Kayla Durck | Balnce

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

Resources:

Fit Girl Recipe eBook - 31 high-protein and macro-friendly recipes

Meals I Eat On Repeat to Stay Lean

Kayla Durck — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:09:45 GMT

High-Protein Meals I’m Eating on Repeat

I have definitely been in a repeat-meal era lately. Give me a good bowl, a sauce I love, and something sweet in the fridge, and I’m pretty happy.

Lately, that has looked like a lot of beef and sweet potato bowls, chicken burrito bowls, easy breakfasts, and pumpkin everything.

A lot of these meals use the same basic ingredients. I can prep a few things ahead of time and change the toppings or sauce depending on what sounds good that day.

Here are the meals, ingredients, and portions so you can try them too.

Calories and protein are estimates and will vary depending on your brands and portions. Meat portions are cooked weights unless marked otherwise. Adjust the portions to fit your appetite and goals.

Honey beef & sweet potato bowl

Around 455 calories | 41g protein

The honey with the salty beef and creamy cottage cheese is such a good combination. Add the cold, crunchy cucumbers, and this is one of the easiest lunches to throw together.

Ingredients

4 ounces (113g) cooked 96% lean ground beef
150g roasted sweet potato
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup sliced cucumber
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon olive oil for roasting
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
Chili flakes, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the diced sweet potato with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Roast for 20–30 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and browned.
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season to taste. Measure out your cooked portion.
Add the sweet potato and beef to a bowl with the cottage cheese and cucumber.
Finish with honey and chili flakes, if you like a little heat.

If you already have the beef and sweet potatoes prepped, this comes together in just a few minutes.

Spicy chicken burrito bowl

Around 490 calories | 49g protein

The sauce is just Greek yogurt, lime, and hot sauce. Simple, creamy, and easy to make as spicy as you want.

And yes, the tortilla chips are staying. I love having something crunchy with this bowl.

Ingredients

Bowl

3½ ounces (100g) cooked chicken breast, chopped
⅓ cup cooked rice
¼ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup salsa
2 tablespoons pickled red onions
Sliced jalapeños, to taste
½ ounce (14g) tortilla chips
Cilantro, optional
Salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder

High-protein spicy sauce

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lime juice
1–2 teaspoons hot sauce
Pinch of garlic powder
Water, as needed to thin

Directions

Warm the cooked chicken, rice, and black beans. Season to taste.
Mix the Greek yogurt, lime juice, hot sauce, and garlic powder. Add a little water until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
Add the chicken, rice, and beans to a bowl.
Top with cottage cheese, salsa, pickled onions, jalapeños, and cilantro.
Drizzle with the spicy sauce and serve with tortilla chips.

Chocolate-covered pumpkin spice protein bites

Makes 6 large bites | Serving size: 3 bites

Around 550–590 calories | 30–35g protein per serving

These are my something-sweet-in-the-fridge option. Pumpkin spice filling with a chocolate coating and a little flaky salt on top.

They’re large bites, so you can also have one or two depending on what you’re in the mood for.

Ingredients

Pumpkin protein filling

2 scoops (60g) vanilla protein powder—this is the one I use
¼ cup powdered peanut butter
⅓ cup pumpkin purée
1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1–2 Medjool dates, pitted and blended into a paste
Pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

3 ounces (85g) dark chocolate
Flaky salt, optional

Directions

Mix the protein powder, powdered peanut butter, pumpkin purée, nut butter, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, date paste, and salt.
Stir until a thick dough forms. If it’s too dry to hold together, add water one teaspoon at a time.
Divide into 6 large bites and place on a parchment-lined tray.
Freeze for 20–30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate in short microwave intervals, stirring between each interval.
Dip each bite into the chocolate and return it to the parchment.
Sprinkle with flaky salt and refrigerate until the coating sets.

Keep them chilled.

One bite is approximately 185–195 calories with 10–12g protein. The estimate includes all 85g of chocolate; exact nutrition depends on the protein powder, chocolate, and number of dates used.

Loaded beef & sweet potato bowl

Around 490 calories | 42g protein

Another way to use the same beef and sweet potato prep. This version adds tomatoes, an avocado-corn topping, and a creamy Greek yogurt burger sauce.

Ingredients

Bowl

4 ounces (113g) cooked 96% lean ground beef
100g roasted sweet potato
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup cherry tomatoes
½ teaspoon olive oil for roasting
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika

Avocado-corn topping — suggested version

2 tablespoons diced avocado (about 25g)
2 tablespoons corn
Chopped cilantro
Squeeze of lime juice
Pinch of salt

Greek yogurt burger sauce

2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon barbecue sauce
Hot sauce, to taste
Water, as needed to thin

Directions

Toss the diced sweet potato with olive oil and seasonings. Roast at 425°F for 20–30 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender.
Brown and season the ground beef. Measure out your cooked portion.
Mix the avocado, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
In a separate bowl, stir together the burger sauce ingredients.
Assemble the sweet potato, beef, cottage cheese, and tomatoes.
Add the avocado-corn topping and drizzle with the sauce.

The avocado-corn ingredients above are a suggested version of the topping pictured.

Protein pumpkin bread

Suggested version: makes 10 slices | Serving size: 1 slice

Around 150 calories | 9g protein

For this one, I use Simple Mills pumpkin bread mix, skip the oil, and add Greek yogurt, collagen, and extra water.

Recipe note: The quantities below are a suggested starting point. This variation still needs testing to confirm the liquid, baking time, and final nutrition.

Ingredients

1 box Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Bread Mix
3 large eggs
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
40g unflavored collagen peptides
Water called for on the package, plus extra as needed
Extra cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, optional

Directions

Follow the package instructions for oven temperature and loaf pan preparation.
Whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, and the amount of water listed on the package.
Stir in the pumpkin bread mix and collagen.
Add extra water gradually if the batter is too thick.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and bake until the center is set and a tester comes out clean. Begin checking at the package baking time; the substitutions may change how long it needs.
Cool completely before cutting into 10 slices.

The protein estimate includes collagen. Check your mix and collagen labels when calculating your loaf.

Burger bowl with sweet potato fries

Around 470 calories | 42g protein

The burger sauce is the best part: Greek yogurt, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce. You can make it sweeter, spicier, or thinner depending on what you like.

Ingredients

Bowl

4 ounces (113g) cooked 96% lean ground beef
125g sweet potato, cut into fries
⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens
½ cup sliced cucumber
2 tablespoons pickled red onions
½ teaspoon olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika

High-protein burger sauce

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons barbecue sauce
Hot sauce, to taste
Water, as needed to thin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Toss the sweet potato fries with olive oil and seasonings. Spread them out on a baking sheet.
Roast for 20–30 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and browned.
Brown and season the ground beef. Measure out your cooked portion.
Mix the sauce ingredients, adding a little water if needed.
Add the greens, cucumber, pickled onions, and cottage cheese to a bowl.
Top with the beef, sweet potato fries, and burger sauce.

Eggs & sweet potato breakfast bowl

Around 425 calories | 37g protein

Having roasted sweet potatoes ready makes this breakfast so easy. Warm them up, cook your eggs, and add the spinach and cottage cheese.

Ingredients

2 large eggs
⅓ cup liquid egg whites
125g roasted sweet potato
⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup spinach
½ teaspoon olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
Hot sauce, optional

Directions

Use the olive oil and seasonings to roast the sweet potato, or warm a portion you already have prepped.
Wilt the spinach in a nonstick skillet with a splash of water.
Cook the eggs and egg whites to your liking.
Add everything to a bowl with cottage cheese.
Season to taste and finish with hot sauce, if using.

High-protein white lasagna soup

Suggested version: makes 4 servings

Around 430 calories | 43g protein per serving

Creamy, cozy, and full of the flavors I love in a white lasagna.

Recipe note: This is a suggested high-protein version based on the soup pictured. It still needs to be matched to my exact recipe.

Ingredients

Soup

1 pound (454g) raw 99% lean ground turkey
6 ounces (170g) dry lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
4 cups chicken bone broth
½ medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes, optional

Creamy cheese mixture

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, blended smooth
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 20g)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened.
Add the ground turkey and cook through, breaking it into small pieces.
Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and optional red pepper flakes.
Add the bone broth and bring to a simmer.
Add the broken noodles and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Add extra water if needed.
Stir in the spinach until wilted, then remove the pot from the heat.
Combine the blended cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and Parmesan. Stir a little warm broth into the mixture, then gently stir it into the soup.
Divide into 4 servings.

You can probably tell I use a lot of the same ingredients. Changing the sauce, toppings, or sides gives me enough variety without needing a completely different grocery list for every meal.

Pick a few that sound good, prep the basics, and make the portions work for you.

Which one are you trying first? 🤍

These are exactly the kinds of meals I come back to because they’re easy, filling, and don’t feel like “diet food.” Lots of protein, plenty of volume, and enough carbs and fats to actually make the meals satisfying.

As always, the calories and protein are estimates and will vary depending on the exact brands and portions you use.

Used Daily:

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

Your Meal Prep Routine Is Too Complicated + Meal Building Framework

Kayla Durck — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we’re diving into a simple meal-building and meal-prep framework to help you stay consistent with your nutrition—even when life gets busy.

