So my brain hears that if I weight train more, I have a little bit more flexibility with what I consume, and that sounds nice. Eat more. Yes.
Kaitlin:That and that's one of the benefits of of strength training. I mean, you have a bigger capacity storage vessel for carbs. Your metabolic rate increases. Therefore, you get to eat more, and it ends it doesn't impact you as much, which is interesting. What we wanna hear Yes.
Jen:To submit Yes. Exactly. And I think you're right. I think so much of it is it's intimidation. When I have had clients that I've talked to about this a little bit, it's often just like, I don't know what to do, or it's intimidating to walk into a weight room where there are often the majority are men, and it can feel just uncomfortable.
Jen:And so what would you suggest for for that? So maybe and, again, I think a lot of women want to or they heard it's good, but they don't know where to start and or they feel really intimidated or uncomfortable or even maybe scared about hurting themselves.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. All valid. First of all, I want to say that I think the gym is one of the most welcoming places that there is. Like, everyone is stepping in there to better themselves, and so it feels intimidating, but it it's it's walk everyone's there to just be better.
Kaitlin:So nobody nobody's there judging you or really even paying attention to you because they're focused on what they're doing in their workout and their thing. So sometimes it can feel like everyone's looking at me, everyone's watching me, what I'm doing, and I look silly and all stuff. Like, nobody's paying attention to you at all because they're minding their own business and focused on their own thing. And, also, if you have concerns or questions or whatever, most people in there are going to help you, with that. So, I think it's kind of like breaking down of the gym being, like, this big scary place when really it's it's pretty welcoming.
Kaitlin:Everybody there is improving themselves. Everyone's there for their health, to look better, to feel better. You know, you're all there for a common goal and to achieve the same thing. So I'm
Jen:gonna challenge there for a minute because I don't think everyone feels that way. Yeah. Well, in the sense that, you know, I think, 1, 2, if you struggle with body image, sure you'd agree with me on that. Like, it can be really, really uncomfortable because you have your own, like, spotlight effect, and then you have mirrors all around, so that's challenging. But also I've heard from people that, legitimately, there might be some gyms where it doesn't feel that welcoming.
Jen:And I think I've always suggested, like, try different places. Right? Because maybe that your gym, it feels like that. And, like, for me, it feels different when I went to, like, a YMCA versus a 24 Hour Fitness, and the demographic's different. So shop around too because I think there are gyms that are like that, and I also think there are gyms that feel more competitive or feel like everyone's very competitive and judgy.
Jen:I do feel like that is also reality, so I don't wanna negate that that could be the case, that there could be places like that, and maybe it's not all in someone's perception.
Kaitlin:Sure. Yeah. I mean, there's, yeah, there's, like, bodybuilding style gyms. There's you know? So definitely finding but I would say, like, the like, like, big box gyms, are pretty, like, normal every day, all walks of life kind of people there.
Kaitlin:Yeah. So oh, yeah.
Jen:Yes.
Kaitlin:Mhmm. Another thing too is, of course, working with a coach if if that's an option for you. So they can, you know, provide workouts for you, guide you through the workouts properly and safely so you're learning everything that you need to know. And if that's not an option, then, like, finding a a program to follow or a plan to follow. Because it can be it can feel very overwhelming or intimidating when you're going in there without a plan.
Kaitlin:You're like, well, here I'm in. I am, but I don't know I don't know what to do. And now you're just doing a bunch of random stuff. So if you have a program and a plan to follow, you just look at that, and you you do what it says. You don't have to think about it.
Kaitlin:You don't have like, there's you look at it and you do it. You know? There it takes out all the guesswork, the comforts, and and that. So that would be my suggestion with that as well. And I have an app, a training app that's you know, has your programs in there.
Kaitlin:So it has everything you need to do, demo videos of every movement. So you can you know, if you don't know what to do, you can watch what you need to do. You know, and that's a very easy way because I think that's what keeps a lot of people from it too of not just not knowing what to do, so I'm just not gonna go. Yeah. Reaching out to someone to find a plan to follow.
