Cynthia's story: 45 pounds lost and a size 14 to a 4 at 62 on a whole food plant based diet
Cynthia, a Mavy Wellness client with a demanding sales career, lost about 45 pounds at 62, going from 185 pounds and a size 14 down to a size 4. Despite 12 to 14 hour work days and frequent travel, she followed a structured whole food plant based meal plan and home strength program with weekly coaching.
Where she started: Cynthia had gained weight through years of stress, family loss and eating packaged food while traveling, and two previous programs had not given her the support she needed.
What changed:
Real coaching support. Video check-ins and quick help after setbacks.
A calendar based plan. Workouts and meal prep days mapped out each week.
A home gym by her desk. Weights, bands and a bench, no commute.
Varied workouts. New exercises that broke a two year plateau.
Flexible scheduling. Moving workouts around busy days instead of skipping them.
Life now: Cynthia has more energy for long work days, her husband has started eating more plant based meals, and coworkers ask what she's doing. "Let's keep moving." She shared her 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] A 2019 NIH study found that people ate about 500 more calories a day on an ultra-processed diet than on an unprocessed one, without trying to. [2]
"Forever Fit gives you everything you need to excel in your athletic endeavors and achieve the best of health simultaneously. Maxime Sigouin packs evidence-based science, integrity, and compassion into this volume."
Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, on Forever Fit
If your job keeps you on the road and at your desk, 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/
Hall KD et al. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism 30(1):67-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
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.
