How This MD Built Muscle, Boosted Metabolism & Ditched Diet Rules

For many women, changes in body composition can feel confusing, frustrating, or even discouraging, especially after major life transitions like pregnancy, breastfeeding, or hormonal shifts. Even when you’re eating “well” and exercising regularly, the results don’t always match the effort.

That disconnect is exactly what prompted Ana Kausel, M.D., a board-certified endocrinologist, to take a closer look at her own health. 

As an endocrinologist, Kausel understands hormones deeply. But her personal journey revealed a common gap between knowing the science and applying it in a way that actually produces results.

After she stopped breastfeeding her son in 2022, she noticed significant changes in her body composition. Like many women, she initially focused on losing weight. She trained consistently, ate what she believed was a healthy diet, and saw some fat loss. But eventually, she hit a plateau, despite putting in more effort.

The turning point came when she reframed her goal. Building muscle, she realized, requires a very different approach than simply trying to lose fat.

Muscle is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. It plays a key role in insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, resting metabolic rate, and long-term hormonal health. As women age, muscle mass naturally declines through a process called sarcopenia, which can begin as early as our 30s. 

Instead of adding more workouts or chasing calorie burn, Kausel shifted to structured strength training built around progressive overload. That meant tracking the weights she lifted and gradually increasing resistance over time.

This approach wasn’t about doing more classes or constantly changing workouts. It was about training with a clear goal: muscle growth.

She also incorporated high-intensity interval training (HIIT) strategically, using it to support cardiovascular health without interfering with muscle recovery. The result was a measurable shift in body composition, strength, and metabolic efficiency.

One of the biggest lessons from Kausel’s transformation is that eating healthy isn’t the same as eating to build muscle.

Protein became non-negotiable. She prioritized consistent protein intake across meals to provide the amino acids needed for muscle repair and growth. Carbohydrates were equally important. Rather than cutting carbs, she used them intentionally to fuel training sessions and replenish glycogen stores in muscle, which supports both performance and recovery.

Kausel is transparent about the fact that she used a GLP-1 medication as part of her journey. But she’s equally clear that medication alone wasn’t responsible for her muscle gain.

GLP-1s can be effective tools for appetite regulation and metabolic health, but they work best when paired with lifestyle fundamentals. Strength training, adequate nutrition, quality sleep, and consistency were what allowed her to build muscle and protect her metabolism.

Kausel’s story is a reminder that metabolism isn’t something you fight against. It’s something you build. When muscle becomes the goal, many of the confusing pieces start to fall into place. Strength training becomes purposeful, nutrition becomes supportive rather than restrictive, and health becomes something you actively cultivate.