If one of your goals is to lose body fat, build muscle, feel stronger, or simply make healthy eating easier, this episode is for you. Whether you’re tired of starting over with meal plans, getting stuck in takeout mode on busy nights, or feeling overwhelmed by what to cook, you’ll learn how to build balanced meals, prep flexible staples, and create a realistic routine that works for your life.

Join the body recomp challenge

Resources

Body recomp mini course - FREE

1:1 coaching - apply for waitlist

Join the Body Recomp Challenge

Body Recomp 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Lean & Toned and How to Lose the Next 5-10lbs

Kayla Durck — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 01:13:17 GMT

I spend a lot of time talking to women in their 30s who are struggling to see results even though they’re doing everything right.

Whether they’re moms, busy career women, or just trying to feel more confident in their skin, I hear the same things over and over:

“I can’t stay consistent with the plan.”
“I struggle to see results even when I’m tracking macros, going to the gym, dieting, all the things.”
“I’m never sure what to eat, how much, or how to adjust.”
“I’m so busy with life, fitness never seems to fit in more than a couple days a week.”

And I genuinely want you to succeed, so I want to break down exactly what you can do to start seeing results before the end of the year (somehow we’re almost there, and January is right around the corner, like what?!).

From a lot of the conversations I have, I also know you’re probably stuck trying to figure out your next routine… wondering if you should cut carbs again, do more cardio, work out harder, or be super restrictive for the next few weeks just to lose a couple pounds fast.

First, you need to understand one important thing: if you want to get lean and toned, you want to change your body composition, not just lose weight.

That means changing what your body is made up of, not just watching the number on the scale go down.

Because yes, it would be nice to see a lower number. But what I see most women actually wanting is more definition and a leaner shape. That comes from more muscle and less body fat.

And that’s exactly why most plans fail you. They’re designed to get you smaller, not built on science-based training and nutrition frameworks that help you keep your muscle and lose body fat.

No matter what plan you follow, if you don’t have the right framework and the strategies to keep you consistent… it won’t work, even if the plan itself is good.

That’s why I see so many women feeling stuck and blaming their metabolism, their plan, and even their age.

My goal is to change that for you. Because you can be the fittest, healthiest, and most confident version of yourself well past your 30s, and even after becoming a mom. You just need the right framework!

So let’s dive in. This is the exact list you can copy, paste into your notes, and start implementing right away, so you can stop overthinking every workout and every meal and finally focus on what actually matters.

Oh, and if you’d rather have this all mapped out for you, with a community of women to keep you consistent, so you can focus on losing 5-10 lbs before the end of the year instead of trying to figure out what works… I’ve created the plan for you. All you have to do is show up!

I’ve put together the resources and frameworks so you can finally understand:

How much you should be eating
How to track your macros
What the heck to eat when you don’t have time
How to train with progression
Your AI guide to meal planning
A complete workout plan (home or gym)
A meal planner, grocery list, and macro tracking
And so much more!

So you no longer wake up guessing whether your plan is working. Instead, you have the entire plan laid out for you to start reaching your goals.

Calorie deficit

Calculate maintenance calories and give yourself a 200–300 calorie deficit

Multiply your weight by 17 (maintenance) and subtract that number by 200–300 calories. Make these your deficit numbers

For example, maintenance is 2300/day or 16,100/week. Deficit would be 2000/day or 14,000/week

Monday 1900
Tuesday 2100
Wednesday 1900
Thursday 2000
Friday 1900
Saturday 2200
Sunday 2000

Protein & Macros

Protein is what helps you keep your muscles and look toned!

You want to be close to macros not just calories around 10g +/-

To calculate protein:

Goal weight x 1 = grams of protein per day
Hit this daily (non-negotiable)
Calories can fluctuate each day from carbs and fats, but protein should be hit daily
Spread across 3–4 meals
30–40 g of protein per meal

Food list

Eat a majority of these foods from your meals

Eggs
Chicken
93% lean ground beef
99% lean turkey
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Oats
Rice
Potatoes/sweet potato
Bananas
Blueberries
Strawberries
Spinach
Broccoli

90/10 rule

In a fat loss phase, you should be closer to 90/10 not 80/20 if you want results

90% whole foods structured to hit your macros
10% fun foods (1–2 off meals a week max)
Still tracking and counting weekends
Avoiding “all-or-nothing”
Short-term sacrifice for a long term result

Step goals/daily movement

8–10k steps per day – here’s how to hit it daily:

Start with a 30 minute walk everyday
Take two 20 minute walk breaks in the day
30 minutes at the end of the day
10–15 minutes of walking post meals for digestion
Take calls or watch shows while walking

Workout split

3–4 strength workouts per week to build and sustain muscle mass + structured cardio

Monday: Legs + core
Tuesday: Back + biceps + cardio
Wednesday: Quads + glutes
Thursday: Chest + triceps + shoulders
Friday: 10k steps
Saturday: Pilates + core
Sunday: Active rest

Consistency > intensity

If you can’t stick to it for more than a week, you won’t see long-term results with it. Sustainable results come from a plan that you can be consistent with in the long term

Stop restarting every Monday
Quit all-or-nothing mindset
Track your weekends
Track your progress
Give it 4–6 weeks minimum

How do I keep this consistent?

Same basic grocery list every week (protein and carbs, with rotating toppings and veggies).
Same 3–5 meals on rotation
Adjust portions if needed with changing macros or schedule
No decision in the moment! Meals are preplanned, and I eat it regardless of how I am feeling

How is the challenge different from this checklist?

This checklist shows you what matters, but you can have the perfect plan and still not see results. Because effort won’t always correlate to results.

Here are a few of the most common reasons I see that happen:

You’re working hard in the gym, but eating the wrong macros or calories
You’re eating “clean,” but eating at maintenance or even in a surplus
You plan the perfect week, but your kid’s sporting event runs late, an unexpected meeting gets added to your calendar, or you just run out of time in the day. You fall off your routine and struggle to get back on track.
You don’t know how to get results without restriction, so real life keeps coming up and knocking you off track

All of these take hard work and effort. But they’re missing the strategies that keep you on track in real life and the frameworks that actually help you reach your goals.

The challenge is where you actually do it, for 30 days, with a plan built for body recomp and the resources and group coaching to keep you motivated and focused on what works.

No more copying a list into your notes and hoping you stick to it this time.

Here’s what you get inside the 30-Day Body Recomp Challenge:

A 4-week body recomp training plan, plus an on-demand workout library so you can swap workouts
Set macro targets
Tracking tools, from tracking your meals to tracking your progress
3 coaching lessons a week, 3–20 minutes each, teaching you what you need to know to achieve a body recomp
A live kickoff call on Day 1 (recorded if you can’t make it)
Group coaching inside our private community

Presale starts September 28th at 12 pm MT, and the first 100 signups get $100 off. Join the waitlist to get your presale link.

The challenge kicks off October 5th!

Join the Body Recomp Challenge

See you inside!

Talk soon,

Coach Kayla

Used Daily:

Join the recomp challenge!

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

Listen Now

Lock-in: Your 30 Day Body Recomp Plan

Kayla Durck — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we're diving into your 30-day lock-in plan for getting back on track, locking in the next few weeks, and setting yourself up for success before January.

If one of your goals is to lose 5-10lbs and build more muscle mass so you're lean and strong, this episode is for you. No matter if your year has looked a little different than you expected, if you fell off more times than you anticipated, or if you're just trying to lock in before the end of the year, this is for you if you want to plan out your 30 days.

____

My 30-day body recomp challenge and group cohort starts on October 5, 2026! I have built out your body recomp plan, including workouts, meals, habits, and daily actions for you, so you can take action and get started asap!

This will include resources for how to track, building out meals, my meal prep strategy, teaching you how to train for muscle, adding progression, and so much more! If you want in, join the waitlist.

Resources

Body recomp mini course - FREE

1:1 coaching - apply for waitlist

The 12-Week Body Recomp: End of Year Lock-in

Kayla Durck — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 06:00:00 GMT

If I could have you understand one thing, it would be that maybe, just maybe, you don't need to just try harder. You need a simpler plan that actually lets you stay consistent when life is, well, life.

Because we're not all going to be bodybuilders. We have families, real jobs, and life that gets in the way, so fitness takes a back seat.

Then it becomes, "when I have more time."

In reality, you need a plan that is going to help you lose fat with the right nutrition protocols, build muscle with the right and consistent training plan, and remove all the guesswork that keeps you inconsistent.

We're covering that, plus your 12-week lock-in and body recomp plan for the end of the year and MORE in today's episode.

Grab your latte and your notes app and let's get into it.

Resources

High protein and high fiber cheat s

(P.S. If this is you, check out this post on locking in for 90 days to lose 5-20lbs).

Your Weekly High-Protein Meal Menu

Kayla Durck — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:31:20 GMT

This week’s menu

Okay girl, fall is around the corner, and I’m not the fitness coach to tell you “cut out all the fun fall treats.” I’m the coach who is going to teach you how to eat the foods you love and still reach your fitness goals.

Since it’s still technically summer, I haven’t gone full-on fall vibes…. but I have some fun meals up my sleeve for fall that you’re going to have to stay tuned for.

Now, as a fitness girly myself who lost 15lbs and who helps other women every day lose 5-20lbs and get defined, there is one key thing you have to apply to your nutrition if you really want to see success.

Because I know when I was trying to lose body fat and build muscle mass, the biggest struggle I had was meals.

