Neha's story: getting leaner on 2,100 calories a day as a busy plant based mom of three
Neha, a Mavy Wellness client and busy mom of three, became visibly leaner and more muscular by eating more, not less. She had been exercising daily and eating large plant based bowls, but was unknowingly under eating and low in protein. After about a year with Mavy Wellness, she maintains her new body composition on about 2,100 calories a day.
Where she started: Neha trained every day with no true rest days, ate high volume but low calorie meals, and saw no change in her body.
What changed:
Eating enough. Tracking showed how little her big bowls actually provided.
More protein. Tofu almost every day alongside lentils and beans.
Real rest days. No more "active rest" every Sunday.
A flexible meal plan. High protein lunches and shared Indian dinners with her family.
Calm about the scale. Watching the trend instead of daily swings.
Life now: Neha eats more food than ever, trains early in her basement gym, and eats dinner with her family every night. "Don't make emotional decisions." She shared her story on the Forever Fit Podcast.
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 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]
"Maxime has helped countless people embrace a plant-based lifestyle while building strength, stamina, and lasting health."
Rip Esselstyn, NYT Bestselling Author of Plant-Strong, on Forever Fit
If you eat healthy and exercise daily but your body won't change, 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/
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.
