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5 Weight Loss Lies Women Have Been Told (& How You ACTUALLY Lose Weight in 2026)

0h 24m video Published Aug 5, 2026 Transcribed Aug 5, 2026 D Dr. Mindy Pelz
Beginner 10 min read For: Women interested in weight loss and metabolic health, particularly those who have struggled with traditional dieting.
AI Trust Score 65/100
⚠️ Average / Some Fluff

"Delivers on the promise of debunking myths with a solid study, but includes some filler and self-promotion."

AI Summary

This video challenges conventional weight loss advice, presenting a meta-analysis that shows adults aged 60-75 can lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously through resistance training. The speaker debunks five common weight loss myths and provides a five-step strategy for healthy weight loss, emphasizing protein intake, resistance training, sleep, and tracking health metrics beyond the scale.

[00:20]
Meta-analysis overview

A 2024 meta-analysis from Scientific Reports pooled 15 randomized trials with 575 adults aged 60-75. Results showed an average loss of 5.3 kg body fat and a gain of 1.4 kg lean muscle, plus improved blood pressure and functional strength.

[02:21]
Lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously

The study flips the idea that you can't lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. This contrasts with weight loss drugs that often cause muscle loss, leading to fat regain when stopped.

[03:49]
Resistance training benefits

Resistance training (e.g., bands, TRX, push-ups, squats) significantly improved upper and lower limb strength in older adults, with effect sizes more than double the threshold for a large effect (0.8).

[05:15]
Blood pressure and endurance improvements

Resistance training lowered systolic blood pressure by nearly 10 points and diastolic by about 4 points. Six-minute walking distance improved by 94 meters, indicating better cardiovascular endurance.

[06:09]
Intensity matters differently

High-intensity circuit training was best for body composition changes, but moderate-to-low intensity training was more effective for blood pressure improvements. There's no single 'right' intensity for health.

[07:24]
Myth 1: Just eat less

Eating less lowers your set point, leading to yo-yo dieting. Instead, focus on nutrient-dense foods and building muscle to raise your metabolic rate.

[08:36]
Myth 2: Cardio is king for fat loss

The meta-analysis used resistance circuit training, not cardio, and participants lost nearly 12 lbs of fat while building muscle. Treadmill workouts are not the healthy weight loss solution.

[09:03]
Myth 3: Hunger is a willpower problem

Hunger is influenced by food noise and hormones. Eating protein earlier in the day sends fullness signals to the brain and controls the hunger hormone, especially when combined with fiber and fat.

[10:10]
Myth 4: The scale tells the truth

The scale lies daily. Better measurements include hemoglobin A1C (90-day glucose/insulin marker), blood sugar monitors like Keto Mojo, and continuous glucose monitors like Levels.

[11:53]
Step 1: Lead every meal with protein

Protein breaks down into amino acids that fuel muscle. Muscle stores glucose; without enough muscle, glucose is stored as fat. Eat protein earlier in the day to kill hunger hormones.

[13:20]
Step 2: Resistance training 2-3 times a week

Mimic the study: 20-30 minutes of resistance training (push-ups, lunges, squats, bands, TRX) two to three times weekly. A 2022 review of over 100 studies confirmed consistent fat loss and lean mass gain.

[15:47]
Step 3: Sleep is where you burn fat

You burn more fat during sleep. Poor sleep drops leptin (fullness hormone) and raises ghrelin (hunger hormone), especially in women. Tips: avoid blue light 2-3 hours before bed, keep room cool, eat last meal 2-3 hours before bed.

[18:13]
Step 4: Track what the scale can't

Notice how clothes fit, measure glucose (Keto Mojo, CGM), and check hemoglobin A1C. A study in Journals of Gerontology showed diet plus exercise improved insulin sensitivity more than diet alone, despite similar scale weight loss.

[20:23]
Step 5: Push yourself as it gets easier

Once resistance training becomes easy, increase the challenge (e.g., from 10 to 15 to 20 push-ups). Metabolism is not fixed; you can build muscle at any age and improve insulin sensitivity.