I never felt like I knew what to make, or it would just take up hours of my time trying to figure out how to fit it into my macros.

So here is the biggest tip that helped me start to see success and make meals simpler:

Don’t change everything about your meals. Make small tweaks that will help you be closer to your goal.

For example, if you are struggling to hit your protein, work on adding more protein in your meals and increasing your portions…not spending 2 hours on Pinterest trying to find high-protein meals that you’ll end up throwing away.

It’s the small shifts that will help you be more consistent.

That being said, I wanted to share some of my favorite meals that I have been having on repeat so that you can make them work for your goals.

Subscribe now

First, you need to start here

If you don’t have staples prepped, you’re making your life and meals exponentially harder than they need to be. I spend 1 hour (that’s it) a week so that I can spend 10-15 minutes max all week throwing together meals. And it really works.

If you want my system for that, check it out here, and the staples I make every week here.

Now, let’s get into the good stuff!

How to pick your meals

Next, I want you to simplify your meals. Meaning, we’re not scrolling Pinterest for 2 hours and coming up with 15 recipes and no real plan on how to make them.

That just leaves us throwing away a lot of ingredients and getting takeout more times than we would like to admit.

Instead, you’re going to use something I call the 2-2-2 method.

2 meal options for each meal category (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks), rotating through the week
2 protein sources
2 micronutrient/fiber sources

This is how you’re going to rotate your meals through the week without making the same thing over and over, but limiting cooking and the number of meals you have to make.

For example, protein would be chicken and ground beef. Then you will pick 2 meal options for each meal category, and 2 veggie/fiber sources. And rotate the heck out of them.

You’ll make your protein sources ahead of time (so you’re not missing your protein goal) and keep the seasoning simple. That way, chicken and beef turn into taco bowls, Greek bowls, tacos, ground beef/sweet potato bowls, chicken pasta, and more.

I’ll show you below how this works in action.

This is where it gets good…

I don’t want to just tell you to “keep your meals simple,” “eat more protein,” or “meal prep more” and send you on your way.

I want to show you exactly what that looks like in real life, and the recipes I use in real life.

I’m sharing the actual meals I eat on repeat, the meals that helped me lose 15 pounds and, more importantly, maintain that progress.

These aren’t complicated recipes with a completely different grocery list for every meal. They’re simple, satisfying meals built around a few staple ingredients that I prep once and use in different ways throughout the week.

The following is for Paid Subscribers…

The exact meals I’m eating on repeat right now, with the ingredients and protein included.
My go-to macro-friendly recipes, including simple breakfasts, an easy chicken taco bowl, pumpkin Greek yogurt bagels, a Greek yogurt bowl, and Chocolate-Covered Pumpkin Spice Protein Bites
My 2-2-2 meal-prep method in action— exactly how I use it to plan a real week of meals.
How I turn the same base ingredients into different meals by changing a sauce, topping, side, or carbohydrate source.
What I prep ahead of time and what I make fresh so meals come together quickly without feeling like I’m eating leftovers all week.
A complete meal plan for the week showing you how I rotate everything without needing a different recipe every day.
A simple grocery list based on the plan so you know exactly what to buy and can actually use everything you bring home.
Recipes including: pumpkin protein bagels, protein apple cinnamon parfait with 30g protein, and my favorite taco bowls with spicy mayo we have on repeat!

Okay, paid girls, let me show you exactly what I’m eating this week.

Losing 15 Pounds, Living With Hashimoto’s, and Navigating Miscarriage: Behind My Health Journey

Kayla Durck — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

What happens when the habits that made you fit begin to harm your health?

In this episode, I’m reintroducing myself and sharing the story behind my fitness journey, including the parts you cannot see in a before-and-after photo.

I talk about my experience with extreme dieting and reaching an unhealthy body-fat percentage. I looked lean, but I was dealing with hair loss, hormonal issues, and the loss of my period. After my Hashimoto’s diagnosis, I had to rethink my approach to health, fitness, and nutrition.

I share what helped me move away from extremes, lose 15 pounds, build definition, and create a lifestyle that supports both my goals and my health.

I also discuss our miscarriage in early 2026, how we are navigating the grief, and how this season has affected my health and fitness journey.

Resources

High protein and high fiber cheat s

Lock in: The 90 Day Lean Blueprint to Lose 5-20lbs and Get Lean & Defined

Kayla Durck — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:43:07 GMT

If I woke up tomorrow having to completely start over on my fitness journey and wanted to lose 5-10lbs, get toned and defined, and feel good in my clothes again… this is exactly what I would do for the next 90 days.

And if you don’t know, here is a little about me and my 15lbs weight loss journey.

I was an athlete most of my life and had NO idea how to actually get lean and toned. I always felt a little skinny fat, like I could run 8-10 miles a day as a mid-filder but I never actually felt confident in my skin.

Here I was, working out 2-3 hours a day, eating clean, cutting out sugar, focusing on whole foods, but I stayed pretty much the same no matter what I did.

Little did I know, I was working my booty off, but I wasn’t doing the things that would change the shape of my body so I could lose body fat and be defined.

I truly thought it was a genetic thing, and I just was never going to have a lean midsection and hourglass shape.

The problem was my approach was all wrong.

Sure, I had the basics right. I was moving my body every day, sometimes two times a day, eating really clean, and I had tried pretty much every diet under the sun (have I ever told you I was vegan once…that didn’t last long).

Well, fast forward to now, as a body recomp coach, I spend my days teaching women how to lose the 5-20lbs that they are holding on to, build real muscle mass, and get lean and defined in their 30s. After you have lived some life, become a mom, or just have a crazy busy career life now that you’re a grown woman.

So I want to teach you what actually works and exactly what I would do all over again if I wanted to get in the best shape of my life in the next 90 days.

Also, I want you to get the most out of this so you can copy and paste this directly into your notes.

Calorie deficit

Fat loss starts with a calorie deficit. I’m sure that’s not news to you, but maybe the amount you should be eating is. So let’s break it down:

Calculate maintenance calories and give yourself a 200–300 calorie deficit

Multiply your weight by 17 (maintenance) and subtract that number by 200–300 calories. Make these your deficit numbers

For example, maintenance is 2300/day or 16,100/week. Deficit would be 2000/day or 14,000/week

Monday 1900
Tuesday 2100
Wednesday 1900
Thursday 2000
Friday 1900
Saturday 2200
Sunday 2000

Protein & Macros

Protein is what helps you keep your muscles and look toned. You have to eat enough of this and consistently. Yes, a calorie deficit helps with fat loss, but too low of protein and calories means you’re losing muscle too. Trust me, you don’t want that (or maybe you do, idk but it’s not how you’re getting toned).

You want to be close to macros, not just calories, around 10g +/- your protein goal daily!

To calculate protein:

Goal weight x 1 = grams of protein per day
Hit this daily (non-negotiable)
Calories can fluctuate each day from carbs and fats, but protein should be hit daily
Spread across 3–4 meals
30–40 ounces of protein per meal

Food list

Eat a majority of these foods from your meals. Don’t overcomplicate your nutrition and think you need some fun low-cal, macro-friendly, high-protein, 15-swap recipe. Just focus on the basics and rinse and repeat.

Eggs
Chicken
93% lean ground beef
99% lean turkey
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Oats
Rice
Potatoes/sweet potato
Bananas
Blueberries
Strawberries
Spinach
Broccoli

90/10 rule

In a fat loss phase, you should be closer to 90/10, not 80/20, if you want results. Sorry to burst your bubble, but balance is for maintenance. If you want to see real progress, you have to put in some work, sacrifice some balance, and be freaking consistent. Here is what that looks like:

90% whole foods structured to hit your macros
10% fun foods (1–2 off meals a week max)
Still tracking and counting weekends
Avoiding “all-or-nothing”
Short-term sacrifice for a long-term result

Workout split

3–4 strength workouts per week to build and sustain muscle mass + structured cardio

Monday: Legs + core
Tuesday: Back + biceps + cardio
Wednesday: Quads + glutes
Thursday: Chest + triceps + shoulders
Friday: 10k steps
Saturday: Pilates + core
Sunday: Active rest

Consistency > intensity

If you can’t stick to it for more than a week, you won’t see long-term results with it. Sustainable results come from a plan that you can be consistent with in the long term

Stop restarting every Monday
Quit all-or-nothing mindset
Track your weekends
Track your progress
Give it 4–6 weeks minimum

Step goals/daily movement

I want you to think of it this way: your workouts are around 45 minutes a couple times a week…that’s probably 5% of your entire week at best. Your daily activity outside of the gym accounts for a lot more of your daily calories burned…so stay active. Hit a step goal, and be consistent. Here is where I would start if you’re trying to hit 8-10k steps daily (around 300-500 calories a day burned).

8–10k steps per day – here’s how to hit it daily:

Start with a 30-minute walk every day
Take two 20-minute walk breaks in the day
30 minutes at the end of the day
10–15 minutes of walking post-meals for digestion
Take calls or watch shows while walking

Now how do you actually stay consistent?

Same basic grocery list every week (protein and carbs, with rotating toppings and veggies). Check out this stubstack on my weekly prep and staples.
Same 3–5 meals on rotation. Check out this Substack on my meals I’m eating on repeat
Adjust portions if needed with changing macros or schedule
No decision in the moment! Meals are preplanned, and I eat it regardless of how I am feeling

Now, the best thing you can do is have an actual plan to keep you consistent, focusing on progression, and hitting your daily targets. You can 1000%, absolutely build that out yourself.

But, I want you to ask yourself one thing…

If you could have done it on your own already, why haven’t you?

As a coach, here are a few reasons I commonly see:

You’re way too busy with work, being a mom, or growing in your career, and your fitness goals always take a back seat
You have some consistency because you know what to do, but the reality is you’re just doing whatever you can, when you can…which, let’s be honest, never gets good results.
You’re eating clean but have no idea how much you’re eating, what you should be eating, if you’re eating the right amounts, and you're burnt out from coming up with dinner ideas every night.
You have seen progress in the past, but weekends become busy, summer travel takes off, and before you know it, you’re right back where you started

So I get it. It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s that you’re not doing the right things and adding one more to-do to an already crazy schedule is out of the question.

Making it fall down the to-do list, collecting dust, and always planning on starting when you’re ready.

But being ready is a choice, not a feeling. It’s a decision to do the hard things before you’re ready, commit to the plan, and show up when motivation is low and schedules are packed. And it’s okay if you need some support to stay consistent with it.

So you can absolutely do it on your own…but if you need some support, a plan created exactly for losing 5-20lbs, building muscle, and getting toned, defined, and feeling confident again…

The Body Recomp Challenge was designed exactly for that. If you want to join or learn more, you can find details below.

That’s all for now.

xo, Kayla

Body Recomp Challenge

A 4-week body recomp challenge to help you lose 5-20lbs, build muscle mass, and learn exactly why and how it works for you to maintain progress.

I wanted this to be a challenge like no other you have seen before. Because I want you to have all the answers and know exactly what to be eating, how much, what workouts to be doing, and have the option to fit in your workouts based on your schedule.

What to Expect:

On-demand workout library: so you can choose the workout plan that works for your life, whether you have 30 minutes or you want a fat-burning home workout program… you get access to all of them!
Daily motivation and videos: Want to learn more about tracking, how to find your 1 rep max, applying progressive overload, actually tracking progress, well were doing all of that inside the 4-week course! You’ll get access to daily videos (M-F) to teach you exactly how to achieve your dream results.
Meal planning and tracking: Stop guessing what to eat, how much, or what to make. The in-app meal planner will give you the exact structure based on your macros and goals.
Daily tracking and accountability: I’m giving you all the resources to track your habits, consistency, and progress. From in-app food logs, workout progressions, side-by-side photo progress, fitness tracking and health data, and more! All in one place.
Community to keep you going: You won’t be doing this alone! You will be alongside other women wanting to get into the best shape of their 30s! We’re kicking it off with a community call so you know exactly what to do and will have access to a community alongside you the whole way.

So you can absolutely lose 5-20lbs and get lean and toned on your own. But, if you want the support, community, resources, and exact plan to get you there… what are you waiting for.

This is my first challenge in this format, so you will get special incentives and bonuses that you won’t see again - but you have to be on the list.

There is no commitment to join the list, but if you want to be notified when we go live and get the incentives/bonuses, you have to be on here.

Here are some previous challengers results:

Join the list

Hope to see you inside. Challenge starts September 28th

Used Daily:

→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

Listen Now

Apply for Waitlist

Programs + helpful freebies

Recipe eBook with 31 high-protein and macro-friendly recipes

Body recomp challenge waitlist

1:1 coaching - currently waitlisted until October

Helpful freebies

High-protein and fiber cheat sheet

6-rule to a body recomp

Your Plan for the Next 6 Months to Lose 5-15lbs and Recomp | part 4

Kayla Durck — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 03:00:00 GMT

In today's episode, we're talking all about how to lose 5-15lbs in the next 6 months and the exact framework that you should follow to see results. My goal is to help you build this out for yourself.

Resources

High protein and high fiber cheat s

Links to my coffee setup.

Full Day of Eating - Fall Edition

Kayla Durck — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:21:03 GMT

This week’s high-protein meals

Four simple meals I’ve been making on repeat lately that are high-protein, easy to make, and part of my weekly staple prep routine.

Subscribe now

Zucchini egg and sausage scramble with gluten-free toast

Around 500 calories | 45g protein

Ingredients

2 large eggs
⅓ cup liquid egg whites
2 ounces Tetons grass-fed breakfast sausage
½ small zucchini (I prep this in my weekly prep and just throw it in the pan to heat up)
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
⅓ cup blueberries
1 slice gluten-free bread recipe here
1 tsp sun butter and a few sliced bananas with honey for toast
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder, optional
Hot sauce, optional

Directions

Add the sliced sausage to a nonstick skillet and cook until lightly browned.
Add the zucchini, season with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender.
Whisk the eggs and egg whites together. Pour them into the skillet and scramble with the sausage and zucchini.
Toast the gluten-free bread and spread with nut butter, bananas, and honey.
Serve the scramble with cottage cheese, blueberries, and toast. Add hot sauce if you like.

I love adding zucchini to my eggs because it gives the scramble so much more volume without really changing the flavor (but I also love zucchini).

Pumpkin spice latte

This is nothing crazy or special, but one of my most asked questions is how I make my coffee. So here it is:

1 caramel or pumpkin spice Nespresso pod (7.7 ounces)
2 tbsp Starbucks pumpkin spice creamer frothed in my Nespresso frother

That’s it. Probably not the most macro-friendly, but I love!

Greek chicken bowl with homemade tzatziki

Around 500 calories | 50g protein

Ingredients

Bowl

4 ounces cooked chicken tenderloins, part of my staple prep
½ cup cooked white rice (I use frozen)
⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup chopped cucumber
2 tablespoons pickled red onions
2-3 kalamata olives
fresh cucumber (on top)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Fresh cilantro or parsley, optional
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Dried oregano
Squeeze of lemon

Homemade tzatziki (I prep ahead of time).

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely grated cucumber, squeezed dry
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Pinch of salt
Garlic powder

*** A lazy way I do this is to throw it all in a food processor and pray! It usually turns out great.

Directions

Season the chicken tenderloins with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.
Cook the chicken in a lightly sprayed skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
To make the tzatziki, mix the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, dill, salt, and garlic powder.
Add the rice to a bowl and top with chicken, cucumber, pickled red onions, cottage cheese, and feta.
Spoon the homemade tzatziki over the bowl and finish with fresh dill, cilantro or parsley, and a squeeze of lemon.

The cottage cheese isn’t traditional, obviously, but it adds extra protein and makes the whole bowl really creamy. I’ve been adding it to almost everything lately.

Sweet potato taco bowls with Mexican street corn

Makes about 3 servings

Around 520 calories | 42g protein per serving

Ingredients

Taco beef

1 pound 96% lean ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper

Sweet potatoes

15 ounces sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt

Mexican street corn

1½ cups corn
⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeño, finely diced
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 avocado diced
Juice of ½ lime
¼ teaspoon salt

Toppings I added:

Fresh tomatoes
Extra cottage cheese
Fresh cilantro

Directions

Preheat the oven or air fryer to 425°F.
Toss the diced sweet potatoes with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for about 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until browned and tender.
Add the ground beef to a skillet over medium heat. Season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned and cooked through.
For the street corn, add the corn to a skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly charred.
Remove the corn from the heat and mix it with the cottage cheese, cilantro, jalapeño, feta, lime juice, and salt.
Divide the roasted sweet potato and taco beef between three bowls.
Add the Mexican street corn, about ¼ cup cottage cheese per bowl, avocado, tomatoes, feta, and cilantro.
Finish each bowl with fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt.

Lower-calorie option: Skip the olive oil on the sweet potatoes and use cooking spray instead, or use less avocado.

Pumpkin spice protein bites

Makes about 6-8 large bites | Serving size: 3 bites

Approx. 330 calories | 30g protein per serving

Ingredients

1½ scoops Truvani pumpkin spice protein powder
1 scoop collagen peptides
1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
1 tablespoon honey
3 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed for consistency
3 ounces (85g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt

Directions

Add the protein powder, collagen, nut butter, pumpkin purée, honey, and chopped dates to a bowl.
Mix until a thick dough begins to form.
Add water about one teaspoon at a time until the mixture comes together. You want it thick enough to roll into balls, not sticky or runny.
Divide the mixture into six bites and roll into balls.
Place them in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips in short microwave intervals, stirring between each interval until smooth.
Dip each protein bite into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.

The texture will vary depending on the protein powder and collagen you use, so add the water slowly. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back out.

I use Truvani protein powder — this is the one I use.

Store the bites in the refrigerator for up to five days or keep them in the freezer if you like them extra firm.

As always, the calories and protein are estimates and will vary depending on the exact brands and portions you use.

Used Daily:

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

High Protein Recipes I Am Eating On Repeat!

Kayla Durck — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:10:56 GMT

Blueberry banana Greek yogurt bowl

Around 330 calories | 34g protein

Ingredients

1 cup (225g) nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons (15g) vanilla protein powder this is the one I use
½ small banana, sliced
½ cup blueberries
2 tablespoons gluten-free granola (I use Seven Sundays honey flakes)
1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk, if desired
Cinnamon

Directions

Stir the protein powder into the yogurt. Add almond milk as needed to make it creamy (I like extra almond milk on mine like a cereal).
Top with banana, blueberries, granola, and cinnamon.

