After years of cardio and running, Body Beast was the first weightlifting program I ever did. After just six months, I’m pumped to share with you my weight loss transformation story with Body Beast.
This review talks about my experience as a petite woman who honestly had never been able to change my weight. Yet, by following along with Body Beast, including the included portion container plan, I was able to lose significant weight and became lean just in time for my wedding.
Is Body Beast for weight loss a good plan? How did the nutrition plan play out? Will Body Beast make you bulky? We go into these questions and more with my experience after just six months of the program.

body beast for weight loss – alex’s transformation story
Growing up, I was fortunate to have a healthy lifestyle ingrained in me from my parents – sports every season and salads after every dinner.
With my petite frame, standing in 5’ 4”, and a consistent weight since high school of ~107 pounds. I figured things were going fine.
My activities centered around running with six marathons under my belt. On top of that, I joined my friends at their spin, barre, or other HIIT classes.
Like most, I thought that workouts were measured in sweat, so if something seemed too “light,” I moved onto the next activity.
My days started with a slender bod in the morning, but by night, my stomach progressively grew and became bloated. If I had to fit into a tight dress that evening, I would abstain from eating for hours beforehand.
Many of my friends used this same tactic. Thankfully, I’ve learned now that this I wasn’t doomed forever to my “skinny fat” fate.
The Wedding Push – Six Months To Go
I’d been through a rotation of workouts, between yoga, pilates, and cardio, but this time I needed to see a difference.
Our wedding was just six months away and my wedding dress was sleeveless and slim fit. I needed my arms, back, and abs to be toned.
Honestly, what I really needed most was for that to stay that way for the full day. I didn’t want to feel self-conscious or abstain from cocktails and food because I was worried about getting larger and larger throughout the night in my slim dress.
Ryan recommended something completely new for me: a weightlifting program. He chose a lean weight lifting regimen that began with a build phase followed by a bulk phase, roughly 30-45 minutes, six days a week. The program was called Body Beast, on of Beachbody’s (now called BODi) best programs of all time.
When I first began, I was surprised at how weak I felt with just 5 lbs. weights on arms and 15 lbs. for legs. Wow, and I was so incredibly sore that first week (or any day after chest flies). But I logged everything on the provided weight tracker sheets and continued on.
My strength improved each week over a variety of exercises targeting legs, back, shoulders, arms, abs, and cardio. Soon, I was up to 15 lbs. on some arm moves and 45 lbs. on legs.
The best part was that weight lifting wasn’t about the sweat. Most days I didn’t need to shower before work! I knew I was progressing because I felt stronger than ever, which was a huge self esteem boost. Never again will I question if I got a good body workout in if I didn’t sweat!
Even with the wedding coming up, it was easy to fall into lapses of laziness and overeating, but Ryan kept me accountable. One of the many benefits of working out as a couple. He made sure I prioritized workouts even during a crazy work and travel schedule.
Throughout the six months, I focused on my nutrition by Ultimate Clean Eating Guide for Beginners and keeping to six small meals daily. Overall, I didn’t make drastic changes to my diet, and I continued using following the Portion Fix containers with the included nutrition plan. It felt light on the carbs but I was full and it forced me to get creative with my veggies and proteins.
By the way, for accountability with your workouts or nutrition support, feel free to join our BODgroup.
The Final Push – 2 Weeks To Go
Before I knew it, our wedding was just two weeks away! It was time for my final dress fitting.
I slipped into my dress, and it nearly slipped off! Music to my ears, the salon tailor said she could take it in but warned me not to lose any more weight. I’ll never forget that. I hurried home to take my measurements and photos.
My goal with Body Beast had never been weight loss, but I managed not only to gain muscle, but lose significant body fat and pounds anyways (see my photos below).
Also, I felt stronger than ever before, and my body stayed the same size throughout the day. Regarding my photos and measurements, I am glad I had them. I didn’t realize how much my body had changed (or where I stored fat) until I saw them.
Body Beast for WEight Loss Results
My weight loss transformation with Body Beast was shocking for someone as petite as myself. I went from 110 lbs. to 102 lbs.
This weight is incredible for my small size, especially considering all of the muscle weight I put on! I hadn’t been that size since early high school.
My favorite number, however, was the 4” increase in my hips and I was psyched for my new curves in just six months.
For the rest, the photos speak for themselves. While I saw that my stomach and waist was leaner, I was floored when I saw my back. Who keeps hidden weight in their back?! I do, apparently!