[21:49]
30-day checklist

1) Load every meal with protein and fiber, protein earlier in the day. 2) Resistance training 2-3 times/week for 20-30 minutes. 3) Prioritize sleep (blue light off, cool room, no alcohol). 4) Stop using the scale; use A1C, clothing fit, and strength. 5) Do all for 30 days, then push more.

Weight loss is a strategy, not a discipline. By shifting focus from the scale to health metrics like muscle gain, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity, women can achieve sustainable fat loss and improved metabolic health at any age.

Mentioned in this Video

Tutorial Checklist

1 11:53 Lead every meal with protein, especially earlier in the day (e.g., eggs, sausage, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt).
2 13:20 Do resistance training 2-3 times per week for 20-30 minutes (push-ups, lunges, squats, bands, TRX).
3 15:47 Prioritize sleep: avoid blue light 2-3 hours before bed, keep room cool, eat last meal 2-3 hours before bed, consider yoga.
4 18:13 Track progress beyond the scale: monitor clothing fit, glucose (Keto Mojo or CGM), and hemoglobin A1C.
5 20:23 As exercises become easier, increase the challenge (e.g., more push-ups or heavier resistance).

Study Flashcards (10)

What were the average fat loss and muscle gain in the meta-analysis?

easy Click to reveal answer

5.3 kg fat loss and 1.4 kg muscle gain.

03:16

What is the threshold for a 'large effect' in research?

medium Click to reveal answer

0.8

04:48

What type of training was best for body composition changes?

easy Click to reveal answer

High-intensity circuit training.

06:21

What type of training was best for blood pressure improvements?

medium Click to reveal answer

Moderate to low intensity training.

06:52

What is the set point theory?

medium Click to reveal answer

The idea that your body maintains a certain calorie balance; eating less lowers the set point, leading to yo-yo dieting.

07:38

What hormone is reduced after a sleepless night?

easy Click to reveal answer

Leptin, the fullness hormone.

16:19

What hormone increases after a sleepless night?

easy Click to reveal answer

Ghrelin, the hunger hormone.

16:19

What is hemoglobin A1C a measurement of?

medium Click to reveal answer

Glucose and insulin system over 90 days.

10:42

What is the recommended frequency and duration of resistance training?

easy Click to reveal answer

2-3 times per week for 20-30 minutes.

13:20

What did the 2022 review in Obesity Reviews find?

medium Click to reveal answer

Resistance training consistently reduced body fat and increased lean body mass across over 100 studies with 4,000 participants.

14:54

💡 Key Takeaways

📊

Fat loss and muscle gain in older adults

Shows that significant body composition changes are possible even at 60-75 years old.

03:16
💡

Intensity matters differently for different outcomes

Highlights that optimal exercise intensity varies depending on whether you target body composition or blood pressure.

06:09
⚖️

Set point theory explains yo-yo dieting

Provides a scientific explanation for why calorie restriction often leads to weight regain.

07:24
🔧

Lead with protein

Offers a practical, actionable step that aligns with the study's findings on muscle building and satiety.

11:53
💡

Sleep is where you burn fat

Emphasizes the often-overlooked role of sleep in fat loss and hunger hormone regulation.

15:47

[00:03] all the wrong strategies for losing weight. We have been teaching women how to get [music] smaller, not healthier. This is the major reason why we lose we lose [music] weight and then we gain it back. But I have a new study that

[00:20] flips that style [music] of weight loss on its head and shows us a very different [music] way to lose weight and become healthy at the same time. It's a

[00:32] 24 metaanalysis from scientific reports that pulled 15 randomized trials that included 575 [music] adults. So large sample size, but check this out. The average age or the age

[00:49] range of these adults [music] was between 60 and 75 years old. Wait till [music] you hear the results they got. Because they found with the right kind of training, [music] I'm going to show you exactly what that

[01:05] looks like. That these 60 to 75 year olds reduced body fat by over five olds reduced body fat by over five kilograms and added 1.4 4 kg of lean

[01:17] muscle at the same time. But that's not the only thing that happened with this specific type of training. They saw that it lowered their blood pressure and it impu [music] improved their functional strength. Functional strength is key

[01:33] [snorts] for longevity. So where [music] most people are chasing weight loss, I want to teach you here how to tra chase [music] health. and you're going to lose weight in the same path. So, in this episode, we're going

[01:48] to walk through five of the biggest weight loss lies that women have been so [music] you come out of this video with a different knowledge of how to again. And I'm going to show you I'm going to break this study down and show

[02:04] you exactly [music] what works and how do you burn more fat and and build muscle at the same time. Sound like a plan? Let's dive in.