Bang bang chicken bowl

Around 425 calories | 43g protein

Ingredients

Bowl

3½ ounces (100g) cooked chicken breast, chopped
½ cup cooked jasmine rice
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup chopped cucumber
2 tablespoons pickled red onions
Cilantro and sliced green onion, optional
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika

High-protein bang bang sauce

¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon gluten-free sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon gluten-free tamari
Pinch of garlic powder

Directions

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Cook in a lightly sprayed skillet until it reaches 165°F
Steam or roast the broccoli until tender.
Mix all the sauce ingredients. Add a teaspoon of water if the sauce is too thick.
Fill a bowl with rice, chicken, broccoli, cucumber, and pickled onions.
Drizzle with the bang bang sauce and garnish with cilantro.

Sweet potato beef and cottage cheese bowl

Around 470 calories | 42g protein

Ingredients

4 ounces (113g) cooked 96% lean ground beef
5 ounces (140g) sweet potato, diced
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup sliced cucumber
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chili crisp
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper

Directions

Toss the sweet potato with olive oil, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Air fry or in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes. \
Brown the beef in a skillet with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Drain any excess fat.
Place the sweet potato in a bowl and add the beef, cottage cheese, and cucumber.
Mix the honey and chili crisp, then drizzle over the bowl.

Lower-calorie option: Skip the olive oil and cook the sweet potato with cooking spray. This reduces the meal to approximately 430 calories.

Eggs sausage cottage cheese and gluten-free toast

Approx. 480 calories | 43g protein

Ingredients

2 large eggs
⅓ cup (80g) liquid egg whites
2 ounces (55g) lean chicken or turkey sausage
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
⅓ cup blueberries
1 slice gluten-free bread I use this recipe
1 teaspoon butter or light butter
Salt, pepper, and optional hot sauce

Directions

Slice and brown the sausage in a nonstick skillet.
Whisk the eggs and egg whites together. Add them to the sausage and scramble until just set.
Toast the bread and spread it with butter.
Serve the scramble with cottage cheese, blueberries, and toast.

5. Chocolate-covered pumpkin spice protein bites

Makes 6 large bites | Serving size: 3 bites

Approx. 320 calories | 29g protein per serving

Ingredients

2 scoops (60g) vanilla protein powder I use this one
¼ cup powdered peanut butter
⅓ cup pumpkin purée
1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 mejool dates
Pinch of salt
3 ounces (85g) dark chocolate
Optional: flaky salt

Directions

Mix the protein powder, powdered peanut butter, pumpkin, nut butter, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt.
If the mixture is dry and crumbly, add almond milk one teaspoon at a time. It should resemble firm cookie dough.
Form the mixture into six balls and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate in short microwave intervals, stirring between each interval.
Dip each bite in chocolate and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Refrigerate until firm. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to one month.

The texture varies between protein powders.

Used Daily:

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

I am accepting 5 women this month for 1:1 transformation coaching who are:

Doing all the right things, but still stuck
Struggling to stay consistent with the right things
Overwhelmed with what to do next (info overload)

And are ready to:

Finally reach your goals AND maintain them
Fit into your favorite clothes again
Get lean and toned in the next 90 days

Apply for a spot

Body Recomp Series Part 3: Body Recomp Defined + How You Can Actually Change Your Body Composition

Kayla Durck — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In today's episode, we're diving into the strategy you need to be following based on your goals of building muscle mass, getting defined, and losing 5-20lbs. This is part of the Body Recomp Series, and we're talking about all the things from how to build more muscle mass, what actually gets you results, and how to get your body in a prime state for fat loss.

Resources

This Weeks Staple Prep

Kayla Durck — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:14:44 GMT

My Simple Weekly Ingredient Prep

I’ve realized that I don’t necessarily want to meal prep in the traditional sense. I don’t want five identical containers of the same lunch sitting in my fridge. I think there is nothing worse than going for lunch, and it's the same soggy lunch you have had the last 4 days.

What works much better for me is ingredient prep.

It not only allows me to have fun and healthy meals, but I don’t have to make many decisions on meals throughout the week and can easily throw together 5-minute meals all week.

Generally, this includes prepping a handful of proteins, vegetables, fruit, and carbohydrates at the beginning of the week, keeping the seasoning basic, and then turning those ingredients into completely different meals depending on what I’m craving. This is where sauces, seasonings, and toppings come into hand.

My basic formula is:

Cook 2 protein sources
Prep 2–3 vegetables
Prep 1–2 carbohydrate sources
Wash and prep any fruit
Make 1–2 simple sauces
Prep a few protein-forward snacks or desserts

Additionally, I recommend either emergency or easy-to-grab options to complete a meal. One non-negotiable for us is frozen rice.

It will help complete our meals 80% of the time with 2-3 minutes of microwave time.

Then everything goes into the fridge separately so I can mix and match throughout the week.

This week’s meal plan includes the following recipes:

Chocolate sun butter protein balls
Coconut macarons
Bang Bang chicken bowls
Ground beef sweet potato bowls
Dill Chicken with zucchini and lemon sauce
Taco bowls (chicken and beef)
Protein flourless banana bread
Gluten-free sourdough

All of these recipes are completely gluten-free, and many of them are built mostly from the prep we start on Sundays!

Watch the full video

This Week’s Ingredient Prep

Proteins

Ground beef
Chicken tenders
Cottage cheese
Eggs
Greek yogurt

Vegetables + Carbohydrates

Sweet potatoes
Zucchini
Persian cucumbers
Broccoli
Blueberries
Bananas

Protein Snacks + Desserts

2-ingredient coconut banana macaroons
Chocolate sun butter protein balls
Chocolate-covered almond butter dates
Banana protein bread

Sauces

Spicy Greek yogurt sauce
Dill yogurt sauce
Bang bang-style Greek yogurt sauce

The Grocery List

This is the basic grocery list for the ingredients I used for this week's prep and recipes:

Protein + Dairy

1 pound ground beef
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders
1 carton pasture-raised eggs
1 container plain Greek yogurt, about 16 ounces
1 container cottage cheese, about 16 ounces
Chocolate Truvani protein powder
Vanilla Truvani protein powder
Collagen powder

Produce

5 ripe bananas
9–10 Medjool dates
3 medium zucchini
1 bag sweet potatoes
2 bags Persian cucumbers
1 large head broccoli
Pickled jalapenos
Pickled onions
Lemons
Dill
Cilantro

Frozen

Frozen cooked rice

Pantry

1 can black beans
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Sun butter
Almond flour
Honey
Bone broth
Hu Chocolate chips or melting chocolate
White vinegar
Chili oil
Hot sauce
Chili powder
Sea salt
Tortilla chips
Feta cheese
Parmesan cheese

The Basic Ingredient Prep

1. Ground Beef

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon sea salt

Prep

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season with sea salt. Drain if necessary and store in the refrigerator.

2. Dry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

1 bag sweet potatoes
¾ teaspoon sea salt

Prep

Dice the sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces, season with sea salt, and roast or air fry without oil until browned on the outside and tender inside.

I keep these plain because most of the flavor comes from whatever I pair them with later.

3. Dry-Roasted Zucchini

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini
½ teaspoon sea salt

Prep

Slice or dice the zucchini, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast or air fry without oil until tender and lightly browned. I put this on the same pan as the sweet potatoes.

4. Vinegar Cucumbers

Ingredients

2 Persian cucumbers
2 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon chili powder

Prep

Dice the cucumbers and toss everything together. Store them in the refrigerator and let them marinate while the rest of the prep comes together.

These add something cold, crunchy, acidic, and spicy to my beef and sweet potato bowls.

5. Chicken

Ingredients

1½ pounds chicken breast or chicken tenders, diced
½ cup bone broth

Prep

Add the chicken to a skillet with the bone broth and sea salt and sauté until completely cooked.

I keep most of this chicken simple so I can use it throughout the week, so I will reserve 1/2.

Reserve some for the chicken and zucchini bowls and taco bowls, then use some to make the broccoli and bang bang-style chicken meal below.

My Chicken + Broccoli Bang Bang Bowl

This was the one meal I fully assembled during prep rather than keeping every component separate.

Ingredients

4–6 ounces cooked chicken
1½ cups broccoli florets
¼ cup bone broth, as needed for sautéing

Bang Bang-Style Sauce

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon chili oil
Pinch of sea salt

Prep

Sauté the broccoli with the chicken and a splash of bone broth until the broccoli is tender.

Mix the Greek yogurt, hot sauce, chili oil, and sea salt and spoon over the chicken and broccoli.

Mix it all together and simmer for 2-5 minutes. I topped this with cilantro and pickled onions and used frozen rice as the base.

The Snacks + Protein Desserts

This week I made four different options so I could grab something depending on whether I wanted a pre-workout snack, something sweet after dinner, or a quick protein bite.

1. Coconut Banana Macaroons

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
⅓ cup chocolate chips or melting chocolate

Prep

Mash the bananas and combine with the coconut.

Form into small mounds and place on a lined baking sheet. I poked holes in the center with a straw.

Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the finished macaroons.

2. Chocolate Sun Butter Protein Balls

Ingredients

½ cup sun butter
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1 scoop chocolate Truvani protein powder
1 scoop collagen powder
⅓ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon honey
1–2 tablespoons water, as needed
⅓ cup melted chocolate
Flaky or coarse sea salt for topping

Prep

In a food processor, add the sun butter, dates, protein powder, collagen, almond flour, and honey.

