Brooke's story: getting fit for her wedding on a plant based diet and keeping it off a year later
Brooke, a Mavy Wellness client, lost about 10 pounds and built visibly stronger arms and shoulders before her wedding, then kept the results for a full year without tracking. She was already vegan and active, but was doing too much cardio, avoiding carbs and fruit, and not eating enough protein.
Where she started: Brooke exercised constantly and ate a restrictive plant based diet, but still wasn't happy with her body and struggled with all or nothing eating.
What changed:
More food and more carbs. Balanced meals with rice, grains and more protein.
Less cardio. Strength training replaced long cardio sessions.
Calm coaching. Support through weeks when the scale didn't move.
A morning after rule. Always working out the day after a big night out.
Community support. Group call replays from across time zones.
Life now: A year later, Brooke eats the same way without tracking, trains with confidence in serious gyms, and left her day job to grow her own businesses. "Just push the button." She shared her story on the Forever Fit Podcast, episode 354.
What the research says. A 2018 review of 49 studies in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that protein helps resistance training build muscle, with the benefit leveling off around 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. [1] A 2016 study in the journal Obesity found that contestants who lost weight very fast on a TV weight loss show still burned fewer calories than expected six years later, and most regained much of the weight. [2]
"Maxime has created a body composition program that has worked for thousands of people, and it can work for you too."
Kiki Nelson, National Bestselling Author of Plantifully Lean, on Forever Fit
If you're getting ready for a big day and want results that last, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sources
Morton RW et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine 52(6):376-384. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/
Fothergill E et al. (2016). Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after "The Biggest Loser" competition. Obesity 24(8):1612-1619. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4989512/
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.
