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Renaissance Woman: Fat Loss, Muscle Growth and Performance Through Scientific Eating.
- GenresNonfictionFitnessHealth
258 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2015
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112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2024
Fun! Inspiring! I'm pumped! Or maybe my biceps are.
In 2013, while living in Tanzania, I decided to lose some weight. I don't know how I ended up doing it this way, but I made a Google spreadsheet, inputting how much a pound was in calories (3,500), calculated my likely daily caloric needs using some online calculator, tried to eat under that, and tracked the cumulative calorie deficit. I kept the spreadsheet to remind myself that losing weight is slow. Like, VERY slow. Anyway, in doing this, I (a) lost weight (more than intended), but, more importantly, I (b) discovered macros. OH, MACROS! Let me sing thy praises! PROTEIN, CARB AND FAT, HOW I LOVE THEEEEE.
I also discovered, from experience, that protein + caffeine can really help with keeping you full, but that your brain can die if you under-carb it (there was one day when I had to rush out to find a pastry - ANY PASTRY - before I brain-deathed all over my laptop at work). I also discovered protein gets you shredded (who knew). I also discovered r/fitness, the bro lifting community, deadlifts (my love!!!), and, actually, Reddit overall? Wow, what a time to be alive that was.
So this book included a lot of THAT stuff (minus Reddit). One thing from r/fitness/the lifting world is that you must "bulk" (eat above maintenance calories) to gain muscle and then you must "cut" (eat below) to remove fat and, voila, reveal your 6 pack. As a woman who grew up in the late 20th century, where a very thin, androgynous, under-fed body type was lauded as super model-worthy, I have never (!) had the courage to bulk. Eat MORE than I need, are you mad?! That said, I think I'm approaching the time to do that. I have had some refreshing brainwaves where I started to value a different body type (in myself and others), and also I had a REAL big nirvana last year about "health at every size" - like, my post-pregnancy body was just a blob of aches and pains. I started running. I didn't lose any weight (indeed, gained some!), but I felt MUCH MUCH BETTER. Health at every size, bitches!!! I also discovered some body-diverse athletes like the Slow AF run club guy, who's just great. This has really dislodged a lot of my adolescent body image BS programming.
OK. All that to say! The big takeaways from this book, some of which were new to me:
- Bulking and cutting are the yin and yang of your fitness journey
- CICO is the main way
- Macros are the second most important thing (PROTEINNNNN)
- Caffeine helps you feel sated. Cocaine or amphetamines would probably help even more KIDDING KIDDING
- You can't endlessly cut (or bulk, for that matter), you need "maintenance periods" to reset your body and mind. Namely: Cut for 3 months, maintenance for 1-3 months, etc. This was a real nirvana moment for me.
- You probably need to bulk. JUST BULK. Put on that muscle! As lovely Casey Johnston/Swole Woman says, you must eat like a big beautiful horse. Do you want a horse butt? What is more beautiful than a juicy zebra butt? Nothing, people! Anyway, given how the Exercised guy scared me about muscle wasting during our advancing years, I'm now like, oh shit, I gotta bulk up like Arnold. It is time!
- You cannot, alas, do everything at the same time (you cannot bulk + cut, obviously, but you also, sigh, cannot excel athletically in ALL your fields (endurance, strength, etc)... I am running up against this now and it is saddening me OH SO MUCH, maybe a lament for another review. Are there any good "hybrid athletics" books out there?!)
There was also some discussion of, like, being a woman in this culture and eating disorders and so on. Tbh I found that stuff kinda ham-fisted? It was well-meaning. I don't know if people who suffer from EDs would find it helpful? I also found the motivating pep talk "you can do it" stuff like meh, whatever. Much more motivating/inspiring were the many many pics of various women of various ages and body sizes doing various athletic things (wow that deadlift, lady! ooh, you ski?!).
In 2013, while living in Tanzania, I decided to lose some weight. I don't know how I ended up doing it this way, but I made a Google spreadsheet, inputting how much a pound was in calories (3,500), calculated my likely daily caloric needs using some online calculator, tried to eat under that, and tracked the cumulative calorie deficit. I kept the spreadsheet to remind myself that losing weight is slow. Like, VERY slow. Anyway, in doing this, I (a) lost weight (more than intended), but, more importantly, I (b) discovered macros. OH, MACROS! Let me sing thy praises! PROTEIN, CARB AND FAT, HOW I LOVE THEEEEE.
