It's not all about gains in the gym.
I grew up (and still live) in The Horse Capital of the Universe. All I ever wanted as a youngster was to have a career working with animals. Vet school was too much work (I was lazy) and extremely difficult to get into, even with excellent grades. I did not know at the time that Vet Techs existed; and the college I attended didn't offer Veterinary Technology anyway. So Animal Science it was!
Being a suburban girl, I didn't really have any idea what went on at the average farm. But boy oh boy, I was about to find out! No anesthetics used for castration and dehorning, in crowded and filthy conditions. I became a vegetarian on the spot after visiting the cattle barn.
As I learned more about the terrible conditions that non-meat animals were exposed to, I eventually went vegan.
High cholesterol tends to run in families; there can be a genetic component,(link) and also family members tend to all eat the same diet. High cholesterol does run in my family, yet I have managed to avoid it.
I am obese. There is no more polite way to say it—I need to lose a LOT of weight. I'm working with a dietician through the Nourish program, and so far have lost over 30 lbs. as of August 2026.
Now throw in that on top of having to watch my calories, I am recovering from two knee replacement surgeries and needed to up my protein for that reason alone. And now that I'm back to the gym…you guessed it, even more protein! (As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass and need a bit more protein than in our younger years to keep it.)(link)
In addition to protein, it's important to get enough fiber for bowel and gut health (and may lower your risk for certain cancers).(link) As an added bonus, fiber is indirectly beneficial for your muscles!(link) Fiber goes hand in hand with weight loss too: it keeps you feeling fuller, and most high fiber foods—like fruits and vegetables—tend to be relatively lower in calories.
Finally, my dietician has me avoiding added sugar (note that natural sugar, as in fruits, is fine). After all, sugar adds neither fiber nor protein, but a good deal of calories.
So…my dietary goal is to create low-calorie, high-protein, high-fiber, low-added sugar meals, with a variety of fruits and veggies to add necessary vitamins and minerals.
This means I no longer look at food the way I used to. For example, I was shopping at Costco earlier, and walked right past the Yakisoba. Now, I LOVE me some Yakisoba, but the small amount of protein and fiber it offers doesn't come close to offsetting the high calories. Could I have bought it? Of course! The Nourish program doesn't forbid specific foods. But my mindset is to now weigh the nutritional value against the calories. If I had a low-calorie day but already hit my protein and fiber goals, it would be fine. But that doesn't happen often.