[02:21] study says very boldly is you can lose weight and you can gain muscle at the same time. This is a flip on the weight loss drugs. There's a lot of spizz out

[02:34] there about these weight loss drugs because instantly you fit in your clothes differently and you see a change on the scale, but that does not mean you're healthier. And one of the things that they're concerned about with the

[02:46] weight loss drugs is that people are losing muscle. And when they get off the weight loss drugs, all of a sudden they realize that all the fat comes back, but the muscle doesn't. What this metaanalysis shows us is you can lose

[03:02] metaanalysis shows us is you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. In this study specifically, they looked at 15 different trials. So, it's a metaanalysis. So, they're looking at many different studies together. And

[03:16] what they saw is that on average there was a loss of 5.3 kg of body fat. That's was a loss of 5.3 kg of body fat. That's about 12 lbs. But at the same time there about 12 lbs. But at the same time there was a gain of 1.4 kg of muscle. That's

[03:32] about 3 lbs of muscle. Second challenge that we start to that Second challenge that we start to that we this study helped us unpack is that we can see dramatic improvement with upper and lower body strength with a

[03:49] specific type of exercise and it's called resistance training. So resistance training is like bands that you do where you you pull in one direction and then you're ultimately resisting it in a different direction

[04:05] resisting it in a different direction and it will work a full muscle uh range and it will work a full muscle uh range of motion. This would be like your TRX. This would be a push-up. This would be a squat. These are not hard exercises to

[04:19] squat. These are not hard exercises to do. And what they found in these 60 to 75 year olds is just by teaching them a routine of resistance training that they really gained some significant strength. The upper limb strength showed a size

[04:35] Hold on. That number means something here. And lower limb strength increased by 2.03. In research terms, anything above a 0.8

[04:48] 8 is considered a large effect. And these were more than double that threshold. So these are people in their 60s that are losing weight and building muscle by just doing resistance training. I'm going to show you how to

[05:03] do it here in a moment. The third thing that they found was that they saw an increase in an improvement in blood pressure and in endurance. On the top of

[05:15] body composition and strength changes, the group that did resistance training the group that did resistance training saw a systolic blood pressure drop by nearly 10 points and a diastolic pressure drop that was about four

[05:30] points. So we got fat loss, we got muscle gain and we got blood pressure improvement. Now they also looked at their endurance and how much uh their

[05:42] actual walking they measured this in a six minute mile and what they found was that their six-minute walking distance a standard measurement of cardiovascular

[05:55] standard measurement of cardiovascular endurance improved by 94 meters. So their endurance improved as well. Now, what's interesting is when they looked at all of these different trials, they found that intensity

[06:09] matters when you work out, but not like you think it matters. So, the meta analysis found that yes, highintensity circuit training was best for changing

[06:21] body composition, losing weight, and gaining muscle. High intensity is like doing a jumping jack as fast as you can or doing a pushup as fast as you can or doing squats as fast as you can so that your heart rate gets up.

[06:37] But when it came to actual blood pressure, a measurement of health, it was actually the moderate to low intensity training that made the big difference. So that means that there's no one right intensity for if your

[06:52] measurement of success with your workouts is health. You don't have to push it every single time. You can push it a couple of days a week and then other days you do moderate exercise intensity so that you can improve

[07:08] something as crucial as your blood pressure. So, if you are somebody who's trying to lose weight, here are a list of things that I don't want you to do. I don't want you to just eat less. When we go into eating less to lose weight,

[07:24] that's the old way of looking at weight loss. What ends up happening is that we lower something called our set point. And our set point says if I eat this

[07:38] many calories and I exercise this amount, then all of a sudden I'm going to lose weight at a set point of let's say a,000 calories. So if I eat 1,500

