Barry's story: 12 pounds lost and stronger, more mobile and better rested at 71
Barry, a Mavy Wellness client and longtime rower, lost about 12 pounds at 71, going from 175 to around 165, and improved his strength, mobility, balance and sleep. With Mavy Wellness meal plans, strength training and weekly check-ins, he also learned to cook a variety of plant based meals after years of eating the same salad every day.
Where he started: Barry was mostly plant based but ate the same few meals daily, overate healthy snacks like almonds, and had a lingering back strain.
What changed:
New recipes. Several plant based meals he can now cook from memory.
A kitchen system. All ingredients lined up before cooking.
Portion awareness. Following the meal plan instead of unlimited snacks.
Consistent sleep. The same bedtime and wake time every day.
Training with his wife. Side by side home workouts with Shona.
Life now: Barry puts his socks on standing up with ease, plays tennis for over an hour, and takes the stairs on cruise ships. "Just eat a little bit better. And you're worth it." He shared his story on the Forever Fit Podcast.
What the research says. In a 2017 New England Journal of Medicine trial of 160 adults over 65 who were losing weight, those who did resistance training kept more of their lean muscle than those who only did aerobic exercise. [1] In a classic 1990 JAMA study, nursing home residents with an average age of 90 nearly tripled their leg strength after eight weeks of strength training. [2]
"Who knew kale could build both muscles and momentum? Maxime did, and Forever Fit shows you how."
Chef AJ, Bestselling Author, YouTube Host, on Forever Fit
If you want to age well and keep doing what you love, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sources
Villareal DT et al. (2017). Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults. New England Journal of Medicine 376:1943-1955. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28514618/
Fiatarone MA et al. (1990). High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians: effects on skeletal muscle. JAMA 263(22):3029-3034. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2342214/
About the author. Maxime Sigouin is the founder of Mavy Wellness (formerly FitVegan Coaching) and the author of Forever Fit, a book endorsed by physicians including Neal D. Barnard, MD, Laurie Marbas, MD, and James F. Loomis, MD. He has coached for more than six and a half years and, with his team, has coached nearly 1,300 adults over 50 on a whole food plant based diet. He hosts the Forever Fit Podcast, with more than 450 episodes.
Last updated: October 26, 2026. Results vary from person to person. This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition program.
