Three Fat Loss Phases, Two Muscle Builds, and a Graduate Who Came Back with a Purpose!
*Scroll down to see Mel’s previous periodization case*
Mel came back for 1:1 coaching this April, after graduating from her cohort and running maintenance completely on her own for a year and a half. Here's why, in her words:
"I'm never going to step on stage. I don't need a coach who needs me to track everything and ask permission to have a burger.... I’m coming back to make this six months about me, about choosing me. Maintenance is great, I love living there most of the time. But there's something really good about taking specific phases where you're concentrating harder on something."
-Mel
This isn't a fail and come back story, it’s a continuation
Mel signed up for 1:1 coaching with EPN in December 2022, and then transitioned into a cohort in March 2023. She wanted to lean out while recovering from a serious concussion, and she needed a way to eat around Rheumatoid Arthritis flare-ups without losing her training.
She graduated in September 2024 and spent the next year and a half at maintenance, running it herself.
Then Mel transitioned her youngest kid to university, and decided this was the year to focus on her own goals, and signed back up with me in April 2026.
Here's how it went. 👇
The Periodization Plan:
Via 1:1 Coaching December 2022 - April 2023:
Gradual deficit from January to April
Mel lost 9lbs
Eating more than 1700 calories
Solo May 2023 - March 2024: Maintenance & surgery recovery
Via EPN Cohorts:
March - June 2024 (13-Weeks)
Building Phase, gained 3.2lbs in 13 weeks
June - August 2024 (10-Weeks)
Fat Loss Phase, never dipped below 1800 cals, lost 9.0lbs in 11 weeks
September 2024 : Graduated!
September 2024 - March 2026: Maintenance,
On Her Own After graduating, Mel lived at maintenance and ran it herself for a year and a half.
April - June 2026: 9-Week Build (14 planned)
Mel re-signed in April, with kids at the next stage of life, and ready to focus on her goals. When illness shortened the build at week 9, we rolled straight into the cut.
June - September 2026: 15-Week Fat Loss
She’s down over12lbs, her lowest weight since 2021.
The Big Picture:
"It's never linear, and it's never going to be perfect. You just pick up the next day."
Mel had many seasons of doubt, especially in the build phases, which was the biggest mental piece to overcome.
But through her first build, she found out her maintenance calories were so much higher than she had thought going in, which enabled her to put her RA in remission by ensuring she was adequately fueling herself outside of fat loss.
The Mental Game:
More than any of the numbers, what I'm most proud of is what Mel did in the middle of this fat loss phase.
For nearly a month in the middle of the deficit the scale barely moved. She was ready to call it the end of the deficit before taking her measurements and photos and then she sent me this message:
"As soon as I took them and did the comparison, I realized everything's working. Sometimes you just have to remember that it’s not just the scale we’re looking at."
Two years ago she called her deficit after two weeks of joint pain and aches. This year, after making a few more tweaks to the meal plan and more time spent at maintenance?
"I'm sleeping like I'm dead. I am not hungry. My joints are quiet. I'm lifting heavy." -Mel
Mel’s Key Takeaways of the Process (from 2024):
What I thought was my maintenance calories at the start ended up being about 400 calories less than actual maintenance!
My autoimmune symptoms completely disappeared during the muscle build phase. Feeding the body well felt amazing & encouraged me to want to start another muscle build process quite quickly
Learning to trust the data was key to navigate the ebb & flow that comes along with the journey.
For myself, the added bonus of having my fellow cohort members going through the same learning process & sharing our journeys together amplified the value of the cost of the cohort.
“I thought I'd hate the cohort, I'm such a lone wolf. It turned out to be so amazing."
Mel’s Key Takeaways of the Process: 2026
"Photos and measurements kept me grounded. When the scale wouldn't move I wanted to stop tracking. As soon as I took them I remembered everything was working.”
“I still enjoyed my summer. I didn't have to sacrifice anything."
Finally, of course you are the captain of your own ship. But having Laura there to help advise when it was time to adjust the sails always gave me the confidence that I was heading in the right direction.
The Payoff + What’s Next
Here's what I love most about where Mel is now. After this fat loss phase, she's going back to managing maintenance on her own, she knows how, and she doesn't need me to do it.
She spent a year and a half at the top end of maintenance before this cut, and it shows. Mel is incredibly happy with how easy this deficit felt and given how much foundational work she put into it when it comes to balancing meal quality and giving herself some grace, the payoff shows.
And she's doing it all while thriving in her adult children life, with vacations on the calendar and big plans for the year ahead.
That's what being a graduate looks like. 🥹
Mel’s 1 Year + 9 month Periodization Case Study
In December 2022, Mel signed up for 1:1 coaching with Kate. Her major goal was to lean out over recovering from a serious concussion.
Additional goals we set:
Learn how to navigate nutrition successfully while managing RA flare-ups
Continue to train with progressive overload to balance overall health
Lower overall body fat for a leaner look
We decided to start with a conservative deficit in January of 2023 since Mel was already eating at maintenance calories.
Started at 1820 calories with a calorie floor of 1600 (never dropped below 1750)
Aimed for a weekly rate of loss between 0.5 to 1 pound
The Periodization Plan:
Via 1:1 Coaching:
December 2022 - April 2023 (4 months):
Gradual deficit from January to April
Mel lost 9lbs
Eating more than 1700 calories
Solo:
May 2023 - March 2024:
Recovery from surgery
Via EPN Cohorts:
March - June 2024 (13-Weeks)
Building Phase, gained 3.2lbs in 13 weeks
June - August 2024 (10-Weeks)
Fat Loss Phase, never dipped below 1800 cals, lost 9.0lbs in 11 weeks
Solo:
September onwards:
Graduated and living at maintenance!
So what’s next? Here’s the periodization plan Mel is working on solo as she has graduated from the cohorts and will be managing her own nutrition:
October - December: Muscle Building
Mel will be finding the top end of maintenance & then moving into another build phase through the Holidays with the primary goal shifting to adding more muscle.
January - February: Maintenance
Anticipated surgery will have Mel eating at Maintenance to focus on letting the body heal & recover as optimally as possible.
March-April: Fat Loss
A brief time spent in a slight deficit to lean out following the muscle build & maintenance phase.
Mel’s Key Takeaways of the Process:
What I thought was my maintenance calories at the start ended up being about 400 calories less than actual maintenance!
My autoimmune symptoms completely disappeared during the muscle build phase. Feeding the body well felt amazing & encouraged me to want to start another muscle build process quite quickly
Learning to trust the data was key to navigate the ebb & flow that comes along with the journey.
For myself, the added bonus of having my fellow cohort members going through the same learning process & sharing our journeys together amplified the value of the cost of the cohort.
Finally, of course you are the captain of your own ship. But having Laura there to help advise when it was time to adjust the sails always gave me the confidence that I was heading in the right direction.
