Plateaus, Protein & Exercise

There were times I hit plateaus, or when I did lose, it was coming from muscle mass and my body fat percentage was staying the same or increasing. This is what really started my protein focus. Months 6-9, the nausea started to decrease and my appetite appeared enough during points in the day to actually eat — but I wasn't using it to my advantage. My thought was always: less food means less weight. That's correct at face value, but it's not the only path to less weight.

It took a few months of challenging myself to eat more protein. At first, it was simple — just eat more protein than you eat now. No number, no goal, just a directive. Then I started tracking, and that proved to me how little I was actually getting: 60-80g a day on average, a far cry from the 150+ I average daily now. It took patience, it took education, it took planning. All of those efforts begin to compound.

Don't worry about the results — worry about what you can do in 24 hours. I started breaking my days down into segments for my intake, and then it became routine and habit.

Shakes and smoothies were a huge source of protein for me in the first 9 months. Feeling nauseous was usually very strong 2-3 days after my injected dose. I found that eating helped with the nausea — the challenge was getting it down when food disgusts you.

There is no perfect solution and no “perfect for everyone.” It's a trial and error process that looks different for each person. If shakes and protein powders are too much to start with, items like beef broth give you a great liquid way to consume protein on the really nauseous days. I'd recommend buying small sizes or one-time purchases before committing to a tub of something you might hate.

When I could eat real food, I kept it simple. Grilled chicken and seafood became staples — the plainer the better. Fancy sauces and heavy seasoning didn't sit well, but a plain grilled chicken breast or some shrimp? Those went down easy and packed serious protein. Real food should always be the goal when your stomach cooperates. Supplements fill the gaps on the days it doesn't.

It's been true for me that the things that worked in the early days still do. I use the same protein powder and flavor for my smoothie every single day. The options I relied on during my most nauseous days — beef broth, Greek yogurt, plain grilled chicken — continue to be my go-to sources of protein. What works tends to keep working. Find your staples early and build around them.

When I started the shot, I was not focused on protein and still didn't fully grasp the concept of protecting my muscle mass — until one visit about 3 months in. I did the monthly body scan for muscle mass, body fat percentage, and the rest. I started at over 100 lbs of muscle mass at over 300 lbs. I had gotten to the point where I was losing weight, but my body fat percentage wasn't decreasing — it was staying constant, which is a no-no. That meant I was losing muscle, not fat.

Up until that point I was walking, jogging, and doing minimal weight or resistance training. It was around 6 months in that I began making the gym and lifting part of my routine.

I hated the gym. So I spent the first 30 days just committing to going and scanning in. Some days I'd go and walk for 30 minutes. Some days I'd do kettlebells for 15. Some days I would scan in, walk to the workout area, pick up some weights, realize I really didn't want to be there, and just go home. The goal in the beginning wasn't necessarily to lift — it was getting used to driving there and going every day. Building a new habit.

From there I used ChatGPT to make me a 5-day bro split, and would just do weight amounts that I felt comfortable with for the first several weeks. Consistency and simple weight increases have compounded over 2 years, and I see new muscles and bones I didn't know existed.