Jen:Can I ask you what is your opinion on free weights versus weight machines? Because because often you walk into Big Box gen, you have the free weight section options there, and you have weight machines. Right? And is there any pros and cons or one better than the other if you're kinda starting out and going in?
Kaitlin:No. I think there, yeah, there's benefit of of both, you know, and there's a place for both. So, you know, the thing, like machines compared to free weights kinda takes away the stability and balance aspect of things. So it could be, like, a safer option for some people that are, maybe a little worried or older or, concerned about injury, that could be a good place to start. But, also, you don't want to not work on your stability and balance too.
Kaitlin:So it's good to kind of work outside of the machines for that exact reason also.
Jen:That's a good point. Because especially when it comes to thinking about functional movement, you're gonna have more options with free weights. Like right? Like you being able to do multiple movements at once, you can do with the free weight, not so much with the sedentary machine. So I'm always about trying to mimic what's more natural as I'm sure you are too.
Kaitlin:So Functional.
Jen:Functional. Yeah. So being able to do work on balance, work on lifting, squat while you lift, like, whatever it is, like, combining movements is more mimicking natural movement and what we need to be able to do in real life. Right? Picking up boxes, lifting boxes, etcetera.
Jen:Yep. More functional than just sitting stationary and just pushing and pulling.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. Exactly. The thing with, machines too, they they target muscles that like, more isolated for a specific muscle group. So that's another benefit of the machines too.
Kaitlin:So you tend to, like, be able to isolate your muscles so you feel it more rather than, free weights, you're kind of engaging some having to recruit some other muscles in there, so it's not as, like, direct or targeted too. And I
Jen:think you've maybe said this before, but what is there, like, an ideal amount of time that you would spend or good minimum or maximum to spend if you're going to Lyft?
Kaitlin:No. Like, so many things are better than nothing at all. So I think that's a that's a really good point to bring up because some people are like, well, I need to work out for an hour for it to be effective, and I just don't have an hour, so I'm just not going to do it at all. Whereas, like, you know, 10 minutes of strength training is going to be more beneficial than not doing it at all. So if you have 10 minutes, do 10 minutes.
Kaitlin:If you have 30 minutes, do 30 minutes. You know? So it's, something's better than nothing. So don't let the time thing get in the way too. I have a 15 minute program, which is 2 lifts a day that you do.
Kaitlin:It takes you you do 2 lifts, 15 minutes, and you're done for the day. Very effective, especially for busy people with full schedules. And kinda going back to our phone, and screen time in social media conversation earlier is, you know, looking at that and seeing, you know, how much time am I spending on my phone? Do can I use that for for working out instead? However, it's also important to note that we more when it comes to strength training, more is not better either.
Kaitlin:We don't want to overdo it and overtrain because this is something that I think a lot of people don't understand is the workout is not where we're building muscle. The workout is a stressor to the body. So we're we're tearing muscle down. We're breaking fibers apart, and so the recovery is where the muscle repairs, grows back together stronger and bigger. So the work is actually done in the recovery.
Kaitlin:So if we're overdoing it constantly, tearing ourselves down, tearing ourselves down, tearing ourselves down, and never giving ourselves time to recover, then it's going to be pretty challenging to actually build muscle and get stronger. So you have to remember that too. So I really think, like, the sweet spot, 2 to 4 days, you know, for for most people, anywhere from 15 minutes, 30 minutes to an hour. So it's very individualized and nuanced. And I would say, like, whatever works for you and whatever you can commit to and is realistic and sustainable, that's what you need to do.
Jen:And that's so freeing, especially as a as a busy working mom. It's since I I've had to create so much more grace for myself versus my pre kid self would be able to go to the gym 2, 3 times a week for an hour, and that was lovely. And now it might be broken up into lots of small segments. It might be, you know, long walks one day, microsizing one day, an hour at the gym one day. It's so different, and that's okay.
Jen:Right? It's like just do the very best you can. And as life seasons change, you can modify that too and add more and be more consistent. But like you said, something's better than nothing. So sometimes I might be doing squats and doing some curls with some weights I have right here next to me down there between sessions or during my lunch break or while listening to a, you know, education video or whatever, just trying to move, keep myself moving as best I can in the little breaks that I have.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes people think that, like, I have to get it all done in in one segment, in in one chunk here. But you can spread it out throughout the day too.
