Kuty Shalev

Body Transformation

2025-09-01

Before and After

I feel like I have to share these photos to see the transformation. There are a number of differences I’d point out.

Before After

The Exercise

I’m lazy. I want to do what is easiest to do, with maximum results. So maybe an optimizer is a better description.

Running

My first attempt was running. What’s simpler than putting on some sneakers and going outside to run? I even found playlists and a cheat sheet that targeted:

But I could not sustain it. Whether it was living in an area that limited running outside or simply not finding the internal spark to keep it going, I gave it up.

Returning to my optimizing nature, I ran across a pretty simple idea that captured my imagination. While “losing weight” was the common way I thought about my goal, when thinking deeper what I wanted really to “look good” and that’s not the same. I actually wanted to gain muscle and lose fat.

Weight Lifting

The best part that ended up hooking me was the science behind building muscle. The investment in time for building muscle by lifting weights is 20-40 minutes. This was about the same as running 3 miles using a 12 minutes pace, which is where I was at. But with running, the moment I stopped running, my body would stop burning calories at that increased pace. With weight lifting, the session itself had a higher calorie burn, but when I stopped my body would continue to burn calories at a higher rate all day long! Why? Because of the micro tears I created that the body now needed to be repaired.

This was amazing. I could invest the same amount of time in exercise, but the payoff was much higher.

I also chose Barbells vs Machines. There is a simplicity to having just one barbell where you can do all the main movements. I could get a power rack in my home, so working out was just a few steps away. I did not have to go to a gym.

I did have to buy some equipment to start this. But once I got the rack, the barbell and weights, I was ready to go.

If you are curious how I did my research, here are the resources I used:

When I started, I used Stronglifts. I think it used to be called 5x5 Stronglifts. This is a simple program to start. I started with an empty barbell and only squats. 5 sets of 5 reps and if I was successful, add 5 lbs next time. They also had an app on the phone which was useful.

Learning the Exercises

I started squatting. I even missed sessions. But at least once a week, I squatted. The weights got heavier. I felt I was making progress. I was proud of myself. The revelation came when I noticed that my body was changing. The scale was less important. The tape measure revealed that my waist was shrinking. My thighs were growing. And practically, I was stronger. I started being interested in more exercises. I focused on the big 3.

I started following powerlifters. Allan Thrall was my favorite. I got obsessed with making sure I understood how to lift. Especially the small techniques. The prompts that set me up best. Below are some of my favorite youtube videos that helped teach me how to do it. I never knew how before.

At some point I found Barbell Medicine guys. These guys did awesome lifts. And I just wanted to be like them. Although I knew I couldn’t really. But at least it was aiming in the right direction. And they were doctors, real MDs. So their explanation was nuanced. No bro science.

I got one on one remote coaching. I took videos of myself performing lifts and got feedback and prompts. This was amazing. Even did a video analysis of my bench press barbell path which unlocked some great gain there after lots of frustration. Highly recommend.

Here are some numbers, over time, of my lifts. Starting in 2016 with an empty barbell.

squat deadlift bench

I never saw myself as athletic, but this slow progress has turned into some nice strength over time.

The Food

As my exercise was ramping up, I noticed that I was willing to put in more effort with my food. There really is something to the ideas of Keystone Habits. These are the things that worked for me.

Initially, I started with Keto. Seemed pretty easy, frankly. I started thinking that it’s all about Calories. Consume fewer calories than you burn and you lose weight. And while that’s true, it was missing the idea of the types of calories, or macros. It was also not considering how to increase metabolism, basically to increase the number of calories you burn.

First, I learned about Macros - that all foods are some combination of Fat, Protein and Carbs. And keto suggests to have less than 20g of carbs per day, which is a pretty easy rule to stick to. Especially if you can have more fat to stay satiated. Now, its more complex and you can read the details in the links below. But this is where I started and made progress. I notice how important it is to:

At some point, I worked with a nutritionist, used My Fitness Pal, bought a kitchen scale, and measured everything. I tried a caloric deficit with high carb. That was fun after keto. I noticed that I started seeing any carby food as evil. It was good to see I could lose weight even when eating carbs.

To this day, I still measure my food on my scale. I remember I had to overcome this resistance to do it. I had all sorts of judgments about myself. No one else is doing this. Can’t I figure out when I’m full.

What others see as chains, I see as freedom. Guess what, I’m terrible at knowing when I’m full. I finish whatever is on my plate. Thanks Mom. So my measuring my food, I can enjoy cleaning my plate while knowing that I’m eating the proper amount for my goals.

I’ll add that I also do intermittent fasting. This is a fancy way to say I skip breakfast outside of a cup of black coffee. I also stop eating by 8pm. This works for me, and allows me to have those big meals where I get to eat a lot in one sitting.

What are my macros?

I’m 6’3” and based on experimentation, I aim for 1900 calories.

In the morning I fill up a 24oz bottle with water, add my creatine, mix in my LMNT for electrolytes like salt, potassium and magnesium. Then I go to the gym. Only then do I have my black americano with no cream or sugar.

Lunch is a fun meal because I get to eat a lot.

Dinner is either sushi of 300g sashimi + edamame. Or it’s chicken, 200g of white meat and assorted veggies. I keep the sauces sugar free, spicy chillies are great. If I’m hungry, I eat more protein and fats.

If this inspires you to do this, go for it and feel free to ask questions!