Add a small splash of water if needed until the mixture comes together.

Roll into balls, dip them in melted chocolate, and finish with sea salt.

Refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

3. Chocolate-Covered Almond Butter Dates

Ingredients

6 Medjool dates
3 tablespoons sun butter
⅓ cup melted chocolate
Sea salt

Prep

Slice each date open and remove the pit.

Stuff each with about 1½ teaspoons sun butter.

Drizzle or dip in melted chocolate and finish with sea salt.

Store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

4. Pre-Workout Banana Protein Bread

This has become an easy pre-workout option because I can grab a piece without having to put anything together.

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup cottage cheese
1½ scoops vanilla Truvani protein powder
1½ scoops collagen powder
¼ cup chocolate chips, for half of the bread

Prep

Blend or mash the bananas, eggs, cottage cheese, protein powder, and collagen until combined.

Pour into a lined or greased baking dish.

I leave half plain and sprinkle chocolate chips over the other half.

Bake at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center is set.

5. Gluten-Free Sourdough

I make this almost every week! The original framework came from Bakeritas Gluten-Free Bread, but I have made a few swaps.

7 g active dry yeast
100 g warm filtered water
20 g honey

For the loaf

25 g psyllium husk
375 g filtered water
80 g potato starch
60 g arrowroot flour
100 g sorghum flour
200 g superfine brown rice flour
12 g sea salt

Activate the yeast for 10 minutes and let psyllium husk and water become a gel. Add everything into a mixer and turn into dough. Once formed, let rest and rise for 1-2 hours. Bake at 425F for 75 minutes.

The Sauces

These are what make basic ingredient prep work. Instead of heavily seasoning every protein and vegetable ahead of time, I can change the entire flavor of a bowl with a two-minute sauce.

Spicy Greek Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1–2 tablespoons hot sauce
Pinch of sea salt

Mix together and adjust the hot sauce depending on how spicy you like it.

Dill Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Mix everything together and refrigerate.

Bang Bang-Style Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons chili oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Mix together and keep refrigerated.

How I Turned the Prep Into Meals

This is the reason I like ingredient prep so much.

All of these meals started with essentially the same handful of ingredients, but they didn’t feel like eating the exact same meal every day.

Meal 1: Ground Beef Taco Bowl

For one bowl:

1 cup cooked rice
4 ounces prepped ground beef
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeños
2 tablespoons pickled onions
2 tablespoons spicy Greek yogurt sauce

Heat the rice and beef, then add the jalapeños, pickled onions, and sauce.

Meal 2: Chicken + Zucchini Dill Yogurt Bowl

For one bowl:

1 cup cooked rice
4 ounces prepped chicken
1 cup prepped zucchini
¼ cup dill yogurt sauce

Heat the rice, chicken, and zucchini and finish with the cold dill yogurt sauce.

This one tastes completely different from the taco bowls even though most of the base ingredients came from the same prep session.

Meal 3: Ground Beef + Sweet Potato Bowl

For one bowl:

4 ounces prepped ground beef
1 cup prepped sweet potatoes
½ cup vinegar cucumbers
½ cup cottage cheese

Heat the beef and sweet potatoes and add the cold cucumbers and cottage cheese.

This might be one of the simplest combinations of the week, but it gives you protein, carbs, something creamy, and something crunchy and acidic all in one bowl.

I think I have this for lunch every day until I am sick of it.

Meal 4: Chicken Taco Bowl

For one bowl:

1 cup cooked rice
4 ounces prepped chicken
½ cup black beans
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeños
2 tablespoons pickled onions
2 tablespoons spicy Greek yogurt sauce
Tortilla chips on the side

Heat the rice, chicken, and black beans.

Top with jalapeños, pickled onions, and spicy yogurt sauce, with chips on the side for crunch.

Meal 5: Bang Bang Chicken + Broccoli

For one bowl:

4–6 ounces chicken
1½ cups broccoli
2–3 tablespoons bang bang-style yogurt sauce

The chicken and broccoli can be reheated together, then finished with the cold spicy yogurt sauce. I used frozen rice as the base.

Pre-Workout: Banana Protein Bread

For a quick pre-workout snack:

1 slice banana protein bread

I can grab the plain version or the chocolate chip version depending on what I’m in the mood for.

The Meal Formula for Every Week:

The biggest thing I’m learning is that meal prep doesn’t have to mean making seven complete meals on Sunday.

For me, it’s much easier to think about components:

Protein:
Ground beef + chicken

Carbohydrates:
Sweet potato + frozen rice

Vegetables:
Zucchini + cucumbers + broccoli

Something creamy:
Greek yogurt sauces + cottage cheese

Something acidic/crunchy:
Vinegar cucumbers + pickled onions + jalapeños

Something sweet:
Macaroons + protein balls + chocolate dates + banana bread

When those basics are already washed, chopped, cooked, and sitting in the fridge, making an actual meal takes a few minutes instead of becoming another project.

And because I keep the main ingredients simple, I’m not locked into eating the same thing or soggy meal prep all week.

That’s the goal of ingredient prep: less cooking during the week, without feeling like you always have to make a decision on what to eat.

If you want to learn more about my Meal Prepping process and what I teach my clients for a successful meal prep, read this article.

xo, Kayla

Used Daily:

→ Truvani favorites (my favorite protein)→ Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein (the vanilla is sooo good, loving this in Ninja creamis)

On the Air

This week on the Balance & Barbells Podcast…

Don’t forget to check out this week’s staple prep

I am accepting 5 women this month for 1:1 transformation coaching who are:

Doing all the right things, but still stuck
Struggling to stay consistent with the right things
Overwhelmed with what to do next (info overload)

And are ready to:

Finally reach your goals AND maintain them
Fit into your favorite clothes again
Get lean and toned in the next 90 days

Apply for a spot

Sunday Meal Prep Strategy | Plus Weekly Meal Plan & Recipes

Kayla Durck — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 02:54:37 GMT

I first want to start by saying I don’t have 3-4 hour windows for meal prep either. And even if I did, I wouldn’t do it, because who wants to spend their entire Sunday that way?

Couldn’t be me.

But I am the girl that will skip lunch, or snack endlessly if I don’t have food prepped. And that’s not how you get or stay fit.

Especially since I coach women for a living on how to get in the best shape of their lives, I’ll be the first to tell you, your nutrition is the key to seeing results.

And if you’re not staying consistent with your meals, skipping meals, or don’t know what to make each week, how much, or even hoping to stay motivated each week, you will fall off time and time again.

So I want to teach you the exact meal prep strategy I teach my clients and exactly how to create a weekly meal prep that keeps you consistent and on track.

This will include the strategy behind a consistent meal plan and how to cut your prep time, so you can front-load any meal prep/cook time to save you time during the week.

Where I see most women get stuck with meal prep

If you already struggle with meals, you’re going to struggle to know how to properly meal prep. It can feel overwhelming.

I see this often when you’re scrolling Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok, finding a bunch of recipes, and having too many options to get started.

Questions like:

How much do I prep?
How much protein should go into each meal?
How many calories should I leave for dinner?
Do I need three meals? Four? Snacks?
How do I pre-track without spending my entire life inside a food-tracking app?
What if my family wants something different

And the amount of decisions, plus the time required, leading into the prep makes it challenging to even get started.

Especially if you have done it before, but it left you with zero free time on your Sunday and a sink full of dishes.

But the right strategy can solve all those problems quickly and give you the right framework to help you save time during the week on meals, and not spend hours in the kitchen…if done right.

And before we get into the math, one important distinction:

The most important thing you should know is if the meal plan and prep doesn’t work for your chaotic life, not the perfect one you’re aiming for this week in your head…it will never stick.

This is where it gets good…

I don’t want to just tell you to “meal prep more” and send you on your way.

I want to give you the actual system.

The kind where you can sit down before the week starts, know exactly what you’re eating, know how much to make, know how it fits your goals, and get your prep done without sacrificing half of your Sunday.

The following is for Paid Subscribers…

My 2-2-2-3 meal prep formula - the simple way I choose proteins, carbs, produce, sauces + toppings so you can make multiple meals without buying 47 different ingredients.
How to build your meals around YOUR specific goal - whether you’re focused on fat loss, body recomposition, maintaining, or building muscle.
How to divide your calories throughout the day - including simple starting percentages for breakfast, lunch, dinner + snacks so you’re not getting to 6 p.m. with basically no food left to eat.
How to calculate your protein per meal - so you stop realizing at dinner that you still need 70 grams of protein before bed.
My pre-tracking method + rules for tracking - what I enter first, what I save as repeat meals, what actually needs to be weighed, and how to make tracking take MINUTES instead of feeling like another full-time job.
The exact meal-prep calculation I use - how to build ONE meal that fits your goals, then multiply the portions so you know exactly how much food to cook for the week.
My 60–75 minute meal-prep workflow - the order I cook everything in so multiple things are happening at once, and I’m not standing in the kitchen all afternoon.
A simple high-protein grocery list - broken down into proteins, carbs, fruits + vegetables, fats, and flavor options so you can basically take it to the store with you.
A sample 5-day high-protein meal plan - showing you how I use the SAME basic ingredients to create different lunches + dinners throughout the week.
How to make one meal fit two completely different goals - so you’re not making yourself one “diet dinner” and then cooking something completely different for your husband, partner, or family.
Ingredient prep vs. full meal prep - and how to figure out which one is actually going to work better for your personality + schedule.
My emergency-meal rule - because your meal plan needs to work on the chaotic Wednesday when absolutely nothing goes according to plan too.
A step-by-step weekly meal-planning framework you can repeat every single week instead of starting from scratch every Sunday.

