Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss, the internet is filled with influencers sharing their takes on what really works.
A recent clip by a gym-goer named Brooke highlighted a common plight for dieters: not seeing results despite regularly working out.
She revealed that until last year, she had lifted weights and headed home without understanding the complete picture needed for lasting transformation. This all changed after she made four changes to her routine.
"To see change or progress in the gym, you have to solve a whole mathematical equation that I was not aware of till last year," she told viewers.
'If I'm getting uncomfortable in a set, I have to imagine that someone is holding a gun to my head'
|TIKTOK / @BRR00KFOSTER
“Before that, I was just lifting weights, then going home and eating whatever I wanted to, and wondering why I didn’t look like the girls that I wanted to look like."
The real change took place after Brooke discovered progressive overload, a training concept where you gradually increase stress on muscles over time to stimulate growth.
"I had no idea it even existed until last year," Brooke declared. "I would either try to shoot for upping the weight or upping the reps, or the sets every single week, just so I knew I was progressing."
She also shifted her approach to training intensity by pushing beyond the point of discomfort and persevering until complete failure.
Brook's approach to training intensity also underwent a dramatic shift. Rather than stopping at the first signs of discomfort, she learned to push through to complete failure, forcing herself through the final repetitions.
"If I'm getting uncomfortable in a set, I have to imagine that someone is holding a gun to my head," she joked.
In terms of nutrition, Brooke discovered that achieving different fitness goals requires specific calorie strategies like eating below maintenance for fat loss, at maintenance levels for weight stability and slightly above for muscle building.
She continued: "Not only are calories important, but protein too, if you want to build muscle. I believe it’s around a gram per lb of body weight. I try to eat around 130grams of protein every day.
“Hitting your protein to build your muscle, being in a calorie deficit to lose the fat, working out consistently, intentionally, and intensely, I feel, [helped] me the most."
As with any body transformation, the mental effort proved one of the most challenging aspects of Brooke's fitness journey.
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The gym-goer described the psychological overhaul that helped her achieve her dream body
|TIKTOK / @BRR00KFOSTER
But with the help of a complete psychological overhaul, she managed to overcome the hurdles that once hindered her discipline.
"I completely had to rewire my brain in order to force myself to stay consistent and disciplined,“ she declared.
Without any fundamental changes in her thought patterns, Brooke explained that the technical knowledge alone wouldn't have produced the desired results.
As her mental resilience grew stronger, all the other elements - like the training, nutrition and progression - began falling into place.
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