Fitness Blogger Proves Weightlifting Doesn't Make You "Bulky"

So often we see BBG and Kayla Itsines transformation pictures for dramatic before-and-after weight-loss stories. But it's not always about weight loss — in Nadine Huber's case, it's about healthy weight gain and muscle gain.

With macro-based eating, weightlifting, and BBG workouts, Nadine transformed her lifestyle, as well as her body. But the kicker: to get in the best shape of her life, Nadine didn't lose weight, she gained weight (muscle, mind you) — about 30 pounds total!

In a previous caption, Nadine called attention to the fact that weightlifting didn't make her bulky. "So you've heard that lifting weights makes women look BULKY? Well, you WON'T (unless you really want to). The truth is, you will look and feel like a boss. In fact, you're likely to feel downright unstoppable. And powerful. You will definitely look badass. And tough. And strong af. And ready to take on anything. Which, btw, you are."

Nadine has been very open about her recovery from an eating disorder; at her lowest weight, she said, "clothes were falling off, my hair thinned and I was constantly freezing cold. Thin was never thin enough. The ED overcame me so much, that I believed it was all that I was and all that I had. I became an empty shell of a women [sic], still obsessed over the idea whether my stomach was visible through my clothes." Since her recovery, she has built up her nutrition to give herself strength to work out and hasn't looked back. "Goodbye to body-bashing and physical faultfinding," she said. "Instead I learned to embrace, not just how it looks but what my body can do. Now 2 years later, I'm celebrating being happy, physically & mentally strong. Within 2 years I gained more than 25 percent of my body weight."

Yes, strength training and weightlifting may make you gain a few pounds of lean muscle (or 30 . . . ), but as Nadine put it, you'll look and feel like a boss. Which you totally are.