Kaitlin:If you can do a little bit in the morning, then you have some time on your lunch break, that's just as effective as doing it in one shot. So there's, what are they calling them now? Like, exercise snacks where you're just doing, like, little bits at a time. That's just as effective as doing it in one shot. So don't feel bad or, like, you're not going to make progress if you're breaking your workout into smaller chunks throughout the day too or even throughout the week.
Kaitlin:You know? Like, if you need to do half of one workout one day and then you finish the rest of it the next day, that's great. That's it's if you're going to make progress, you're going to be moving in the right direction. As I said before, something's better than nothing at all.
Jen:And that's honestly more functional, I would say too, thinking about just what humans not should have done for ages. It's like they didn't go to the gym. They they didn't just sit all day and exercise for 1 hour. Like, they moved all day. They walked.
Jen:They gathered food. They hunted food. They went really far to grab water. They were cooking food, carrying their kids. So it was just part of their day was movement.
Jen:And I think it'd be great if we can start to shift back to that and just see all the movement we do as part of it and not feeling so chained to, like, I have to go, you know, drive somewhere to a gym for an hour, and that's exercise. And that's the only form that counts and everything else doesn't. Yep. I think that's also mindset shift that is helpful to make.
Kaitlin:Yeah. That's funny. I was actually thinking about that at the gym this morning. I was laughing to myself. I'm like, it's so funny that all us humans come here to to force ourselves to work out.
Kaitlin:Like, it when you think about it, it's kind of a funny concept because we never used to have to do that. Right?
Jen:Yeah. We had to we had to, like, functionally lift things and move things and build our own houses, and life was just movement. Right? That was part of that. We didn't have screens and tech and we didn't have sit down jobs.
Jen:That just didn't exist, really.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah.
Jen:It is kinda funny if you take a big bird's eye view of it.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yeah. I got a little chuckle out of that this morning. So, the other thing, with cardio, people that are only doing cardio and not strength training tend to hit a plateau. They get stuck.
Kaitlin:They it's it's it's harder and harder to continue to make progress. So in order to continue to make progress, most people have to do more and eat less. And that's just it's just not sustainable long term. I mean, like, how long can you tolerate increasing activity, decreasing your food, and and continuing to do that? Because the thing is your body adapts so quickly to calorie burn.
Kaitlin:And and so if that's the road you're going down, that's the answer to continue to see progress, and it's just not realistic and sustainable. And so a lot of people that are only doing cardio get stuck with their weight loss goals and their fat loss goals for that exact reason. And so just another great benefit of of strength training. And, also, it's like thinking about sustainability. Do I wanna spend 4 or 5 hours, doing cardio, or do I want to spend 30 minutes 3 times a week, lifting weights to get a better benefit, you know, a bigger bang for my buck.
Kaitlin:And so it really creates a lot of freedom in your time and your routine too.
Jen:Can we talk about food for a second?
Kaitlin:Yes.
Jen:So best things to eat before and after a workout. We'll say specifically strength training. Because then it's obviously like, when we go to go workout, we might start to already feel hunger because it might be before meal or whatever. So is there something that's ideal type of food to eat, microwise, before and after? And if so Yeah.
Jen:What is it?
Kaitlin:Yep. Protein and carbs, both for work and protein and carbs, Easter. And I think yeah. And, you know, so this could be things like, protein shake with some fruit or protein shake in coconut water or, English muffin, with some eggs or something. It doesn't have to be because I get a lot of, like, well, I'm not hungry right away in the morning before I eat and or before I work out.
Kaitlin:So how I don't wanna how do I get something in when I'm not hungry and it's super early and all like, it doesn't have to be a lot. Just you need to give your body something. Mhmm. And then, of course, for the repair and recovery afterwards. And so it's good to think about protein and carbs before and after your workout and then incorporate fats further away from your workout.
Jen:Why? Why is that?