[07:51] calories and I exercise for five and I burn off 500 calories, then my set point burn off 500 calories, then my set point is a,000 calories. Meaning every day I need to eat a thousand calories or burn off a certain amount of calories and

[08:06] stay at that thousand calorie mark to be able to keep the weight off. This is why the yo-yo dieting has happened for so many women that are calorie counting is

[08:18] because they lower their set point. So stop just eating less. That's not going to get you a healthy fat loss muscle building response. Second myth that I really want to look at is cardio is king for fat loss. It is

[08:36] not the case. I it it there the meta analysis that I just quoted it didn't even use a cardio program. It used resistant circuit training and those

[08:48] participants lost nearly 12 pounds of fat while building muscle and they didn't do a stitch of cardio. So that old idea of like workout, workout on the treadmill is not going to be the healthy weight loss that you are looking for.

[09:03] Trick number three that we have taught women is that your hunger is a willpower problem. Your hunger is not a willpower problem. When we start to have more food

[09:15] noise, as we're now calling it, there are many factors to it. And one of the are many factors to it. And one of the biggest factors is when you eat protein. Research is now showing if you eat protein earlier in the day, what ends up

[09:29] protein earlier in the day, what ends up happening is that it sends a signal of fullness to the brain and it keeps you well. It keeps that satiety under control throughout the day. It kills the hunger hormone. So if you have been

[09:44] hunger hormone. So if you have been struggling with with hunger and the food noise, consider having protein earlier in the day. Especially if you add it with some fiber, you add it with some fat. That combination is magic for

[09:58] killing the hunger signals that your brain may be g giving you. The fourth myth that we have been taught is that the scale tells us if our weight loss

[10:10] efforts are working or not. That is a bunch of The scale lies to you every single day. We've got to start looking at more measurements, different places that we can measure our weight loss success. My favorite place

[10:27] is to look at your blood work. Specifically, look at hemoglobin A1C. Specifically, look at hemoglobin A1C. Hemoglobin A1C is a measurement of your glucose and insulin system over the course of 90 days.

[10:42] Your scale is just a measurement of that morning. And who knows, maybe your body was holding on to something that morning, but if we look at it over 90 morning, but if we look at it over 90 days, we actually might find that you

[10:56] are all all your efforts are doing a lot better. I also am a fan of Keto Mojo, the actual blood sugar and ketone reader. So, those of you who are wanting

[11:08] to see your blood sugar in real time, get a continuous glucose monitor on you. We like levels. I'll put links down in the in the notes for you. Or get a little ketone and glucose meter. We like keto mojo. When I was coaching patients

[11:24] in my practice, that was the first thing I did is I asked them to take the scale away and I went straight to blood sugar because I wanted them to see those improvements in blood sugar and they could see it quickly. So, the scale has

[11:39] been a bit of a liar to you. Okay. So, here are the five steps that I want you here are the five steps that I want you to do that maps to this study so you get the same result that these 60-year-olds got. First is I want you to lead every

[11:53] got. First is I want you to lead every meal with protein. Protein helps you meal with protein. Protein helps you build muscle. Protein breaks down into amino acids and those amino acids start to fuel your muscle and make them

[12:06] to fuel your muscle and make them stronger. Muscle is where glucose is stored. If you don't have a lot of muscle, especially as you age, your body will store that glucose in fat. So, every single meal, I want you to start

[12:22] every single meal, I want you to start looking at how you can lead that meal looking at how you can lead that meal with protein. And I want you to eat your protein earlier in the day so that you get the signal of fullness.

[12:35] get the signal of fullness. Breakfast is the most carb and sugarrich meal of the day. When I brought Fast Like a Girl out into the world, I honestly think a large reason that people lost weight is because they

[12:49] skipped the sugary breakfast. How do you eat breakfast if you're leading with protein? This can be your eggs. Four to five eggs has around 25 to 30 grams of protein. This could be sausages if you eat meat. This could be

[13:06] cottage cheese. This could be Greek yogurt. These are packed with protein, but have them earlier in the day so that we kill the hunger hormone and you're feeding your muscles at the same time.