Because the goal isn’t to become better at spending your weekend meal prepping.

The goal is to spend LESS time thinking about food during the week while making it significantly easier to stay consistent with your nutrition.

And once you know how to build the system correctly, you’ll stop relying on motivation to hopefully keep you consistent each week.

Okay, paid girls, let’s build your week.

Meal Prepping That Actually Works and Keeps You Consistent

Kayla Durck — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, I am walking you through my exact meal prep strategy that keeps me consistent and that I teach my clients, so they can eat meals they enjoy while still reaching their goals.

We walk through the different types of meal prep, how to meal prep successfully, why your meal prep strategy is important, and how you can actually save time by front-loading your meal planning.

Resources

The Sunday Reset That Helped Me Stop Starting Over Every Monday

Kayla Durck — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:42:45 GMT

Confession: I’m the kind of person who needs a clean space, or my brain immediately starts to feel cluttered.

But it goes beyond wanting the house to look nice.

I am, at my core, a routine girl.

When I follow my routine, I feel focused, productive, and much more capable of making choices that support my goals. And the biggest thing: not feeling like I am making a thousand hard decisions a day.

And when I don’t follow my routine, everything feels slightly harder than it needs to be.

It’s so much easier to push my workouts to the end of the day (or missing it entirely).

When I don’t meal prep, I’d rather skip a meal then trying to figure out what to cook and eat.

So it’s no wonder it’s easy to fall off track when my routine is a mess. And I wasn’t always capable of sticking to a routine.

I struggled knowing what to focus on each week, or that I would have to pick and choose between doing a full reset or having free time on the weekend.

But I was able to build a routine that I work into my life and weekend by prioritizing the things that helped me stick to my routine during the week.

Sure, it takes some time on my Sunday, but it saves me hours during the week, helps me stay focused, and now I don’t feel like I start over every Monday.

But I wasn’t always this way.

I used to begin every Monday convinced that this would be the week I finally got it together.

I would make an ambitious plan, rely on motivation to carry me through it, and feel completely committed to becoming a new person. But I didn’t have anything prepped or planned, and it would always fall short.

But once I found a routine that worked with my actual life and stopped expecting myself to make every decision perfectly in the moment, especially when it was already a hard decision to make, I was able to actually meet my goals and stay consistent.

And I am going to share with you the entire routine so you can copy and paste it in your notes and adjust it to fit your routine and goals.

Let’s dive into it!

Now for the Part You Can Steal…

This is where it gets good and goes beyond “plan your week and prep some food” and gets into the exact routine I use to make consistency easier.

Because knowing that you need a routine is one thing.

Knowing how to build one that works with your actual schedule and keeps you motivated to at least take action is how you actually stay consistent.

Inside the full guide, I’m walking you through my Sunday reset step by step, including:

How I review and structure my week so my biggest priorities have a place on the calendar before Monday begins
How I plan my workweek without creating an unrealistic to-do list that will just turn into a running to-do list
How I schedule my exact workouts across my push, pull, and lower-body training cycles
How I plan around busy days so it doesn’t turn into an all-or-nothing, causing me to fall off track.
My ingredient-prep system, including how I prepare two to three proteins, fruits, vegetables, sauces, and versatile staples for a variety of meals all week
How I reset my house and environment so the habits I want to follow require less effort
How I create backup options for the tired, busy version of me who will eventually show up
The complete Sunday checklist you can copy and adapt to your own life

I’ll also share my opinions on what makes a routine sustainable, what I stopped doing, and the small changes that made the biggest difference in my consistency.

This isn’t about copying my schedule down to the minute or spending your entire Sunday preparing for Monday (but you can).

It’s about creating a repeatable system that removes unnecessary decisions, supports your goals, and still works when life gets busy.

The complete step-by-step Sunday reset is below for paid subscribers, including the exact planning process, workout structure, ingredient-prep formula, and weekly checklist I use myself.

The exact framework for losing 5-10 lbs in a body recomp

Kayla Durck — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:45:31 GMT

I have heard it a thousand times as a body recomp coach:

“I just can’t seem to lose the last 5-10lbs, no matter what I do.”

And I am going to be super honest with you: the last 5-10lbs are one of the hardest you will lose. It’s not impossible, but just increasing your steps a little and eating a little cleaner probably won’t do the trick.

I know, not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.

Especially in a world where AI can pretty much do everything, I hate to break it to you, but that last 5-10lbs is going to take some serious work on your end.

And I get these DM’s daily from women just like you:

“Kayla, I don’t have much to lose, but I just can’t seem to get rid of the last couple pounds!”

And I always have the same response…it comes down to your strategy.

The first pounds come from changing your routine. The last pounds come from refining your strategy.

See, the first 5-20lbs is more so about your routine:

Increasing your daily steps and overall activity
Increasing your protein
Decreasing your calories/starting a deficit
Working out a couple times a week

And you didn’t have to be perfect here. Because a couple changes in your current routine likely put you in a deficit without you being a perfectionist.

But the last 5-10 pounds take a bit more strategy. So let’s walk through what that actually looks like and, most importantly, how you can maintain results once you get them.

Let’s start with what you don’t need

I’ll be the first to tell you eating less and working out more have their place, but before you go out and cut your calories in half and start doing more cardio, I want you to understand a few distinctions.

The Mistake I See Women Make Over and Over

I was recently talking with a woman who was interested in coaching and told me that she wanted to lose around five pounds before the end of the year.

As we continued talking, she explained that what she really wanted was more muscle definition. She wanted to feel stronger, see more shape through her arms and legs, and look more “toned” overall.

She felt stuck and said she was going to try cutting her calories further and increasing her cardio.

And I get it! You’ve been told for years that if you want to be smaller, eat less and do more. But the thing missing here is strategy.

When you decrease your calories, your goal is to go into a bigger deficit.

When you increase your cardio, the goal is to burn more fat…by going into a bigger deficit.

Now, you have increased your deficit twofold…but the goal was to see more definition and get more toned.

And if you didn’t know already, toned is just having muscle mass on your frame and having a low enough body fat percentage to show it off.

Those goals are connected, but they are not identical.

Unless you already have a lot of muscle mass, a deficit won’t give you a more toned appearance.

You need muscle underneath the body fat before additional fat loss will reveal the definition.

If you do not have enough muscle to create the appearance you want, losing another five pounds may not produce the transformation you expect. You may just become lighter without seeing much additional shape.

This is why “I want to lose five pounds” is not always a complete goal.

What do you want those five pounds to change?

Do you want your waist measurement to decrease?
Do you want your clothing to fit differently?
Do you want to reveal muscle that you have already built?
Do you want to become stronger and create more shape?
Do you want to see a lower number because the number itself is emotionally important to you?

These questions matter because the correct strategy depends on the actual outcome.

If your goal is fat loss, your nutrition needs to support a calorie deficit.

If your goal is to build muscle, you generally need enough energy to support training, recovery, and growth. That usually means spending time closer to maintenance or in a carefully managed surplus.

If your body is exhausted from months of dieting, your training performance is declining, and your ability to adhere is falling apart, you may need a maintenance or recovery phase before another fat-loss push makes sense.

But if you don’t understand the goal, root cause of why you’re stuck and not seeing progress, and what to fix, how can you expect your plan to deliver results?

We fix a few things first to do this.

1. Identify if You’re Truly Experiencing Stalled Fat Loss

When you stop seeing results, your first thought might be to increase overall effort and energy and/or decrease calories before you investigate the cause.

It just feels like the natural next steps.

But, before you do that, I want you to actually do a check-in.

We need to find out three things first:

How consistent have you been with the plan?
Where are you at in your cycle?
What adjustments have you made recently, and how long have you been following the same plan?

Before we just assume that your fat loss has stalled, we have to eliminate other factors that might be preventing you from seeing progress.

Or, the factors that might explain why it has stalled.

And generally, a few outcomes happen when you lower your calories and increase training intensity blindly.

If your calorie target is already difficult to maintain and you reduce it again, hunger usually increases. Your meals become smaller, your food choices feel more limited, and cravings become more intense (hello nighttime cravings).

If you add multiple cardio sessions while trying to maintain resistance-training performance, your recovery may suffer. Especially if you’re already in a deficit that is impacting your overall energy.

You may feel drained during workouts, struggle to progress, and become less active outside the gym without realizing it.

If your weekends are already inconsistent, creating a stricter weekday plan does not necessarily improve your weekly average. It may simply make you feel more deprived during the week and more likely to overeat when your structure disappears.

This is why I do not want you to respond to frustration and emotions by immediately adding more.

I want you to identify what is actually preventing progress.

There is a major difference between a plan that is ineffective and a plan that has not been implemented consistently enough to evaluate.

And you might find it hard to make that distinction if you’re not tracking and simply feel that you are trying hard.

By default, you assume that hard effort should guarantee results, and change the plan whenever the scale does not validate them quickly enough.

But effort and adherence are not the same thing.

You can work very hard during three intense workouts and still miss your weekly activity target.

You can eat nutrient-dense foods and still eat at maintenance.