I also discovered, from experience, that protein + caffeine can really help with keeping you full, but that your brain can die if you under-carb it (there was one day when I had to rush out to find a pastry - ANY PASTRY - before I brain-deathed all over my laptop at work). I also discovered protein gets you shredded (who knew). I also discovered r/fitness, the bro lifting community, deadlifts (my love!!!), and, actually, Reddit overall? Wow, what a time to be alive that was.
So this book included a lot of THAT stuff (minus Reddit). One thing from r/fitness/the lifting world is that you must "bulk" (eat above maintenance calories) to gain muscle and then you must "cut" (eat below) to remove fat and, voila, reveal your 6 pack. As a woman who grew up in the late 20th century, where a very thin, androgynous, under-fed body type was lauded as super model-worthy, I have never (!) had the courage to bulk. Eat MORE than I need, are you mad?! That said, I think I'm approaching the time to do that. I have had some refreshing brainwaves where I started to value a different body type (in myself and others), and also I had a REAL big nirvana last year about "health at every size" - like, my post-pregnancy body was just a blob of aches and pains. I started running. I didn't lose any weight (indeed, gained some!), but I felt MUCH MUCH BETTER. Health at every size, bitches!!! I also discovered some body-diverse athletes like the Slow AF run club guy, who's just great. This has really dislodged a lot of my adolescent body image BS programming.
OK. All that to say! The big takeaways from this book, some of which were new to me:
- Bulking and cutting are the yin and yang of your fitness journey
- CICO is the main way
- Macros are the second most important thing (PROTEINNNNN)
- Caffeine helps you feel sated. Cocaine or amphetamines would probably help even more KIDDING KIDDING
- You can't endlessly cut (or bulk, for that matter), you need "maintenance periods" to reset your body and mind. Namely: Cut for 3 months, maintenance for 1-3 months, etc. This was a real nirvana moment for me.
- You probably need to bulk. JUST BULK. Put on that muscle! As lovely Casey Johnston/Swole Woman says, you must eat like a big beautiful horse. Do you want a horse butt? What is more beautiful than a juicy zebra butt? Nothing, people! Anyway, given how the Exercised guy scared me about muscle wasting during our advancing years, I'm now like, oh shit, I gotta bulk up like Arnold. It is time!
- You cannot, alas, do everything at the same time (you cannot bulk + cut, obviously, but you also, sigh, cannot excel athletically in ALL your fields (endurance, strength, etc)... I am running up against this now and it is saddening me OH SO MUCH, maybe a lament for another review. Are there any good "hybrid athletics" books out there?!)
There was also some discussion of, like, being a woman in this culture and eating disorders and so on. Tbh I found that stuff kinda ham-fisted? It was well-meaning. I don't know if people who suffer from EDs would find it helpful? I also found the motivating pep talk "you can do it" stuff like meh, whatever. Much more motivating/inspiring were the many many pics of various women of various ages and body sizes doing various athletic things (wow that deadlift, lady! ooh, you ski?!).
December 19, 2021
Very impressed with this book. Definitely the approach I’ll be taking in the new year as I get more into strength training. I love the empowering idea that my diet is simply what I eat, and I can manipulate it for a variety of purposes - it’s not solely restrictive or, worse, punitive. The periodization approach is also extremely appealing. Ready to start! 💪
May 8, 2022
I was reading this to broaden my perspective on nutrition beyond my current male perspective, and was very impressed by how much content is in this book that applies to both genders. The chapter on the psychology of dieting, in particular, was very informative. The book overall was an interesting mix of entry-level and very advanced, with topics ranging from general dieting approaches to how to cut weight before a weigh-in for a competition. I appreciated that it investigated a lot of the dieting advice and transformations on social media – it was nice to get some numbers on what is realistic, and what is internet magic. Definitely worth a read.
July 21, 2017
A clear an concise review of all of the important aspect related to dieting, from basic dieting principals that apply to everyone, to psychology, right through to specific advice for specific stages of life. Easy to read, written in a conversational tone. Highly recommended for any coach who works with women, any woman (or father with daughters) interested in dieting or eating for performance, or anyone looking to support someone in their life.
October 13, 2025
Super informative and common sense approach to structuring a diet for fat loss or muscle gain. I also really appreciated their recognition of the emotional and cognitive toll that restriction can have and the recommended plan for healing from that was really excellent as well.
February 2, 2019
Great book. Especially helpful in dealing with the psychological struggles many women face with dieting.
February 3, 2023
Very clearly written and a lot of good info. Wish I’d read this 30 years ago
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews