Build phase updates are easy to fake. This one isn't.

In this episode Julia sits down with her bodybuilding coach Chelsea for a real, unfiltered month 2 build phase check-in - covering training, nutrition, carb cycling, recovery, the social side of eating in a build, and the parts that have actually been hard. No highlight reel, but rather the honest update from both sides of the coaching relationship... and of course some humor and profanity sprinkled in.

If you've ever been curious about what a build phase actually looks like from the inside, this one is worth your time.

Resources + Links:
Free Macro Guide: Get the guide here
Work with Julia 1:1: [email protected]
Join NutriClub ($49/mo): Join Here
Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub
Website: FitWellWeb.com

Chelsea Kidd:
Instagram: @chelsea__kidd
Physique Blueprint Podcast: Spotify | Apple | YouTube
Hourglass Physique Starter Kit: Get it here
Women's Bodybuilding & Lifestyle Athletes Facebook Community: Join here

Losing weight and losing fat are not automatically the same thing and the difference between the two determines whether you come out of a deficit leaner and stronger or just smaller and depleted.

In this episode Julia breaks down what high-quality fat loss actually looks like, what a 2026 systematic review of 34 studies found about exercise and muscle retention during a deficit, and four practical strategies for losing primarily fat while keeping the muscle you worked hard to build.

If you have ever dieted hard and still not liked what you saw on the other side, this episode is going to explain exactly why.

Resources + Links:

Free Macro Guide: Get the guide here

Work with Julia 1:1: [email protected]

Join NutriClub ($49/mo): Join Here

Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Website: FitWellWeb.com

Keywords

• how to lose fat without losing muscle
• fat loss vs weight loss women
• how to preserve muscle while dieting
• lose fat keep muscle women
• resistance training during fat loss
• how much protein to eat while cutting
• calorie deficit and muscle loss
• cardio and muscle loss women
• fat loss for women over 35
• body composition women
• strength training
• fat loss women

The difference between eating less and eating right isn't just semantics, it's the reason so many women are working incredibly hard and getting nowhere.

In this episode Julia breaks down what actually happens to your metabolism when you chronically under-eat, why cutting carbs is likely working against you, how to strategically fuel your workouts for better results, and the restrict-binge cycle she lived through personally during her running years - and how she finally got out of it.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and still stuck, this one is going to reframe how you think about food entirely.

Resources + Links:

Free Macro Guide: Get the guide here

Work with Julia 1:1: [email protected]

Join NutriClub ($49/mo): Join Here

Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Website: FitWellWeb.com

Keywords:

• eating less not losing weight
• how to eat right for weight loss
• metabolic adaptation
• why restricting calories stops working

You're tracking your food. You're being good. So why isn't anything changing?

In this episode, Julia breaks down the five most common patterns she sees with clients who are doing everything right on paper but still stuck, and none of them are about willpower, motivation, or discipline.

If you've ever felt like your body just doesn't respond the way it should, this one is going to explain a lot.

Resources + Links:

Free Macro Guide: Get the guide here

Work with Julia 1:1: [email protected]

Join NutriClub ($49/mo): Join Here

Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Website: FitWellWeb.com

Keywords

• why am I not losing weight
• not seeing results from working out
• tracking macros not losing weight
• why is my diet not working

What makes a competitor's build phase different from a lifestyle client's? Julia and her coach Chelsea break it down.

Julia sits down with her own bodybuilding coach, Chelsea Kidd, one month into her build phase, to talk about what makes competition prep different from a general fitness build. They cover timeline planning, how aggressive a reverse diet can get for a competitor, why muscle targeting gets so specific for the stage, and what lifestyle clients can actually take away from competition-level principles.

Key topics covered:

• What a "build phase" means specifically for a bodybuilding competitor
• Timeline differences: planning backward from a show date vs. open-ended lifestyle builds
• How aggressive reverse dieting looks for competitors vs. lifestyle clients
• Why muscle-group targeting gets so specific for stage presentation
• Julia's one-month check-in on her own build phase

• What lifestyle clients can take from competition prep principles

Links & Resources

Work with me: www.fitwellweb.com

Free Macro Guide + Calculator:

Grab my free macro guide and calculator to help you figure out where to start with your nutrition: https://www.fitwellweb.com/pl/2148650605

Follow along on Instagram:

Come hang with me on Instagram for more fat loss, muscle building, mom life, and “kinda athletic” realness: @KindaAthleticClub

Questions or coaching inquiries:
Email me here: [email protected]

Chelsea Kidd Links:

• Facebook Community: Women’s Bodybuilding & Lifestyle Athletes

• Hourglass Physique Starter Kit: https://sendfox.com/PhysiqueBlueprint 

• Physique Blueprint podcast: Spotify, Apple, YouTube 

• Chelsea on IG: @chelsea__kidd

• Work with Chelsea: www.teampb.fit

"Does losing fat turn into muscle?" Julia breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in fitness: why fat loss reveals muscle rather than creating it, why two people can lose the same weight and look completely different, and what this means for how you should actually be training right now.

Key topics covered:

Why fat and muscle don't convert into each other

Why "revealing" muscle requires building it first

Why two people losing the same weight can look totally different

How to train during a fat loss phase to protect your results

Body recomposition: when building and losing at the same time is realistic

Why muscle-building has to be a long-term investment, not a quick fix

Follow on Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Coaching Resources & Freebies: www.fitwellweb.com

Tracking your food feels like a part time job for about the first week, and then something shifts. Julia breaks down what's actually happening in your brain during that adjustment period, why your portion-eyeballing skills get scary accurate after just a few days of tracking, and why the emotional drama around logging fades faster than you'd expect. Plus practical tips to survive week one without losing your mind.

Links:FitWellWeb NutriClub ($49/mo): https://www.fitwellweb.com/offers/e2GfmVnx

Follow on Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Key topics covered:

Why day one of tracking feels like a hostage situation

The brain science behind why new habits feel harder at first

The "magical one week shift" and what changes

How portion estimation improves with consistent tracking

The shift from food guilt to food data

Addressing the fear that tracking causes obsession

Practical tips for surviving week one

Julia is one week into her build phase and she is pulling back the curtain on what it actually looks like day to day. No, it is not a free for all. No, eating more over the summer is not a bad idea.

In this episode she breaks down what a reverse diet actually is, why she is deliberately doing less cardio right now, how she is training specifically for the hourglass shape, and why summer might actually be the best time to build. Real, honest, and zero fluff.

Links:Apply for 1:1 Coaching: fitwellweb.com/1-1-online-coaching

FitWellWeb NutriClub ($49/mo): https://www.fitwellweb.com/offers/e2GfmVnx

6-Week Shred (starts June 22): fitwellweb.com

Follow on Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Key topics covered:

What a build phase actually is and why women avoid it

The difference between flexible eating and a free for all

What a reverse diet looks like in real life

Why Julia is doing less cardio right now and why that is strategic

Training specifically for the hourglass shape

Why summer is actually a great time to build

Julia just wrapped up a 10-pound fat loss phase -- and she is breaking down exactly how she did it without falling into the Monday Reset cycle. In this episode, she gives her honest take on meal plans vs. macros, why flexible eating is not always the answer, and what it actually takes to lock in and get results. Plus: she is starting her building phase to prep for the bodybuilding stage, and she is being real about how terrifying that feels.

Links mentioned:

• Apply for 1:1 Coaching: fitwellweb.com/1-1-online-coaching
• FitWellWeb NutriClub ($49/mo): https://www.fitwellweb.com/offers/e2GfmVnx
• Follow on Instagram: @KindaAthleticClub

Key topics covered:

• The Monday Reset Trap and why it keeps you stuck
• When a meal plan is actually the right tool
• Why flexible dieting gets misused
• Julia's 4.5-month fat loss phase breakdown
• Starting a build phase in summer -- the honest mental side
• Why even coaches need coaches

If you’ve been stuck in the bootcamp, HIIT, cardio-chaos cycle and wondering why your body still doesn’t look the way you want, this episode is for you.

I’m sharing how I lost 15 pounds over the past year by actually doing less: no more endless runs, no more constantly sore muscles, no more chasing calorie burn, and no more using exhaustion as proof that a workout “worked.”

Lift. Progress. Walk. Eat protein. Recover. Repeat.

Follow me on Instagram: @KindaAthleticClubApply for coaching: www.fitwellweb.com