[13:20] Okay. Step two, what they did is they did resistance training. So, two to three times a week. So, this is a big one and it comes directly from the meta analysis. So, what is resistance training?

[13:35] It's a pushup. It's a lunge. It's a squat. Anything that uses your body weight where you have to like a push-up, you have to go down in a push-up and then you go back up. Both both down and up is difficult because you're having to

[13:53] push your body weight against gravity. Two to three times a week of resistance training. You might find bands where again you're just doing some stretching in one direction and then releasing it. Not you don't want to like let it go

[14:08] like that. You want to control it as you start to release it into a second position. I personally one of my favorite workouts I have no attachment favorite workouts I have no attachment to these people is TRX where you can

[14:22] actually start to use the TRX to um your body weight up. It's complete resistance training. I want you doing resistance training two to three times a week and you want to do it for 20 to 30

[14:40] week and you want to do it for 20 to 30 minutes. So mimicking the study, they minutes. So mimicking the study, they did it for 20 to 30 minutes. Now, if you're still not convinced, there was a 22 review in obesity reviews looked at

[14:54] over a hundred different studies on resistance training in people who were overweight and obese. So, there was 4,000 participants. And across all this

[15:06] these studies, resistance training consistently reduced body fat and consistently reduced body fat and increased lean body mass. So, you don't have to have a gym membership. You don't have to pick up the heaviest weight

[15:20] possible like we had been trained for a while. Two to three times a week, you while. Two to three times a week, you are doing these body weight exercises. It could be squats, it could be lunges, it could be push-ups. Two to three times

[15:34] a week. Step number three, I did a a whole bunch of videos on this and I will whole bunch of videos on this and I will keep I will link them here. Um, sleep is where you burn fat. So, you think you burn fat in these

[15:47] resistance training exercises. You think you burn fat when you're fasting. You think you burn fat when you're eating a meal. And yes, there are minor fat burning moments in those, but you actually burn more fat when you sleep.

[16:03] And when you get a good night's sleep, it dramatically changes those hunger hormones. So research found that after a sleepless night, leptin, which is a big hunger hormone, it's the hormone that tells your brain it's full, dropped

[16:19] significantly and grein, the hormone that makes you hungry, went up. And this was measured in a lab in blood work. And unfortunately, the results were more

[16:31] pronounced in women. So think about this. We have this really interesting time where we're seeing so many people go to the weight loss drugs and they're saying my food noise is going up. I've had food noise. I would ask those people

[16:47] if you're one of them, what are your sleeping habits like? Because it may be that you're just not getting a good night's sleep. And so therefore, you are night's sleep. And so therefore, you are seeing this drop in leptin and a raise

[17:00] in ghrein and that's making you more hungry. So, how do you get a good night's sleep? I'll give you like my easiest steps. Get off blue light two to three hours before you go to bed. Stop looking at your computer or your phone

[17:15] unless you have blue blockers on. Your room needs to be cold. There needs to be a drop in temperature when you get into bed. That could look like a warm shower and then the windows open. So, the room is cold and then you get into bed and

[17:31] you're it's a moment of some chill and that will actually help you make more melatonin. Eat your last meal two to three hours before you go to bed. If

[17:43] that's still not working, do some yoga. Sun salutations are shown to lower cortisol. So, just get into your bedroom and do some gentle movement so you tell your body it's time to start to go to sleep.

[17:58] Step number four on how do you get the result that this metaanalysis gave you result that this metaanalysis gave you gave us is I want you to start to track what the scale can't. So look at how your clothes are going to

[18:13] fit different. So instead of looking in the mirror and just criticizing yourself because your belly isn't where it's at, start to take note when you put your clothes on what's feeling looser. because you might start noticing that

[18:26] your belly is not feeling looser, but maybe you're losing a little bit around maybe you're losing a little bit around your hips. So, pay attention to where the fat is coming off from. That would be my first recommendation. The second

[18:39] is I'm a big fan of measuring glucose. So either get a daily glucose uh monitor like a continuous one or a keto mojo or make sure that when you're looking at your blood work you're looking at hemoglobin A1C is your measurement to