Kaitlin:Well, fats are it's not a quick energy source. So it's, it's not going to fuel your workouts as well as, carbohydrates would. Also harder on a little heavier on digestion too, and so you can kinda get some GI distress and discomfort too if you're eating, like, a heavy fat meal before you're trying to work out. Interesting.
Jen:So no avocados before the workout, maybe float farther away from, but maybe something that's more you said
Kaitlin:Yeah. I would say, like, like, trying to stay under 10 grams of fat around your workouts, probably. So you could have a little bit, but, you know, there's some people that are eating, like, spoonfuls of peanut butter before they go workout or something like, stop doing that. So you could have a little bit, but it just it shouldn't be, like, the only thing you eat or, carbs and and proteins is going to be a better option around workouts.
Jen:Okay.
Kaitlin:Yeah. And the other thing about carbs is, our we need a glycogen store in our in our muscles, you know, to fuel our workouts. And if we don't have enough glycogen stores in our muscles, then our body's going to break down muscle to be utilized as energy. So if we don't have if we're not eating carbs, we don't have enough glycogen stores. Our body's breaking down muscle for energy.
Kaitlin:What's the point of strength training and trying to work out when you're just tearing your muscles down instead? So in order to build muscle, we need to be utilizing our glycogen stores in our muscles already rather than breaking down muscle to try to fuel, our strength training. So that's the importance of carbohydrates too.
Jen:Okay. So I feel meal's not gonna be a banana with peanut butter. That'd be okay, but not great.
Kaitlin:That's the greatest option. Save the peanut butter for, a snack later in the day.
Jen:Okay. Fair enough. Fair enough. Yeah. Looks helpful.
Jen:Always actually I mean, I'm sure I could Google that, but that's really helpful to know. So thank you for that nuance view on that because I think a lot of people aren't sure about that, or they think about just carbo loading or other interesting philosophies around that.
Kaitlin:Yeah. And please stop working out fasted. Stop. Why
Jen:is that? Tell us why.
Kaitlin:It's it's a it's such a stressor on the body. I mean, we need we need fuel, and especially women too. And, also, you're going to feel way better, when you have some energy in your system and some fuel in your system, and you'll be able to lift heavier and push harder, therefore, build more muscle, therefore, get stronger and reach your goals. You when when you start to eat before workouts, you will feel and see a significant difference of like, wow. I feel like a new human, or I can lift so much more when I've actually have some food in my system and some energy in my system.
Kaitlin:So stop with the fasted working out. Stop with the fasted cardio and, you know, whatever you're doing around that and fuel yourself before your workouts.
Jen:I love that message too. Just not to be afraid of food. Right? We just had to be educated on how to fuel our body, especially if we have certain goals in mind. But I love that because, often, I think the messaging is really around more fasting right now, and I don't think that's healthy either.
Jen:And I think, again, it fits misused. Not that there can't be, I think, some evidence and value in fasting for certain issues, but I think it's often abused a lot. And often, again, especially women will tend to undereat and overeat. And especially when it comes to, I think, when they have weight loss goals and and exercise goals, they may not be feeling themselves appropriately, and they're not getting to where they wanna be. So sometimes it's counterintuitive, but, actually, we need to eat more to get to where we wanna be so that our bodies can build the muscle and get to that metabolite, the metabolism that we want to and all those things.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yeah. Doctor Stacy Sims is one of my most favorite people to follow, and she puts out a lot of great information on why women should not be fasting, and why we should not be working out fasting too. So also go check her out. Her, her page is incredible and puts out a lot of great information for women.
Kaitlin:So yeah. Perfect. One other thing too is most people that, do a ton of cardio often don't see a a lot of change. You know, they've been doing cardio forever, and they never change. They always they just look the same.
Kaitlin:And oftentimes, people that are only doing cardio often look older too. Like, there's the skin looks a little more worn. They're, I I don't know. It's just it's very it's interesting. They just kinda have, like, a older worn look to them compared to people that are strength training, just have a more vibrant, younger, healthy look.
Kaitlin:So that's very fascinating too, and that just it's, you know, the benefits of strength training and and having a muscle on your body too. How I mean, muscles are working on longevity. Right? So it really does help you stay younger and look younger too, and the adaptation that it has of allowing your body to change, you know, as you get stronger and build more muscle. Whereas cardio, you you kind of just keep doing the same thing forever and nothing happens.
