In this episode, I'm breaking down the biggest mistakes I see women make when they're trying to lose body fat. Spoiler: all three come from the same eat less, move more messaging most of us grew up with. I talk about why under-eating is the number one issue I see in my coaching, why cardio alone won't change your shape, and why protein needs to show up at every meal. I also share my own postpartum story and how flipping these mistakes led to gaining 9 pounds of muscle and dropping 7% body fat.
Hi friends, and welcome back to Daily Deposits! If we haven’t met yet, I’m Edie. I’m a nutrition consultant (almost 10 years now), a mom of two, and this podcast is very much an extension of my health coaching practice. Pun intended, these episodes are bite-sized and meant to be equally digestible. They’re convos I’m already having with clients, or they’re topics I keep seeing on social media that deserve a little TLC.
Today we’re talking about the three biggest mistakes I see women make when they’re trying to lose body fat.
Same scale weight after both pregnancies; completely different body composition. The difference? I stopped making these three mistakes.
Mistake #1: You’re Not Eating Enough
This is the one nobody expects to hear first. But it’s the number one mistake I see, and it’s the one that breaks my heart the most (because the women making it are trying so hard). They’re disciplined with their exercise and calorie intake, but it’s not working because they’re not eating enough.
When you chronically under-eat, your body adapts. Your metabolism becomes less efficient. Cortisol increases. Your thyroid downregulates. Your sex drive tanks. And your body starts holding onto fat around your midsection because it thinks there’s a shortage. The very thing you’re doing to try to lose fat is the thing making it harder.
In my coaching, when we start building intake back up with my proven method (slowly, strategically, with protein and carbs leading the way), it’s like watching someone come back to life. Energy, sleep, sex drive, mood, workouts, body composition. Everything shifts.
Mistake #2: Too Much Cardio, Not Enough Strength Training
If your workout routine is primarily cardio—running, cycling, elliptical, dance cardio, even just walking and Pilates—and your goal is to change your body composition, you’re leaving so much on the table.
Cardio burns calories in the moment. But it doesn’t build the thing that changes how your body looks and functions long-term: muscle. Muscle is what gives your body definition. Muscle is what makes you look “toned” (which is just muscle with less fat over it; that’s all it is). And muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body, meaning the more you carry, the more calories you burn at rest. While you’re sleeping. While you’re at your desk. While you’re driving your kids to camp. Etc.
After my second baby, I shifted from cycling classes and not eating enough to lifting 3-4x/week with progressive overload. I also started eating way more protein and not skimping on carbs. In 15 months, I lost 7% body fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle! And no, I didn’t count calories to do it. This framework is exactly how I changed my body composition.
Mistake #3: You’re Not Prioritizing Protein
Yes, protein is all the rage right now, but if under-eating is the most common mistake I see, not prioritizing protein is the closest second. And the two usually go hand in hand.
Here’s what I see: women are eating some protein at dinner but barely any at breakfast and lunch. They’re getting maybe 50-60 grams for the day when they need closer to 100-140 depending on body weight and goals. Protein is essential for muscle protein synthesis (you need 25-40 grams per meal to trigger that process); it’s the most satiating macronutrient (fewer cravings, less grazing); and it’s the strongest dietary trigger for GLP-1, by the way.
As someone who was diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS in 2017, eating enough protein was one of the biggest reasons I was able to put my condition into remission. It regulated my appetite, stabilized my blood sugar, and changed my body composition. Protein isn’t just about muscle. It’s about your entire hormonal and metabolic ecosystem.
What We Cover in This Episode
Inside the episode, I walk you through:
Why all three mistakes come from the same “eat less, move more” messaging
What chronic under-eating does to your metabolism, cortisol, and thyroid
What happens when my coaching clients start eating more
Why cardio alone doesn’t change your shape (and what does instead)
Why I’m not anti-Pilates but why it probably isn’t changing your body composition on its own
My postpartum story: same scale weight, completely different body
Programs I recommend for strength training (Evlo Fitness, Meg Squats, Ladder, Peloton Strength)
Why protein at dinner only doesn’t cut it
The GLP-1 and PCOS connection to protein
Simple swaps for getting more protein at breakfast
The three shifts that changed my body more than any diet ever did
Tired of spinning your wheels trying to change your physique? My Strong(er) Body Blueprint is the roadmap for eating to build muscle and drop body fat.
The other podcast episodes I’ve recorded that tie into this one:
