16 years of consistency. 110 lbs at 25, 128 lbs at 41.
I’m 5’3”. 16 years ago I was about 110 lbs. I ate out a lot and didn’t really work out.
I started boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu jitsu and being conscious of eating for performance. I was pretty strict about eating 1 gram of protein/lb of bodyweight.
I didn’t really enjoy lifting weights, so I didn’t. Though I guess I lifted bodies a lot. I do enjoy kettlebell and bodyweight work and still implement that often. I also have a Malinois that I used to run almost daily. He’s 11 now, so we only run like 2 miles twice a week. I do still wrestle and do jiu jitsu like 3x’s a week, but at my age I can’t recover quickly enough to train everyday like I did when I was younger.
A few years ago I did a resting metabolic exam. At rest, my body burns about 2000 calories. I imagine I consume anywhere from 2000-2500 calories a day.
I don’t currently count calories or macros, but after years of doing it I have a pretty good idea of what to eat and what not to eat. I’m still heavy on protein. I also take creatine and omega 3’s daily.
Moral of the story is: build good habits and a good athletic foundation. You won’t always be motivated, so when it fails you, your discipline will carry you through.
Take care of your body when you are young and it will take care of you when you are older.