Kaitlin:So if you're only doing cardio and you're feeling stuck or, you know, you're at a plateau or whatever, this is your sign to make this shift over to, strength training to overcome those plateaus, make progress, and get stronger and build that muscle so that you can improve your health and reach your goals.
Jen:And, apparently, look younger too. So that's an evidence.
Kaitlin:Yes. Yeah. It's true. You should really go look. And and this was very apparent to me and, and my okay.
Kaitlin:Well, I am a former cardio queen and a cardio bunny. So I, you know, I came from that world, and I was in a very extreme world with that. It but is this was very evident to me looking at the ultra runners and how they look compared to people that strength train in the gym. It's it's mind blowing. It's a drastic difference.
Kaitlin:You can, like, look it up online. You know, the difference in the skin and and just the appearance and, you know, how people look, it's it's really fascinating. It really is. And, honestly, I look younger now than I did in my early twenties when I was running a ton, only doing cardio, and not strength training.
Jen:Wonder if there's correlates too. We have not just muscle mass and loss as part of that, but also something about collagen, how that might be impacted and what you're consuming to your point if you're more of a cardio heavier person. And even, like, meeting outdoor time, like, if you're ultra runner, you're outside a lot more, getting a lot more sun exposure, which also is gonna age your skin, right, versus people that lift or not. They're doing that usually indoors. So I'm sure there's, like, multiple factors that play into why someone might look older if they just do more intense cardio.
Kaitlin:Yep. Yep. And, of course, I mean, I mean, protein plays a big a big role in that too. Yeah. Oh, maybe one other thing I should touch on too is being in strength training and and being in a calorie deficit, it still is possible to build build muscle.
Kaitlin:And, so we know that in order to lose weight, we need to be in a calorie deficit. Right? That's just just how it is. But if you are, eating enough protein and in a calorie deficit still, but your protein targets are are high in your strength training, you can still decrease body fat and lose weight while strength training and being in a deficit. So that's important for for people to know too.
Kaitlin:And that's, you know, another another piece why protein is so important.
Jen:And then with that, I think I'd just say, you know, check out someone like Caitlin or check out her app or follow the folks she recommends because I think that can get nuanced and tricky to do on your own too, and you could easily swing into too much undereating. And so yeah. So just make sure you're getting support and help with that, especially if you are working on weight loss. That's where I get more concerned for women and to make sure you're getting support and accountability to do it slow and appropriate so that you are not hurting yourself in the process or creating downstream ill effects.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, everyone that I that you know, everyone that comes to me has been trying to do something for years. Like, they've been trying to do it on their own, trying to figure it out. They've done everything.
Kaitlin:They've been white knuckling things, and then they come to me and they're like, this is so much easier than I thought it would be. Like, it does it's it it doesn't have to be this hard, complex, overwhelming process. You know, when you're doing it the right way, it's, it's very easy. I shouldn't say easy, because it's not. But Easier.
Kaitlin:Yeah. Easier. Yeah. Yeah. You're we're not white knuckling everything.
Kaitlin:It's not overwhelming, And and that's always everyone always says that. Like, this isn't as hard as I was making it before. And that's when you know you're doing that the right way.
Jen:That's a good message. Well, thank you, Caitlin, for sharing all that wisdom with us today. And I I know I learned a lot, so thank you for talking about this topic. And if you guys want to learn more about Caelin, our information, her information's in the show notes. And also we
Intro:have previous episodes we've recorded about protein and lifting and all those things.
Jen:So if you wanna deep dive further, check out our earlier episodes. Hope you guys have a great week and we'll see you next time.
Intro:Thanks for joining us on the Counter Culture Health podcast. To support this show, please rate, review, and share with your friends and family. If you wanna be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast player. You can find me, Jen, at awaken.holistic.healthand@awakeningholistic
Kaitlin:health.com. And me, Caitlin, at Caitlin Reed wellness and Caitlin Reed wellness.com. The content of the show is for educational and informational purposes only. As always, talk to your doctor and health team. See you next time.