[18:55] see if you're insulin sensitive. Now I want to point out that you can lose weight and have a very different metabolic outcome. So, you can look at

[19:07] the scale and there could be a number going down, but metabolically you're not improving, which is why I want you to look at lab work. That's why I want you to look at what your glucose is doing. There was a randomized trial in the

[19:20] There was a randomized trial in the journals of gerontology that followed 86 older adults with obesity for six months. And one group lost weight through diet alone. Another lost weight through diet plus exercise. Both groups

[19:35] lost weight on the scale, but the group that added exercise saw a significant greater a significantly greater improvement in insulin sensitivity and preserved more muscle mass. So, those of you I've been following me for a while

[19:51] you I've been following me for a while on fasting, I appreciate you. and let's make sure we add to our fasting, we add to our incredible eating, um that we add some weight resistance training so we can get the results that studies like

[20:07] this are getting. Okay. Number five, keep in mind if you're going to dive to put it all together in a 30-day period, but understand that if you're putting this all together, um, that there's going to be a point maybe a

[20:23] week, two weeks in that it starts getting easier. When the resistance training gets easier, I want you to tack on more. I want you to do more. I've been doing an a challenge. I started with a challenge

[20:37] of 10 push-ups a day. That's a resistance training exercise. It got easy. So now I'm at 15 push-ups. It's starting to get easy. So now I'm going to need to go to 20 because I'm doing them every day. Once you have the basics

[20:51] in place, push your body a couple of days a week. Pushing your body with its fitness and its weight training and its resistance training forces your body to

[21:03] adapt. And one of the most exciting things we've learned in the last several things we've learned in the last several years is that metabolism isn't is not a fixed state. You can build muscle at any age and your

[21:18] mitochondria, the little powerhouses of the muscles of the cells. It can become healthier. Insul insulin sensitivity could improve. You are not doomed by your past. You are not doomed by your age. You can make these changes. But

[21:34] we've got to have these moments where we push ourselves a little more. Okay, how do you put this together in a 30-day challenge? Here's what I'm going to do. Let's just checklist this. Checklist number one, you are going to load you

[21:49] number one, you are going to load you every meal with protein and fiber and every meal with protein and fiber and more protein earlier in the day. Number two, you are going to do resistance training two to three times a week.

[22:03] push-ups, you'd pick it. You don't have to have push-ups, bands, um, squats, just two to three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. I don't even care if you like got the band and you're watching TV and you're just doing it for 20 to 30

[22:19] minutes. It doesn't have to be anything profound or fancy. Number three, you're going to start prioritizing sleep. You want to protect that sleep and make sure that you're getting a good night's sleep. Turn off

[22:34] the blue light. Get off the alcohol. Get the temperature in the room down. Those kind of those activities make a big difference when you go into sleep. Number four, we're not using the scale anymore. The scale is an outdated myth.

[22:50] We're going to start to look at hemoglobin A1C. We're going to start to notice how our clothes are fitting. We're going to look at our functionality We're going to look at our functionality of strength. We are not going to be

[23:02] obsessed by a weight loss number because that is not where health lives. And the fifth thing, we're going to do all all four of those for 30 days. And when it

[23:15] gets easy, what do we do? When it gets easy, we push ourselves to do a little more. So, I am always going to be here to tell you all that weight loss, [music] if you're struggling with it, it's not your fault. We have been taught

[23:30] wrong. But it [music] is your responsibility to start to look at it differently. It's a strategy. Weight loss [music] is a strategy, not a discipline. And the way we've been taught to lose [music] weight

[23:43] has has taught us that if we don't lose weight, we must be undisiplined. There's something wrong [music] with us. I'm here to give you that strategy. And if this video resonated with you, send it [music] out into the world. I am really

[23:57] trying to change the metabolic health of women. And unfortunately, we have so many women going at it the wrong way, setting themselves [music] up for failure. As always, I hope that helps. You are the miracle. Don't give [music]

[24:11] up on yourself. And report back when you lose that weight. Come back to this video [music] and tell me how much weight you lost. I'm absolutely cheering weight you lost. I'm absolutely cheering you on. If this helped, don't stop here.

[24:24] Click on the next video and let's see what you find

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