Following the Body Beast program through BODi has been worth it for many reasons and proved to be an effective way to learn how to weight lift and get real results.
In addition to a BODi membership (which now includes access to the Portion Fix nutrition plan I followed), both Shakeology and BODi’s protein powder, Recover, were part of my transformation plan.
We highly recommend these products (most other supplements by BODi are unnecessary. For more information on the highest-quality and most effective nutrition tools, check out our shortlist of the 6 best BODi products ever created.
Closing Thoughts on Weight LIfting for Weight Loss
We hope my Body Beast transformation story has inspired you to start lifting weights. Body Beast is an incredible program for weight loss, especially for women who have just those last stubborn pounds to lose.
Of course, a structured nutrition program is essential as well. Leave any questions you have in the comments and fell free to reach out for support.
For other questions regarding Beachbody (now BODi) workouts, Shakeology, or if you want a straight-up honest review of the Team Beachbody Coaching (now BODi Partner) opportunity, make sure your head over to our Beachbody Page.
You can find more free at-home workout resources, such as our Couple’s Workout Routine, Resistance Band and Bodyweight Workout Plans, or 30-Day Ab Challenge, on our Work Out At Home Page.
We also created the below free fitness plans and routines.
Our Fitness plans:
- 12-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
- 3-Month Marathon Training Plan
- 12-Week Resistance Band Training Program
- 12-Week Gym Workout Program for Beginners
- 8-week, no equipment Bodyweight Workout Plan
- 6-week Couples Yoga Program
- 30-Day Ab Challenge
- 30-Day Plank Challenge
Fitness Routines:
- Couples Workout Routine
- Bodyweight Workout for Beginners
- Couples Yoga Flow Routine
- Partner Core Exercise Routine
- Couples Pregnancy Workout Routine
- Our list of Free Beachbody Workouts
We hope that you get started and track your progress with our printable Body Measurement Chart.

30-Day Weight Loss Challenge
As engineers with a combined twelve years of health coaching experience, we needed to create a data-driven way for our clients to sustain weight loss.
Too many weight loss challenges involve a long list of what you can, cannot, and need to do every day. We’ve reduced the overwhelm and only require you to track five numbers a day — calories, steps, fiber, sleep, and waistline.
You’ll track five numbers daily to give you the highest return for sustainable weight loss. As a bonus, we’ll share our Weight Loss Bundle, which includes strategies, progress tracking tools, and additional weight loss plans.


Hey we're Ryan and Alex
A husband-wife duo, two engineers, and the creators of Ryan and Alex Duo Life.
After eight years working in the corporate world as engineers, we left to tackle our true passion:
Helping highly motivated couples optimize their relationship and health by cutting through the muck and sharing what the research says works.

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I am wondering about using 5fingers for racket sports, in particular pickleball. Any thoughts on this.
Cheers
Gary
Hi Gary!
FiveFingers are GREAT for racket sports! We think they’re better in grip than court shoes, allowing fast pivots with no twisted ankles.
They were originally made as boat shoes, so they’re fantastic for grip and stability. We highly recommend them for this!
Also, I noticed that this comment wasn’t on our FiveFingers article, where we talk all about the shoes. So, I wanted to let you know that we have a special offer for our readers since we’re FiveFingers ambassadors, and can also help with shoe selection if you email us at ryanandalex@ryanandalex.com 🙂
Awesome transformation Alex!!. I loved Body Beast but Sagi’s jokes got old for me..I would either do it on mute or just used the workout sheets. I am Joel fan!! LIIFT More is great. I really liked LIIFT 4, but LIIFT More is not just a clever title…definitely focusing more on the weight lifting with less HIIT involved.
Thanks so much, Chris! It took a lot of hard work for this transformation. Outside of the weight loss and muscle gain I experienced, I learned more about my body than with any other program I had done before. Now, I know that all of the endless cardio I did in college and after was never going to make the transformation I wanted to see.
Agreed that the Body Beast jokes are terrible. I’m on LIIFT More right now for the first time and really enjoying it so far. Thanks again!