You can be extremely disciplined Monday through Thursday and undo your weekly deficit between Friday night and Sunday.

You can have a perfect meal plan laid out in front of you and still not hit your targets because you didn’t preplan, prep, or set yourself up for success.

Just because the answers are there doesn’t mean the adherence is in alignment with the results you want.

The last five to ten pounds require you to stop judging the plan by how difficult it feels, or having all the information to execute, but not taking the right daily or weekly actions that are in alignment with the results you want.

Your only tracker going forward needs to be factual data from tracking. Consistency and adherence have to be top of the list.

But, if you don’t know what to track or what goals to hit, keep reading.

You Probably Do Not Need More Information About Food

One of the most common things women tell me is that they need a meal plan because they do not know what to eat.

But, let’s be honest…if having a meal plan was the only problem you would have results by now.

The internet is full of high-protein recipes, calorie calculators, grocery lists, meal-prep guides, and sample menus. You could find hundreds of meals that fit a particular calorie or protein target while sipping on your morning coffee.

Heck, you could probably have AI create you a semi-decent meal plan.

The problem is not access to information. It’s implementing it into your life when you’re busy, don’t have time to meal prep, and when the pizza sounds better than the prepped chicken and rice.

And what about when you go off track from that meal plan? Eating out with friends, ordering takeout when you forget to pack your lunch.

And don’t get me started on the weekend routines that fell off track, one drink that turned into 4, and the late-night snack you didn’t plan on treating yourself to.

Those are real-life moments that can make falling off track really easy, even if you think you prepared for success.

You may know that you need more protein, but still reach the end of the day with half your target remaining because none of your normal meals were built around it.

You just had a pretty meal plan sitting in your inbox or saved in your Instagram recipe folder.

These are implementation problems, not meal plan problems.

I don’t mean to call you out if you’re nodding your head, but instead hoping to redirect you to the real solution.

A meal plan can tell you what to eat under ideal conditions. A useful strategy has to tell you how to make decisions when conditions are not ideal.

If the process only works when you have unlimited time, complete control over every meal, and no social life, it is not a sustainable process.

And even if it helps you reach your goal of losing 5lbs, what happens when it’s time to maintain? Because going back to old habits will just put you back where you started.

It’s flawed by itself. You don’t need more information; you need a strategy for your meals.

“Eating Clean” Does Not Tell Me Whether You Are in a Deficit

This is going to be hard to hear, especially if you genuinely feel that your nutrition is overall healthy.

You can eat nutritious foods and still consume enough calories to maintain your current weight.

Fats are 9 calories per gram. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram. And in case no one has told you, alcohol is 7 calories per gram.

Here is a list of foods that are nutrient dense but also calorie dense:

Nut butter
olive oil
avocados
Nut/seed granola

But if you actually weigh out a portion vs what you eat out of the bag, I would bet money you are eating 2-3 servings without even realizing it.

Nuts, seeds, dressings, restaurant salads, smoothies, and protein snacks can all fit into a healthy diet.

But they can also add up quickly.

This does not mean you need to fear those foods or remove them completely. It means the label “healthy” does not tell us how much energy (calories) you are consuming.

Fat loss requires a calorie deficit. The quality of your food matters for health, hunger, energy, digestion, and performance, but food quality doesn’t automatically remove calories.

I see many women who are highly consistent with healthy eating during the week but far less aware of their total intake on weekends. They may eat out several times, drink alcohol, snack more frequently, or stop tracking because they want to enjoy themselves.

Or you truly eat healthy all week, but your portions and volume of high-calorie foods to high-volume foods are off.

And your weekly averages are more important than your daily.

So at the end of the week when the scale goes up 2lbs, and you say “I ate so healthy, how did this happen?” you have to be able to look at the week as a whole, understand how many calories were consumed…healthy or not.

If you create a meaningful deficit Monday through Thursday but consistently eat above maintenance Friday through Sunday, you may spend the week moving in a circle. Sure, you put in effort for the week, but your weekly averages were closer to maintenance.

This is one reason the final five pounds feel so frustrating. There is less room for inconsistency than there may have been in the beginning.

When you had twenty pounds to lose, and your routine changed dramatically, imperfect consistency may still have created visible progress and allowed you to have a little wiggle room on the weekends.

And that doesn’t mean all your favorite foods have to go out the window, or that you have to exhaust yourself to see results.

But it does mean that more accuracy and getting closer to 85% adherent to weekly targets is a non-negotiable.

You May Not Be in a Plateau at All

First, you need to know what an actual plateau is vs normal fluctuations.

Your weight can fluctuate between 2-8lbs day to day depending on factors like your cycle, sleep, stress, a high-sodium meal, travel, inflammation, or even some extra carbs.

They can all change the number on the scale.

One of my clients regularly experiences a four-to-six-pound fluctuation depending on where she is in her cycle, how much stress she is under, and what her recent meals have looked like.

If we judged her progress through isolated weigh-ins, she would constantly believe the plan had stopped working.

Instead, we look at her monthly weight trend, progress photos, measurements, body-composition changes, training performance, recovery, and the context surrounding each fluctuation.

When we look at the entire picture, she is still losing body fat.

The scale is useful, but it is not capable of telling the whole story by itself.

And this might be where you become emotionally exhausted by fat loss. Because it allows each weigh-in to decide whether you should feel motivated or change everything.

So that brings us to the first step…

Track Progress

Before you lower your calories or add activity, I want you to review the previous three to four weeks.

You should be able to show, not simply feel, that your nutrition, training, activity, and recovery have been consistent.

Start with nutrition.

Were you tracking accurately enough to know whether your weekly calorie average aligned with your target? Were weekends included? Were restaurant meals, drinks, snacks, sauces, and unplanned bites accounted for? Were you reaching your protein target consistently?

Then look at your training.

Did you complete your planned resistance-training sessions? Were your exercises consistent enough to measure progression? Were you challenging yourself appropriately, or were you repeating the same weights and repetitions without any meaningful increase in difficulty?

Look at your daily activity.

Did you have a defined step target or activity benchmark? Did you reach it with reasonable consistency, or did your movement vary dramatically depending on the day?

Then evaluate recovery.

How was your sleep? How high was your stress? Were you recovering between training sessions? Was your performance improving, maintaining, or declining?

Finally, calculate your adherence.

If your plan required seven days of nutritional structure and you followed it closely for four, your adherence was not 85-90 percent (even though those 4 days felt challenging).

But you need to track everything so you know when you go to weigh in, what factors are contributing to the results, or why progress might not be what you hoped.

It is about removing the emotional interpretation and identifying the actual pattern.

What the Last Five Pounds Actually Require

The last five to ten pounds require your nutrition, resistance training, daily activity, cardio, recovery, and expectations to support the same outcome.

When these areas are working against each other, you can feel extremely busy without creating meaningful change.

You may be training hard but eating too little to recover.

You may be eating in a deficit but not consuming enough protein to support lean-mass retention.

You may be following your nutrition during the week but routinely exceeding your targets on weekends.

You may be doing so much cardio that your hunger, fatigue, and training performance are becoming harder to manage.

You may be making progress in measurements and photos but abandoning the plan because the scale is moving more slowly than expected.

This is why the solution is not another random adjustment.

You need a process that helps you determine where you are, what is missing, and what should change next.

Why the Last Pounds Feel So Much Harder

When you start making lifestyle changes, you’re able to lose weight easily. Eating less, working out more, and daily activity all make a dent when you're starting your process of weight loss.

At that stage, even 60–70% consistency may be enough to create change because your new routine is so different from your starting point.

But after you lose weight, your body and your routine are no longer in the same place.

You are smaller. Your energy needs may be different. You have adapted to the activity you now do regularly. The habits that once created a meaningful deficit may now be closer to maintenance.

That does not mean your metabolism is “broken.” It means your strategy needs to evolve with your body.

The closer you get to your goal, the less room there is for untracked weekends, inconsistent steps, low-intensity strength sessions, and constantly changing plans. The last 5–10 pounds usually require closer to 85–90% adherence to the correct benchmarks, not perfection, but far less guessing.

The Step-by-Step Roadmap Is Below

Psst.. this is where it gets good and gives you the step-by-step guide for how to lose the last 5lbs

How to choose the right phase based on whether your real goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance
The 3–4 week plateau test so you stop panicking over one random weigh-in
The adherence audit that finds the exact leak in your plan
How to set up nutrition without immediately slashing calories or cutting carbs
The training and cardio framework that protects the muscle you worked so hard to build
The 4-phase roadmap for losing 5–20 pounds without bouncing between random plans
My weekly scorecard so you know what to track and what to adjust

My Exact Framework for Losing the Last 5-10lbs & How to Maintain the Results | Body Recomp Series Part 1

Kayla Durck — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In today's episode, we're kicking off the body recomp series, where I teach you how to change your body composition and get lean and toned. Part 1 is about one of my most-asked questions: how to lose the last 5-10lbs and maintain results. I have also included my Substack article where I break this down step by step.

Checkout the full article: on Substac

Resources

Resetting After Summer + 6 Rules to a Body Recomp

Kayla Durck — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, I am walking you through how to reset after summer and get back on track with your fitness and nutrition goals before fall. We talk through the biggest reasons why fat loss doesn't work, along with the 6 core aspects of a body recomp and my body recomp rules that help my clients lose 5-15lbs successfully in 90 days.

Resources